OPEN STREETS MACON
You may remember our fine-feathered friend, Rachel Hollar, from our 2015 post on Bike Macon. Now, Rachel and her crew, along with the City of Macon-Bibb, are coordinating the first-ever Open Streets Macon, which will take place April 17th. Open Streets Macon takes a valuable public space – our city’s streets – and opens them up for people to play, walk, bike, breathe, and make their own. Modeled on tremendously successful events from around the world, including Bogotá, Colombia’s Ciclovia; Paris, France’s Paris Plage; and San Francisco’s Sunday’s Streets, Open Streets Macon will be part bike tour, part block party, and a great time for getting active, interacting with your neighbors, and enjoying our amazing city. Bring your bicycle or just your feet, and get ready to explore your community in a safer, healthier, more livable way.
“Imagine a street full of people of all ages and backgrounds, walking, biking, creating and laughing, together. A street temporarily closed to cars, but open to people. Imagine residents safely enjoying their city, socializing with neighbors, and engaging in healthy activities. Imagine if all of this were free, with absolutely no barriers to participation. By the people, for the people. Sound good yet? Bike Macon is turning this vision into a reality by organizing the first-ever Open Streets Macon event.”
Here are some things you need to know before April 17:
It’s FREE!
It’s not a race and you don’t need a bike to participate. You can walk or skate to your heart’s content.
There’s no beginning or end. Start and end anywhere!
It’s from 2 PM – 6 PM.
The flow of participants goes both ways, just like regular traffic.
For more information about this event, visit bikemacon.org/openstreets
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
WE TURNED ONE! Thank you thank you to all our lovely fine-feathered friends who have followed our adventure this past year... Cheers to a bright 2016!
MATCHA MAIDEN
A few months ago, we brought you a post from our Aussie friends at Frank Body. Today we bring you another Melbourne-based business that we met through the wonderful world of Instagram -- Matcha Maiden! What is matcha? It is 100% green tea leaves stone ground into a fine powder. Buddhist monks have been reaping the benefits of matcha long before tea-toxes or even tea bags were a thing. Finally, thanks to Matcha Maiden and their Japanese-certified organic powder, the rest of the world is catching up! We enjoyed our sample as a green tea but it can also be used as a sprinkled-in superfood or an addition to your bath + beauty regimen. Find inspiration here.
XOXO Love y'all so matcha!
All photos (c) of Haley Sheffield Photography.
WHITE OAK PASTURES: WILL HARRIS
Happy October! I am beyond thrilled to FINALLY post our adventure to White Oak Pastures. Haley and I were privileged to get a first-hand tour of the USDA Certified Organic farmland from the farmer himself and his daughter. William Harris III, owner and operator of White Oak Pastures, and Georgia Trend’s 2014 Most Respected Business Leader, was recently featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post and Garden & Gun, for his success in sustainability.
The 150 year old multi-generational family farm is guided by a sustainable, humane, fair practice and zero-waste policy. Just one look at whiteoakpastures.com and you are quickly acquainted with their mantra – that cows were born to roam and graze and chickens were born to scratch and peck. “As a fourth generation stockman, I offer folks some ‘Southern Cowboy Common Sense’ on how to recognize good animal welfare: If you would like to open up a lawn chair and drink a couple of glasses of wine while you watch the animal, then you have good animal welfare," said Harris. As we drove across the massive acreage, down hills and back dirt roads, Mr. Harris explained how White Oak ascribes to a grass-fed pastured program – giving up grain feed, hormone implants, and antibiotics as well as the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides As of 2009, White Oak acquired sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, and turkeys, becoming the only farm in the United States with their own red meat and poultry on-farm, USDA-inspected abattoirs. The farm also houses an on-site store and restaurant which we will feature next week -- enjoy, friends!
All photos (c) of Haley Sheffield Photography.
ATL LOVES #KOPYOGA
King of Pops, the beloved fresh fruit ice pops company of Atlanta, recently began hosting #KOPYOGA on the BeltLine. Over the summer, the free outdoor yoga sessions - held every Tuesday at 7 PM - have grown quickly from a few dozen to a few hundred! We were lucky enough to interview CEO and co-founder of King of Pops, Steven Carse, on why he believes in "promoting community and healthy living in an approachable way."
Inspiration for beginning King of Pops: I fell in love with the paleta (fresh fruit ice pop) during my travels to Latin America, and after years of eating, decided it would be fun to try to make and sell them myself. The perfect opportunity to do it came when I was laid off from my corporate job and needed to think of what to do next. So in the spring of 2010, King of Pops was born with only one used push-cart on a street corner.
Mission behind #KOPYOGA? Last year it started as something we did 100% for our employees and decided we might as well invite our neighbors. Between 15 and 30 people came out and it was one of the things I really looked forward to each week. I'm a beginner, and it was a nice way to work on my practice and enjoy the outdoors. We didn't do much differently this year. We started to promote earlier, but on the first day you could tell it was going to be different. Instead of a few dozen it was a few hundred. It's a testament to our community. I feel like the actual yoga practice is the least important part. It's just nice to be doing something with your neighbors. At the end of the day, that is the point. Get out and enjoy your life.
Favorite Atlanta pastime? Lately it has just been riding my bike. Whether it's an organized ride or a slow stroll on the Beltline, it is what I do to get some quality ME time.
All photos courtesy of Haley Sheffield Photography.
SOUTHBOUND
Recently, we were lucky enough to do a behind-the-scenes shoot at Southbound -- a fresh, locally sourced, southern-inspired restaurant in Historic Chamblee, Georgia. This farm-to-table fine dining experience, set in a stunning space, serves as the perfect weekend eatery for brunch, lunch or dinner.
QUICK ABOUT: Located in a renovated mercantile factory on the train tracks, Southbound's food is a celebration of the farmer; paying homage to southern heritage through seasonal table bounty. Their goal is to create a bucolic combination of flavors that excite, but never overshadow the fresh, local ingredients. View their delicious menu here. Southbound is also available for private events as their century-old building is rich in both history and rustic elegance, lending itself well to a variety of functions and event designs.
