Wednesday WindDown at COP
The best way to get through the work week and over hump day is by taking in a free concert! Wednesday WindDown is the longest running free concert series in Atlanta that features live concerts by some of the best music acts in town. Enjoy everything from jazz to contemporary music performed live on stage, continuing through the summer every Wednesday evening from 5:30 – 8 p.m. in the Southern Company Amphitheater. www.centennialpark.com

FIRST Robotics Championship at Georgia Dome
Join us at the Georgia Dome for a celebration of everything that makes FIRST unique April 13-14! Enjoy the energy of the FIRST Robotics Competition, the excitement of the FIRST Vex Challenge and the spirit of the FIRST LEGO League. The FIRST Championship is open to the public and free of charge. www.usfirst.org

29th Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show at GWCC
The 29th Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show at the Georgia World Congress Center April 12 – 15, is Georgia’s largest and longest-running home show. The Spring Home Show will feature more than 350 exhibitors with the latest ideas for living the good life in Atlanta. Home experts will be available on site throughout the weekend to give advice and demonstrate the latest in decor, remodeling and home entertaining. www.atlantahomeshow.com

A3C Independent Hip-Hop Festival at The Loft
For its third year, the A3C Festival hits Atlanta April 12 – 14 at the Loft. Organized by Arc the Finger Records, the three-day event will include dozens of acts from around the country, and give some much-needed shine to a community overshadowed by the city's world-famous urban music industry. Don’t miss the Women in Hip Hop discussion panel and exhibition April 13 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. www.atfhiphop.com

71st Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park
Spring is in the air and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is back! The Dogwoods will be in full bloom, and hundreds of artists from around the country will fill the walkways of Piedmont Park for the 71st Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. This year's festival will be held April 13 - 15. www.dogwood.org

VDinx Designs Atlanta Superfly Fashion Show at GWCC
VDinx Designs Atlanta and Taurus Entertainment in conjunction with Mystic RuBoie International will present a nostalgic night to remember on April 14 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The Super Fly 70’s Full Figure Fashion Show Extravaganza will spotlight a series of designs of distinguishing couture and finely tailored garments that cater to the voluptuous woman. www.vdinx.com

Salute to Beethoven at Georgia State University
The Atlanta Chamber Players present "Salute to Beethoven," a concert on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Florence Kopleff Recital Hall at Georgia State University. www.music.gsu.edu

ACVB Annual Meeting at GWCC
The 94th Annual Meeting of the ACVB on April 17 will celebrate non-profits based in Atlanta. These organizations brand the city on a global scale with their hospitality and services. Come pay tribute to these groups that make Atlanta a better place to live and visit. This year’s meeting also features a panel discussion moderated by Mayor Shirley Franklin. www.atlanta.net

CAP/ADID Town Hall Meeting at Hyatt Regency
Make plans to attend the quarterly Town Hall Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta at 7:30 a.m. on April 19. CAP/ADID wants you to join the efforts to make Downtown a fantastic place to live, work and visit. To attend, please RSVP to richorr@centralatlantaprogress.org.

National African American Earth Day Summit at Morehouse College
Speakers on April 19 include Senator Barack Obama and Congressman John Lewis at Morehouse College from 7 - 9 p.m. at the MLK Chapel. www.keepingitwild.org

31st Atlanta Film Festival
The 31st Atlanta Film Festival, the longest-running and most celebrated event of its kind in the Southeast, is April 19 - 28, 2007. The festival will kick off with an Opening Night Extravaganza on April 19 at the state-of-the-art Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station Stadium 16, in the heart of Atlanta’s fashionable Midtown district. In partnership with Landmark Theatres, the next nine-days of the Atlanta Film Festival will be centrally located at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema creating a “synergistic festival experience.” http://www.atlantafilmfestival.com

Wellspring Christian Women’s Conference at Georgia Dome
Make plans to be involved in an unusual day of spiritual encouragement on April 21, featuring a remarkable line-up of special guests including Dr. Robin Smith, John Tesh, Paula White, Dr. Debra Morton, Cindy Jacobs, Ashley Smith, Shaunti Feldhahn and more! Todd Fields, Candi Pearson and Destiny Praise will also lead worship. www.wellspringliving.org

Earth Day Celebration – Arms Around Atlanta
Join Mayor Shirley Franklin in Grant Park as she kicks off the Greener Atlanta Initiative on April 21 at 1:30 p.m., then participate in the many activities sponsored by the city recognizing our favorite planet! Green Team cleanup and recycling around the Beltline and E-waste recycling at Turner Field are just some of the things to do. On April 21 - 22 enjoy entertainment, organic and local food tasting, eco-education and arts at Grant Park. www.atlantaga.gov

2007 Tour De Georgia Finale at COP
The 5th Annual Tour De Georgia finale is April 22 in an 8.5 mile race course, making 9 laps through downtown Atlanta. The race starts at 1 p.m. and ends at approximately 4:30 p.m. Traffic will be able to cross the course at appropriate times. This is a great day to plan on watching the race and not stressing the traffic! www.tourdegeorgia.com

Fourth Saturday Family Fun Day at COP
Enjoy an afternoon of FREE, themed family fun once a month from spring to fall at Centennial Olympic Park's Fourth Saturday Family Fun Day! The event is full of interactive, entertaining and educational activities for children and each Saturday features a different theme. Join us on April 28 for a day of “All About Art.” www.centennialpark.com

WalkAmerica March of Dimes Walk at COP
WalkAmerica, March of Dimes largest fundraiser on April 28, supports research and programs to help prevent premature birth, birth defects, and infant death. Premature birth is the top cause of newborn death and endangers the lives of more than half a million babies. www.centennialpark.com

ALIVE! Expo at GWCC
ALIVE! Expo is a two day health and wellness event for the entire family April 28 - 29. In just one exciting weekend you will learn first hand about an alternative approach to health and wellness, receive nutritional guidance, watch interactive yoga, pilates and fitness demonstrations, view healthy cooking demonstrations, listen to lectures from industry health and wellness experts, sample great food, enjoy free massages and go home with tons of free product samples. www.aliveexpo.com

Diversity Job Fair at GWCC
For the past 10 years the PSI Diversity Job Fair has been the “official” Diversity Job Fair of the NAACP National Convention and the National Urban League Conference. Join the 2007 celebration of diversity on April 30 to be recruited by some of Atlanta’s top companies at the top Executive Diversity Job Fair. www.psijobfair.com

Climb Atlanta at Bank of America Building
Join 1000 stair climbers and go up to the top of the BentleyForbes-Bank of America Plaza building on Peachtree Street to benefit the American Lung Association on April 21 at 10 a.m. Money raised from Climb Atlanta helps the American Lung Association fight for clean air and healthy lungs. www.alase.org

Sesame Street Exhibit at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta
If you love watching Sesame Street on television, imagine stepping right onto 123 Sesame Street. Children will have the chance to feel like they are a part of the show! They will learn all about their ABCs and 123s as they skip through the familiar places, like Gina’s Day Care Center, Oscar’s Newsstand and Bird Air Travel Agency. www.imagineit-cma.org

Turner First Thursday
On the first Thursday of every month, art lovers can view the arts, tour the historic districts of Downtown and enjoy various discounts at Downtown restaurants. Turner First Thursdays is a self-guided tour of galleries, with no beginning or ending point, you are free to move at your own pace. Selected by Atlanta Magazine as the Best Art Crawl, come see what you are missing on May 3! www.atlantadowntown.com

Peachtree’s 14.5 Mile Stretch to Get Extreme Makeover
In a report unveiled on March 26 at City Hall, the Peachtree Corridor Task Force made a number of recommendations that will change the way people live, work, drive and even bike along Atlanta's most famous boulevard. The Task Force's proposal will transform Peachtree, from Club Drive in the north to Fort McPherson in the south, into an international destination. The plan calls for the return of streetcars to the city's center, wider sidewalks, bicycle lanes and new parks and public spaces featuring extensive landscaping and artwork. The nearly billion dollar price tag will be covered by a combination of city, state, federal, corporate and philanthropic funds over the twenty year life span of the project. www.peachtreecorridor.com

Fiesta Atlanta at COP
Atlanta’s largest Hispanic outdoor family festival, Fiesta Atlanta will take place May 6 at Centennial Olympic Park. Over 25,000 people are expected to attend the first of what will become Atlanta's annual signature Hispanic event. Fiesta Atlanta will take place on Cinco de Mayo weekend and will be a day long celebration of Latino culture, music and food. Featuring continuous live performances by national and local artists, vendor booths offering free product samples, arts and crafts, and authentic Latino foods. www.fiestaatlanta.com

31 Days of Jazz and Atlanta Jazz Festival in May
Popular returning events during 31 Days of Jazz include Dinner and Jazz, Eclectic Jazz, Jazz Etc. and Nightlife. New this year is “A 30 Year Retrospective: The Atlanta Jazz Festival in Photographs” at the City Hall East Gallery from May 3 – 31. The grand finale of 31 Days of Jazz is the 3-day Atlanta Jazz Festival, the largest free festival in the country. Held on Memorial Day weekend at Piedmont Park, 2007 festival headliners include the Herbie Hancock Quartet on May 26, the Pete Escovedo Orchestra with Sheila E. on May 27 and the Laws Family on May 28. www.atlantafestivals.com

Woodruff Park Reading Room
The Reading Room is an open-air reading room in the northern portion of Woodruff Park. In partnership with the Fulton County Library, carts are stocked with a selection of books, periodicals and newspapers available to the public. Pick up a book and enjoy lunchtime readings and programs Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Reading Room closes in bad weather and for special events. www.atlantadowntown.com

Hotlanta Hospitality Happy Hour at Ruth Chris’s Steak House
Join us for the 2007 edition of the Hotlanta Hospitality Happy Hour on May 10 from 5 - 7 p.m. This informal gathering is an opportunity for members of Atlanta's hospitality community to network, catch up with colleagues from every aspect of the industry and discuss the exciting things happening all across our great city. HHHH is the second Thursday of every month. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or being added to our mailing list, please email agrubbs@gwcc.com.

Anderson Cooper Book Signing at CNN
Cooper will be in The Turner Store signing copies of his book, Dispatches From the Edge, May 11 from noon – 2 p.m.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Atlanta Civic Center
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, is now at the Atlanta Civic Center until May 6. Visitors will be drawn back in time as they step into fully reconstructed replicas of Titanic’s first and third class rooms. More than 300 actual artifacts recovered from Titanic’s debris field are on view, including a 3,000 pound piece of the ship's hull. www.atlantaciviccenter.com

Music @ Noon at COP
Music @ Noon is the perfect summer lunchtime getaway! Get out of the office for a mid-day break filled with sunny skies and great entertainment. Local talent performs a variety of music, including R&B, jazz and reggae. Music @ Noon is every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the summer from noon – 1p.m. in the Southern Company Amphitheater. www.centennialpark.com

Louvre Atlanta at the High Museum
Louvre Atlanta is an unprecedented partnership between the High Museum of Art and the Musée du Louvre in Paris that will bring hundreds of works of art from the Louvre's collections to Atlanta over the next three years. Built around specific themes and periods, the High will present a series of long-term special presentations of art from the Louvre beginning October 2006 through 2009. www.high.org

Design at Play at the Museum of Design Atlanta
This multi-media exhibit, featuring wide samples of print advertising and marketing materials, billboard executions, premium design, on-air spots, Web sites and online games, each designed to support the network’s original animated programming, will spotlight the local talents of Cartoon Network’s renown team of designers, writers, animators, producers and graphic artists. Spanning three full galleries at MODA, this first-time partnership also will explore the process of creating an animated television program from doodles and 3-D models to styleguides and storyboards. Futhermore, Design at Play will review the “holistic” approach to branding and promotion through multimedia platforms, explore product design and packaging for retail and highlight creative examples of more traditional advertising. www.museumofdesign.org

Atlanta Thrashers Make Playoffs for First Time
The City of Atlanta congratulates the Southeast Division Champion Atlanta Thrashers hockey league for their first playoff run in franchise history! Last week, Atlanta Thrashers representatives and team mascot “Thrash” brought the beloved Stanley Cup, the most well-known championship trophy, to Atlanta City Hall on its national tour. www.atlantathrashers.com

Free Wi-Fi Now Available at Centennial Olympic Park
Free wireless Internet access is now available in and around the Visitor Center and FountainSide Café at Centennial Olympic Park. Visitors wishing to utilize this service need to have a laptop equipped with a wireless network card. Accessing the network is then as simple as connecting to the "PARKWIFI" network and opening an Internet browser, no registration required. Centennial Olympic Park’s Visitor Center is home to the commemorative brick locators, public restrooms and friendly volunteers who can answer questions about the Park as well as the city of Atlanta. The Visitor Center is open daily; hours vary on holidays and by season. www.centennialpark.com.

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