Big crowds, great weather expected for weekend events

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta's crowded holiday weekend continues, and so does a hint of fall weather.

Several major events were expected to bring as many as 300,000 people into Atlanta through Monday, and Atlanta police and MARTA officials say they are ready to handle the big crowds.

Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said officers would be out in full force to ensure traffic flow and public safety.

"Still, event attendees are urged to ride MARTA or carpool when possible," Campos said. "Residents and visitors should use patience and caution when navigating city streets this weekend."

MARTA will have additional staff and police on hand in stations to assist riders, according to spokeswoman Cara Hodgson.

Hodgson said that on Labor Day, MARTA will operate a Sunday schedule for trains and buses.

Picture-perfect weather is forecast for the weekend's events, and the state Department of Transportation is doing its part to relieve congestion by declaring a weekend moratorium on interstate construction projects.

Atlanta's temperatures are expected to top out in the mid-80s Sunday and Monday, with overnight lows in the upper 50s and low 60s. Forecasters are predicting sunny skies.

Drivers topping off the tank in metro Atlanta will find gasoline prices averaging $2.51 a gallon, or 17 cents a gallon lower than the national average, according to atlantagasprices.com. That price is down a dime from a month ago, but 7 cents higher than last Labor Day Weekend.

As usual on holiday weekends, the state Department of Transportation has canceled weekend road construction projects, including the ongoing repaving that has caused big traffic jams on I-20 in DeKalb County throughout the summer.

Downtown streets already have been jammed with several events, including the Chick-fil-A Kickoff football game between Louisiana State University and the University of North Carolina on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome.

A couple of miles away and several hours earlier, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets opened their football season with a 41-10 victory over South Carolina State at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The Georgia Bulldogs opened their season with a 55-7 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, which meant traffic jams on Ga. 316 and U.S. 78 in Gwinnett County, the main routes to Athens.

The other big weekend sporting event is about 30 miles south of downtown, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where NASCAR drivers will be racing under the lights. The weekend lineup included the Great Clips 300 race Saturday and the Emory Healthcare 500 at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Back downtown, expect streets to be jammed all weekend around Peachtree Center, where several hotels are hosting the annual Dragon-Con convention. The pop culture convention, which combines elements of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anime and comic books, runs from Friday through Monday, and was highlighted by the Dragon-Con Parade down Peachtree Street at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

On Monday, a Hispanic Labor Day March will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Centennial Olympic Park area.

In Midtown, the Loews Atlanta Hotel and Piedmont Park will be hosting Black Gay Pride events on Saturday and Sunday.

Cobb Parkway will be shut down between Akers Mill Road and Spring Road from 6:45 a.m. until 10 a.m. on Monday for the annual U.S. 10K Classic road race. The exit ramps from I-285 to Cobb Parkway will also be closed, along with portions of Akers Mill Road and Cumberland Circle.

The annual AJC Decatur Book Festival runs Friday through Sunday at several venues in and around the downtown Decatur Square. More than 300 authors will be participating in the free festival.