We hope you're not too tired from trick or treating because the Arabia Alliance is offering an Autumnal Thanksgiving Giveaway! Just email your name to jeff@arabiaalliance with "Thanksgiving Giveaway" in the subject line by November 7th to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away some of our cool, branded gear, such as hoodies, t-shirts, bluetooth speakers, bags, bike tools, and signed books from our Arabia Reads series!
This autumn, we lost two big names in our Heritage Area family: Dawn Stewart Massey of Lithonia, and revered Arabia Mountain Ranger Mike Montgomery. Both were respected members of their communities, and both were lost unexpectedly. Read our Remembrance to learn more about Dawn's contributions and historic restorations in her hometown of Lithonia, and Ranger Mike's encyclopedic nature knowledge and poetic tendencies while ranging Arabia.
Who knew that the first volunteer firefighters of Rockdale County were actually monks from the Monastery of the Holy Spirit? No, it's not fiction. Read our latest Field Note about how the Monastery attained a fire truck and started tackling bushfires and other emergencies in the 1950s and '60s. The Arabia Alliance is currently compiling a photographic history of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area to include in an upcoming book to be published by Arcadia Publishing. This story was uncovered as part of that project! If you have historic images that you would like to share with us for this book then please contact Jeff Dingler, jeff@arabiaalliance.org.
Upcoming Events
Volunteer In The NHA!
Arts & Culture
We've got two cultural double features for you in November! On November 9, don't miss our last Monastery Highlights and Insights Tour of the year, 9:30am - 12pm.
On that same day, we'll also be tabling at World Planning Day featuring the DeKalb Green New Deal Festival, 10am-2pm at the DeKalb Government Service Center (178 Sams St, Decatur, GA 30030.)
For November 16, the Davison-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve is having a free Sip & Sketch Nature Notebooking at 12pm. And if you're already at the Nature Center, head down the street to Vaughters' Trailhead to check out our first-ever Movie in the Meadow at sunset on that same day. Stay tuned for more details about what movie we'll project on Vaughters' Barn.
Recreation & Nature
Get outside on November 16 and take a guided 6-mile hike with a trained "Friends of Panola" volunteer, through the restricted Conservation Area and up to the summit of Panola Mountain, 9am-2pm. (BONUS: Birds of Prey! Live Animal Presentation the next day, November 17, 1pm at Arabia Mountain Nature Center.) Speaking of double features, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve has one on November 23. Visitors to the nature center on this day can take part in an Arabia Mountain Bike Tour led by Ranger Shaundon, from 12-3:30pm. Click here to rent a bike! Also, going on that same day at the nature center, guests can have fun at Agri-fest 2024, a science and nature-based fair with local vendors and food, 10am-4pm. And instead of participating in Black Friday on November 29, why not head to Panola Mountain for an #OptOutside Day: Guided Mountain Hike? This three-mile trek is the perfect activity to walk off those post-Thanksgiving pounds.
