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DeKalb County Lifestyle Coverage

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Artistry is at the heart of pumpkin Blaze

A field of cornstalks made from artfully carved pumpkins is one of the many sights at The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze at the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-the-Hudson, N.Y. Photo by Bryan Haeffele.
What happens when you throw 5,000 pumpkins, 15 artists and 1,000 volunteers in a caldron around Halloween? You get a can’t-believe-your-eyes event called Blaze. Actually it’s called The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. Located in Croton-on-the-Hudso...

Steel plant makes artful renaissance in Pennsylvania

The gigantic blast furnaces are left from the old Bethlehem Steel plant, where 30,000 workers were once employed. Now they are the iconic symbol of the area’s revitalization as a major arts revenue, ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. Photo by Gale Horton Gay
A rusted and decaying steel plant casts a stark contrast against a blue cloudless sky. Such a massive and deteriorating structure, once home to thousands of steel workers, might be perceived as a painful symbol of what was. However in Bethlehem, Pa.,...

Nautical town has much to entice visitors

Weekly sailboat races in the Chesapeake Bay draw crowds.
Annapolis is well known as the place where politics culminates in Maryland; the state’s capital. Maryland lawmakers and other movers and shakers flock there to make laws and shape policy. For the rest of us, however, there’s an abundance of non-p...

Paradise found in Mozambique

View of Indian Ocean from Paradise Magoo deck. Photo by John Hewitt
As we departed Kruger National Park in South Africa with its flourishing animal and plant life, my travel partner, Johann Carstens, told me that once we crossed into the Republic of Mozambique we would see a stark difference. He was correct. A primit...

Still plenty outdoor events left to enjoy

Yellow Daisy Festival
Before you get depressed that Labor Day marked the end of summer fun, take heart. There’s still plenty to enjoy as summer slips away and fall makes its debut. And the best part is that one doesn’t have to go far. We’ve rounded up a list of “m...

It takes a children’s village to complete a book festival

Terra McVoy, the book festival’s director of programming, at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur shows some of the children’s books featured at this year’s AJC Decatur Book Festival.
From its inception in 2006, the AJC Decatur Book Festival set out to be a festival for everyone, including the very youngest readers. In fact, each festival includes books, authors, activities and a special area designated for young book lovers. “W...

Online fundraising gains momentum

Maria Riggs, owner of Revolution Doughnuts in Decatur, prepares fresh doughnuts for glazing. The store recently raised more than $12,000 through Kickstarter.com.
Individuals turning to cyberspace to fund personal projects Sometimes a good idea just needs an explosive kick to get it started. Thousands of creative types are turning to an innovative cyber fundraising method to get their projects off the ground. ...

Jamaica’s celebration of 50 years of independence makes for a great excuse to visit

Overlooking downtown Montego Bay. Photo by John Hewitt
Only a short plane ride from Atlanta sits the fifth largest island in the Caribbean. The indigenous people of the island named it Xaymaca, meaning the “Land of Wood and Water.” Now the island, Jamaica, is celebrating 50 years of independence from...

Behind the velvet rope: New program bestows celebrity treatment on unsung heros

Steve Parrett of Nissan/Infiniti, left, presents the keys to a 2012 Infiniti to Deborah Broom-Cooley while Dale McDaniel, general manager of Loews Atlanta Hotel, shares in the moment. In the back row are Cooley’s husband, Henry, and author Ronda Racha Penrice. Photo provided
DeKalb County educator Deborah Broom-Cooley now knows what it feels like to be treated like a celebrity. In mid-July Cooley and her husband Henry Cooley Jr. spent a whirlwind weekend getting the royal treatment: a hotel stay, lunch with a local telev...

Clarkston canine to compete in national dock diving competition

Among DeKalb County’s outstanding athletes is one more likely to celebrate victories with a wag of his tail than with a high five. He’s a 3-year-old pit bull-German Shepherd mix named Nathan Jr. Heather Gulden, who describes herself as Nathan Jr....

Retirees use experience and develop new skills through volunteer work

Taking a court-time break, retired school teacher Ed Feldstein (kneeling) is a pickleball league organizer, (from left) Eddie Ullman, Hugh Jamieson, Leonard Sherman, Fred Bailey and Dick Williams.
One naturally looks forward to retiring after years of working hard to earn a living and support a family. While some retirees view this stage of life as a time to take it easy, others are staying busy through volunteer work. And they are discovering...

Scottdale centenarian celebrates milestone birthday

On July 4, 1912, the country celebrated Independence Day by proclaiming the new 48-star flag as the official symbol of the United States. The date was also memorable for a train crash near Corning, N.Y., in which 41 people were killed. Three days lat...

New hotel, casino, shopping mall make for fun getaway

Maryland Live! Casino features 3,200 electronic slots and table games.
What a nice surprise it is when a hotel that’s unassuming on the outside is a splendor of style and comfort inside. That was my experience recently while staying at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, Md., a suburb of Baltimore. Enter the lob...

Hurray for red, white and blue as DeKalb celebrates the nation’s birthday

  A lthough the Fourth of July comes mid-week this year, the festivities will be in full swing in and around DeKalb County as America celebrates its 236th birthday. Here are some of the events marking Independence Day here in DeKalb this year.  Av...

Cuban connection: Jewish Community Center mission trips accomplish two goals

After a close friend returned from Cuba, on a trip to learn about her Jewish roots, Shaindle Schmuckler thought it would be good idea to organize regular missions to the island. Eleven years later, the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody is cu...

Thrills and spills aplenty just over the border

Those looking for a weekend of wilderness adventure can find a near-perfect location only a couple of hours from metro Atlanta, straddling the Georgia/Tennessee border in the Ocoee River basin area of the Cherokee National Forest. Traveling north tow...

Cruising the Potomac River is a luxe way to tour D.C.

So much to see in Washington, D.C., and so little time. That’s likely the lament of many visitors to the nation’s capital with its rich mix of monuments and historic sites. There are a dizzying array of ways to tour D.C.—walking, driving, doubl...

Authors bring their passion for books to joy of writing for young readers

  At a time when video games and other forms of electronic entertainment absorb an increasing amount of young people’s attention, a number of gifted storytellers are determined to re-ignite the magic of books. Some of the most talented of these au...

Memorial Day weekend —A time for remembrance and merriment

For 144 years America has paused on a day in May to honor those who gave their lives in service to their country.  In 1971, Congress fixed Memorial Day as the last Monday in May, creating a three-day weekend for most working Americans. Many use the ...

Learning the ABC’s of using a smart phone

They file into the small classroom, fiddling with their pens and pads of paper, and clutching their shiny new handheld devices. Some appear eager, others wary and somewhat perplexed. However, these aren’t your average classroom students. Most are a...

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