Dinner at the Palms schedules encore performance of 'It's a Mystery to Me: Atlanta & the KKK'

[December 12, 2013]  ATLANTA — Due to popular demand, a second date has been scheduled for presentation of the "It's a Mystery to Me: Atlanta & the KKK" program at the Palms Grill Café in Atlanta. The originally scheduled KKK program will still be presented on Friday, Dec. 13, but because that evening is now fully booked and so many folks have called trying to get a reservation, the program will be repeated on Friday, Jan. 3.

To make a reservation for the Jan. 3 KKK program or any of the other programs remaining in the series, phone [phone] between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, or leave a voice message with your phone number at other times.

The Atlanta Public Library and Museum is presenting "Dinner Programs at the Palms Grill Café," a free series of events at the Palms Grill, 110 SW Arch St., on Old Route 66 in downtown Atlanta. The programs run through February and feature local speakers who present 45- to 60-minute presentations or activities following dinner at the Palms Grill. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., and the evening's program or activity starts at 7 p.m. Reservations are required and limited to 50 people.

Programs on the schedule for the remainder of this year and in 2014:

Friday, Dec. 13, and
repeated on Friday, Jan. 3
"It's a Mystery to Me: Atlanta & the KKK"

In this program, the Atlanta Historic Commission and the Atlanta Museum ask you to consider Atlanta's involvement with the Ku Klux Klan in the mid-1920s. Artifacts, documentation, photos and period newspaper accounts will be presented and examined, with the goal of having those attending decide what the "history" of Atlanta and the KKK was.

Friday, Jan. 17
"Movie Magic in Atlanta"

Christopher Myers and Cory Berstein, of Bloomington-Normal, will share how they became the winners of the 2011 Normal Theater Short Film Festival. People attending will view their 2011 winning entry, plus learn about and watch their newest movie project, including a number of scenes filmed in downtown Atlanta.

Friday, Jan. 24
"Foundations of Atlanta: The John Dowdy Story"

The Atlanta Historic Commission and the Atlanta Museum will tell the story of John Dowdy, a man whose lifelong work can be found underfoot throughout most of the community, in the form of the sidewalks everyone treads upon, as well beneath many of Atlanta's older homes, in the form of their concrete block foundations. In addition, the people attending will learn about a library program in which a group of Atlantans have teamed up with students from Olympia South Elementary School in a project to re-create the purple martin houses Mr. Dowdy used to build and maintain in downtown Atlanta.

Friday, Feb. 7
"Illinois Office of Tourism Update"

Ms. Jen Hoelzle, director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, leads the state's tourism industry marketing and development efforts. Before joining the Office of Tourism in October 2012, she served as the director of external engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in several capacities for the state of Illinois. Ms. Hoelzle has brought fresh ideas for statewide tourism strategies and pushed for heavy social media engagement designed to drive new visitors to Illinois. She'll update the group attending on the current state of tourism in Illinois.

Friday, Feb. 21
"Wheels of Change: The History of Bicycles in Atlanta"

The Atlanta Historic Commission and Atlanta Museum will team up again to present a concise history of the bicycle in Atlanta. The program will examine the social implications of the invention that hit the streets -- and railroads -- of early Atlanta through the present day. Of course, one cannot study the bicycle without coming across the name of the infamous George "Sonny" McIntyre, one of Atlanta's most eccentric citizens and the builder of many of the town's bicycles for close to 50 years. Come to this program to learn about McIntyre, share your stories and speculate about the future of bicycles in Atlanta.

Friday, Feb. 28
"It's a Mystery to Me: The Bucket of Blood"

Sometime in the early afternoon on Tuesday, April 2, 1935, a murder-suicide happened involving Joseph and Verna Rehrman, owners of the Popular Inn, a roadhouse on Route 66 just north of Atlanta. The mystery of exactly what transpired that fateful day will be recounted in a new narrative written by Terri Ryburn, based upon research conducted by the Atlanta Museum and the Atlanta Historic Commission. Learn about this tragedy, as well as share stories you may have heard growing up, as this program examines the mystery of "The Bucket of Blood."