This year’s Sandy Springs Festival will be held September 25-26, 2010. This year’s festival includes the Doug Kessler Lightning 5K/10K race, an artist’s market, business and civic expo, children’s park, Porsche North America’s Collector Car Show, Kiwanis Pet Parade, heritage crafters, live entertainment, food court, Whole Foods Heritage Homegrown Market, Saint Joseph’s Hospital health and wellness area and more.

The Sandy Springs Festival is proud to be a pet-friendly Festival!

The Sandy Springs Festival is a fundraiser for Heritage Sandy Springs, a non-profit organization dedicated to building community through preserving and promoting the historic and cultural identity of Sandy Springs. The City contracts with Heritage Sandy Springs for the operation of the park.

Sandy Springs Festival is held at Heritage Green, 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, Ga., next to City Walk and the surrounding area. Festival hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Shuttle service will provided by Cooper-Atlanta Transportation from Century Springs East and West Parking Lots located at the corner of Lake Forrest Drive and Hammond Drive to Sandy Springs Circle throughout the Festival weekend.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for youths aged 6-17 and children 5 and under are free.

For more information, visit the Festival Web Site www.sandyspringsfestival.com, contact the Festival staff at 404-851-1328 or e-mail at info@sandyspringsfestival.com.

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Sandy Springs Police Department and The New York Butcher Shoppe are teaming up for charity. Officers from the South District, Traffic Unit and Community Affairs section will be manning the grill and cooking hot dogs and hamburgers for sale at lunch on Saturday, August 14, 2010.

A burger or hot dog meal deal that day is only $4.99 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The New York Butcher Shoppe will donate 10 percent of all sales proceeds from that time period to the Police Department’s Benevolent Fund.

Also on hand will be police cars, the motorcycle and the Department’s Rhino along with the officers who will be on hand to give away Department memorabilia while doing a meet and greet.

Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Department held their charity at The New York Butcher Shoppe on Saturday, July 31, 2010. Fire Rescue Technician I Reginald McClendon was the “Guest Griller” and did a great job grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. Proceeds raised during the event went to the Friends of Sandy Springs.

The New York Butcher Shoppe is located at 4969 Roswell Road, Suite 215, in Sandy Springs.

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Heritage Sandy Springs will be holding their first ever Beer Festival on Saturday, August 14th. This outdoor beer tasting celebration will feature more than 70 different brews from brewers around the southeast. Local food and live music will round out the event, which runs from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Enjoy the music from Mystery Trip from 4-5:30 and party band, HouseBroken, from 6-8pm. The event will feature a variety of local food vendors including Slope’s BBQ, Meehan’s Public House, Papa John’s Pizza, Mike’s Hot Dogs and Teela Taqueria.

Be sure to check out the large selection of brewers and beers that will be on hand, including 5 Seasons Brewing Co., Belukus Marketing, Jailhouse Brewing, Kona Family, Magic Hat, Magner’s Cider, New Belgium, Peak Organic, Red Hook, RJ Rockers, Shock Top, Southern Tier Brewery, Spaten North America, Sweetwater Brewery, Terrapin, Thomas Creek Brewery, Widmer Brothers, Wild Blue and Woodchuck.

The Beer Fest will be held at the Heritage Green, on the Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn, 6110 Bluestone Road.  Heritage Sandy Springs members receive early access to the event from 3-4 p.m. Admission is $25.00 per person in advance, or $30.00 at the door and includes beer tasting. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hssbeerfest.com or at the gate the day of the event. Attendees can purchase non-alcoholic beverages and food from local vendors on site. You must be 21 or older to attend.

No outside food or beverage is allowed. Pets and smoking are not allowed. Parking is available on Sandy Springs Place in designated parking lots and in the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church’s Hitson Activity Center lot, on Sandy Springs Circle.

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Keller Williams Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Home Buyers for a Third Consecutive Year

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the third largest real estate company in the United States, has received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms for the third year in a row. The company also ranked second among home sellers in the study for the second year in a row.

“We are incredibly proud of our associates for earning this distinction and want to thank them for their commitment to their clients and communities,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. “We see this honor as demonstration of our company philosophy that it is the agent’s brand that matters most and no amount of money spent on advertising can replace the influence and reputations our agents have in their local communities. Our associates have earned this on their own, by building relationships in their communities.”

The study was produced by J.D. Power and Associates to measure home buyers and sellers customer satisfaction. The results of the home-buying experience were determined by three factors including the buyer’s experience with their agent, the real estate office and a variety of additional services. Keller Williams Realty performed particularly well in the agent and office factors. And, overall satisfaction of buyers for the industry was up over last year.

Additionally, the study noted that the importance of real estate agents has increased substantially in the past year, with buyers and sellers relying on the negotiating skills of their chosen agent and help in navigating the market.

“It is thrilling to see our firm, once again, get public recognition for its incredible focus on customer satisfaction from such a prestigious group. Our associates continually demonstrate that it is possible to deliver the highest level of customer service in one of the toughest real estate markets on record,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty. “We feel incredibly fortunate to be in business with them, and want to congratulate them on their hard work and dedication.”

In the past year, Keller Williams Realty has continued to grow despite the well-publicized turmoil in the real estate industry. In addition to becoming the 3rd largest real estate company in the U.S., surpassing RE/MAX®, Keller Williams Realty was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine and was voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises and the Trendsetter of the year for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

We at Keller Williams are obviously excited about this award because it supports our efforts to be leaders in the real estate industry by providing unparalleled customer service and local market expertise. Please contact us if we can be of assistance with your Atlanta real estate needs.

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• Black Friday

Great activity for the kids as summer winds down and back to school kicks in.

Bring your own canoe or kayak and join a ranger for a very leisurely float through the Palisades of the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs.

They will float a three mile section of the river from Powers Island to Paces Mill at US Highway 41. There are three mild class 2 rapids on this stretch of river suitable for beginners with some basic canoeing or kayaking experience. The Palisades has a narrow floodplain and steep ridges rising to over 1,000 feet. The area offers a great diversity of habitats and includes oak-hickory forest, steep north facing slopes, mesic ravine forest, and floodplain forest.

Created by the geologic action of the Brevard Fault, the river, and the effects of weather; this rugged and beautiful section of the river is habitat to an extraordinary array of fauna and flora. They will make several stops along the way including a Chinese bamboo grove, Sandy Point, and Devil`s Stair Step Beach (Diving Rock).

Reservations are required, so please call 678-538-1200 to make your reservation.

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With temperature expected to hover near the century mark today, the third annual Summer Splash in Sandy Springs offers a day of cool relief.

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Sandy Springs will be the fun and cool spot to hang out today. Paddle and drift past the river`s natural grandeur; witness a great blue heron in flight or the riffles of a river otter swimming. After completing the float enjoy an afternoon of music, food and fun for the entire family at the Powers Island festivities.

Follow the signs to park your vehicle at MEAG Power, 1470 Riveredge Parkway NW located near Powers Island and catch the free shuttle to Morgan Falls Dam to begin your river journey. The first shuttle will leave MEAG Power at 9:00 a.m. Plan on your river journey taking approximately 3 hours, depending on the rivers current and how much time is actually spent paddling!

Upon arrival at Powers Island enjoy the festivities and then catch the shuttle to your vehicle at MEAG Power. The last shuttle to MEAG Power will leave Powers Island at 4 p.m.

Bring your own boat, or rent a kayak, canoe or raft from one of the parks authorized outfitters. They will provide you with a boat, paddles, and U.S. Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs). Make your boat reservations early!

NOTE: Boaters with their own boats please drop off your boat, equipment, and passengers at Morgan Falls Dam first, park at MEAG Power and catch the shuttle.

There is no parking at Morgan Falls Dam!

The last shuttle to leave RiverEdge Center is at noon; after that the only shuttle will be from Powers Island to MEAG Power.

And one last reminder, don’t forget the sunscreen!

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The City of Sandy Springs and Target have teamed up for the 27th Annual National Night Out (NNO) in an effort to create a safer and healthier community. A children’s (ages 14 and younger) celebration will be held on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Hammond Park, 705 Hammond Drive.

The event will include car safety seat checks; information on how to sign up for or start a Neighborhood Watch program; the Fire Safety House, which provides a hands-on learning environment; fire trucks and police cars; meeting police officers and firefighters; and information on how to be safe in an emergency.

The nationwide event involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 11,000 communities in all 50 states. Target gives away 5 percent of its income to communities every week, which is more than $3 million per week. This year’s local sponsors include: Publix, FastSigns, Pig-n-Chick and Kroger.

If you would like more information on the City of Sandy Springs or this event, call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600

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Overlook Park

The City of Sandy Springs will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for its newest park addition – Overlook Park

The event will be held Wednesday, July 28, 2010, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the park, located at 200 Morgan Falls Road. Parking is at North Springs United Methodist Church, on the corner of Roswell Road and Morgan Falls Road. A shuttle will be provided.

There will be no on-site parking.

Join Mayor Eva Galambos, councilmembers and other dignitaries for hot dogs, soft drinks, games, prizes and other giveaways in celebration of the City’s fifth birthday.

Overlook Park at Morgan Falls is a 33.7-acre riverside park that features a boat dock, playground and historic chimney. The park offers spectacular views of the Chattahoochee River from the bluff.

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Don’t miss out. Be a part of history as GA 400 is temporarily closed for the inaugural Hospitality Highway Century to benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation!

The ride starts at exit 7 of Georgia Route 400, and will wind through Sandy Springs, Milton, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, and other scenic areas of North Fulton.

There are 8-mile, 25-mile, 63-mile, and 100-mile options. Registration is $40 ($45 if received after July 4th, including day of event) and includes a t-shirt, food, water and full mechanical support along the route. The ride is open to anyone 14-years of age or older.

The start/ finish point is located in the former Home Depot parking lot, next to the Publix, in the Kings Market shopping center, in Roswell. The exact address is:

1425 Market Blvd
Roswell, GA 30076

• Registration for all riders will open at 5:30 a.m.
• Anyone who arrives after 6:00 a.m. will not be allowed to ride on Ga. 400.
• Exiting the start point and entering Ga. 400:
  • Take a right onto Market Blvd.
  • Turn left onto Holcomb Bride Rd.
  • Turn left onto Ga. 400 South
• All persons involved with the ride – cyclists, fans, volunteers, staff, etc. – should only park their vehicles in the former Home Depot parking lot, NOT in front of Publix. Additional parking will also be available in the former Comp. USA parking lot, located off of Market Blvd., in the same shopping center.

All proceeds benefit The Georgia Transplant Foundation.

Click here to register now.

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Sandy Springs home buyers, you may yet get that homebuyer tax credit after all. This week, the Senate passed a bill to extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit until September 30th. It now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign the bill. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the House on Tuesday. The deadline had been June 30th to close on the property.

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed. The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension and the new closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010. There will be no gap between June 30th and the date the President signs the bill into law.

Before you get too excited, the bill doesn’t help anyone currently shopping for a home. Buyers must have signed a contract by April 30th to qualify for the tax break. At issue is when the deal must be finalized.

Repeat home buyers also have until September 30th to close on new homes and receive a tax credit of up to $6,500.

Congress has been trying to pass the extension for the last month, but it got caught up in the usual Washington politics. The extension is estimated to raise the deficit by $9 million.

An estimated 200,000 people have missed out on the tax credit because they wouldn’t have been able to close by the end of business Wednesday. Many are trying to take advantage of short sales, which are complicated deals to complete.

Contact us for all of your Sandy Springs real estate needs. We are local market experts and continue to find great deals for our clients.

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