Events

On that warm March afternoon, what pastor Fred Musser first thought was the sound of freight palettes dropping from a truck turned out to be the crack of a .44 caliber Marlin rifle—a weapon designed to kill large game.

“There it was, man, pop culture in the middle of an unreal dust bowl with a wide asphalt rim.” Thus wrote the Atlanta Constitution’s Albert Scardino forty-two years ago about the first Atlanta International Pop Festival, which took place on the Fourth of July weekend in 1969.

Throughout the rain-threatened spring morning, pilgrims kept arriving at the Marietta City Cemetery. High school kids researching a history project. A Darlington, South Carolina, lawyer who’d been planning his trip for months. A curious college student.

More than 60,000 people attended the three concerts held in Centennial Olympic Park, according to Pat O’Brien of the promotions group Bowery Presents South. The economic impact to the city has not been tallied, but attendees took over surrounding downtown hotels, restaurants, and bars, paid handsomely for parking, bought T-shirts, and took plenty of $13.50 rides on the Ferris wheel.

Revisit cinematic classics and enjoy family favorites with these summer films. It’s not quite the same as going to a drive-in, but it beats sitting on the couch, glued to Netflix.

If attacking a 10K bright and early on the muggy morning of a holiday isn’t quite your patriotic celebration of choice, the Peachtree Road Race course serves up plenty of staples of American culture throughout the rest of the year. So for those who prefer a more air-conditioned trek, here are 10 other ways to tackle the route. Start your engines at Lenox Square, just as the runners do each July 4th.

On September 20 from 9 a.m. to noon, neighborhoods in Southwest Atlanta will host iSWAT Development Day, a collection of speeches and bus tours through the area that highlight redevelopment initiatives in an effort to attract chefs, restaurateurs, and grocers. Participants will meet at 884 Murphy Avenue.