Dekalb Police "Beat the Badge" 5K

Dekalb Police "Beat the Badge" 5K It is okay to outrun the Police on this occasion

About the race Distance: 5K Time: 9:00 a.m. Date: September 17, 2011 Location: Tucker, Georgia - Dekalb Police Headquarters Join us in this inaugural race and have fun legally outrunning the police. All proceeds benefit the Dekalb Police Alliance. Schedule 7:30 a.m. -- Race Day Registration and Packet pick up. 9:00 a.m. -- 5K race beings. The link below has more information about registering for the race. http://www.rungeorgia.com/beatthebadge.html

More Backpacks Needed!

First I wanted to let you know how thrilled the Breaking Down Walls Ministry was with the school clothes and backpacks our club has sent so far. However, they are expecting to have around 200 children this year and would happily receive anymore that some might wish to bring in. This is a very small ministry with a big heart, and they depend greatly on the community support.

I thought you might want to let our ladies know or any neighbors that might want to get in on this outreach for our Tucker children that both J.C. Penney and Sears have sales on their children's backpacks right now. In Sears at the children's register there is a display of backpacks($28.) that are on sale for $16.80 right now along with a coupon you can request at the desk for 10% more bringing the cost to $!5.12 plus tax. J.C. Penney's has one for around $17.00 along with a discount of 15% with a Penney's card. These are nice quality and a good price.

The Breaking Down Walls Ministry is having a "Battle of the Bands" in the parking lot across from the Ace Hardware off Hugh Howell Rd. this Saturday starting around 2PM. It is to get community involved in the fund raising for this event, and they have extended a personal invitation to our club for the support that we have given them. It would be fun for those with kids and a great chance to see the extent of this ministry to so many of the needy in the Tucker area. Those interested can go on line under Breaking Down Walls Ministry for more details on Saturday's event.

- Pat

Cheese Wafer Recipe

Here is Marilyn's cheese wafer recipe from the May joint meeting. Enjoy!

Makes about 75 wafers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 C butter, softened

2 C flour

2 C Rice Krispies

Combine all ingredients except cereal. Mix well. Add cereal. Mix carefully with hands.

Shape into walnut sized balls (I use the ½ oz scoop). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Flatten with fork. (I don’t flatten. I like mine mounded but they need to be baked slightly longer)

Bake 10-14 minutes.

An Irish Blessing

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart each day

Your whole life through.

Dances at Northlake Mall

Dance to Big Band Music at Northlake Mall! The chance to dance to big-band music is being offered the last Tuesday of every month at Northlake Mall. The Atlanta-New York Connection provides the music at the free event held in the mall’s food court. The next dance will be held from 6:00 -8:00pm. June 28 at the mall, 4800 Briarcliff Road.

Community Interest

We are very pleased with your response to our April/May project for community interest. So many have expressed their interest in this worthwhile Tucker community project. We have received 9 backpacks so far. We have received 14 pairs of girls' jeans and 20 shirts. For the boys we have received 10 pairs of jeans and 14 shirts. Some people have been very generous in giving numbers of items. When the items were delivered today the church involved in this back to school program was delighted with our support. Some have expressed a desire to buy backpacks when they go on sale for back to school. We will gladly receive items through the middle of July. They can be brought at any time to Kay, Becky, or Pat. If you are purchasing jeans or T-shirts we could use sizes 14 and up especially. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROUS HEARTS!

- Kay and Pat

Hot Weather Garden Maintenance Tips

It is time to review some hot weather garden maintenance tips:

• Watering is the primary caution
• Water deeply or not at all
• Use drip irrigation or soaker hose to make efficient use of the available water
• Sprinklers are the most inefficient method available, but if that is your only choice use it early in the morning with little or no wind blowing
• Hopefully you mulched your beds at the proper time, if not, only mulch after a good rain….otherwise the mulch will absorb the little rain available
• Plant only plants that survive the drought—the right plant in the right place…..
• Do not fertilize in dry weather—just puts extra stress on the roots
• Do not prune (except to deadhead flowering plants) same reason as above
• Water containers consistently and deeply. If your containers are large you should not need to water everyday. Just remember the plants are totally dependent on you to supply water.

(from the Basic Horticulture Newsletter, Redbud District, Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., National Garden Club, Inc.)

Northlake Festival Chick-fil-A Opens May 26

Chick-fil-A will award a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A® Meals (52 certificates) to each of the first 100 adults in line, age 18 and older with identification, at the new Northlake Festival restaurant located at 3967 Lavista Rd. The line officially opens at 6 a.m., Wednesday, May 25, with the free meal cards being awarded Thursday, May 26, sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:10 a.m. The restaurant will open for business immediately thereafter. If there are more than 100 people by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25, all 100 spots will be determined by a raffle. See http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100 for complete rules.

Working with Volunteers of America Southeast, the Northlake Festival Chick-fil-A restaurant will collect new teddy bears and non-perishable food items to benefit tornado victims. Items may be brought to the new restaurant between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26. Donors will receive a free brownie or Chick-fil-A® Ice Dream for their generosity.

Life-long Northlake resident, Brad Spratte will operate the new location. A graduate of DeKalb County’s Lakeside High School and Auburn University, Brad is a life-long Northlake resident where he and his wife, Deone, have raised their children Lauren and David. Having relocated from the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Tucker Station a few miles away, Brad and his family look forward to continuing to serve the community at the new Northlake restaurant.

Community Meeting

Time: 7:30 p.m. this Thursday night

Location: Briarlake Baptist Church back lot building

Subject: Illegal street gangs and gang activity

Speakers from The District Attorney's Office and our own DKPD Center precinct. Also, Chief O'Brien and a substantial number of ranking officers and street patrol officers will be present to participate in discusssion and answer questions.

Community Events

Tucker Civic Association Earth Day Give-An-Hour
The Give-An-Hour takes place on Saturday, April 30th, from 9 am - noon at the Tucker Recreation Center, 4898 LaVista Road. Volunteer in The Great American Clean Up Day In Tucker! We will pick up litter, add mulch, and remove invasive plant species at both the Tucker Nature Preserve and the Tucker Rec Center. Be sure to bring gardening tools, wheelbarrows, gloves, and refillable water bottles. Please wear closed-toe shoes, long pants & sleeves, and sunscreen! Attention Students: Receive Community Service Hours! Sponsored by Park Pride, Keep DeKalb Beautiful and The Tucker Civic Association. Meet at Tucker Rec at 9am. Overflow parking available next door at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

Northlake Community Alliance Community Shred Day
NCA, Resurgens Bank, Eagle Secure Shredding, and I will host the 3rd Community Shred Day on Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 9:00 am until 12 pm in the Resurgens Bank parking lot (2300 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30345). Bring any kind of sensitive paper documents for completely secure shredding. There is no charge, but tax exempt donations to support the work of the Northlake Community Alliance, Inc. will be accepted. Limit: 5 copier paper sized boxes or equivalent.

Horticulture Tip: Killing Fire Ant Colonies

This is a new twist to killing fire ant colonies.

For those not familiar with Walter Reeves, he is from the University of Georgia agriculture department, specializing in home gardening. His television show, 'Gardening in Georgia ', is on each Saturday.

I know fire ants are picky eaters and any type poison that is effective takes seven feeding steps before the queen receives it. Plus, if the bait is stored in close proximity to any petroleum or fertilizer products they won't touch it. Contact poisons that are on the market just cause the colony to move away. A well developed colony can be as deep as 30 feet and spread out some 20 to 50 feet from the mound center. This was documented by studies done in the early 60's when they were first sited in South Alabama.

An environmentally friendly cure for fire ants has been announced by Walter Reeves on his Georgia Gardener radio program. Testimonials are coming in that it REALLY WORKS. Simply pour two cups of CLUB SODA (carbonated water) directly in the center of a fire ant mound. The carbon dioxide in the water is heavier than air and displaces the oxygen which suffocates the queen and the other ants. The whole colony will be dead within about two days.

Besides eliminating the ants, club soda leaves no poisonous residue, does not contaminate the ground water, and does not indiscriminately kill other insects. It is not harmful to your pets, soaks into the ground. Each mound must be treated individually and a one liter bottle of club soda will kill 2 to 3 mounds. Spread the word.

April and May Field Trips

Friday, April 15, 2011 – Dogwood Festival @ Piedmont Park – No Charge. We will meet @ 10:30am for Brunch before Festival, which begins @ 12:00 noon.

Saturday, May 7, 2011.The Tucker Historical Society’s Garden Tour will be held on Mother’s Day weekend from 9:00am – 5:00pm. The Garden Tour will showcase 5 beautiful gardens and include the Butterfly Garden at Browning Courthouse. As in years past, select Tucker Arts Guild Members will be displaying and selling their artwork in the gardens.

Tickets will be $10.00 in advance and $15.00 on tour day. The tickets will be available, after April 18 at the following Tucker businesses: Bena’s Hallmark; Custom Frame Shop on Mainstreet; My Friend’s Place on LaVista Road; Starblaze Jewelers on Hugh Howell Road & Tucker Flower Shop on Idlewood Road.

Please sign up at the April Meetings or call Joan if you can join us.

DeKalb Federation News

The March meeting of the DeKalb Federation focused on Awards and the Installation of Officers for the DeKalb Federation year of 2011-2013. Our Garden Club received an Honorable Mention Award for Community Interest and a Certificate of Excellence for Heather’s President’s Report. A delicious catered lunch followed the meeting.

The April Meeting of the DeKalb Federation will be held at Callanwolde on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at Callanwolde at 10:00am. The Program will be given by Mr. Tom Cox of Cox Aboretum & Gardens. Also on this date, our Garden Club is participating in the Mini Flower Show along with Sandy Springs Garden Club. The theme for this event is ”A Time To Dance.”

Community Interest Project

Our project for April is an opportunity to reach out to our community for the upcoming school year. We are doing this project this month since the items will be distributed in August before we start back from our summer break. We are going to participate in a group that is making sure no child in Tucker will start school without a new school backpack and at least one new set of clothes to start their first day of school. I hope we will have a 100 percent participation in this wonderful cause. You will need to bring a backpack and jeans and a t-shirt for a boy or a girl ages K through 12th grade. If you feel the whole amount is too much you can bring either a backpack or a set of clothing. With the present economy there are a large number of Tucker children falling into this area of need.

This is a wonderful opportunity to take your children or grandchildren with you to pick these items so they can appreciate how blessed they are to always have these things. Please bring your contributions to the April meetings or drop them at either Kay's or Pat's houses.

Community Events

Atlanta Dogwood Festival

April 15-17

Piedmont Park

More information at dogwood.org

Tucker Historical Society Plant Swap

Saturday, April 16, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parking lot of Tucker First Baptist Church

Plants are not for sale - bring your own plants to swap. Donations are always welcome. Birdhouses for sale, experienced and knowledgeable gardeners on hand to answer your questions.

Easter Egg Hunt

Sponsored by the Tucker Business Association

Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m.

Kelly Cofer Park

Fire truck, moon walk, photos with the Easter Bunny

Tucker High School Arts Festival and Birdhouse Sale

Thursday, May 5, 5-8 p.m.

Presented by the THS Habitat for Humanity Chapter, featuring food, activities for children, music by the school music departments, silent auction and artist's market.

Tucker Historical Society 2011 Garden Tour

Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Garden tour will showcase 5 gardens and includes the Butterfly Garden at Browning Courthouse. Tucker Arts Guild members will be displaying and selling their work. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the tour. For more information, visit tuckergahistorical.org

(information courtesy of Up Close and Personal in Tucker)

Easter Egg Hunt

Mark your calendar!

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 23 at 4:00 p.m.

Winding Vista

Spring Gardening Activities and Events

"Growing a Successful Garden"

Sunday, April 3, 2:00-3:00 pm
Location: Henderson Park Community Garden
Bill Yoder from Yoder Farms will conduct a workshop covering plant varieties, seeds vs. transplants, crop rotation, when to plant, handling sprawling crops (how to stake tomatoes and/or use cages), and pest control tips. Bill is an experienced farmer and educator, and we are lucky to have him come and share his wisdom.

"Organic Pest Control"

Saturday, April 30, 9:00-10:00 am
Location: Henderson Park Community Garden
This workshop will focus on existing pest problems in the garden, organic options for control, and how to tell friend from foe. We will also cover companion planting as a way to discourage pests.

Oakhurst Community Garden Summer Plant Sale

April, 9th 2011 9:00 am - April, 10th 2011 4:00 pm

Location: 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030
50 varieties of tomatoes! 30 varieties of pepper! 20 varieties of eggplant! 5 varieties of basil! Plus over 200 varieties of herbs, fruit trees, perennials, annuals, natives, and succulents

THS Plant Swap

April, 16th 2011 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: First Baptist Church of Tucker in the parking lot at the corner of LaVista Road and Fourth Street.

Henderson Park Community Garden Workshops

"Starting Your Garden" - Saturday, March 19, 9:00 to 10:00 am
Mary Leight from the DeKalb Master Gardener Association will lead a workshop that will cover a variety of topics related to starting the year’s garden. Mary has a depth of experience with gardening in the Atlanta area and we are fortunate to have her share her insights. Site preparation, planning the growing season, planting seeds, transplanting, fertilizing, and other topics will be covered. This is a great time for new and experienced gardeners to get advice, ask questions, and learn ways to get the 2011 growing season started.

"Growing a Successful Garden" - Sunday, April 3, 2:00 to 3:00 pm
Bill Yoder from Yoder Farms will conduct a workshop covering plant varieties, seeds vs. transplants, crop rotation, when to plant, handling sprawling crops (how to stake tomatoes and/or use cages), and pest control tips. Bill is an experienced farmer and educator, and we are lucky to have him come and share his wisdom.

"Organic Pest Control" - Saturday, April 30, 9:00 to 10:00 am
John Sherrod, who heads our garden’s education program, will conduct a workshop on organic pest control. This workshop will focus on existing pest problems in the garden, organic options for control and how to tell friend from foe. We will also cover companion planting as a way to discourage pests.

We're planning many more classes at the garden this year. We hope you can join us. All classes are free and open to the community.

"Green" Community Events

Northlake Electronics Recycling Day, March 19, 2011

Bring all of your old TV’s, VCR’s, cell phones, telephones, pc’s, printers, microwave ovens, and any other electronic devices and dry rechargeable batteries to be recycled at the Northlake Electronics Recycling Event. Help us to be “Green” and keep these toxic items out of our landfills! The Northlake Community Alliance, Inc (NCA), Simon Northlake Mall, and Electronic Recycling Services (ERS) are sponsoring a free (except for a $10 lead disposal fee for TV’s) electronics recycling event at Northlake Mall parking lot, in front of Macy’s on Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Tax-deductable donations requested will benefit the community work of NCA and Simon Youth Foundation. For more information go to www.nlake.org or www.northlakemall.com

Northlake Community Shred Day, April 30, 2011

Northlake Community Alliance, Inc. ( NCA), Resurgens Bank, and Eagle Secure Shredding will host its 3rd Community Shred Day on Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 9:00 am until 12 pm in the Resurgens Bank parking lot (2300 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30345). Bring those old tax records, canceled checks, and any kind of sensitive paper document for completely secure shredding. The cost is free but we will be requesting tax-exempt donations to support the work of the Northlake Community Alliance, Inc. in the Northlake community. There will be a limit of 5 copier paper sized boxes or equivalent bags etc. Arrangements can be made for large shred jobs by contacting Ian Taylor at Eagle Secure Shredding (770-619-5300). For more information go to www.nlake.org or www.resurgensbank.com.

Oakhurst Plant Sale

Plant Sale at OCGP, how does it work?
Here is what is available when:
Spring, March 1- April 15: Over 50 varieties available-lettuce, Asian greens, arugula, kale, swiss chard, and other spring goodies are available
Summer, April 9-June 15: 50 types of tomato incl. heirloom, 30 types of pepper, 20 types of eggplant, basil, cucumbers, and many other fun summer goodies will be available
Fall, September 1-October 15:Over 50 varieties available –lettuce, Asian greens, arugula, kale, swiss chard, and other fall goodies are available

We start selling plants March 1, but our Plant Sale Festival Day is April 8,9, and 10, 2011
Garden Member Preview Sale: Friday, April 8, 6-8 p.m.
Open to the Public: Saturday, April 9, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Open to the Public: Sunday, April 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Featuring summer vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, flowers, succulents, native plants, and more!
Plants are coming from:
Oakhurst Garden greenhouse – vegetables, flowers, perennials, herbs
Holy Spirit Nursery – herbs
Johnson Nursery- fruit trees and shrubs
EcoAddendum – native plants to promote birds, bees, butterflies populations in your yard
Southeast Succulents – both hardy and non-hardy succulents
You will find everything you need!

Plant Sale Location
Plant Sale is located in the front yard of the Gardenhouse. OCGP is located in the Oakhurst neighborhood just south of Agnes Scott College in the City of Decatur.
435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030, www.oakhurstgarden.org

How do I pay?
Except for April 8,9, and 10, the plant sale acts on an honor
system. All plants are well labeled and priced. Come anytime during daylight hours, choose what you would like to purchase, and pay by dropping exact cash or a check made out to OCGP in the locked mailbox next to the front door. We check it daily.

WWGC on Channel 11

Last Friday, Valerie Hoff, from Channel 11, came to Libby's house to do a story on the Valentines we had been making for the Veterans. With Libby and me was Joanne Bennett, DeKalb Federation Garden Therapy Chairman and Eugenia Rucker, the Art Teacher from Midvale Elementary, plus 2 students from Midvale were also present. This event will air on Channel 11 tomorrow, Thursday, February 10 at 11:00pm and if it snows, it will air on Saturday, February 12 at 9:00am. Many Thanks to Libby, for once again, making sure that our Veterans know that they are not forgotten on Valentine's Day. Valentine cards were also made for our neighborhood shut-ins and will be personally delivered along with a small box of candy.

Northlake Retail News and Updates

At the mall, Seasons Restaurant, Old Navy, and Social Expressions Card Shop are all closed or in the process of closing.

The new Chick-fil-A construction is underway at the old Taco Bell site at Northlake Festival and it is planned to open in very late April/early May.

Anyone interested in updates about the new Northlake Festival Chick-fil-A can become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/northlakecfa <http://www.facebook.com/northlakecfa> or see updates at www.cfanorthlake.com <http://www.cfanorthlake.com/> .

The AJ Wright at Cofer Crossing is closing and will become HomeGoods (another TJ Maxx concept). That's good news!

There is a new hyper-local news website for our area. Great way to keep up with what is going on ...

http://tucker.patch.com/