St. Pattys Day early-afternoon Hike, Potluck Picnic & Irish Sing-along!

IN A NUTSHELL:  Callin' ye fellow AOC "Irish" who love the emerald isle and its lakes, leprechauns, and friendly pubs!  The weather is expected to be ideal: in the balmy high-60s during the outing with a bright blue sky & no chance of rain!  Wear something green, clip on those shamrock-tipped deely-bobbers and celebrate St. Patty's Day with us "alfresco style!"
  We've had a blast in each of five previous years doing this "festively different" AOC St. Pat's event.   We'll kick things off with an easy leisurely paced ~3-mile hike - then enjoy an informal "potluck picnic."  Each participant is asked to bring a little something to share that you personally enjoy - see suggestions below.  As usual, to conclude the picnic we'll enjoy singing a few old nostalgic Irish songs (When Irish Eyes are Smilin', Danny Boy, the Unicorn Song, etc.)  I'll supply the songsheets, guitar backup and a couple of tambourines.

  We'll gather a few minutes before 1:00 PM at the Frazier-Rowe Park trailhead & bulletin board by "Sprig Restaurant" (after parking in that end of the big "Vista Grove Plaza" parking lot) - see Directions & GPS info below.  After introductions we'll explore the park's beautiful woodland trails, stopping often to regroup and to observe and photograph the wildlife and colorful trees & flowers.
  By 2:30 we should be back at the trailhead by our cars, where we should have no problem finding a big picnic table or two for our St. Pats picnic and sing-along.  We'll target being done with everything by "pre-rush-hour" 3:15.  Feel free to split at any earlier time that's convenient - but please let us know when you do so.

POTLUCK PICNIC SUGGESTIONS:   Any of our food & drink items that need refrigeration can be left in iced-down coolers in our vehicles until we begin the picnic.  For keeping any hot items warm I like to wrap them in thick layers of newspaper and bring them in a well-insulated un-iced cooler.
  Please bring a small personal "entree item" for yourself, and another small "potluck side item" of your choice to share that you personally enjoy and might also serve about 4 or 5 others.  (For example, your "side item" might be: a quart of cut-up fresh fruit, quart of potato salad, box of fried chicken, medium-size covered dish of mac & cheese, couple of dozen cookies, cherry pie, half gallon of fruit punch, etc.)  I'll bring some Irish-style home-grown cooked organic greens with ham or corned beef to share—also paper plates & cups, napkins, plastic eatware, etc. for the group.
  Bring your own favorite beverages - nonalcoholic please, since that's the official policy of DeKalb County's Dept. of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs.  They also have a "No Glass Containers" policy for beverages, so please bring them in plastic or metal containers.
  p.s.  Riddle:    What's Irish and comes in handy for backyard St. Pat's Day picnics?
          Answer:  "Paddy O'Furniture"!

TRAILHEAD ADDRESS:  2860 LaVista Rd, Decatur, GA 30033
For a zoomable color MAP and satellite view of this gathering spot (beside the "Sprig Restaurant") entrance click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.)

DIRECTIONS from the I-85 Clairmont Road Exit (in NE Atlanta): 
1. From I-85 Exit #91 (GA-23, "Clairmont Rd") take Clairmont toward Decatur (south & slightly east) about 1.6 miles to the traffic light at LaVista Road.
2. Turn Left onto LaVista and go eastward 0.9 mile (THROUGH the next traffic light at Oak Grove Rd) to the small "Vista Grove Plaza" shopping center on your Left.  Look for Sprig  and Subway restaurants on the end of the shopping center by the woods, and park in that vicinity of the big free lot.
3. We'll gather at the "Frazier-Rowe Park" bulletin board and trailhead on the edge of the woods - just a few yards from the Sprig entrance.  Please be on time, allowing for traffic.

GPS or Maps.Google.com Users:  You may prefer to use the following concise "Lat/Lon" coordinates in lieu of the above "Sprig" street address for our gathering spot. (Be sure to include the comma & minus sign.)  33.8256, -84.2893

Free Event with Free Parking!