Athens This Weekend: February 19 - 21

Friday, February 19:

• Join us for the 2010 Southern Garden Heritage Conference at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia! Robin Salmon will open the conference with a lecture about garden sculpture and close the conference with a lecture about garden sculpture and close the conference with a presentation about Brookgreen Gardens, one of America's finest sculpture gardens. Amateurs and professionals alike are sure to find this conference interesting and informative. Preregistration is required- call 706.542.6359 today! $95 for members, $110 for non-members.

• Great event for all ages! Sandy Creek Park and the Athens Astronomical Association will host Starwatch: Winter Night Skies tomorrow from 7- 9 p.m. Starwatch is a unique event where participants can enjoy views of the winter constellations, Mars, and the crescent moon. Pre-registration is recommended. Only $2 for ACC residents and $3 for non-residents!

Saturday, February 20:

• Take a trip to Kingpins Bowl and Brew this Saturday from 2 - 5 p.m. for Bowling for the Bard and great prizes! They will be raffling off a framed, autographed poster from REM! Season tickets, restaurant gift certificates and more are also up for grabs. All proceeds help produce this summer's free production of The Taming of the Shrew. Only $5 to participate!

• In celebration of Black History Month, Classic City Tours is offering a special 2-hour bus tour at 2 p.m. of Athens' most significant African-American heritage sites. Stops include the Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery and Morton Theatre.

Sunday, February 21:

• "Eat, Drink, and Help Many" by attending the 17th annual A Taste of Athens! Over 50 restaurants and beverage distributors are participating for your chance to sample local cuisine, sip on wine & beer from regional distributors, bid on amazing silent auction items, and mix & mingle with other community supporters. This event benefits Community Connection of Northeast Georgia, who empowers our community to GET HELP, GIVE HELP, and GROW HELP.

• Support Sandy Creek Nature Center by walking or running in the Frog Hop 5K! The one-mile Tadpole Fun Run starts at 2 p.m. with the 5K race set for 2:30 p.m. Race entry forms are available around town, at Sandy Creek Nature Center or at the nature center's Web site. You can also register here. Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome!

Ongoing Events:

• SEC Swim & Dive Championships: The Georgia swimming and diving teams are proud to host the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships at Gabrielsen Natatorium. The four-day competition features seven men's teams and six women's squads that are ranked in the Top 25 by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America! See schedule here.

• Town and Gown presents Mame: Town and Gown presents Mame, a Tony-Award winning musical, at the Athens Community Theater! From mountain climbing related deaths to Massachusetts boarding schools, Mame is a musical that has it all. The musical, based on Patrick Dennis' novel Auntie Mame, chronicles the tumultuous and often hilarious life of the titular character. Mame made its broadway Theatre debut in 1969, and it features Georgia as a prominent setting. 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday.

• UGA Sports: UGA tennis has two home matches this weekend, taking on Southern Cal. on Friday and Arkansas on Sunday. Also, cheer on the Hoop Dawgs as they take on Alabama!

• Not Since You Movie Premiere and Screening: This film was shot in large part in Athens! Not Since You is an ensemble film about a tight-knit group of college friends who graduated from NYU just prior to 9/11 and reunite years later for a weekend wedding in Georgia. It premieres this Friday, and screening for only one week at Beechwood Cinemas.

This Weekend's Best Bets

Live music, local theater, thought-provoking art: there are plenty of things to keep you occupied this weekend while the Dawgs are away.

Friday, September 18th:

• Football Friday Nights at Melting Point: This Friday Leon Russell (with special guest Bloodkin) feeds the city's live music craving before the Dawgs take on Arkansas. Doors open at 6 p.m., the show starts at 8:30.
• The Town & Gown Players present Company by Stephen Sondheim. The players open their Fall season with this Tony award winning musical comedy about the ups and downs of marriage. The show starts at 8p.m., tickets are $18 general admission and $15 for students and seniors. No worries if you can't make it this weekend, the show runs until October 4th.

Saturday, September 19th:

• Game day! Your number 20 Georgia Bulldogs face the S.E.C. West's Arkansas Razorbacks at 7:47 on ESPNU.
• Help a dog before you watch the Dawgs. The Greater Atlanta Volunteer Chapter of Canine Companions host their 7th annual Run for the Dogs at Sandy Creek Park. The organization raises and places assistance dogs with the disabled. The event includes a 5k and a 1-mile fun run (dogs welcome!). Registration begins at 8 a.m.
• The four-time national champion Georgia Equestrian team takes on Texas Christian at the UGA Equestrian Center in Bishop. Riding begins at 2 p.m. Admission is free and these ladies are talented!
• Athens Institute of Contemporary Art (Athica) opens their latest exhibit Free Press in Free Fall. The exhibit, featuring a variety of artists, explores the demise of the print news media. Free Fall includes a series of events from now until November 8th. Visit the Athica website for more details.

Sunday, September 20th:

• The Athens' Heritage Walks Series digs deeper into the history of downtown Athens. Hal Cofer, a second-generation Athenian, brings to life historic downtown as a commercial center and cultural hub. The tour begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for ACHF members at $15 for non-members.

Enjoy!

Georgia Gameday

The first home football game is almost here! UGA will take on the University of South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 12. Keep up with the Dawgs with these great events leading up to & throughout the game, and don't forget to visit the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau's website for gameday parking, last-minute hotel rooms in Athens, and other travel tips.

Friday

• Start your morning off right with Mark Richt & the Bulldog Breakfast Club at 8 a.m. Admission is $20 Alumni Assoication member & $5 student member. Register in advance here. The event is located in the Tate II Grand Hall.
• Have breakfast with Mark Richt & lunch with the dawgs at 11:30 at the Melting Point! This week's speaker is former UGA quarterback and current color voice of the Dogs, Eric Zeier. Tickets are $15 & include a buffet lunch.
  
• Finish up the day with some tailgate food! Come out to the Alumni Assocation's Tailgate Cookoff. The Dawg Bowl Tailgate Cook-off starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Wray-Nicholson House. Dishes can be entered in the appetizer, side, entree or dessert categories. The cost is $20 per food entry or $60 to enter a tailgate team. If you want to sample the dishes, that’ll cost $3.
  
• Football Friday Nights at the Melting Point- Sons of Sailors (Jimmy Buffet Tribute band) will be performing. Tickets are $10 in advance & $13 at the door.
  
• More Music! Catch Sister Hazel at The Classic Center, or be on hand for the grand opening of the new Rialto Room at Hotel Indigo-- David Smits is performing.

Saturday

• It's game day! Hotel Indigo Athens will serve as the football gameday broadcast location for the Georgia Bulldog Radio Network. Fans will now be closer to the action (shows were previously broadcast out of Atlanta). A brand new hour of pre-game entertainment, 'The Bulldog Gameday Show", will air live from Hotel Indigo Athens during the first hour of pre-game programming. The football post-game show will also air for an hour to an hour and a half after the game ends.
  
• Magic 102 will be broadcasting live from downtown Athens for 2 hours before kickoff.
  
• Show up on campus early & be loud at the Dawg Walk! Since there is no First Friday to pump up the dawgs this week they will need an extra large Dawg Walk, located in the Tate Center parking lot. The walk usually takes place two hours before the game, so it’ll be around 5 p.m. for the South Carolina game.
• Georgia Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks. The game starts at 7 p.m. but students are being urged to arrive early now that all student seating is on a first come basis.
  

GO DAWGS!

Not able to make it to Athens this weekend? Check back later next week for videos from the game!