News & Notes

Touch a Truck Day
Come out and join the fun at Decatur’s annual Touch a Truck Day on Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The event has been so popular and drawn such a crowd that it has been moved to the Callaway building parking lot, 120 W. Trinity Place.

Children of all ages can see, touch, and explore their favorite truck or equipment on wheels. A
City of Decatur fi re truck, dump trucks, tractors, police cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and many other vehicles will be on display. For information, please contact Greg White, 404-377-0494, or
greg.white@decaturga.com.


New Date for Georgia Rides to the Capitol – March 23
On March 23, the Metro Atlanta Mayor Association (MAMA) will co-sponsor the fifth annual Georgia Rides to the Capitol. The bicycle ride has routes departing from Roswell and Decatur and culminates in a press conference on the Capitol steps.
Decatur’s route is five miles one way, with some hills, and is ridden at a slow pace. It begins at the north parking lot of the East Lake MARTA rail station. Novice and family (and even intermediate) cyclists are encouraged to ride the Decatur route. The ride is free and open to the community. Detailed information about route, time, and pre-registration can be found at www.georgiaridestothecapitol.org.


TOUR deCATUR Returns March 13
Join friends and neighbors on Saturday, March 13, for the eighth annual TOUR deCATUR Road Race featuring a 5k course, a 1-mile fun run and a tot trot.
This year the course will start and finish at the new Decatur High School Performing Arts Center. Proceeds support the Decatur Education Foundation, which helps turn great ideas into programs that make a difference in the lives of children and youth in the community. To register or learn more, visit www.tourdecatur.com.


ING Georgia Marathon Returns March 21
New Cheering Section will be held on the square The ING Georgia Marathon will come through our city on Sunday, March 21, and Decatur invites you to participate as a hydration
and/or cheering volunteer. As the marathon organizers say, “Volunteers are the heart and SOLE of the marathon.”
Hydration Station Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to staff two Hydration Stations, one at the East Lake MARTA station and one in downtown Decatur. Your duties will be to hand out water to the runners and to cheer them on. To volunteer for the Hydration Stations go to www.doitsports.com/volunteer/join-protected-group.tcl?event_id=174848.
Choose either City of Decatur (for the station on Clairemont by the Holiday Inn) or City of Decatur/Oakhurst (for the station near the East Lake MARTA Station). The password is COD.
You can also access this link by clicking on the Volunteers tab under Additional Resources on the ING Georgia Marathon website. From there, you will see a link to join our volunteer group.
Cheering Station Volunteers
Volunteers are needed at the official cheering station on Ponce de Leon adjacent to the Old Courthouse Square and should arrive at 7:30 a.m. on March 21 to help cheer the runners on. In 2007, the City of Decatur won $10,000 for the Best Cheering Station and in 2008 we won $5,000 for the second best station. We want to reclaim our #1 title – so don your orange clothes and come out with a noise maker, signage, and/or a musical instrument. Let’s make noise so the runners remember our city. Runners will vote for their favorite Hydration Stations and their
favorite Cheering Section so we want them to remember us. Prize money will go towards the city’s new walking program, “Walk There, Decatur!” For more information on the marathon, contact Cheryl.Burnette@decaturga.com or 678-553-6573.


Internet Safety Event
Thursday, April 1 • 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Decatur High School Auditorium
Free childcare – registration information below
The City Schools of Decatur, in partnership with Decatur Children and Youth Services, invites all parents and community members to attend a program titled “Internet Safety and Social Networking in the Digital Age.” Hoke Wilcox, Ed.S., an instructional technology specialist from the Educational Technology Center at Kennesaw University, will lead the program.
Parents who attend will receive a book provided by the federal government called Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online. The book gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate
the online world.
The event also features City Schools of Decatur media/instructional technology specialists who will be at kiosks to share with parents the online resources their staff and students use daily. They subscribe to such services as NetTrekker, World Book Online, and others providing a safe, efficient, reliable way to conduct online research. Their subscriptions are available to families at home through use of passwords provided by the schools.
Free childcare for school-age children will be provided by Decatur Children and Youth Services. To reserve a space for childcare, RSVP to Heather Borowski, Instructional Technology coordinator for City Schools of Decatur, hborowski@csdecatur.net, or 404-370-3848 ext. 17.