What Athens may give up to keep its Apollo 14 Moon Tree

Inside: Athens could receive $4.4 million to tackle home health hazards, plus the Athens Scoop Dinner Club, a little help finding motivation, and two ways to get involved with The Stage Oconee this fall.

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In today’s Scoop:

🏛️ The Judicial Center choice could mean more public parking or preserving Athens’ Moon Tree.
🏠 Athens could accept up to $4.4 million to remove lead, mold and other hazards from eligible homes.
🎭 Two Ways to Get Involved With The Stage Oconee This Fall

🍊 I Thought I Needed More Motivation. Turns Out I Needed Someone to Tell Me What to Do.

If your workout routine starts strong on Monday and somehow disappears by Thursday, you're not necessarily lacking motivation. Sometimes the hardest part is simply deciding what workout to do and convincing yourself to do it.

That’s what makes Orangetheory Athens in Beechwood different. You show up for an hour, and a coach handles the rest.

Each class moves between treadmills, rowers, and weights, with coaches guiding the workout from start to finish. The heart rate monitor also helps you work at your own level, so you're not expected to keep pace with the person next to you training for a marathon.

And if cardio isn't your thing, there are Strength 50 classes focused on upper body, lower body, or full-body workouts.

The other thing that stands out? People actually know each other. Coaches learn your name, members recognize familiar faces, and despite being part of a national fitness brand, Orangetheory Athens has been locally owned since 2016.

If you've been meaning to restart your routine, right now Athens Scoop readers can get 4 free classes for a limited time. One workout can be fun. Four is enough to figure out whether you've found something you'll actually stick with.

Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!

🌳 Athens weighs public parking against its Apollo 14 Moon Tree

The Gist: Athens commissioners are considering two site plans for the new Judicial Center. One provides more on-site parking that the public could use after hours. The other reduces parking to preserve Athens’ Moon Tree, grown from a seed flown aboard Apollo 14 in 1971.

Why It Matters: The selected layout will determine the complex’s public parking capacity and whether the plan preserves one of Georgia’s surviving Moon Trees.

What's Next: Commissioners are scheduled to choose a design October 6.

🏠 Athens could accept $4.4 million to remove hazards from homes

The Gist: ACCGov staff want authorization to accept up to $4.4 million in federal funding for a 48-month program addressing lead-based paint, mold, radon, pests and carbon monoxide in eligible privately owned rentals and owner-occupied homes.

Why It Matters: Residents could apply directly to the Housing and Community Development Department for hazard removal, adding eligible rental homes to work that has focused on owner-occupied properties.

What's Next: The proposal is recommended for the October 6 consent agenda.

🎭 Two Ways to Get Involved With The Stage Oconee This Fall

You don't have to drive to Atlanta for a night at the theater. Just south of Athens, The Stage Oconee is celebrating its 20th season, with Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling coming up October 23–25, followed by productions including Narnia the Musical, Shrek, and The Wizard of Oz.

If you'd rather be onstage than in the audience, Narnia the Musical auditions are next weekend, September 25–27, 2026, with performances set for December 11–13.

The Stage Oconee is also about more than watching a show. There are opportunities to take classes, volunteer, and help bring productions to life behind the scenes, making it another way to get involved with local theater in Watkinsville.

Whether you're ready to step on stage, bring the family to see Narnia, or simply discover a local theater you haven't visited yet, The Stage Oconee's 20th season has plenty of reasons to make the short trip to Watkinsville.

Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!

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🌳 What Athens may give up to keep its Apollo 14 Moon Tree