Artists will bring their art for sale and display, and many artists will also provide demonstrations. The festival will offer a children’s interactive market, food stands, and live music from Women of Rock and the Round, Gwen Hughes, and Brown and Taylor. Saturday the festival stays rolling with food and music for a block party from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The festival takes place on Apple Valley Road, directly behind the Oglethorpe MARTA station. MARTA will provide free parking for festival-goers. The Brookhaven Arts Alliance, a non-profit organization, organizes the event with the help of local volunteers. The Alliance is highly appreciative to all their volunteers, especially the returnees, but is always looking for more members of the community to get involved. For more information, visit brookhavenartsalliance.com.

The event includes a wide variety of exhibitions and multiple events around Atlanta and throughout the surrounding communities. The festival’s diverse offerings bring together professional and amateur photographers, general art enthusiasts, gallery owners, critics and collectors.

Hundreds of venues – from galleries to coffee shops – are involved, so it’s impossible to list them all here, but some highlights will include:

My Atlanta Exhibition: Photographers of all kinds are encouraged to bring their best print to hang in the Piedmont Park Community Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Impossible Project: In 2008, The Impossible Project saved the last Polaroid production plant and started to invent produce new instant film materials for traditional Polaroid cameras. Dave Bias will take about the challenges of the project Oct. 14, 7-9 p.m. at King Plow Arts Center.

Chip Simone Lecture: Local artist Chip Simone and High Museum photography curator Brett Abbott will discuss Simone’s work, which is part of the exhibition The Resonant Image, on Oct. 20, 7 to 9 p.m.

ACP Film Series: There will be screening of films of all types – from traditional 35mm to smartphone camera epics – at The Goat Farm Arts Center on Oct. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Photobook Fair: ACP hold the fair to showcase self-published photo books and gives photographers a chance to show and sell their books to the public on Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piedmont Park Community Center.

For a full schedule and to download the program, visit acpinfo.org.

The weekend will feature live music performances, art, exhibitions, food, and the annual parade on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. along Peachtree Street to Piedmont Park.

Rather than pick one or two grand marshals for the parade, the Atlanta Pride Committee accepted nominations from the community and picked a group of activists and  personalities including Lynn Barfield, Dee Dee Chamblee, Duchess Claud, Paulina Hernandez, Topher Payne and Rick Westbrook.

The official kick-off party will be held at the Georgia Aquarium on Friday, Oct. 7, with guest djs and a performance by JujuBee from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Kaiser Permanente is sponsoring the Community Health Expo, which will gather community health and service organizations in one central location in Piedmont Park during the weekend. Whether you need a hepatitis vaccine, information on preventing breast cancer, an HIV test or general information on staying healthy, these organizations can help.

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be two stages featuring a variety of entertainment including Hannah Thomas, Michelle Malone, Gurufish, Michael Jon, Justin Utley, Ari Gold, Wynter Gordon, Alexis Jordan and this year’s headliner, dance diva Deborah Cox.

There’s also a slew of marches, parties and other events happening at the weekend, so visit atlantapride.org to see the full schedule.

One of the oldest LGBT film festivals in the country, Out On Film has expanded to eight days after one of its most successful years ever in 2010. In addition to more than 50 films from countries all over the world, Out On Film has films with such recognizable talent as Margaret Cho (Cho Dependent), Cheyenne Jackson, Julia Ormond and Ileana Douglas (The Green), Morgan Fairchild (eCupid), Dolly Parton (From Hollywood to Dollywood) singer Chely Wright (Wish Me Away), and Charlie David and Sean-Paul Lockhart/Brent Corrigan (Judas Kiss). Director Eytan Fox (The Bubble, Walk on Water and Yossi & Jagger) is represented with his award-winning Mary Lou.

Among the other highlights of the festival are a world premiere of former Atlantan Christopher Hines’ Man 2 Man: A Gay Man’s Guide to Finding Love, a world premiere of Michael Aker’s Morgan, about a young gay man whose spirit and drive prevents him from accepting his new life as a paraplegic, as well as the East Coast premiere of Eating Out: Open Weekend, the fifth installment in the gay comedy franchise. Hines’ Legalize Gay will also premiere at the festival.

“We are thrilled at what we consider to be one of the strongest line-ups in Out On Film history, with award-wining films, lots of premieres, guests and plenty of local flavor,” says festival director Jim Farmer.

A number of programs will honor the 30th anniversary of the AIDS Crisis. Besides Through the Eyes of the AIDS Storm: Jesse Peel, Out on Film will team with Atlanta Pride to screen the award-winning We Were Here. Out On Film will also show the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence documentary That’s My Nun!

Festival passes are $115 and on sale through outonfilm.com, where you can also find a complete line-up of the films. Individual tickets will be available at the screening venues.

In the great spirit of ice cream, Piedmont Park will be hosting the 2nd Annual Atlanta Ice Cream Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10.  Aside from the multiple ice cream vendors, there will be food, beverages, and live entertainment available. Don’t worry; there will be health and fitness activities for the opportunity to burn off those calories. There will also be public and private Community Agencies to provide health screenings and resource information. A portion of the proceeds will also go to the Lupus Foundation of America-Georgia Chapter.

The event will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. So mark the calendars, and gather the family for an amazing day at the park. For more information, visit the festival’s Facebook page facebook.com/atlantaicecreamfestival

The Atlanta BAR-B-Q Festival will showcase the many styles, cooking techniques and flavors of barbecue – from chicken and brisket to ribs and pulled pork.

“Last year we were overwhelmed by the turnout and the demand at the festival and we have been working to build an even better event for 2011,” said event founder and president Bob Herndon.

More than 50 barbecue teams from across the country gather to cook up their best “Q” and compete for more than $10,000 in cash prizes, trophies and bragging rights. Both professional and backyard amateur teams will battle to win awards in a variety of cooking categories including whole hog, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket, sauce and more.

Teams will be selling sample sized portions of their championship styled barbecue throughout the weekend for $1 per sample as part of the events People’s Choice Award Contest. The event will also showcase more of Atlanta’s top barbecue restaurants serving up their specialties. There will also be live entertainment, an interactive Kids Area and more.

Teams interested in competing should visit atlbbqfest.com.

By Tim Sullivan

Reynoldstown resident Catherine Woodling is carrying the heavy load in adding a startup 5k to one of Intown’s favorite annual events.  This humble scribe heartily recommends a kickstart to the feel good vibes of the Wheelbarrow Festival with a 3.1-mile tour.

It’s been said that so much depends on a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater, beside the white chickens…is that what is at play here?

The wheelbarrow is a symbol of the working class railroad workers and freed slaves who settled Reynoldstown in the 1860′s. It is also an homage to the first half-decade of the Reynoldstown festival when neighbors and friends came together with supplies in their wheelbarrows to construct the performance stage. It was a memorable visual.

Alright, well, I lifted that little opening ditty from the poet William Carlos Williams but it seems he would relish the fact that the sentiment is alive and well. Wheelbarows, chickens – who knew?!

We count among our animal neighbors many a feathered fowl. Their contributions to the community – eggs, pillows, well-timed wakeup calls – are invaluable. I’m glad you’ve called attention to our often underappreciated companions – and wheelbarrows. People like wheelbarrows, too.

Indeed they do. A wheelbarrow is like a really helpful uncle – perhaps rickety but useful. I’ve been to the Wheelbarrow Festival several times myself and know it is a rollicking good time but for the folks who have not, can you describe it?

The festival represents the neighborhood – electrifying, diverse, quirky, and one heck of a good time. The music ranges from Colonel Bruce Hampton & Grant Green Jr., Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Noot d’ Noot, Atlanta Funk Society, 3052 Dub Collective, Dante Harmon and many more. Festival-goers will also enjoy an artist market, health fair, Atlanta’s best food vendors, and a Wheelbarrow Jr. for the kids. (wheelbarrowfestival.com)

Wait’ll Noot sees us! He loves us! Actually, I have no idea who that is but I dig the name and must see for myself. Now, this is the first year a 5k race is being put on in conjunction with the 16 year old festival. How did it all come together?

After many years of organizing a parade that more people enjoyed participating in than watching, adding a 5K race to our festival activities was a no brainer. We wanted to jump on the Atlanta running movement bandwagon as a way to bring our community closer together and to introduce other Forrest Gump-ian Atlantans to Reynoldstown.

What should people expect to see on their jaunt through the streets of Reynoldstown?

Reynoldstown is known for its craftsman cottages juxtaposed with modern homes, civil war relics in old pecan orchards and street art that is equally loved and loathed by many.  You’ll get a taste of everything that makes Reynoldstown and nearby Cabbagetown distinctive, eccentric and captivating neighborhoods.

Not to mention a close-up gander at Stein Steel!  Who are the early favorites to garner fastest male and female Reynoldstown resident accolades?

My good friend Evan Strange would be upset if I didn’t peg him as the fastest male in the neighborhood. Fastest female is a toss-up. Which one of you readers is up for the challenge?

And just to clarify – would you say it is required, recommended, permitted or forbidden to push an actual wheelbarrow for the 3.1 miles? Because if I’m going to win this thing I might need to replace ol’ red…

While the unimaginative agents at the insurance company frown upon racing actual wheelbarrows, we strongly encourage the use of red strollers, red tennis shoes, red sweatbands and faces red with healthy exertion. Feel free to wear that chicken costume again and break out into the Chicken Dance after you cross the finish line. How did this become all about chickens?

That wasn’t me (blushing).

Kicking off the festival on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. is the Adams Realtors 5K Run for the Park (more details on Page ?). The artist market will be open from 10 a.m. to  7 p.m. Live entertainment also revs up at 10 a.m. and will continue to  11 p.m. and a children’s fun center opens at 11 a.m.

Also, back by popular demand is Corks & Forks — A Fine Food and Wine Event, which will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Atlanta’s top chefs will offer specialty items and participants will be able to taste some of the coolest wines and ales on the Atlanta market. Corks & Forks is a ticketed event with a limited number of tickets available $35 in advance or $45 at the gate. Saturday and Sunday tickets sold separately.

The event is planned and coordinated by the Grant Park Conservancy, the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival, Inc., and Adams Realtors. Proceeds from the event benefit the Grant Park Conservancy and its efforts to restore the historic green space. For more information, visit gpconservancy.org.