Athens Today--August 15

Happy Hump Day!

  Today, UGA celebrates the courage and conviction of Mary Frances Early, the first African American to earn a degree from the university. A native of Atlanta, she received a master’s in music education 50 years ago and went on to a stellar career in education. The festivities begin today at 3pm in the Fine Arts Building, with speeches, addresses, proclamations and a reception. Everything is open to the public. Come witness an amazing woman. Ah, hello Wednesday. The setting may have moved, but Story Time at the Athens Clarke County Library goes on today, at 9:30 and 10:30 am. Bring your toddler and infant for a lively story, punctuated with songs, puppets and lots of participation. The Town & Gown Players are presenting “Title of Show” …

• Photos (1)

Athens Today--July 11

Happy Hump Day!

  Celebrity Spotted! Yes, yes, you weren't seeing things, it really was She, film maker Erica McCarthy and her posse, heading into the National late Tuesday afternoon. She's been in Woodbine, she said, filming George Dawes Green, founder of The Moth. Whatever she does, it rocks. Tomorrow is a night of free Motown Downtown. Don't you like the sound of that? At the Melting Point, you can hear, for free, the Splitz Band, which is also into Rhythm and Blues and Soul. Door open at 6pm, music starts at 8pm. Treehouse Kid and Craft has spots for some camp sessions, including: Intro to Bookmaking, for ages 6-12; Social Sculpture (public artworks), ages 6-12; DIY camp (ages 3-5); DIY camp (ages 6-12). You can call for more details 706.850.8226. …

• Photos (1)

Athens Today--April 4

Food and culture arrive in Athens, Ga.!

  Lucky you! You have yet another chance to hear former AJC Editorial Page Editor and Pulitizer Prize Winner Cynthia Tucker speak. Today, at 4pm, in the Grady College, about Mary Frances Early. Whatever Cynthia says is worth hearing. Slow Food Athens is presenting Grow! At Cine tonight at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10. But before you take in the show, why not ingest some slow food yourself at Gymnopedie? For $25, you can have a three-course dinner. And it will be killer. Seating is from 5:30 to 6:15pm, giving you enough time to waddle down Pulaski to Hancock. Treehouse Kid & Craft has three spots open in the Craft Club, which is for children ages 6 to 13. Four classes cost $30. You and your child won’t be sorry—they make very wonderful things. …

• Photos (1)

Nurture + Frolic

A Labor of Lunchy Love

I grew up on lunchboxes filled with Twinkies and Cheetos. Other than processed, packaged food, what could possibly go into a lunchbox? My four-year-old demanded to know.

What I remember from childhood about packing a lunch for school is this: My lunchbox—Strawberry Shortcake? Star Wars?—lost its whimsical allure far sooner than it had a right to, and fixing my lunch day after day became just another chore to be endured. I remember the nagging my poor mother had to do to keep me on task. Neither of us were pleased with the arrangement. So when my 4-year-old asked me about packing her lunch for preschool a few months ago, instead of eating the school lunch, I hemmed, hawed, and white lied a little. “Lunchboxes are for big kids,” I declared. I wanted to wait just a bit longer before we entered into years of lunchbox labor. Besides, dear me!, the things I recall putting in my childhood lunches: a carnival of …

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

Jennifer Derryberry Mann

3:42 pm on Sunday, June 5, 2011

Bwaahahhahah! Note to self -- read the labels, back & front!   more ›

Nurture + Frolic

Treehouse Fun, Rain or Shine

Kids and crafts make for artsy family fun--without the clean-up.

On a recent rainy day in Athens, I was on high alert. A day of Spring Break solo parenting stretched before me, and I was apprehensive about it. Some mamas make it look easy to take the kiddos out and about town, but I’m not one of them. I do much better with a plan, but of course, my wee ones tend to treat plans like they do coloring books: Scribble here, scribble there, what are these lines for, next page! Me, I like to keep my crayons orderly, so to speak. So when I heard the drip drip drip of a wet, gray morning, my heart sank. The plan was to visit Treehouse Kid & Craft for sidewalk painting fun. The kiddos and I were ready to get messy, and then to bring the recipe home to recreate the magic. The skies said otherwise. Thankfully, a …

• Photos (2)