...a glance at what's making the news...

    

Monster Jam at the Georgia Dome
Live Nation is one of the world’s largest producers and promoters of specialized motor sports events, presenting over 300 events consisting of over 500 performances at premier arena and stadium venues across North America. The Georgia Dome is proud to host Monster Jam – one of the events that attracts over 7 million spectators each year. The color, light, sound, speed and intense action of Monster Jam transports fans from the ordinary, to a place where larger than life monster trucks that fly through the air with ease and crush cars beneath their enormous wheels is all in a days work. The United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) sanctions the world’s premier monster trucks in the industry including Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, Madusa, Bounty Hunter, Bulldozer, Avenger, Hot Wheels, Monster Mutt, Superman, El Toro Loco and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, designed after the Michelangelo character. These are just a few of the names of over 100 different trucks that compete at the Monster Jam events. Come and cheer on your favorite on Jan. 13! www.monsterjamonline.com

Louvre Atlanta

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.  “Kings as Collectors” – the first exhibit from the Louvre Atlanta partnership – is now open until January 28, 2007. Among the highlights of the exhibition is Raphael’s “Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione,” one of the top treasures from the Louvre’s permanent collection. This collection is the first exhibit of a three-year partnership to bring hundreds of masterpieces to Atlanta. www.high.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're missing!  www.atlantadowntown.com

Atlanta Boat Show at GWCC
The Atlanta Boat Show is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the world's largest producer of boat shows. NMMA is the leading association representing a $33 billion a year recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the U.S. so there will be plenty to take in at the annual Atlanta Boat Show in Building C of the Georgia World Congress Center Jan. 10 - 14. www.atlantaboatshow.com

Flexcar
Flexcar has partnered with Lanier Parking Systems to bring a new transportation alternative to Downtown and Midtown. Flexcar members save hundreds each month by paying to use a car for immediate needs, such as errands, rather than owning a car. 40 Flexcars – a fleet of low emission, fuel-efficient hybrid cars will be parked in reserved parking spaces throughout downtown and midtown Atlanta. Flexcars are available by online or telephone reservation; users pay an hourly fee that covers gas, insurance, maintenance, 24/7 emergency assistance and reserved parking at lots, decks and MARTA stations. Other cities with Flexcars include Washington, D.C., Seattle and San Francisco. Atlanta was selected because of its increasing growth rate. www.flexcar.com

Broadway Dance Center: The Pulse at the GWCC
The Pulse is BDC's exciting Hip-Hop and Jazz weekend event. This year, the Pulse is going to SEVEN cities and will conclude with a finale workshop in NYC at the Summer Dance Fest 2007! Register now to join us Jan. 20 – 21 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center in Building B; this popular workshop fills up quickly! For more information, visit us at www.pulseontour.com or call (212) 582-9304 x 27.

It’s a Peach to Take MARTA on Peachtree Street
MARTA has brought one-bus service back to Atlanta's most famous thoroughfare, Peachtree Street. For the first time in nearly 30 years, customers can travel from Lenox Mall to the State Capitol in a single vehicle. The Peach (Route 110) features specially designed buses that run every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 1 a.m., seven days a week. Fare is $1.75, which includes transfers to MARTA rail or bus. The Peach (Route 110) replaces the existing Route 10, between the State Capitol and Arts Center. Bus Route 23, which connects the Arts Center and Lenox rail stations, will continue with its current route and will be enhanced with a stop at Atlantic Station. www.itsmarta.com/getthere/schedules/110.htm

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Atlanta Civic Center
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, is now at the Atlanta Civic Center. 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 will be on view, including a 3,000 pound piece of the ship's hull. The exhibit will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday – Thursday, and 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday - Sunday. www.atlantaciviccenter.com

The Morehouse College, MLK Jr. Collection Opening Celebration at the Atlanta History Center

Gather on Jan. 15 at the Atlanta History Center to honor the memory and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with the free public opening of the premier exhibition, I Have a Dream. Tour the exhibition and explore Dr. King’s personal papers, sermons, and speeches.Opening day festivities include a performance by internationally known a cappella group D-Vine; a video presentation of "Children of Courage"; a scavenger hunt-style family guide; hands-on activities including "Make a Protest Sign"; and an opportunity to let the King family and Morehouse College know how much seeing this exhibit means to you by leaving a note or special drawing on a scroll that will be presented to them at the end of the day. And, don’t miss the 2 p.m. ceremonial ribbon cutting with Mayor Shirley Franklin. This free public opening day also includes free entrance to all Atlanta History Center exhibitions, historic houses, gardens and trails. Parking is also free. www.atlantahistorycenter.com

Volunteer Work Day at Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park invites you to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and be part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Summit on Monday, Jan. 15. Presented by Hands on Atlanta, volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for “a day on, not a day off”, to help dismantle the Park's Holiday in Lights display. The lights will be donated to the Atlanta Community Tool Bank, a non-profit agency dedicated to strengthening neighborhoods. Individual volunteers are welcome or you can share the experience by volunteering as a group. Make it a celebratory outing by volunteering with family, friends, co-workers, church groups or civic organizations. If you are interested in volunteering at the Park, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Jennifer Tinker, by calling 404-223-4412 or e-mailing jtinker@centennialpark.com.

Honda Battle of the Bands at the Georgia Dome
They’re back—in high-stepping fashion, and soon to be in vibrant, high-definition digital color!  The stage is set once again as ten of America’s top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands are prepping to throw down the gauntlet, and take their places in history in the “Super Bowl” for marching bands: The fifth annual Honda Battle of the Bands on Jan. 27. www.hondabattleofthebands.com

Southeastern Flower Show at the GWCC
The Southeastern Flower Show is the premier gardening and horticultural event in the Southeast to be held Feb. 7 – 11 in the Georgia World Congress Center Building C. Since 1988, the Show has promoted conservation and awareness of the natural environment through education, horticultural excellence and artistic expression. In addition to juried competition in landscape, floral design and horticulture, the Show features a marketplace of 95+ vendors, dramatic landscaped gardens, internationally recognized speakers, floral and cooking demonstrations, educational activities for children of all ages and more.  Proceeds from the Show enable The Legacy Garden, an annual outreach program which provides the gift of a therapeutic garden to an organization within the Atlanta community. www.flowershow.org

Life By Design Workshop at the GWCC

The workshop is a seminar about life. The seminar will be held on Jan. 27 in the Georgia World Congress Center in Building A. Doors open at 9 a.m. This event is open to the public. The cost for this event is $95 per person. Registration can be done by calling (940) 995-2054 or by registering on-site the day of the event. For more information please log onto www.knowledgism.com or call (940) 995-2054.

Cheersport Grand Championship at the Georgia Dome
New for 2006-2007 is the Grand Championship Series of events. Each Grand Championship brings a "Nationals" experience to the regional level with large venues, elevated stages with professional lighting and sound, springs floors, great awards and more... all in a one-day event! The “Dome” will be rockin’ like never before on Jan. 28. www.cheersport.net

An Afternoon with Sylvia Brown at the GWCC
Have you ever wondered why some relationships are wonderful and others are just catastrophic and tragic? Why do we get along with some people and with others just seem to constantly engage in bitter fighting? In this all new lecture based on her fascinating new book, Spiritual Connections, Sylvia examines why we form our relationships with certain individuals . . . for better or for worse. Join Sylvia Brown and Colette Baron-Reid on Feb. 3 in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom in Building B. www.gwcc.com

Atlanta Classic Pro Bull Riding Competition at the Georgia Dome

The rules are simple. Place a wiry 150-pound cowboy on the back of a hulking, snorting temperamental 2,000 pound bull and see if he can ride the beast for an eternal eight seconds...with one hand strapped to the bull's massive backside. Come witness the excitement on Feb. 3. www.pbrnow.com

Georgia Tech vs. UCONN Men’s Basketball Game at the Georgia Dome
Join us as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets face off with the University of Connecticut Huskies on Feb. 11. This non-conference charity basketball game will be played to benefit Scottish Rite and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. www.gadome.com

Hartsfield-Jackson Ranks as “World’s Busiest Airport”
For the second year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) was ranked the busiest airport in the world by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), accommodating close to one million flights in 2006. In 2006, HJAIA accommodated 976,307 flights, edging out second-place Chicago O’Hare Airport by more than 17,000 flights. Last year, HJAIA added several new international travel locations. www.atlanta-airport.com

Please pass this email along...if you would like to subscribe please email apace@gwcc.com