Born and raised in Tucker, Art Wood personifies the spirit of this amazing community that saw him grow up, start a family, and thrive with his Main Street business, which bears his name. What sets him apart, however, is his relentless involvement with our community, making him deserve the honor of being the City of Tucker’s Citizen of the Month.
Shortly after moving to Tucker, I accepted an invitation from a neighbor to walk around downtown Tucker and check out the local businesses. Suddenly, she stopped and pointed to a tall guy and said, “That’s Mr. Tucker!” Little did I know that a couple of years later, I would be working with Art Wood, a.k.a. “Mr. Tucker”. I met him at a function of a networking organization he had founded and organized, “Fuse Networking & Mastermind,” attended by over 100 businesspeople. When it came time to get everyone’s attention, he got up on a chair and just began talking. Art does not need a microphone. His voice and friendly demeanor are certainly discernable.
What I didn’t know then, was that besides “Fuse,” he had also, along with his wife Karen, founded “Taste of Tucker,” a Main Street festival that is now in its 12th year of existence, with the main goal to showcase local eateries while fundraising for local organizations Camp Kudzu, NETWorks, and OTTMA. In 2019, the event raised over $40,000 for these non-profits, and in 2020, it was “reinvented” as “30 Days of Taste of Tucker,” encouraging the community to visit 30 local restaurants on designated days to support them during difficult pandemic times. This year, Taste of Tucker takes place on October 2, and is “Back on Main.”
For 15 years, Art also led contemporary music worship at Tucker First Methodist Church and formed “Pints and Praise,” where the P&P Band played contemporary Christian music at local establishments. Art also helped start the Christmas on Main Candlelight Service, inviting the community to sing carols from 11 p.m. until midnight while sipping on hot chocolate. He also continues his father’s legacy by raising tens of thousands of dollars and collecting toys for the local Salvation Army. Yearly, he hosts both golf and tennis tournaments for this purpose. He and his family also sing carols while ringing the bell for the Salvation Army in front of a local grocery store.
Art is also an active member of Tucker Business Association and a board member of the Smoke Rise Country Club, and speaks at local organizations and schools about community, business, and mortgages. In addition, he coordinates education and networking opportunities for local real estate agents. He and his wife Karen and their two pre-teens, Trace and Makenna, like to play tennis and take mini vacations to the beach or the mountains.
For all his involvement with and support of the community, I would like to nominate Art Wood as the City of Tucker’s Citizen of the Month.
Nomination by Dana Plazyk
