Bark in the Park, Walk With a Ranger, When Fiction Remembers, and more. 
Happy Friday, Athens. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Athens Brief serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.
📰 In the news
Local happenings: Athens leaders weighing whether to charge bus fares, West African deity portraits, and student run free suit closet for UGA students — catch up here.
State-level stories: Buford’s new $62 million stadium draws crowds, a physicist breaks the horizontal lightning record at 829 km, and bioluminescent wildlife lights up Georgia’s nights — see what else is brewing.
National headlines: Study finds adults inhale thousands of plastic fragments daily, many hearts age faster than their owners, and Ford recalls F-150 hybrids without seatbelt chime — peruse the best of the rest.
Highlights this week
- Connect over refreshments at Memory Café
- Learn to prepare your business for sale
- Explore OLLI@UGA classes, trips, and events
- Discuss President’s House preservation and legacy
- Stop by for giveaways and water-saving tips
- Unlock dozens of travel deals with AARP
🫶 We got your back
Markets: Who needs a grocery store when you can find peaches at Athens farmers markets so fresh they practically glow?
Business: Georgia’s business scene is like a potluck dinner, with everything from Coca-Cola’s fizzy empire to Home Depot’s orange-apron army. These 17 Fortune 500 companies pull in over $450 billion and prove peach perks pay off big.
Reads: The smell of paper, the thrill of cracking open a new story, and the chance to accidentally spend two hours debating which cover looks cooler, Avid Bookshop is basically a playground for bookworms (minus the monkey bars, plus way more coffee).
Health: Forget outdated weight loss fads and gimmicks. Modern science has changed the game. GLP-1 medications (like the ones behind today’s most talked-about treatments) are helping people manage weight in a safer, more sustainable way. Check out your options today.
👀 Why just read it when you could be in it?
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📆 Around town this weekend
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirey outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
Today
🐶 TGIFF: Bark in the Park @ Jug Tavern Park | Friday (8/1) at 6:00pm – Bark in the Park is taking over Jug Tavern Park with pup acrobats, local pet vendors, and food trucks for two-legged customers. No dog required, come for the live music and adopt-a-pooch booths, stay to practice your best “aww” at every Chihuahua in shades.
🎸 Jeremy: 90s Grunge Night @ The Foundry | Friday (8/1) at 8:00pm – Nothing cures midlife nostalgia quite like yelling “Even Flow” in downtown Athens, scuffed Docs optional. Jeremy Would Let Me Drown channels every angsty chord from Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden in a sweaty, flannel-fueled tribute you’ll actually remember. Flannels recommended, grunge mandatory.
This weekend
🔐 World of Oz Escape Room @ Athens-Clarke County Library | Saturday (8/2) at 10:30am – If you’ve ever wondered what Dorothy did after the tornado, assemble your smartest friends for a World of Oz escape room packed with brainteasers and the Wicked Witch’s cackle. No ruby slippers required, just registration, quick wits, and a willingness to face your fears.
📚 When Fiction Remembers @ Athens-Clarke County Library | Saturday (8/2) at 1:00pm – Sure, it’s at the library, but this isn’t your grandma’s book club, it’s Georgia Writers Hall of Famer Tony Grooms and filmmaker Jesse Freeman trading quips on how fiction wrangles our past. Expect readings, dry wit, and a toast to Hall of Fame induction.
🌳 Southern Hospitality – The Family Tree Vol. 2 @ 40 Watt Club | Saturday (8/2) at 7:00pm – Whether you’ve mastered the perfect mannequin pose or just need an excuse to step away from the in-laws, stop by for an evening of artful stillness and craft cocktails. Roam through life-sized displays, snag a cheeky selfie, and soak up that small-town magic.
🚶♂️ Walk With a Ranger @ Fort Yargo State Park | Sunday (8/3) at 9:00am – If you’ve ever stopped mid-hike to wonder why you ran out of water, join a ranger for a leisurely ramble through our lesser-known park trails. Expect dry wit, local lore, and enough nature trivia to make you sound like a know-it-all, without the attitude.
🎶 Live at the Library – Marie Marie & Bizner @ Athens-Clarke County Library | Sunday (8/3) at 3:00pm – This monthly library gig trades overdue fines for sun-drenched 60s pop, gritty guitar, dynamic rhythms from Marie Marie. Then Bizner’s Atlanta folk trio lands like Gillian Welch at your favorite watering hole, quietly brilliant, utterly charming.
Next week
♟️ Chess & Community @ Athens-Clarke County Library | Monday (8/4) at 3:30pm – Need an excuse to boss someone else’s knight around? Swing by from 3 to 5 pm for open chess play where rookies, grandmasters, and the occasional UNO refugee battle it out over 64 squares. No registration needed, just checkmates and community vibes.
🕰️ August History Hour @ Lyndon House Arts Center | Tuesday (8/5) at 12:00pm – History Hour is turning the spotlight on the UGA President’s House on Prince Avenue, that 1856 charmer with more backstory than your trivia night. Mix friendly neighbors, preservationists, and free Rashe’s Cuisine lunch for early birds, and you’ve got the excuse to skip the chores.
🌮 Tiki Taco Tuesday @ Live Wire Athens | Tuesday (8/5) at 5:00pm – If your Tuesdays feel like soggy leftovers, here’s your out: Live Wire Athens is turning Robertson Hall into a beach bar. Don Carne’s rotating tacos, Denizen Rum cocktails, late-night Venezuelan snacks, live music, dancing, and a few curveballs await (because midweek needs drama).
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
🎶 Live music & entertainment
- 8/1 The Hobohemians @ Athentic Brewing – 6 pm
- 8/2 Doke, Fowler & Veale Album Release Show @ The Rialto Club – 8 pm
- 8/3 Swing Theory @ Five Bar – 11 am
- 8/3 Jim Cook @ Terrapin Beer – 3 pm
- 8/3 Traditional Irish Session @ The Globe – 4 pm
- 8/4 Jazz Night @ Porterhouse Grill – 7 pm
- 8/5 Bad Dog Trivia @ Paloma Park – 7 pm
- 8/5 UnPhiltered Trivia @ Mellow Mushroom – 7 pm
- 8/5 Singo! @ Beef O’Brady’s – 7:30 pm
🏠️ Price is right – Athens edition
How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).
*This 👇 could be your listing. Hit us up if you’ve got a home (or 12) to sell.
Listed by: Daniel Ussery (Five Market Realty LLC)
Original heart pine floors, exposed beams, and brick accents give this 3-bed, 3.5-bath home a personality all its own. The flexible bonus room is ready for anything—think home gym, office, or surprise guest crash pad. Out back, a detached garage hides a fully equipped 1-bed apartment with a rental track record that basically pays for your coffee habit.
Sun-drenched mornings in the cozy sunroom, lazy afternoons on the south-facing screened porch, and evenings by the outdoor fireplace are all on the menu. The owner’s suite even has its own balcony for people-watching along storied Milledge Avenue. Five Points’ best shops and Sanford Stadium are just a stroll away.
Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →
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