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Best Bets: Fish, Francoeur and a Festival
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Francoeur smiles as he holds his Golden Glove award before the start of the Braves vs. Mets game at Turner Field on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Francoeur will host a VIP party to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation at Wild Bill’s in Duluth on Friday, Nov. 28. Photo: Johnny Crawford / staff
Whether you’re anticipating that Thankgiving bird or you’ve already had your fill, there’s always room for fish (and other sea creatures). The Georgia Aquarium will be open on Thanksgiving with extended hours. If you’re not ready to leave the house just yet, scroll down a little for more events you can take in once that turkey coma wears off.
TODAY’S (AND TOMORROW’S) PICK
The Georgia Aquarium is one of the few attractions that will keep its doors open on Thanksgiving. In fact, it has extended hours Nov. 26-29, when it will welcome visitors from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. There will also be holiday music performances during most of December along with festive decorations and Santa, who is available for pictures Fridays-Sundays Nov. 28-Dec. 14, and then every day from Dec. 18 to Dec. 24. Photos with Santa are $20 and up. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays. Holiday hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 26-29, Dec. 20-23 and Dec. 26. Also, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 24 and noon-6 p.m. Dec. 25. $26; $21.50 ages 55 and older; $19.50 age 3-12, ages 2 and younger free (includes general aquarium admission). Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-581-4000.
WEEKEND HAPPENING
Country star Rhett Akins headlines this year’s Rock4Research Benefit Concert. This second annual event, which is a fund-raiser for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, is preceded by a VIP party hosted by the Braves’ Jeff Francoeur and former University of Georgia All-American and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Matt Stinchcomb. There will also be a silent auction featuring signed sports memorabilia and other items. Nashville’s Matt Moore Band opens the show. 8 p.m. Nov. 28. $10; $20 VIP. Wild Bill’s, 2075 Market St., Duluth. 770-366-7321.
LOOKING AHEAD
The jury-selected artisans at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival will display and sell functional and decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, home decor and accessories, items for the garden and photography. The fest will offer demonstrations by metal artists and potters, along with live music by Bolivia’s Ch’uwa Yacu, playing music indigenous to the Andes Mountains. Deborah Martin and Preston Scott will play aboriginal Australian instruments, including their own handcrafted digeridoos. A children’s area will keep the kids occupied with puppet show by Middle-earth Studios. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 5-6; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 7. $8 (good all weekend); ages 11 and younger free. Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway N.W., Atlanta. 770-955-8000.
For more fun things to do, check out accessAtlanta’s events round-up here.
Planning to attend any of these events or do you have something else on your calendar? Pitch in with your ideas for things to do. Tell us about the fun and/or fascinating events on your radar.
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Best Bets: A Million Lights, a Pair of Concerts and the 31st Lady of Country Music
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A portion of last year’s Lights of Life display at Life University in Marietta. Photo: Andy Sharp/Staff.
Get your holiday week started early, or just make plans for the post-Thanksgiving weekend. For a more extensive list of fun things to do, check out accessAtlanta’s events round-up. Here are a few highlights to get you started:
TODAY’S PICK
The 2008 Lights of Life at Marietta’s Life University includes more than a million tiny twinkling lights and many bright displays on a mile-long course. If you go on a Friday or Saturday night, Santa will be on hand for photos. 6-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 6-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays. Nov. 24-Dec. 31. $5 per car; $10 per van; $20 per bus. Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta. 770-426-2905.
WEEKEND HAPPENINGS
Anthony Hamilton evokes Bill Withers, Al Green and Marvin Gaye so often that the listener is transported to another time and place. The North Carolinian’s deeply Southern soul is as tasty and comforting as your favorite barbecue. 7 p.m. Nov. 28. $30. Center Stage Atlanta, 1374 W. Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-885-1365.
If vintage soul isn’t your bag, check out the Bi-Annual Open Mic Shootout XXIX at Eddie’s Attic. In their early days, Jennifer Nettles and John Mayer were both winners of this highly regarded talent competition, so you might just catch the next big thing on the way up. 6:30 and 9 p.m. Nov. 28. $20. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976.
LOOKING AHEAD
Actress-singer Libby Whittemore is an Atlanta institution and her annual holiday show is always a hoot. Libby’s at the Express is a two-act revue in its second year at Actor’s Express after a sold-out, six-year run at Libby’s, a Cabaret, Whittemore’s now-closed venue. “Ho, Ho, Home for the Holidays” is Whittemore in cabaret mode, and “A Connie Sue Day Christmas” stars Whittemore’s big-haired alter ego Connie Sue Day, aka the 31st Lady of Country Music. Whittemore is accompanied by longtime musical director Robert Strickland. 7:30 p.m. Sundays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Dec. 6-21. $40. Actor’s Express at King Plow Arts Center, 887 W. Marietta St. N.W., Suite J-107, Atlanta. 404-875-1606, 404-607-7469.
Planning to attend any of these events or do you have something else on your calendar? Pitch in with your ideas for things to do. Tell us about the fun and/or fascinating events on your radar.
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Best Bets: Indie Folk, Unusual Gifts and the Return of the “Santaland” Elf
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denison Witmer. Photo courtesy of the Militia Group
TODAY’S PICK
Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter — and Sufjan Stevens pal — Denison Witmer crafts poignant folk-pop. His seventh album, the Nov. 11 release “Carry the Weight,” is his first new material since 2005’s lovely “Are You a Dreamer?” With Gavin Mikhail, Tyler James. 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19. $18; $15 advance. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976.
WEEKEND HAPPENING
Looking for unusual, one-of-a-kind gifts? A couple of terrific events — both annual traditions — where you can score those unique pieces will take place this weekend. Callanwolde’s Holiday Pottery Sale includes functional, decorative and sculptural ceramic works from the center’s students and instructors at 7-9:30 p.m. Nov. 21 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 22. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338. There’s also the “Big Angel Blowout.” This yearly holiday gift show includes a wide variety of painting, ceramics, photography, metal, mixed media work, fiber art, glass and jewelry by local and regional artists. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 21; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 22; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 23. Free. Whitespace, 814 Edgewood Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-688-1892.
LOOKING AHEAD
David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries,” a holiday comedy based on the author and humorist’s experiences as an elf for Macy’s, returns to Horizon Theatre on Nov. 28. Recommended for ages 16 and older. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 8:30 p.m. Saturdays; 6 p.m. Sundays. Nov. 28-Jan. 4. Performances on all holidays. $25-$30; $40-$45 VIP reserved seating. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-584-7450.
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Best Bets: Horse Feathers, Country Comfort and Luminous Lenox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Portland, Ore.-based Horse Feathers (from left): Nathan Crockett, Justin Ringle, Heather Broderick. Photo: Alicia J. Rose
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and it’s almost time for the big sparkling evergreen to glow atop Lenox Square. First, here are a couple of events on this side of Thanksgiving.
TODAY’S PICK
Idaho’s Justin Ringle is now part of the booming music scene in Portland, Ore., but the wide open spaces of his formative years are all over his music. He performs under the name Horse Feathers with collaborators — and brother and sister — Peter and Heather Broderick (and touring violinist Nathan Crockett). Ringle’s sparse, intimate songs evoke big sweeping vistas. Listening to the new album, “House With No Home,” is like having a bird’s-eye view of a lone figure on a vast plain, who warbles the prettiest of melodies, softly picks a guitar and is haunted by an unseen ghostly cello. 9 p.m. Nov. 17. $8. The EARL, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-522-3950, 1-800-594-8499.
WEEKEND HAPPENING
In a genre dominated by solo artists, Alabama was a dominating force in country music in the ’80s. In fact, the quartet became one the best selling acts in any genre. The band no longer tours, though they’ve released a pair of inspirational albums since their 2003-2004 farewell tour. Randy Owen, the band’s frontman, is working on a solo career (“One on One” was release Nov. 4), but he’s also penned his memoir “Born Country: How Faith, Family, and Music Brought Me Home.” Owen will be at Borders in Buckhead at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 signing copies of the book. 3637 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-237-0707.
LOOKING AHEAD
It’s time to pull out the decorations at Lenox. Singer/songwriter Jewel and Tony-winning Broadway star Heather Headley will headline the Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree at Lenox Square on Nov. 27. 7-8 p.m. Free. 3393 Peachtree Road N.E. 404-231-2800.
For more fun things to do, check out accessAtlanta’s events round-up here.
Planning to attend any of these events or do you have something else on your calendar? Pitch in with your ideas for things to do. Tell us about the fun and/or fascinating events on your radar.
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Have you quit smoking?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. adults are lighting up less, but cigarette smoking remains one of the most deadly habits, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
The number of smokers has dropped below 20 percent for the first time. Roughly 19.8 percent of adults — 43.4 million people — were smokers in 2007, according to article on Reuters. That’s a percentage point below 2006.
The most significant drop was among African-Americans.
But the good news is tempered by the health consequences of those who do smoke. Smoking and secondhand smoke kill 443,000 people annually from cancer, lung disease, heart disease and other causes, the CDC said.
About half of people who start smoking as teens, die early, often in middle age.
What about you? Have you recently given up smoking and why? What are you doing to help you kick the habit?
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