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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > March > 02 > Entry
Aquarium’s big catch: Its 1 millionth visitor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Georgia Aquarium executive director Jeff Swanagan is lying in wait for you at the entrance of the world’s biggest fish tank, it initially can be a little off-putting.
“I thought our season passes hadn’t scanned correctly,” Mableton retiree Richard Rainey told Buzz on Wednesday. He and his wife, Pat, had driven in to the city early, fighting the rush-hour traffic to treat their home schooled grandchildren Courtney, 10, and Elijah Usher, 6, to an educational field trip.
As it turns out, Swanagan and Deepo the mascot were on hand to inform the family that they represented the 1 millionth visitor to the popular tourist attraction since it opened in November.
During a brief presentation, the Raineys and Ushers were presented gifts from aquarium sponsors AirTran, Home Depot, SunTrust, Coca-Cola, Southern Co. and Cingular Wireless.
Courtney and Elijah were then whisked away to help feed Ralph and Norton, the aquarium’s star whale sharks. A Wolfgang Puck-catered lunch for the family was provided in the private ballroom overlooking Ralph and Norton’s home.
“Talk about the luck of the draw,” marveled Richard Rainey, 63. “It’s an experience that our grandkids will never forget.” The Raineys are big supporters of the aquarium as well, purchasing 15 annual passes as Christmas presents last year for their children and grandchildren.
As for how they were planning to get all their loot home Wednesday, Rainey quipped: “We brought the Expedition today. It’s going to be packed pretty tight going home!”
O’Reilly no factor on radio
Bill O’Reilly’s “O’Reilly Factor” remains the top-rated cable news show, but his syndicated radio show has not translated well. After more than three years on 680/The Fan, sandwiched between sports talk shows, he is now being moved to WFOB-AM1230, which covers only Cobb County.
His replacement, ESPN syndicated sports talker Dan Patrick, takes over the 1 to 3 p.m. slot. Station President David Dickey said he thinks Patrick has improved in the past four years and makes a better fit. 790/The Zone’s Steak Shapiro, whose station has beaten 680/The Fan for most of the past three years in ratings, told Buzz: “It’s another failed experiment by 680. They’re clearly not committed to live and local.” (680 runs syndicated shows from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, while 790 is local all day.)
Men’s stores in high style
Atlanta is well-represented in this month’s “The United States of Style” issue of Esquire. The installment is dedicated to the looks that define men in this country, and two local menswear specialty stores appear prominently on Esquire’s “best of class” lists. Sebastian’s Closet in Buckhead earned “gold standard” designation, meaning it’s one of the 35 stores nationwide that “continuously raise the bar on what it means to be the best in the business.” And the neighboring haberdashery, Guffey’s of Atlanta, made Esquire’s “A-List” of 47 “stores that continue to stand the test of time.”
The stores were judged on criteria of customer service (40 percent); quality and variety of merchandise (30 percent); presentation (20 percent); and community involvement (10 percent). Industry insiders supplied input into the choices.
“Guffey’s [an A-List regular since 2002] received top marks in all categories measured,” said Esquire merchandising director Anjali Augustine.
She added that Sebastian’s Closet was “cited as exceptional in customer service.”
Part-time Atlantan Jeffrey Kalinsky also earned “gold standard” kudos for his Jeffrey New York store’s excellence.
“We’ve had an inordinate number of calls already from people congratulating us,” said Sebastian’s Closet owner Bob Kuchenbecker, who’s being lauded by Esquire for the first time in his store’s 15-year existence. “All the credit goes to the people who work here.”
“As always, we’re flattered,” said Guffey’s Neil Guffey. “If you look at who else is on their A-List, you see we’re in really good company.”
Cocktails with the B-52’s
The folks who came out to support the Georgia Equality fund-raiser “Cocktails for Equality” at Einstein’s in Midtown Tuesday night got a unexpected celebrity surprise when B-52’s members Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson popped in for a visit. The Athens-born band has monthly songwriting sessions in the city with Atlanta B’s member Cindy Wilson and guitarist Keith Strickland, who comes up from Florida for the collaborations.
In her spare time here, Pierson told us, she loves to shop for tchotchkes for her latest business, Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel in Mount Tremper, N.Y., near Woodstock. Designer Bill Stewart of Atlanta’s William Stewart Design has assisted the singer with the kitschy Catskill Mountain getaway’s decor. The rooms come complete with toiletries purloined by Pierson during B-52’s tours around the globe (for info: www.lazymeadow.com).
When we innocently asked how the group celebrated Wilson’s birthday Tuesday (yes, compiling “Celebrity Birthdays” daily does have its benefits …), the pair looked at each other uncomfortably for a second. Pierson then pulled out her cellphone, and they sang “Happy Birthday” to Wilson, with assistance from the cocktail party attendees.
“You have to understand that we never remember birthdays unless we’re on tour and they roll one of those big old cakes out on stage,” Schneider told us. “If you write about Cindy’s birthday, can you put that she turned 39?” Consider it done, Fred.
Celebrity birthdays
Bluegrass musician Doc Watson is 83. Singer Lou Reed is 64. Singer Jay Osmond of the Osmonds is 51. Drummer John Cowsill of the Cowsills is 50. Singer Jon Bon Jovi of Bon Jovi is 44. Singer Chris Martin of Coldplay is 29. Actor Robert Iler (“The Sopranos”) is 21.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, A. Scott Walton and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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