Art: “An Artist At Work” exhibition of work by artist Kenneth M. Freeman continues, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville.

For families: “Historical Portraits” by Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, 7 p.m., Decatur Library, Decatur. FREE.

For kids: Synchronicity Theater’s “Free To Be…You And Me,” continues, 10:30 a.m., 7 Stages, Atlanta.

Music: Snoop Dogg performs, 9 p.m., Center Stage, Atlanta.

Sports: Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m., Philips Arena, Atlanta.

Stage: Ninja Puppet Sexy Death Puppet Show, 8 p.m., Eyedrum, Atlanta.

Have an event, venue, restaurant or performance in and around Atlanta? Add it to the AccessAtlanta.com calendar.

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading To do list: February 10 »

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ringmaster for "Zing, Zang Zoom" show is, for the first time in the circus' history, a magician: 24-year-old Alex Ramon.

Alex Ramon has been practicing magic since he was 13, has performed for family and neighbors, in libraries and homes around Richmond, Cali., where he grew up. He developed his talents enough to be a teen magic champion, then to tour the world with Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show, including a stop at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

And then came the phone call from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was still years away, but they were developing a show with a magic theme. Could he be their ringmaster?

At 23, Ramon became the second-youngest ringmaster in Ringling history, and the first magician to hold the title. On stage, he manages to make an elephant disappear and “gives kids what they’ve always wanted: control over the parents,” by making the adults levitate. (Here’s another profile of Ramon from the San …

Continue reading Q&A: Alex Ramon, ringmaster, magician, star of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Atlanta Feb. 12-21 »

Jantan, or JT, a Sumatran orangutan who lived at Zoo Atlanta since 1991, died yesterday. Photo by Zoo Atlanta

After last week’s sad good-bye to panda cub Mei Lan as she moved to China, there’s another farewell at Zoo Atlanta.

Sumatran orangutan J.T., a 20-year-old with long-term respiratory illness, died Monday evening.

Here’s the full press release sent out by the zoo:

Officials at Zoo Atlanta announced today that Jantan (J.T.), a 20-year-old male Sumatran orangutan, passed away early yesterday evening. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams had been actively treating the great ape for health complications caused by a long-term respiratory illness.

“The Zoo Atlanta family is deeply saddened by the loss of J.T., both as an individual and as an ambassador for a critically endangered species,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, Senior Vice President of Collections, Education and Conservation. “Our animal management and veterinary teams demonstrated exceptional commitment and …

Continue reading Another zoo farewell: Sumatran orangutan J.T. died »

Looking for something to do this Valentine's Day? Maybe the classic fairy tale romance, "Cinderella," as performed by the Atlanta Ballet will do the trick. Here's Christine Winkler as Cinderella, which continues through Feb. 14 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Photo by Charlie McCullers

Maybe it’s because my neighborhood grocery store has been pink and red and heart-covered since Jan. 2, but I’d all but forgotten this is Valentine’s Day week. (What tipped me off? The aisles are starting to turn all green and shamrocky.) Time to start making some plans.

Rana at the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog has done some legwork to find a solid list of free-to-cheap Atlanta Valentine’s Day date ideas, from the High Museum to Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum, from movies at The Strand to improv at Relapse.

There are dozens more Valentine’s Day events and ideas on the AccessAtlanta.com calendar, too.

Here are a few more ideas, but I’d love to hear yours, too! What are your plans …

Continue reading Don’t forget! Valentine’s Day events around Atlanta »

Film: The Atlanta Film Festival presents “Pip & Zastrow: An American Friendship” and a Q&A with the director, 7 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, 450 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. FREE.

For kids: Target Free Second Tuesdays, 1-7 p.m., Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Atlanta. FREE.

For kids: Allatoona Ally 2010 Coloring Book author autograph party, 3:30 p.m., Cobb Central Library, Marietta. FREE, RSVP requested.

Music: The Georgia Boy Choir Festival, including a performance by the American Boy Choir, 7 p.m., Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta. FREE.

Stage: “Mamma Mia!” opens, 8 p.m., Fox Theatre, Atlanta.

Have an event, venue, restaurant or performance in and around Atlanta? Add it to the AccessAtlanta.com calendar.

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading To do list: February 9 »

Art: “Columns, Stacks, Heaps and Piles” by artist Justin Richel continues, noon-8 p.m., Young Blood Gallery, Atlanta. FREE.

Books: Hannah and Kevin Salwen discuss “The Power of Half: One Famiy’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back,” 7:15 p.m., Decatur Library, Decatur. FREE.

For kids: Valentine’s Day Stories and Craft, 7 p.m., Clayton County Library Jonesboro branch. FREE.

History: Sharing the Story of Slavery, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Bulloch Hall, Roswell.

Music: Furthur, featuring Grateful Dead founders Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, performs, 7 p.m., Tabernacle, Atlanta.

Have an event, venue, restaurant or performance in and around Atlanta? Add it to the AccessAtlanta.com calendar.

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading To do list: February 8 »

The 200 mile per hour winds of an EF5 tornado in Greensburn, Kan. in 2007 bent this stop sign while debris stripped some of its plate. The sign and other artifacts from the tornado are on display at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. AJC photos by Jamie Gumbrecht

Flashback to eighth grade earth science: Mrs. Kuntz tries to explain Pangaea, tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes. This involves a lot of illustrations, movie clips, glossaries of terms we’ve never seen before, assurances that nobody in Michigan is likely to die from these things — not today, anyway — and the class singing the chorus of “Breaking Up is Hard To Do.” I always imagined we were imitating Little Eva, but I know now that it’s more Neil Sedaka’s thing. I’ll credit both for the education.

Fernbank's Cindy Sheehy stomps the ground to show how a (unusually sensitive) seismometer measures ground movement.

Still, that’s it. Every few years since then, I’ve written about homes ravaged by hurricanes, cities …

Continue reading PHOTOS: Fernbank’s new ‘Nature Unleashed’ exhibition »

Because the drink just can’t keep you warm enough, the Snuggie Pub Crawl is coming to Atlanta this weekend.

The ideas is to wear the as-seen-on-TV robe-blanket-snugglebunny device while you stroll around with a cocktail. No, no, they’re not just for reading or watching TV! I don’t know if you’re supposed to take yourself seriously while you do this, but the Snuggie Pub Crawl is clearly a Thing That People Do.

Here’s a video from an NYC Snuggie Pub Crawl:

Where will this bar hop be going? A string of Virginia Highland favorites — Limerick Junction from 1-3 p.m., Dark Horse from 3-4 p.m., Atkins Park from 4-5 p.m., Hand & Hand from 5-6 p.m., Neighbors from 6-7 p.m., followed by an after party at Blind Willie’s starting at 7 p.m.

For the record, I’ll be hanging out elsewhere Saturday night. The Snuggie and Schnapps crowd is a bit wild for me.

Want to go? Snuggie Pub Crawl, 1-8 p.m. Feb. 6. Virginia-Highland bars. $5 in advance, $10 at the door.

Continue reading Snuggie Pub Crawl wraps up in Va-Hi on Feb. 6 »

Here's a moment in Alvin Ailey Dance Company's "Revelations." The company returns to Atlanta this month to celebrate Judith Jamison’s 20th year as artistic director. AJC/Hyosub Shin

February in Atlanta gives us an incredible opportunity to learn and celebrate Black History Month through art and community, no matter your age or background.

Here’s an incredibly helpful (and thorough) list of Atlanta Black History Month events including: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances and gospel choirs at the Fox Theatre; dance and jazz at the Rialto Center for the Arts and Emory University’s Schwartz Center for Performing Arts; the Margaret Mitchell House’s Big Read events; a portrait exhibition at the Atlanta History Center; a photo exhibition at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site; exhibitions at Hammonds House and Spelman College; children and family activities at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center; “Our Town” at True …

Continue reading Great Atlanta Black History Month events in February »

A Mei Lan moment at Zoo Atlanta on Jan. 30, 2010. AJC/Phil Skinner

UPDATE 2/5: Mei Lan and Tai Shan have arrived in China, to “live TV coverage and a passionate crowd.”

If you thought that Mei Lan’s departure for China meant the end of our panda stories, welllllllll, well, you were wrong. We can do this forever.

• First, the video. I wish this were an actual story, but instead, it’s a string of clips patched together in a a few minutes on iMovie. If you just can’t get enough panda, here she is, being cute on her last day at Zoo Atlanta! (Or, for fancier video, here’s WSB’s report from the airport.)

• Second, I’ll update when I get confirmation that Mei Lan has arrived safely in Chengdu. Till then, here’s an interesting story from the Washington Post, which, of course, has people over in China to write about the arrival of Tai Shan, the National Zoo’s panda who shared a plane with Mei Lan.

• And finally, although I posted a quick update from yesterday’s farewell at …

Continue reading VIDEO: Panda Mei Lan’s last day at Zoo Atlanta »