Sunflower Music Series Tuesday, Aug. 25. Tweet to Win!

Grogus in the Flower Garden! Chill out to the Latin jazz, salsa, Afro-Caribbean, and reggae tunes of local favorite band, Grogus. Bring your blanket and picnic-- the Sunflower Music Series is fun for all ages. For the 9th annual Sunflower Music Series, bands will play outdoors in the new Flower Garden of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (inside in wet weather). Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for children ages 6 – 12. Ticket prices include beverages and light snacks. Please feel free to bring a blanket and picnic. Lawn chairs, however, are not allowed. Call 706-542-1244 for more information or tickets.

Pssst. . . we're giving away a FREE pair of tickets over on our Twitter page. Just click to follow us and retweet about this event to be eligible!

Athens this Weekend

It's back to school in Athens. Cram the fun in this weekend before it's time to cram for tests!

Friday

• Mule Fest. This three day, two venue festival consists of art, music, vending, & children's activities.
  
• Meet & Greet with childen's author & actress Carolyn Hennesy at Cine. Free at 8 p.m.


• Cracker and Dexateens will be performing at 40 Watt. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $15.


• The Green Room is hosting Mule Fest Friday night. Check out The Incredible Sandwich, Free Lunch, Jazz Chronic, & more! The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. A 3-day Mule pass $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Saturday

• Athens Heritage Walks: North Oconee River Heritage Canoe Tour. Explore the history of the 2 major rivers that have been vital to Athens' development. Tour guided by Ben Emanuel and Janet Clark


• 2nd Annual Terrapin Beer Company Back to School Bash. Live music Rachel O'Neill and High Strung. Terrapin will also be breaking out reserve kegs of limited edition beers from throughout last year and a cask ale tent. The bash is from 5-8 p.m. and is free.


• Mule Fest day 2 at The Green Room. 20 bands are all set to take the stage. The show starts at 10 a.m. and ends at midnight.

This weekend is packed full of events and performances. No matter where you go, you will find something of interest. So don't just take my word for it- get out and explore!

Mule Fest 2009 this weekend in Athens

Head to Athens for Mule Fest this weekend! There is an amazing lineup of over two dozen bands, plus comedians and family fare. The entertainment will be presented on two stages. The outdoor main stage will be located in the First American Bank & Trust parking lot adjacent to The Green Room, an intimate, inside performance space, at 512 N. ThomasStreet, just down the street from The Classic Center and The Foundry Park Inn & Spa.

The festival kicks off on Friday, August 21st at 6:30 PM. Music begins at 7:00 PM and comedy in the Green Room featuring Chris Patton, Harold Kizzapps, Jonathan Lowder, and Brian Stoltz will commence at 8:00 PM. On Saturday, August 22nd the festival will start at 10:00 AM with the music of Pam Blanchard and The Sunny Side Up Band and will continue until 12:00 midnight. The festival concludes on Sunday, August 23rd at 7:30 P.M. with The Lee Boys from Miami, who recently performed on Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

The music includes almost all genres of music, including acoustic performances, jam bands, alternative-rock, Americana, blues, funk, jazz and soul. Additional performers include: The Incredible Sandwich, The Bearfoot Hookers, Half Dozen Brass Band, Betsy Franck & The Bareknuckle Band, BradDowns & Poor Bastard Souls, Fly Brothers, Free Lunch, Ken Will Morton,JazzChronic, Laissez Funk, Lingo, Lefty Hathaway, Nathan Sheppard, Soulhound, Trey Wright Trio, The Tropical Breeze Steel Drum Band, and more.

Wristbands for the 3-day festival are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 day of show. Day passes are available for the Friday evening shows at $8.00 in advance and $10.00 day of show. Day passes for Saturday and Sunday are $10.00 in advance, and $12.00 day of show. This will be an all-ages event. Children under 12 will be admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

See MuleFest.net for more info.

New (School) Year's Resolutions

My children are settled into the new school year, and Athens is welcoming back the influx of UGA students for fall semester. Which has me thinking about new starts and new beginnings. This year, I want to resolve to get out more and take full advantage of all the amazing attractions, events, and opportunities that we have here in Athens, Georgia. How many of us take our local community's cultural resources for granted? Perhaps we have less of that "sense of urgency" for things that are in our own backyards. Here are a few of my New (School) Year's Resolutions.
1. Grab a group of friends and head to Terrapin Brewery for a tour, tasting, and live music. (I still can't believe all that is just 8 bucks.)

2. Get out early on a Saturday morning with my kids for one of the Georgia Museum of Art's Family Days. They always enjoy the activities so much, and it's FREE, so why we don't do this every month, I have no idea!!! Next one is on September 19, calendar marked!

3. Stick to a monthly date night with my hubby. We drool over Top Chef on TV every week, but we could be eating the real thing for just $25 with Athens' own top chef, Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten! What about dinner AND a movie at Cine and The National, still just $25 on Monday and Tuesday. Fall evenings would be awesome to spend on the patio at Farm 255 or The Melting Point!

4. Be more culturally aware. Go to an opening reception for an art exhibit. Try classical music.

What other things should I put on this list, and what's on YOUR list to do this year?

Twitter Contest: An Evening of Jazz

The Morton Theatre Corporation is counting down to its Centennial Celebration. In the first of these hosted "Countdown to the Centennial" concerts and events leading up to 2010, the Morton presents an evening of jazz with soulful artist Kyshona followed by Moyouba an Afro-Caribbean Drum Ensemble bringing the timeless rhythms of the Caribbean. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

There will be 2 winners for this contest and each winner will receive 2 tickets.

The contest format & winner selection will be the same as previous contests (click here for a refresher). You have until 8 p.m. to enter.

Winner can pick up their tickets at the Morton box office the day of the show or call the box office at (706) 613-3770 to make arrangements.

Good luck!

Athens this Weekend

Grab a bit more summer fun in Athens this weekend!

Friday

• Try out clay classes at Good Dirt. The weekly "Try Clay" class runs from 7-9 p.m. & is $20 per person.
  
• It's a 3 for 1 deal at 40 Watt. Check out Reigning Sound, Thomas Function, & Vincas. Show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $10.
  
• "Rock & Rap Mayhem" at the Caledonia Lounge. The event features 5 rock & rap rising stars. The show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $5 (21+) or $7 (18+).
• Try out your moonwalk at Little Kings Shuffle Club & their Michael Jackson Dance Party. The event starts at 10 p.m. & cost is $5 or $2 if you dress like the king of pop.

Saturday

• Learn about Athens' history through a Heritage Walk. This Saturday, visitors will be exploring UGA's Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. The library holds some 2,500 years of materials from across the globe, supporting the varied research of the University of Georgia, as well as that of researchers from other institutions around the world. To view the full event listing click here. The tour begins at 2 p.m. & costs $12 for ACHF members, $15 for non-members.
• For a fun family event, check out Family Canoe Day at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. The event begins at 10 a.m. & costs $3 for ACC residents, $5 for non-residents.
• The Classic City Rollergirls take on the Camel City Thrashers at the Skate a Round USA Family Skate Center. The bout begins at 7 p.m. & tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door.
• Come out to Tasty World Uptown for Athens Habitat for Humanity 21st Birthday Party! The party features music from The Judies, Trances Arc, & Velveteen Pink. Doors open at 10 p.m. & admission is $5.
  

A Fun Find

This morning I stumbled across a great Athens tumblr blog.

Athens View is maintained by Bob Brussack, a contributor to Athens World. Athens View showcases the Classic City in photos.

It is always nice to see good photography at work. It's even better to see good photography featuring Athens!

Get Creative!

Athens, GA is famous for its music scene. And you might have heard of those Georgia Bulldogs a time or two. What you might not be as familiar with is the art scene in Athens.

Stroll downtown and you can check out dozens of galleries or boutiques featuring all local products.

Beyond that, some Athens artists are taking their creativity to the web.

Etsy, the popular Web site that allows local artists to showcase and sell their products, is home to over 70 Athens area artists. The blog Lillyella featured 6 artists from Athens recently (click here to view the post).

In addition to those great finds, my top 3 Athens Etsy designers are below.

1. Kittybutt (animal inspired art by Cathy Dailey)

2. ipullprints (prints individually pulled from hand-carved molds)

3. j.Nic Designs (home grown jewelry)

To sample more local creative wares in Athens, check out the Craft Athens blog.

Are You Ready for some UGA Football? Kickoff is just 33 days away!

Make the most of your UGA football weekend in Athens GA. Want to know where to tailgate before the Georgia Bulldogs football game? Which Athens hotels still have rooms available on football weekends? Other things to see and do during your visit to Athens, Georgia? The Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau website has all the answers and assistance you need for a great road trip to Athens. VisitAthensGA.com

Question: What's your favorite thing to do BEYOND the Hedges in Athens on a football weekend?