Athens History Walk

I recently attended an Athens Walking Tour, visiting historic homes throughout the Henderson Avenue district. Check out the video for a few snippets!

To learn more about the tours click here. The next tour is scheduled for August 8!

Athens this Weekend

Check out great local theatre, great local food, and the inaugural "All Park Scavenger Hunt" throughout our local parks in Athens this weekend!

Friday

• Check out the Town & Gown Players in Butterflies Are Free at the Athens Community Theatre. The show starts at 8 p.m. & tickets are $5.
• It's a 3-for-1 deal at the 40 Watt Club this weekend as the Adam Payne Band, Brad Downs & the Poor Bastard Souls, and Theomataras are all set to perform. The show starts at 9 and tickets are $5 (21+) or $7 (18+)
  
• American Cheeseburger will perform their first show with new lead singer Jeff Rapier at Go Bar. The show starts at 9 and tickets are $5.

Saturday

• All Park Scavenger Hunt. Teams of 2-5 participants will be led to clues throughout all the parks in Athens. The first clue will be emailed out to everyone simultaneously. Prizes will be award to the top 2 teams. The hunt starts at 8 a.m. and registration is $10.
• Teen Film Festival. Come out to see our local talents as films made by Athens teens are displayed on the big screen. The audience wil choose the winners. The event starts at 7 p.m. at the ACC Library.
• The Athens Creative Theatre presents Bye Bye Birdie at Morton Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 (adults) and $12 (students, children, and senior citizens).
• Slopfest. This event at Little Kings Shuffle Club begins at 5 p.m. and features performances by '92 Dreamteam, Bodapop, Christophers Liver, Circle in Flight, Daffodil, Dead Dog, Die Benny, Jungol, Laminated Cat, Lazer/Wülf, Pride Parade, and Tendaberry . The best part? Tickets are only $2.

Sunday

• Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre: "Until Death" at Buffalo's Southwest Café. The dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include dinner, champagne, and wedding cake.
• Kenosha Kid performs Steamboat Bill, Jr at Cine. Two chances to catch this show- at 4 p.m. ($8) or 7 p.m. ($10). Band leader Dan Nettles, Neal Fountain and Jeff Reilly, who is flying in from Los Angeles for tonight's performance, score Buster Keaton's silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr.
  
• Opening reception for "Botanical Fantasy," at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. The exhibit features contemporary brightly colored floral canvases by award-winning Southeastern artist Veva Dunckel. 1:30-3:30 p.m.
  

Weekly Freebie: Taste Your Place Conclusion

The final event in the 2-week Taste your PLACE event will be this Saturday at the Athens Farmers' Market.

Local Food Award recipients will be announced so come out and see who represented the Classic City best!

In addition to awards and the chance to check out the local products of Athens, the event will also feature music performances by Michael Eudy, Sean Arington, & Mad Whisky Gin.

The awards begin at 10 a.m.

After you experience the Athens Farmers' Market, don't forget to vote for it in the Care2 contest! For more information on that, click here.

Vote for the Athens Farmers Market!

Care2 is a large action site dedicated to helping people make a difference in their lives and world. The Web site is currently carrying on a contest called Love Your Farmers Market.

Each week until September 17, Care2 will donate $250 to a random market. After September 15, the top 5 Farmers markets all win cash.

First place: $5,000
Second place: $3,000
Third place: $2,000
Fourth place: $1,000
Fifth place: $1,000

Vote for the Athens Farmers Market by clicking this link.

Athens this Weekend

Looking for great shows? You know Athens is famous for its music scene. Need something else? Check out a few alternatives this weekend.

Friday

• Darius Goes West Day at the Student Presbyterian Center. Check out one of UGA's most famous alums. Everyone gets 10 free activity tickets. Make sure to see the Darius Goes West RV that's traveled 50,000 miles since Sept. 2008. 6-10 p.m.
  
• Check out the comedic routine of Lisa Mende and Stephanie Astalos-Jones at Cine. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15.
• Check out 4 great shows for the price of 1 at Tasty World Uptown. Celerity, Groove Stain, The K-Macks, and So It Goes are all set to perform. Tickets are $5 and the show starts at 10 p.m.
• Looking for a fun blast from the past? Head over to the Melting Point and check out The Splitz. They perform classic Motown, '70s funk, R&B, and disco hits. 8 p.m. Tickes are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Saturday

• Slow Food Pie Contest at the Athens Farmers' Market. 10:30 a.m. $5 (to taste all pies)
• Head over to Cine for a screening of Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life . See it in full at 7:30 p.m.
• Can't wait for football season? UGA's Countdown to Kickoff might ease the pain of waiting. Present and former UGA football players run drills, throw passes, play games, sign autographs and take pictures with fans. 3-6 p.m. $25.
• Killer Mike, Pastor Troy, and The Nappy Roots will be performing at The Classic Center at 10 p.m. Tickets are $5.

Sunday

• Comedian Carl Hurley will be performing at The Classic Center at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Drawing from his roots in the tradition of such other American humorists as Andy Griffith and Garrison Keillor, Hurley delights audiences with his reflections on life as viewed by a native of Appalachia with a singular sense of the absurd.
  

Twitter Contest: The Art of Cinema

Attention all movie buffs!

The Georgia Museum of Art is hosting "The Art of: Cinema" at Cine next Tuesday, July 21. The event is part of the GMOA's "Art Of:" series of entertaining and educational events that celebrate craft beyond the traditional fine arts, such as gardening, cinema, beer brewing, and more.

Dr. Richard Neupert from the UGA Department of Theatre and Film Studies will present “How to Watch a Film”; afterward, attendees can choose between three films being shown that evening. Tickets are $15 for friends of the museum and $20 for non-members. The event fee includes a movie ticket, the lecture, and a reception.

Want to go but wish it were free? You are in luck! The great people at GMOA have given the Athens CVB 2 tickets to give away.

How to Participate

We're sticking with the same format as our previous contests. Simply retweet my post tomorrow about the event. You have until 8 p.m Friday. After 8 on Friday, a random number generator will select the winner. New to Twitter or our contests? Click here or here for examples.

The winner can pick up their tickets at the event.

Good luck!

Athens this Weekend

Check out the usual suspects of art, live music, and entertainment throughout the Classic City this weekend.

Friday

• Looking for a new form of fun this weekend? Check out Effie's Club Follies at the 40 Watt. This local "slap-strip comedic burlesque" troupe combines the best elements of sketch comedy, musical theatre, drag and striptease. The show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $10 for the 21 & over set, $12 for 18+.
• The Michael Guthrie Band will be performing at the Melting Point at 9 p.m. For nearly 40 years, Athenian Michael Guthrie and his various bandmates have delved into the world of melodic, jangly British-sounding throwback rock. The latest incarnation is a family affair with brother Herb and son Jon. Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 at the door.
• Check out a large lineup at the new Tasty World Uptown this Friday. Against All Odds, Heroes for Tonight, Leaving Araby, Lost Heritage, Shootout the Stars, and The Wristbandits will all grace the new stage. Tickets are $5.

Saturday

• Taste Your PLACE Kickoff at the Athens Farmers' Market. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. To learn more, checkout this week's freebie.
• With football season so close yet so far, get your dawg fix at the Classic Center with the Dawg Derby Flyball Tournament. This year's tournament features 64 teams of dogs and handlers from 10 states competing in a fast-paced relay race that involves sprinting, jumping and retrieving. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $1.
• Want to see how UGA's gardens grow? The Gardens at UGA Open House runs from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Guided tour led by the founder of UGA's Trial Gardens, which are nationally known for trialing annuals and perennials for the Southeast. $5.
• Swing by Caledonia Lounge to hear The Buddy System's final show. Check out the adorable projected animation of Lauren Gregg's illustrations to go along with the gently grooving indie-pop tunes delivered by Kindercore stalwarts in their last performance. Also featuring Allison Weiss, Attractive Eighties Women, and ExcaliBrah. 10 p.m. $5.

Sunday

• Enjoy a lazy Sunday at Memorial Park with a free community picnic. Featuring music, yard games, face painting, ice cream, performances and more. Bring a blanket and picnic basket. 5 p.m.
• Square One Restaurant and Bar's weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch features rotating local jazz artists out on their patio. Enjoy it before the heat index goes back up! 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Exercise your brain and gear up for the work week with sports-themed trivia at Allen's Bar & Grill. 9 p.m.

For more information on these events or to see more calendar listings, visit our website here.

Weekly Freebie: Taste Your Place

One of the many advantages of living in Athens, GA is the importance placed on local products. Whether it's Five and Ten serving up food straight from their garden or a boutique selling Athens-based art, the Classic City likes to keep it local.

In accordance with that local promise, P.L.A.C.E. (Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experiences) is launching a 2-week event throughout Athens this Saturday, July 11. The free kickoff will be at the Athens Farmers' Market from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

In addition, many P.L.A.C.E. events during the next 2 weeks will be free and open to the public:

July 14th: Tour of Home Kitchen Gardens.

July 16th: Book Club with Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” The event will be held at the Jittery Joe's Roaster on Broad Street at 6:30pm. Light refreshment will be provided.

July 25th: 2009 Athens Local Food Awards at the Athens Farmers’ Market.

Other events, including a slow food pie contest, will only set you back $5 or $10. Check the full calendar listing here for complete details.

Several restaurants will be adding local food specials to their menu during the next 2 weeks. Casa Mia, DePalma's (Downtown), Doc Chey's, East/West Bistro, Farm 255, Five and Ten, Five Star Day (Downtown and Eastside), Ike and Jane, Last Resort, Lindsey's Culinary Market, Lumpkin Cafe, Mama's Boy, The National , and White Tiger Gourmet are all slated to serve up Athens fare.

So get out and enjoy the free upcoming P.L.A.C.E. events and consider using the money you are save to support the restaurants committed to keeping Athens homegrown!

Twitter Contest: Sunflower Music Series

We have another great contest lined up for our Twitter followers tomorrow(July 9)!

The 9th annual Sunflower Music Series at The State Botanical Garden of Georgia will feature local band Five Eight on Tuesday, July 14. The three-piece rock band has been a a warm-up band for R.E.M. and were featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered. Weather permitting, Five Eight will play outside in the new flower garden from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Tickets include beverages and light snacks.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia has given us 4 tickets to give away. We are giving them all away to the same lucky person tomorrow, so keep in mind if you win you will get to attend the concert with 3 guests you choose.

How To Participate

The same format that we used for our first 2 contests still applies. Simply re-tweet my post tomorrow about the Sunflower Music Series until 8 p.m. After 8, a random number generator will pick the winner!

New to our Twitter contests? Not sure how to retweet? For examples click here or here.

The tickets will be available at will call at the botanical gardens.

Remember the contest is 1-day only, tomorrow July 9, and you can retweet until 8. Good luck!

Take a ride!

Athens was recently named 1 of the top 10 best American towns to visit by car.

Forbes states:

"Located about 90 minutes from Atlanta, this Southern town has a thriving bike culture and live music scene culminating in the annual AthFest, a nonprofit music and arts festival held downtown. It's also home to the University of Georgia, which makes it a typical college town chock full of coffee shops and bars suitable for late nights of philosophizing. Longstanding institutions like the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the site of an original Civil War cannon are also nearby."

Great to see such consistent coverage of Athens in the news! And even if you are already here, jump in the car and check out a new spot this weekend just for fun.

To read the full article, click here.

Summer in Athens: Video Post

This weekend I hit the streets of AthFest with my marker board and a flipcam to find out what makes Athens, GA special during the summer. Check out the video below!