Tucked into a corner of the garden amid the tulips, the brightly-colored gnomes guard the pink and white azaleas and blue “glory of the snow” in the neighborhood garden– but I get ahead of myself. On Saturday, May 11, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Cabbagetown Clay and Glass Works and Garden*Hood, are making it easy for you to have your own Gnomes in the Hood and to support a good cause. Enjoy the sights and scents of spring plants, sip a cocktail, and view garden gnomes of all varieties. The event will feature one-of-a-kind gnomes (or “gnomesses”) created by 25 local artists (painters, …

KIRKWOOD — Get ready to be "meat drunk." This year's Kirkwood Spring Fling & Tour of Homes will offer a special treat to barbecue lovers and those who can take a slab of pork or chicken and transform it into savory dishes. The Blue Ribbon BBQ Cook Off, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday May 11, is part of a weekend of Spring Fling events. Now in its 11th year, the Spring Fling is dedicated to celebrating all things Kirkwood and raising money to fund the Kirkwood Neighbors' Organization's initiatives for the community. The cook-off itself, the brainchild of Christian Enterkin, has more…

by Eric Antell The Acid Freaks opened their recent Atlanta show at the Star Community Bar with a loud set. It was reminiscent of early 80s West Coast Punk, such as Black Flag (My War era), Aggression or the Accused.The Dinos Boys followed up, with an original,  yet snotty, sound. One song, early in the set, sounded like Rick Springfield had taken a turbo train to a "Punk Rock Sleazeville." The Dinos Boys seem to have perfected and run away with an early punk sound heard on their earlier records or the late 90ss band from Seattle — the Briefs. The middle of the set took a stand up comedy turn…

INMAN PARK — After years of planning and intense fundraisers, it came down to this: The "snip-snip" of a pair of scissors, applause and the pitter-patter of pint-sized feet and children's laughter. On Saturday, residents of the neighborhood held a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony to offically open the new playground in Springvale Park. The equipment and its installation in late January, followed roughly $104,000, that the playyground committtee raised, including grants of $20,000 from the city and $47,000 from Park Pride. City, neighborhood organizations recognized at the dedication …

by Boyd Baker CANDLER PARK — It’s been a few years since Mary Lin Elementary had a spelling bee. Parent Gary Capelouto used to organize one within the school but it ended when Gary’s kids left the school. Annis Barry in Candler Park felt that Spelling Bees are an American institution that needed to return. “Bees provide a link to the past. Spelling contests have been around since the time of the one-room schoolhouse,” says Barry. Since the school administration didn’t want the Bee to interfere with the school day, Barry worked with volunteers to create a PTA event on Thursday, Jan. 17. Buzzy…

EAST ATLANTA — Some 56 volunteers spent part of their Saturday beautifying the neighborhood, planting 66 trees as part of a Trees Atlanta Planting project.

The North America Aerospace Defense Command says its radar has picked up Santa and his reindeer, headed from the North Pole. Watch Santa's progress toward East Atlanta Patch throughout the day. But before he embarked on his annual journey delivering toys, he made a stop at the Zone 6 of the Atlanta Police Department where he had a special message for the communities of East Atlanta Patch.

The way Keith Meadows sees it, policing isn't just about catching the bad guys; it's about setting a good example, being positive influences and having good interactions with the community. That's especially true of it's kids. It's why, Meadows, commander of the Atlanta Police Department's Zone 6 precinct, which stretches from East Lake to Grant Park, has looked for ways to have those positive experiences and interactions. On Friday, Zone 6 was home base to Santa and about 70 kids who came to receive Christmas gifts of toys and other supplies that were collected from residents and businesses …

Come February, the nearly 20-year-old playground in Springvale Park will get a makeover. Following three years of planning, discussion and most recently, fundraising, construction on a new playground for Inman Park's central greenspace is expected to break ground in the last week of January. It is projected to open in early February, Amy Higgins, who chairs the Springvale Park Committee, told East Atlanta Patch. The committee, which includes Eric Goldberg, Patty Murphy, Jane Smith and Kristina Murphy, raised about $104,000, including securing grants of $20,000 from the city and $47,000 from …

As a neighborhood, Inman Park is known for being Atlanta's first planned suburb. Characterized by large, stately, Victorian homes and wide, tree-lined streets, the community also is known for being fiercely protective of preserving its identity and neighborhood. It's with good reason. In the early 1970s, Inman Park was at risk of becoming a memory when a then-planned expansion of I-675 to connect it to Ga. 400 call for it to come right through — and effectively kill the neighborhood. A core group of residents fought that plan and won out, preserving the community, which traces its roots back …

The students and staff of Toomer Elementary School in Kirkwood celebrated National School Lunch Week with visits from celebrity chefs. The visits included Chef Michael Deihl, executive chef of the East Lake Golf Club; Kirkwood resident and Chef Christian “Kit” Kiefer, owner of Kiefer's in Marietta; Ardra Tippett, owner of Cake Café Atlanta in East Lake, and Chef Kevin Outz, Chef and owner of The Spotted Trotter in Kirkwood. The visits were designed to raise awareness about the importance of eating balanced and healthy school lunches.

by Patch Staff Atlanta City Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong presented a proclamation recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the East Lake Easy Goers Golden Age Club on Oct. 2 at the Rosel Fann Recreation Center at 365 Cleveland Ave. SE. Organized in 1987 by a group of concerned senior citizens in the East Lake community the East Lake Easy Goers Golden Age Club cultivates friendships and camaraderie through social gatherings and outings and luncheons throughout the year. The East Lake Easy Goers Golden Age Club is one of 14 registered “Golden Age” Clubs in the City and has partnered with the …

A flash mob of kids from Mary Lin Elementary (and a few big kids at heart) broke out into dance Saturday, as part of the weekend-long Candler Park Fall Fest. The kids, who danced to Katy Perry's Firework, were in keeping with the theme of the day as many of the musical acts performing on the main stage were members of the junior set. East Atlanta Patch asked flash mob organizer and Mary Lin parent Peggy Edwards about how it all came to fruition and here's what she told us: "I was running one day and this Katy Perry song came on my iPod and I really just wanted to break out in dance...um...but…

Candler Park puts out the welcome mat Oct. 13 and 14th for its Fall Fest, the annual party that showcases one of Atlanta's earliest planned communities. The neighborhood dates back to 1890, when it was part of the independent town of Edgewood. It split off as a separate community from Edgewood, developing as one of Atlanta's in-town suburbs alongside Inman Park, Grant Park and Druid Hills, as well as the Edgewood community. Its original bungalow homes, as well as more modern houses, characterize the neighborhood, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Of course, its signature …

by Patch Staff The Grant Park Conservancy is hosting a kids' costume parade and lantern parade Oct. 27. The kids' costume parade starts at 5 p.m., followed by picnics at the gazebo in the park at 6:30 p.m., and then the lantern parade at 7:30 p.m. Lanterns need to be made and now is a good time to get started. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets for the lawn and families also are urged to bring a picnic dinner. While there will be a grill and hot dogs at the gazebo, it will be on a "first come first served" basis with about 300 frankfurters. The lantern parade route is a about a …

East Atlanta Village's favorite block party — the Strut — returns for the 15th year on Sept. 15. The annual festival, with its signature 2 p.m. Strut parade down Glenwood Avenue, is a chance for the neighborhood to showcase the EAV. Taking place in the heart of the Village at Glenwood and Flat Shoals avenues, the East Atlanta Strut, which runs from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. will feature five stages of live music, community booths, artists' market and kids village. More than just a party, the Strut aims to promote the businesses in the Village as well as the organizations that contribute toward …

To stand in Historic Fourth Ward Park, is to get a 360-degree view of a tilt-a-whirl of change. The 17.6-acre park itself, roughly bounded by North Avenue, Freedom Parkway and Glen Iris Drive, is part of the Atlanta BeltLine Project, the planned 22-mile necklace of parks, trails and transit around the city. The park links to the BeltLine's Eastside Trail, which officially opens Oct. 15.  Just off the trail is North American Properties' planned $35 million luxury apartment complex. To the north of the park, is the $180 million Ponce City Market project, the massive redevelopment of the old …

The wheelbarrow. A ubiquitous instrument found at construction sites, it's the quintessential tool symbolizing building and creation. It's fitting then that it is the symbol of the 17th Annual Wheelbarrow Festival in Reynoldstown at Lang-Carson Park this Saturday, Sept. 8. The festival, which features a 5K run and health fair, music, food and a juried artists' market, is the neighborhood's annual block party designed to showcase the Reynoldstown community, which was originally settled by newly freed slaves after the end of the Civil War. But more importantly, it's a chance for neighborhood …

The next time you're out walking, take a book with you and add Pavillion St. to your route. Nestled between Augusta Place and Oakland Avenue, one of your neighbors has given you a Little Free Library. Grant Park welcomes the "Take a Book, leave a Book" concept to the neighborhood and many thanks to our GP neighbor for bringing this to us! — Grant Park Neighborhood Association

by Jeffrey Landers If I could name a neighbor of the year, it would be my across-the-street neighbor, Mrs. Velma Hamilton or, as we Hawthornites like to call her, Mrs. V. for short. As an Reynoldstowner since the 1950s, she loves to work outside in the yard, almost everyday, no matter the weather. She also loves flowers — any and all kinds, especially roses. When she expressed displeasure about how the corner of our street was looking all ragged and overgrown, she and I made a date to work on it over the course of several weeks. Yesterday, Aug. 20, was the first workday and we got tons done. …