Soapbox racing in Atlanta

This Saturday, August 29th, Red Bull is hosting the first of two of their soapbox races in the U.S. this year. At 11am the pits open on 10th Street at Piedmont Park for over forty racing teams. This is sure to be a fun and unique events as teams are not only judged on racing speed but also creativity. So expect to see some funky and fun things! The event is free but be aware that parking in the area will be limited so plan ahead. For more information on the event go to www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/Atlanta-2009/default.aspx.

Do The Time Warp

The Earl Smith Strand Theatre on the Marietta Square is hosting a midnight showing of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight, Saturday, August 22. The event features a costume contest and prizes. Outside props are not allowed, but prop bags will be available for $2. Doors open at 11pm and the costume contest begins at 11:30pm. Full bar service will be available. Tickets are $6 for students/seniors and $7 for adults. Free parking is available at the Cobb County parking garage (next door to The Strand, between Cherokee and Waddell Streets).

You can add even more excitement to your night by taking in a ghost tour before the movie! Ghosts of Marietta is offering a combination movie ticket and ghost tour for $12. The tour starts at 10pm and lasts one hour. For more information about the combo ticket, call Ghosts of Marietta at (678) 290-9193.

Atlanta Rollergirls Championship

If you haven’t made it to a Rollergirls Derby yet, here’s your last chance for the season. The 2009 Atlanta Roller Derby Championship is this Saturday, August 22nd, at 5pm at the Yaarab Shrine Center Auditorium in Atlanta. Bout 1 starts at 5pm and bout 2 is at 7:30pm. Food and beverages will be available at the event or you can BYOB if you like. But, please keep in mind that glass is not allowed in the auditorium. Tickets are $12 per bout in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets for both bouts are $20 in advance and $30 at the door. Parking is free. For more information visit the Atlanta Rollergirls website at www.atlantarollergirls.com.

Thursday Night Entertainment

If you're looking to go out tomorrow night to enjoy the late summer weather and do some exploring, try the Alive After 5 festival in Roswell. This Thursday, August 20th, the stores and restaurants in downtown historic Roswell stay open until 9pm with many places offering specials. It's a good opportunity to stroll through the area, look the shops and try a new restaurant. There are also three bands scheduled to play over the course of the evening. The event is from 5pm-9pm and admission is free. Alive After 5 occurs the third Thursday of the month through October. For more information on the event and parking, visit their website at www.aliveafterfiveroswell.com.

Girls Night at the Movies

Here's a great idea for a girlfriend get-together! This Friday, August 21st at 7pm, the newly renovated historic Earl Smith Strand Theater on the Historic Marietta Square is offering "Flicks, Chicks and Chocolate"! For $15 you get to see the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" followed by a dessert reception with a cocktail of your choice on the rooftop terrace overlooking the square! For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, visit the theater's website at www.earlsmithstrand.org.

Scavenger Hunt

What could be more fun than having a few drinks, some food and doing a scavenger hunt with a few friends on a summer afternoon! This Saturday, August 22nd, there is a walking scavenger hunt in the East Atlanta Village. The hunt starts at the Midway Pub at 552 Flat Shoals Ave. at 1pm with registration at noon. There are different stages to the hunt including trivia, riddles, objects to find and photos to take. The hunt ends at 5pm with scoring and prizes being handed out after. Teams consist of four people with a $25 entry fee. The proceeds benefit the East Atlanta Strut. For details and to register in advance, email eavscavengerhunt@comcast.net.

A Wonderful Weekend!

Here's hoping that you had as wonderful a weekend as I did! Saturday afternoon was spent in Piedmont Park with thousands of people for the Paul McCartney concert! What an amazing show! I was so impressed with how incredible McCartney and his band sounded! I could go on and on about it but here's hoping you got to experience it!

On Sunday afternoon, I spent some quality time with my best friend. Wonderful weekend!

Standby for many postings on things to do for this weekend!

Artists in Action

The Great Chattahoochee River Paint Out is an opportunity to watch over 70 artists at work painting nature! From August 12th through the 14th, artists will be set up at the Chattahoochee Recreational Area at Island Ford and on selected sites on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell. Judging will begin in the afternoon on Saturday, August 15th, with the public reception and awards presentation beginning at 7:30pm at Island Ford. For more information go to www.cvb.roswell.ga.us/great-chattahoochee-river-paint-out.html.

Think You’re Fast Enough?

If you think you’ve got what it takes, why not enter the Atlanta Motor Speedway “Friday Night Drags”! This street style drag race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, in Hampton, GA, occurs most Friday nights in August and September. The event is open to any automobile and any driver with a valid driver’s license. Not up for racing but want to show off your car anyway? Enter it in the “Show N’Shine” car show also on Friday nights. Drag practice begins at 6:20pm with the gates opening at 6:30pm. Fee for competition is $20 and just $7 for spectators. For details on these events, rules and event calendar visit the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s website at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/events/drags/.

Meditation in the Garden

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering meditation classes! The gardens are a wonderful place to learn how to relieve stress and create inner calm through breathwork and meditation. Classes start on August 22nd but the registration deadline is August 17th. The meditation classes are every Saturday for six weeks from 8:30am to 9:30am. The fee for the six week course is $110. For details, registration and information on more classes visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s website at www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/events/ListClasses.do.

Historic Midtown Atlanta Tour

The Atlanta Preservation Center is offering their Midtown Commercial District walking tour this Saturday, August 15th at 3pm. The Midtown Commercial District tour starts with the Georgian Terrace Hotel and covers the remaining commercial historic structures in Midtown Atlanta including the Fox Theater, the Ponce de Leon Apartments, The Academy of Medicine and the Davis-Fischer Sanitarium just to name a few. The tour lasts about and hour and a half and is $10 per person. The tour group will meet on the steps of the Georgian Terrace at 659 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta (directly across the street from the Fox Theater). For more information on this and other walking tours, visit the Atlanta Preservation Center’s website at www.preserveatlanta.com.

Folk Art Exhibition

The 16th Annual Folk Fest is this Friday, August 14th through Sunday, August 16th at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross, GA. The festival has over a hundred exhibitors representing self-taught art, folk art, outsider art and southern pottery. Friday, August 14th is the opening of the show from 5pm to 10pm and includes a “Meet the Artist” party. Friday’s admission is $15 but allows readmission for the remainder of the event. Admission is $7 on Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th. For more information about the event go to www.slotinfolkart.com or the website for the North Atanta Trade Center, www.northatlantatradecenter.com.

Sunday Evening at the Drive-In

Looking for something different and cheap to do on a hot, summer Sunday evening? The Starlight Drive-In Theater in Atlanta is showing Turner Classic Movies every Sunday night at 9:30pm through the end of the month for $1 per car. Yep, that’s $1 per car. So if you can fit six people in your car, it’s still $1 to drive in and watch the movie! For a list of showings and directions go to www.starlightdrivein.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.events.

Sweetwater Brewery Tours

Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta have held week day evening tours of their facilities for several years and have recently added a Saturday tour from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Here’s your opportunity to sample several of their brews, including the standard Sweetwater 420 and Sweetwater IPA, along with some seasonal brews. If you just want to sample, you can get a small plastic cup and six tickets for small pours for free. But, if you like your beer, go for the $8 admission which includes a souvenir glass and tickets for six 5 oz. pours. The actual tour of the facility lasts about 20 minutes and the rest of the time is used for sampling their beers in their large tasting room or on the patio. There’s live music and its dog friendly. Sweetwater Brewery is at 195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta, 30324. Tours are for those 21 and over so don’t forget to bring your ID! For more information go to www.sweetwaterbrew.com.

Elvis Memorial Show

Time for the annual Kingsized Orchestra Elvis Memorial Show! Kingsized will be performing at the Variety Playhouse Theater in Little 5 Points, Atlanta on Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th at 8:30pm. If you have not yet experienced a Kingsized Elvis tribute you are missing out! Think of it as a Vegas style musical performance complete with showgirls!
For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.variety-playhouse.com/#kingsized. To learn more about Big Mike Geier, the Kingsized Band as well as the fantastic show ladies of Dames Aflame, check out www.kingsized.biz.

Time for some BBQ!

Kennesaw, GA
The Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival is this Friday, August 14th, from 3pm to 11pm and Saturday, August 15th, from 10am to 10pm, at Adams Park and the Ben Robertson Community Center in Kennesaw. There will be live music, a children’s area, arts and crafts vendors, a parachuting team and plenty of BBQ! This festival also includes a Georgia State Championship Barbeque Cookoff with winners announced on Saturday afternoon. Admission and parking are free. For a schedule of events and information on parking, go to www.kennesaw-ga.gov/pkrec/bbqfestival.

Decatur, GA
The 9th Annual Decatur BBQ, Blues and Bluegrass Festival is this Saturday, August 15th, at Harmony Park in Decatur (in the Oakhurst neighborhood). The festival is from 4pm to 10pm. Admission is $10 for adults over 21, $5 for ages 10-20 and children under 10 get in free. For details on the event, parking information and directions, go to www.decaturbbqfestival.com.

Romantic Walk Through History

The Atlanta Preservation Center is conducting a twilight tour of "Margaret Mitchell's Ansley Park" this Saturday, August 8th at 6:30pm. Developed in 1904, this neighborhood is listed on the National Historic Registry and was home to Margaret Mitchell for the majority of her life. The APC's guided walking tours are conducted by a knowledgeable and trained tour guide making the tour a great evening activity for history buffs, those who just want to learn more about Atlanta and those who want to see things on foot that they would miss or drive by on any other day. Tickets are $10 per person for non-APC members and can be paid by cash or check to the tour guide. The tour group will meet at 6:30pm in front of First Church of Christ, Scientist at 1235 Peachtree Street, NE. Tours are cancelled in the event of inclement weather. For more information on this and many other tours as well as directions go to http://www.preserveatlanta.com/ or call 404-688-3353 from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.

Spotlight: Riverside Park, Roswell

Looking for something fun, cheap and easy to do with the family this weekend? The new Riverside Park in Roswell makes a great outing for families or for those just looking to get out in the sun, get in some exercise and enjoy a great park! The new park has a water play area and two well equipped play ground areas for the kiddies. The park also boasts picnic areas, a viewing dock of the Chattahoochee river, miles of paved trails, restrooms, a snack shop, nice landscaping and plenty of parking. On Saturday mornings the park hosts a large local farmer's market. Just be aware that due to the farmer's market, Saturday mornings are very busy and parking may be a little limited. With so much to do at no cost, what's not to love! There are even free concerts on the first Saturdays of the month. So pack up the kiddies, the dog, the bicycles and a picnic lunch and head out for fun day! 575 Riverside Drive, Roswell, GA 30075. Closing times vary depending on day.

Fruits of Summer

Time to get in some visits to your local Farmer's Markets! Many of the local, small farmer's markets close in the fall. If you've not yet been to one near you, give it a try. Many of the ones around metro-Atlanta offer a nice selection of locally grown fruits and vegetables that are much cheaper than in the groceries stores. Aside from produce, most markets offer an array of goods including cheeses, plants, herbs, baked goods, jams, soaps and so on all made or grown by local vendors. It's a fun and leisurely way to start your weekend! Here's a list of farmer's markets open on Saturdays:

Riverside Farmer's Market, Roswell, GA: open every Saturday through September 5th from 8am to 12pm. 575 Riverside Drive, Roswell, GA 30350. This market is held at the new Riverside Park on the Chattahoochee and has a variety of vendors. At my last count, there were over forty vendors including an acoustic performing duo. Expect some crowds as this is held at a popular park so parking is limited but definitely worth checking out.

Alpharetta Farmer's Market, Alpharetta, GA: open every Saturday through October 24th from 8am to 12:30pm. Downtown Alpharetta near the intersection of Milton Avenue and South Main Street. Great produce and potted herbs at this market. Some wonderful soaps, a few other interesting vendors and a man selling coffee. Plenty of free parking.

Marietta Square Farmer's Market, Marietta, GA: open every Saturday through December from 9am to 12pm. Held at the Historic Marietta Square, wide array of vendors and plenty of free parking.

Morningside Farmer' Market, Atlanta, GA: open every Saturday through December from 8am to 11:30am. 1393 N. Highland Ave Atlanta, GA, 30306 across the street from Alon's Bakery in Virginia Highlands. All vendors must be certified organic to participate.

Other notable Farmer's Markets that take place on weekdays are Dunwoody Spruill Green Market, Kennesaw Farmer's Market, Whistle Stop Farmer's Market in Norcross, Decatur Organic Farmer's Market and East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market.

Summer Stargazing

Want to do a little summer stargazing? How about learning about those stars at the same time?! The Chattahoochee Nature Center is offering a night of stargazing led by an Emory Astronomer. This isn't your grandpa pointing out the big dipper! It's an introduction to the night sky, learning about the summer constellations and more. How romantic and fun! Summer Sky Stargazing is this Saturday, August 8th at the Chattahoochee Nature Center from 8pm to 10pm. Tickets are $20 for non-members of the center. Go to their website for details and to register online at http://chattnaturecenter.org/adult-onsite-programs.

Too soon to get scared?

Not according to the folks at Ghosts of Marietta! You don't have to wait until fall to enjoy a ghost tour. Ghosts of Marietta are conducting walking ghost tours and an overnight investigation this month! They have also put a fun spin on the walking ghost tour by teaming up with The Historic Marietta Trolley Company for a trolley ghost tour appropriately named the "Scary-etta Ghost Tour" beginning this Friday, August 7th from 8pm to 9:30pm. Space on the trolley is limited so reservations need to be made in advance. $25 + tax for adults and $12 + tax for children. If you miss it this month the next trolley ghost tour is September 4th. Check out these websites for more details and to make reservations: www.ghostsofmarietta.com and www.mariettatrolley.com/events.

First Friday Art Walk in Marietta, GA

The First Friday Art Walk in Marietta, GA is a great idea for a leisurely Friday evening activity. Bring a date or some friends for a stroll through the historic Marietta Square. Spend the evening viewing the works of local artists, enjoying the park, discovering the shops and galleries and take in dinner at one of the many restaurants. The remaining First Friday Art Walks for this year are on August 7th, September 4th and October 2nd from 6pm to 9pm. It's free and is a self-guided tour with maps available at any of the participating venues (look for the Art Walk signs on the doors) or online. For directions and a list of artists and venues go to www.artwalkmarietta.com.