🌱 Pan African Festival A Success + Drive-Thru Monkeypox Testing

Hey, friends! It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Decatur-Avondale Estates Daily — back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy with a stray t-storm. High: 80 Low: 70.

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Here are the top three stories today in Decatur-Avondale Estates:

1. This weekend's Pan African Festival, held at Decatur Square, was a success. The event, hosted by the Beacon Hill Black Alliance, was held to celebrate and empower people of African descent in the Atlanta metro. Event organizers also aimed to highlight equity and education, including within the housing and legal system, for Atlanta's Black community. (11Alive.com WXIA)
2. Decatur's own Columbia High took the win over Kingsland Camden County, 13-10, in a thrilling matchup on Aug. 19. While the Kingsland Wildcats carved out a 7-0 advantage in the first quarter, the Columbia Eagles took a 13-7 lead over the Kingsland Wildcats by halftime. The Wildcats squeezed in another 3 points in the final quarter but were ultimately bested by the Eagles. (Subscription: Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
3. Metro Atlanta officials have opened up drive-thru monkeypox testing at Viral Solutions. The company's monkeypox testing location, Viral Solutions—Decatur, is located at 2512 North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta. Beginning today (Monday, Aug. 22), operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays; testing will be available Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Officials report additional Viral Solutions locations across the Atlanta metro will expand their testing in the near future. (CBS 46)

Today in Decatur-Avondale Estates:

• Exercise Your Brain! At Scott Candler Library (10:00 AM)
• Friends Of The Toco Hill Library Book Sale At Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library (3:00 PM)
• Zumba With Tani Mondays At Decatur Recreation Center (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Looking for a new house without leaving the Decatur/Avondale Estates area? One of these homes for sale in neighboring Scottdale might be the right pick for you. (Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch)
• Doggie Harmony Rescue in Decatur shares the story of Millie, who is seeking a new home. Millie has recently secured a spot in a jail dog program; however, adopters are still welcome to pre-apply. Reach out to or visit the rescue for more information. (Doggie Harmony Rescue via Facebook)
• The Atlanta-based CDC recently announced a "reset" of the organization, which will include internal staffing moves and steps to speed up data releases. The planned changes come amid criticism of the agency's response to COVID-19, monkeypox, and other public health threats. (WSB Atlanta)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you around!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a senior writer with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.