For All You Hoopsters

It's a nice time to be a basketball player in Decatur. Not only are the Atlanta Hawks back as a serious playoff contender, all five city basketball courts are back too! Four of the five city courts, Ebster, McKoy, Mead Road Park, and Oakhurst, are being re-surfaced. Please see the photo's below of the re-surfaced Ebster court. The fifth city court at Glenlake Park, as part of the park renovation, will be a brand new court with a pavilion. So lace up the sneaks and get your burn on at one of our city courts!

Nov 7 - 2nd Annual Park Renewal Day!

Help the Park. Win Major Cash!

Did you know that invasive plant species like privet and ivy are taking over our community parks by strangling and crowding out native plants? Renewal Design-Build, along with DeKalb County and the City of Decatur, call on neighbors like you to help save our precious greenspaces.

The Competition

Teams compete for prize money by uprooting invasive plants in one of our local community parks. Officials from DeKalb County and the City of Decatur will judge the quality and quantity of work done to each group’s designated work space.
Click for signup sheet

Save the Date!

Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 am to 12:30 pm* (Registration: 8 to 8:15 am)
Food and live entertainment follow the work session.

Where?

Dearborn Park • Deerwood Drive at Midway Road
Decatur, Georgia
Click for map

Your group can win major cash sponsored by Renewal Design-Build:
First Prize: $1,000
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $300
Fourth Prize: $200
Fifth Prize: $100

The deadline to register your team is October 24. Space is limited! One member from each team is required to attend one of two training sessions hosted by DeKalb County Parks

*There is no rain date for this event.

More info. online at: http://www.parkrenewalday.com/.

Oct 31 - Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve 10th Annual Harvest Festival

www.cshepherdpreserve.org
Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve Tenth Annual Harvest Festival
Saturday, October 31, 2009, 4-8 PM

Come enjoy the sights and sounds of nature on an autumn evening at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve’s tenth annual Harvest Celebration on Saturday, October 31 (Halloween!), from 4-8 pm. Bring the family to enjoy music, crafts, nature walks, and a warm campfire with your neighbors. Guests are invited to bring a picnic dinner this year and CSNP will provide the marshmallows, hot chocolate and other soft drinks, and light snacks. Children can hunt for pumpkins and create crafts to take home. Chris Beck will again demonstrate his wonderful home composting system.

Music will be provided by Allen, Vinton, and Godfrey, a vocal trio inspired by the full pallet of American music, from classic jazz, country and blues to contemporary indie rock, r&b and alternative folk. Fusing these elements seamlessly into rich musical statements, the singers make powerfully emotional and intimate declarations about twenty-first century life. Their arrangements incorporate deep conversations between piano and guitar that complement the poignant content of their lyrics. A donation of $4 is requested to support the programs at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. Children 3 and under are admitted free.

DIRECTIONS: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is located in Medlock neighborhood of North Decatur. Take Medlock Road from Scott Boulevard north to Medlock Elementary School. Turn right onto Wood Trail Lane and follow to the Preserve entrance.

For information, send an email message to: information@cshepherdpreserve.org, leave a detailed message at 678-951-0105, or visit http://www.cshepherdpreserve.org.

Trust for Public Land Transfers Key Tract on MLK, Jr. Block to National Park Service

Trust for Public Land Transfers Key Tract on MLK, Jr. Block to National Park Service

Celebration of Over 30 Years of Support to Preserve the MLK Jr. National Historic Site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Another slice of Atlanta history will remain intact thanks to the Trust for Public Land’s transfer of one of the last privately owned properties on Auburn Avenue in the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site to the National Park Service. In tribute to the era when the community was a thriving residential and commercial magnet, the groups will commemorate with a 1930’s-style neighborhood celebration on October 28 at 10 a.m.

“This transaction represents TPL’s continued commitment and effort both to preserve the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and to recapture the vitality and distinctiveness the Auburn Avenue area enjoyed during Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life,” said Will Rogers, TPL’s National President.

To celebrate, Rogers will be in attendance from San Francisco to commemorate the ownership transfer of 530 Auburn Avenue and the partnership with NPS. Judy Forte, National Parks Service Superintendent for the MLK, Jr. National Historic Site, will accept the key from Rogers.

“Following Coretta Scott King’s leadership in establishing the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, TPL emerged as an early advocate for preserving the neighborhood that surrounds Dr. King’s Birth Home,” said Forte. “From their purchase of the first five homes in 1980 to the recent acquisition of 530 Auburn Avenue, TPL’s involvement has been critical to the site’s growth and development. This important National Historic Site stands today as an example of the impact of TPL’s conservation work across the U.S.”

“The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is terrifically important,” said Helen Tapp, TPL’s Georgia Director. “Visitors from all around the globe come here to witness firsthand the neighborhood that raised a man who led a movement that changed the world; who won a Nobel Peace Prize; and who still inspires.”

Representatives of the King family, the City of Atlanta, the Historic District Development Corporation and Ebenezer Baptist Church will also be recognized for their contributions toward preservation within the historic site. Other key invited guests include U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Art Frederick, Deputy Director for the Southeast Region of the National Park Service and City of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. Guests will enjoy old fashioned cakes, Coca-Colas and lemonade and take part in guided tours of the historic buildings and historic activity stations that recall the 1930’s era.

To date, the Trust for Public Land has spent more than two million dollars and has doubled the number of NPS holdings within the MLK, Jr. National Historic Site to ensure that the character of Sweet Auburn and the neighborhood that nurtured Dr. King and his vision will be preserved forever. The historic site is one of the few “livable” national parks, a term coined by The National Park Service signifying that the site offers both historical and cultural importance, as well as a lively and productive neighborhood for private citizens.

Auburn Avenue History

When Dr. King lived on Auburn Avenue in the 1930’s, it was a thriving African American community that defied the confines of social and economic segregation. There was more diversity of profession in the one mile of street than any other African American street in the south. African American civic and political leader, John Wesley Dobbs, described the street at the time as “paved in gold,” and coined the area’s name “Sweet Auburn.”

Auburn Avenue was like a grand lady,” recalled one journalist. “In her prime she was the talk of the town – young, vivacious, and beautiful. Everyone loved her, respected her, and wooed her.”

Integration created the opportunity for African Americans to live and shop anywhere, causing residents to move away. By 1980, Sweet Auburn was mired with vacant lots and dilapidated homes – decrepit and drug ridden. Any semblance of the community in which Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up had largely disappeared.

TPL recognized that the world was in danger of losing a cultural legacy if the properties where Dr. King grew up were not acquired. Shortly after, work began on a long-term stewardship. In the late 1970’s, TPL purchased five rundown homes along Auburn Avenue, the same block as the birthplace and boyhood home of Dr. King.

Those critical purchases became the core of a new site in King’s honor, and in October 1980, Congress created the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Over the next 20 years, TPL assisted in the purchase of over a dozen other properties.

About the Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization, helps communities and government agencies identify and protect land for people. TPL has worked with willing landowners, community groups, and national, state, and local agencies to complete more than 3,900 land conservation projects in 47 states, protecting 2.8 million acres. Since 1994, TPL has helped states and communities craft and pass over 330 ballot measures, generating almost $25 billion in new conservation-related funding. In Georgia, TPL has conserved more than 20,000 acres since 1991.The Trust for Public Land depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve their land for people mission. Through the efforts of the Heritage Lands Initiative, TPL protects places of historic and cultural importance, and for thirty years TPL has closely worked with National Park Service to ensure long-term stewardship of natural and historic lands. For more information, visitwww.tpl.org.

About the National Park Service

Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of all national parks. NPS helps tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individual citizens to revitalize their communities, preserve local history, celebrate local heritage, and create close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun. With the help of volunteers and park partners, the National Park Service safeguards nearly 400 places covering over 84 million acres. These sites have shared their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. The National Park Service has one mission: to care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience, enjoy and be informed by our heritage. For more information, visit www.nps.gov.

Oct 31 - 3rd Annual Beat the Street for Little Feet!

3rd Annual Beat the Street for Little Feet!
Feet of all sizes are welcome! Join Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool families for a Saturday morning of running and fun on October 31, 2009 at 9AM in Candler Park. The race will include not only a 5K with special jog stroller division, but also a 1-mile race for younger participants, and a “fun run” for our community’s youngest runners. Stick around for the FREE post-race Children's Festival with live children’s music, a costume contest, face painting, food, and loads of festivities for the kids. And for all you “Pete the Cat” fans, award-winning local artist James Dean has created another one-of-a-kind race T-shirt for the event. This year, Pete and kittens are in costume! To check out the new T-shirt design and to register for the race, visit our website, www.oakhurstcoop.com. You also can register at www.active.com or at the Big Peach Running Company in downtown Decatur.

Not a runner, but love Pete the Cat? Sign up to be a ghost runner and still get your t-shirt. Check us out at: www.oakhurstcoop.com for more information.

Walking & Running Safety Tips

Well, the weather is grim today, but dedicated walkers and runners may brave the conditions to get a workout in. And the dog may still want to go out for a walk around the block. Below are helpful safety tips. For drivers, please remember that it is a state law to have your headlights on while driving in the rain. Some drivers seem to forget this, but it is an important safety behavior for drivers, and pedestrians and cyclists.

• Plan your outing. Always tell someone your routes and where you are going.

• Know where telephones are located along the course. If you have one, take your cell phone with you.

• Wear an identification tag or carry a driver’s license. Include important medical information.

• Wear reflective material.

• Stay alert at all times.

• When possible, run or walk with a partner and/or a dog.

• If you do wear headphones, keep the volume low to medium, and be aware of and listen to your surroundings.

• Exercise in familiar areas and vary your route.

• Run against traffic so you can observe automobiles approaching.

Here is a good online list for running and walking safety: http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/safety/

6:30 pm Tuesday - See 'ya at the Pep Rally!

Rain Site: Decatur Rec. Center, 231 Sycamore St.