News & Opinion

Gregor Turk paid $85,000 for his northwest Atlanta studio. That was in 2003—ancient history in the fast-evolving landscape of intown gentrification. Turk’s studio is now surrounded by 35 new single-family homes, with prices starting at $550,000, and the area has been rechristened “West Town.” Not so fast, says Turk, who in 2016 erected a billboard in his yard that reads, “Welcome to the Heart of Blandtown.” The sign is not a passive-aggressive middle finger at developers, Turk says. Instead, it’s a history lesson.

Good design is something we often take for granted. Do you remember just how cool it was when they announced plans for Centennial Olympic Park—and the Fountain of Rings? Or the first time you saw the 1996 logo, with its flame of stars?

On August 10, Baton Bob, aka Atlanta’s Ambassador of Mirth, embarks on his first-ever drum majorette march around the globe with his one-man show, the Myrtle Hat Tour. The street performer’s alter ego, sixty-year-old Atlanta florist Bob Jamerson, previewed the show.You created your character in the aftermath of 9/11. You were a St. Louis–based flight attendant scheduled to fly that day. How did you find your inner Ambassador of Mirth in the chaos of that tragedy? A month after 9/11, I lost my job because the airline industry was turned upside down. A therapist once told me, “When you feel yourself slipping into depression, go out and do something that makes you feel good down to your soul.” After 9/11 I dug around in my closet for my old high school marching band baton, and I went into Forest Park in St. Louis and just began twirling in an attempt to lift my spirits. I had no idea about the voyeuristic response I would receive. Then, with Christmas coming, I decided to add the costume, because laughter is a natural healing agent. I knew if I could make people laugh, I could help myself as well. That’s how Baton Bob was born.Your one-man show is named for your mother? My mother Myrtle is eighty and still completely fierce. She has this incredible collection of hats, because she’s a black woman, you see. I’m using ten of her hats to tell the story of Baton Bob. On Sunday mornings, my mother would transform herself with these beautiful hats and matching gloves and shoes. I got my dress savvy from her and her mother, Virginia Watkins Redd. It’s less about the character and more about [Bob Jamerson], the person behind Baton Bob. I want people to know who that person is.For the past decade, you’ve worked as a street performer, wearing outrageous outfits, blowing a whistle, and entertaining people on the sidewalk. For your forty-five-minute Myrtle Hat Tour, you’re using a stage. What can you reveal about the show? It’s going to be street level just on a stage. I’m going to be transitioning into these different hats and costumes as I tell Baton Bob’s story. I’ll be twirling my baton and breaking out the pom-poms, too, because Baton Bob’s alter ego, my new cheerleader character, Shake-A-Bag Bob, will also make an appearance. His pom-poms are made out of recycled grocery bags. He’s very green. I’ll be making a splashy entrance set to Donna Summer’s “Last Dance.” I’m booking stages around the world to house the show. Baby, it is going to be fab-u-lous.What do you want people to take away from this show? That they have the same ability to make a difference and the same capacity to be a conduit for joy. Anybody can do what I do on the street. When the universe presented me with this opportunity eleven years ago, I had to say yes to it. When I started doing this, I had no clue we’d be speaking about it eleven years later. It’s taken on a life of its own.You lived in Atlanta from 1979 to 1990 and moved back to Midtown from St. Louis in 2004. How differently does Baton Bob play in Atlanta versus St. Louis? Night and day, honey. St. Louis is still very conservative and very Catholic. But I remembered how free-spirited Atlanta’s Midtown area was, so when I moved back, Piedmont Park became my stage.Your goal with this show is to take it to all fifty states and around the world? I’m going to Bali, I’m going to Australia, I’m going everywhere. It’s going to take as long as it takes. You

In 2012, when Fernbank Museum took over management of the land from the Science Center, employees found that the original “fern bank” and the surrounding forest had become choked with invasive species. After four years of sorely needed ecological restoration, Fernbank Forest reopens this weekend.

Architectural models of Olympic venues. A lacquered flower bouquet like those presented to gold medalists. Licensed Olympic merchandise, from dolls and key chains to motor oil and wine. Oh, and pins—lots and lots of pins.

Like the “Caution: HOT!” warning label on styrofoam McDonald’s coffee cups, there’s a reason New York singer-songwriter Jay Brannan has posted an explicit message to fans on his official website. In part, it reads: “PLEASE DO NOT SEND OR DELIVER ANYTHING TO MY HOME. I will not open, read, consume or keep any unsolicited mail or deliveries from people I don’t know.”

After a 6-year-old boy was killed and a 5-year-old girl mauled by loose dogs earlier this year, the Atlanta Police Department decided to create a new sworn position, Animal Cruelty Liaison Officer, to tackle animal cruelty cases and educate the community about the relationship between animal cruelty and crime. Meet Amy Soeldner, the first person to hold the position.

On Tuesday, the mayor implemented new rules for the BeltLine and new graphics showed our national standing. Here’s your Wednesday morning update.

Our Congressman had an uncanny ability to make total strangers and coworkers feel at ease, whether he was lingering at a three-year-old’s birthday party, signing books at the Barnes & Noble on Moreland Avenue, or shaking hands and giving hugs along the Pride Parade route.