Connect Savannah August 11, 2021

CONNECT SAVANNAH

AUGUST 11 - 17 • 2021

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REPLANTING WORMSLOE: KEEPING AN ICONIC SITE GROWING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

connectsavannah.com

ACT II

for DOLETTE

McDONALD HER JOURNEY FROM THE WORLD STAGE TO SAVANNAH

DISTRICT LIVE OPENS WITH A CABARET TRIBUTE TO SAVANNAH’S FAVORITE SON

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An immersive, 3-day leadership experience.

September 12-14 Trustees’ Garden The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum is a three-day event that brings together more than 400 leaders representing neighborhoods, non-profits, civic groups, government, businesses and the up and comers.

Organized by Morris Multimedia Inc., with the generous support of Georgia Southern University, the Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Power and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, the first ever forum is taking place on September 12-14, 2021 at Trustees’ Garden in Savannah, Georgia. To help our communities succeed in an ever changing and fast paced society, the forum is focused on discovering our collective potential to be greater by committing to new ideas, supporting the growth of our emerging and established leaders, and by being purposeful in building collaboration from all segments of our diverse communities.

Working together we can make our communities stronger and better.

visit www.southeastGAleadershipforum.com for more information!

Y O U R H O M E T O W N E V E N T S PA C E A H I G H E N D V E N U E F O R W E D D I N G A N D C O R P O R AT E E V E N T S

INFO@TRUSTEESGARDEN.COM | 912-233-8938 | TRUSTEESGARDEN.COM

WEEK CONNECT SAVANNAH

AT A GLANCE

WEDNESDAY 8/11 Legends Live On! (continuing show) Enjoy a cast of Broadway and Las Vegas singers, dancers, live band and aerial artistry perform a 2-hour tribute to pop music legends including Beatles, Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Bruno Mars, Earth, Wind & Fire, Celine Dion, and many more in a dazzling Vegas-style show. 8 p.m.

The Historic Savannah Theatre, 222 Bull St. $39 adults, $19.50 ages 16 and under savannahtheatre.com

Trivia Night with Jess Shaw Jess Shaw and Kevin Ryan will guide participants through an evening of trivia and self discovery at Service Brewing. Test your trivia knowledge while also competing in interactive challenge rounds to gain extra points. The first place team receives a $100 cash prize.

6:30 p.m. Service Brewing Company, 574 Indian Street. servicebrewing.com

THURSDAY 8/12 Bingo! at Elks Lodge

Free Yoga on the Beach at The Deck Enjoy free yoga on the Tybee sponsored by The Deck Beach

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HIGHLIGHTED PICKS FROM HOSTESS CITY HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK To have your event considered for inclusion in Week at a Glance, please send an email to wag@connectsavannah. com. Include the event name, date, time, location with address, cost, website address for additional information, and a contact number. The submission deadline is 5PM each Friday before the following Wednesday’s edition.

Bar & Kitchen. Bring a large beach towel, your mat or a tapestry, a hat and sunglasses, water and a friend.

9-10 a.m. The Deck Beachbar and Kitchen, 404 Butler Ave.

Virtual Lecture: Baby of the Family Telfair Museums presents a virtual lecture by Tina McElroy Ansa on her book, “Baby of the Family.” The series is part of the museum’s multiyear Legacy of Slavery in Savannah initiative. Books are available for checkout from Live Oak Public Libraries, liveoakpl.org, and for purchase through The Book Lady Bookstore, 6 E. Liberty St. 6 p.m. Free and open to the public telfair.org/los

FRIDAY 8/13 Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth

THU/

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FREE YOGA ON THE BEACH AT THE DECK Enjoy free yoga on the Tybee sponsored by The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen on Tybee Island. Bring a large beach towel, your mat or a tapestry, a hat and sunglasses, water and a friend.

Fire & Wine at Foxy Loxy

Join Service Brewing for Bluegrass by the Pint every Friday featuring live bluegrass from favorite local favorite’s, Swamptooth.

6 p.m. Service Brewing Company, 574 Indian Street.

Enjoy half-off bottles of wine and fire pits in the courtyard. Purchase one of our s’mores kits (marshmallows included) for the ultimate fall experience.

6-9 p.m. Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St.

SATURDAY 8/14

Forsyth Farmers Market

Boss Lady Pool Party

Calling all Boss Ladies! Head out to the Grand Lake Club for their Boss Lady Pool Party. Enjoy fun in the sun with live music, networking and enjoying special prizes from Vitali Med Spa. 4-9 p.m. Grand Lake Club at Southbridge, 815 Southbridge Blvd. $50

Local and regional produce, honey, meat, dairy, pasta, baked goods and other delights. Rain or shine.

9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Forsyth Park, Drayton St. & E. Park Ave. Free to attend.

Items for sale. forsythfarmersmarket.com

Islands Farmers Market

Weekly farmers market on Talahi Island highlighting local growers and makers, healthy foods and a positive environment. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Islands Farmers’ Market, 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/ islandsfarmersmarket

Midday in the Beer Garden: a beer festival at Moon River Join Moon River Brewing Co. in the beer garden for a festival focused on the best brews this region has to offer! Sample local beer, mead, cider, and cocktails. Tickets available via Eventbrite.11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Moon River Brewing Co., 21 West Bay St. $25

Music Bingo at Toasted Barrel

Head out for Music Bingo at @ Toasted Barrel! Enjoy a night of music, prizes, and drink specials. Test your music knowledge and compete against your friends and other patrons.

It’s easy to play, and everyone is welcome!

7-9 p.m.

Toasted Barrel, 150 Montgomery St.

SUNDAY 8/15 Bingo! at Elks Lodge

Join Elks Lodge for Bingo on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7-9 p.m. Enjoy great family fun, good food at the snack bar and many chances to wi!.

Elks Lodge, 183 Wilshire Blvd.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Join Elks Lodge for Bingo on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7-9 p.m.

Enjoy great family fun, good food at the snack bar and many chances to win cash.

Elks Lodge, 183 Wilshire Blvd.

AUG/

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WEEK

AT A GLANCE

ADMINISTRATIVE ERICA BASKIN PUBLISHER erica@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 WENDY WICKHAM BUSINESS MANAGER wendy@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4373 CHRISTOPHER SWEAT CREATIVE/CONTENT DIR. christopher @connectsavannah.com

EDITORIAL NOELLE WIEHE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF noelle@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4356 BRANDY SIMPKINS COMMUNITY/EVENTS JOURNALIST brandy@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4358

Live Jazz Sunday Brunch Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio

OUR VALUES Connect Savannah at its core is focused on arts and entertainment and the happenings in our community. We are also a news organization with professional journalists who write about community news and the about the people who live here.

Connect Savannah is dedicated to keeping readers informed and aware of all that goes on in the community.

The presentation of both news and opinion is designed to educate, entertain, inform and foster conversation.

We appreciate and encourage readers to share news tips with us, and to share any criticism and questions.

We are your comprehensive source for the arts, entertainment, music, and community events. We are here to serve you.

We are blessed to be part of the greatest country in the world and the freedom it bestows on its citizens and its press.

Find us on these platforms or reach out to our newsroom at news@connectsavannah.com or 912-721-4378.

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ADVERTISING INFORMATION: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com

LOGAN HINTON STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT logan@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4354 JAMIE BURTON MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST jamie@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-9854 MANDY YOUNCE REGIONAL DIGITAL SALES DIRECTOR mandy@connectsavannah.com (912) 503-0874

DISTRIBUTION WAYNE FRANKLIN DISTRIBUTION MANAGER (912) 721-4376

Sunset Party Sunday

Wrap up the weekend with a Sunday Funday Sunset Party on the roof. Local DJ Doc Ock on the 1s and 2s, an amazing view, Long Drink and Herradura specials, and

MONDAY 8/16

ACT II

AUGUST 11 - 17 • 2021

for DOLETTE

7

McDONALD

REPLANTING WORMSLOE: KEEPING AN ICONIC SITE GROWING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

HER JOURNEY FROM THE WORLD STAGE TO SAVANNAH

MIDDAY CHEERS! FIRST-EVER

FESTIVAL WILL CELEBRATE LOCAL BREWS & BOOZE

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ON THE COVER The amazing Dolette McDonald, photographed by Adriana Iris Boatright.

Read her story by Frank Ricci on page 14.

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@ConnectSavannah

Tybee Island Farmers Market

Weekly market featuring a variety of produce, baked goods, honey, eggs, BBQ, sauces and dressings, popsicles, dog treats and natural body products. Artisans are also featured each week. The market is non-smoking and pet friendly.

Located at 30 Meddin Drive. We are right behind the Historic Tybee Lighthouse. Visit the website for more info.4 p.m.

30 Meddin Dr. tybeeislandfarmersmarket.com

FIND A NICHE

Jesse Blanco, Frank Ricci, Lauren Wolverton, Jamie Burton, Danietté Thomas, Orrin Konheim, DJ Hellerman, Kareem McMichael, Marley Gibson, Melissa Hayes, Mary Kathryn Griffin

LAUREN WOLVERTON STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT lauren@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4380

Myrtle & Rose Rooftop Garden at Plant Riverside District will host weekly live performances by legendary jazz guitarist Howard Paul, beginning on Sunday, July 4.

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Myrtle & Rose, Rooftop Garden Plant Riverside, 400 W. River St. plantriverside.com/venues/ myrtle-rose-rooftop-garden/

$3 Rosé all day.

6-9 p.m.Top Deck, 125 W. River Street.

COLUMN

PROUD SPONSOR OF

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

BUCKY BRYANT STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

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© 2021, Savannah Media, LLC. 611 East Bay Street Savannah, Georgia 31401 Phone: (912) 231-0250 | Fax: (912) 238-2041

By Noelle Wiehe

This crazy world can pull any person a million different ways. It’s so important for a person to find what they love and wholeheartedly chase it. It’s not always the case, but I think it should be as often as possible. … which brings me to my point of this week’s column …

My resume has military written all over it. I’ve written for the military; I’ve been in the military and I certainly support the military.

For this reason, it seems every time I stray away from military journalism, I wind up circling back around to it again.

It has been a great pleasure serving the Savannah community as editor-in-chief of Connect Savannah, but I’m meant to serve those who serve.

I am returning to my niche of military journalism … no, I’m not adorning the uniform again, but I will be working for them – telling their stories and the stories of those issues which affect them. It’s my niche, my dream writing field and I know it’s where I most thrive in my career.

During my time as editor, I got to know so many locals, influential Savannah leaders, learn about the ever-growing community and see what makes this city buzz the way that it does. I saw the partnerships between veterans and the city, growing local businesses and the entities that support them and I saw amazing events occur which keep the city alive.

I was thankful to have come into this job mostly post-pandemic and have it had been a landing spot during my exit from uniformed service. I felt welcomed into the community and learned so many new things that I would have thought I was a tourist before taking on this role.

The local business aspect of Savannah is simply amazing. I love encouraging a friend in town “let’s eat somewhere local!” or to shop at one of the fabulous local honey shops instead of purchasing the infamous honey bear at the grocery store.

I still intend to shop local, drink local and be local. I look forward to seeing you all out in the world and hearing about your businesses’ successes just for the sake of hearing it and not for a story pitch.

The opportunity was grand and I am so glad I was able to serve this community in the capacity I did. I’m all about finding a niche in the giant world of careers and chasing it with all your heart – this one just happens to be mine.

NEWS

COMMUNITY

REPLANTING WORMSLOE’S AVENUE OF OAKS

(L-R) Marjorie Young, President of Rotary Club of Savannah; Frank Moore, Rotary Club of Savannah; Gretchen Greminger, Wormsloe Historic Site Manager, GA Dept. of Natural Resources; Jake Henry, Savannah Tree Foundation; Rabbi Robert Haas, Sect/Treasurer Rotary Club of Savannah; Sydney Young, Savannah Tree Foundation; Lynda Beam, co-founder of the Savannah Tree Foundation; Steve Chick - Rotary Club of Savannah; Capt. Lux Lakshman, Sgt of Arms, Rotary Club of Savannah; Steve Stephens, Rotary Club of Savannah. Photo provided by Frank Moore

Rotary Club of Savannah aims to make sure future generations get to experience one of Savannah’s most iconic landmarks

By Marley Gibson

at ten to twelve feet tall.”

The Rotary Club of Savannah has committed to pay for the first ten.

“Each tree costs $500, so our fundraising goal is $5,000,” Young said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t want to raise more,” she said with a laugh. “Then, on February 19, 2022, Georgia Arbor Day, we will be planting the trees at Wormsloe.”

Young added, “We are also planning a fundraiser for August 19 that will be open to the public. More information will be available soon on [The Rotary Club of Savannah’s] website.”

The Wormsloe Historic Site was founded by colonist, Noble Jones, who accompanied General James Edward Oglethorpe to Georgia in 1733. The drive was once part of Skidaway Road, leading to the original garden of a colonial estate.

The first—and oldest—of the famous oaks were originally planted in 1891. Live oak trees have been known to live for centuries.

Donations for the tree replanting project may be made directly to The Rotary Club of Savannah, at P.O. Box 11105, Savannah, GA 31412 or via their website at savrotary.org.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Visitors and residents alike have a deep appreciation and respect for the majestic beauty of Savannah’s many live oaks lining the city streets.

Perhaps none are more famous, though, than the mile-and-a-half “Avenue of Oaks” leading to the Wormsloe Plantation, featured often in movies, television shows, and myriad family wedding portraits.

The Rotary Club of Savannah’s new president, Marjorie Young, knew when she took the position that she wanted to incorporate the newest Rotary Club “Area of Focus” of supporting the environment into her platform for the downtown club.

In a quest to serve, she was drawn to a familiar place.

“I often walk the long road at Wormsloe,” Young said.

“During one of these walks, I noticed how many gaps there were in the trees. The trees needed a lot of help.”

With years of professional marketing under her belt, she knew who she had to call. She knew her Rotary Club had to do something.

“I contacted Gretchen Greminger, Wormsloe Historic

Site Manager, and asked, ‘How can we help?’”

The entrance to the Wormsloe Historic Site, home to Wormsloe Plantation, is lined with almost 400 Georgia live oaks, spaced roughly 20 feet apart.

Yet, anyone driving through cannot help but see the noticeable gaps where trees have been lost to weather, age, and/or other natural causes.

However, as Young learned from a recent visit to the site with some of her fellow Rotarians, of these many storied and photographed trees, 76 are at risk and in desperate need of help.

“We really appreciated all of the information and tree education that Lynda Beam, Sydney Young, and Jake Henry from the Savannah Tree Foundation shared with us,” Young said. “Because of our visit and our members letting us know about their passion for this issue, The Rotary Club of Savannah is committing to work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Gretchen Greminger to start a project to help with the live oaks.”

The first phase of the plan is for The Rotary Club of Savannah to raise money to replace ten of the 76 gaps on the Avenue of Oaks.

Two-year-old live oak trees raised at nurseries throughout Georgia will be planted in their place, already standing

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NEWS

COMMUNITY

GOING COMPLETELY BANANAS The Savannah Bananas, the Hostess City’s Coastal Plains League team, won its second Petitt Cup as league champions last Saturday, Aug. 7, at historic Grayson Stadium, taking game three of the championship series against the Morehead City (NC) Marlins. Photo by Malcolm Tully

Historic Savannah Foundation launches new lecture series ‘People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah’

By Brandy Simpkins

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

brandy@connectsavannah.com

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In cooperation with their mission to ‘save buildings, places, and stories that define Savannah’s past, present, and future,’ Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) announced the commencement of their new lecture series “People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah.”

Lectures will be conducted monthly at the HSF headquarters located at 321 E. York St. “A lot of planning and thought has gone into the creation of this lecture series,” HSF Education and Research Associate Kimberly Newbold said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to be able to gather again as a community and offer these informative and wide-ranging talks by so many interesting and knowledgeable speakers.”

Newbold said the broader range of topics that will be offered serve as a differentiation between this new lecture series and ones held in the past. Not only will the or-

ganization highlight historic preservation, restoration and building as they are known for, but they will also focus on Savannah’s history, architecture, art, literature and much more.

The series kicks off with a lecture by Ethos Preservation principal and cofounder Rebecca Fenwick on Thursday, August 12.

Fenwick’s presentation, “Researching the History of Your House,” will focus on tracing the roots of and learning about homes, through property records, archives, and other resources.

Additionally, October’s lecture will feature Jonathan Stalcup of Architectural Tours of Savannah speaking about the city’s diverse and celebrated architecture, while Brent Watts of Cabretta Capital will speak about historic tax credits in November’s lecture.

“We hope to serve as a resource for this community by providing these educational programs,” Newbold said.

Newbold said that it has been a couple of years since HSF has hosted a lecture due to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic,

so this upcoming lecture series is highly anticipated.

“We’ve gotten some incredible feedback [about the series], not just from the community, but from our membership,” Newbold said. “They’re eager to get back in and be involved with HSF.” As Savannah has reinstated a mask advisory on behalf of the COVID-19 community transmission index increase, Newbold says that HSF is being watchful.

In the future, it is possible that the lectures may transition to an online platform, but nonetheless, they will still go on.

Lectures will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a pre-lecture gathering at 5:30 p.m. The admission fee per lecture is $10 per attendee while attendance for HSF members is free.

All guests are required to wear masks upon entering the HSF building, and space is limited, so reservations are recommended.

Visit myhsf.org to register for Fenwick’s lecture, and for more information on the “People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah” lecture series or other HSF events.

Ethos Preservation principal and co-founder, Rebecca Fenwick, will present “Researching the History of Your House,” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, August 12. Her presentation will focus on tracing the roots of and learning about homes through property records, archives, and other resources.

Photo from Historic Savannah Foundation.

AMBRIA BERKSTEINER, FOUNDER OF OPERATION ONE STEM AT A TIME:

Former pageant queen partners with Girl Scouts to ‘educate, enlighten, and empower’ young women

By Brandy Simpkins

brandy@connectsavannah.com

Former pageant queen Ambria Berksteiner wants everyone to know that girls do not have to choose between brains and beauty.

As a youngster, Berksteiner never would have guessed that one day she would be encouraging young women to consider the career path of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Yet, as the founder of “Operation ONE STEM at a Time” she has led the organization to serve as a learning ground for educating hundreds of young girls about futures in STEM. On August 14, One STEM at a Time will partner with the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG) for a “Women in STEM Exploration Day Panel.”

This hybrid event will take place both at the GSHG Girl Center located at 535 E. Liberty Street and online from 1-3 p.m.

Berksteiner started Operation One STEM at a Time to serve as a mentoring program aiming to educate, enlighten and empower young women who are interested in pursuing STEM related careers.

The Women in STEM Exploration Day Panel will seek to show local Girl Scouts the various STEM careers they

can pursue in the future, while meeting women from our community who already work in the field. Representatives from GulfStream Aerospace, Memorial Health University Medical Center and others will join the panel discussion and the audience to speak about their careers, which are often underserved by women.

Berksteiner said the Engineering Explorer Post program she took at Savannah Arts Academy (SAA) served as the catalyst for her interest in STEM—and ultimately—the work she does today.

The former Miss Black Savannah U.S. Ambassador used to envision herself working in the fashion industry. She said she could see herself one day being on the side of a runway writing for Fashion Week as a fashion journalist, and she had intended on studying communication at SAA to pilot that dream. But seats for that program filled too quickly, and Berksteiner had to take a different route.

Based on her interests, her advisor recommended that she tried the Engineering Explorer Post program instead, where many slots were available. Though reluctant to start an engineering program, her mother and advisor told her, “Just take a chance. Take a leap of faith,” and she did.

Following that, Berksteiner pursued a dual mathematics and engineering degree at Spelman College. Needless to say, she found a new love for STEM. Berksteiner said she recalls her alma maters’ motto “A

choice to change the world” and shares that it inspired her to live up to that motto. With the confidence that she could do or be anything, Berksteiner says she decided to participate in pageants, and incorporated her STEM journey into them.

Berksteiner said her reign as Miss Savannah US Ambassador in 2016 was where the idea for Operation One STEM at a Time was only a bud, and by her reign as Miss Black Savannah USA in 2017 with an extended reign until 2019 her platform had taken form.

As a pageant queen, Berksteiner has made noticeable strides toward embedding the relevance of STEM throughout the region. She received the “STEM Ambassador of Savannah” award from former Savannah mayor Eddie DeLoach.

Her efforts led to Chatham County dubbing August 4 “Women in STEM Appreciation Day.” Now as program manager alongside Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia Berksteiner continues to work toward her organization’s focus to “educate, enlighten, and empower.”

“I hope what people take away from me is that through Operation One STEM at a Time, I’m doing just that,” Berksteiner said. “Now that time has passed, so many girls have said to me that they’re going to consider STEM, or they’ve gotten into a STEM program, or that they’re going to be this engineer, this scientist, and it really just wraps it up for me.

This is my choice to change the world.”

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NEWS Q&A with Savannah’s resident sneaker queen

By Brandy Simpkins

brandy@connectsavannah.com

Savannah-native, Whitney Hall is the founder and owner of sneaker shop HallofSneakz, set to open its first brick and mortar store on August 14.

Hall was named “Best Shoe Store” in Connect Savannah’s Best of Savannah, 2021.

Here is a Q&A with Hall about her background leading to her grand opening.

Q: What do you want people to know about you?

A: I am currently serving in the Air National Guard. My passion for Sneakz has come from within since a child. As a native Savannahian I could envision no other place than the heart of Savannah for HallofSneakz to call home. My lifelong passion for Sneakz has been the driving force for my vision of everything HallofSneakz is and does.

Q: In your own words, what is HallofSneakz?

A: HallofSneakz is a successful womanowned and black-owned sneaker specialty boutique that offers its respective base of anticipated, sought after, and exclusive sneakers.

Whitney Hall is the founder and owner of HallofSneakz on York St. The store’s grand opening is Saturday, August 14. Photo provided

by Whitney Hall.

Q: You say HallofSneakz got its unofficial start in 2008 when you began to study the culture of sneakz, what are some things that stood out to you at that time?

A: In 2008 , I was 14 and in middle school.

I always had the latest sneaker releases which sparked my interest in learning about the sneakz culture. Some things

that stood out to me were important moments for the culture like the signing of Michael Jordan to Nike and the debut of Air Jordans and Run-D.M.C. signing to Adidas.

Q: Your website mentions your purchase of a pair of Air Jordan Doernbecher IV's at a convention, not knowing the full value of their worth. You state that “this single purchase would be one that propelled me into unimaginable heights of recognition locally and beyond." How did this moment serve as a catalyst for where you are today? What thoughts and feelings emerged when you discovered the worth of your purchase?

A: That experience served as motivation for where I am today because it enabled me to create the idea of what would become a full-on business in the future, known officially as HallofSneakz. Before going to Sneaker Con I was somewhat aware of how much the shoes were worth already. The Doernbecher (DB) Jordan 4s were top 5 on my Sneakz wish list so when I saw them I had to take them home.

Q: You've officially been in business since 2017. What are some ways that your business developed from then to now?

A: Year after year, HallofSneakz has evolved in many areas. HallofSneakz, without a doubt, takes pride in the relationships we have built and continue to build with all of our customers. A big piece of what sets us apart from others is

our dedication to excellence in customer service.

Q: Even though your business has not had a grand opening yet, you were voted “Best Shoe Store” in Connect Savannah's Best of Savannah, 2021. How have you been operating your business up until now? Also, in your opinion, what is it that customers may appreciate about your business compared to other shoe businesses?

A: We’ve been thriving and operating via our e-commerce platform since 2018. In my opinion, Anyone can open a sneaker store anywhere. What the community appreciates is the years of involvement, interaction, consistency, and development to establish an experience like “The HallofSneakz Experience.”

Q: HallofSneakz’ grand opening takes place soon. What can the community expect on that day?

A: I’m excited to bring Savannah the HallofSneakz Experience in person!

The support over the years has been phenomenal. I am so grateful and will continue to provide that exceptional experience online and in-store. At the grand opening come and enjoy the experience with food, “sneakz,” giveaways and so much more!

The HallofSneakz grand opening begins at noon on Sat., Aug. 14, at 30 W. York St. For more information, visit hallofsneakz.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero joins other world-class speakers at 2021 Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum

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Morris Multimedia recently announced Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero will be one of the speakers at the inaugural Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum coming to Savannah Sunday, September 12 - Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at the Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees’ Garden.

Dr. Marrero became Georgia Southern University’s 14th president in 2019.

As president, he leads a Carnegie R2 institution with a special emphasis on public impact and collaboration that engages 27,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, and Hinesville.

In his tenure, Georgia Southern has established a culture of high performance and evidence-based leadership, data-informed

decision-making, communication transparency, and an unwavering focus on a new Strategic Plan and assessment methodology aligned with five main pillars: student success; teaching and research; inclusive excellence, operational efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability; and community engagement.

While navigating through a global pandemic last year, the university achieved several records, including a record freshman class in Fall 2020 and 3.4% overall headcount growth; record 4-year and 6-year graduation rates; record freshman to sophomore retention; record fundraising; and record faculty research awards.

Other reknowned speakers for the forum announced to date include world-class presenters Steadman Graham, Horst Schulze, Erica Dhawan, and Michael Thurmond.

For more information about the speakers and to purchase tickets, please visit southeastgaleadershipforum.com.

Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero

COMMUNITY

PLANT RIVERSIDE STILL PILING UP ACCOLADES New district earns int’l recognition for unifying historic preservation with world-class entertainment

By Melissa Hayes “Mr. Kessler created this to be Savannah’s entertainment district,” says Tyler Gray, Plant Riverside’s Director of Entertainment & Programming. “When I met with him the first time, he looked at me and said, ‘Plant Riverside is about three things: beauty, natural sciences, and water.’ The common idea behind these elements is the entertainment they create within us.”

Gray has a background in designing entertainment for cruise ships. With 15 food and beverage outlets at Plant Riverside, he approaches the property’s entertainment programming like a cruise ship on land. It’s all about generating attention and excitement for everyone no matter their age or background.

“We’re designing entertainment for all visitors,” says Gray. “We’re finding music that appeals to all ages, making this a comfortable environment for everyone, and creating a wow effect that people will always remember and want to come back for more.”

So how did Mr. Kessler begin to transform this landmark site into a modern entertainment complex without sacrificing its historic integrity? It certainly required patience and a heap of vision. “There were a multitude of surprises along the way, but we dealt with all of them. Plant Riverside District was a particularly challenging preservation project,” says Kessler. “I’m extremely pleased with the end result. It gives me great joy to see children playing in the fountains and to see people enjoying the different restaurants at Plant Riverside District and being wowed by 100 million-year-old amethyst on display.”

Plant Riverside is now a symbol of progress comprised of three buildings each with its own personality, dining options for all tastes and budgets, rooftop bars, exceptional nightlife, parks, entertainment programs for children, art galleries, and a built-in natural science museum complete with meteorites thousands of years old from Mr. Kessler’s own private collection.

“Savannah is such a special place that has always been close to my heart,” says Kessler.

“I want to leave this area better than I found it. I hope Savannah residents and visitors will enjoy Plant Riverside District for many generations to come.”

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The revitalized Plant Riverside District has received numerous accolades and has even earned Savannah placement on TIME Magazine’s annual list of “World’s Greatest Places.”

TIME credits Savannah’s inclusion to the developments along the riverfront which are “transforming underutilized space” and “bringing more of the city’s hidden treasures into view.” Plant Riverside has also been named the 2021 Charter Awards Grand Prize Winner by the Congress for the New Urbanism—an organization whose mission is to “champion walkable urbanism...socially just, economically robust, environmentally resilient, and people-centered places.”

The Urban Land Institute has awarded the district the 2021 Americas Awards for Excellence, and Savannah’s own Historic Savannah Foundation bestowed Plant Riverside with the 2021 Preservation Award.

“I’m proud of each of the awards we’ve received for Plant Riverside District,” says Richard C. Kessler, Chairman & CEO of The Kessler Enterprise, Inc. “It’s truly an honor to be recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for our efforts to transform an abandoned power plant along the Savannah River into a world-class destination for local residents and guests.”

Many locals will remember that the west end of River Street was once underwhelming to say the least. The formerly abandoned 1912 power plant, though historically intriguing, consumed 1,100 linear feet of underutilized space along the Savannah River. Kessler set his sights on transforming the area into a space devoted entirely to amusement and intrigue. “Plant Riverside District is truly Savannah’s Entertainment District,” says Kessler.

“We emphasize the importance of music, art, and history in all of our lives.”

Music lovers especially have cause to celebrate. Savannah has long wanted for new performance venues. Not only does Plant Riverside host live music every day, but it answers the call for a proper concert venue with District Live by Live Nation. The venue will host artists to meet all tastes including the recently announced Molly Hatchet, country artist Kendell Marvel, and reggae group Passafire, among many others.

11

FOOD & DRINK

EAT IT AND LIKE IT

THIS IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL.

And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Savannah owes it to a global pandemic.

Andrew Brochu and his wife Sophie

Michelin-rated Chef bringing high-end casual concept to Starland

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

By Jesse Blanco

12

The space on 40th near Bull Street. Photo by Jesse Blanco

Andrew Brochu, a rising star on the culinary scene in Chicago, has signed a lease to bring a brand new concept of his own to Savannah’s Starland neighborhood. What kind of food? He tells me it will probably center around fried chicken and seafood.

“We had it all ready to go, then 2020 happened.”

The ‘it” Andrew refers to was a restaurant concept he had been putting together in Chicago. After roughly 15 years building a name and a following in that city, the time finally felt right to try something on his own. It didn’t hurt that he had picked up a couple of Michelin rating stars at a couple of his stops in the process. No easy feat. But it was time.

“We were almost to the end. We had liquor licensing and were just about done when everything shut down,” he says. “We had been working on it for 2 years.”

Left with essentially nothing at that point, he and his wife Sophie began to discuss the possibility of moving to Savannah. Her hometown.

“We had visited. And I was familiar with the South. I attended high school in Lawrenceville, Georgia.” He says. “It kind of just happened,” he adds referring to the move.

“We loved Chicago and it was pretty slow here, but I always knew I’d be in love with the South again.”

Once they were settled he started looking around. Kicking a few tires here and there. He talked to a few people who were familiar with the area and decided he wanted to try to set up shop in the Starland area. He loved everything about not only what it is today, but what he sees it becoming.

He was shown the development at 2400 Bull Street. The former Save a Lot Supermarket that has been re-done into several retail slots. They all face Bull Street directly across from the very popular Back in the Day Bakery and Starland Yard. But he wasn’t sold.

“Something kept drawing me to that back space.” He says of the spot he finally decided to make his own. The space is huge. It occupies a huge area a half block down 40th street.

Essentially behind the 2400 Bull structure.

Some might call it a back alley. I call it genius.

“Once I started looking at the drawings and design,” he says. “The energy of Savannah and the lifestyle.” He knew he had a perfect fit. I think he does as well. And we are not alone.

“The Starland district is about to get a culinary treat! This new tenant will just add to the burgeoning concept mix in the neighborhood.” Is what Beth Vantosh of Vantosh Realty had to say about it. She and Katie Chancy at Dai Commercial were instrumental in making this happen in Starland. It’s a home run for the neighborhood.

Andrew’s resume speaks for itself. The list of names he rattled off that made up his time in Chicago should impress anyone. But it is equally as important to note that he has no intention of bringing ‘super fine dining’ to Starland. Not at all. He mentioned “casual and loud” more than once.

It’s fitting too. He’s a very high energy guy who is bringing a ton of excitement and passion to this project. He’ll be 40 years old in October, which makes him old enough to know better, but young enough to have the energy to pull it all off.

“After 3 years at (Chicago’s) Roister, I like that,” he says. “Super casual place and loud. But Roister was a little more designed.”

“This is less about the chef and more about delicious food. That’s definitely what we are going for here. I love the energy here.”

The look, as I have been told is going to be a little more rustic than you will find in the big city. Andrew understands he is opening a restaurant in the middle of a quirky and developing neighborhood. It’s obvious he is motivated by that, but at the same time, just wants to fit in.

They have a working title, but I won’t share so there are no misunderstandings. Suffice to say this is going to be higher end casual eats and very family friendly. That was all part of the deal when they agreed to move here and open a restaurant.

“Our family is all out at The Landings.” He says, “I have family from all over the South including New Orleans. We want some of that here.”

If you are excited, you should be. This is going to be great all the way around.

“Right now, unless something happens with permitting, we are shooting for Spring 2022.”

At least he didn’t say “St. Patrick’s Day.”

Moon River Brewing Co. on Bay Street will be the site of the first-ever “Midday in the Beer Garden” festival featuring craft beverages from across the region.

Photo by Mike Livings, Moon River Brewing Co.

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Tickets are $25 which includes a souvenir glass. A tasting sheet will also be provided with backgrounds on the breweries and distilleries at the event, and what they will be pouring.

Those who purchase tickets are automatically entered into a raffle that supports the mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire.

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Moon River Brewing Co., is set to host its first-ever Midday in the Beer Garden Festival at their celebrated spot on Bay Street on Saturday, August 14, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the midday.

The beer festival will feature some of the most visible craft breweries in Savannah and the Lowcountry. But beer isn’t the only drink on the menu, as local mead, ciders, and cocktails will also be available for midday sampling.

Organizers say there will be a little bit for everyone to taste at the festival.

Moon River Brewing Co. brewmaster Mike Livings said he hopes guests walk away from the event with a better idea of how diverse and delicious the craft brewing and distilling scene in the Hostess City really is.

“I hope we will see more locals coming downtown to taste the beer fresh out of the taps,” Livings said. “The beers are great in a six-pack at home, but there’s no substitute for coming down to your favorite taproom and sitting down with some new or old friends and sharing a pint.”

Since starting at Moon River Brewing four years ago, Livings has dreamed of hosting his own beer festival. Now, with the help of his colleague Alex Yendell, that dream is becoming a reality.

“When the Savannah Craft Brew Fest announced they weren’t doing it anymore I said, ‘Well, that’s it. We’re doing this,’” said Livings.

With the pandemic closing the doors of

many businesses over the past year, Livings said his focus was on making beer and keeping the lights on at work, but he never let his beer festival dreams die.

After attending numerous beer festivals himself, he took note of what he liked and disliked and created a blueprint.

“We really wanted independent brewers and producers from Savannah and the Lowcountry,” Livings said. “It seems like we’re kind of an afterthought when it comes to Georgia—the craft scene —and I think that should change.”

For Livings, the best part of the event will be having all of the regional producers in one place. He explained that it’s a small community of people who are always willing to help each other out.

“The level of dedication it takes to produce craft beer, well, we’re well aware of how hard it is to produce a quality product that is consistent that people want to buy again,” Livings said. “Having 11 other people doing the same thing this is—you can experience the love they put into it.”

Mike Tripka, owner of Bluffton’s Bee-Town Mead and Cider, has been making award-winning mead for 20 years.

According to their website, traditional mead is made with three simple ingredients: water, yeast, and honey.

Just three weeks ago a gold medal was awarded to their strawberry mead and a silver to their blueberry mead at the Indiana State Fair.

Tripka said he is always excited to see people try mead for the first time.

“Your immediate reaction is ‘Well, is it sweet?’ That’s not the style that we make and we kind of surprise people that it’s not,

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By Jamie Burton

sides

13

Even the most honest people you meet may not admit it if they feel they’ve lived a charmed life, whether it’s to avoid boasting or sincere modesty.

For Dolette McDonald, she’s simply had too much good fortune to deny it.

By Frank Ricci With little professional experience, Dolette McDonald was hired in 1980 as a back-up singer

by David Byrne of Talking Heads strictly on the recommendation of a common friend.

Four years of touring and recording later, the band’s commercial success put middlemen between her and Byrne. A gig with Duran Duran fell through, but in no time she was walking on stage in a stadium of 80,000 people with The Police. Few knew it would be their last tour, but the end of that gig led to Sting snatching her up to tour and record his solo debut and follow-up albums.

Over the next 30 years, a constant stream of opportunities and success fell in her lap. She sang on stage or recorded with the Rolling Stones, Don Henley, Gang of Four, Laurie Anderson, Steve Winwood and other new wave and rock giants. Into the late 90s, she toured with legendary Mexican musician Juan Gabriel.

Then, she stopped.

McDonald has been living in Savannah for three years now. She describes her life in three acts.

Act 1 was her life, largely on the road, as a professional singer. Act 3 is her life since “retiring” from her second career, part of which includes her move to Savannah.

Both of those stories have been told. Act 2, however, is where she truly found herself, felt incredible levels of accomplishment, and found the love of her life.

Connect Savannah spoke with McDonald at length about Act 2.

ACT II

14

McDONALD HER JOURNEY FROM THE WORLD STAGE TO SAVANNAH

Photo by Adriana Iris Boatright

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

for DOLETTE

CONNECT SAVANNAH: When you were getting near the end of Act 1, were you already thinking about getting out? Is that why you were saving the way you were? Take me to the time you were leading up to that decision.

DONETTE McDONALD: I'd had the best time, but I had to do something.

I was on tour with Juan Gabriel and it was getting hectic, he was in transition. Every year he was getting a new manager and I just I wasn't happy. I was just there to make money.

CS: Was it feeling like a full-time job?

CS: Like she was in on what you were planning.

DM: It was towards the end. It was definitely a job and it had nothing to do with him, it's inside with the minions. Everybody wanted a piece of him.

At one point I was unable to go in his dressing room. Before this, anytime I wanted I could have a chat, get my hug, whatever, and then all of a sudden you couldn't do that anymore. It was no longer fun for me. I had a conversation with my sister who was an engineer for NBC News, and we were discussing what my next thing could be, and her question was, “what do you know best?”

I mulled it over and said I've been staying at hotels for 25 years. So, I know about hotels. It never occurred to me that I would be able to get a job at a hotel, because I have no experience.

So my sister sent me a computer because she said you're not going to be able to get a job unless you know how to use the computer. She had a computer built for dummies for me and it had just the basics in it. I sat in my office at home eight hours a day, like it was a job and learned how to use it. I came out crying some nights, you know, because I was worn out, my brain was fried, but I was determined, and this was preparing me for an office job.

DM: Yeah, she was in on it and so we chatted, and I told her by that time I was just worn down. I said if given the opportunity I think that you know, you would be pleasantly surprised at what you could receive from me. I said I'm sure that I will be able to learn something new and be successful.

So she had the general manager interview me, and that to me was bizarre because I'm interviewing for a line-level position. Seven dollars and fifty cents an hour. I love saying that because I was so lucky. I got paid to learn something. It was like going to school for me and I got paid. I was I was grateful for sure.

He was very, very upfront and said this is a hard job and it's not for the faint of heart. If you still want to do it, I will mentor you through it. And this was a front desk, entry-level position because that that's what his suggestion was, start at the front desk where you’ll learn everything you need to know about the hotel business. The front desk is where all the action is.

He was absolutely right, and I was there for two years until they closed for renovation. Then I moved to a hotel that was called The Registry. That place was the beginning of my real career because I went from a front desk agent to front desk supervisor to the manager of front office operations.

DM: I was still living in Clifton, New Jersey. I had a loft over a law office, and I was there for seven years. And I just decided to move to Florida because I wanted to reinvent myself.

I knew a couple that had moved there, and they were telling me how great it was. I visited them just to see, and it was around Christmas. In Naples, at Christmas time, it’s just magical and I got sucked in.

When I got home, I packed my stuff to move and went back and bought a house in Naples and that's when I started doing the research and learning how to use a computer.

CS: Then the job hunt began.

DM: Yeah. Grunt work, but I learned so much. And then you walk into the next place in a management position, the place is your oyster, it was great.

I helped transition them into the very first Waldorf Astoria Collection. I went to other hotels that they were opening to transition them from whatever brand they were into a Waldorf Astoria.

CS: So you got to travel?

DM: I was touring again, back in a hotel. But the locations were amazing. Things like that, opportunities like that were really gifts for me, you know, I got to meet normal people, I got to hang out with real people, with real life problems and you know, we were able to get through them together.

I had a conversation with Laurie Anderson once when we were out to dinner and I was telling her all about this and she said to me, “aren't you lucky?”

And I said well yeah, but what do you mean? And she said, because you spend so much time around normal people. I looked at her and I felt bad for her for a minute because, you know, it's like she was saying “I can't,” and that was such a blessing and it actually changed my life because I was able to spend time to go to therapy and to you know, actually stop and figure out who I was because at the beginning of that, I had no idea who I was, right?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

DM: I only had my professional singer resume and I went to all these hotels and they looked at me like I was crazy. They were nice, you know, but they don't know what you've got in your head and I went to the best. I was at the Ritz Carlton. I was at Naples Grande and places in Naples that only the rich people went to.

I went to all these hotels and didn't get the warmest reception. Very professional, but not very warm. At the last hotel, the director of HR interviewed me, and she was laughing. She's like dude are you serious?

Do you really want this? I mean she was unlike the other people that I had dealt with in that she was warm. And it was almost like she knew a secret.

CS: The first two years were almost like boot camp.

Photos from the collection of Donette McDonald

CS: Then you moved to Naples, Florida?

15

‘You know, I know my people, I feel my people, My people have a certain energy .... But my people —it doesn’t matter what race, what color, what sexuality—we have an energy.’

Feature photo by Adriana Iris Boatright. Other photos from the collection of Donette McDonald.

CS: With a new career on track, therapy that was working, and settling into life in Naples, another major part of your life came to the forefront. Your close friends always knew, but was part of the plan about reinventing yourself being open about your sexuality?

DM: It was part of the plan.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

CS: Was it something that came up that was ever an issue? Do you remember the first time you just talked about it as if you weren't hiding anything?

16

DM: When I met Sue, it was really funny. It was a long time after I had been there, I had been in therapy, which was a huge part of my…not coming out, because I don't believe in that word. My freedom to be me, to live my life authentically.

So, as I'm working and going to therapy, I found a church called Metropolitan Community Church. They have them all over the world and it was founded by a gay preacher who been thrown out of the

Baptist Church, Rev. Troy Perry, and he founded this denomination for people like him.

I started going and once they heard me singing in the audience, somebody came up to me and said, do you sing? And I'm like, well, yeah. Because I would go in like five minutes before they started, and I would leave immediately. I just wasn’t social. I was not trying to get involved.

CS: Were you just looking for a spiritual place?

DM: Yeah, but Sunday services were not conducive to my work. I was usually working on Sunday morning. I saw this little ad in the newspaper that said MCC at five o'clock Saturday. And that's how I found it.

And then a couple weeks, later Sue came.

I didn't really pay her much attention. I thought she was pretty, you know, she was always dressed impeccably. My friend at the church, Robert, said to me one day, “you know, you’d love Sue.” And I said, I'd scare the shit out of her because, you know, I know me, and

I probably already had. And I started speaking to her more and chatting with her and she always seemed to run away from me.

Then the church had this event. And I created this whole unbelievable scenario that Sue had to drive me to my car. I don't know how I come up with this shit. I had the pastor pick me up, I dropped my car off up the street from the event. After the event all of Sue's friends tried to say I'll take you to your car. They were all being protective of her and I see everybody thought I was some kind of old…

different men years back, but in Naples I was focusing on me.

CS: Predator?

CS: You just tend to gravitate to good people that get along, different people, and most of the quote-unquote boxes get checked.

DM: (laughs) Yeah, right? Right? But she took me to my car and we've been together ever since.

CS: Up to that point had you dated anyone at all?

DM: Not in Naples. Now I was married to three

CS: Was there much of a gay community you were looking to enmesh yourself into?

DM: No, I don’t like labels. I'm weird that way in that I'm not going to go to even a black situation. I'm just not going to go looking for that. I just never did. I don't want to be anywhere where there's only one type of person there.

DM: We probably would not want to be friends with those people. You know, I know my people, I feel my people. My people have a certain energy and it may or may not be snobbish, I don't know, and I don't care.

But my people—it doesn't matter what race, what color, what sexuality—we have an energy. There was this question on

Facebook that said, if you put all of your partners and a line what would it look like?

I was the League of Nations. That's how I've always lived my life.

Back to the story of Sue. I thought she was pretty, and I knew I had to be careful with her because I thought she was a little fragile. Not. That was wrong.

CS: How did you figure out she's not fragile?

DM: She would get so giddy when I would be so honest. Because she loved the fact that I like to keep it real, and that's in quotes.

I'm just honest, I've learned over the years how to make it more palatable for people to accept my honesty, but I was always honest. And she would get so giddy and I would say “you like it until I focus it on you.” I said, “you think it's cute, but you just wait because it's going to happen.”

So one day, I can't even tell you what it was about, it was something silly because we never got into a fight about anything substantial, it’s always some bullshit.

And she said, “you’re an ass!” and I said thank you! I know she has it in her. She calls it that Minnesota nice. Sure. I call it Minnesota, passive aggressive. But she's so sweet and so kind and I actually feel very protective of her. I understand how her friends felt. But 15 years later, here we are.

CS: Because you had not done that before, been out as a couple with a woman, was it comfortable?

DM: You know, I've never thought about it.

Um, I didn't feel uncomfortable in any way. I mean, we're not PDA people. I've never been. Once in a while we'll grab each other's hand or something, but we're not real PDA outside of our home. I'll never forget one of our first dates.

It was pretty fabulous, a four-star restaurant, and we went to eat dinner there and it's funny because I'll never forget it. We acted like we were the only two people in that restaurant, and we didn't realize until we left.

Sue and I are kindred spirits in that we don't like labels. We don't like, you know, we're not butch at all, we’re very feminine and we are not attracted to that on any level, and we're not attracted to flamboyance at any level, we are not pioneers. We are not trying to, you know, be cheerleaders for anybody.

After they married, McDonald’s career continued until she was offered the general manager position. After thoughtful consideration, she turned it down, satisfied with what she had achieved.

DM: I was working a lot and Sue said we have one day a week together and you'll be 60 years old soon. What about retirement?

And I'm like, I can't retire because for me, retirement meant having to depend on somebody. And I wasn't used to that and that was really tough. That was a really hard moment in our relationship because she's like, “I got you.” But she didn't understand who she was dealing with. I had always been the breadwinner

in my family. Always, always, even with my husbands. I always made more money.

To have to think about the fact that I wouldn't be in control, that was difficult.

She made it easy and she gave me a 60th birthday party at the Naples Botanical Garden.

And so, she asked me what I wanted to do, and I said, well, I'll go back to singing.

And funny enough, Juan Gabriel called me. He was feeling nostalgic.

CS: This was the start of Act 3?

DM: Yes. I live in a state of gratitude, you know.

That is the most important part. I'm just grateful.

As Act 3 began, McDonald toured with Juan Gabriel for a few years more, but they weren’t marathon tours that kept her away from home for months at a time.

McDonald was doing what she wanted to do. A couple of years after Gabriel passed away in 2016, a desire for a bit more diversity that Naples had to offer, led them to Savannah. They had friends in the area and fell in love with the city.

McDonald is now a part of the Savannah Jazz organization and scene.

She performed at the previous four Savannah Jazz Fests and is around town singing and rehearsing for gigs because she wants to.

As a city and a music community, Savannah is incredibly lucky to have her talent, positivity, and gratitude.

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Photo courtesy of Robert Bell

OPEN LATE

17

CONNECT SAVANNAH MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD

AUG/

11-17

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY 8/11 LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Midtown Pickers, 6 p.m.

Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay, 6 p.m.

McDonough’s Blues with Eric Culberson, 9 p.m.

Mint to Be Mojito’s Open Mic at Mint to Be Mojito Bar, 5-11 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

El-Rocko Lounge Trivia with Jules and Chris Grimmett, 9-11:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Trivia Night with Jess Shaw, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Bingo, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Mint to Be Mojito’s Open Mic/Live Karaoke, 5-11 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Savannah Comedy Underground, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Two Tides Brewing Company Bring Your Own Vinyl Night, second Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY 8/12 LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies & Music, 5-9 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Dave Smith, 7:30 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES Bar Food Trivia Night, 8 p.m.

McDonough’s Family Feud, 7 p.m.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

KARAOKE

18

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 8 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Open Mic Comedy, 8:30 p.m.

DJ

Club 51 Degrees DJ B-Rad, 9 p.m.

Top Deck Sunset Deck Party, 6 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Service Brewing Company Service Brewing Run Club, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY 8/13 LIVE MUSIC

Congress Street Social Club DJ Flip, 10 p.m.

Ghost Coast Distillery Live Music with Revelry Soul Trio, 5-7 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Ray Lundy, 7:30 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth, 6 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

PS Tavern Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 9 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

FRI// FRI

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RECORDING ROCK ARTISTS REVELRY SOUL RETURN TO GHOST COAST DISTILLERY TO DROP SOME ACOUSTIC JAMS. 5 PM

DJ

Club 51 Degrees DJ Fer, DJ Emalo, DJ Lil G, DJ BRad, 9 p.m.

VICE Lounge + Mojito Bar DJ Primal, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club One Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

SATURDAY 8/14 LIVE MUSIC

Coach’s Corner Interstellar Echoes - A Tribute to Pink Floyd, 7 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Trainwrecks, 7 p.m.

Ghost Coast Distillery DJ Doc Ock @ GCD, 2-6 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Joe Nelson & J. Pittman, 7:30 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Blueberry Hill Pool Tournament, 2 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bar Food Karaoke Night, 10 p.m.

Bay Street Blues Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

COMEDY

Club One Comedy Revue, second Saturday of every month, 8 p.m.

DJ

Club 51 Degrees Dance Party

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club One Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

SUNDAY 8/15 LIVE MUSIC

Collins Quarter at Forsyth Ember City, 2 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Voodoo Soup, 10 p.m.; Voodoo Soup, 10 p.m.

Myrtle & Rose, Rooftop Garden Plant Riverside Live Jazz Sunday Brunch Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Moon River Brewing Co. Trivia, 6 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Service Brewing Company SERVICE BREWING • Zane Lamprey’s Laughs & Drafts • Savannah, GA, 6 p.m.

MONDAY 8/16 LIVE MUSIC

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

The Wormhole Open Mic/Jam, 6-10 & 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Club One Super Gay Bingo, 5:30 p.m.

Starland Yard Music Bingo, 7-9 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Fia Rua Irish Pub Family Movie Night, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY 8/17 LIVE MUSIC

McDonough’s Open Mic/Jam, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Basil’s Pizza and Deli Trivia, 7 p.m.

Fia Rua Irish Pub Trivia, 7 p.m.

McDonough’s Trivia Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen Trivia Tuesday, 9 p.m.

Savannah Taphouse Trivia, 7 p.m.

Starland Yard Trivia Night With Chris Grimmett, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Trivia with Chris Grimmett, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Trivia, 9:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Stafford’s Public House Stafford’s Tuesday Comedy Open Mic, 8:30-11:45 p.m.

SOUNDBOARD IS A FREE SERVICE - TO BE INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND YOUR LIVE MUSIC INFORMATION WEEKLY TO SOUNDBOARD@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. DEADLINE IS NOON MONDAY, TO APPEAR IN WEDNESDAY’S EDITION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

THE BAND PAGE

AFROMAN @ VICTORY NORTH

WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!! Forget whatever pointless inanities you had planned and get yourself to Victory North as Sea Wolf Tybee, home of the universe’s best hot dog, presents the legendary Afroman. The rapper, singer, and multi-instrumentalist has stuck to his guns since “Because I Got High” and puts on a crazy fun, bumpin’ show. Savannah’s best rapper Dope Knife kicks it off.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 11 | 7 PM

INTERSTELLAR ECHOES – PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE @ COACH’S CORNER

The Atlanta-based Pink Floyd tribute band bring their big laser light and sound show to the CC Soundgarden. They play the hits you know and love, as well as deeper album cuts from the early Syd Barret days for the hardcore fans. Mining 15 albums, five box sets (five?!?), and more that sold a ridiculous quarter billion units, it’s a Floyd fan funfest.

SATURDAY, AUG 14 | 7 PM

Revel in the eccentricities of post-rock and math rock with unexpected pop hooks and harmony-rich vocals. The Richmondbased band, who recently toured Asia, plays unique and complicated music that is quite relatable. Two local acts start the show, the progressive jazz fusion trio Protosoul and psychedelic groovemongers Squash.

SATURDAY, AUG 14 | 10 PMe. FRIDAY, AUG 6 | 7:20 PM

VIOLENT RAYS + POST PROFIT @ THE WORMHOLE

Augusta’s Violent Rays play a bluesy hard rock with grunge elements, so don’t even ask them to play background music for dining. Post Profit land on the Hostess City from Texas with a strong alternative sound that dips into metal and more traditional hard rock. Another solid rock and roll show at the Wormhole.

FRIDAY, AUG 13 | 10 PM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

COLIN PHILS @ THE WORMHOLE

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MUSIC

ON STAGE

‘You will leave humming a Mercer tune.’

DISTRICT LIVE VENUE OPENS WITH JOHNNY MERCER CABARET

Stacey Orrico

By Mary Kathryn Griffin

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

The soul-filled music and lyrics of one of Savannah’s favorite sons will christen the Hostess City’s newest music venue, District Live, as Johnny Mercer Cabaret performs the Savannah-native’s timeless arrangements.

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The Johnny Mercer Cabaret includes a trio of fresh faces and a Savannah mainstay, Stacie Joy Orrico, Kim Douglas Steiner, and Roger Moss will serenade the audience with Mercer’s familiar songs.

Grammy-nominated Stacey Orrico has been entertaining her entire life. She grew up admiring the voices of Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Toni Braxton, and Lauryn Hill.

Orrico grew up listening to Johnny Mercer. “I have found such immense pleasure in studying this music while driving and walking around the city. The references to nature and side streets and rivers all make a new kind of sense to me,” said the new Savannah resident.

The internationally recognized artist has toured the world for her loyal audiences. She has worked alongside talented artists like Dallas Austin, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas, Track and Field, The Fray, Anthony Dent, Shekspere, Toby Gad, Salaam Remi, Novel, Kaygee and Dwayne Bastiany.

Performing this show for the first time, Orrico praises the collaborative effort. “It is always an honor to play alongside

Roger Moss

musicians and singers who know and care so deeply for the material that they are working on. It feels like Kim and Roger grew up with Johnny Mercer, and I am getting sucked right into the magic.”

Roger Moss is an unforgettable performance in the Savannah scene. Reflecting on the evolution of the Johnny Mercer Cabaret, Moss expressed his excitement in preparing for the show.

“Finding songs and stories that Savannah and visitors may not know or know that Johnny wrote has been part of the process. I especially am thrilled to work with Stacie Oricco, who has the perfect voice for Johnny Mercer. Kim Steiner’s arrangements capture the essence of the genius that is Johnny Mercer.”

Moss has won Connect Savannah’s “Best Singer” award.

His voice grabs your attention and does not let go. Trained by the cabaret legend Andrea Marcovicci, Moss has graced the stages of the American Traditions Competition, Savannah Symphony, Beaufort and Hilton Head Symphony Orchestras, and the Memphis Opera.

Moss has appeared in musicals such as “Showboat” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” as well as in cabaret performances of “Tin Pan Alley” and “The American Songbook.”

Most recently he appeared in the Arts Center production of “A Broadway Christmas.”

He is a staunch community supporter and co-founded the Savannah Children’s Choir, where the Hometown Hero served as executive director for 13 years.

“This is a family show,” says Moss, “and you will leave humming and singing a Mercer tune”.

Kim Steiner lends his talents as the Producer and Pianist for the cabaret.

“The Savannah community loves Johnny Mercer, as does the rest of the world, but Savannah holds him and his music to their hearts,” says Steiner. “I was lucky enough during the pandemic to be asked to write a small original show with Roger Moss about Mercer.”

The cabaret, a culmination of previous performances,

Kim Douglas Steiner

has evolved to include a superstar cast and two top-notch musicians, Billy Hoffman and Ernie Ealum, adding drums and bass to the production.

Steiner is the musical director and producer of the SCAD Honeybees ensemble.

His talents led him to teach at The Berkeley College of Music, Boston Conservatory, and the New School.

Steiner’s theatrical credits include Broadway and OffBroadway productions as musical director for productions such as “Nine,” “Forbidden,” “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” and “The Fantasticks.”

His musical direction has afforded him the opportunity to work with household names like Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Alan Cumming, Carol Channing, and Ashford & Simpson, among others.

Performing in a new venue gives the stars of Johnny Mercer Cabaret a chance to leave their mark.

“District Live is the newest venue to Savannah. I feel very blessed to bring this show to this great new venue. It is also an honor to be able to produce this with Mr. (Richard) Kessler, and his amazing artistic staff,” says the cosmopolitan pianist.

District Live was born out of a partnership between The Kessler Collection and Live Nation.

The hospitality powerhouse Kessler Enterprise has roots in Savannah, the birthplace of Chairman and CEO Richard Kessler.

As Savannah continues to be recognized as a top destination city, the need for entertainment options is noticeable.

District Live is the first venture in Savannah for Live Nation, a global entertainment company.

District Live will host six Johnny Mercer Cabaret performances on Thurs., Aug. 12 at 5 p.m., Fri., Aug. 13 at 7 p.m., Sat., Aug. 14 at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sun., Aug. 15 at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $28 at the door. Tickets are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com.

THE STAGE PAGE

THUR. NIGHT 7-10 OPEN MIC WITH JULY 29 HOST TOMMYTHUR HOLLAND

KING OF POP - A TRIBUTE TO THE GENIUS OF MICHAEL JACKSON

ALIA TORRES @ SEA WOLF TYBEE The “Under the Ghost Ship” series continues at the Tybee hotspot with the return of singer-songwriter Alia Torres.

The Savannah favorite plays deeply soulful, finger-picked acoustic blues that’s sparse, R beautiful and haunting.

T Y OaUmix of originals and littleG EEnjoy ON known K E T Scovers that, like pretty much T I Ceverything E ! pairs so well with the I Telse, NTBR specialty.

E V Ehouse FRIDAY, AUG 6 | 8 PM

DOWNTOWN DELILAHS @ MATA HARI’S SPEAKEASY

FRI JULY 30

THE ULTIMATE FRI 13TH AEROSMITH FRIAUG AUGTRIBUTE 13TH

SAT AUG SAT AUG14TH 14TH

FA-Q FA-Q

INTERSTELLAR ECHOES

FRI AUG 6

SAT JULY 31

Featuring The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra

A TRIBUTE TO THE ROLLING STONES

Officially known as the Downtown Delilahs Modern Burlesque Cabaret, that will be all for the formalities. DDMBC has fun with burlesque, adding more comedy and audience participation than usual. It’s neo, but rests on a solid foundation of flirtatious dancing and striptease from a talented troupe of entertainers who respectfully expand the art form. FRI & SAT, AUG 13 & 14 | 9:30 & 11 PM

UNDERWEAR COMEDY PARTY @ THE WORMHOLE Launched in Atlanta in 2014, the concept of stand-up comedy performed in underwear has hit the road and made people laugh in more than 40 cities and many comedy festivals. Hosted by Alyx Libby, it’s a fun and sexy way to yuk it up. Since it’s the Wormhole, no one will stop you from attending in your unmentionables.

But, please, no skid marks. SATURDAY, AUG 14 | 8 PM

UPCOMING SHOWS 7 Grand Paradise - A Tribute to STYX AUG 27 AUG. The Petty Hearts - The National Tom Petty Tribute Show AUG 27 The Petty AUG Hearts The National Tom Petty 13 FA-Q AUG 28 The Stratton James Trio AUG 14 EchoesShow -A to Pink Tribute SEPT 3 Interstellar Tribute - A Celebration ofTribute the Allman Bros.Floyd Band AUG 20 The Bitteroots SEPTAUG 4 Slippery When Wet A Tribute to Bon Jovi 28 The Stratton James Trio AUG 27 The Petty Hearts TheJupiter National Tom Petty Tribute Show SEPT-11 Coyote SEPTSEPT 3 Tribute A Celebration of the Allman Bros. Band 28 The StrattonUltimate James Trio 12AUG Absolute Queen-The Queen Tribute SEPT 4 Slippery When Wet A Tribute toBros.

BonBand Jovi SEPT-A17Celebration The Chuck of Courtenay Band SEPT 3 Tribute the Allman SEPT 1811 TheWet Florida Geesto Bon Jovi SEPT 4 Slippery When - A Bee Tribute SEPT Jupiter Coyote SEPT 11 Jupiter Coyote SEPT 24 DeCarlo

BREAKFAST IS BACK! 7-10:30 • TUESDAY - FRIDAY 8-11:30 • SATURDAY

A decidedly different take on burlesque, Dirty Dolls showcases both local and regional talent with an avantgarde, rock and roll vibe. See contemporary and classic routines, with cirque arts and fire performances to spice it up. In the friendly confines of Totally Awesome Bar, you have nothing to be afraid of.

SATURDAY, AUG 14 | 10 PM

3016 E. VICTORY DR. 912.352.2933 COACHS.NET

DOWNLOAD OUR APP!

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

DIRTY DOLLS BURLESQUE REVUE @ TOTALLY AWESOME BAR

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CONNECT SAVANNAH

ART PATROL ‘Live Your Vision: An Online Exhibition’

Live Your Vision brings together a wide range of Kiah’s figurative works, from casual self-portraits to regal military portrayals to life drawings. Using an array of media — oil, watercolor, and graphite on supports including canvas, Masonite, and paper — Kiah captured the essence of family, friends, celebrities, and strangers alike.

Individually, these portraits are acts of attention, focus, and dignity.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Southbound 2021 Arts on the Coast Annual Exhibit

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Southbound is an art exhibit visually interpreting Georgia’s vibrant and diverse musical heritage.

Fifteen songs have been selected to form the 2021 Arts on the Coast Annual Exhibit Playlist, a list that includes only music performed, arranged, written, composed, produced, and/ or created by a music artist from Ga. The selection features a variety of genre: rock, jazz, pop, and R&B, to soul, country and folk. Artists shall create an original work of art that depicts a song/artist and/or its various aspects, to visually interpret the obvious to the abstract, from the down and dirty, to the sublime. deepsouthphotopoint. com/southbound-virtual.

Deep South Photopoint Gallery, 30 Cherokee St.

‘From Dust to Gold’ by David Gumbs This exhibition represents the first U.S. solo exhibition

by Caribbean artist David Gumbs, featuring immer-

AUG/

11-17

sive, interactive digital installations and drawings. Gumbs is a multidisciplinary artist from the island of Saint Martin, currently based in Martinique. Inspired by Caribbean flora, fauna, history, and mythology, Gumbs’ work often is concerned with “the offscreen of perception, the cycle of life, the visible and invisible.” More on telfair.org 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. telfair.org/ exhibitions/david-gumbsfrom-dust-to-gold/. telfair. org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

‘Sugar’ Exhibition

Explore the sweet culinary habits of Savannahians in this fun exhibition dedicated to the consumption of sugar in the port city. Using furnishings and portraits from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection, this unique display gives visitors a glimpse into humans’ connection to sugar and its complicated history.

Porcelain and silver were shipped from Europe and beyond into the Port of Savannah, providing the elite of this city with purchasing options far surpassing those of any inland towns of the 19th century. 10 a.m.noon. 912-790-8800. info@ telfair.org. telfair.org/exhibitions/sugar/. telfair.org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

‘Rejewled’ by Monica Cioppettini

In ReJeweled, Monica Cioppettini (M.F.A., painting, 2020) uses reclaimed jewelry from flea markets and thrift stores to create maximalist collage works.

Reworking the jewelry

FRI/

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Painting with a Twist offers a guided couple paint night. Paint ‘Queenie and King Me’ with a special other on Friday evening.

through an intuitive process of breaking, combining, and rebuilding, Cioppettini revalues objects that have been deemed worthless and unwanted, reveling in their histories and significance as sites of memory. Rimmed with rust, grime, cracks, and imperfections, the works reveal their relationship with time and encourage moments of nostalgia. $0-10 scadmoa.org SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd.

‘Vehicles of Change’

by Anne-Solene Bayan This exhibition will consider the pivotal role the automobile played in advancing societal and political revolutions in the United States in the 20th century. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, buses and

cars were used to combat systematic racism and segregation enforced by Jim Crow. This was exemplified most famously in the Montgomery bus boycott and in the Freedom Riders’ journeys to the South... more on telfair.org. 5-20 Every 7 days. 3288.blackbaudhosting.com/3288/ tickets?. telfair.org/jepson/.

Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

Before Midnight: Bonaventure and the Bird Girl Telfair Museums presents Sylvia Shaw Judson’s iconic sculpture Bird Girl within the context of the history and art of Bonaventure Cemetery. Made famous

by Jack Leigh‘s photograph for the cover of John Berendt’s bestselling novel of Savannah, Midnight in the Garden of Good and

Evil, Judson’s sculpture was removed from the cemetery to Telfair Museums where it has been enjoyed by visitors for decades... more on telfair.org $5-20 telfair.org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St. classes. dreamcatstudio. com. dreamcat studio, 116 Hover Creek RD.

Date Night: Queenie and King Me Painting with a Twist offers a guided couple paint night. Paint ‘Queenie and King Me’ with a special other on Friday evening.

Choose between a traditional canvas or a wooden plank to create your art.

Register online. $37-47 7-9 p.m.. paintingwithatwist.com. Painting with a Twist, 513 E. Oglethorpe Ave.

CULTURE

VISUAL ART

Jepson Center exhibition rethinks truth and narratives of artworks

Never Spoken Again: Rogue Stories of Science and Collections, installation view at Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center.

Photo courtesy of David Kaminsky.

By D.J. Hellerman

Lopez places the ceramic vessels on a wooden table with an amplifier set on top as a nod to the object’s functional use as a form of long-distance communication. For both Ayala-Alfonso and Lopez, the amplifier is an act intended to reclaim some of the meaning and purpose stripped from the objects in the process of being recontextualized as artifacts and/or artworks.

Beatriz Santiago Muñoz’s seductively shot video, Farmacopea, 2013 presents a complicated portrait of the Puerto Rican landscape as one that has been completely transformed ecologically and ideologically. Portraying the impact of colonization, tourism, and the extraction of natural resources, Muñoz points to the difficulty in conceptualizing, relating to, and physically experiencing landscapes.

“We are trying to offer expansive approaches to what art is. Not everyone loves it. But, hopefully we are bringing people to the museum and helping them think of things in a way they haven’t before. We are exploring these ideas and examining traditional Western ideologies of museum collections through contemporary artists and their work, especially by colonized cultures.”

Many artworks presented in Never Spoken Again tap into our collective aspiration for self-actualization as foundational to the human experience. Dunn explains “There is renewed consideration surrounding human agency in how our histories and futures may be reimagined.”

Never Spoken Again deepens the conversation while exploring what kind of world we want to live in. Telfair's curatorial team is working to offer possibilities.

Never Spoken Again is on view at Telfair’s Jepson Center through September 12, 2021. For more information visit: telfair.org/exhibitions/never-spoken-again

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Continuing its self-reflective, public contemplation on the role of museums, Telfair Museums is hosting Never Spoken Again: Rogue Stories of Science and Collections, a traveling exhibition curated by David Ayala-Alfonso and produced by Independent Curators International.

Ayala-Alfonso is excited about the exhibition being in Savannah.

“I'm thrilled about Never Spoken Again opening at the Jepson, as I've discovered Telfair Museums to be a fantastic sounding board for the project,” he said. “The history of the museum, as well as the stories and legends that live in the popular imagination of Savannah, speak loudly to the ideas that motivate this exhibition.”

On view at Telfair’s Jepson Center through Sept. 12, 2021, Never Spoken Again connects with Progressive Regression: Examination of a 19th Century Museum organized by Telfair and currently on view at the Telfair Academy.

Deepening the conversation initiated by Progressive Regression about the power and colonial impulses intertwined with the Western model of museum collections, Never Spoken Again expands the narrative beyond the desire to collect, categorize, and understand through objects to include a vital questioning of how objects acquire and create meaning. Further, the exhibition presents a comprehensive understanding of what artists do, how they work, and what museum-goers might expect from artworks when visiting an exhibition.

Erin Dunn, associate curator of modern and contemporary art at Telfair loves the connections this exhibition makes with other museum initiatives. For example, this is the first exhibition ever presented at the

Jepson with English and Spanish interpretive materials.

“In conversation with the historical exhibition Progressive Regression, Never Spoken Again offers a present-day reflection of museum histories and the ownership of knowledge through the incisive work of an incredible group of internationally-recognized contemporary artists,” Dunn explained.

Treating the complexities associated with institutions, collections, and their relationships to power and truth, Never Spoken Again presents a material and ideological position on the aesthetics of art and exhibitions.

All of the artists included in the exhibition push against narrow and constricting definitions of what it means to be an artist.

In their own ways, each artist participates in a dynamic practice abandoning the outmoded notion of artist as isolated studio genius in favor of open, collaborative, and responsive approaches to art making.

Opening the exhibition is David Peña Lopera’s Ave Nocturna (Nocturnal Bird), 2019, a black, parrot-shaped sculpture made from Cinefoil, a non-reflective aluminum material that can absorb light often used in filmmaking.

Surprisingly, it's heated and kept at the temperature of tropical forests. Disorienting to the touch, Ave Nocturna connects with Ayala-Alfonso’s central concerns for the show, Ave Nocturna (Nocturnal Bird) captures the alchemy of fabrication, the dynamic conversations that exist between decontextualization, conservation, speculation, and the agency of formatting alternative narratives.

Ulrik López’s Summon Song I, 2018-2019, an installation of pre-Hispanic ceramic replicas known as gritones or “screamers,” intentionally appears to be objects found at an archeological site.

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GoT CreATiviTy? The SCAD Savannah Film estival has become a renowned stop on the road to the Academy Awards. This year’s festival will kick off in October, and once again feature in-person screenings and events. Photo courtesy of SCAD

SCAD Savannah Film Festival will return to in-person and virtual viewings in 2021

By Kareem McMichael

Savannah Film Academy

Savannah Culinary institute

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Apply Now

24

Classes start August 23

SavannahTech.edu/Apply

An equal opportunity institution.

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is intricately woven in the film scene of Savannah and for its 24th year it is returning in-person and virtually Saturday, Oct. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.

Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the annual festival is filled with cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. More than 63,000 people attend the annual eight-day festival.

“The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is a treasured event in this community, we are delighted to bring filmmakers, honorees, and other guests back to this great city. The festival creates a special atmosphere for filmmakers and film lovers,” said Executive Director of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival Christina Routhier.

The festival kicks off with a gala opening night screening and reception, while the rest of the week features scheduled competition screenings, premiere screenings, workshops, lectures, panels, and receptions.

“I think I am most excited to sit in a crowded theater again. There is nothing quite like the entire audience taking in a screening together for the first time. The atmosphere is unlike any other,” said SCAD Dramatic Writing senior Clarie Marino.

The 2020 festival was virtual, honoring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Rachel Brosnahan, Millie Bobby Brown, Billy Crystal, Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, Glen Keane, Delroy Lindo, Tessa Thompson, and Steven Yeun.

On Sunday, Oct. 24, the Docs to Watch series, hosted by Scott Feinbery of The Hollywood Reporter, will present the top 10 documentaries of the year.

Jewel Hamerick IV, a SCAD Film and Television grad student said, “my biggest takeaway from attending the festival is the networking and getting to meet filmmakers from around the world who are deep in the industry and getting advice from them as well as access to job opportunities.”

The festival concludes with a closing awards brunch as well as a special closing night screening and reception.

The festival has become a renowned stop on the road to the Academy Awards and it hosts many events at SCAD's historic theaters and industry-leading studio spaces.

“While in Savannah for the festival, filmmakers have an opportunity to see the diversity of locations in our region, meet local film crew, learn about local incentives offered to productions, and most importantly fall in love with the Savannah lifestyle,” said Beth Nelson, the Executive Director of the Savannah Regional Film Commission.

Ahead of its in-person return SCAD was named one of the "Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada 2021" by MovieMaker Magazine.

“Our goal with each festival is to provide opportunities for our students and festival goers to engage with our guests as well as with each other. The social aspect of the festival is a major part of the magic,“ said Routhier.

Tickets and passes will go on sale Friday, Oct. 1. online at savannahboxoffice.com, by telephone at 912.525.5050, or in person at the Savannah Box Office at 216 E. Broughton St. in Savannah. For additional information and tickets, visit filmfest.scad.edu.

CULTURE

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Savannah African Art Museum hosts workshop to prepare kids for school

By Orrin Konheim

more and that’s why we do this.”

The kids who are invited to the workshop are ages 6 and up and the events are open to anyone who signs up. The museum’s mission is to promote African art and culture to everyone regardless of race.

Education Director Lisa Jackson says that the program participants are often repeat attendees from their mailing lists.

The Savannah African Art Museum focuses on West and Central Africa with their 1,000+ collection but they are dedicated to the specific rather than giving their programs a blanket label of African.

The museum has a curatorial team that provides specific context into the many different national and tribal customs behind the activity.

As the African Art Museum has curators who have specific insight into the many different national and tribal customs, the museum is able to give context to the general.

For instance, for their upcoming Mancala game playing workshop, chief curator (and founding director) Billie Stultz knows the specific tribes offhand in Cote d’Iviore, Mali, Senegal where the game is most popular and how the game originated from Arab traders.

Stultz says that for this program, they borrow on the saying of the Massai tribe in Kenya, “if the children are well, the community is well?”

The Savannah African Art Museum typically hosts workshops twice a month. The Savannah African Art Museum is located at 201 E. 37th Street and can be found at savannahafricanartmuseum.org online.

Photos courtesy of the Savanah African Art Museum.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

The Savannah African Art Museum will be using African traditions of storytelling in an interactive workshop with children and their parents on Saturday August 14th. The program, “What’s On Your Mind?”

Workshop facilitator Kat Robertson is the second in a two-part series that uses visual arts, poetry and movement to capture what the child participants have been feeling throughout the pandemic as they return to school.

“In African culture, [storytelling] is a way of communicating to the younger generation about the ancestors, about the tradition, but also to set the grounds for codes of behavior as to how you go out into the community,” said SAAM Education Director Lisa Jackson. “This is tied to our exhibits because we have several pieces in the museum that display this, that display the history and how we honor the ancestors and how we speak of all these pieces and how this information is shared from one generation to the next.”

Storytelling is an African tradition storytelling is a way of sharing African tradition “In African story telling tradition, the storyteller does not merely share a story with their audience, they share an experience with them, making creative use of their vocal range, facial expressions, gestures, instrumentation,” says the website for the Savannah Art Museum about their story telling programs.

In the initial program, facilitator Kat Robertson led a discussion with the children about what the changed circumstances of the pandemic have been like on them.

She then asked them to express those feelings into a movement and a sound. She then worked with the kids to express those emotions into visual art.

Robertson herself is no stranger to multidisciplinary art. She is a stage actor, makeup artist (with 15 film credits on IMDB) and published poet of numerous anthologies who has experience teaching at-risk youth

at Philadelphia’s Freedom Repertory Theate and Camden School of Arts among other prestigious institutions. After establishing a name for herself in the Philadelphia and New York artistic communities, she currently lives on a sailboat in Savannah.

She connected with the Savannah African Art Museum earlier this year and led workshops in May and in June.

A presentation of the words and visual artistic works was then posted online as part of the internet outreach that SAAM has stepped up since the beginning of the pandemic with an increased presence on YouTube, Facebook, and their own website.

The second event on the 14th is one involving the children with their parents.

Parents will be encouraged to sit with the child and help them choose colors and materials in creating their painting.

The event is focused on dealing with the return to school that students, parents, and teachers alike all are affected by.

“Storytelling allows everyone to participate because everyone accounts for events differently. However, when we tell our stories, all parties can look through the lens of people and see different perspectives as it relates to historical accounts,” said Valentina Quarterman in a press release.

Quarterman is a social studies secondary teacher specialist at Savannah Arts Academy who has lent her support to the event (?).

The emphasis, according to Jackson, is to get to the heart of the children’s emotions “A lot of times people ask their kids how was school and they just say ‘fine’ and later on you might find something. ” said Lisa Jackson. “Somehow with the arts, you get

25

CULTURE

DATING

MAKING A LASTING

CONNECTION

PART II: MEET OUR MATCHMAKER, AMANDA ROSE

By Lauren Wolverton

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

lauren@connectsavannah.com

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Last week, Connect Savannah introduced you to our new anonymous dating series and our two singles looking for love. Since then, professional matchmaker Amanda Rose has been hard at work searching for the perfect match for Regan and Juan.

So, how exactly does matchmaking work? We sat down with Rose to get the scoop on her decadelong career setting people up on dates.

Rose is the founder of three different companies.

Prestige Connections is her professional matchmaking service; Dating Boutique is her dating consulting agency that does relationship workshops, date coaching and more; and Swoon Me Events is her company that puts on singles events in cities across the southeast.

“I’ve worked with thousands of singles,” Rose said.

“I only take on a handful of matchmaking clients every few months because it is a very dedicated process, but we’ll have anywhere from 30 to 100 or more people at a singles event.”

Rose said the rate of successful relationships that come out of the three companies is high.

“I look at success stories as exclusive relationships to marriage,” Rose said. “Anybody who’s in a long-term relationship, a committed relationship, engaged or married.”

She said she frequently receives feedback and updates of all kinds from matchmaking clients and people who attended one of her events.

“I just had someone message me and say that they met in 2017 though me, and they just got married,” Rose said. “I also recently had someone call and say their friend met their boyfriend through me eight years ago and they’re still together. People don’t always keep me updated - and I don’t bug them - but we do have some really great success stories.”

Some of those success stories can be credited to Rose’s thorough matchmaking process. As we told you last week, the first step was for Reagan and Juan to fill out their dating profile with questions about themselves, their interests, and what they’re looking for in a partner. They also did a consultation with Rose to discuss their answers in a bit more detail.

“As soon as I start the interview process, I get an idea of who they are and who they’ll jive with,” Rose said. “I have a picture in mind of each person’s match.”

From there, Rose takes the wheel.

“We start headhunting,” Rose said. “It’s like job headhunting, but for love. We look in all kinds of places. We’ll look in our own system; we’re known

to approach people at coffee shops. We also have a large social media network. We’ll put things out on there, or we’ll put things out in our newsletter. We’ll look for referrals from people in certain industries.

We also target certain events and charity functions. I try to leave no stone unturned.”

Approaching a complete stranger at a coffee shop or on LinkedIn might sound a little odd, but Rose said she’s usually well received.

“I usually say ‘I know this is a crazy question, but are you single? I’m a matchmaker and I have a client that I think you might be great for,’” Rose said. “I’m always looking at people to see how they interact with people around them. I look for people who are friendly, who look like they’re approachable and might be single. I’m not always correct, but I give it a chance.”

When a person is single and is interested in learning more, Rose said the next step is to do a screening of the date. She interviews them, confirms their employment, and runs a background check. Then, she starts planning a first date!

“We make sure it’s something that they’re both interested in doing, something that’s fun,” Rose said.

“I love interactive dates with an activity because it creates more connection.”

Every client is different, Rose explained. She said sometimes, a client is ready to go on the date right away, and sometimes they need a little encouragement and preparation.

“We customize everything for everybody,” Rose said. “There are quite a few clients that come to me, and they had been married for 20 years and then they’re all of a sudden back in the dating game. It’s a whole new life for them, so we’ll go through a styling process with them. We’ll do their hair, makeup, clothes and then send them out.”

Rose said she never gives away personal details of her clients like the neighborhood they live in, their phone number, their last name, etc.

“I leave that up to the party to exchange that information,” Rose said. “We hope they do, we hope that they exchange phone numbers and go on a second date. But if not, it’s completely private and they never have to talk to that person again. It’s a safe way to date.”

After the date, Rose said she asks for feedback and uses it to make her matchmaking process even more precise to help her clients find love.

Rose joked, “I go on all the bad dates, and set them up with all the good ones!”

Next week, we’ll check back in on Reagan and Juan’s journey with Rose. They’ll each go through a styling session and get prepped for their first date.

Learn more about Prestige Connections matchmaking, dating and singles services at prestigeconnections.us.

CONNECT SAVANNAH’S ANONYMOUS DATING SERIES FOLLOWS TWO INDIVIDUALS ON THEIR QUEST TO MAKE A MATCH

Amanda Rose of Prestige Connections

BODY TYPES.....WHAT ON EARTH TO WEAR? PART 1 A WEEKLY FASHION/ADVICE COLUMN

By Danietté Thomas @designerdaniette

and thighs. But one difference—versus the diamond—is a longer, more slender neck.

All the fullness begins after the waist. I’m no pear, but I admire the body type with more below the waist than above it.

DIAMOND This one isn’t commonly heard of, but is definitely real. Diamonds, like pears, have narrow shoulders and smaller breast, but they have larger hips and thighs. They don’t necessarily have that round bottom like the pear does, so where a pear accentuates that waist to hip ratio, a diamond focuses more on the top and neckline area.

STRAIGHT Some think this is the hardest body type to dress, but it’s not! The legs are the best part and the biggest asset for this body type, no matter how tall. The legs are slender in this body type, but the bust line and waistline are almost exactly the same width, and to make things harder in that area, a larger rib cage with no defined waist is added in the mix. Seems hard right?

Again you can be any size with this or any other body type, it’s just important to know what to do with it.

HOURGLASS Today, this body type may be defined as a “brick house”, but like the others, you cannot wear everything with this body type. This body type normally doesn’t have a very large bone structure, but has full top, full hips, and protrudes on the back side.

ROUND So this body type has big bust, full back, wide rib cage, but small hips and legs. Don’t get it confused with the lollipop! The legs work for the advantage of the round figured person.

INVERTED TRIANGLE Broad shouldered, and the bust line and waist line are pretty average for their size but the hips are narrow and legs more slender. You’ll see women with this body type often pose with one leg in front of the other to give more of a vintage look to whatever they are wearing. These are wise, wise women!

OK. So, you should get it at this point. I found the easiest way to identify my body type is by taking the ones I most resemble and then use the process of elimination.

Stay tuned for next week’s column where I give the BEST tips and tricks for each type.

Until next time!

Yours in Fashion, Daniette

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

Apples, pears, can we cut all the fruit and figure this out already?

35 percent of my readers aren’t sure what body type they are, and 40 percent do but don’t know what to wear.

The remaining 25 are lost in both areas, but it’s OK. I’m about elevation, so my goal is to have you a little more comfortable when picking what to wear the next time you’re shopping. Let’s get into it!

There are a ton of body types right? So I’m going to simplify it as much as I can, and you can follow me for more tips and tricks on how to get deep into your inner style when it comes to your body type, OK? I’ll go ahead and say this: everyone that’s not hourglass, stop dressing like you are one. The mermaid silhouette is modern and cute, but it’s not for everyone. And if you let this go, you’ll save yourself a ton of stress and money in the girdle section.

I don’t care how many waist trainers you buy, start dressing for your body type.

Some body types change! Many of us gained weight in the pandemic, but then some of us oddly lost 60+ pounds. Insane right? Gained or lost, you may have a new body and need to know how to dress it, right? My assistant was one person who said “Yeah, I don’t know how to dress for my body type, I dress according to the mannequin.” This had me dying laughing, but also realizing y’all really need help.

SO here I am!

This week I want to help you identify your body type, by accurately describing each of them to a T! Then, next week, we can break down the tips for dressing each one. Sound good? OK! LOLLIPOP Don’t get this confused with straight.

This is for my top heavy gals that don’t have the hips to match. You also don’t want to confuse this with diamond. Lollipop body types also suffer from a larger stomach than hips, long legs, and short torso....hard right? But believe it or not lollipops, there is a style just for you. I’m no lollipop, but I am tall, and the options for people with long legs are endless.

PEAR This is probably one of my favorites. I want to make sure that I’m clear: whether you are a size four or a size 24, you can have a pear shape. It’s most commonly defined as having narrow shoulder width, smaller bust and waist, but then wide hips, bottom,

27

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUG 11 - 17, 2021

©2021 Matt Jones

“It’s All There For You”--at least I think so.

by Matt Jones

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ACROSS 1 ___ weevil (plant pest) 5 Makes “turn” look like “tum,” say 10 Amorphous lump 14 “Caprica” actor Morales 15 Get from the ASPCA 16 Uncontrolled fury 17 Former second lady who crusaded against obscenity in music lyrics 19 “Jane ___” (Bronte novel) 20 Mythical beast 21 Levi’s competitor 22 Puzzler’s precaution 24 B complex component 26 Best-selling Japanese manga series 28 ESPN tidbit 29 Gumshoes, for short 30 At no time 33 New album, e.g.

36 “Biggest Little City in the World” 37 Poker pot 40 Lisbon’s river 41 Branch out 42 Roll call response 43 2-in-1 component, maybe 45 Comapny that sold the DieHard brand to Advance Auto Parts in 2019 47 Before, poetically 48 IRS paperwork 51 Lizard kept as a pet 53 Proposal rejection phrase 55 Defeated team’s lament 57 “Pay you later” note 58 2021 Billie Eilish song

titled for a legal document 59 ___ mater 60 They’re low in the pantheon 64 Fly (through) 65 Oceanic ring 66 Ocho ___ (Jamaican seaport) 67 “Devil Inside” rock band 68 Some marching band members 69 Therefore (or the word hidden in the four theme answers) DOWN 1 Support with a wager 2 Bearded Egyptian deity 3 Pet for a sitter?

4 Trash talk 5 Pejorative name The Guardian called 2020 “The Year of” 6 Sidle 7 “Winnie-the-Pooh” marsupial 8 “Ask Me Another” airer 9 Take the wheel 10 Selfless concept to work toward 11 Takes a break on a journey 12 Fairy tale monster 13 Tap output 18 High-society group 23 Skedaddle 25 Job interview subjects 26 Falls on many honeymoon trips 27 Take for granted

29 The bird that gets the showy feathers 31 Grammy-winning rock producer Brian 32 Sudoku constraint 34 “M*A*S*H” ranks 35 Sixth sense, familiarly 37 They’re like “Eureka” but shorter 38 Society column word 39 Handful while hiking 44 “Days ___ Lives” 46 Of concern, in “Among Us” 49 “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” painter 50 1993 De Niro title role 52 Book that’ll show you the world 53 Caroler’s repertoire 54 “Ted ___” (Apple TV series) 55 “Now then, where ___?”

56 Verve 57 Enchanted getaway 61 Greek vowel 62 “Red” or “White” follower 63 Aspiring M.A.’s hurdle

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PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS

View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

FIGHT THE WAR WITHIN FOUNDATION INAUGURAL WARRIOR’S BALL The Fight The War Within Foundation hosted its inaugural Warrior’s Ball on July 30 at the ballroom of the American Legion on Bull Street.

The event benefited the organization’s mission to help raise awareness of suicide, and help those struggling with their internal wars.

Danika Baldor, Brenda Hubbard, Ryan Peterson, Kim Green, Heidi Bollinger

Kate & Kyle Upshaw

Melissa Ortiz and Kenny Evans

Taylor Howe, Jennifer Epps, Jess Cepeda, Sabrina Calvin

Connie Hoyt, Stephanie Boaz

Alison & Chris O’Malley

James Putney, Maja Ciric

Kristy Crill

PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS

Photos by Bunny Ware

View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

Kellie Whelchel, Sherri Ling, Katie Williford, Kelli Hartley

Sherri Long, Jill Costello, Terri Collins

Amy Pierce, Drew Hillis, Bernadette Bryant

Deb Schmidt, Kimberly Smith, Maureen Evans

Jeff Heeder, Kelli Hartley, Jim Smart

Joyce McBride, Sandy Griffin, Jenny Price

SAVANNAH SQUARE FREEDOM CRUISE PARTY Savannah Square Senior Living Community hosted a Freedom Cruise Party on Thursday, July 29 for friends, family and residents. The event featured themed food cooked on site, signature cocktails, a photo booth, and the music of Melvin Deen on Steel Drums.

Kelli Hartley, Chef Shawn Panuline, Kimberly Smith

Denise Beasley, Carol Elkins

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