Saturday, October 27, 2007
Quick
Radar for the week of October 28, 2007
Jeepers Creepers!
CREDIT: Robert Gill
It was like something out of a movie last weekend as the quiet, button-down community of Little Five Points found itself besieged by a contingent of the caterwauling damned! OK, that’s not entirely true. What happened was, Atlanta’s nucleus of retro-ironic cool traded in hipsters for horrors during its annual Halloween Festival and Parade Oct. 19-20. A host of groovin’ ghouls and gals turned out, and even a headless horseman or two, although it was sometimes difficult to tell whether certain folks were actually in costume or just regular L5P denizens (we’re looking at you, bearded lady!). Still, a frightfully fun time was had by all—even the little ones.
HOLY ROLLIN’ It was a whirlwind week for the Dalai Lama. First he received the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on Oct. 17. Then the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet came to Atlanta for a few days to lecture on Buddhism and accept another honor—that of Presidential Distinguished Professor at Emory University. The whole thing culminated with an address before thousands of onlookers at Centennial Olympic Park on Oct. 22 in which he suggested the U.S. send Peace Corps members across the globe to spread democracy. The speech drew quite a crowd, including Congressman John Lewis. We didn’t catch a glimpse of Richard Gere or that dude from the Beastie Boys, though.
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
That quote comes from the 1986 cinematic classic “Highlander,” of course, but it just as aptly sums up the Stone Mountain Highland Games. The verdant fields of Stone Mountain Park were alive with the sound of bagpipes and fiddles as the yearly celebration of Scottish culture marked its 35th anniversary last weekend. Delegates from dozens of officially recognized clans came from far and wide to represent their kinsmen with colorful tartans and kilts, and to participate in musical performances, dance competitions and impressive displays of athleticism like the caber toss and the weight toss. Aye, and there might have been some whisky, as well.