NEWS
Board talks school tax exemptions ► PAGE 4 O c t o b e r 3 0 , 2 0 2 5 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 4 , N o . 4 3
Sandy Springs leases Williams-Payne home to Summit Coffee shop By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
JAMIE GODIN/APPEN MEDIA
Members of the Swinging Bavarians step off the stage to dance hand in hand with children and attendees, forming a circle on the City Green Oct. 19 during Sandy Springs’ second annual OktoberFEAST.
City hosts OctoberFEAST
for second annual time By JAMIE GODIN newsroom@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga — The City of Sandy Springs hosted its second annual OktoberFEAST celebration on the City Green, a two-day fall weekend with live music, Bavarian cuisine and family activities. The free community gathering ran from 3 to 7 p.m. both Saturday, Oct. 18, and
Sunday, Oct. 19, drawing an estimated 1,000 people each day to the green to enjoy German food, beer and live music from the Swinging Bavarians. Organizers said the festival aims to provide residents with a fun, accessible way to experience local and international culture. Bill Haggett, executive director of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, said
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs officials cemented plans for the Williams-Payne House Oct. 21, selecting Summit Coffee to operate the nearly 160-yearold farmhouse on the site of the city’s namesake. In the mid-1980s, the Sandy Springs Garden Club raised funds to relocate the historic home to its current spot near a natural spring significant to Native American tribes and early settlers of the area.
Last summer, Sandy Springs staff began looking for a commercial operator for the historic home, which is a part of several city-owned properties south of City Springs and Mount Vernon Highway. That area is slated for expansion of the city’s downtown district, City Springs. In the wake of two unsuccessful attempts, the city tapped a commercial real estate brokerage firm to market the Williams-Payne House for lease.
See LEASE, Page 9
his team decided to turn the Oktoberfest-inspired weekend into an annual celebration. “This is the second year,” Haggett said. “Last year we tried it out, and it was really quite a fun event that people enjoyed.” The festival included yard games, face painting, an ice cream parade and polka dancing lessons.
See FEAST, Page 9
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Sandy Springs is leasing the Williams-Payne House, a nearly 160-year-old farm house off Sandy Springs Circle south of Mount Vernon Highway, to Summit Coffee.