The characters in Mary Kay Andrews' upcoming book, "Summer Rental," are a can-do bunch. One has lost a job. Another is dealing with domestic drama. One agonizes over finding balance between life and career. And then there's the mysterious gal on the run who shows up with wads of cash and few straight answers. But none of that gets in the way of a rollicking summer holiday. So it's fitting that the launch party for the book -- listed in Sunday's AJC as a recommended beach read -- will benefit the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. "A Girl Scout is always prepared," said Andrews, a former Scout. "It teaches you self-reliance. It teaches you the value of friendship of other girls. It teaches you to value you." Plus, she quipped, "You can't hate an outfit that raises money by selling cookies." The launch event will be at 6 p.m. June 6 at Feast Restaurant, 314 East Howard Ave., Decatur. Tickets are $35, which includes sips and nibbles, a copy of the book and a swag bag of fun summer goodies. Proceeds will help make Girl Scouts events possible for girls whose families can't afford uniforms, trips or other activities. The FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock is handling ticket sales. See foxtalebookshoppe.com or call 770-516-9989.
Charity luncheon to send kids to camp
Committee members working on the annual Camp Kudzu Luncheon got together the other day to start planning this year's event, which supports a summer camp for kids with juvenile diabetes. The luncheon, planned for Oct. 24 at the Buckhead Ritz-Carlton with WXIA's Fred Kalil as emcee, honors Jane Dean for her years of community service. It's chaired by Melanie Boltax, Annie York Trujillo, Leslie McLeod and Dottie Smith, with Tracie Arnold and Maxine Hyland as auction co-chairs and Sandra Baldwin and Tony Conway as patron party co-chairs. Attending the pre-luncheon luncheon were Alex Allen, Kelly Brolly, Kristen Gibbs, Joanne Gross, Marie Hannon, Amber Medley, Pam Kipniss, Lisa Rayner, Nancy Rollins, Jonathan Shapero, Timothy Tew and Susan Tucker. Information: www.campkudzu.org.
Services planned for Atlanta philanthropist
Thalia N. Carlos, who was the widow of Michael C. Carlos, founder of the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, died Sunday. Visitation is 6 to 8 tonight at H.M. Patterson Spring Hill, and the funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Northside United Methodist Church with burial to follow at Arlington Memorial Park. She is survived by her sister Mary Norris; son and daughter-in-law Chris and Merry Carlos, who have continued the family's philanthropic legacy in Atlanta as major supporters of numerous organizations; and grandchildren Christina Michael Carlos, Catherine Marie Carlos and Jordon Nicole Carlos. The family requests donations to the Michael C. Carlos Museum or the Atlanta Ballet in lieu of flowers.
Celebrity birthdays
73. Singer Bob Dylan is 70. Actress Priscilla Presley is 66. Singer Rosanne Cash is 56. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas is 51. Actor John C. Reilly is 46. Actor Eric Close is 44. Rapper-recording executive Heavy D is 44. Country singer Billy Gilman is 23. Actor Cayden Boyd is 17.
Contributing: news services
About the Author
