atlanta weekend travel tagged interest

Friday focus

Oct. 18 — There’s another busy fall weekend ahead with events like the Brookhaven International Festival, OktoberFEAST in Sandy Springs, Taste of Chamblee, Diwali in Dunwoody, Splish Splash Doggie Bath in Piedmont Park, and Oakhurst Porchfest, which you can read more about below.

☀️ Sunny and 70° today and throughout the weekend.

🏥 Wellstar announced that the former Atlanta Medical Center site in the Old Fourth Ward will become a mixed-use development with green space, apartment buildings, retail, commercial use, and medical and hospital facilities.

⚖️ A Georgia grand jury indicted both a father and son on murder charges Thursday in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.

📊 Georgia’s jobless rate stood at 3.6% in September, unchanged from August and below the national average.

🏗️ Construction will begin in early 2027 on the Peachtree Dunwoody Bike/Pedestrian Trail project in Sandy Springs.

🚲 Sandy Springs Police Officer Janssen Redcay will ride his bicycle 1,129 miles in 10 days to fight child trafficking, starting in Michigan on Oct. 23 and returning to Georgia on Nov. 2.

🤔 Today is World Menopause Day, and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, State Senator Elena Parent, and State Representative Dr. Michelle Au will host an event with a 20-foot inflatable IUD at the Decatur MARTA plaza at 11 a.m.

ELSEWHERE

➡ Israeli forces killed Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ military leader and alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, during a battle in southern Gaza. “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

🗣️ The NRA cited a “scheduling conflict” and canceled a Defend the Second Amendment event in Savannah next week that was to feature former President Donald Trump.

🏪 The last full-scale Kmart in the continental U.S. closes Sunday in Bridgehampton, NY.

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Oakhurst Porchfest

• Film Review: ‘Smile 2’

• The Sports Section

AND

• Top Stories of the Week

Have a good weekend,

Collin andamp; Sammie

🎒 This summer, Georgia Power employees teamed up with local organizations to host backpack and supply drives to support families in need. These grassroots efforts gathered more than 2,800 backpacks filled with essential school supplies, benefiting 20 school districts. Read the full story here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

1. Oakhurst Porchfest to mark 10th anniversary with 200+ bands

🎸 The 10th Oakhurst Porchfest will have the Decatur neighborhood rocking on Sat., Oct. 19, with more than 200 bands scheduled to perform.

The free event will see an eclectic array of bands performing on front porches and yards of homes across Oakhurst from noon-7 p.m.

🎷 The full lineup of bands and an interactive map of the festival is available at oakhurstporchfest.org. You can learn more about what to expect at Porchfest here.

How to keep your dog safe during Halloween

SPONSORED BY SCENTHOUND

🎃 Halloween is a blast for everyone in the family, but it can also bring unexpected challenges for your dog. With tempting candy bowls, decorations, and busy streets, there are a few things to keep an eye on as a dog parent.

🐾 Click here for some top Halloween safety tips to ensure your dog stays safe and happy during the festivities.

🐾 As you prepare for Halloween, remember that Scenthound is here to keep your dog happy and healthy with our routine hygiene services. Discover the Scenthound difference at our Buckhead, Dunwoody, and Tucker locations.

2. ‘Smile 2’ and the darker side of stardom

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

😊 In 2022, writer/director Parker Finn came onto the horror scene with a pretty simple, effective idea: what if smiles were scary?

Obviously, there’s a lot more going on in “Smile,” but the strengths of the film – which follows a therapist (Sosie Bacon) who, following the suicide of one of her patients, begins seeing people smiling creepily at her around every corner – rest more in its gore and design than in its psychological undertones. Lately, people love to say that a horror movie is actually about trauma (insert Jamie Lee Curtis montage here), and “Smile” fits that bill; its supernatural force feeding on pain and guilt. The movie, while fun, lacks any real specificity or depth. Yes, it’s about trauma. But that’s kind of it.

“Smile 2” is similarly fun and not that deep, but it also adds a certain ingredient that allows Finn to reach for something a little more interesting and topical – this time, the trauma feeder is not after a therapist, but rather a pop star. This small deviation allows this film to find some of the specificity the first lacks, digging into the most visceral and upsetting aspects of stardom with glee.

🎥 Click here to read Sammie’s review. Also, check out her review of the film “We Live in Time,” here.

🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.

3. The Sports Section

BY JIM BASS

♂️ The Sports Section is sponsored by Gameday Men’s Health Buckhead, offering testosterone, weight loss, peptide, and ED therapies so you can get back in the game. Learn more today!

🏈 The Super Bowl will return to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2028.

⚽ Atlanta United is in a must-win situation to keep their faint playoff hopes alive as they play their final regular season game against Orlando City in Orlando tomorrow at 6 p.m. (Apple TV+; 92.9 FM).

🏈 Georgia Tech announced a location shift of its historic rivalry game against Georgia to Mercedes Benz Stadium in 2025. It will mark the first time since 1913 that the game will be played at an off-campus site.

🏀 The New York Liberty lead the Minnesota Lynx 2-1 in the WNBA Finals. Game 4 is tonight at 8 p.m. (ESPN).

🏈 The Drive for the GHSA State Title continues tonight with Class 4A third-ranked Cartersville vs. fifth-ranked Cedartown live on the Peachtree Sports Network at 8 p.m.

🏈 Here are tomorrow’s local college games:

No. 5 Georgia plays at No. 1 Texas at 7:30 p.m. (ABC; 95.5 FM)

Georgia Tech hosts No. 12 Notre Dame in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN; 93.7 FM)

Georgia Southern hosts James Madison University at 4 p.m. (ESPN+)

Mercer looks to remain undefeated as they play at Samford at 3 p.m. (ESPN+)

West Georgia hosts Shorter University for their homecoming game at 2 p.m. (ESPN+)

Morehouse College plays at Albany State at 1 p.m.

Clark Atlanta hosts Miles College for their homecoming game at 1 p.m. (ESPN+)

Georgia State lost to Marshall last night

Kennesaw State lost 14-5 at Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday night.

🏈 For the first time since 2021, Georgia is the underdog, with the Longhorns currently favored by five points.

🏎️ Formula One returns to the U.S. this weekend as they travel to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX to race on Sunday at 3 p.m. (ABC).

⚾ The Mets host the Dodgers today at 5 p.m. in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series (FS1). Los Angeles currently holds a 3-1 lead. In the ALCS, The Yankees lead the Guardians 2-1 and the teams play again tonight at 8:08 p.m. (FOX).

🏈 The Falcons host the Seahawks on Sun., Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).

🎒 This summer, Georgia Power employees teamed up with local organizations to host backpack and supply drives to support families in need. These grassroots efforts gathered more than 2,800 backpacks filled with essential school supplies, benefiting 20 school districts. Read the full story here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

4. Top Stories of the Week

A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.

① Early voting locations open in Fulton and DeKalb

② Renee Kutner named first female CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta (pictured)

③ Security guard arrested in stabbing death of 90-year-old man in Buckhead

④ Owner closed Atlanta and Miami massage schools within three days of each other

⑤ Young people are fueling the functional beverage trend

💭 Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m. or bookmark this page!

📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.