Springtime in Athens

Pastures of Rose Creek 

  There is so much going on in Athens this Saturday--- luckily, the weather is supposed to be an idyllic 75 degrees and sunny :) Okay, so..... The farmer's markets are back!!!! Nowadays farmer's markets aren't just for veggies.  You can find local cheesemakers, soaps, baked goods, flowers... You can buy locally produced meat, I could go on and on. With so many options, farmer's markets are a  fantastic way to support your neighbors and your community. I personally like to pick up a loaf of bread from Cast Iron Bakery. Their bread is dense, and travels well in my motorcycle bag. So when I leave The Refuge in the morning, I wrap up a little cheese to eat with it (so I don't have to choose between starving and spending money on fried fast food). Also, my friend Will Powers usually has delicious grass fed beef (that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND) from his farm, Pastures of Rose Creek, at the Oconee market.  Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park opens 8a-noon this Saturday (and next Wednesday at City Hall from 4p-7p). Oconee's Farmer's Market starts April 5th as well, with Saturday and Tuesday markets in downtown Watkinsville. There are several other local markets... in Washington, Bishop (the tiny town just south of Athens), I'm sure there are others, please let me know about them.

 Also spring related, Plantapalooza is this Saturday. Plantapalooza three location plant sale. They are located at the Trial Gardens at UGA, State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and UGA's Horticulture club. According to the website you can collect discount stamps at each location to be used at local nurseries (for up to 15% off total). "What makes this event so special is the variety of traditional and unique plans that you would have difficulty finding anywhere else - plus access to horticulture professors, garden curators and master gardeners to answer questions and help with your selections." (quote from the Bot Garden site).  AND if you're really a garden nerd, the 17th annual Old-Timey Heirloom Seed Swap, in Crawford, GA, is Saturday, 1p-6p, at 10 Legacy Rd. I am putting it on my calendar for next year because I already have plans for this Saturday....

This Saturday afternoon I will be at NPRDucati's Monster 1200 unveil party (1p to 5p). I saw the new beauty at the shop yesterday (when I stopped by to fix my license plate- read about that mildly amusing debacle here). So come by, enjoy a beer (or other refreshment ;), and talk shop with me while ogling (oogling?) and drooling over the sexiness that is Ducati's new Monster. I am very excited to take it on a test drive. I will fill you in on my opinion after I get to ride her. 

Finally, holy pollen count Batman! I drove through a yellow haze on my way to work this morning. It's been a while since I've seen anything like that. Onto slightly less irritating things (pun intended), I've started honking and making obnoxious gestures at people I catch texting and driving. Its easiest on four lane highways, and hopefully no one will go road-rage on me. Mostly, people just put their phone down and try to not look embarrassed. I understand it is difficult not to text and drive (to be fair, I must admit guilt here as well). But I ask you to try-pretty please with a cherry on top- to put your phone down and watch the road. Because if you hit me on my bike (because you don't see me) the chances are fairly good that you will kill me.

 There's a lot of other things going on in Athens this weekend. As in tonight there is a benefit for MyAthens at The GA Theatre, followed by a show featuring The Whiskey Gentry, Radiolucent, and The Defibulators.

 You can view a Google Calendar I use to keep track of the events I want to attend, organized here: Upcoming Events Calendar.  As always, feel free to contact me with ideas for places for me to visit, suggestions... or help me by drawing my attention to typos ;)

~Amanda Terranova

Other useful info:
Seed Swap article 
Bishop Park Address: 705 Sunset Dr, Athens, GA 30606
NPRDucati Address:  4071 Mars Hill Rd, Bogart, GA 30622

Festival and Fun Run

Slingshot Festival  returns to Athens this weekend. The second year of the festival brings us music, comedy, art, and even a hackathon. A wristband ($20/$25) will get you admission to nearly every music venue in Athens (Little Kings, New Earth, Max Canada, 40 Watt, Caledonia, Green Room, and on.. and on) During the festival, Cine and Morton Theater will have art and tech exhibits, and comedians. Also of note, Creature Comforts, the much anticipated downtown brewery, finally opened to the public with a Slingshot event last night. 

GA Botanical Gardens is hosting a 5k to raise funds for the Small Dreams Foundation. The program raises awareness and encourages people towards sustainability and be aware of global and environmental consequences of actions.  And since this aligns with my personal beliefs, I thought I'd throw it at you. 

 Lastly, I want to share a family event. Saturday morning the UGA Percussion Ensemble is hosting an event for kids age 4 to 12. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Center, the "Club Concert" is designed to teach kids about making music. I'm going to make, er... ask my sister to take her kids ;)

Though this is a very busy weekend for me, I will carve out some time to visit Morton for a few speakers, Hendershotts for Cicada Rhythm. I really wanted to congratulate Adam and Katie at Creature Comforts, but I will have to do that another time. I may try to get off work on Saturday to enjoy the sunshine and blooming gardens at GA Bot Garden or take my nieces and nephews to the club concert.

Oh! Before I forget! If you dont have plans tonight-- St. Paul and the Broken Bones is playing tonight at the Theatre and I HIGHLY recommend you make an effort to see them.  

Enjoy your weekend and let me know in the comments below of upcoming events!

~Amanda Terranova

More information: 

Slingshot Festival calendar of events

Creature Comforts Event

GA Botanical Garden Events 

About the Small Dreams Foundation

UGA Percussion Club Concert Event

If you use google calendars, add my Athens Culture Calendar! 

Donderos Kitchen at Georgia Botanical Gardens

Dondero's Kitchen

 The State of Georgia Botanical Gardens is a special place.  No matter the weather, the cafe in the greenhouse is a warm, sunshiny place to daydream, or pass a lunch hour leisurely. Most of the year, short walks will take you around fragrant, bright, buzzing gardens, full of curious life, much of it native plants.

Downstairs in the greenhouse

 Walking into the greenhouse, you see a small cafe with coffee and sandwiches. The cafe is an outpost of Dondero's Kitchen. Of the limited delicious options, I recommend the pimento cheese and kale salad. You can also order hot hea and coffee. The cafe is the perfect for both solo or date lunches, regardless if you're meeting your sister, coworker, or lover to meet for a midday siesta. The greenhouse bubbles with life. The walk downstairs will take you past fountains, the heavenly smelling blooming orchids and other interesting flora.

 If you have a curious  personality, make sure you visit the gift shop and inquire about upcoming classes. And look around cause the shop has some cool stuff. Last time I browsed, I picked up several fascinating books. Something for my library and a few to help fill my nieces' and nephews' inquisitive minds. Maybe next time I will splurge on some locally made jewelry or a new plant!
~AT


More information:
State of Georgia Botanical Gardens
Directions to greenhouse/cafe/gift shop

As always, please comment below or contact me with suggestions!