Paperless MAK Newsletter

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, this will be the LAST printed version of the MAK Newsletter as we move to a more efficient and environmentally-friendly delivery system. Future newsletters and announcements will be sent via email only.

If you wish to be included on the neighborhood email list or if your email address has changed within the past year or if you still need a paper deliver of the MAK newsletter, please provide the MAK Secretary, Shannon Belletti (sec@makdecatur.org or 404-791-5503) with the email or home address you now use.

Thank you for supporting the move to Greener alternatives!

MAK Neighborhood July 4th Cookout

MAK's annual 4th of July Picnic is Friday, July 4th from 12-3pm north of the intersection of Kings Hwy and Ansley Street. The MAK officers will grill hamburgers and hot dogs and will provide cold beverages (including beer). We are also organizing some activities for kids. Finally, we are gathering great prizes from local businesses for our annual raffle. We look forward to seeing you for this MAK tradition!

You should bring the following items to share with your neighbors:

• South of Hancock – Salads & Sides
• North of Hancock, South of Ansley – Appetizer, Snacks
• North of Ansley & Ansley – Sweets and Baked Goods

We are also providing a pony keg of beer. We are asking for $5 from beer drinkers to cover all you can drink (til the keg is empty). BYOChair and cash for beer, MAK notecards and the MAK Raffle.

Following the Cookout, we hope you'll also join us for the Decatur parade (see below) as well as the fireworks display over the Decatur Courthouse.

We Need Your Help

If you can volunteer with setup/cleanup, a prize to the MAK raffle or assistance and supplies for kids activities (face painting, street chalk, etc), please contact our Social Chair, Rick Abt, at social@makdecatur.org or call him at 404-389-1389.

We would appreciate everyone's help in keeping the intersection clean both prior to the cookout and afterward. Thank you!

Join MAK in a Parade of Fun
for the 4th of July

In celebration of the MAK's Centennial, the MAK committee is planning another festive event for the 4th of July. After the cook-out Decatur hosts an annual parade downtown which starts at 6pm. It is a fantastic annual event! It is a small parade but it is advertised as a "Pied-Piper Parade" which means that anyone can join in the march. Some people wear costumes, the kids can decorate their bicycles, tricycles, skate boards, carry balloons, banners or hand out candy to the crowds along the parade route. The parade route is 1 mile and it is the cutest parade you have ever seen. It really reminds you how much local residents enjoy living in Decatur.

The parade line-up is at 5:30pm. We would like to get as many MAK residents to participate in the parade as possible. We plan to build a float, carry MAK’s large Centennial banners and have as many children and parents walking or riding along in the parade as well. We would like to have MAK residents to help build the float and, of course, participate in the parade. We think this will turn out to be a memorable event for our neighborhood.

Rick Abt is the Social Director and will be coordinating the construction of the float and the participation in the parade. Please email him at social@makdecatur.org or call him at 404-389-1389 so we can make preparations!

MAK Island in Bloom

Last year, MAK residents Chris and Suzanne Thigpen, with donations from MAK residents planted shrubs and perennials in the MAK island at the entrance of Kings Hwy near College Avenue. Although last summer’s drought posed a threat, this spring the plants are thriving and in bloom.

Please visit the island when you get a chance, and be sure to thank Chris & Suzanne for their hard work. Thank you!

Area Break-in Update

Press Release from Chief Mike Booker, City of Decatur Police
On Wednesday, May 21st the Decatur Police Department arrested 3 men suspected of involvement in a number of residential burglaries in the Oakhurst community of Decatur as well as Kirkwood/East Atlanta in which large flat screen televisions were taken. The men were arrested after they were stopped for a traffic infraction and evidence was discovered in the vehicle that tied them to a previous burglary. Arrested were Jordan Jones, 21, of Lithonia, Ashton Davis, 21, of Lithonia, and Marcus Leslie, 23, of Atlanta.

New Neighbor Spotlight

We've had some new neighbors join MAK in the past few months. For this edition of the newsletter, we'd like to introduce Gary & Patti Garrett (323 Kings Hwy.)

Gary and Patti moved to Oakhurst from Chattanooga in 2001 when their youngest son went to college. When they first moved to Oakhurst they knew nothing about Decatur but have found it to be a great place to live. You may have met Patti and Gary walking around MAK on their many walks through Decatur. When 323 Kings Hwy went up for sale they decided to move from the greater Oakhurst community to MAK. Gary and Patti intend to renovate and expand 323 Kings Hwy and hope to keep the renovations “green.”

They have 3 grown sons, 2 daughters-in-law and a September baby is due to the youngest son & wife who live in Chicago. One son lives in Washington, DC and their other son and his wife live in Philadelphia.

Gary is an engineer focusing on energy and environmental policy at the Southern States Energy Board; Patti is a Registered Dietitian/Licensed Nutritionist, teaches part-time at Georgia State and sees clients for nutrition counseling in a physician's office.

Patti and Gary are also very involved in Decatur activities. Patti is Chair of the Decatur Holiday Tour of Homes committee; Gary is Chair of the Waste Management Advisory Board and is currently a co-editor of the Oakhurst Leaflet.

Doors of Decatur

The "Doors of Decatur" project is a tradition of the Decatur Arts Festival. The Doors of Decatur Community Art Project began in 2001, and has become a tradition at the Decatur Arts festival (happening this weekend). Old doors are collected from around the neighborhoods and local artists and school groups transform them into works of art. The doors are displayed during the festival and later auctioned. All proceeds go to the Decatur Arts Alliance.

This year our neighbors, Sally and Rick Abt (who also won the “Decorate MAK” and “Decorate Decatur” holiday event) created a fantastic door for this event. We have provided a photo so you can see how fantastic their efforts were. The door showcases features of Decatur as well as our MAK logo and as you can see, the door even lights up at night! Such a wonderful celebration of our neighborhood and Decatur!

Decatur Tour of Homes 2008

The Decatur Tour of Homes committee will soon be meeting again, and they want to know if any of the MAK homes not featured last year may be interested in being on the next upcoming Tour of Homes. The general theme this year is “green” homes or homes that have had some types of energy conservation items installed….which many older homes have.

If you would like your MAK home to be considered, please contact MAK resident David Crenshaw at 404-285-8372 or by email at DCrenshaw@opteum.com.

Historic MAK Notecards

MAK notecards are still available for purchase from the MAK Treasurer, Miriam Mathura, for only $5! These make great gifts for any occasion, and are also a wonderful keepsake for your out-of-town visitors to take home with them. You may email her with your order, and she'll deliver them to your door.

Introduced at the 2008 Decatur Tour of Homes, each set features five historic homes on Adams street rendered by local Adams Street photographer TW Meyer.

Boxes of 10 cards with envelopes are available for only $5 and proceeds benefit the neighborhood association. They will also be available at the July 4th Cookout.

Watering Restrictions

Just a reminder of the water restrictions currently in effect for DeKalb County...

No outdoor water use is allowed with the following exceptions:

• Personal gardens growing food
• One hand-held garden hose may be used for 25 minutes per day for plants only (not lawns). Even-numbered addresses may water Mon/Wed/Sat and odd-numbered addresses may water on Tues/Thur/Sun, between midnight and 10am.
• Newly installed landscaping may be watered for 3 days/week up to 10 weeks with some exceptions.

Please see the DeKalb Watershed website (www.dekalbwatershed.com) for more information.