Winona Park Ghost Crawl

The eeriest neighborhood crawl in Atlanta appears again in Winona Park on Sunday night.

Made for only the strong of heart and limb.

Starting just before dark, Winona Park comes 'Back from the Grave' for an evening of fun and fright as the whole neighborhood celebrates with the most elaborate Halloween stages in driveways, front yards, spook houses, shreeking music, and delicious candies for the strong willed. Children should be accompanied by their parents or other adults...just in case!

Jungle Drums

For just the second time, the nearly all girl African Drum band will perform from late afternoon until early evening. Just follow the rythmic beat starting near the southwest end of Kirk Road; they are awesome as the band beats the deep echo of the Kenyan jungle and along the Congo river.

Don't miss the treats, the music and this scary night in Winona Park. Oh mother, we're shaking already!

Oakhurst Arts and Music Festival

The 13th Annual Oakhurst Arts & Music Festival:

Saturday, October 9 from 10 am until 7 pm at the center of the Oakhurst community in Harmony Park.

Click for Additional information.

Events and features include:
• The 5K Arts Run/Walk
• Local artists
• Live musical performances
• Community area, featuring Decatur-based nonprofit groups
• Free activity area for children
• Good ol' fashioned parade
• Food and beverages at Oakhurst's many restaurants

This event is presented by the Decatur Arts Alliance in association with the South Decatur Community Development Corporation.

Oakhurst Loves Kids!
Keep those children happy and smiling during Decatur's Oakhurst Arts & Music Festival. The Children's area at the festival engages kids in fun and artful hands-on activities from 10 am to 4 pm. Join in the fun as a volunteer in the children's area. To volunteer please email oakhurstartsfestival@gmail.com

Oakhurst Loves the Community!
The annual Oakhurst Arts and Music Festival provides an opportunity for City of Decatur-based nonprofits to communicate their missions to the community.Fill out this form now for a booth space at the Festival's Community Pavilion, adjacent to the Artists’ Market, where you can provide literature and displays showcasing your organization.

Community Pavilion Application (PDF)

Oakhurst Loves Artists!
If you are an artist with original artwork to sell, the Oakhurst Arts and Music Festival invites you to apply for booth space in the juried artists market. There are limited spaces available and the quality of work accepted is high. Prizes for first, second and third place are judged on the day of the festival, and winners receive automatic entry and free booth space at next year's festival.

Artists Market Application (PDF)

Move or Remodel?

When your house no longer suits you, you can move or remodel. Find out which big change is the right investment of your housing dollars.

Just about everything else—remodeling costs, the hassle of living in a construction zone, or the ability to live happily without one more bathroom--is a personal preference. After all, your home isn’t just your largest investment; it’s also the place where your family lives.

1. Will remodeling make your home better than everyone else’s?
To make the right move-or-remodel decision, you have to know:

Your home’s value. Easy. Just ask a REALTOR® to estimate it and tell you how it compares with the value of the other homes in your immediate neighborhood. Ask her what she thinks your house will be worth after the improvements, too.
Your neighbors’ home value. Hit some open houses. Seeing the inside of area homes will inspire you; help you make good choices about finishes, room sizes, and how much to spend; and, admit it, entertain you.
Your remodeling costs. Once you’ve got your renovation vision, get a quote from a home improvement contractor or, if you’re remodeling it yourself, tally the costs of the items on your supplies shopping list.
Then add the remodeling costs to the value of your home. If the number you get is more than 10% above the average value of homes in your neighborhood, you’re over-improving and probably won’t be able to sell for what you put into the remodel.

Here’s why: No one wants to buy the most expensive home on the block (your home) if they can spend the same money to get a similar home on a block of higher-priced homes. Would you pay $200,000 to live on a block where all the other homes are valued at $100,000? We hope not.

Make home improvements that are typical for the neighborhood. Don’t put granite countertops in a trailer, and don’t put laminate countertops in a Trump Tower condo. Your tour of open houses gives you a chance to verify that your planned remodel isn’t an over- or under-improvement for the neighborhood.

2. Do you love where you live?
Want to keep your kids in the same school district, but can’t find or afford a bigger, better house? Love the neighbors? Have an easy commute to work? Stay put. If you’ve soured on the traffic, the neighborhood’s crime rate, or the nosy neighbors, move on.

3. Do you have room to expand?
If your remodeling plans include increasing the overall size of your home, the size of your lot may be the deciding factor in whether to move or remodel. If you live in a 1,500 sq. ft. ranch on a 3,000 sq. ft. lot, you might be able to add a second story to turn it into a 3,000 sq. ft. two-story, but you’re not likely to add 1,500 sq. ft. at ground level. And if you have a septic tank and well, the location of those will limit how and where you add onto your home (or cost you a bundle to move).

4. Can you afford to move?
Consider these moving costs: sale costs for your existing home, shipping your household goods, buying window treatments and possibly furniture for the new house, costs to fix up your existing home before sale, higher utility costs (if your next house is bigger), insurance cost differences, and property taxes.

To check out all the latest listings on the market in Decatur:
http://bit.ly/DecaturHomes200k-400k