On Dec. 16, Wellroot Family Services turned a church into a winter wonderland for hundreds of families, complete with craft stations, face painting and Santa Claus meet and greets. But the secret centerpiece was open only to the adults: A well-stocked holiday shop where every gift is completely free. Every year, the longstanding welfare organization […]
Tag: Christmas
Posted inColumns
Holiday toy drive gala spurs community-wide support for children and charities
A holiday tradition that gathers Christmas toys for children and raises money for Atlanta-area charities returns Thursday, supported by a wide circle of community partners, including a restaurant, car dealer, nonprofit leaders, and two young entrepreneurs preparing to open a new eatery. The Mark Carroll and Friends Annual Toy Drive Party will be held from […]
Posted inHannah Jones
Holiday Road: A half-mile holiday extravaganza with lights, music, cheer
By Hannah E. Jones After winding down a long, dark road nestled outside the city, the all-encompassing trees open up to a vast landscape filled with dazzling gold, blue, red and green lights. Leave your real-world worries at the door and let Holiday Road transport you into a world reminiscent of holiday films. Co-founders Bobby […]
Posted inLatest News
Black Nativity starts Christmas holiday season with message of love
Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes originally wrote the 1961 off-Broadway musical. By Allison Joyner Holiday gospel musical Black Nativity comes back to Atlanta with a modern twist on the classic Christmas Story. Director Robert John Conner portrays the story of Jesus Christ’s birth from a Black cultural perspective. With limited showings available, theatergoers need to […]
Posted inColumns
Revisiting Christmas 1957: A vicarious trip via Atlanta History Center
By Guest Columnist BO HIERS, who recently “semi-retired” from a 35-year career in the reinsurance industry and is a recently minted Atlanta History Center volunteer
Close your eyes and step back in time with me. Imagine an Atlanta without the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. The glitzy Mercedes Benz Stadium and SunTrust Park are nowhere to be found. Think of our town without the Peachtree Plaza, Atlantic Station, IBM Tower and all the other tall buildings that dominate the landscape of Downtown Atlanta and Midtown. We’re in full imagination mode now, so let’s keep going.
Traffic is a breeze in this era, thanks entirely to a drastically smaller metro area population, roughly 85 percent less than it is today. Fewer people meant fewer cars on the road. Speaking of roads, there is no daily backup at the top end of I-285, or, for that matter, the bottom end of Ga. 400. I’m sure you’ve already guessed why – we’ve stepped so far back in time that there is no Ga. 400 or I-285.
