FP250827

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK

Libba Beaucham, Dave Martin

EDITORIAL

CITY EDITOR Blake Aued

EDITOR Sam Lipkin

Sam Lipkin

ARTS & CULTURE COORDINATOR Lauren Leathers

OFFICE MANAGER & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Jennifer Keene

CLASSIFIED ADS & CALENDAR COORDINATOR Jennifer Keene

AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson

CONTRIBUTORS Chris Dowd, Charles Hayslett, Gordon Lamb, Jarrod Lipshy

CARTOONISTS Missy Kulik, David Mack, Klon Waldrip, Joey Weiser

CIRCULATION Jennifer Bray, Charles Greenleaf, Joe Rowe

EDITORIAL & OFFICE INTERN Mary Beth Bryan

PHOTOGRAPHERS CJ Bartunek, Kat Wood, Jake Zerkel

SPECIAL AGENT Pete McCommons

city dope

Heated Debate Over Fire Station

By Blake Aued and Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com

Athens- Clarke County is blessed with a top- tier fire department, as judged by the third-party ratings agency Insurance Services Office. As long as Athens maintains its strong ISO rating, homeowners across the county will pay the lowest possible rate for fire insurance. Yet, keeping this rating takes ongoing effort and is not guaranteed in the future as Athens grows.

In order to keep fire insurance costs low, the ACC Fire Department is recommending moving fire station No. 5 from its current location on Whit Davis Road to the intersection of Old Lexington Road and Morton Road. This would provide faster emergency response times to southeast Athens, which currently lacks adequate coverage.

Fire station No. 5 is roughly 50 years old and no longer meets the needs of ACC firefighters. They say it is too small, that it does not have a dedicated exercise room, and is not ADA compliant or energy efficient. This aging facility was not designed with female firefighters in mind, as it lacks a women’s restroom and provides little privacy in the living area. Ironically, fire station No. 5 also lacks fire protective equipment such as a sprinkler system, making an upgrade necessary.

previous one, with all sites located near the intersection of Old Lexington Road and Morton Road. Only that area provides maximum coverage for fire department services while avoiding overlap with other fire stations.

have a low level of activity, with only one fire engine deployed there. The station is expected to receive only two or three calls a day, mostly for medical emergencies, not all of which would require lights and sirens. Furthermore, sound barriers and other design elements could be included to minimize impacts on quality of life for the neighbors.

Commissioner Patrick Davenport, who represents the area, announced that he will be presenting an alternate proposal to take yet another look at different sites outside of the recommended area. “I agree with the residents,” Davenport told his colleagues. “People move to the east side because they want that peace and quiet… There’s a quality of life that people buy into. They don’t want to see the lights… Please don’t deny these individuals their quality of life.”

That fact doesn’t do much to console Eastside residents who view the fire station as threatening and intrusive. Seven residents who live close to the proposed location came out to the commission’s agenda- setting meeting Aug. 19 to speak against the site during public comment.

Six million dollars was earmarked for a new fire station in SPLOST 2020. A site selection committee has been working since 2022 to find an acceptable location in southeastern Clarke County for the new station. This effort has been met with fierce resistance from Eastside residents who don’t want a fire station in their backyards. In 2023, the ACC Commission rejected a list of candidate sites near the intersection of Old Lexington Road and Morton Road after a public outcry, causing the site selection committee to start over. In 2023, commis sioners approved a new set of site selection criteria in hopes that an acceptable site could eventually be found that also met the needs of the fire department.

However, the new criteria produced a list of candidate sites very similar to the

“We moved to this quiet part of the city with a dream. A dream of space, peace and a better life for our children,” Sabrina Ward told the mayor and commission. “[The proposed site] may look like a logical place on paper, but to us, it’s our home. It’s where our children ride their bikes, where we watch deer graze in the morning, where the stars still shine at night because city lights haven’t swallowed the sky.”

ACC Fire Chief Nate Moss explained that the proposed fire station would be 600 feet

Commissioner Stephanie Johnson agreed with Davenport, questioning the high cost of the proposed location. She claimed that fire station construction “would destroy tons of trees” in the area. However, the commission’s agenda report said that the number of trees needing removal at this location is “very limited.”

If the commission votes against the fire station’s proposed location on Sept. 2, it could threaten the county’s ISO rating, potentially causing Athenians to pay more for fire insurance in the future. It could also delay response times to southeast Athens for medical emergencies.

TRIANGLE PLAZA: The commission is also considering a request from Athens nonprofit Farm to Neighborhood to change a Triangle Plaza planned development at 585 Vine St. Farm to Neighborhood—an organization “focused on creating a community where everyone has access to delicious, nutritious and affordable food choices,” according to

its website—is asking for permission to reduce the number of parking spaces from 28 to 18. That would create space to add 22 trees and a community garden, and to widen a sidewalk. Farm to Neighborhood plans to convert a building into a teaching kitchen and community space, but no changes will be made to the building’s exterior structure.

Several locals spoke during public comment to oppose the redevelopment, including two residents who live nearby. Cshanyse Allen, the founder of the Inner East Athens Neighbors community group, also spoke in opposition, although she does not live in the area. “Allowing this amendment sets a dangerous precedent. Today, it’s a teaching kitchen and a garden. But tomorrow, it could be apartments, student housing, high land values and families priced out,” Allen said.

The zoning request could not be used to allow housing of any kind in the area. Planned developments are fixed and cannot change unless approved by the mayor and commission—hence the need to amend a previous PD to remove parking.

Johnson, who defeated Farm to Neighborhood founder Rashe Malcolm in the 2024 election, questioned the proposal in personal terms, prompting a rebuke from Mayor Kelly Girtz reminding commissioners to stick to the plan itself. But Commissioner Tiffany Taylor, who grew up in East Athens, expressed her support. “I think this idea to get a community garden as well as a teaching kitchen in our community, I think that it’s a great idea. I think that it helps define the word ‘community,’” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t have any objection to the planning department’s recommendation to approve it.”

MACON HIGHWAY TOWNHOUSES: The commission is considering whether to upzone 9.5 acres to allow for a new development of 70 townhomes with 227 bedrooms in total. Both the ACC Planning Department and the ACC Planning Commission are recommending denial of the request.

Despite planners’ disapproval, Commissioner John Culpepper spoke up in support. Culpepper argued that Athens needs more housing, and that approving it at this location may help to keep students out of

single- family neighborhoods in the future. “This is a student housing area,” he said. “We’re going to have to increase density, so why not increase it [here] instead of having them move into our single- family residential homes?”

Commissioner Dexter Fisher disagreed, saying that Athens doesn’t need any more student housing in this location, or anywhere else. “We have to get out of this [mindset] where we need more student housing. We really don’t,” Fisher said. “Why build more when we really don’t need more?” [Chris Dowd]

Residents: Prince Hotel Is Too Big

A 116-room hotel proposed for the former UGA president’s house on Prince Avenue is too big for the surrounding neighborhood, according to the majority of attendees at a Historic Athens town hall meeting on the development.

About 50 people—many, but not all, who live in Boulevard or the nearby Cobbham neighborhood—gathered around tables Aug. 19 at First Christian Church of Athens at the corner of Dougherty and Pulaski streets, about five blocks away from the president’s house, to discuss the proposal and report back to the group. The size of it (about 90,000 square feet) drew the most criticism, with attendees preferring a smaller hotel of about 50 rooms. “You don’t build a ginormous Walmart in the middle of Cobbham or any neighborhood,” one man said.

Plans for the hotel call for a new U- shaped two- story structure with underground parking behind the 170- year-old house, enclosing a courtyard to shield backyard neighbors from noise, as well as a new kitchen adjacent to the house. The house itself would become a bar and restaurant on the first floor, with a suite upstairs. The facade would be maintained, as would the front gardens and part of the back gardens. Two outbuildings would be relocated farther back on the property, with one cottage potentially becoming a museum.

Developer Jeff Payne of Gainesville and representatives from Athens architectural firm Arcollab were present but did not

address the crowd. Payne told Flagpole that his company, Capstone Property Group, explored a 70-room hotel, but the numbers didn’t work financially. “The property’s expensive,” he said—the University System of Georgia put it on the market for $5 million. “You have to have enough money to maintain the house. And you have to have a return [on investment].”

Historic Athens Executive Director Tommy Valentine said he feared that the president’s house could suffer from “demolition by neglect” like 357 S. Milledge Ave., which has been boarded up for 20 years. The president’s house had a $2 million backlog of upgrades and repairs when the USG announced it was for sale in 2023.

Another frequently raised concern was the effect of the development on Emmanuel Episcopal Church next door. Blasting for the underground parking could shatter the church’s fragile stained glass windows, several attendees said.

Not all of the feedback was negative. One attendee noted that the hotel would provide jobs within walking distance, and asserted that the hotel’s scale is proportional to the nearly 5-acre property. “What’s going there could be much worse,” he said. “The density could be much worse. The asphalt could be much worse.”

The property is currently zoned for government, and so a rezoning is required for the development to move forward. An initial hearing before the Athens- Clarke County Planning Commission is scheduled for Sept. 4. Most of the surrounding properties are zoned commercial-neighborhood, which has a limit of 10,000 square feet for any commercial building other than medical offices, so Capstone will seek a waiver. But if the waiver is turned down, C-N zoning would allow for a development with an even larger footprint, according to architect Lori Bork Newcomer.

Traffic was also a concern, although Payne said he doesn’t believe the hotel will generate much of it. “The thing about a hotel that’s different from an office building is people come and go at different times,” he told Flagpole. “Once people park, we expect them to stay [parked] and walk to downtown.” [Blake Aued] f

trouble in god’s country

Health Care Cuts

RURAL GEORGIANS WILL FEEL THE PAIN FROM THE ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’

By Charles Hayslett news@flagpole.com

I was motivated by a couple of things when I started working on “Trouble in God’s Country” more than a decade ago. The first was that I was convinced by research I was conducting that the socioeconomic divide between Georgia’s haves and have-nots was bigger than generally understood and getting worse year after year after year— so much so that I thought the state was headed for a fiscal and political reckoning. The second motivation was that I felt a great deal of empathy for rural Georgians whose only real sin was that they were born in areas with poor schools, frail health- care systems and limited economic opportunity.

I’m pretty much done with the empathy part.

With the passage and signing of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” rural Georgians will soon be getting exactly what they voted for—in particular massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits. Rural Georgia is Republican Georgia, and Georgia’s nine Republican House members voted in lockstep to pass the bill that will, according to the Atlanta Journal- Constitution, strip about 310,000 Georgians of Medicaid coverage. The Georgia Policy and Budget Institute had previously estimated the number of Georgians who would lose health coverage at 750,000, but let’s work with the smaller and more conservative number. That’s about 13% of the state’s current Medicaid enrollment. It’s too early to expect any official county-level estimates of cuts, but they’re easy enough to estimate. If the reductions are proportional, the 310,000 lost enrollments will be roughly evenly divided between the 132 largely rural Georgia counties that went for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election and the 27 mostly urban counties that sided with thenVice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Overall, the Harris counties will lose about 164,000 to the Trump counties’ 146,000.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my TIGC research, it’s this: When big calamities hit Georgia, they hit Metro Atlanta and other urban areas first, but they take a harder and longer toll on rural Georgia. Moreover, Metro Atlanta is much quicker to recover. That was demonstrably true with the Great Recession; Metro Atlanta took a big hit to gross domestic product and personal income but bounced back within a couple of years. Rural Georgia took much longer to get back to its pre-recession high water mark.

The same was true with COVID, and I’ll be surprised if the adverse effects of the Big Beautiful Bill don’t turn out to be comparable. My 12- county TIGC Metro Atlanta region was home, as of July 2023, to a little over 1.1 million Medicaid beneficiaries, about 21% of the total metro area population. In the other 147 counties, some 1.5 million residents were on Medicaid as of that mid- year 2023 date, about 26.2% of the total population.

“ Since 2015, Georgia has lost nine rural hospitals (only Texas and Tennessee have lost more) and another 18 are reportedly in danger of closing.

The picture for rural Georgia comes into sharper relief when you focus on the 99 counties with populations of fewer than 20,000 people. Assuming not much has changed since mid- year 2023 (these numbers tend to crawl along at a glacial pace), some 30% of the population in those sparsely populated counties is on Medicaid, and those counties gave 71% of their collective 2024 presidential vote to Trump. I guess it’s possible that the 71% that voted for Trump and the 30% that are on Medicaid are on completely opposite sides of the tracks, but I sort of doubt it.

It certainly can’t be the case that there’s no overlap between Trump voters and Medicaid beneficiaries in, say, tiny Glascock County, where 90.9% of the voters went for Trump, and 28.5% of the residents are on Medicaid. Or Brantley County, where 90.9% of voters cast their ballots for Trump, and 33.4% of the population is on Medicaid. Or Echols County, where the split was 90.7%

for Trump and 35.4% on Medicaid.

But the Medicaid cuts are only part of rural Georgia’s looming health care problems. Another part is what it means for the rural hospitals that serve them. Hospitals lose money on Medicaid patients, but that doesn’t mean they want to give it up. They’re obligated under federal law to treat patients who show up at the emergency department needing care, regardless of whether or not they can pay, and they lose more money on so- called “self-pay” patients than they do on Medicaid patients. “Medicaid keeps the doors open and the lights on,” one rural hospital CEO told me years ago.

Under the Big Beautiful Bill, a significant number of patients will go from being Medicaid patients to “self-pay” patients—or, as some in the hospital industry call them, “no pay”—and those unpaid bills wind up being rolled into the hospitals’ uncompensated care burden. I did some research on this probably 15 years ago, and found that the amount of uncompensated care being reported annually by Georgia hospitals was just under $1 billion. Now I understand it’s up around $2.5 billion.

To their credit, state officials have seen the tsunami taking shape in Washington and have taken steps to get ahead of it with a bit of fiscal gymnastics that is only slightly less complicated than quantum physics. This is a bit of an oversimplification, but basically the state borrows money from most of the state’s hospitals and uses it to build a kitty that it then uses to attract more Medicaid funds from the federal government. Then the state spreads the lagniappe among the hospitals with the biggest uncompensated care loads. This year, according to a recent AJC article, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) is trying to beef up that pot of money by bringing the state’s private children’s hospitals into the donor pool, a move that might attract nearly $350 million in additional funds.

lucky where some of the final language in the BBB is concerned and then pass muster with former television personality and current federal Medicare and Medicaid chief Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Without that relief, Georgia’s rural hospitals stand to lose more than half-a-billion dollars in Medicaid funding by the end of 2034, according to a recently published American Hospital Association study. “The Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would devastate rural hospitals across the country,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “Many rural hospitals would be forced to choose between maintaining services, keeping staff and possibly closing their doors. Patients would be forced to travel hours for basic or emergency care, and communities would suffer.”

Since 2015, Georgia has lost nine rural hospitals (only Texas and Tennessee have lost more) and another 18 are reportedly in danger of closing. Georgia is also a national leader in medical debt.

A 2022 study by the Urban Institute found that out of the 100 counties nationally with the highest levels of medical debt, 20 are right here in Georgia. And this, of course, is the current state of rural health and health care in Georgia before the BBB even kicks in. Trump, for his part, campaigned on a pledge not to cut Medicaid and has maintained that position since taking office. As recently as May 4, he told Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would veto the Big Beautiful Bill if it cut Medicaid.

I say “might” because it’s apparently not a sure thing that the state can get away with using private hospital funds to pump up this particular pot of money. Based on the AJC piece, the state is going to have to get

“I would [veto it] if they were cutting it, but they’re not cutting it,” Trump said. “They’re looking at fraud, waste and abuse. And nobody minds that. If illegal immigrants are in the mix, if people that aren’t supposed to be there, people that are noncitizens are in the mix, nobody minds that. Waste, fraud and abuse. But we’re not cutting Medicaid, we’re not cutting Medicare, and we’re not cutting Social Security.”

Trump’s rural Georgia voters will soon have to choose between believing the president or their lying eyes. It’s really hard to feel sorry for them. f

Locked and Loaded CAN GUNNER STOCKTON LEAD GEORGIA TO A CHAMPIONSHIP?

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

There was a time not too long ago when 11 wins, an SEC championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl would have been considered a highly successful season for the Georgia Bulldogs. That time is gone.

It’s now been two years since UGA’s back- to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and the (maybe just a little spoiled?) fan base is getting antsy. Your mileage may vary, of course—many townies are tired of the traffic, the drag-racing, the undergrads ripping downtown to shreds, and all those short- term rental party pads and gameday condos sending housing costs spiraling out of control.

Nevertheless, the Dawgs abide. Out-of- town fans line our tip jars just like their extended- cab F-150s line our streets. As much as it is a music town, football is part of the fabric of Athens.

Who’s That Coming Down the Track?

It’s Gunner Stockton with a mustache. Unfortunately, it’s more Nacho Alvarez than Spencer Strider.

Carson Beck took his Lambo down 441 to South Beach, and now the Rabun County product Stockton is slated to start under center. Despite his first name, he’s a scrambler, resembling a bigger Stetson Bennett IV more than his pocket-passing predecessor. (Stetson, by the way, is looking more like a future U.S. senator than a state senator after putting on a show in L.A. Rams training camp—once he retires and opens that Kia dealership in Waycross, of course.)

Stockton already raised his stock with a come- from-behind win over Texas in the SEC championship game while Beck was in the shop. In addition to Beck, Georgia lost 13 players to the NFL draft, including defensive end Mykal Williams, linebacker Jalon Walker, safety Malaki Starks and running back Trevor Etienne. Just like Alabama under Kirby Smart’s mentor Nick Saban, it’s five- stars all the way down at Georgia, so Kirby should have no trouble filling those holes with players like linebacker CJ Allen, receiver Zachariah Branch and edge rusher Elo Modozie. Regardless of talent, the SEC is going to be especially brutal this year, with 10 teams in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. Somebody’s gotta lose. To get back to the playoffs and win, Smart will have to improve the running game to take some pressure off Stockton, and get the defense to play more consistently. Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ schedule for 2025 and how it might shake out.

Aug . 30: vs . Marshall

3:30 p m , ESPN

twice in a row while at Ole Miss. However, Auburn remains mired in the middle of the SEC pack/flock, and seems unlikely to move up until Freeze finds a reliable quarterback to run his RPO-heavy offense.

Oct . 18: vs . Ole Miss

TBA

Sept

.

13: at Tennessee

3:30 p m , ABC

In a rare September meeting, Georgia’s first challenge comes at Neyland Stadium, where the Volunteers have playoff aspirations of their own. After more than a decade of irrelevancy, Josh Heupel has the storied program headed in the right direction again—Tennessee finished third in the SEC last year, just behind Georgia. There are questions at quarterback, where UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar is taking over, and on offense in general. Can the Dawgs keep their eight-game winning streak against the Vols going? If so, expect fans to have a complete meltdown in Knoxville.

Sept . 27: vs . Alabama

7:30 p m , ABC

Kirby’s revenge tour starts here. Then-No. 2 Georgia lost to top-ranked Alabama 41–34 in Tuscaloosa last year, with Jalen Milroe outdueling Beck by completing 80% of his passes and racking up almost 500 total yards. Milroe is in the NFL now, but newcomer Ty Simpson will have plenty of

Kirby’s revenge tour continues. No one (least of all this Ole Miss grad) knows quite what to expect from the Rebels, who lost most of the best defense NIL money can buy, forcing “Portal King” Lane Kiffin to dip back into the transfer pool. Ole Miss is also breaking in a new quarterback, redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons. Georgia fans already know what Simmons can do, having watched him engineer a touchdown drive while Jaxson Dart was briefly sidelined during the Rebels’ 28–10 win in Oxford last year. The result may very well hinge on whether Lane can stick to yoga and resist the urge to subtweet anyone. Get your popcorn ready!

Nov . 1: vs . Florida

3:30 p m , ABC

This will be the last World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville for a few years, as both teams have agreed to play in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027 before returning to EverBank Stadium in 2028. Florida looked much improved late in the 2024 season, quieting talk of coach Billy Napier’s ouster by taking down LSU and Ole Miss. The Gators return 29 starters, including preseason Heisman contender DJ Lagway at quarterback.

weapons around him, such as star receiver Ryan Williams. The Tide look to have a customarily strong defense as well. Kalen DeBoer should be highly motivated, because given Bama fans’ impatience, another four-loss season could put the second- year coach on the hot seat already.

Oct . 4: vs . Kentucky

noon, ABC or ESPN

The Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt Conference last year, but this isn’t the same team. They lost coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss in the offseason, and more than half the roster followed him out the door, forcing new coach Tony Gibson to rebuild through the transfer portal. Fun fact: Sonny Perdue, a walk-on football player at UGA, had a small role as an opposing coach in the 2006 Matthew McConaughey vehicle We Are Marshall

Sept . 6: vs . Austin Peay

3:30 p m , ESPN+/SEC Network+

Remember, it’s pronounced “Austin Pee.”

Georgia barely survived this game last year, winning 13–12 in Lexington against a Wildcats team that wound up 4-8. Former Prince Avenue Christian standout and UGA backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff retired from football rather than return for his last year of eligibility at Kentucky, and the ’Cats are once again projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC.

Oct . 11: at Auburn

TBA

Though his Tigers/Eagles are playing at home, the Right Rev. Hugh Freeze will need a miracle to pull off a win. Which he has been known to do, having beaten Alabama

Nov . 8: at

Mississippi State

noon,

ABC or ESPN

Georgia travels to Stark Vegas for a classic trap game before taking on what will surely be a highly ranked Texas team the following week. Jeff Lebby cleaned house after a 2–10 season last year, so the other Bulldogs will be different, if not necessarily better. One similarity: Their mascot Bully is almost as inbred as Uga.

Nov . 15: vs . Texas

TBD

Whether Texas is as good as advertised depends largely on whether quarterback Arch Manning lives up to the legacy of his grandfather Archie and his uncles Peyton and Eli. Just like Kirby no doubt has Alabama and Ole Miss circled on the schedule, Steve Sarkisian is surely looking forward to this matchup after the Dawgs gave the Longhorns a thorough asswhupping in Austin last year, then beat Texas again in the SEC title game. Just keep Bevo away from Sanford Stadium, please.

Nov

.

22: vs . Charlotte

12:45 p m , SEC Network

The Bulldogs get a brief respite before playing in- state rivals Georgia Tech, and potentially the SEC title game after that. The 49ers have had one winning season in their 12- year history, and with one of the toughest schedules in the Group of Five, there’s no reason to think they’ll add a second in 2025.

Nov . 28: at Georgia Tech

3:30 p m , SEC Network

My fellow Husky Brent Key (Hewitt-Trussville Class of ’97 represent) looks to be building something over in Midtown. Even so, the Jackets can’t hang with Georgia talent- wise. The Dawgs also benefit from playing at Mercedes-Benz rather than Bobby Dodd Stadium—it will look like a Falcons game with all the red and black in the stands. Still, it’s a rivalry game, so anything can happen. f

Painted Like Dandelions

By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com

Shoegaze indie-pop band Little Mae has established itself with a fierce gentleness on the local music scene, making some major strides since it was formed two years ago as a songwriter duo project by siblings Sam and Ethan Caspary. Now as a trio, with Gaetano Smolik on drums, Little Mae is catching everyone up to speed with the release of Painted Like Dandelions on Aug. 30.

The Caspary siblings come from a musical family, reminiscing on singing songs around campfires and performing at talent shows as young kids, but it wasn’t until 2023 that they decided to create music together in a serious way. It was shortly after that when they released Little Mae’s first single, “Magnolia,” that was recorded on GarageBand in their living room. One year later the single was nominated as a finalist for the 2024 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Award.

Little Mae has done a lot of fast growing and evolving. In many ways, its previous releases are already dated. Not only does this debut deliver a more polished and confident version of the band, but it captures the youthful enthusiasm and contemporary attitude toward embracing the moment of its members.

“I’m really proud of our past releases for the point where we were when we made them, but I also feel like [Painted Like Dandelions] is the first digital recorded release that we’ve put out where it feels like our songs are living up to their potential, like the way they sound in our heads and the way they sound at shows. Now I’m really happy that we can press play on a stream and it sounds the way I want it to. It feels like we now have an accurate representation of ourselves on the internet,” says Ethan.

When asked about the specific goal of the album, Sam says, “Abstractly, to be as

sparkly as possible,” but then adds, “We don’t know in the future where we’ll be. We’ll probably always be playing music together, because we’re siblings, but Ethan might move away and our drummer might move away, so it’s basically just to get a good snapshot of us right now.”

Discussing the sound of the album, that snapshot appears to be adding as much sparkle, shimmer and glow as possible to the tracks—which is a worthy effort for any shoegaze band. The Casparys say they’ve always shared music with each other and have a lot of overlap in influences, something that Ethan says he feels has been the most helpful factor in writing songs together. From Sam’s perspective, the most helpful aspect has been feeling comfortable enough to be open and honest about not liking something without worry of hurting feelings. So there is something to be said about that sibling connection after all.

Sam and Ethan’s differing personalities tangibly meld together while also peeking out on the album. The two often write songs independently, then entirely rewrite and workshop them together. Sam describes the process as “chopping things up and mixing it around and baking a big old, yummy cake.” The differences are most apparent in how the two viewed sequencing the album.

“Ethan had a lot of, like, thinking mathematically about this, and I was just like, ‘la, la, la. I feel like this one should go here,’” says Sam.

“I think the beauty of the digital streaming age is that there’s so many different creative ways to lay out an album. So the A side, B side thing is totally one that I love— when I get to the middle of an album and I feel this sort of instrumental break happening, like a sort of reset,” says Ethan.

Now that the album is finished and

Little Mae has a defined sound, the next challenge will be translating that sound to stage for the band’s full slate of fall shows and beyond.

“I’m really proud of how it feels like we have a lot behind us, but I mean, the only instruments are guitar, bass, drums, and then we have two horn players that come in on a couple songs. Most of it’s me with a lot of weird guitar pedals making strange things happen, and Sam with this autotune vocal robot pedal making weird sounds. So that was some studio magic that I was really proud of,” says Ethan.

Little Mae is performing an album release show with special guests, so the live production of this show will more closely match the album than what the trio can

pull off by themselves. The show will be held at Hendershot’s on Saturday, Aug. 30 with doors opening at 7 p.m. Also on the bill are Spitehound and Women in STEM, which Sam is also a member of. All three bands will be experimenting with new live arrangements for something that fans have yet to see. f

WHO: Little Mae, Spitehound, Women in STEM WHEN: Saturday, Aug 30, 7 p m (doors), 8 p m (show) WHERE: Hendershot’s HOW MUCH: $10

COMEDY | FRI, AUG. 29

Tom Segura

The Classic Center • 7:30 p.m. • $31.50–101.50

Comedian Tom Segura is known for his natural storytelling ability, which he combines with elements of observational and dark comedy in his standup routines. Segura’s career began shortly after he graduated college; he performed standup at night after working his daytime job for several years before becoming successful enough to do comedy full time. One of his first big breaks came when he did a comedy special for Netflix called “Completely Normal.” Since then, he has done four more specials on the platform, as well as become a successful podcast host on Your Mom’s House, which he cohosts with his wife, fellow comedian Christina Pazsitzky. He has also been featured in several Comedy Central shows and starred in films including Instant Family with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne and Countdown with Elizabeth Lail. Segura is currently performing his “Come Together” special on a world tour that kicked off last December and will continue through this December. [Mary Beth Bryan]

MUSIC | FRI, AUG. 29

The Dirty Guv’nahs

Georgia Theatre • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show)

• $38.94

The Dirty Guv’nahs began as a joke. In 2006, bassist Justin Hoskins signed up his not- yet-existent band to open a local show in Knoxville, TN. A week later, The Dirty Guv’nahs did exist, named after a friend of the band who was nicknamed “The Guv’nah.” Two years later, they released their first album, Don’t Need No Money, recorded using studio time they won in a university battle of the bands contest. Since then, The Dirty Guv’nahs have released several more studio albums, been voted best band in Knoxville numerous times and opened for acts like the Zac Brown Band, Wilco, NEEDTOBREATHE and the Levon Helm Band. Their new record is called Promises and delivers more of the Southern rock charm that the band is known for. Dallas, TX rockers Yes Ma’am Band will open the Athens show. [MB]

MUSIC | FRI, AUG. 29

Cardynal & DK Album Release

Flicker Theatre & Bar • 7 p.m. (doors) • $10 (adv.), $12

Local hip-hop artists Cardynal and DK’s collaborative album, Bird Brain, may not be out on all the streaming platforms until Sept. 5, but audiences can catch a preview at their upcoming release show. DK and Cardynal first met over three years ago when they both performed at Rabbit Hole for Bunneroo. According to DK, the two clicked instantly despite their differences in age and personality type. He says that, “Cardynal being 22, me being 30, and our seemingly opposite personalities, Cardynal being more spontaneous, aloof, and energetic, and me mostly carrying the demeanor of an old man,” are things that ended up giving their work on Bird Brain “a neat balance of an upcoming artist stepping into

Honeypuppy and bedroom pop brother duo Infinite Favors. [MB]

MUSIC | SUN, AUG. 31

OCAF • 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show) • $25

Foundation hosts a concert in its main gallery. This month’s musical guest is Hogtic quartet formed by fiddler Jason Cade and multi(formerly of Dromedary, Kenosha Kid and Jim White’s band). Its sound follows the traditions of Southern Appalachian oldtime music, carrying the genre forward into the modern era. Though HogMan concerts are somewhat rare, Cade and McMaken performed for OCAF earlier this year, promising to return with a full quartet once their album, Across the Sea, was finished. The album is Hog-Eyed Man’s sixth and the first to be released on vinyl. OCAF members can receive a five-dollar discount on tickets to the show or purchase a front-row VIP table for four. Next month’s concert will be on Sept. 20, featuring Americana band Grassland. [MB] f

Events and Exhibits at UGA Special Collections Libraries

Displaced in the New South: A Documentary by David Zeiger 5:30PM, Thursday, Sept. 18 @ Cine Free screening featuring filmmaker

Sustained Excellence

3PM, Aug. 29, Sept. 5, 26 Curator-led tours of UGA swim & dive exhibit

What's On The Table? Food Safety in Georgia, the South, and Beyond

6 PM, Tuesday, Sept. 23

Discussion with science journalist and Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee Deborah Blum and UGA’s Francisco Diez-Gonzalez

HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8AM-5PM Tuesday, Thursday 8AM-7PM

Dekovian Rashad Debuts Single

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

LIGHT-N-LIVELY: The UGA Performing Arts Center is hosting Athens-based artist Jackie Dorsey’s “Living Legends of Georgia Music” exhibition in its lobby. The show will run through Jan. 5, and the opening reception is Thursday, Aug. 28 from 5–6 p.m. This set of works—featuring watercolor paintings of Georgia legends such as Randall Bramblett, Cindy Wilson, Gregg Allman, Chuck Leavell, Mike Mills, Kevn Kinney, Chuck Leavell, Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Shawn Mullins, William Bell and Big Boi, among many others—was originally displayed at The Lyndon House Arts Center a couple of years ago. Next year, it will travel to the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. For more information, please see jackiedorsey art.com and pac.uga.edu.

OLD SCHOOL’S IN SESSION: Rapper Donny Knottsville must’ve refilled his gas sometime recently, because he’s on an absolute tear. After a four- year break, he’s now released his second collection of the season. This newest one is the 15- track collaborative mixtape titled Caledonia Loungin’. It is, of course, a tribute to the Athens music scene as a whole as well as the nowshuttered Caledonia Lounge, which was unceremoniously murdered by COVID. The album features Knottsville collaborating with a hugely diverse swath of artists, including Four Eyes, Bambara, Space Brother, SOHI, Sienna Chandler, DJ Triz, Seline Haze, Madeline, Louie Larceny, Sawmill Slang and others. Knottsville himself continues to deliver his solid, somewhat old- school flow across all tracks. Find this at donnyknottsville.bandcamp.com.

tune, but with a lot of unpacked drama throughout its keyboard melodies and drones. Tracks 2–7, well, you’d have been forgiven if you switched the dial during any of them. Each begins with a bolt of straight up static before each, with varying degrees of length and run-up transitions to its respective melodic sections. And at the record’s end, it’s not as if the world really needed another cover of “Sister Ray,” but after listening to Sletten’s own aggressively noisy compositions, this long-revered experimental piece actually acts as an aural palate cleanser, which is something I never imagined I’d say about “Sister Ray.” Dig it at primordialvoid.bandcamp.com.

THE

MOST

ZEN PLACE ON EARTH:

HOMETOWN SOUL: Athens native Dekovian Rashad is a charmingly talented young vocalist who recently released his debut single “Torn.” Fans of early ’90s smooth R&B should fall in love pretty immediately. Rashad’s vocals are steady yet emotional and invested in the song’s subject, which is heartache and longing. Rashad has also included his a capella vocals with this release, so if there’s any doubt this unadorned version makes his talent clear. Find this on major streaming services, and for more information, please see instagram. com/dekovianrashad.

AUTOSTATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: The main man behind label and cultural movement machine Primordial Void, Marcel Sletten, just released his first live album. It’s titled MIDI Never Sleeps and contains eight tracks recorded live at UGA’s WUOG 90.5 FM, except for one track: A cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” which was recorded at Miracle House, but I have no idea where that is. Opening track “Everlasting Soul” is a smoothly catchy

The 1986 film Athens, GA: Inside/Out remains the only film for which I know the entire dialogue and can quote it word for word, even with the sound turned off. It played an outsized role in my moving to Athens, and it remains one of the most important films of my life. If you have even a passing interest in the Athens music scene, this once- contemporaneous film, and now historical document, is essential viewing. In 2023 producer Bill Cody donated the original 16 millimeter film as well as its audio components to the Walter J Brown Media Archive at the UGA Special Collections Library. The film is approaching its 40- year anniversary, and Ryan Lewis, music and popular culture curator for the UGA Special Collections Libraries, has undertaken a $60,000 fundraising effort to bring it into the 21st century. These costs include “… pay[ing] for the work of scanning, color grading, and audio mastering the elements in order to produce a DCP [digital cinema package] and a 35mm film print for projection in all theaters, as well as a new film negative for long- term preservation.” If you’d like to help with this, please consider donating via give.uga.edu/funders/ inside-out- funder.

THE NAME GAME: Punk/hardcore folks Mr. [Redacted] (formerly known as Mr. Transmission) have a brand new release titled Transmission out now on Rag Doll Records. Don’t worry about your attention span, either, because everything here clocks in at under two minutes, and most of them don’t even come close. It starts off punchy enough with “I Don’t Know Anything” and “Jittery Joe,” but I think it starts to come into its own on the third song, “Slimes or Dimes,” which, in a perfect world, would inspire circle pits everywhere. The same is true with the next two, “Slow Burn” and “Got This Thing.” Basically the meat is in the middle, but it’s a middle well worth making your way towards. Find this at ragdoll records.bandcamp.com. f

live music calendar

Tuesday 26

Flicker Theatre & Bar

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.flickertheatreandbar.com

69 DUDES Athens misfits on a mission to write 69 punk songs, each exactly 69 seconds long. AROUND THE FERN Performing ’90s and ’00s rock covers.

FULL ON MONET Performing ’80s and ’90s pop rock covers. The Foundry

7–10 p.m. FREE! www.hotelabacusathens.com

OPEN MIC Hosted by Libbaloops, share music, comedy, poetry or stories.

Hendershot’s

No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

KENOSHA KID The brainchild of guitarist Dan Nettles performs two sets of adventurous new music each week from his ever-expanding catalog that exists “somewhere in the Schrödinger’s nexus of jazz, post-rock and improvised music.”

Normal Bar

8–11 p.m. FREE! booking@rudymontayremusic.com

OPEN MIC All musicians welcome. Every Tuesday.

Ramsey Hall

7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

FACULTY AND GUEST ARTIST

RECITAL UGA faculty Michael Heald, Maggie Snyder and James Kim, joined by ASO violinist Kenn Wagner and Georgia State University professor Tania Maxwell Clements for a performance of Phantasy Quintet by Vaughan Williams.

Wednesday 27

Athentic Brewing Co.

7 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

DISNEY NIGHT KARAOKE Sing your favorites with DJ Gregory and dress up for a costume contest.

Ciné

Bizzarama. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $10. www.athenscine.com

KARMA KAT Athens local band with sounds of rock, pop and funky jazz. They’ll rock your whiskers off! El Paso Tacos & Tequila 6–11 p.m. www.instagram.com/ elpasoathenss

KARAOKE WITH DJ D00MSDAY Every Wednesday. Flicker Theatre & Bar

9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com

DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.

Georgia Theatre

Rooftop

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show).

$13.90. www.georgiatheatre.com

NEUTRAL SNAP New Orleans pop punk revivalists.

RECESS PARTY Athens-based indie-rock band with a selfdescribed collage of rock, funk and alternative.

Hendershot’s

New Faces Night. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). FREE! www.hendershotsathens.com

ANTRONA Alt-rock for your younger brother’s oldest cousin’s wife’s pet dog’s past foster parents and their kids.

SLIME Alt-rock band comprised of local students.

MILES GIOVANNI. Lo-fi indie singer-songwriter from Georgia with a mellow vibe.

Hidden Gem

8–11 p.m. FREE! www.instagram. com/hiddengemglobalhq

ANDREW’S GOING AWAY

PARTY Mini sets featuring Your Ex’s Pets, Neighbor Lady, Thick Paint/Terry’s Dolman, Julia Barfield, McKendrick Bearden, Curt Castle and Semicircle.

MaiKai Kava Lounge

7:30 p.m. (sign-ups). FREE! www. instagram.com/bulaatmaikai

MAIKAI OPEN MIC Share your music, comedy and poetry every Wednesday.

Porterhouse Grill

7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com

JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

Thursday 28

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $17 (adv.), $20. www.40watt.com

WINYAH Nashville-based indie and Southern rock band.

EDGEHILL Alternative rock band from Nashville.

Athentic Brewing Co.

6 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

KINKY WAIKIKI Relaxing, steel guitar-driven band following the traditions of Hawaiian music.

Ciné

8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $12. www.athenscine.com

LILLY HART & JOSIE JAMES

Singer-songwriters based in Nashville, TN.

AVA WILDS Artist mixing country, folk and pop sensibilities.

MANNEQUIN PARTY Local Athens band blends smoky vocals, growling baritone guitar, off-kilter chord progressions and complex rhythms into melodic indie-psych-folk.

Georgia Theatre

Rooftop

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). FREE! www.georgiatheatre.com

CHAMOMILE & WHISKEY Deep roots rock outfit based in Nashville known for its incisive lyricism and nostalgic sound.

The Globe

7:30–10 p.m. www.facebook.com/ globe.athens

MARY & THE HOT HOTTY-HOTS

Hot jazz and swing band offering music from the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s.

Friday 29

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $15. www.40watt.com

BARNHOUSE Local five-piece rock band.

SOLSTICE Indie-rock quintet from Knoxville, TN that recently released its EP Petrichor

LANDLINE Local Southern rock band.

Athentic Brewing Co.

Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $7 (adv.), $10. www.athenticbrewing. com

THE ORIGINAL SPLITZ BAND A mixed drink of the classic Motown

sound, part 1970s funk and disco flavor, a dash of the old-school and contemporary R&B, and a guaranteed good time.

Buvez

7–10 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ darkentriesathens

DARK ENTRIES KARAOKE Sing your favorite song from a curated catalog of classic to modern goth, post-punk, punk, ’80s and J-Pop. Ciné

7 p.m. (doors). $10. www.athenscine. com

JANUARY Indie singer-songwriter with thoughtful lyrics whose melodies echo the big hits of the late ’90s and early 2000s.

LIZ FARRELL Singer with folk, jazz and indie pop influences manifesting in heartfelt, intentional throughlines of ukulele and piano.

EIGHT PICTURES Like if Pixies took Morrissey’s lunch money. El Paso Tacos & Tequila

7 p.m.–12 a.m. www.instagram.com/ elpasoathenss

KARAOKE WITH DJ D00MSDAY

Every Friday.

Flicker Theatre & Bar

7 p.m. (doors). $10 (adv.), $12. www. flickertheatreandbar.com

DK & CARDYNAL

Two local hiphop artists performing their new collaborative album, Bird Brain Release show!

NONY1 Athens-based rapper who speaks out against injustice and inequality.

96VIZION Versatile hip-hop artist balancing hype tracks and storytelling.

The Foundry

Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 6 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $25 (adv.), $30. bit.ly/KinchafooneeAug29

KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS

Long-running country band from South Georgia that was established in 1991.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show).

$38.94. www.georgiatheatre.com

THE DIRTY GUV’NAHS American rock and roll for the people based out of Knoxville, TN.

YES MA’AM BAND Versatile rockers from Dallas, TX.

Georgia Theatre

Rooftop

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). FREE! www.georgiatheatre.com

SLOW PARADE Atlanta-based music collective headed by Matthew Pendrick, who mixes roots, blues and country into his songwriting.

Ideal Bagel

6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $10. www.instagram.com/idealbagelco

PULL CHAINS New project that includes Greg Cartwright (Oblivians, Reigning Sound), Jesse Smith (Carbonas, Gentleman Jesse) and Joseph Plunkett (Country Westerns).

HONEYPUPPY Four-piece indie rock band self-described as a “menace to society.”

INFINITE FAVORS Project of brothers Andrew and Nathan Prater that trades in the sludgy, punishing riffs of previous projects for vocal harmonies, melodic basslines and hand percussion to create unforgettable, minimal bedroom pop. No. 3 Railroad Street

6 p.m. $10–20 suggested donation. www.3railroad.org

GREG LILLEY AND IVAN

STRUNIN Duo playing percussive guitar and violin.

Nowhere Bar 9:30 p.m. $10. www.instagram.com/ nowherebarathensga

SWING THEORY Jazz collective plays originals and standards. The Root 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.therootathens. com

WADE HUDSON The original rockin’ real estate agent.

Saturday 30

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.40watt.com

CAM SMITH AND THE LAWLESS High-energy Southern rock and country band based in Athens that blends the grit of classic rock with the soul of country music.

WORKIN’ PAST MIDNIGHT Local rock band.

JAXONVILLE Five-piece band from Athens, formerly known as El Camino.

Athentic Brewing Co.

7:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

ETHAN MULLINAX Local indie singer-songwriter. Bishop Park Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.net

JAMES COOK Arty Ball Swing Band frontman plays a variety of music from the Great American Songbook. (8 a.m.)

SUSAN STALEY Member of The Solstice Sisters performing traditional folk music. (10 a.m.)

Buvez

7 p.m. $5. www.instagram.com/ buvez_athens

NOTHINGIFANYTHING Post-hardcore/noise rock band from Athens. VINDICTIVE MIND Alternative metal band from Gainesville. THE AFTERDAWN Heavy metal band from Douglasville.

EXCHANGE BLVD Post-grunge/ punk band from Athens.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $26.40. www.georgiatheatre.com DAVE MATTHEWS TRIBUTE BAND Tribute band that has been honing its craft for over 20 years with heartfelt recreation of DMB’s musical spirit.

Hendershot’s

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.hendershotsathens.com

LITTLE MAE A sibling duo with soothing, gentle pop harmonies. A leaky pipe that will soften the floorboards of your heart.

SPITEHOUND Brooding, earnest indie.

WOMEN IN STEM Musicians Ella, Finn and Sam developed their striking sound with an indie rock influence and a call from science herself.

Live Wire

Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20 (adv.), $25. bit.ly/LiveWireAthensAug30 SAM HOLT BAND Americana and country jam group from Atlanta joined by Sunny Ortiz of Widespread Panic for a special “Remembering Mikey Year 23” set. Nowhere Bar

7 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). $10. www.instagram.com/nowherebarathensga MAGYAR Athenian shoegaze/math rock power trio.

THE COMPARTMENTALIZATIONISTS Surf-adjacent noise rock featuring Jeffrey Butzer of Club Silencio and Bicycle Eaters. PURE ED Alternative grunge rock from Atlanta. The Root 10 p.m. FREE! www.therootathens. com

SILENT DISCO Grab a pair of headphones, choose a music channel and dance the night away.

Sunday 31

Five Bar

11 a.m.–2 p.m. www.five-bar.com

SWING THEORY Local jazz trio playing brunch every Sunday. The Globe 4–7 p.m. www.facebook.com/globe. athens

TRADITIONAL IRISH SESSION

Easy listening traditional Irish music.

Oak House Distillery 3:30–6 p.m. www.oakhousedistillery. com

FOLIE À QUATRE Playing a mix of French chansons, jazzy tunes and originals by Lavon Smith, accompanied on guitar, accordion and double bass.

OCAF

OCAF Music Series. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $20. www. ocaf.com

HOG-EYED MAN Athens duo is accompanied by special guests to blend Appalachian old-time music with multicultural traditions.

Monday 1

Flicker Theatre & Bar

8 p.m. (doors). $12. www.flickertheatreandbar.com

SIMON JOYNER & THE NERVOUS STARS Singer-songwriter from Omaha, NE who has been flying under the radar since 1991, releasing music on various independent labels.

LEAH SENIOR Australian artist whose music plays on the traditions of folk music from the 1960s and ’70s.

ROWAN NEWBY Poetic and humorous Americana music inspired by ’60s and ’70s songwriting.

Madison-Morgan

Cultural Center

The Hall on Foster. 7 p.m. FREE! (performers), $5. www.mmcc-arts.org

OPEN MIC NIGHT New open mic series for music, spoken word, comedy, poetry and everything in between. Held the first Monday of each month.

Porterhouse Grill

7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com

JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

Tuesday 2

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20 (adv.), $25. www.40watt.com

JOHN R. MILLER Singer-songwriter and skilled picker known for his intricate wordplay and haunting imagery.

MISS TESS Singer-songwriter who specializes in vintage blues, country, jazz and rock and roll.

Normal Bar

8–11 p.m. FREE! booking@rudymontayremusic.com

OPEN MIC All musicians welcome. Every Tuesday.

Wednesday 3

Athentic Brewing Co.

7–10 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

KARAOKE WITH DJ GREGORY Every Wednesday. Creature Comforts Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.net

MARY & THE HOT HOTTY-HOTS Jazz and swing band offering music from the ‘10s, ‘20s and ‘30s. (6 p.m.)

El Paso Tacos & Tequila 6–11 p.m. www.instagram.com/ elpasoathenss

KARAOKE WITH DJ D00MSDAY Every Wednesday. Flicker Theatre & Bar

9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com

DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.

Georgia Theatre Rooftop

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show).

$13.90. www.georgiatheatre.com

WASTED MAJOR Rock group from Nashville that blends the classic sounds of ’60s and ’70s rock with a dose of ’90s country and honkytonk flair.

JONAH PIERCE Country/folk musician from Blue Ridge. THOMAS GAY Local acoustic country singer-songwriter. Hendershot’s 7 p.m. FREE! www.hendershotsathens. com

OPEN MIC Hosted by Liz Farrell the first Wednesday of every month. Sign up in person starting at 6 p.m. MaiKai Kava Lounge

7:30 p.m. (sign-ups). FREE! www. instagram.com/bulaatmaikai MAIKAI OPEN MIC Share your music, comedy and poetry every Wednesday.

Porterhouse Grill

7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com

JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

Down the Line

9/04 Frigga Five, Estimated Principles, Intension (Georgia Theatre Rooftop)

9/04 UGA Symphony Orchestra (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall)

9/05 Sons of Sailors (The Foundry)

9/05 Omni, Benét (40 Watt Club)

9/05 Trio Metro with Liz Farrell (No. 3 Railroad Street)

9/05 Rumours (Georgia Theatre)

9/05 That’s Hot: A Y2K Dance Party (Hendershot’s)

9/05 Other Voices, Other Rooms; Goddess Complex; Microtrak (Flicker Theatre & Bar)

9/06 Geordie Greep (Georgia Theatre)

9/06 Denim Arcade (The Foundry) 9/06 James McMurtry (40 Watt Club) f

event calendar

Tuesday 26

CLASSES: ESL (Bogart Library)

Learn and improve English skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing. 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

CLASSES: Genealogy Night at the Library (Oconee County Library)

An after-hours event designed to help begin or expand family history research. 5:45 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

CLASSES: Boots & Brews Line Dancing (Athentic Brewing Co.)

Learn the line dancing basics from host Lindsay before the floor opens for social dancing. 7–9 p.m. www. athenticbrewing.com

COMEDY: Flying Squid Open Improv Jam (150 Fritz Mar Lane) Improvisors of all skill levels are invited to practice and play together. 8 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flyingsquidcomedy. com

EVENTS: American Red Cross Blood Drive (ACC Library) Donors of all blood types are encouraged to contribute. Registration required. 2–6 p.m. FREE! www.redcross blood.org

EVENTS: Tiki Taco Tuesday (Live Wire) Enjoy craft cocktails and a taco pop-up from Don Carne with themed weeks, live music and dancing. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com

FILM: Athentic Movie Night (Athentic Brewing Co.) Screening of the musical classic Singin’ In The Rain 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.athentic brewing.com

GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com

GAMES: Music Bingo (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Join in to play music BINGO. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.johnnyspizza.com

GAMES: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom Athens

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/ baddogathens

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

LECTURES & LIT: Mystery Book Club (Bogart Library) Discuss Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner with the group. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Death Over Drafts (Athentic Brewing Co.) Casual destigmatizing discussion about all things death and dying while using The Death Deck. RSVP encouraged. 6–8 p.m. organizingdeath@gmail. com

MEETINGS: Athens Photography Guild (Lyndon House Arts Center) Atlanta photographer Glen VarnHagen will present on the essential steps for planning a photographyfocused trip. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athensphotographyguild.wordpress. com

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 27

ART: Meet the Artist (The Old Pal) Painter, muralist and community organizer Broderick Flanigan’s exhibition will be on view with food by Chef Cai Cai. 7–10 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/theoldpal CLASSES: Pétanque Class (Lay Park) Learn the basics of the lawn game pétanque. RSVP required. 10 a.m. FREE! athenspetanqueclub@ gmail.com, www.athenspetanque club.wixsite.com/play

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net

FILM: Bizzarama (Ciné) Formal event featuring live music by Karma Kat and the screening of five “bizarre flix.” 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $10. www.athenscine. com

FILM: Three Star Cinema (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1985 horror adventure film Magic Lizard. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flicker theatreandbar.com

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia

GAMES: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. indigoathens.com

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia

KIDSTUFF: Movie Night (Oconee County Library) Drop in to watch a movie and enjoy some snacks. Grades 6–12. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

LECTURES & LIT: Book Club (Entangled Cat Cafe) Discuss Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica with the group. 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/entangledcatcafe

MEETINGS: Film Athens (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Meet and network with others in the filmmaking community (actors, directors, etc.) during happy hour. 5 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/FilmAthens

MEETINGS: C3 to End Homelessness (Heard Park & Community Center) A roundtable discussion regarding housing and homelessness to educate, identify issue and plan steps to solutions. Fourth Wednesdays, 5–7 p.m. FREE! www. athenshc.org/coc

Thursday 28

ART: Artist Talk (Lyndon House Arts Center) Muralist Amanda Burk will discuss her work with light refreshments served. 6 p.m. FREE! www. accgov.com/lyndonhouse

ART: Closing Reception (tiny ATH gallery) The group exhibition “Cloth: Untied & United” featuring non-traditional textile works will be on view. 6–9 p.m. FREE! www. tinyathgallery.com

CLASSES: Figure Drawing Open Studio (Georgia Museum of Art) Sketch from a 1920s fashion costumed model in this life-drawing workshop. Registration required. 6 p.m. FREE! gmoa-tours@uga.edu

ams. 7 p.m. FREE! www.georgia museum.org

GAMES: BINGO (VFW Post 2872) Join in to play this weekly game of chance. Thursdays, 5 p.m. (doors). FREE! www.facebook.com/vfw2872

GAMES: Adult Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) A gaming session for players of all skill levels. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

GAMES: Bad Dog BINGO (Amici at The Falls) Play BINGO with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Test your trivia knowledge with host Todd Henderson. 6:30 p.m. www.johnnys pizza.com

Thursdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Tarot & Tea (Indie South) Gather to learn more about Tarot cards and practice readings. Registration required. Last Thursdays, 6–8 p.m. www.theindiesouth. com

MEETINGS: Learning by Leading Information Session (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Learn about the program that provides students with leadership skills and handson experience with conservation,

CLASSES: Line Dance Lessons (Boutier Winery & Inn) Learn how to line dance with Amy. 7–9 p.m. $5. www.boutierwinery.com

EVENTS: Bishop Farmers Market (Bishop Baptist Church) Vendors offer baked goods, artisanal goods, snacks and home goods. Thursdays, 4–7 p.m. www.townofbishop.org

EVENTS: Athentic Farmers Market (Athentic Brewing Co.) Weekly market featuring vendors Diamond Hill Farms, Normaltown Bread Company, Katie Bee Honey, Flossie May Forage and Grand Designs Woodworking. Thursdays, 4–7 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

EVENTS: Live Art & Jam Session (The Foundry) Local artists will be painting live with musicians jamming. 6 p.m. www.hotelabacus athens.com

EVENTS: Countdown to Kick-Off (Athentic Brewing Co.) The Red & Black hosts a conversation with Mark Schlabach, David Pollack and Tony Barnhart ahead of the football season’s opening game. 7:30 p.m. $25. givebutter.com/sdHNYL

FILM: Midnight in Paris (Georgia Museum of Art) Screening of the 2011 Oscar-winning film featuring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAd-

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia

KIDSTUFF: Toddler Thursday (OCAF) Drop in for grab-and-go crafting, storytime or to look at art. Ages 2–5. 10 a.m. FREE! (members), $5 (non-members). www. ocaf.com

KIDSTUFF: Lil Master Chef (Howard Park & Community Center) Create snacks while having fun in the kitchen, this month making omelets. Ages 2–5. 10:30 a.m. $3 (ACC residents), $4.50 (non-residents). www.accgovga.myrec.com

LECTURES & LIT: Across the Board Book Club (Oconee County Library) Discuss books chosen by the group. New members welcome. Fourth Thursdays, 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee

LECTURES & LIT: UGA Creative Writing Program (The Globe) This new student reading event will feature the work of five students with a reception to follow. 6 p.m. FREE! english.uga.edu

MEETINGS: Coffee Hour (Oconee County Library) Drop in to drink some coffee, while supplies last.

a new roleplaying game. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com

KIDSTUFF: Meet & Play (Bogart Library) Drop in for facilitated open play with age-appropriate toys. Best for ages 6 & under. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ bogart

MEETINGS: Last Friday Crafting (Oconee County Library) Drop in with your craft to work with other crafters and artists. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee

OUTDOORS: Evening Kayak Paddle (Watson Mill Bridge State Park) Enjoy a ranger-led paddle on the river. Registration required. 7 p.m. $15/person, $5 parking pass/ vehicle. www.gastateparks.org/ WatsonMillBridge

Saturday 30

EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Bishop Park) Markets offer locally grown groceries and handmade goods with live music and children’s activities. AFM doubles SNAP dollars spent. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmers market.net

EVENTS: Marigold Farmers Market (Pittard Park) Vendors offer organic produce, prepared foods, agricultural products and artisanal goods. MFM doubles SNAP dollars spent. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. www.marigoldcollectivewinterville. com

EVENTS: 21st Anniversary Weekend (Boutier Winery & Inn) A threeday event celebrating the winery’s anniversary with daily specials. Aug. 29–31, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. www.boutierwinery.com

GAMES: Board Games (Bogart Library) Enjoy a variety of board games and card games with friends. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/bogart

horticulture and more. Registration required. 6 p.m. FREE! botgarden. uga.edu

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Friday 29

COMEDY: Tom Segura (The Classic Center) The actor, comedian and writer known for several Netflix specials is on his “Come Together” tour. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $39–215. www.classic center.com

EVENTS: 21st Anniversary Weekend (Boutier Winery & Inn) A threeday event celebrating the winery’s anniversary with daily specials. Aug. 29–31, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. www.boutierwinery.com

EVENTS: Sustained Excellence (UGA Special Collections Library) Take a curator-led tour of the UGA swim and dive exhibition. 3 p.m. libs.uga.edu

GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play

SPORTS: UGA vs. Marshall (Sanford Stadium) Cheer on the Georgia Bulldogs football team as they face Marshall Thundering Herd. 3:30 p.m. www.georgiadogs.com

Sunday 31

CLASSES: Mah Jongg (Oconee County Library) Adults of all skill levels are invited to learn and play American Mah Jonng. Every Sunday. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/oconee

COMEDY: Comedy Open Mic (MaiKai Kava Lounge) Show up and go up with your stand-up material. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.instagram. com/bulaatmaikai

COMEDY: Off the Clock Comedy (The Globe) Athens Comedy presents a lineup of local and touring comedians. 8:30 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). www.facebook.com/ athenscomedy

EVENTS: 21st Anniversary Weekend (Boutier Winery & Inn) A threeday event celebrating the winery’s anniversary with daily specials. Aug. 29–31, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. www.boutierwinery.com

EVENTS: Summer Send Off Market (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse vintage clothes, jewelry, art, fall goods and summer mementos. 2–6 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

GAMES: SIM Race Sunday (ACC Library) Drive for fun or compete for fastest lap at Watkins Glen in an American sports car. Registration required. 3 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Globe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/baddogathens

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Monday 1

EVENTS: Marigold Farmers Market (100 North Church Street) Vendors offer organic produce, prepared foods, agricultural products and artisanal goods. Mondays, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. www.marigoldcollectivewinterville.com

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Fully Loaded Pizza Kitchen (Normaltown)) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia

KIDSTUFF: Monday Funday (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for songs, fingerplays, storytelling and STEAM activities. Ages 3–7 years. Registration suggested. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Classic City Rotary (1430 N Chase St) The local chapter meets weekly. Mondays, 11:30 a.m. FREE! www.classiccityrotary. org

Tuesday 2

CLASSES: ESL (Bogart Library) Learn and improve English skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing. 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

COMEDY: Flying Squid Open Improv Jam (150 Fritz Mar Lane) Improvisors of all skill levels are invited to practice and play together. 8 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flyingsquidcomedy. com

FILM: Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Attaboy Tapes presents a screening of the 2005 music documentary about Nashville’s maverick songwriter and producer “Cowboy” Jack Clement. 9 p.m. FREE! www. flickertheatreandbar.com

GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com

GAMES: Music Bingo (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Join in to play music BINGO. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.johnnyspizza.com

GAMES: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom Athens

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/ baddogathens

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

KIDSTUFF: Jumping Gym (Howard Park & Community Center) Explore a bouncy wonderland with big jumps and soft landings. Ages 5 & under. 10 a.m. FREE! www.accgov ga.myrec.com

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 3

ART: Tour At Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-in public tours feature highlights of the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org

CLASSES: Pétanque Class (Lay Park) Learn the basics of the lawn game pétanque. RSVP required. 10 a.m. FREE! athenspetanqueclub@ gmail.com, www.athenspetanque club.wixsite.com/play

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net

FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) An American novelist is stalked by an obsessed and razor-wielding maniac who commits murders that appear to be tributes in Tenebre. 7 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/bloodevery where.athens

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia

GAMES: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. indigoathens.com

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia

KIDSTUFF: Ready, Set, Grow (Aaron Heard Community Center) Ms. Toya will lead the hands-on program “Little Chefs & the Hungry Caterpillar.” Ages 3–6. 10 a.m. $3 (ACC resident), $4.50 (non-resident). www.accgovga.myrec.com

KIDSTUFF: Teen Prism Club (Oconee County Library) Hang out in the library to play games, do crafts and build friendships in an inclusive and welcoming space. Grades 6–12. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

LECTURES & LIT: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Athens’ longest-running spoken word open mic, with this month’s featured reader Ellie Swensson. 7 p.m. (sign-ups), 8 p.m. (poetry). FREE! www.facebook. com/athenswordofmouth

MEETINGS: Greater Athens Libertarian Party (Akademia Brewing Co.) Fellowship with others of likeminded politics. First Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.athenslp. square.site

Down the Line

9/04 Athentic Farmers Market (Athentic Brewing Co.)

9/04 Oconee Rivers Audubon Society (Odum School of Ecology Auditorium)

9/04 Wine Tasting (J’s Bottle Shop Tasting Room) f

Lox to Love

BAGEL BUSINESS OWNERS ENDURE TO BE A NOSH ABOVE THE REST

By Jarrod Lipshy editorial@flagpole.com

Old- timer Athenians have a familiar breakfast take: We miss Zim’s Bagel Bakery. But since the beloved bagel joint closed its doors in 2009, Athens has been graced with not one but two locally owned bagel shops. Both have undergone major changes this year.

Athens Bagel Company (ABC), owned and operated by David Asman, fully reopened last fall after a nearly fouryear saga of repairs. Ideal Bagel was adopted by new owners in February: Naoko Uno and Jef Bredemeier, folks familiar to the Athens art and music scene, but brand new to business ownership. Thanks to the dedication and personal sacrifices of all three, the Classic City continues to enjoy fresh, house-made bagels seven days a week.

With the opportunity to rebuild ABC from scratch, Asman aimed for a true- to- Athens version of a shop you’d find in Brooklyn or Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The menu even calls its version of a classic bacon-egg-and- cheese “The Widespread Wakeup.” Looking around, you’ll spot relics of the city’s fallen past. There’s a slim bar crafted from a ginkgo that once stood on Clayton Street. Peering in the kitchen, longtime locals may notice that the dough is made in the same mixer that served Zim’s for 15 years.

Getting the shop to its glowing, finished state was hardly easy. When a sprinkler head in the kitchen went off on a fateful morning in May of 2021, Asman never imagined the heartache and years of delays he would endure before the doors opened again. During what was supposed to be a simple tile replacement job, workers uncovered asbestos deep in the floor layers—an unsurprising, but certainly unwelcome, discovery for a 125- year-old building. Insurers demanded the unit be stripped down to its studs. Rebuilding was agonizingly slow. Pandemic-related supply constraints were partially to blame for delays. So was a dysfunctional contracting company, one that ultimately folded halfway through the project.

“It was Murphy’s Law of renovation projects,” Asman recounts. “If there was something that could be a problem, it was like dominoes: Everything else fell down.” He ended up doing much of the work himself. Skilled labor filled in the gaps and tackled the rest. He admits he may not have gone through it all if he had known everything the renovation would entail, but a stubborn idea pushed him to get the doors open again: “I felt like it was Athens’ bagel shop, not mine. I felt like it was super important to put it back there.”

“The cream cheese takes a lot outta ya,” he says. He recalls being stuck behind a busy line, his arms and shoulders cramping after repeating the same task for hours. “This town is going through cream cheese like crazy, and I physically wasn’t able to keep up.”

Things have gotten easier since those first months, though, and the couple’s outlook is positive. They want to use the space to engage more with Athens art and culture. Its sizable walls will soon feature a rotating selection of artists, starting with selections from Bredermeir’s own photography portfolio. Ideal Bagel is testing out opening the shop at night for art shows, open mics or other live performances—after all, Uno points out, it closes every day at 2 p.m. This Friday the shop will host garage rock supergroup Pull Chains with local support Honeypuppy and Infinite Favors, opening the doors at 6 p.m. with music starting at 7 p.m.

The stresses of business ownership have made themselves well known to Uno and Bredermeier, as well. “It was very much sink or swim,” Bredemeier, a painter and documentary filmmaker, recalls about his onboarding. The restaurant lost its longtime general manager/prep worker before the handoff, so he opted to take on the role himself. Other than a handful of former employees, there wasn’t anyone to ease the transition. The couple didn’t receive any sort of official recipe book, so Bredermeier was left to decipher how to make offerings like the salmon cream cheese himself.

The first few weeks demanded long days and sleepless nights, with plenty of kinks to work out. Uno, a full- time researcher working for the University of Georgia, handled the books and took on odd jobs to share the load. When eggs were scarce, she went hunting for them daily at places like Sam’s Club and Costco.

Bredemeier came with experience, having managed restaurants like Square One. However, he soon realized that being solely responsible for vital menu items could quickly turn into the stuff of anxiety dreams.

Despite their ambitions to expand Ideal’s mission, the couple says they will stay true to what made it a staple in the first place. Treasured menu items like the Dottie and Cadillac will remain untouched.

In the end, they say that all the stress, newness and uncertainty have been worth it for one major reason: When they were approached with an offer to buy Ideal Bagel, the original owner suggested he might close it otherwise. Uno immediately felt she didn’t want to see another cherished Athens institution go the way of The Grit, Caledonia Lounge, Go Bar and so many others. “Everything in Athens is changing very fast, and I just want something stable,” she says.

Owners of both bagel shops say they appreciate the role each plays in the Athens business ecosystem. In other words, they’re not out to start a schmear campaign. Everyone involved, including staff, puts their heart, soul, sanity and time on the line to keep the doors open. The end result: thick, chewy, delicious bagels—like a warm hug in your guts—and the opportunity to run into friends, old and new, in beloved spaces we all share. f

bulletin board

Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

AAAC QUARTERLY GRANT (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council offers $500 grants to visual and performing artists in any medium to support specific projects that enrich the culture of Athens. www. athensarts.org/support

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM (Lyndon House Arts Center) The AIR Program provides participants with a workspace, access and a stipend. www.accgov.com/lyndonhouse

ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing. www.athenscreatives.directory

BIPOC ARTIST/CURATOR PROJ-

ECT OPEN CALL (Lyndon House Arts Center) Seeking BIPOC individuals residing in Georgia to develop an art exhibition to be on display for 6–8 weeks at the LHAC. www. accgov.com/9799/ArtistCurator

CALL FOR ART (Amici at The Falls)

Amici is seeking artists to share artwork in monthly exhibitions. Email an introduction and a few examples of work. careywelsh20@gmail.com

CALL FOR ART (Oconee County Library) The library is seeking local artists to share their artwork in monthly exhibitions. adial@athens library.org

CALL FOR ART (Winterville Library)

Apply to be a featured local artist in the Front Room Gallery. The library accepts all 2D mediums such as watercolor, collage, textile and more. swatson@athenslibrary.org

CALL FOR ARTISTS (Athens Cultural Affairs Commission) Athens-area artists are invited to submit public art proposals for a community center improvements project. The selected artist(s) will work with stakeholders and government staff to create public art for a mural design on the exterior of Lay Park and Heard Park Community Centers. Application deadline Sept. 19, 5 p.m. Contact tatiana.veneruso@ accgov.com with any questions. www.accgov.com/acac

CALL FOR ARTISTS (Athica) Artists are invited to submit up to three contemporary works in any media for 2025 juried exhibition “Radical Imperfection.” Artwork must be original and created within last two years. No reprints, multi-pieces or previous submissions. Online submission deadline Aug. 31. Winners notified Sept. 19. www.athica.org

CALL FOR ARTISTS (Hotel Abacus)

Seeking painters, sculptors or ceramicists to participate in the Live Art & Jam Session event on Aug. 28. Artists will create an item live during the event. tjordan@hotel abacusathens.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS (MAGallery)

Now accepting artist applications for gallery exhibits. MAGallery is a nonprofit cooperative gallery. Gallery Artists work one day a month and participate on a committee. www.themadisonartistsguild.org/ call-for-artists

CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKERJOKERtv is actively accepting proposals for collaboration from artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can also submit films, skits and ideas to share with a weekly livestream audience. www. jokerjokertv.com/submit CALL FOR COLLECTORS (Lyndon House Arts Center) The LHAC’s “Collections from our Community” series features unique collections of objects found in the closets, cabinets and shelves of Athenians. shelby.little@accgov.com

CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS (AthFest Educates) Applications for the 2025-2026 grant cycle are now available. Applicants planning to use music and/or arts as a teaching and learning mechanism for core education are encouraged to apply. Certain criteria must be met. Deadline Aug. 25 and grantees announced sometime in September. www.athfesteducates.org/ grants/apply-for-a-grant CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (Athens Homeless Coalition) Seeking submissions for upcoming street newspaper. Poetry, short stories, visual art, song lyrics and more are welcome. enagementcoordinator@ athenshc.org

OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for photography, ceramics and more. www. accgov.com/7350/Open-StudioMembership

OPEN STUDIOS (Nuçi’s Space) Four sound-treated, climate-controlled rooms available for rental by the half hour. All rooms come equipped with a full PA system, drumkit and Wi-Fi. www.nuci.org

LIFE DRAWING (Winterville Cultural Center) Limited registrations are available for monthly Life Drawing Open Studio with a nude model. Every third Wednesday. Next class Sept. 17. $20. Adult artists only. www.drawathens.org

PUBLIC ART COURSE (ACC Gov) Free virtual 6-week course in public art for Athens area artists. Mondays, Oct. 6, 13, 20 & 27 and Nov. 3 & 10. 6–8 p.m. Registration deadline Sept. 8. www.triangleart works.org

PUBLIC ART SELECTION PANELS

(Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking community members to participate in upcoming public art selection panels. www.accgov.com/9656/ Public-Art-Selection-Panels

Auditions

OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Master Chorale) Seeking new members in all voice parts including high sopranos, tenors and basses. Scheduled auditions held at St. Gregory the Great Church. athmcdirector@ gmail.com

OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Symphony) Auditions and membership open to qualified musicians able to attend rehearsals and maintain preparation of music. www.athens symphony.org/openings

Classes

ACCENT REDUCTION CLASS (Covenant Presbyterian Church) Improve your American English pronunciation skills. For ages 18 & up. Tuesdays, 12 p.m. marjoriemiller@ gmail.com

CANOPY CLASSES & SCHOLARSHIPS (Canopy Studio) Canopy offers a variety of trapeze and aerial arts classes for children and adults. Scholarships and financial aid are

DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY SKILLS WORKSHOP (Heart StoneTherapeutic Healing) Learn specific skills to manage emotions, improve relationships and more. Fridays, 12 p.m. Sept. 5–October 17. Info@Heartstoneth.com

FALL REGISTRATION (ACC Leisure Services) A diverse selection of programs, classes and workshops for adults are now open for registration. Scholarships available. www. accgov.com/scholarship, www. accgov.com/myrec, 706-613-3800

FREE CLASSES (The Athens Free School) Learning network for community centered around compassion, autonomy and playfulness. Visit @athensfreeschool on Instagram.

available. outreach@canopystudio. org, www.canopystudio.org/ outreach/scholarships

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

(Athens, GA) The Athens Land Trust hosts a variety of virtual and in-person classes. Topics include “Affordable Housing Info” and “Homebuyer Education Course.” www.athenslandtrust.org/classesevents

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, Watkinsville) OCAF offers a number of classes for all ages and skill levels. Selections include basic and advanced painting, ceramics, textile dying, fashion design and more. ocaf.com/courses

COOKING CLASSES (Athens Cooks) Seasonal classes for all ages offered multiple times a year. Upcoming events include “Southern Tailgate Treats with a Twist” (Sept. 12) and “Pith to Pulp: Cooking with Citrus” (Sept. 19). www. athenscooks.com

DANCE CLASSES (East Athens Educational Dance Center) The center offers classes in ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern and more for all ages and skills. www.accgov.com/myrec

YOGA CLASSES (Grateful Head Yoga) Classes are offered in beginner, gentle and other styles of yoga. www.gratefulheadyoga.com

YOGA CLASSES (Healing Arts Center Sangha Studio) A variety of yoga styles offered weekly. www.healing artscentre.net/sangha

YOGA CLASSES (Let It Be Yoga Studio, Watkinsville) Classes are offered in Hatha, Vinyasa, gentle and other styles. www.letitbeyoga. org

YOGA CLASSES (Shakti Yoga Athens) A variety of yoga styles offered weekly. www.shaktiyogaathens.com

Help Out

ANIMAL SERVICES VOLUNTEER (Animal Services Adoption Center) Volunteers needed for daily interactions with the shelter dogs. Sessions run Monday through Friday, training session required. Individuals under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. www.tidycal.com/animalservices volunteer

ATHENS REPAIR CAFE (Solid Waste Office) The repair cafe is seeking volunteers comfortable fixing a variety of items including: clothing, small appliances, tools and more. Fourth Sunday of every month. reuse@accgov.com, www.accgov. com/RepairCafe

ATHENS SKATEPARK PROJECT (Athens Skate Park) Seeking volunteers and community input. Every third Sunday of the month. www. athensskateparkproject.org

BOOK DRIVE DONATIONS (Books for Keeps) Seeking donations of new and gently used children’s books for Community Book Fair event Oct. 10–19. Donation site at Rivet House restaurant until Sept. 20. To further support the initiative, Osteria Olio will donate portion of proceeds from their Focaccia dish to Books for Keeps through the duration of the drive. www.books forkeeps.org

BRAS FOR A CAUSE (Grail Bra Specialists) Seeking donations of gently-used bras for distribution to local shelters, recovery centers and communities in need. Contact Athens Area Bra Bank at 706-8500387. support@grailbras.com

DIAPER DONATIONS (Athens Area Diaper Bank) Diaper donations needed for local infants. All sizes and open packs/boxes are accepted. www.athensareadiaper bank.com

Friday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. through Sept. 1. Supplies needed include Lysol wipes, pencils, crayons, school uniforms and more. 706546-6695.

SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Bigger Vision of Athens) The nonprofit homeless shelter Bigger Vision of Athens, Inc. is seeking new members for its board of directors. the biggervisionshelter@gmail.com, www.bvoa.org/boardmember

SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Moms Adopting Moms) Local nonprofit seeks board members, including a chair and treasurer, to support foster children and families through mentorship and reunification. momsadoptingmoms@ gmail.com

SEEKING DONATIONS (ACC Human Relations Commission) Currently accepting donations for sealed any brand, quantity or size of menstrual hygiene products. Morgan.lyle@ accgov.com

SEEKING FOOD DONATIONS (The Cottage) Seeking donations of single-serving, non-perishable snacks to help children and adults navigating interviews, therapy sessions and court hearings. To arrange a drop-off please call 706546-1133, ext 223.

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Athens Farmer Market) Seeking volunteers for the 2025 season to help with weekly markets, special events and more. Submit applications online. www.athensfarmersmarket.net/ volunteer

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Athens Water Festival) Volunteers will assist with event set-up and breakdown, facilitate water activities for attendees and more. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, treats and a food voucher. Saturday, Sept. 6. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Morning and afternoon shifts available. https:// givepul.se/3fhx3w

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Historic Athens) Registration for the 2025 Historic Athens Porchfest is now open. In need of porch hosts, performers, volunteers and sponsor support. www.historicathens.com/ porchfest

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (KACCB) Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful has volunteer opportunities that include roadside cleanups, adopt-a-ramp and more. www.keep athensbeautiful.org

PILATES MAT CLASSES (work. shop) Drop-in pilates mat classes every Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. 706-247-4513

REINCARNATION CLASSES (Athens Library) Bring your questions about reincarnation to these free classes taught by Edna Muse. Wednesdays, Aug. 27–Sept. 10. 6 p.m. www. athenslibrary.org

SENIOR WORKOUT SERIES (ACC Leisure Services) A six week program for ages 55 & up. Tuesdays, Sept.2–Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. www.acc gov.com, 706-613-3800

WINE CLASSES (Athens Cooks) Offering classes on wine pairings as well as seasonal wine tastings. Upcoming classes include “ Exploring Flavor: An Introduction to Wine and Pairings” on Sept. 24 and Oct. 22. $65. www.athenscooks.com

YOGA AND MORE (Feel Free Yoga) Offering yoga, workshops, retreats and meditation classes with focus on inclusion and support. www. feelfreeyogawellness.com

YOGA AND MORE (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) Offering yoga and therapy with an emphasis on trauma-informed practices. www. revolutiontherapyandyoga.com

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT (Friends of Disabled Adults and Children) Free home medical equipment provided to those in need. Athens locations for pickup at Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging and Multiple Choices. Donations also accepted. www.fodac.org

MULTIPLE CHOICES VOLUNTEERS (Multiple Choices Center for Independent Living) Seeking volunteers to assist a nonprofit agency that serves individuals living with disabilities throughout a 10-country area of Northeastern Georgia. 706-850-4025, dmyers@ multiplechoices.us

PET FOOD PANTRY (Animal Services Adoption Center) The Animal Services community pet food pantry provides pet food to ACC residents at no cost. Donations always welcome. Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sundays, 12–3 p.m. www.accgov.com/adoptioncenter

SCHOOL SUPPLIES (Car Craft of Athens) Car Craft of Athens is hosting a “Back to School Drive” to help the students at Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School. Drop off supplies Monday through

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Meals on Wheels) Currently recruiting volunteers to deliver meals, engage in safety checks and more. eschley@ accaging.org

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Shoal Creek Sanctuary) Local environmental nonprofit seeking volunteers for a variety of events including invasive plant removal, plant adoptions and more. Hands-on opportunities to help plant 3,000 native varieties are available every first Sunday, 1–3:30 p.m. www. shoalcreeksanctuary.org/volunteer

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Wild Rumpus Parade & Spectacle) A variety of volunteer, donor and sponsor opportunities available. Saturday, Oct. 26. www.wildrumpus.org

TEACHER SUPPLIES (Teacher Reuse Store) Educators can access free creative supplies at the store. Please bring credentials. www. accgov.com/trs

TOWELS FOR ANIMALS (Animal Services Adoption Center) Seeking donations of gently used bath towels and hand rags for bathing animals and cleaning kennels. Donations can be dropped off at the door after hours. www.accgov.com/ animalservices

QUILT RAFFLE (Friends of the Madison County Library) Madison

County Library’s Summer Reading Program “Color Our World” hosts a raffle for a handmade quilt to benefit various programs. $2 per ticket. The winning ticket will be drawn in September to kick off Library Card Sign-up Month. www.athenslibrary. org/madison

Kidstuff

BRELLA ACTIVITIES (‘Brella Studio)

A variety of after-school art lessons available for all ages. Other events and programs include “Art Truck,” art camps, “Mommy & Me” mornings and more. www.brellastudio. com/events

CREATIVE CLASSES (K.A. Artist Shop) Variety of classes including “Art Card Club” for teens and preteens. www.kaartist.com

CREATIVE CLASSES (Treehouse Kid & Craft) Treehouse offers a variety of art-centric activities such as “Art School,” “Saturday Morning Crafts” and more. www.treehousekidand craft.com

GROUPS AT REBLOSSOM

(ReBlossom) A variety of classes, playgroups and support groups are offered for parents and young children. Topics include birth and breastfeeding, prenatal and parentbaby yoga, maternal mental health and more. www.reblossomathens. com

FALL REGISTRATION (ACC Leisure Services) A diverse selection of programs for children of all ages are open for registration. Scholarships available. www.accgov.com/ scholarship, www.accgov.com/ myrec, 706-613-3800

HOMESCHOOL OUTDOOR

CLASSES (ACC Leisure Services) Programs for homeschool children ages 5–12 focused on hiking, outdoor activities and map making. Sept. 5 and Oct. 3, 10 a.m.–12

p.m. Registration required. www. accgov.com/myrec, 706-613-3800

YOUTH PROGRAMS (Sheats Social Services) Registration now open for a variety of weekly programs that provide educational and community support for K-12 students including Rainbow Reading Collective and Strong Beautiful Godly Girls (SBG²) Mentor Program. Volunteers are also needed. www.sheatssocial services.org

Support Groups

ACA ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS AND DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES (Holy Cross Lutheran Church) This support group meets weekly. Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. annetteanelson@gmail.com

ADVANCED CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (University Cancer and Blood Center) A support group for those living with advanced/ terminal cancer with the goal to find comfort, encouragement and valuable resources. First Monday of every month, 5:30–7 p.m. www.university cancer.com

AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Free daytime and evening meetings are held several times throughout the week in Athens. www.ga-al-anon. org/meetings

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call the AA hotline or visit the website for a schedule of meetings in Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee counties. 706-389-4164, www. athensaa.org

ATHENS COUNCIL OF THE BLIND (Athens, GA) Open to people of all ages with vision impairments, their families and friends. Topics include adaptive equipment, recreational

art around town

ACE/FRANCISCO GALLERY (675 Pulaski St., Suite 500) Photographer Terry Allen presents “Passenger Side,” a collection that ranges from street photography to landscapes. • In the Upper Gallery, Grace Lang and Mason Pearson showcase “The Nuclear Age: 2018–2025,” a seven-year photographic chronicle of the band Nuclear Tourism. Both exhibitions are on view through Sept. 18.

AKINS FORD ARENA (300 N. Thomas St.) Local photographers Jason Thrasher’s “Murmur Trestle” and Marco Battezzati’s “The Silence Beyond the Window” are on view through September. • The Georgia Music Collection’s rotating gallery recently swapped out The B-52s’ attire and wigs.

ATHENAEUM (287 W Broad St.) In the main gallery, Krista Clark’s “assembly” presents a site-specific installation informed by the politics and poetics of the urban built environment. • In the second gallery, Steven Thompson’s “Ever Loyal, Ever True” features recent work that merges handmade pigments, rococo color and symbolic structures to investigate materiality as a metaphysical force. Both exhibitions are on view Sept. 3–Nov. 22. A fall opening party for both exhibitions takes place Sept. 13, 4–6 p.m.

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY LIBRARY BOGUE GALLERY (2025 Baxter St.) Margaret Agner’s “Silk in Motion” presents dyed silk wall hangings, scarves and educational items along with samples, sources and brushes. Through Aug. 31.

ATHENTIC BREWING CO. (108 Park Ave.) Works by artist Tara Tanner will be on view through Aug. 31.

ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) “Material Archive” features textile artists Amanda Britton and Johanna Norry, blending traditional and contemporary fiber works into a layered exploration of material, color and memory. Through Sept. 28.

ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) In “Smoke & Mirrors” Courtney Khail’s paintings play with ink blots as a projection of our subjectivity and bias. Sept. 1–Oct. 25. Reception Sept. 4, 6–8 p.m.

AURUM STUDIOS (125 E. Clayton St.) Twenty landscape paintings by Greg Benson are on display through August.

DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) In the Lupin Gallery, “Mountain Tongue” by Aidan Koch reimagines her short story “Man Made Lake” as a handdrawn wall work with the mountain as protagonist. Aug. 28–Nov. 14. Artist talk Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m.

DONDEROS’ KITCHEN (590 N. Milledge Ave.) Susan Pelham’s collages, oil and acrylic works are on view through Sept. 30.

FLICKER THEATRE & BAR (263 W. Washington St.) Artwork by Caitlyn Riesinger will be on view through August.

and social opportunities, and advocacy. 706-424-2794, dlwahlers@ gmail.com

BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUP

(St. Mary’s Hospital, 5th Floor Therapy Room) This support group for survivors of traumatic head injury, their families, friends and caregivers offers info about resources and opportunities for advocacy. Every third Monday, 4:30–6 p.m. floretta. johnson@stmarysathens.org

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (Nuçi’s Space) Direct connections to mental healthcare like counseling and psychiatry, medical care for physical concerns and more. www. nuci.org, 706-227-1515

NAMI CONNECTION SUPPORT

GROUP (Multiple Locations) Peerled support group for any adult who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. First and third Friday of the month, 5:30–7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church Athens. Second Monday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m. at Oconee Presbyterian Church, Watkinsville. www.namiga.org

NEW PARENTS AND INFANT FEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (BYL Family Resource Center) Come as you are for community, snacks and feeding advice from professionals. Babies and children of all ages are welcome. Second and fourth Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. www.byyourleave.org

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (Multiple Locations) Do you worry about the way you eat? OA may have the answer for you. Meetings held Tuesdays, 12 p.m. at 24th Street, Inc. and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Text 678-736-3697 about Tuesdays or 706-224-4919 about Saturdays. www.oa.org

PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP (First Baptist Church) This group is to encourage, support and share info

with fellow sojourners who manage the challenges of Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders. Second Friday of the month, 1 p.m. gpnoblet@bellsouth.net

PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP (Chase Park Warehouses) A peer-led support group of people who understand the depth of love and grief for animal companions. Meets every second and fourth Wednesday, 6:30–8 p.m. www. vibrantbeing.net/grief-support POLYAMORY SUPPORT GROUP (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) An open support group for adults practicing or considering polyamory or nonmonogamy. Thursdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $10 donation. www. revolutiontherapyandyoga.com

PREVIVORS SUPPORT GROUP FOR WOMEN (Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support) Women ages 18–50 who have been diagnosed with a genetic mutation for breast cancer (but not diagnosed with cancer) can gather for peer support and share unique challenges. Third Thursdays, 5:30–7:30 p.m. 706465-4900, loransmithcenter@ piedmont.org

PROJECT SAFE (Family Protection Center) Project Safe hosts a support group for survivors of domestic violence. Mondays, 6:30–8 p.m. www. project-safe.org

RECOVERY DHARMA (Athens Addiction Recovery Center) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.athensrecoverydharma. org

RECOVERY DHARMA (work.shop) Help for those suffering with addictions and self-destructive habits. Peer-led and open to all. Meets every Monday, 6:30 p.m. www. recoverydharma.org

SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) Athens Downtown SAA

FOYER (135 Park Ave.) “ONLY FANS,” a new exhibition by Jack Jiggles, showcases restored vintage electric fans transformed into elegant kinetic sculptures through careful repair, fresh paint and modern upgrades. On view by appointment through Oct. 26.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) In “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939,” 65 portraits in various mediums show how American women in Paris reshaped modern womanhood and used portraiture to express a new sense of self. Through Nov. 2. • Typically part of the permanent collection, Joan Mitchell’s “Close” will undergo conservation in full view to the public. Watch as conservator Larry Shutts touches up the work Tuesdays and Thursdays through Nov. 2. • Filmmaker, video artist, photographer and curator asinnajaq’s “Three Thousand” combines archival videos from the National Film Board of Canada with animations, soundscapes and contemporary video footage. Through June 28, 2026.

• “Looking Through a Sewn Sky: Rachel B. Hayes” is a commissioned installation in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden that blends sculpture, painting and craft. Hayes’ color-field canopies invite viewers to move around, under and through the work, engaging fully with shifting light and the surrounding landscape. Through Jul. 30, 2027.

GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) Atlanta artist Carla Contreras’ installation of sculpture and painting “Echoes of Matter and Spirit” is on view through September 19.

HENDERSHOT’S (237 Prince Ave.) Nirvinyl Album Art’s “Summer Set ’25” is on view through August.

LAST RESORT GRILL (174-184 W. Clayton St.) A collection of Susan Pelham’s collages, oil and acrylic works is on view through August.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) The summer series features seven artists across six new exhibitions. On view through Aug. 30. • In the Lukasiewicz Gallery, Chris Moss and Sue Fox’s “Habit” offers parallel explorations of form and color, playing with the viewer’s perception, concealing and revealing forms of common imagery amongst a camouflage of multifaceted hues. The two have not met prior to the opening of this exhibition. Through Oct. 11. • An exhibition by Cuban-born artist Victor Francisco Hernandez Mora features vivid illustrations of Orishas—West African deities tied to nature and daily life—found in belief systems across Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. On view in the North Gallery through Oct. 11.

• Inspired by memories and the literature of Latin America, María Korol’s “Playing Ball Without a Ball” explores the connection between human and non-human through drawings, paintings, sculptures and more. On view in the lobby case through Sept. 27.

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville)

The 23rd annual “Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational” features 46 of Georgia’s top ceramic artists, offering a look at contemporary styles and techniques from across the region. Through Sept. 7. • “Woodland Critters”

offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from compulsive sexual behavior. athensdowntownsaa@ gmail.com

SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE (Nuçi’s Space) SOS is a support group for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. Meets the third Wednesday of every month, 5:30–7:30 p.m. www.nuci.org

Word on the Street

ATHENS ZEN GROUP (work.shop) Sangha sits every Sunday morning 8:30–10 a.m. followed by a discussion of Zen teachings 10:00–10:50 a.m. Newcomers’ orientation is the second Sunday of every month at 11 a.m. www.athenszen.org

BIKE REPAIR STATIONS (Multiple Locations) Over 15 free bike repair stations are located across Athens with tools, an air pump and a QR code for quick guides on basic bike repairs. www.accgov.com/10584/ Bike-Repair-Stations

CALL FOR STORYTELLERS (Rabbit

Box) Rabbit Box presents true short stories shared by community members. Submit story ideas for upcoming shows. www.rabbitbox. org/tell

COMMUNITY RUNNING GROUPS

(Athens Road Runners) Weekly community runs for all skill levels including “Speed Workout” (Wednesdays, 5:30 a.m.) and “Fun Runs” (Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. & Saturdays, 7:15 a.m.). www.athens roadrunners.org

FILM LOCATION DIRECTORY

(Athens, GA) The Athens Film Office, part of the ACCGov Communications Department, recently launched a new database to showcase potential local sites that could be considered for film, TV or other production projects. www.athensga filmoffice.com

FRIDAY EVENTS (Multiplechoices Center for Independent Living) The organization hosts ongoing Friday gatherings. Tech discussions, support groups, movies and games. www.multiplechoices.us/youreinvited

GUIDED GARDEN TOURS (UGA Botanical Garden) Learn about various plants at this guided walk. Available for groups of less than 10. Every Tuesday–Friday, 11 a.m. $5 per person. botgarden.uga.edu

NATIONAL LIBRARY CARD MONTH (Multiple Locations) Sign up for a new library card or renew your current membership in September for a chance to win prizes. www. athenslibrary.org

NETWORKING AND MEETINGS (Integrative Medicine Initiative) Monthly meetings and open networking opportunities for those in the local wellness sector seeking support and who have interest in educating the community. admin@ integrativemedicineinitiative.org OPEN BOARD MEETING (Daily Groceries Co-Op) Monthly meeting every third Wednesday, 5 p.m. at Athentic Brewing Co. Those interested in learning more about becoming board members or available volunteer opportunities invited to attend.

SEVENTH GENERATION (Various Locations) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts gatherings on Sundays at 11 a.m. at Feel Free Yoga and Men’s Group on Tuesdays at 6 p.m at St. Gregory’s Church. 706-340-7134

VHS DIGITIZATION (Athens, GA) Seeking previously recorded concerts and events on VHS, VHSC, Hi8, MiniDV and DVDs to digitize and archive on YouTube channel, @vhsordie3030, and the Athens GA Live Music channel. bradley. staples88@gmail.com, vhsordie. com f

by Alice Woodruff brings whimsical hares, foxes and other creatures to life in the Members’ Gallery. Through Sept. 7.

OCONEE LIBRARY (1925 Electric Ave.) Exhibition “Women of Courage Portrait Exhibit” honors the achievements, resilience and lasting impact of remarkable women who have shaped our history and society. Through Aug. 29.

THE OLD PAL (1320 Prince Ave.) Paintings by local artist Broderick Flanigan are on view through August. Meet the artist Aug. 27, 7–10 p.m.

THE ROOK & PAWN (294 W. Washington St.) Photographer Jennifer Keene’s “Southern Cemeteries: Tombstones & Tales” explores rural Southern cemeteries through funerary art, epitaphs and symbolism, highlighting their beauty, history and folklore. A portion of proceeds benefits Friends of Brooklyn Cemetery. Through September.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave) “Up in the Trees” by local artist Meredith Raiford Akins showcases colorful natureinspired works that blend her love of art and the outdoors. Through Oct. 5.

TAPPED ATHENS (297 Prince Ave.) Local artist Will Eskridge’s exhibition “Beach Bumz” celebrates “all things sun-soaked, wave-crashed and goodvibes-only.” Through November.

TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) Artists Annie Sears, Kate Windley, Megan Weatherford and Stephanie Witchger are featured in “Cloth: Untied & United.” On view through August. Closing reception Aug. 28, 6–9 p.m.

UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOBBY GALLERY (230 River Rd.)

“Living Legends of Georgia Music,” an exhibition by Georgia-based watercolorist Jackie Dorsey, pays homage to eight iconic musicians including the Indigo Girls, Big Boi of Outkast and Mike Mills of R.E.M. Through Jan. 5, 2026. Opening reception Aug. 28, 5–6 p.m.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “From Farms to Fast Fashion: Unraveling the Need for Sustainable Style” explores the rise of fast fashion and who pays for the cost of its convenience. Through December. • David Zeiger’s photography project “Displaced in the New South” explores the cultural collision between Asian and Hispanic immigrants and the suburban Atlanta communities in the 1990s. Through December. Screening of Zeiger’s documentary by the same name will take place Sept. 18, 5:30 p.m. at Cine. • “The Golden Age of Broadway” provides a glimpse into Broadway’s Golden Age through musical posters, playbills and artifacts. Through August. • “Captain Planet: The Power Is Yours” explores the origins and impact of the TV series, which inspired young people to care for the environment. Through May 2026.

WINTERVILLE CULTURAL CENTER GALLERY (371 N. Church St., Winterville) Three exhibitions are currently on view at the gallery: “The Art of the Mixtape” by Karen S. Campbell through Sept. 13, “Cloudland” by Elyse Mazanti, Eli Saragoussi and Emily Tatum through Sept. 13 and “Below the Surface” by Jesse Blalock through Sept. 26.

classifieds

REAL ESTATE

HOUSES FOR SALE

Looking for a house or a home? Condo or land? Call Daniel Peiken. REALTOR 5Market Realty. Selling in and around Athens for over 20 years. 706-296-2941

Advertise your property in the Flagpole Classifieds! Call 706-549-0301 today!

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

Athens School of Music. Now offering in-person and online instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin and more. From beginner to expert, all styles. Visit www.athensschoolofmusic.com. 706543-5800

MUSIC SERVICES

Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records &CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-369-9428

Nuçi’s Space has soundtreated, climate- controlled rooms available for rental by the half hour. All rooms come equipped with full PA system, drumkit and Wi- Fi. nuci.org

Sell your musical gear in the Flagpole Classifieds! Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com to place an ad!

SERVICES

HOME AND GARDEN

Happy Summer! WomanRun Gardening Services: We offer garden maintenance, invasive plant removal, personalized edible & native focused gardens for your school, home or business! For more info call/text: 706-395-5321

Hi! I’m Pablo, an expert gardener offering personalized care for your landscape. I specialize in low- maintenance, native gardens that support pollinators and biodiversity. Find me @pablofromseed, email pkozatch@ gmail.com or call 631-9034365.

MISC. SERVICES

Hotel Abacus offers six unique and historic venues for your special event. hotelabacusathens.com

PETS

Pamper your pup at Bark Dog Spa, Athens’ premiere dog grooming facility! Book online at barkdogspa.com

JOBS

FULL-TIME

ACCGov’s Communications Department is hiring a Visual Communications Coordinator. See the ad elsewhere in Flagpole. Visit www.accgov.com/jobs to learn more and apply by Sept. 8.

NOTICES

ORGANIZATIONS

Become a Juvenile Offender Advocate to compassionately and effectively transform the lives of young people in need of mentorship and rehabilitation. juvenileoffenderadvocateinc.org

Follow ACC Solid Waste on Instagram/Facebook @ accsolidwaste for tips and resources for recycling, composting, repairs, and more or visit accgov.com/ solidwaste.

If you are in crisis due to domestic violence, Project Safe is here to help. Call 706- 543- 3331 or visit project-safe.org.

Northeast Health District offers free or low-cost services to all people within our area and to promote healthy lifestyles among all members. northeasthealthdistrict. org

VFW Post 2872. Join us for weekly Bingo nights, live music and more at VFW Post 2872 at 835 Sunset Drive in Athens!

Get Flagpole delivered straight to your mailbox! Weekly delivery straight from the source. Makes a wonderful gift! And it’s a great bargain at only $65 for six months or $125 for one year. Purchase online at www.flagpole.bigcartel. com, call 706-549-0301 or email frontdesk@flagpole. com.

Edited by Margie E. Burke

by Margie E. Burke