Frenzied Friday feels
Apr. 19 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Tucker. As a journalist (and a regular citizen), it’s hard not to be disturbed by all the negative news coming down the pike, but I keep telling myself there’s a difference between “reading the news because it’s your job” and “wallowing in it because you think it’s your job.”
That is the very reason that Tucker-ites should head out to the many upcoming events happening right outside your door – ARTucker this weekend, the upcoming Blue Jeans & BBQ on April 26 and Tucker Day on May 3 (more about that in future newsletters), and the season’s first farmers market on Thursday, April 24 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church on Lavista Road.
💭 Have a great weekend and keep a level head,
Cathy
🐰 Easter at Tucker Presbyterian: Good Friday Service tonight, Fri. April 18 at 6 p.m. and Easter Sunday Service on Sun., April 20 at 10:30 am. Get details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Not staying out of the kitchen
😵 Even though a proposed, controversial 12-court pickleball complex at Tucker Recreation Center seems to be DOA for 2026, opponents are keeping their eyes on the ball on several fronts.
Heisman Trophy winner, former NFL player and pickleball enthusiast Danny Wuerffel, served up a letter to the Tucker City Council that was read at the April 14 meeting. In the letter, Wuerffel said although he supported the concept of pickleball in Tucker, he felt that people who don’t want it near their homes have a legitimate argument.
The former NFL quarterback, who played with the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins before retiring in 2002, urged the council to “go the extra mile in listening to the local residents, pay special attention to their reports on the potential devastating effects of the noise, and after considering all the information, make the best decision possible for the city of Tucker.”
🗒️ Read about his letter in this wrap-up and the other steps pickleball opponents are employing to plead their case.
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As if there were any other news…
🛞 + 🦱At the same meeting, the Tucker City Council discussed and held a public hearing for a Special Land Use Permit for a property that currently houses a non-compliant special event facility.
Luxe Events is requesting the SLUP with three concurrent variances for the property located on a 2.7-acre site located at 2101 Northlake Parkway, despite the fact that it has been operating for at least two years without the needed variances, and without an occupational tax certificate.
The owners of the complex say they are trying to come into compliance, but they want the variances anyway. As my dear, departed Uncle Willard would say, “That don’t make no sense.”
Fun fact revealed during the meeting: There is a hair salon operating in a space above a tire store in the same complex. Possible combo advertising hook: “Tread and Tresses.” Or maybe “Wheels and Waves.” Or….
🎉 Read the story here.
ARTucker is here
🖌️ Does it seem like we have been talking about this event forever? However, from the looks of the organization’s Facebook page, April 19’s ARTucker won’t disappoint, with something for everyone – including affordable art.
I went to the Dogwood Festival last weekend, and can honestly say that while the art was amazing, I’m not in any kind of income bracket that would allow me say, “That $15,000 glass sculpture seems like a real bargain.”
🎈Check out what to expect here.
🐰 Easter at Tucker Presbyterian: Good Friday Service tonight, Fri. April 18 at 6 p.m. and Easter Sunday Service on Sun., April 20 at 10:30 am. Get details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Don’t make this an oxymoron
🪧 A post on social media publicizing a “peaceful march” tomorrow is stirring up a lot of emotions, and not in a good way.
The post from Mobilize US Pocketbook Brigade invited people to Northlake Festival Shopping Mall on Lavista Road on April 19 at noon to “show support for people who have lost their jobs or have had their lives affected in other ways by the activities of the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and the haphazard cuts to departments and organizations.”
“This march is also to highlight growing concern regarding cuts outlined in the Project 2025 political initiative to reshape the federal government of the United States in order to consolidate power in the executive branch of our government in direct conflict with the rights and powers provided to us as citizens and to the branches of our government in the United States Constitution,” the post said.
The group will march down Lavista Road, cross the I-285 overpass, cross Lavista Road, and return to the Northlake Festival shopping center.
This is a peaceful protest, according to the post, and “no violent or vulgar behavior will be tolerated.” From the tone of some social media commenters, I am a bit worried. Like Sgt. Phil Esterhaus of “Hill Street Blues” says, “Be careful out there.”
☮️ Here’s the invite.
🐰 Easter at Tucker Presbyterian: Good Friday Service tonight, Fri. April 18 at 6 p.m. and Easter Sunday Service on Sun., April 20 at 10:30 am. Get details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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