Thursday’s ticker
Oct. 3 — If you’re looking for ways to help those affected by Hurricane Helene in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida we’ve posted a growing list of organizations collecting donations.
🌤️ Mostly sunny and 82° today.
💨 State and federal officials say Atlantans should expect more haze and chlorine smell today as wind patterns will put smoke from the BioLab chemical fire over the city.
➡ Vice President Kamala Harris visited storm-ravaged Augusta yesterday announcing that the federal government would cover 100% of the local government’s cleanup costs for three months.
🚨 A 24-year-old man who claims he was high on crack was arrested for allegedly attempting to sexually assault a stroke patient in her room at Grady Memorial Hospital.
🚧 Lake Forrest Drive near Chastain Park remains closed indefinitely due to a sinkhole that opened up during Hurricane Helene. Most of Paces Mill, the last river take-out at the Chattahoochee River, will close until the end of May 2025.
⚖️ Brookhaven Municipal Court Chief Judge Bryan C. Ramos is offering a limited amnesty program to individuals with an active bench warrant or driver’s license suspension.
🎨 Atlanta Art Week is underway and the Atlanta Art Fair begins today at locations around the city. Isadora Pennington has a calendar of must-see events from our Sketchbook newsletter (Subscribe here).
⚾ The Braves’ injury-plagued season ended with a loss to the Padres last night.
🏀 The Atlanta Dream fired coach Tanisha Wright after three seasons and back-to-back first-round playoff sweeps.
ELSEWHERE
⚖️ Newly unsealed court documents reveal that former President Donald Trump knowingly pushed false fraud claims, dismissed threats to his vice president’s safety, and “resorted to crimes” to retain power after the 2020 election.
💰 OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, the largest venture capital round in history, valuing the ChatGPT parent at $157 billion. The company reported $300 million in monthly revenue but expects $5 billion in losses this year.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta Fashion Week
• Above the Waterline
• DBF
• Hypepotamus story
AND
• Quick Bites
Have a good day,
Collin & Sammie
🥃 Join Takamine Whiskey for a FREE Japanese whiskey tasting. Meet the Founder and learn about koji fermentation. Tonight from 4-7 p.m. at Green’s on Ponce de Leon, tomorrow at Elemental Spirits from 4-7 p.m., and Saturday at Northside Drive Liquors from 4-7 p.m. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Atlanta Fashion Week starts today
👗 Interlock Tower will host Atlanta Fashion Week (ATLFW) on Oct. 3-4 with a cutting-edge fashion, art, and culture lineup.
Events will all be hosted on-site at Interlock Tower, utilizing multiple outside spaces and restaurants plus the entire top floor of vacant office space with views of the Atlanta skyline.
“We chose Interlock Tower for this year’s Atlanta Fashion Week because it perfectly reflects the innovative and modern spirit of the fashion industry today,” said event organizer Angela Watts. “Its stunning architecture and prime location in the heart of Atlanta offer an immersive experience that complements the creativity of the designers we’re showcasing.”
🛍️ Click here for more on Atlanta Fashion Week.
Honoring Veterans in Sandy Springs
SPONSORED BY THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS
🎖️ The City of Sandy Springs is proudly expanding Veterans Park to pay tribute to the men and women who served our country. Be part of this important initiative as we add iconic sculptures and war memorials to honor their sacrifice and valor.
You can also recognize and pay tribute to your loved ones with personalized pavers and benches.
🫶 Learn more about how to contribute to this meaningful project and honor our veterans.
2. Above the Waterline: every election matters
🗳️ Above the Waterline columnist Sally Bethea did a little digging into her family history recently, and found something amazing.
Her great aunt, Edith Clark Cowles, was an activist and leader in the women’s suffrage movement in Richmond, VA. After she and her husband separated — he went to Hollywood in 1914 where he became a character actor in more than 100 films — Edith joined the fight for suffrage. The suffragettes believed that a democratic society should allow women the basic right to vote.
Reading about Edith made Sally think about her own voting journey and the importance of exercising that right.
CONGRATULATIONS, SALLY!
🏆 Sally Bethea is the recipient of the 2024 Charles Weltner Freedom of Information Award from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. Previous winners include Sen. Mary Margaret Oliver, the Cox Family, and former Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. She will be honored at an Oct. 21 banquet.
3. Poetry Session at the DBF
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
📚 Rough Draft’s very own Collin Kelley will join Karen Head, Erin Hoover, and Willie Kinard, III for a Poetry Reading at the Decatur Book Festival.
🗓️ The reading will be held on Sat., Oct. 5 at 2:45 p.m. in the Decatur Library. Following the reading, authors will proceed to signing tables to autograph books.
➡ Get more information on this weekend’s Decatur Book Festival here.
4. Atlanta technology helps iconic dessert brand bring more sweet treats to customers
🍪 Great American Cookies is one of those iconic brands that likely evokes memories of childhood visits to the mall. Originally launched in the 1970s inside Atlanta’s Perimeter Mall, the chain has been on a mission to expand its footprint to bring its classic cookies to more customers across the country.
A key part of this expansion is its push into the digital world with the launch of the 3D Cookie Cake Builder. This interactive tool allows cookie cake lovers to fully customize their cakes in real-time, right from their computer or mobile device.
To bring this cutting-edge tool to life, Great American Cookies turned to Atlanta-based technologist David Feldman and his team at Rapturous, a restaurant-focused division of the digital agency 3 Owl.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🍷 Uncork and unwind at the Sandy Springs Wine Festival on Sun., Oct. 6. Enjoy an afternoon sampling highly rated wines from across the globe. Taste robust reds, delicate whites, and more. Small bites and live music are included. Get your tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER| SUBSCRIBE HERE
🍹 We’ve rounded up 17 food and drink events happening in and around Atlanta you should consider attending in October, including the Atlanta Fair, Chalktoberfest in Marietta, Alpharetta Restaurant Week, Taste Brookhaven, and Howl-O-Ween High Tea at the Waldorf Astoria. Plus, Halloween dinners, an Italian wine event in Buckhead, and a Filipino food event in Cabbagetown. Check out the full list of events here.
➡ Miller Union announced it’s ending lunch service after Sat., Oct. 5. Today, tomorrow, and Saturday are your last chances to get lunch standards like the MU Burger, Cuban sandwich, and pastry chef Claudia Martinez’s ice cream sandwiches.
📦 Daily Chew now features a pantry and provisions club, which includes a rotating monthly assortment of housemade specialty foods, off-menu dishes, breads, pantry goods, meats, and more. Members will also receive two free cups of coffee every month and advanced access to holiday specials and events. Boxes are available for pickup or delivery and range from $85 (feeding up to four people) to $155 (feeding up to eight people). Click here for more information.
🥒 Painted Pickle launches Sunday pickleball social and open play on Oct. 6. Every Sunday, from 7-10 p.m., Painted Pickle will open for rounds of pickleball, organized by skill level, and for socializing for $20 per person. Sign up here.
🍸 Atrium at Ponce City Market now offers a tini martini happy hour every Tuesday and Thursday, from 4-7 p.m. Sip on $9 mini martinis with bar snacks. Check out the menu here.
🎃 Ford Fry’s Buckhead and Piedmont Heights locations of al carbon restaurant Little Rey now serve pumpkin spice soft serve ice cream for dessert.
🇯🇲 Golden Krust Jamaican restaurant opens Oct. 4 on Camp Creek Parkway. A grand opening is planned from 2-6 p.m.
🍳 The Original ChopShop will open on Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta on Oct. 9 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On opening day, the restaurant will donate 10% of its proceeds to Mental Health America of Greater Atlanta.
🦐 Gypsy Kitchen in Buckhead will celebrate 10 years on Oct. 10, starting at 3 p.m. Expect food specials, including a paella station.
🎉 Are you a Switchyards member? Stop by Ladybird on Sat., Oct. 5, from 8-11 a.m., for a free biscuit sandwich. Claim your biscuit sandwich by clicking here. A special code will be sent to you before you arrive on Saturday morning. Stick around afterward to help celebrate the restaurant’s 10th anniversary with a full weekend of festivities.
🛍️ Amazon has launched early Prime Big Deal Days sales across several categories, offering savings like a half-price Echo Dot ahead of the official Oct. 8-9 event. Support local journalism by using this link whenever you shop on Amazon and a portion of the proceeds will go to Rough Draft. SHOP WITH ROUGH DRAFT
