Connect Savannah December 25, 2019

DEC 25-31, 2019 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

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W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1

T U E S D AY, A P R I L 7

12:30 PM Amythyst Kiah

12:30 PM André Mehmari, piano

12:30 PM Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

2020 FULL SCHEDULE OF E VENT S

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 6

5/ 8 PM

True Blues: Corey Harris, Cedric Watson 5 PM & Alvin Youngblood Hart / 5/ Amythyst Kiah

8 PM

Chamber II: From Prussia with Love Veronica Swift with Emmet Cohen Trio / Vilray

5 PM

Celebrating Bach: Bridget Kibbey and Dover Quartet

7:30 PM Rodney Crowell

8 PM

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

8 PM

Mandolin Orange

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Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with André Watts

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Chamber III: Futility of Conflict New Orleans Swing Time

7:30 PM Balsam Range /

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

10 PM

Late Night Jazz Jam with Emmet Cohen

11 AM

F R I D AY, A P R I L 1 0 Drew Petersen, piano

Brenda Navarrete

5:30 / Junior Brown / 8:30 PM Hot Club of Cowtown 6 PM

Stringband Spectacular: Acoustic Music Seminar Finale

8:30 PM St. Paul

& The Broken Bones

12:30 PM Hawktail 3 PM

Meechot Marrero, soprano Cajun Dance Party: Steve Riley & Racines / The Revelers

7:30 PM Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

S AT U R D AY, A P R I L 1 1 3 PM

Camille Thomas, cello & Julien Brocal, piano

8:30 PM Latin Dance Party:

4/ 8 PM

Zydeco Dance Party:Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys

S U N D AY, A P R I L 5

4:30 / Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez / 7:30 PM Harold López-Nussa

Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Wycliffe Gordon & His International All-Stars / Christian Sands Trio

3 PM

Chamber IV: Happy Birthday, Ludwig!

6 PM

Leo Kottke

Chamber I: Tales of the Unexpected

6 PM

Martin Hayes Quartet / Aoife O'Donovan’s Songs and Strings

8 PM

Sarah Jarosz / Madison Cunningham

T U E S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 Tara Helen O'Connor, flute

12:30 PM Emmet Cohen Trio 4 PM

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Giovanni Guzzo, violin & Ana-Maria Vera, piano

Christian Sands Presents Three Piano Erroll Garner Summit

11 AM

8 PM

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5 PM

5 PM

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

5:30 / Etienne Charles & 8:30 PM Creole Soul /

4/ 8 PM

5/ 8 PM

8 PM

12:30 PM Caterina Lichtenberg & Mike Marshall:

Dover Quartet with Escher String Quartet

12:30 PM Christian Sands, piano

5:30 / John Jorgenson Quintet / 8:30 PM Frank Vignola / Velvet Caravan

3 PM

2 PM

M O N D AY, M A R C H 3 0

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Ger Mandolin Orchestra

6:30 PM Swing Central Jazz Finale:

5:30 / Marta Pereira da Costa / 8:30 PM Germán López

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Kenny Barron and Dave Holland with Johnathan Blake

Robert McDuffie, violin & Robert Spano, piano

F R I D AY, A P R I L 3

4 PM

4 / 8 PM Ruthie Foster / Marcia Ball

7 PM

Ana-Maria Vera, piano

Beethoven and the Mandolin

Tatiana Hargreaves

5 / 8 PM Väsen / Kittel & Co.

5 PM

11 AM 5:30 / George Porter Jr. and 8:30 PM Runnin’ Pardners / Rebirth Brass Band 6 / 8:30 PM 8 PM Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 6 PM

12:30 PM Allison de Groot &

12:30 PM Väsen

& Roger Tallroth

Dover Quartet

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W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 8

12:30 PM Martin Hayes, Jeremy Kittel

12:30 PM Foghorn Stringband

5:30 / Foghorn Stringband / 8:30 PM Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves

Darrell Scott Band Plays Hank Williams / Kaia Kater & Andrew Ryan

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F R I D AY, M A R C H 2 7

5 PM

5/ 8 PM

M O N D AY, A P R I L 6 11 AM

Sebastian Knauer, piano

12:30 PM Martin Hayes Solo

Performance Today’s Piano Puzzler with Bruce Adolphe and Fred Child 7 PM

5/ 8 PM

Melissa Aldana Quartet: Visions / André Mehmari Trio

7 PM

BalletCollective: Translation

Zakir Hussain, Kala Ramnath & Jayanthi Kumaresh

7:30 PM Bryan Sutton, Jack Lawrence

& T. Michael Coleman / Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

SPONSOR OF THE 2020 SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL

Give the Gift of Live Music

MARCH 26–APRIL 11, 2020

Tickets and gift cards are available 24/7 at savannahmusicfestival.org Box office: 912.525.5050 Diamond-Level Sponsors: Connect Savannah, Floor & Decor, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., The Kennickell Group, Savannah Morning News, Visit Savannah, Wet Willie’s Management Corp.

Platinum-Level Sponsors: Critz Auto Group, The Drayton Hotel, HunterMaclean, National Endowment for the Arts, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, WTOC 11

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

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COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED IN WEEK AT A GLANCE EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

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WEDNESDAY 12.25 Christmas Concert & Jam Session

2020 Tybee Polar Plunge WED 1.1

The Tybee Polar Plunge returns to Tybee Island on Jan. 1, 2020! Join thousands of brave souls and take the plunge into the brisk Atlantic Ocean at 12 noon on New Year’s Day. It’s a great way for the entire family to start off the New Year! The fun kicks off with the legendary Gang of Goofs costume contest and parade before a panel of esteemed judges on the Tybee island Pier and Pavilion at 11 am! So gather up your gang of goofy friends and family, dream up your wackiest costumes and compete for great cash prizes! $25 registration adults; $15 kids under 12 10am-1pm Tybee Island Beach Pier and Pavilion Tybee Island, Georgia 31328

This festive performance will feature the Savannah All Star Jazz Ensemble led by Teddy Adams and Howard Paul featuring special guests. The concert concludes with a Homecoming Jam Session welcoming Savannah’s greatest jazz musician back to the Hostess City.

5 p.m.

Westin Savannah Harbor, 1 Resort Drive.

Free

Christmas Day Bonaventure Tours

Escape the family for a minute or send them to us to be a fun break for awhile.

Tours will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and booking in advance is recommended.

As a Christmas gift to everyone, you will receive a tour poster.

10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Bonaventure Cemetery, 330 Bonaventure Rd. $25 for ages 16 and up, $15 for ages 15 and under

Christmas Day Brunch Grand Buffet There’s a reason the naughty list was created. Surrender to temptation this Christmas and indulge in your favorite selections of regionally-infused dishes.

10 a.m.

Mansion on Forsyth Park, 700 Drayton St. $72 adults, $29 children ages 6-12

New Year’s Eve Celebration Fireworks Show

Christmas Jazz Brunch

Skip the cooking and enjoy brunch by the Aqua Star at the Westin. Jeremy Davis and the Equinox Jazz Trio will perform as you eat.

10:30 a.m.

Aqua Star at the Westin, 1 Resort Drive. $79 adults, $38 children ages 6-12

TUE 12.31

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Join us for our New Year’s Eve Celebration Fireworks show to bring in the new year! Fireworks begin at midnight.

Free 11:45-12:15

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THURSDAY 12.26 Film: Ford vs. Ferrari

FunkYou presents: a Rick James Brown NYE TUE 12.31

Hailing from the East Side Georgia town of Augusta, this “funk” oriented outfit projects multiple musical styles focusing mainly on dance driven grooves with powerful clean vocals. $13 general admission 9pm-1am Victory North Savannah 2603 Whitaker St 912.323.2616

Academy Award-winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

Thurs. 7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 3 & 7 p.m.

Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horne. $8 adults, $5 children 12 and under 9124724790. tybeeposttheater.showare. com/

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Holiday Evening Tour by Candlelight

The family event will feature costumed docents who will tell the story of early 19th century holiday celebrations in Savannah. The home will be illuminated by candlelight, accompanied by early 19th century music, shortbread and cider. The program will end with a demonstration of 19th century dancing.

-30, 6 p.m.

Davenport House, 324 East State St. Adults $12 in advance, $15 at door; children $6 in advance, $8 at door davenporthouseum.org

SkateFest

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, please visit SavannahCivic.com noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

The Savannah Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

FRIDAY 12.27 Film: A White, White Day

In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. A story of grief, revenge and unconditional love. Presented by CinemaSavannah.

6:30 p.m.

Savannah Cultural Arts Center, Corner of MLK and Oglethorpe Streets. $10, cash preferred

Keller Williams at Southbound

Since he first appeared on the scene in the early ’90s, Keller Williams has defined the term independent artist. And his recordings tell only half the story.

8 p.m.

Southbound Brewing Company, 107 E. Lathrop Ave. $20 southboundbrewingco.com

Odd Lot Improv: Friday Funnies

An improv comedy show in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

8 p.m.

The Loft on Liberty, 215 W. Liberty St. $10 oddlotimprov@gmail.com. oddlot.lol

SkateFest

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, please visit SavannahCivic.com 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

The Savannah Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

SATURDAY 12.28 Family Friendly Improv Show

A hilarious show for kids and parents. This show is chock-full of interesting characters and funny scenes, and the audience is encouraged to shout out suggestions.

12:30 p.m.

Savannah Cultural Arts Center, Corner of MLK and Oglethorpe Streets.

Free, enter code “Family” at checkout

Improv with the Morons by Front Porch Improv

This is a high-energy improv comedy show where a gang of improvisers calling themselves “The Morons” have thrown away their pants and put on rompers to party the night away. Using audience suggestions there will be dancing, singing, and short form improv games.

8:30 p.m.

La Scala Ristorante, 119 E 37th St. $10, $5 with student ID frontporchimprov.com

Odd Lot Improv: Saturday Shenanigans

An improv comedy show in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Followed by long form comedy.

8 p.m.

The Loft on Liberty, 215 W. Liberty St. $10 oddlotimprov@gmail.com. oddlot.lol

Savannah for Morons: The Trolley Tour

The tour is hosted by Danny and Johnny Moron, two local actors, comedians, and history buffs. This comedy show on wheels will roast nearly 300 years of Savannah in a 90-minute ride. The tour consists of musical numbers, costume changes, a few surprise appearances and a ton of Savannah history.

11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Visitor’s Information Center, 301 MLK Jr. Blvd. $33 savannahformorons.com

SkateFest

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, please visit SavannahCivic.com 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

WEEK AT A GLANCE

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WEEK AT A GLANCE

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SUNDAY 12.29 SkateFest

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, please visit SavannahCivic.com noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m.

The Savannah Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

MONDAY 12.30 Odd Lot Improv: Monday Night Madness

An improv comedy show in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

8 p.m.

The Loft on Liberty, 215 W. Liberty St. $5 oddlotimprov@gmail.com. oddlot.lol

SkateFest

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, please visit SavannahCivic.com 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

The Savannah Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

Savannah Waterfront New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show Join Savannah Waterfront for the New Year’s Eve Celebration Fireworks show to bring in the new year. Fireworks begin at midnight. Enjoy restaurant specials and special hotel packages for the holiday.

9 p.m.

River Street, River St.

SkateFest

TUESDAY 12.31 City Market New Year’s Eve

Tybee Island New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve Oyster Roast

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Come celebrate the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 by laughing and dancing with Front Porch Improv. Expect powerhouse improv comedy using audience suggestions as inspiration. There will even be live music and improvised songs.

Door prizes and games throughout the night. DJ Danny Moron will be DJing.

8 p.m.

The Blind Sus, 118 E. Broughton St., 2nd floor. $12

Ice skating at the Civic Center. For a full list of dates and times, visit SavannahCivic.com 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m, 6 p.m.

The Savannah Civic Center, 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. savannahcivic.com

Every New Year’s Eve, City Market becomes Savannah’s “celebration central” – and this year promises to be better than ever. Live outdoor music continues throughout the evening and restaurants are open to help you celebrate. Drop in and stroll through the market all evening long. (Restaurants, of course, require New Year’s Eve reservations.)

7 p.m.

City Market, downtown Savannah.

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Roaring 2020s Comedy Show

Make your last meal of 2019 a good one.

Join the Crab Shack for an all-you-canshuck-and-eat Oyster Roast with local Bluffton cluster oysters. The regular menu is available for those that don’t eat oysters. Also enjoy drink specials and corn hole.

6 p.m.

The Original Crab Shack, 40 Estill Hammock Rd. $25 per person

Bring in 2020 with your friends and family on Savannah’s beach with a bang. Enjoy the New Year’s Eve Fireworks show launched from Tybee Island’s Walter W. Parker Pier and Pavilion at the stroke of midnight. The celebration can be observed from the beach around the pier as well many of Tybee Island’s restaurants, night spots, and even privately on some hotel balconies.

11 p.m.

Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion.

JAN 22–26

Owens-Thomas House

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Telfair Academy

Jepson Center

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

FEATURING:

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NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE

Proud Sponsor

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: (912) 238-2040 Fax: (912) 238-2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Josephine Beisel, Editorial Intern CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Jessica Farthing, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 Dean Moesch, Account Executive dean@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 DESIGN & PRODUCTION

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Brandon Blatcher, Art Director artdirector@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4379

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Loretta Calhoun, Graphic Designer ads@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4380 DISTRIBUTION Wayne Franklin, Distribution Manager (912) 721-4376 CLASSIFIEDS Call (912) 231-0250

A few new year’s wishes for 2020

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

WE ARE about to enter the Roaring Twenties — again. The first time around, the Twenties were a time of great prosperity, changing cultural norms, and increasing unease with the rapid modernization of society. And so it will be again, it seems.

(Hopefully these Roaring Twenties aren’t also followed by a huge depression.)

Savannah is teetering on the edge of a major tipping point. The election of a new City Council, in many local eyes, didn’t come a minute too soon, as Savannah’s unprecedented prosperity has also led to unprecedented fear about the future.

Here is a quick local wish list for Savannah in 2020, in no particular order: • Make rules and stick to them. I’d like to see local government have the conviction and confidence to stand behind existing rules and guidelines on developers, and not be afraid of passing more strict rules on them, such as tying in funding for affordable housing. Let’s talk about a real moratorium on new hotel development, without the excuse of, “well, all these projects were already in the pipeline when we got here.” If Savannah is as desirable as we’re always told, developers will still make a boatload of money here even if they’re forced to scale back some projects.

FEEDBACK

• Stop passing the buck on homelessness. One of the barriers to a comprehensive plan on fighting homelessness in Savannah is the constant “not my job” refrains from both City and County government, each accusing the other of not coming to the table with enough resources.

Meanwhile, the problem only becomes more prevalent and that much harder to solve. The time has come for SavannahChatham to stop screwing around on this issue. The faith-based and nonprofit communities are making heroic efforts on this front, but they can only do so much without increased government support on this issue. To be frank, this might have to wait until a new Chatham County Commission is elected late in 2020.

• PLANT MORE TREES! I’m always telling people that Savannah is at Peak Tree Canopy right now, or a little past it. The grand old oak trees we take for granted, most of which were planted after the devastating hurricanes of the 1890s, are reaching the end of their natural lifespans in an urban environment. City funding cuts and shifting priorities mean that not enough money and staff time is given to planting new trees to replenish the scenic canopy for future generations. Keep in mind there is a direct economic benefit from our tree canopy. It brings tourists here, helps convince people to move here and open businesses here, and relieves the increasing effects of climate change. Plant more trees! There is literally no downside.

• Reverse the Waving Girl decision.

If it’s true, as apparently seems so, that from the beginning the Waving Girl was always intended to be moved to Plant Riverside, that is all the more reason for the new Council to reverse the recent decision to move the iconic sculpture from its longtime home on the east end of River Street.

In my opinion, in the new display place should go a newly commissioned sculpture that will celebrate the current arts community and add to the range of artistic expression already in place, rather than moving established monuments around. Is this the most pressing issue in town right now? No, not even close. But it is representative of a larger, more problematic issue that is indeed a pressing one.

• Put teeth in the new Archaeology Ordinance. Though the ink is still wet on the city’s new Archaeological Resource Ordinance, passed late last week, I’d like to see the new Council follow through on promises to expand it to include at least some private development, and to hire a staff archaeologist to oversee the effort to protect Savannah’s untold history beneath our feet. The lame duck City Council was about to award a million bucks to the Chamber of Commerce to control Savannah’s future strategic plan (the vote fortunately was tabled for now). So the argument that “we don’t have the money” to fund a new archaeology position is clearly false. CS

LETTERS@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Thanks for watching out

Editor, I always read your column and I really agreed with your recent editorial concerning the hotel boom, the Waving Girl, etc.

Please continue to write on these topics as we need to be reminded of the chicanery going on in this town with the developers, real estate interests, and vacation rental companies.

Thanks for keeping an eye out for the citizens of Savannah!!!

Kenneth Barthels

Votesmart.org is a valuable resource

Editor, Can we not see it? Opinionated news befouls all citizens, twisting reality with “facts” that are not facts. The tortured

logic is presented as gospel truth in emotional messages that destroy our confidence in each other and the institutions our fathers, their fathers and their fathers before them built to protect us from such abuse.

Studies have shown that opinionated news, both liberal and conservative, is saturated with inaccuracies and blatant falsehoods. That, coupled with the fact that 80% of the money we give to support candidates is no longer used to support them but to trash opponents, eats at the heart of The People’s ability to self-govern.

If there is no difference between fact and fiction there can be no democracy. But 2 + 2 DOES = 4 and we know it, so why behave like monkeys on a rope.

We are organized and managed through every dollar

spent on messaging that moves us emotionally instead of intellectually.

We are learning to hate each other. How could we, in the birthplace of democracy and freedom, be so willingly led to the slaughter by such shameless political preaching when the remedy sits right before us, patiently waiting to hear us say “enough” and begin to fight back.

It does not have to be this way--and cannot be this way if our experiment in self-governance is to continue its success!

At Votesmart.org, the tools are there for The People to regain control and take charge.

It is right there in front of us all, reality is there for the taking by anyone with the will. Both the technology and the data exist to put reality back in play.

Every essential fact about

candidates for the presidency, the congress, governorships and even state legislatures can be captured: every biographical detail, every public record, every vote, every issue position stated, every public statement, and even every independent review by every conceivable special interest is gathered and easily searchable by any citizen.

We only need the will to be the boss, use the technology currently available and make the facts easily available to any citizen, right wing or left.

We are the employers and our job is simply to do what was intended: ignore the self-serving nonsense and take charge just the way anyone would hiring for any lesser position than those applying to run our lives.

Richard Kimball Vote Smart President

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

December 31st Starting at 9pm

December 25th Starting at 10:30am

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NEWS & OPINION YEAR IN REVIEW

2019 Year In Review Top Ten Local Stories From The Year That Was

1. Earthshaking Savannah election

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

of unprecedented economic growth It was a seismic paradigm shift of mascombined with unprecedented income sive proportions: Mayor Eddie DeLoach inequality, with the very soul of the city at was voted out decisively after one term, stake. with most every other City Council incumWhile Johnson’s mayoral victory was bent either defeated or declining to run for itself not a particular surprise—he’s been reelection. prepping a run for years and was always Fifth Disgoing to be a trict Alderformidable woman Estella candidate no Shabazz, who matter the ran unopopponent—his posed, is the margin of viconly one to tory was unexreturn to his pectedly large. or her seat.

In a city, First Disindeed a trict Alderman country, now Van Johnaccustomed son defeated to razor-thin DeLoach to election victobecome the ries, Johnson next Mayor of absolutely Savannah. swamped And a DeLoach, both majority in the general conservative election and white male the runoff.

City Council (The only reaturns into a son Johnson majority prodidn’t win in gressive black the first round female City is because of Council—first Savannah’s in Savannah This montage of the newly elected Mayor and City Council runoff rule, history. made the rounds on social media in the wake of the recent dictating that The newly a winner needs election. elected faces to get over 50 are not only new to Council, but new to percent of the vote.) politics.

In the end, a largely honored pledge by New Alderwoman-at-Large Alicia DeLoach to significantly decrease homiBlakely, the top vote-getter of all candicides didn’t seem to matter to voters at all. dates in the 2019 election, has never held A newly energized electorate, with record elected office. Same for incoming Aldernumbers of young people, women, and woman-at-Large Kesha Gibson-Carter. people of color, made its voice heard in Same for First District Alderwoman Savannah—as indeed is increasingly the Bernetta Lanier. Same for Second District case throughout the United States.

Alderman Detric Leggett. Same for Third A particularly gripping backstory District Alderwoman Linda Wilder-Bryan. involved the deeply controversial, now forSame for Fourth District Alderman Nick mer Alderman Tony Thomas of the Sixth Palumbo. Same for Sixth District AlderDistrict. man Kurtis Purtee.

After years of depending on a core of It’s a complete clean sweep of City polisupport to overcome concerns about his tics. Never has the phrase “Out with the increasingly belligerent and erratic public old, in with the new,” been more apt. behavior and toxic social media attacks And it came none too soon, with on local citizens, Thomas finally found his increased public concern over the match in a young, openly gay university 10 direction of Savannah during a time police office, Kurtis Purtee.

Though new to politics, Purtee ran a squeaky-clean campaign that was a far cry from the scorched-earth tactics relied on by Thomas during his 20 years on Council.

Ironically, while Thomas was a dependable ally of Van Johnson while both served as Aldermen, in the new Van Johnson administration Thomas’s vote will no longer be needed anyway. Johnson will seemingly have a very solid policy-making majority on Council, without Thomas and his baggage.

They say that defeat is an orphan, but success has a thousand fathers. In that vein, local activists and Facebook pundits of all kinds jockeyed to claim credit for the sweeping election victories.

But the real credit, of course, must go to these remarkable young candidates themselves, who put in the work and put their reputations on the line for causes they believed in.— Jim Morekis

2. Sgt. Kelvin Ansari: RIP

A few days ago, CNN ran a web story headlined, “In the last 50 weeks, 38 officers have been shot to death in the line of duty.”

The story is accompanied by a graphic featuring a red dot on the location of each fatal officer shooting.

One of the red dots is in Savannah.

Sgt. Kelvin Ansari, a ten-year veteran of the Savannah Police Department, was shot to death in response to an armed robbery call in the Starland area on May 11, 2019.

In an especially cruel irony, Ansari was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army before becoming a Savannah cop—which proved to be the most dangerous job of the two.

“Last night, we lost a great man,” Savannah Police Department Chief Roy Minter said at a press conference immediately afterward. “We lost a man who spent a substantial portion of his life protecting our country and protecting our community.”

Ansari and Officer Doug Thomas responded to a call a little after 8 p.m., saying that a car connected to an earlier robbery had been spotted at a barber shop on Bull Street.

As the officers approached the car, Edward Fuller, 49, exited and fired at the officers. Ansari succumbed to his injuries, and the second officer shot in the episode, Doug Thomas, was treated at a hospital and released.

The shooter fled the scene on foot to the backyard of a nearby home. When police found him, he emerged from a shed and pointed a handgun at them.

The late and greatly admired Sgt. Kelvin Ansari of the Savannah Police Dept.

An officer fired and struck him. Fuller later died in the hospital.

Ansari, a North Carolina native, was buried with full honors in a moving procession and ceremony that involved virtually the entire Savannah community in some way or another.

He was honored with special proclamations in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Ansari’s death came less than a week after Officer Robert McKeithen of the Biloxi, MS, Police Dept. was killed in an ambush shooting outside the police headquarters.—Jim Morekis

3. Not the best year for Eagle Nation It hasn’t been a great year for Georgia Southern, but maybe that shouldn’t be any surprise.

After the ill-advised merger with (read: acquisition of) Armstrong State University, tensions between the Statesboro and Savannah campuses began building and never really stopped. This fall, it came to a head with the now infamous book-burning incident, which went viral.

Nationally recognized author Jennine Capó Crucet came to Georgia Southern’s Statesboro campus on Oct. 9 for a reading and discussion of her book, “Make Your Home Among Strangers,” which was chosen as the first year common read.

When Crucet began discussing white privilege, several of the students in

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attendance became angry and started yelling. Students later filmed themselves ripping pages out of, and then burning, her book, which all made it to Twitter and went viral.

(It’s worth noting that this is the second incident involving racism to make headlines out of Georgia Southern, the first being the “triggerish” incident in 2018, which prompted the creation of the Inclusive Excellence program at the school.)

Adding fuel to the fire was President Kyle Marrero’s statement on the incident, which came two days after the incident, Oct. 11, a Friday afternoon.

“Specific to the reported events of that evening, while it’s within the students’ First Amendment rights, book burning does not align with Georgia Southern’s values nor does it encourage the civil discourse and debate of ideas,” said Marrero in the email.

Many felt that wasn’t enough and called on the school to take stricter action against the students responsible. That didn’t happen.

Instead, Georgia Southern began hosting panel discussions, including one on Nov. 20 on the Statesboro campus in which Professor of History Johnathan O’Neill and University Executive Counsel Maura Copeland condescendingly

backlash.

The entire report is worth a read if you have access to it, but in short, Statesboro is a much more conservative campus (and town) than Armstrong, and trying to marry those two wildly different sets of values is proving difficult, if not impossible.

It’s clear that the environment at Georgia Southern is devolving quickly in what’s a fairly apt mirror of our current political landscape. That was evidenced just a few weeks ago, when student Charles Robertson gave a presentation on replacement migration, which many critics say is a racist idea perpetuated by white nationalists.

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern’s student newspaper, reported that Robertson said, “And this is where y’all are gonna start to hate me. ‘Diversity is our strength’ is a bare faced lie. You should know this...

Having them here at all damages virtually all measures of civic health. This policy is On Dec. 17, the Georgia Historical Society recognized Armstrong’s history. PHOTO BY GHS. on its face, stupid.”

Robertson posted the video of his explained the First Amendment to a room Committee on Inclusive Excellence and presentation on his YouTube channel, full of bored students. run through March of next year. which has four thousand subscribers, and Georgia Southern also recently Speaking of Inclusive Excellence, the received an outpouring of support from announced a series called Courageous department in August released a report on other like-minded commenters.

Conversations, open only to students, facthe diversity between all three campuses, In spite of Georgia Southern’s effective ulty and staff. The discussions are sponwhich revealed some pretty disturbing stu- and helpful efforts to foster courageous CONTINUES ON P. 12 sored by the President’s Student Advisory dent-submitted comments about diversity

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

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Sure, there’s plenty of support and demands to hold Callaway accountable for his “awful mistake,” but there’s also plenty of people whining about cancel culture and how Bozarjian should just learn how to take a joke (read: find it acceptable to be sexually assaulted while doing her job).— Rachael Flora

5. Starland’s moment has arrived

A screenshot of WSAV’s Alex Bozarjian mid-coverage and post-grope.

conversation, there seems to be little courageous action being taken by the university to, you know, hold any of these students accountable.

Rubbing salt in the wound, enrollment is down at both campuses, especially at Armstrong.—Rachael Flora

4. Assault on Alex Bozarjian

YouTube channel.

As for Bozarjian, she discussed the experience on CBS This Morning and obtained famed lawyer Gloria Allred to handle her case. Callaway was charged with sexual battery and turned himself in on Dec. 13, bonding out afterwards.

In her CBS interview, Bozarjian says, “I would say that the reason why maybe it caught so much fire is because the emotion is extremely relatable for women all over the world.”

The incident has garnered national attention, making it the second year in a row that Savannah women have gone viral for being sexually harassed by men from out of town. Keep it up, tourists!

If you make the mistake of reading the Facebook comments on this story, you’ll find that public opinion is divided over this incident in what’s actually a quite fitting parallel to where our society stands.

Starland is having a major moment right now.

The development—or gentrification, depending on your perspective—of the Starland District hit its peak this year.

Sure, the New York Times has been covering this “new Brooklyn” since 2014, but this year, everything seemed to finally take off.

Starland Yard was all anyone could talk about for a few months back in the summer. It was either a really cool idea or the harbinger of doom, depending on who you asked.

The project was taken on by Lominack Kolman Smith and used repurposed shipping containers to build a food truck park and multi-use gathering place.

Its opening prompted lots of snarky posts on Facebook, as well as a “Trader Joe’s: Coming Soon!” sign on the old SaveA-Lot building that was intended to be a commentary on gentrification by the artist.

Despite the side-eyes Starland Yard still gets, it supports local food trucks and chefs, including Kyle Jacovino, a longtime player in our culinary scene. They also commissioned local artists to paint murals on the containers and local musicians to perform through the week.

Speaking of murals, the Starland Mural Project kicked off this year. A longstanding labor of love by jack of all trades Clinton Edminster, the project funded eight

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Savannah went viral this year in another, equally terrible way.

WSAV reporter Alex Bozarjian was reporting live on the Savannah Bridge Run on Dec. 7. Runners whizzed by, jumping into frame and hamming it up for the camera. Then, one of the runners, a middleaged white man, slapped her on the butt.

The moment is surprising and a little painful: Bozarjian’s face falls into shock in a way that’s sadly relatable for most women who have been harassed. She watched him run off, unable to react further because she was on live TV. A dedicated WSAV viewer, Tonya, posted the video on Twitter, where it quickly went viral. By the end of the day, Twitter users had identified the offender as Tommy Callaway, a youth group leader (!) and father of daughters (!) from Statesboro. He’s apparently an avid runner, and the Savannah Sports Council banned him from any future events.

Callaway was interviewed by Inside Edition on Dec. 10, where he explained that he had meant to hit her on her back, not her butt, completely missing the point that you shouldn’t hit another person at all.

The same day, WSAV aired a nine-minute apology from Callaway where he calls his actions an “awful mistake.” That decision drew ire from Facebook users, who called out the station for giving Bozarjian’s assaulter a platform.

For what it’s worth, searching “Tommy Callaway” on the site yields no results, Starland Yard in the early stages. PHOTO BY LINDY MOODY. 12 but the apology can still be found on their

murals on the corner of Bull and 41st.

Edminster, and other artists, have been fighting for a more vibrant public art scene here for a while now, and this year, it finally happened.

Starland’s development this year also saw the opening of Moodright’s, which feels like a Milwaukee bar with a Southern flair. On Abercorn and 41st, it’s pushing the boundaries of the district further east, which will be an interesting trend to watch.

Possibly the news out of Starland with the biggest impact on the local cultural scene, however, is the big opening of Victory North, a multi-use event space which immediately began hosting a series of well-attended, diverse music shows.

Savannah’s newest venue has been off to a great start since their soft launch in May, thanks in part to their partnership with talent buyer Zero Mile (known for their association with venues like Athens’ Georgia Theater and Atlanta’s Terminal West).

Construction was swiftly completed after months of chatter about what was to come at the space, and the concert hall— which also doubles as a wedding venue— was ready for launch almost as soon as it got off the ground.

The idea from the get go was to design a venue that could easily house a variety of shows—from rock and roll concerts to cabaret performances to orchestra shows.

“Here we can do standing room shows, we can do seated shows. We want to do everything from pop to rock to country to chamber music,” consultant David Harris told Connect in March.

Since the partnership with Zero Mile started, the venue has pulled in a really impressive list of shows—most notably headlining shows from Drive By Truckers, Perpetual Groove, Little Tybee, Tab Benoit, Reverend Horton Heat, and more.

Coming up on the Victory North calendar for 2020 is an eclectic mix of shows that include Hawthorne Heights, Citizen Cope, Reel Big Fish, and SUSTO.—Rachael Flora and Sean Kelly

6. Assault on history

There was no more symbolic display of the DeLoach administration’s pro-development stance than the decision to move one of Savannah’s most beloved cultural icons, The Waving Girl statue, from one end of River Street to another, to serve as showpiece for the new Plant Riverside hotel development.

The application to have the statue moved even admits the display space for the Waving Girl was included in Plant Riverside’s original design. Pretty weird that they would already know that long ago that Council would approve this very controversial idea, right?

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Despite huge public outcry, the lame duck Council approved the move—which could happen very soon, according to sources.

The local preservation community was still reeling from the cynical death sentence meted out to the Seaboard Freight Station, a historic train depot last used as a theatre space, Muse Arts Warehouse.

That historic resource will be dismantled to make room for new high-rise apartments from local architect and former politician Patrick Shay.

In a particularly insulting decision, supporters of the project claimed that they were doing the community a favor by preserving 20 percent of the original building.

In a perhaps less-outrageous decision, City Council decided in what seemed like a very casual vote to demolish the entire 1970s-era Civic Center complex.

While the Civic Center has more than its share of detractors who point out the site’s obsolescence and decrepit management style, the decision still came as a shock to many members of the public, who still retain a nostalgic attachment to the Civic Center and are perhaps understandably reluctant to embrace the idea of the new Savannah Arena, still years away from opening.

The idea right now is for the entire footprint of the site to be converted back to the Oglethorpe town plan, with perhaps even the recreation of an entire square, much like what was done with Ellis Square.

But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you—either on that, or on the Civic Center being demolished at all.—Jim Morekis

7. LGBTQ organizations merge, and Savannah’s first-ever Pride Parade is a huge hit

On the first day of the new year, the merger between Savannah’s four LGBTQ organizations will take effect, creating the First City Pride Center.

The merger, proposed in September, sought to merge Savannah Pride, First City Network, Jeffrey’s Place, and the LGBT Center in an effort to streamline fundraising efforts.

At the meeting, Chris Apple of First City Network said, “I was asking one donor for money and he said, ‘I thought I already wrote you guys a check.’”

That confusion led the organizations to the decision to merge, which was well-received.

The biggest changes in the merger will be internal; all community-facing operations will essentially stay the same.

“Because of our merger, there’s now nocost mental health care, no-cost HIV testing, all sorts of things in the community that are really valuable and important,” said Church in October. “That’s an important piece for me.”

The merger comes after the most exciting Savannah Pride Festival to date. In addition to the blowout weekend that Pride is known for, this year included the firstever Pride Parade.

The parade was, by all accounts, a huge success. It was spectacularly wellattended, drawing a huge crowd along both River and Broughton Streets. The attendance is even more spectacular considering it happened during what John Bennett termed Savannah’s “Mega Weekend,” which also saw the Jewish Food Festival, CONTINUES ON P. 14

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the Savannah State homecoming parade, the Savannah Speed Classic, and probably others as well as Pride.

2019 was also an important anniversary for the LGBTQ community. It marked fifty years since Stonewall, the historic uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Savannah Pride hosted a block party in commemoration of the date, which was also well-attended and toed the line between fun and informative.

With the strength of all four organizations working together towards the same goals, 2020 proves to be an even greater year for Savannah’s LGBTQ scene.— Rachael Flora

in terms of star power coming through the city.

All in all, it was a good year for film production in Savannah, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the coming year and what projects come to town.—Sean Kelly

9. Arts scene roundup

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

This year marked some big changes at arts organizations across the city.

Telfair Museums experienced change throughout the year. Robin Nicholson, the new Executive Director/CEO of the organization, assumed his position on March 1 of 8. Savannah’s silver screen success this year.

Move over, Los Angeles—2019 was This year also saw the departure another banner year for Savannah in the of contemporary curator Rachel film industry. Several major films and TV Reese, who worked extensively on shows filmed in town were either produced the Suzanne Jackson retrospecor released this year. tive. In her absence, Erin Dunn was It was a noteworthy year for Savannahpromoted to the role. Dunn played connected film projects, despite many a vital role in the #art912 program, which Hollywood heavyweights threatening to supported local artists by giving them the boycott production in Georgia following a opportunity to exhibit in a museum in controversial abortion law mid-year, which their own city. essentially banned the procedure. That law Also promoted was Jessica Mumford was ultimately blocked by a federal judge Estes, who will assume her role of Director from taking effect in January. of Collections and Exhibitions on Jan. 1.

On the TV side of the coin, Hulu’s The This year also saw the completion and Act—which tells the horrifying and bizarre opening of the Savannah Cultural Arts story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and stars Center. The Center was the source of a lot Patricia Arquette and Joey King—was of contention: its opening was continually filmed primarily in town and features pushed back, it cost $24 million, and it was scenes shot at the Savannah Mall. That funded primarily with SPLOST money. project was released to mostly critical What’s more remarkable, though, is that acclaim in March. the Center seems to be making it easier for Of course, we’d be remiss not to menthe Department of Cultural Resources to tion Shia LaBeouf. Everyone remembers do more. the actor’s now-famous 2017 arrest during This year, for the first time, the City was the filming of The Peanut Butter Falcon, involved in December’s Jubilee Freedom his critically-acclaimed movie released Day, offering the use of its facility to the this year. LaBeouf was downtown in the event. The Center also played host to the early hours of the morning when the arrest Savannah Ballet Theatre and plenty of happened. He was ultimately charged exhibitions. That momentum is poised to with, among several charges, public continue in 2020. drunkenness.

In other cultural news, the Savannah Two years later, The Peanut Butter Philharmonic announced in July their Falcon was released to rave reviews and new music and artistic director, Keitaro LaBeouf’s performance in particular was Harada, who replaced Peter Shannon. 2019 applauded for his performance in the film. was a pretty sparse first year for Harada, Disney brought production to town late conducting just the first and last concerts last year, in the form of its Disney + Lady of the season as he finished up conducting and the Tramp reboot. The film, which was the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. 2020 just released in November, is noticeably will be the first time Harada conducts the Savannah-centric. Even in the trailer, it’s full season.—Rachael Flora easy to spot several familiar locations. It 10. Openings, closings: A year of was a pretty big project to come through town, given the fact that most productions change in Savannah food & bev This year was yet another year of confilmed in Savannah prior were relatively tinued growth for Savannah’s foodie scene. lower-profile or scale.

Like always, downtown was a hotbed for Disney wasn’t the only major studio that much activity. made its way to town this year, though— Ele and the Chef have had, quite possiSkydance and Jerry Bruckheimer’s action bly, their busiest year yet with the opening thriller Gemini Man was partly shot in town and in nearby Glennville. That movie of Coco & Moss, Shuga Girl, Flock To The 14 stars Will Smith, which is a pretty big deal Wok, and the Peacock Lounge, all located

Local foodies mourned the closing of El Coyote, whose lease wasn’t renewed.

within minutes of each other in the heart of downtown near Broughton Street and lively Ellis Square.

Also on the far end of Broughton Street, nestled on MLK Blvd, The Fat Radish has established itself as the second restaurant of two, the original restaurant hailing from New York City.

Owner of Ordinary Pub Mike Vaudrin opened a second restaurant, Broughton Common, which is also located on Broughton Street. The spot is a new hub for elevated pub fare just a handful of blocks east of its sister restaurant. Chef Justin Grizzard will commit his full-time attention to this new concept and leave Ordinary Pub to Sean Freeman, his former sous chef.

In the same area, Savannah Spirits closed this past September. The construction and renovation of the historical space was exciting for many, but paired with all of the new development downtown it proved difficult to stay afloat.

Sapporo’s Broughton location closed, and it was replaced with Namaste Nepalese Fusion.

SEED Eco Lounge closed its doors for the last time this year.

Octane Bar & Lounge replaced FULL Lunch and Late Night’s old spot on Whitaker Street after a soft opening in late October.

The Gaslight Group’s East End Provisions was replaced by a second location of The 5 Spot, another Gaslight Groupowned restaurant in Habersham Village.

Also part of the Gaslight Group, restaurant Blowin’ Smoke is closed for the winter. Some questions can be raised about the actual fate of the restaurant—a for-sale sign now decorates the frontage of the popular cantina.

South of Savannah, Leoci’s in Twelve

Oaks is was replaced with Pitcher’s Sports Bar. Chef Leoci moved on to be Executive Chef at Green Fire Pizza, which plans to open new locations in the new year.

Fiddler’s Seafood Southside closed at the beginning of this year, with no word yet on who will take over the unmistakable wooden building.

Huge changes rocked Starland this year as well.

As hip places like the Starland Yard open in the up-and-coming area, it rapidly becomes a preferred alternative to the chaos of downtown by Savannah locals. Within this space, Pizzeria Vittoria Napoletana established itself as Savannah’s first Neapolitan pizzeria with the guidance of chef Kyle Jacovino, who was involved with the Florence years ago.

Moodright’s opened in August.

With the bar’s focus on duckpin bowling, it fosters the vintage-quirky identity of Starland that so many love.

Also in the area, Big Bon Bodega opened its doors on Bull Street. Big Bon Bodega, as you might have guessed, was the anticipated follow up to Big Bon Pizza, the food truck concept formed in 2016 by Kay and Anna Heritage.

Nom Nom Poke Shop opened on Bull Street, as well as Bocci, an intimate Italian eatery.

El Coyote closed its doors for the last time in November, coming as a surprise to many. The Tex-Mex restaurant occupied the spot for less than two years, but seemingly had a good run. This provided more fodder for those who claim the site nestled on West Victory Drive is “cursed,” deemed so from the abrupt closing of The Florence in 2017. But the reality is that the closing is due to its lease not being renewed by SCAD, the building’s owner.

House of Strut cut its humble Starland ties and moved to West State Street downtown. Mamie Ruth’s newest addition, Starland Strange & Bazaar, will replace the iconic, historic pink house.

More recently, beloved River Street staple Kevin Barry’s announced it will be closing on New Year’s Day. A fter 39 years of business, it was a shock to many to see a location with such seniority go. For more on Kevin Barry’s, see page 31.

With other iconic Savannah spots like Civvies being in danger of being bought out, the message becomes clear as the year comes to a close that it is imperative to support local businesses, especially as Savannah grows. After all, they are the identity of Savannah. —Josephine Beisel

NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY

Scenes from plunges past. PHOTOS TAKEN BY BILL DEYOUNG IN 2012.

TAKING THE (POLAR) PLUNGE

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

EVERY YEAR on New Year’s Day, at high noon, hundreds of shivering revelers storm into the Atlantic Ocean, all in the name of charity.

The Tybee Polar Plunge has been a tradition for quite some time. The Tybee Post Theatre took over the festivities in 2012, but Executive Director Melissa Turner estimates it had gone on for a dozen years prior.

“It was started by some guys that were with the American Legion post on Tybee, and the original one was just a probably crazy drunken dare on New Year’s Day,” laughs Turner.

Over the years, the drunken dare snowballed into a major tradition, complete with commemorative T-shirts, that benefited local Tybee charities. It became such a big deal that the original organizers

decided to hand the reins to the Tybee Post.

“We average about 1,200 a year that actually sign up and plunge, and then there’s probably another 1,000 that come down to the pier and line the pier on both sides just to watch everybody jump in,” shares Turner. “They’re too chicken to do it themselves!”

Despite the name, the Polar Plunge is often anything but frigid. Most years average 50-60 degrees, which is still chilly for Southerners but pretty warm to others.

“We get people that come down here from Michigan or even Canada, and they say, ‘You call this a polar plunge? We call it a tropical plunge!’” says Turner. “There’s a lot of bravado from folks north of the Mason-Dixon Line to come down and say, ‘Oh, this is fine.’”

Of course, if the plunge does leave you shivering, you can throw on your custom long-sleeved event T-shirt and head to any one of the beachfront stores that sell hot chocolate or coffee to warm yourself up.

The Polar Plunge isn’t the only fun event happening on New Year’s Day. The Gang of Goofs Costume Parade begins the festivities that day.

“It’s where folks get together with three to six or more friends, and they come up with a theme for their costumes,” explains Turner, “and then they dress up in crazy costumes and parade before our panel of celebrity judges .They’re all competing for the great trophy that they get to display at the place of their choice on Tybee for a year.”

Proceeds from the Tybee Polar Plunge benefit the Tybee Post Theatre, which does important work in the community.

“We have almost 500 members now,” Turner says. “We keep very busy here.

Our mission is to try to provide entertainment to all aspects of the community, and that means having a lot of variety but still targeting our loyal patron base. We’ll have something Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

and Saturday most every week.”

Keep an eye on the Tybee Post calendar for special screenings of Oscar contenders and for a performance by Kansas City’s Late Night Theatre, the troupe who sold out every show last year when they did a drag parody of the Golden Girls.

But for now, the most fun to be had on Tybee is on the beach, bright and early, on New Year’s morning.

“It’s just so much fun now,” says Turner.

“It’s got some regular people who come from all over, committed to doing that event every year. It’s huge fun and for those several hours there at the Tybee Pier and Pavilion, it’s just happy.” CS

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BY KENNETH ZAPP

WHAT DO Indianapolis, Nashville. Louisville, Lexington, Ky., Kansas City, Philadelphia (most people among them) and Sitka, Alaska (largest size) have in common?

They all have consolidated most or all of the county and city functions under one elected body. Add Athens, Augusta, Columbus and Macon in Georgia to that list.

In fact, Savannah is the largest city in the state without serious consolidation of governmental authority. (Atlanta has a complicated arrangement with its neighboring counties.)

The reason for consolidation is simple: combining services and democratic oversight is more efficient and less costly than having them spread over multiple

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governing units.

Studies of combined city and county operations report improved services, significantly lower property taxes for residents and a greater willingness for the unified body to make difficult decisions instead of pointing to someone else to blame.

Economic development officials also say combined government makes it easier to attract new employers who greatly prefer dealing with one rather than multiple governments.

This subject is not new for our community. In fact, attempts to consolidate Savannah and Chatham County failed in 1973 and then 1982.

Three factors seemed to work against it. First, county residents resented the process which allowed city people to vote twice: in the city election and also in the county poll.

Second, African Americans in the city feared loss of their influence to county residents who were majority white.

Third, as is always the case, existing officeholders were against the proposal which would eliminate their positions.

Recently, our residents have experienced anti-consolidation of municipal services when the combined Metropolitan Police Department broke into its city and county parts after our local politicians allowed their petty differences to destroy the cooperative operation.

Taxpayers, city and county, now pay millions more each year for police services.

Macon and Bibb County, however, provide a model of successful consolidation. In their referendum in 2012, which included the aforementioned double vote of city residents, the proposal to consolidate was approved by both the city and county.

Its proponents promised that government employment would be reduced by 20% over a 5 year transition but no workers would lose their jobs immediately.

Macon Mayor ProTem Al Timmer explained that the 20% goal was actually reached in 2.5 years; employees were offered attractive packages so that the new joint government achieved its job reductions through voluntary retirements.

For taxpayers, the benefit was swift.

After 18 months, the entire city millage was eliminated. This lowered the total millage by 7.5 mills.

What would a savings of this magnitude mean for Savannah taxpayers?

Last year, a WTOC report estimated that the owner of house valued at $289,000 would save $860 a year if our millage was reduced by the same amount.

The folly of our Police Department de-merger did stimulate a non-partisan effort to re-invigorate our consolidation dialogue.

State Rep Stephens (Republican) and State Senator Jackson (Democrat) tried to include funding for a consolidation feasibility study (required by State law before a referendum can be held) in the state budget last year. The Carl Vincent Institute of Government at the University of Georgia was prepared to do the study.

The Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce also had this in their legislative agenda. Additional funding was also promised by the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

Unfortunately, a wave of fear-mongering in the county derailed this effort. Claims that the city would take over the unincorporated areas of the county confused the issue and set off movements to create new cities on Skidaway and the other islands.

New Opportunities: In 2020, we will have new leadership in both the City of Savannah and Chatham County; we know the former and will select the latter next November.

At this point, consolidation advocates are now taking a cautious approach. They want to give the new City Council time to find their voice.

They also want to avoid any suggestion that consolidation is aimed at somehow stealing their newly gained authority.

Instead of even mentioning consolidation, they instead will try to encourage the sharing of services, such as law enforcement. Which other services could be shared?

Citizens, however, need not be timid in our communication with city and county officials, especially during election campaigns when they at least pretend to listen to us.

We deserve what people in Macon-Bibb received. CS Kenneth Zapp, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Metropolitan State University, and Mentor, SCORE Savannah

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 2019 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Friday December 20

HOMICIDES

23

Search Warrant leads to Fentanyl seizure

Teen arrested on firearms charge

One teen is in custody after illegally carrying a firearm.

The evening of Dec. 19,” undercover Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotic Team (CNT) agents were in the area of Westlake Apartments located at 1900 Westlake Avenue conducting surveillance.

During this period, agents observed a group of young males who appeared to be smoking marijuana,” CNT reports.

Agents also noticed at least one of the males had a firearm. With the assistance of the Chatham County Police Department, officers made contact with the males who

Above: Fabian Notto.

Below: Some of the fentanyl seized.

attempted to flee. CNT arrested 19-yearold Dwayne Singleton Jr. who was carrying a stolen pistol. A small amount of marijuana was also seized. Singleton Jr. was charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Minor and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. He remains in the Chatham County Detention Center.

“Not all of our arrests involve drugs as we often undercover other criminal activity,” said CNT Director Everett Ragan.

“When warranted, we take action in hopes of preventing any potential violent crime, especially when it involves our youth.” CS

SM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

An early morning search warrant results in an arrest and the seizure of a large amount of fentanyl.

“During the early morning hours of Saturday, December 14, 2019, members of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) executed a search warrant at an apartment in the Oaks at Brandlewood complex located at 51110 Garrard Avenue in Savannah. The warrant resulted in a large seizure of fentanyl, crystal methamphetamine and crack cocaine,” CNT reports.

“CNT arrested the homeowner, 48-year-old Fabian “Fabe” Notto. Notto was charged with multiple felony drug charges to include Trafficking a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Sale of a Controlled Substance. He is currently being held in the Chatham County Detention Center. “ CNT’s investigation into Notto began in August “following information he was selling various forms of controlled substances throughout the SavannahChatham area. Over the course of the investigation, undercover CNT agents made several purchases of controlled substances from Notto and ultimately identified his residence.”

The seized narcotics have an estimated street value of up to $11,000.

17

GRAND OPENING!

NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Unclear on the Concept

WJAR reported that an unnamed substitute teacher was fired on Dec. 16 for smoking marijuana in a classroom at North Attleborough High School in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. Peter Haviland, principal at the school, said students reported the incident and the teacher was removed from the school premises. Haviland also said the teacher not only used the drug, but led a discussion in class about marijuana. Campuses in the district are drug-free. Well, they were.

Update

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Last year during the holiday season, former NASA engineer Mark Rober of Santa Clarita, California, created a glitter bomb exploding package in response to having a package stolen from his front porch. This year, Rober has a new and improved version: When it is touched, the BBC reported on Dec. 17, the box explodes in glitter and emits an unpleasant odor along with a soundtrack of police chatter. As a coup de grace, it also takes a video of the thief and uploads it to the cloud. One of the sponsors for Rober’s project is “Home Alone” actor Macaulay Culkin. Rober calls it a labor of love: “I have literally spent the last 10 months designing, building and testing a new and improved design for 2019,” he said.

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It may not be the oldest fruitcake still (mostly) uneaten, but it could be the most beloved. The Detroit News reported that the Ford family of Tecumseh, Michigan, has been cherishing Fidelia Ford’s fruitcake since 1878 -- over five generations.

Julie Ruttinger, great-great-granddaughter to Fidelia, inherited the confection from her father, Morgan Ford, who kept

it in an antique glass compote dish in his china cabinet until his death in 2013. It doesn’t much look, or smell, like a fruitcake anymore (“Smells like old people,” Morgan once said), but Ruttinger is determined to keep Fidelia’s legacy alive. Each year, Fidelia made a cake that was meant to age until the next Christmas season.

But in 1878, she died before her cake could be enjoyed. When Morgan was buried, the family tucked a piece of the cake into his jacket pocket. “He took care of it to the day he left the Earth,” Ruttinger said. “We knew it meant a lot to him.”

Irony

Two workers with the Chicago Park District were spreading salt on an icy lakefront bike path on Dec. 11 when their pickup truck hit a slick spot and slipped into Lake Michigan, the Associated Press reported. It was halfway into the water before it got stuck on a breakwall. The workers were able to escape the truck and move to the shore uninjured. Park District spokesperson Michelle Lemons reminded Chicago residents that the path slopes toward the water and lake levels are high.

“It might not look like it’s dangerous, but it could still be a sheet of glass,” she said.

No Good Deed

Virginia Saavedra, 37, ran to a home in Sophia, North Carolina, on Dec. 11, telling the resident she had just escaped being kidnapped by a stranger. When the man let her sit in his truck to warm up while he called 911, Saavedra allegedly stole the truck, according to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. Officers responding to the 911 call spotted the truck and engaged in a 26-mile high-speed chase before trapping the truck. The Associated Press reported Saavedra then rammed a patrol car before

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trying to flee on foot. She was eventually charged with more than a dozen crimes, including felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.

Bright Idea

Around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, an unnamed 17-year-old girl jumped a fence at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, California, and climbed into the cockpit of a private airplane parked there. She put the pilot’s headset on and was able to start one of the engines of the small plane, but instead of flying away, she steered the plane into a chain-link fence, causing substantial damage to the aircraft, the Fresno Bee reported. Airport officials said she appeared disoriented when officers reached the plane, but no others were endangered in the incident. She was booked into juvenile hall on charges of theft of an aircraft.

Government in Action

A sharp-eyed Twitter user spotted an unexpected country on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Tariff Tracker list: Wakanda. The fictional country from the “Black Panther” film made the list of free trade agreement partners.

USDA spokesperson Mike Illenberg told NBC News on Dec. 18 the agency had used Wakanda to test the tracking system and had forgotten to remove it from the list.

“The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down.”

Compelling Explanation

Police in Tooele, Utah, conducting a welfare check on 75-year-old Jeanne SouronMathers on Nov. 22, found the woman dead of natural causes in her apartment, but as they searched further, they came upon the body of her husband, Paul Edward Mathers, in a freezer chest. With his body was a notarized letter, signed by Mathers and dated Dec. 2, 2008, stating that his wife didn’t kill him. “We believe he had a terminal illness,” police Sgt. Jeremy Hansen told Fox13. Paul was last seen alive on Feb. 4, 2009, at a doctor’s appointment at the Veterans Affairs hospital. Investigators are probing whether the couple made the plan so that Jeanne would continue to receive her husband’s government benefits. A neighbor, Evan Kline, said: “The story ... was her husband walked out on her. ... It was probably the plan for her to keep the money because it was her only source of income.” Officials believe she received at least $177,000 in benefits over 10 years. CS

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

MUSIC #NYE

Auld Lang Bye: your NYE roundup

Send off another eventful year in style

AH, NEW YEAR’S EVE. Some might mark the occasion with a quiet night at home (OK, boomer), but undoubtedly many will be ready to take advantage of all that Savannah has to offer in terms of New Year’s Eve nightlife.

If you’re looking to celebrate or mourn (or both) the passing of another calendar year with some live music or a classy party, look no further—here’s just about everything going on in town on December 31.

City Market New Year’s Eve @City Market

The City Market celebration is shaping up to be a great night, as its always known to be. Expect live music and, of course, all the shopping and fine dining that City Market offers.

9 P.M. til 1 A.M., FREE

NYE Fireworks @Savannah’s Waterfront

The Waterfront Association presents its annual fireworks display, which will certainly be a sight to behold on the water at midnight. The association is also partnering with local businesses and hotels for specials and packages including cigars from Exotic Cigars, a gala cruise from River Street Riverboat Company, and of course hotel packages from DoubleTree, the River Street Inn, and Marriott. Fireworks, though, are free!

Midnight, FREE

New Year’s Eve Bash @Club One

Club One is ringing in the new year with an epic bash that features two drag shows at 10:30 and 12:30, as well as karaoke starting at 10 P.M. until close, a balloon drop, cash prizes, and a champagne toast. Doors for the event are at 5 P.M., meaning you can get there early and pre-game for the night ahead.

5 P.M., $15 online / $20 at the door

There’ll be a champagne fountain, food from Chef Jason Stames, and an open bar.

You’ll dance, you’ll drink, and you’ll ring in 2020 in a memorable way.

9 P.M. til 1 A.M., $120

The Love Cats present: A Very Special New Years Eve Party @The Wormhole

Do you love The Cure? Sure you do! Who doesn’t? If you don’t know, Savannah has a Foxy New Year’s Party @Foxy Loxy stellar Cure tribute band called The Love Cafe Cats, and they’re hosting what’s set to be Everyone’s favorite coffee shop is hostan incredible night of local music at The ing a NYE celebration in their beautiful Wormhole that will also feature sets from courtyard, featuring music from DJ Press Knighsquatch, Garbage Dog, and PerpetPlay starting at 9 P.M., wine specials, and a ual Care. Don’t miss this one. champagne toast at midnight. Look no fur9 P.M., FREE ther for great vibes and a good time.

New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball 9 P.M., FREE

New Year’s Eve at 201 @201 Tapas Lounge

This one is a doozy! 201 Tapas Lounge has possibly everything you need to make your New Year’s Eve one to remember: a confetti cannon, glow glasses, an LED dance floor, a $150 bottle service, a champagne toast, and an eclectic mix of music from DJ Carlitobaby, DJ Gutty Innocent, and DJ Mario. Some VIP packages are already sold out, but a $350 package and general admission remains.

9 P.M., $20+

New Year’s at the Alida @Alida Hotel

For a more upscale New Year’s Eve celebration, the Alida is the place to go.

@The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa

The Westin’s annual celebration is a masquerade ball this year, which seems like a truly perfect way to party on New Year’s Eve. There’ll be desserts and an open bar in the Grand Ballroom, as well as a champagne toast. Don’t forget to come dressed in your best mask.

9 P.M., $99

NYE Rooftop Soiree @The Peregrin Treats, drinks, and a photographer to boot! Party the night away on The Peregrin’s gorgeous rooftop and enjoy live music from rock and funk band SOAP. There’s an open bar and complimentary party favors included with admission.

9 P.M. til 12:30 A.M., $150

Roaring 20s NYE Party @Wild Wing Cafe (Barnard St)

The Wing is the place to be for a classy, roaring 20s-themed party. There’ll be live music from Individually Twisted, and of course all the best booze that Wild Wing has to offer. You can also expect a balloon drop and a champagne toast to help you start 2020 with a bang.

9:30 P.M., FREE

NYE Party w/ DJ Kut Daily @Congress Street Social Club

Your favorite local spot is hosting a NYE blowout with music courtesy of DJ Kut Daily, and there’ll be just about everything else you could ever want from the best bar on Congress St. If you’re looking for a more casual affair, this is the place to go.

10 P.M., FREE

New Year Party @Peacock Lounge

Ring in 2020 at the Peacock Lounge with live music from DJ Tap, hors d’oeuvres, and champagne flowing all night. General admission is $50 and VIP tables start at $650 featuring bottle service.

8 P.M., $50+

NYE 2020 Celebration @The Grove

Right across from City Market, celebrate the new year with the folks at The Grove.

This party will happen in two locations— their rooftop and Blue Bar. Live music, party favors, and top-tier liquors galore!

10 P.M. til 1 A.M., $40-$140

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

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Singer/songwriter plays Southbound Brewing

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

ANYONE WHO’S familiar with the work of Keller Williams knows one big thing about him: he’s never been too concerned with labels. His career has taken him in many different musical directions, but they’ve all been on his terms. Williams is eclectic in the truest sense of the word, but he’s often grouped in to the jam band world by association. Truly, he is a musical chameleon who is always doing brilliantly left-field.

To say he’s always doing something new is admittedly an understatement. Williams released three albums in the past year alone—two solo and one with a project called Keller Williams & the Keels. It seems as if he reinvents himself at every possible turn, which is perhaps why he’s been able to thrive both professionally and creatively since his debut album in 1994.

He has proven himself to be one of the most prolific and diverse artists in modern history, and the quality has always matched the quantity.

Williams is currently touring, which he never really stops doing, and will land at Southbound Brewing on Fri., Dec. 27. We caught up with him ahead of the show for an in-depth conversation about his career so far.

You’ve made so many records and you tour so much; it’s really amazing to witness. How do you find the balance between all of that?

Well, thank you! The balance comes from taking on, over the past decade, the weekend warrior mentality. I’m focusing Thursday/Friday/Saturday, which is the optimal time to play. When you’re booking a tour, you lease a tour bus. So on nights off, you’re still paying for the bus, which is why bands play six nights a week.

SPOTLIGHT

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Right, you have to stay on the road to sustain it.

always been very adamant about that. If it starts becoming not fun, then it goes away.

Exactly. And that’s just really difficult and taxing, both physically and mentally. And those early-week shows aren’t very well attended because it’s a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. For us, [the idea is to] focus on the good nights. I have two kids, 11 and 15. Both kids definitely slept in the back of tour buses. Those buses had giant diesel engines that would rumble so they’d sleep like angels, but once it was time to get them in school, we took on the weekend warrior mentality.

I’m usually gone from Thursday morning to Sunday evening, and Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday is where that balance comes in. I’m excited to go play music on the weekends, but then I can come home and really decompress. Tuesdays I definitely jump in and really focus on what’s happening. If there’s a project, I make sure I’m up on that material. But those days are kind of like a normal person’s weekend [laughs].

All of this being said, are there any records or projects planned for the new year that you can talk about? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to?

and I have a room in my basement that’s floor-to-ceiling with product [laughs]. So we’re trying to play catch up. I’m slowly writing songs, but I’ve got nothing really in the future other than my 110 shows a year that I do every year. It’s kind of a neutral period right now, and I don’t think I’m in a rush to release anything.

You kind of caught me at a spot where, as I said, I just put out three records this year,

It must feel good to be in that place, though!

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Sideline Thurs.

No, it’s more like I have a backlog of songs that never got recorded, and I’ll go through these inspirational bursts and fill it out.

But each record takes a bit of a theme, so the three this past year—there was an instrumental record called Sans and then one in March called Add. This recent one with The Keels is a bunch of covered that kind of attacked my brain.

The Malpass Brothers Sat.

The US Navy Band Country Current - Sat.

Kentucky Just Us Sat.

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

I do, and it all starts in a very self-indulgent way of wanting to entertain myself. I’ve

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Nowadays, do you write on a projectto-project basis?

You tend to jump from project to project, and you execute your ideas so well.

I think that’s something that takes a lot of focus, because we all have plenty of ideas but the execution is where people tend to duck out. Do you feel that doing this for so long has given you a sort of confidence that has allowed you to follow through on these projects?

AN EVENING WITH KELLER WILLIAMS @SOUTHBOUND BREWING

E VA N S M E D I A S O U R C E , L L C P R E S E N T S

Is the spark still there for you after all these years, creatively speaking?

The spark is definitely still there, for sure.

I live for that audience reaction and communication—I give it to them and they give it back. I think without it, I would perish.

I haven’t taken more than, like, two weeks off ever. But when I was touring all of the time, that first week off would be complete decompression. And the second week would be, just angst [laughs]. That’s when all of my songs were written, in that second week off.

The songwriting has definitely been cut down over the past decade or so.

It does! It feels great. It’s also great to have a vision and an idea, and something to work for. I’m sure that’ll come, I’m just not forcing anything right now, you know? CS

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

Two decades of Murder By Death Groundbreaking Americana/indie rock band soldiers on

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

IF YOU’RE not familiar with Murder By Death, there’s an excellent Vice article from 2016 that wonderfully expands on their discography and provides guidance through their catalog for people just like you. What’s so great about this band is that they’ve built a career that has not just endured but thrived since 2000. They’ve done it organically, slowly, and on their own terms, and they’re continuing to push musical boundaries in the process.

It’s not easy to pin the band down stylistically—they’re perhaps most generally an Americana band, but they often veer into much more imaginative (and darker) territory.

As singer and bandleader Adam Turla tells Connect, that no holds barred musical attitude has found them in the frustrating place of being misunderstood in the industry. But it’s also afforded them the opportunity to not be tied down or held

22

“Our experience... is so different than a lot of bands’ experiences today.”

back—something that has paid off for them in spades.

The Bloomington, Indiana-based band is currently doing some end-of-year touring before heading out on their 20th anniversary run early next year, and they’re coming back to one of their favorite clubs,

The Jinx, on Fri., Dec. 27. We chatted with Turla ahead of the band’s arrival in town.

What were the circumstances that led to this band getting together? Was there a scene in Bloomington that nurtured musicians?

Our experience I think is so different than a lot of bands’ experiences today. We basically all moved from different places to Bloomington to go to college, and immediately I met some musicians and we started playing together. It’s crazy that the very first project we started became what it is.

Now we’re going on our 20th anniversary tour.

At the time, there was a scene—there used to be a little festival of indie and punk bands called Bloomington Fest. I was an avid showgoer. I think that when I set out to start a band that was in that genre, I really never thought there was a chance for success because every show I would go to was so small. I did not think that there was potential for a wider audience, so for me it’s crazy to look back.

I remember the moment many years ago when I realized that we’re not a big band, but we’re bigger than any of those bands were when I saw them.

What was that moment?

INTERVIEW

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

So many of the shows I saw, I’m thinking about Modest Mouse and how I saw them play to 100 people. The limit seemed very attainable. But then indie music suddenly got noticed, and started getting covered.

When I was young, the only way you ever heard of these bands was if you got their mail order or found them through zines.

Even though we’re one of those bands who’ve never had a moment where we’ve really blown up, we’ve actually had a career that has slowly grown every year for 20 years. It’s crazy. It’s a weird and rare trajectory. It’s interesting because it allows you to have traditions.

Even with The Jinx, that’s the smallest club in the country that we play. But it sells out easily every time, and they do a great job. I’ve known those people for a long time, so it’s nice to be able to fit it in on a tour and it’s not a big deal. It’s not like when Prince would go do a bar show. For us it’s like, “Yeah, put it on the calendar.” It’ll be a great way to get back into things with just a fun and intimate show.

Seems like that gradual and organic growth has given you the chance to basically do what you want on your own terms and have creative freedom.

Do you feel that way, especially today?

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Yeah. We’re probably the most hands on band I know in terms of directing our career and just handling shit. I even create the routing for these tours. The more the band can be involved, the more it will benefit the audience and the band.

The weird thing is, [that freedom] was definitely not by choice, originally. Being such a strange band with this weird, dark name, that has limited our opportunities over the years. I remember when we were first trying to get a bigger record deal in 2005 and negotiating with people.

There were all of these labels courting us, but so many of them were turned off by the name. Or they thought our music was too dark. Even just reviews, people didn’t get that we’re trying to be different.

To us, being different is a good thing.

Some people just haven’t jumped on board because it’s not easy.

It’s made us have to be more hands on, which is the weirdest gift. I really do think that all of the things that have worked out best for us came from us having to figure it out on our own. CS

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

Rev Bro Diddley & the Hips find their groove Ty Thompson reinvents himself after The Hypnotics’ dissolution This is the first “big” gig for you guys!

BY SEAN KELLY

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

sean@connectsavannah.com

24

DISSOLVING A band can be an odd thing to do, especially if you’ve been in the same one for a long time. Much of your identity is wrapped up in that musical entity, and it’s not always easy to move on to the next thing.

What Ty Thompson did, when presented with the realization that his longtime band The Hypnotics was over, was to take the ball and run in the opposite musical direction. He took some of the songs he was working on for a Hypnotics record, retooled them a bit, and launched Rev Bro Diddley & the Hips.

The result is a self-titled record that is a bit more raw and unfiltered than what might have come from a Hypnotics record given their 50s and 60s aesthetic.

With a tight band assembled around him, Thompson and his Hips have done a handful of shows since September and are gearing up for a big one to wrap up 2019: supporting Futurebirds at Victory North on Fri., Dec. 27. We caught up with Thompson ahead of the show.

Yeah, big time! We’re still in single digits, I realized the other day. We played our first show in September, I think, and so this is the one and only big gig. It’s exciting. It’s nice to be able to play on a big stage with a presumably nice sound system, and test the whole thing out in front of a bunch of people who really haven’t heard us at all.

Did the Hips record start out as a Hypnotics project? Tell me about how all of that happened.

Totally. That part got a little blurry, because the Hypnotics were working on a record and we knew that the drummer, Ira, was going to be moving to Pittsburgh.

But right in the middle of record, our bass player Ryan got an opportunity in Seattle that he absolutely could not pass up. I just thought that I didn’t want it to be a dead record, you know? I’ve been guilty of not committing to releasing material, and that’s something that I wanted to rectify.

I just told those guys, “Hey, I want this thing to see the light of day.” Also, we released an EP a couple of years ago but I think it’s fair to say that original music wasn’t really our main thing. What’s funny about that is that The Hypnotics was a

response to being in an original band for so many years—a psych rock band out of Atlanta.

I spent years putting my soul into it, driving around in a smelly van with a bunch of guys and trying to figure out how to impress record labels and all of that. I said, “What’s the opposite of this? Maybe being in a three-chord, 50s and 60s cover band and we don’t have to think about jack shit.” So, we did that for a couple of years and now I’ve kind of ping-ponged in the other direction.

Would you say that after you took the record into your hands and completed it on your own, that you had a different scope or vision for the songs?

That definitely happened. The record started out a little bit more pastiche—I was more focused on what they would’ve done in the 60s. I was more focused on controlled vocals and harmonies. So when everyone moved away I was like, “You know what? This can be whatever I want it to be.” As cliche as it is to say, it was actually a bit liberating. I was over here trying to control my vocal, but my vocal is gravelly and imperfect, so let’s just howl and scream and be sarcastic and just have fun with it.

I won’t say it necessarily turned into a better thing, it was a really honest expression. I felt a little bit more free to do what I wanted to do with it.

You’ve got a great band now [Jhovana Aguilar, Kyle Brown, Jesse Centrella, and Jalen Reyes]. Will you solidify that going forward and do a record with them, or will the records be your thing and the band will be for live purposes?

Well, [the latter] was kind of the initial thought. It’s funny, because I feel like that was more of a protective reaction to my bandmates moving away. For a while, I was even performing as a one-piece act. But when people started approaching me about playing these songs live, and once the five of us got together, it so quickly became the opposite.

We’re now a five-piece band. I have a feeling that in the future there will be written contributions from Jhovana and Kyle.

Jesse and Jalen also write music that is amazing, so nothing is off limits. CS

REV BRO DIDDLEY & THE HIPS SUPPORTING FUTUREBIRDS @VICTORY NORTH

Fri., Dec. 27, 7 P.M. doors, 9 P.M. show, $16 2603 Whitaker St

$3 Rosé all Day sparkling and still friday, saturday and sunday

Mondays:

Savannah Nights

savannah bourbon & vodka $4 Two Tides, Service & Southbound drafts

Tequila Tuesday

El jimador & Herradura shot and drink specials $4 corona and Corona light

Wednesdays:

Ladies Night Out

half price glasses of wine $3 Rosé and $4 Trulys!

Thursdays:

Locals only

Ghost Coast Specials

we're hostng a Rooftop

New Year ’s Eve Party!

HORS D'OEUVRES, A BOTTLE OF BUBBLES, AND AN INCREDIBLE VIEW OF THE FIREWORKS.

DETAILS AND TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT FACEBOOK.COM/TOPDECKSAVANNAH

rooftop deck bar Featuring local spirits & local breweries 125 West River Street On top of the cotton sail hotel MON - TH 1:30 PM TO 12 AM FRI AND SAT 12:30 PM TO 1 AM SUNDAY 1:30 PM TO 11 PM

www.topdeckbar.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

$4 Two Tides, Service & Southbound drafts

25

MUSIC THE BAND PAGE

BY SEAN KELLY

FUNK YOU @VICTORY NORTH

Spend your NYE with Victory North and Augusta’s Funk You, who have been climbing in the ranks of soulful funk rock bands over the last several years. This is a chance for live music fans to see a proper New Year’s Eve concert and do some dancing all in one place. Don’t miss this one.

TUES., DEC. 31, 9 P.M., $13

THE AL GORE RHYTHMS @BARRELHOUSE SOUTH

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Not only does Tybee’s The Al Gore Rhythms have a great band name, the group also plays some pretty great music. It’s a really engaging mix of funk, progressive rock, and jam band influences that make for a fun show, and something music fans of all kinds will love. They’re bringing their eclectic set to Barrelhouse for a post-Christmas party.

FRI., DEC. 27, 9 P.M.

26

HEDONISTAS @EL-ROCKO LOUNGE

Atlanta’s Hedonistas have garnered a reputation for being a can’t-miss live act, and are growing in popularity with each year and each tour. Fans of Vulfpeck will appreciate them, as will fans of old school rock and soul. This is sure to be a jam-packed night for El-Rocko, with some of the best musicianship that Georgia has to offer.

SAT., DEC. 28, 9 P.M.

KNIGHTSQUATCH, FOREST EVIL, DERPOT @THE JINX

Local rockers Knightsquatch bring some heaviness to The Jinx, with a sound that balances the line between riff-driven hard rock and swampy heavy metal. They’ll be joined by Savannah stoner rock band Forest Evil, as well as Charleston-based morbid rock group DerPot. The perfect pre-New Year rock show.

SAT., DEC. 28, 9 P.M. DOORS, $5

MUSIC

Soundboard

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.

WED, DEC 25

SATURDAY 12.28

LIVE MUSIC

Bayou Cafe Ray Tomasino, 9 p.m.

Boomy’s Blues Night w/ Ben Keiser, 9:30 p.m.

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music Mansion on Forsyth Park George Evans, 7 p.m.

Rachael’s : Sports • Food • Fun Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Bill Smith Trio, 6:30 p.m.

Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

Southbound Brewing Company Boogaloo Bingo and DJ Miami, 7 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Jimmy Frushon The Warehouse Jubal Kane, 8 p.m.

Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa Christmas Day Jazz Brunch, 10:30 a.m.

White Whale Craft Ales Open Mic Music, 7 p.m.

The Wormhole Open Jam, 9 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

The Chromatic Dragon Geeky Trivia Night, 8 p.m.

Coach’s Corner Trivia Dub’s Pub Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

The Jinx Human Jukebox Trivia, 10 p.m.

Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill Trivia, 9:30 p.m.

Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt) Bingo, 7 p.m.

World of Beer Trivia, 7 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

DJ

Little Lucky’s DJ and Karaoke

THURSDAY 12.26 LIVE MUSIC

Bay Street Blues Hitman Blues Band Bayou Cafe Eric Culberson Band, 9 p.m.

Billy’s Place at McDonough’s Nancy Witt, 6 p.m.

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies and Music, 5 p.m.

El-Rocko Lounge Monkey Man: A Tribute to The Rolling Stones, 9 p.m.

Fiddler’s Crab House (River St.) Patrick Duckworth Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant The Phil Morrison Trio, 7 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Tyler Roe and Alex Bazemore, 7 p.m.

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music The Perch at Local 11 ten Adam Nye PS Tavern Live Music Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Gypsy Jazz, 7 p.m.

River House Austin Williams Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

The Shrimp Factory Ray Tomasino Stafford’s Public House Pour It Up w/ DJ CarlitoBaby, 7 p.m.

Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Top Deck James Lee Smith, 6:30 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Jimmy Frushon The Warehouse Jon Lee’s Apparitions, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC

Bootlegger’s Boogie NYE @EL-ROCKO LOUNGE

El-Rocko hosts this incredible night of elegance, bringing the 1920s to town to help usher in the 2020s. DJs OB-1 Benobi and Jose Ray will be playing jazz and blues numbers that fit right in with the time period. This is a NYE celebration that really shouldn’t be missed.

TUES., DEC. 31, 9 P.M.

Wild Wing Cafe Bucky & Barry, Matt Hill, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

B & D Burgers Pop Culture Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

McDonough’s Trivia, 7 p.m.

Pour Larry’s Explicit Trivia, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

The Jinx Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Rusty Rudders Tap House Karaoke World of Beer Karaoke, 9 p.m.

The Wormhole Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Totally Open Mic, 8 p.m.

DJ

Little Lucky’s DJ and Karaoke Rusty Rudders Tap House DJ Tap

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Stafford’s Public House Open Mic, 9 p.m.

FRIDAY 12.27 LIVE MUSIC

Barrelhouse South The Al Gore Rhythms, 9 p.m.

Billy’s Place at McDonough’s Nancy Witt, 6 p.m.

Club Elan Last Ladies Night w/ DJ Primal Instinct, 9 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Basik Lee El-Rocko Lounge The Sum Buddys Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant Eric Jones Trio w/ Taylor Roberts, 8 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Moss City Groove The Jinx Murder By Death, 9 p.m.

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music, 8 p.m.

Molly McGuire’s Keith & Ross, 6 p.m.

Pour Larry’s DJ & Live Music Prohibition Bootleg Beats, 10:30 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Jody Jazz Trio, 6:30 p.m.

River House Stan Ray Rusty Rudders Tap House Live Acoustic Music, 6 p.m.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House David Duckworth, 8 p.m.

Saddle Bags DJ Night Country Session Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

The Sentient Bean Pha Rii, 7 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass

By The Pint w/ City Hotel, 5:30 p.m.

The Shrimp Factory Eric Britt Southbound Brewing Company An Evening with Keller Williams, 8 p.m.

Taste of India Don Read, 6:30 p.m.

Tijuana Flats Gary Strickland Vic’s on The River Diana Rogers, Claire Frazier and Steven Bryan, 7 p.m.

Victory North Futurebirds w/ Reverend Bro Diddley and the Hips, 9 p.m.

The Warehouse Jubal Kane, Rachael Shaner Wild Wing Cafe Bill Hodgson, Eric Culberson Band

TRIVIA & GAMES

PS Tavern Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill Karaoke/ DJ, 10:30 p.m.

COMEDY

The Loft on Liberty Odd Lot Improv: Friday Funnies, 8 p.m.

DJ

Little Lucky’s DJ and Karaoke Rusty Rudders Tap House DJ Tap Vice Mojito Bar and Lounge Live DJ

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Abe’s on Lincoln DJ Doc Ock Foxy Loxy Cafe Fire Brand Fridays Poetry

Barrelhouse South Ember City, 9:30 p.m.

Billy’s Place at McDonough’s Nancy Witt, 6 p.m.

Bootleggers Jack Love Band, 8 p.m.

El-Rocko Lounge Hedonistas, 9 p.m.

Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant The Teddy Adams Sextet, 8 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Bottles & Cans, 9 p.m.

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub James Lee Smith Molly McGuire’s Charlie Fog Band, 7 p.m., Charlie Fog Band, 7 p.m.

The Olde Pink House David Duckworth & Alisha Duckworth Pour Larry’s DJ & Live Music Prohibition Bootleg Beats, 10:30 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Jody Jazz Trio, 6:30 p.m.

River House Ricky Standard Rusty Rudders Tap House Live Acoustic Music, 6 p.m.

Saddle Bags DJ Night Country Session Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

The Shrimp Factory Stan Ray Stafford’s Public House DJ Rudy Lui The Wormhole Neighborhood Pub & Music Venue This Hell is My Home TourDanny Attack, 10 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Diana Rogers, Claire Frazier and Steven Bryan, 7 p.m.

The Warehouse Eric Culberson, Eric Britt Wild Wing Cafe Chuck Courtenay Group, Liquid Ginger, Bill Hodgson, Voodoo Soup

TRIVIA NIGHT WITH CHRISTOPHER GRIMMETT 1ST PLACE: $100 BAR TAB 2ND PLACE: $25 BAR TAB

WIN A PITCHER IN THE 3RD ROUND! 9:0-11:30PM

THUR, DEC 26

MONKEY MAN: A TRIBUTE TO THE ROLLING STONES 9:00PM

FRI, DEC 27

THE SUM BUDDY’S 9:30PM

SAT, DEC 28 HEDONISTAS 9:00PM

TUE, DEC 31

BOOTLEGGERS BOOGIE: NYE 9:00PM

117 WHITAKER STREET

ELROCKOLOUNGE.COM

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

La Scala Ristorante Improv with the Morons by Front Porch Improv, 8:30 p.m.

The Loft on Liberty Odd Lot Improv: Saturday Shenanigans, 8 p.m.

Savannah Cultural Arts Center Family Friendly Improv Show, 12:30 p.m.

Visitor’s Information Center Savannah for Morons: The Trolley Tour, 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

The Wormhole One Night Only: Clark Franzman, 8 p.m.

DJ

The Black Rabbit DJ Square One, 9 p.m.

Little Lucky’s DJ and Karaoke Rusty Rudders Tap House DJ Tap Vice Mojito Bar and Lounge Live DJ

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club Elan All White Everything, 9 p.m.

Stafford’s Public House New Year’s Resolution Bar Crawl (2019), 4 p.m.

SUNDAY 12.29 LIVE MUSIC

Bayou Cafe Don Coyer, 9 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Voodoo Soup, 10:30 p.m.

Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant Eric Jones Trio w/ Teddy Adams and Cynthia Utterbach, 7 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Peter Hennes, 7 p.m.

If you like us, throw your thumb in the air

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

WEDNESDAY 12.25

Slam, 7 p.m.

27

SOUNDBOARD

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music, ongoing, 8 p.m.

The Olde Pink House Eddie Wilson The Perch at Local 11 ten Markus Kuhlmann Prohibition Bluegrass Brunch, 11 a.m.

River House Eric Britt The Savannah Civic Center New Years Eve Weekend Jam w/ Anthony Hamilton, 7 p.m.

The Shrimp Factory Ray Tomasino Tubby’s Tank House (River St.) Jeremy J Riddle, 6 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Jimmy Frushon The Warehouse Thomas Claxton Wild Wing Cafe Bucky & Barry, Laiken Love Band

TRIVIA & GAMES

MONDAY 12.30

White Whale Craft Ales White Whale Open Mic Comedy

LIVE MUSIC

Little Lucky’s DJ and Karaoke

Abe’s on Lincoln Open Mic, 10 p.m.

Bayou Cafe David Harbuck, 9 p.m.

Fiddler’s Crab House (River St.) Phillip Wise Open Mic Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music, 8 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Jimmy Frushon The Warehouse Ray Tomasino Wild Wing Cafe Tyler Roe The Wormhole Open Mic, 8 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Club One Bingo with Dawn Dupree, 5:30 p.m.

The Flying Fish Trivia Night, 7 p.m.

The Jinx Music and Movie Trivia, 10 p.m.

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

Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill Trivia, 9:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill Karaoke/DJ, 10:30 p.m.

DJ

Boomy’s DJ Basik Lee, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Boomy’s Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Exclusives Bar & Grille Open Mic Poetry Night, 7 p.m.

The Loft on Liberty Odd Lot Improv: Monday Night Madness, 8 p.m.

DJ

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Fia Rua Irish Pub Family Movie Night, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY 12.31 LIVE MUSIC

Barrelhouse South Neutral Snap, 9 p.m.

Bay Street Blues Ben Keiser Band Bayou Cafe Jam Night with Eric Culberson, 9 p.m.

Club Elan New Year’s Throwdown, 8 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club New Year’s Eve Party w/ DJ Kut Daily El-Rocko Lounge Bootlegger’s Boogie, 9 p.m.

The Jinx Hip Hop Night Jukebox Bar & Grill Moss City Groove, 9 p.m.

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Live Music, 8 p.m.

The Ordinary Pub Jeremy J Riddle, 7 p.m.

Prohibition Whiskey and Wine, 10:30 p.m.

Saddle Bags New Year’s Eve Party w/ Larry Frick, 8 p.m.

The Wormhole Neighborhood Pub & Music Venue The Love Cats present: A Very Special New Years Eve Party, 9 p.m.

Top Deck James Lee Smith, 6:30 p.m.

Vic’s on The River Jimmy Frushon Victory North Funk You, 9 p.m.

The Warehouse Hitman Blues Band, 8 p.m.

Wild Wing Cafe New Year’s Eve w/ Individually Twisted, 9:30 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

SAVANNAH’S PREMIER VENUE FOR CONCERTS & PRIVATE EVENTS

Basil’s Pizza and Deli Trivia, 7 p.m.

CoCo’s Sunset Grille Trivia, 7 p.m.

McDonough’s Bingo, 7 p.m.

Mellow Mushroom Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

Rachael’s : Sports • Food • Fun Adults Only Trivia, 9 p.m.

Savannah Taphouse Trivia, 7 p.m.

Wild Wing Cafe (Pooler) Trivia, 9 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, , 9 p.m.

The Rail Pub Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

The Blind Sus Roaring 2020s Comedy Show, 8 p.m.

Stafford’s Public House New Year’s Eve Comedy Jam, 8:30 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

201 Tapas Lounge New Year’s Eve at 201 Tapas Lounge, 9 p.m.

Bootleggers New Year’s Eve Party, 8 p.m.

Brewed SAV New Year’s Eve 2020 at Brewed, 8:30 p.m.

City Market City Market New Year’s Eve, 9 p.m.

Club One Club One New Year’s Eve Bash Congress Street Social Club New Year’s Eve Party w/ Kut Daily, 10 p.m.

Congress Street Up Free NYE Party, Straight Up, 8 p.m.

Fannie’s on the Beach Fireworks and a Fannie’s New Year, 8 p.m.

Fia Rua Irish Pub New Year’s Eve Karaoke Bash, 8 p.m.

Foxy Loxy Cafe Foxy New Years Party, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

The Grove Savannah’s New Year’s Eve 2020 Party at The Grove, 10 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar Party Like It’s 1999, 8 p.m.

Melody’s Coastal Cafe and Sandbar Cantina New Year’s Eve Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Peregrin New Year’s Eve Soirée at Peregrin, 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Stafford’s Public House New Year’s Eve Dance Party, 7 p.m.

Temptations New Year’s Eve Party at Temptations, 7 p.m.

The Alida Hotel New Year’s Eve at The Alida, 9 p.m.

The Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Autograph Collection NYE Rooftop Celebration, 8 p.m.

Topdeck Bar Top Deck New Year’s Eve Party, 8 p.m.

Whitaker’s of Savannah New Year’s Eve at Whitaker’s, 7 p.m.

CONTINUES ON P. 28

| 9PM SHOW 8PM DOORS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27TH

FUTUREBIRDS

WITH REVEREND BRO DIDDLEY AND THE HIPS | 9PM SHOW 8PM DOORS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31ST

FUNK YOU

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY WITH FUNK YOU AT VICTORY NORTH! FRIDAY, JANUARY 10TH

PHUTUREPRIMITIVE / AN-TEN-NAE

| 9PM SHOW 8PM DOORS

| 9PM SHOW 8PM DOORS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11TH

REHAB CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

WITH THE WILD AND FREE

28

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15 TH

| 8PM SHOW 7PM DOORS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16 TH

| 8PM SHOW 7PM DOORS

MICHAL MENERT AND LATE NIGHT RADIO TURKUAZ, WITH NEIL FRANCIS @victorynorthsavannah

Live Music Winter Schedule

12/27-Xulu Prophet 1/3-Ben Lewis 1/4-Magic Rocks 1/10-Ben Keiser 1/17-Eric Culberson

1/24-Anders Thomsen Trio 1/31-Individually Twisted 2/7- Ben Lewis Trio 2/8-Eric Culberson 2/14-As Of Today

Your new late night hangout on the southside.

401 Mall Blvd. at Hodgson Memorial | 912-356-1047

2603 WHITAKER ST | WWW.VICTORYNORTHCONCERTS.COM

@victorynorthsavannah

Authentic Indian Cuisine

@victorynorthsav

This Week’s Music THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26

LEVI MOORE 7:00PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27

TBA 7:00PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28

*FREE JELLO SHOTS

For UG & Falc A Touch ons downs

Don’t forget we are open until Midnight on Thursday and 2:00am on Friday and Saturday serving late night food.

216 JOHNNY MERCER BLVD.

912.897.6400 2019

•

BASILSONLINE.COM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

BUCKY & BARRY 7:00PM

29

SOUNDBOARD

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SOUNDBOARD DIRECTORY 201 Tapas Lounge 201 James Blackburn Drive Abe’s on Lincoln 17 Lincoln St. 912-349-0525 abesonlincoln.com

B & D Burgers 13 East Broughton St. 912-231-0986 www.bdburgers.net/

Fiddler’s Crab House (River St.) 131 West River St.

Billy’s Place at McDonough’s 20 E. Perry St.

912-231-9049 billysplacesavannah.com

The Black Rabbit 1215 Barnard St. The Blind Sus 118 E. Broughton St., 2nd floor Blueberry Hill 546 Dean Forest Rd. 964-8401

Boomy’s 409 W. Congress St. 912-436-6660 boomysbar.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

30

HAPPY HOUR MON - Fri

SUN. 12/29 Thomas Claxton 8pm-12mid MON. 12/30 ray tomasino 8pm-12mid TUES. 12/31 brett barnard 8pm-12mid

3PM - 7PM

$$3 Miller Lite drafts . $4 Blue Moon drafts $$4 well drinks . $1 off calls . 50 ¢ wings

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SPECIALS 12 wings and a pitcher of coors banquet, miller lite, or dos equis for $$19 $$5 shots of savannah bourbons or vodka

service industry night Sunday 25% off entire bill

Kitchen Open Late Nightly!

Call for Take Out

18 E. RIVER STREET 912.234.6003

912-786-6109 fanniesonthebeach.com

912-459-4160 fiaruairishpub.com

912-644-7172 www.liveoakstore.com/ fiddlersriverstreet

The Flying Fish 7906 E. Hwy 80

912-897-2009 www.flyingfishbarandgrill.webs. com/

Foxy Loxy Cafe 1919 Bull St. 912-401-0543 foxyloxycafe.com

Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant 107 W. Broughton St. The Grove 301 W. Congress St. Jazz’d Tapas Bar 52 Barnard St. 912-236-7777 www.jazzdsavannah.com

Bootleggers 1017 U.S. 80 #8 Brewed SAV 1722 Habersham St. The Chromatic Dragon 514 MLK Jr. Blvd.

The Jinx 127 W. Congress St.

City Market Jefferson at West Saint Julian St.

912-233-9626 www.kevinbarrys.com

912-289-0350 chromaticdragon.com

FRI. 12/27 Rachael Shaner 2-7pm Jubal Kane 8pm-12mid SAT. 12/28 Eric Britt 2-7pm Eric Culberson 8pm-12mid

912-695-2116

Bay Street Blues 17 E. Bay St.

912-233-6411 bayousavannah.com

WED. 12/25 jubal kane 8pm-12mid THURS. 12/26 Jon Lee’s apparition’s 8pm-12mid

Exclusives Bar & Grille 2003 Greenwood Street

Fia Rua Irish Pub 10132 Ford Ave.

Bayou Cafe 14 N. Abercorn St.

cOLDEST, CHEAPEST bEER IN TOWN

912-495-5808

Basil’s Pizza and Deli 216 Johnny Mercer Blvd.

912-236-6655

™

El-Rocko Lounge 117 Whitaker St.

Fannie’s on the Beach 1613 Strand Ave.

912-897-6400 basilsonline.com

warehouse Bar & Grille

(912) 200-3652 dubspubriverstreet.com

Barrelhouse South 125 W. Congress St. 912-662-5576 barrelhousesouth.com

t h e

Dub’s Pub 225 W. River St.

912-232-4903 www.savannahcitymarket.com

Club Elan 301 Williamson St. Club One 1 Jefferson St.

912-236-2281

Jukebox Bar & Grill 3741 US Hwy 17 Ste 500 912-756-6997

Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub 117 West River St. La Scala Ristorante 119 E 37th St (912) 238-3100

Little Lucky’s 6 Gateway Blvd. E. 912-925-1119

Coach’s Corner 3016 E. Victory Dr.

The Loft on Liberty 215 W. Liberty St. Mansion on Forsyth Park 700 Drayton St.

CoCo’s Sunset Grille 1 Old U.S. Hwy. 80

McDonough’s 21 E. McDonough St.

Cohen’s Retreat 5715 Skidaway Rd.

Mellow Mushroom 11 W. Liberty St.

912-232-0200 clubone-online.com

912-352-2933 coachs.net

912-786-7810 cocostybee.com

912-355-3336

Congress Street Social Club 411 W. Congress St. 912-238-1985 congressstreetsocialclub.com

Congress Street Up 220 W. Congress St.

912-238-5158 mansiononforsythpark.com

912-233-6136 mcdonoughssavannah.com

912-495-0705 mellowmushroom.com

Melody’s Coastal Cafe and Sandbar Cantina 2518 Hwy 17 912-459-6357 melscoastalcafe.com

Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub 311 W. Congress St. 912-239-9600 macphersonspub.com

Molly McGuire’s 216 Johnny Mercer Boulevard

912-898-0852 liveoakstore.com/mollymcguires

Moon River Brewing Co. 21 West Bay St. 912-447-0943 www.moonriverbrewing.com/

The Olde Pink House 23 Abercorn St.

912-232-4286 www.plantersinnsavannah.com

The Ordinary Pub 217 1/2 West Broughton Street (912) 238-5130 www.theordinarypub.com/

The Perch at Local 11 ten 1110 Bull St. Peregrin 256 E Perry Lane (912) 415-9000

Pour Larry’s 206 W. St. Julian St. 912-232-5778

Prohibition 125 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

912-200-9255

PS Tavern 11 W. Bay St. 912-495-5145

Rachael’s : Sports • Food • Fun 1190 King George Blvd.

912-920-7772 rachaels1190.com

The Rail Pub 405 W. Congress St. 912-238-1311 therailpub.com/

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant 402 MLK Jr. Blvd.

912-292-1656 ranchoalegrecuban.com

River House 125 W. River St.

912-234-1900 liveoakstore.com/riverhouse

Rusty Rudders Tap House 303 W. River St. 912-944-6302

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 111 W. Bay St. 912-721-4800 ruthschris.com

Saddle Bags 317 West River St.

912-349-5275 saddlebagssavannah.com/

The Savannah Civic Center 301 West Oglethorpe Ave. 912-651-6556 www.savannahcivic.com

Savannah Smiles 314 Williamson St. 912-527-6453

Savannah Taphouse 125 E. Broughton St. 912-201-8277 savannahtaphouse.com

The Sentient Bean 13 E. Park Ave. 912-232-4447 sentientbean.com

Service Brewing Company 574 Indian Street The Shrimp Factory 313 East River Street

912-236-4229 www.theshrimpfactory.com

Southbound Brewing Company 107 East Lathrop Ave. Stafford’s Public House 306 W. Upper Factor’s Walk Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill 11215 Abercorn St. 912-921-2269

Taste of India 401 Mall Blvd.

912-356-1020

Temptations Highway 170 S. (843) 784-2808

The Alida Hotel 412 Williamson Street Tijuana Flats 1800 E. Victory Dr. 912-344-9111 tijuanaflats.com

Top Deck 125 W. River Street Totally Awesome Bar 107 B Whitaker St. 912-349-1707

Tubby’s Tank House (River St.) 115 East River St. 912-233-0770 www.liveoakstore.com/ tubbysriverstreet

Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt) 2909 River Dr. 912-354-9040 www.liveoakstore.com/ tubbysthunderbolt

Vice Mojito Bar and Lounge 109 W Broughton St, Unit B Vic’s on The River 26 E. Bay St. 912-721-1000 vicsontheriver.com

Victory North 2603 Whitaker Street Visitor’s Information Center 301 MLK Jr. Blvd.

912-944-0455 savannahvisit.com/

The Warehouse 18 E. River St.

912-234-6003 thewarehousebarandgrille.com

Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa 1 Resort Drive 912-201-2000 www.westinsavannah.com/

Wet Willie’s 101 E. River St. 912-233-5650 wetwillies.com

Whitaker’s of Savannah 10 Whitaker St. White Whale Craft Ales 1207 Bull St.

CULTURE PERFORMANCE

Beloved Kevin Barry’s set to close on New Year’s Eve

OUTSIDE Kevin Barry’s on a chilly Thursday, Linda and Kevin Farley survey their favorite bar from across the cobblestones.

They live in Pooler, but they decided to come today for lunch for the last time.

“I don’t know where we’ll go now,” says Linda. “We only really ever come here.”

Theirs is a common story for many, who seek out Kevin Barry’s for its love of Irish heritage and military culture.

When the news broke that Kevin Barry’s would close on New Year’s Eve, it left the community shocked—and, for people like the Farleys, without a bar to frequent.

Kevin, who’s in the military, loved the culture that Kevin Barry’s created.

The announcement came as such a surprise that rumors began to fly. The real story is much less juicy: the owners of the building, who also own the Cotton Sail Hotel, decided to go another direction with the building. Owner Vic Power chose not to renew the lease and retire.

Kevin Barry’s has been a River Street institution since 1981. Before Power owned it, he owned a bar in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a while before coming to Savannah. A former serviceman in the Navy Reserve, he had come through the town years ago and

decided to give it a go.

At that time, Emerson estimates it was one of the first Irish pubs south of Washington, D.C., and other bars like O’Flaherty’s in New Orleans followed suit.

But Kevin Barry’s was always different.

“Vic added another dimension,” says Frank Emerson, who has performed at Kevin Barry’s since its opening.

“He brought an appreciation of the history and the culture of the Irish and Celtic world to Savannah. Not that they didn’t have an appreciation before—the [St. Patrick’s Day] parade is one of the oldest in America, and they have their societies—but Vic added a little more kind of authenticity.”

Even in the beginning, when Power wasn’t sure if he’d make any money, he made sure the musicians did.

“Vic had music seven nights a week.

Particularly in the early days, sometimes he didn’t have enough to pay himself, but he always paid the musicians,” Emerson remembers. “He just believed in it.”

As the bar grew in popularity, it became known for its live music. The Listening Room enjoyed a regular lineup of musicians, including Emerson, Harry O’Donohue and Carroll Brown.

Every single night, guests could expect to hear the finest Irish and Celtic music for free.

Top left: Linda and Kevin Farley say goodbye to their favorite bar. Above: The Hall of Heroes includes a memorial wall full of photos from fallen members of the Armed Forces, as well as the Missing Man Table, where guests can pay homage to their fallen loved ones with a handwritten bar napkin. PHOTOS BY RACHAEL FLORA.

But now, Emerson notices that not only has authentic Irish music declined in popularity, listening to live music in general has trended downward as well.

“A lot of the pubs around the country have gone the way of just background music,” he points out.

“The listening room in Vic’s, that’s what made it stand out. This was a place you could be entertained with basically a series of mini concerts over the course of an evening. There used to be a lot of places like that throughout the country, and they stopped doing it for one reason or another.

Maybe it’s the times, maybe it’s the proliferation of cell phones and all that.”

Emerson lives in Virginia but would travel nearly nine hours, one week a month every year since 1981, to perform at Kevin Barry’s. Now he’s not sure where, or if, he’ll play in Savannah.

“As they used to say, at the moment, I’m at liberty,” he laughs. “We’ll see what happens down the road a little ways.”

Power’s love for Irish music helped keep the bar as authentic as possible. In 2016, Kevin Barry’s was awarded the prestigious honor of being the most authentic Irish pub outside Dublin, according to Irish Pubs Global Federation.

“We were all tickled with it,” remembers Emerson. “We all wrote things to send them to try to talk them into it.”

One can’t help but to feel a little cynical about the loss of the most authentic Irish pub in the world to more development on River Street, but that seems to be a common trend, especially in the case of Tara Feis, for which the City cut funding in 2018.

Since its inception in 1991, Tara Feis was largely considered a family-friendly

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PERFORMANCE

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alternative to typical St. Pat’s debauchery, one who gave him the order to go up on the and it included more traditional aspects of roof that got him killed.’ Peney died in his Irish culture that were foregone for green arms,” says Emerson. beer in the City’s festivities. Then and now, Stories like that abound at Kevin Bartourism wins out over tradition. ry’s. Emerson also shares one of Corey Of equal importance to Kevin Barry’s Goodnature, a helicopter pilot who was story was the military culture it promoted. killed while trying to rescue a SEAL team The bar was named operation. (If the story one of the top ten sounds familiar, it’s the military-friendly plot of the movie Lone bars in the world.

Survivor.)

“Vic wouldn’t have Goodnature and his it any other way,” wife had met at Kevin says Emerson.

Barry’s, as Emerson Power’s respect says many couples and admiration for did. One day, Emerson the military was noticed a woman toastunwavering. In 1981, ing to Goodnature’s the anti-military picture, which hangs sentiments were in the bar. strong, but Power The woman looked bucked that norm. familiar to Emerson, Upstairs, the Hall so he went over to her. of Heroes museum Sure enough, she was tells the stories of Goodnature’s widow the men and women Lori. of the armed forces.

“That’s not the Right inside, the end,” Emerson says.

Missing Man Table “She met her next husis stacked full of bar Top: Vic and Cheri Power. Bottom: Carband at Kevin Barry’s roll Brown, Harry O’Donoghue, and Frank napkins with notes as well, and he knew Emerson playing in the Listening Room. that commemorate Corey too.” fallen loved ones, and PHOTOS COURTESY OF FRANK EMERSON. He pauses. “Sorry, framed photographs I’m getting a little line the walls. choked up talking about it. He knew Corey Fortunately, the memories upstairs and made Kevin Barry’s his place, too.” won’t fall by the wayside.

When Kevin Barry’s closes its doors for “All the pictures of the fallen are being the last time, it’ll leave a gap that will prove returned to their families, and the pordifficult to fill. traits and paintings are going to be given to “It’s basically two generations,” says the appropriate military and civilian units Emerson. “He set the roots there and it they depict,” says Emerson. “They’re not took over for a long time. It is a piece of going to get thrown away.”

Savannah history, though more recent, It’s clear that Power has created a place and it’s kind of gone away. Granted, it’s for sharing memories. Emerson tells the not a monument or anything, but in many story of Sgt. Jon Peney, a young medic in ways I think it kind of is.” the 1st Ranger Battalion who frequented Irish pubs themselves are beginning to Kevin Barry’s. drift away, marking the end of an era.

“He was very young. You wouldn’t “There was a heyday for them back in expect somebody that young to dig the the 70s, and just like the Big Band era, it’s music we were doing, but he did, and of kind of dissipated. They’re still there, but course he loved the place because of its they’re not the same at all,” says Emerson. military connotation,” Emerson recalls.

“There was a singer back in the 40s, While deployed in Afghanistan, Peney Helen O’Connell, and she was asked, ‘What was killed in action on June 1, 2010. In his was it like to live through the Big Band will, Peney requested that the funeral end era?’ She said, ‘Well, if I had known it was with a celebration at Kevin Barry’s. Emer- an era, I would’ve paid much more attenson, saddened by Peney’s death, still wears tion.’ So Kevin Barry’s, it was one of a kind his friend’s memorial bracelet. and will always be one of a kind. It was its A few years ago, Emerson wrapped up own era. There won’t be anything like it— his set and sat alone in Liberty Hall. A few there can’t be.” CS Rangers came up and asked him about his Stop in to Kevin Barry’s during regular hours memorial bracelet, and Emerson showed until Dec. 31. On New Year’s Eve, general adthem that it was for Peney. To his shock, mission is $20 and pre-booked tickets for the one of the Rangers held out his hand to Listening Room are $50. show that he, too, was wearing a bracelet Email kbpub@aol.com for ticket sales. for Peney.

“He was asking me how I knew him, and he said, ‘I was his platoon leader, I’m the

CULTURE THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH

Brittany Reidy of the 2201.

The Starland Mural Project.

PHOTO BY GEOFF L JOHNSON

Art lang syne

Another Savannah artist who had a big moment this year was certainly Suzanne Jackson. “Five Decades” was on display at the Jepson Center this summer, and she was also included in the group show “Entanglements” at Laney Contemporary.

When I interviewed him back in SepJackson is a big deal. She’s the founder of tember, he said, “I’m really focused on Gallery 32 in Los Angeles, which was a supmaking sure these aren’t the last murals in portive place for black artists in particular.

Starland. These are so much the beginning But she’s been creating since the 1960s and of a larger pop. This is what we do, this is is just as passionate about dancing and set what businesses in Starland do: they supdesign as she is about painting. Her retroport murals. This is what this neighborspective—curated by Rachel Reese, who we hood is about: public art.” dearly miss—included ephemera from all One of the artists in the Starland Mural aspects of Jackson’s enthralling life.

Project, Juliana Lupacchino, had a banA trend I noticed this year was the desire ner year in 2019. This was the year she to open alternative gallery spaces. I’m officially became Everywhere. From thinking specifically of the Hen House, run murals at Starland Yard and Kayak Kafe

by Kevin Clancy and Chris Fisher, and the on Broughton to her Dime Store Red proj2201, run by Brittany Reidy. More incuect alongside William Kesling, the Julu bator spaces than galleries, these spaces pattern covered the city in cheery brightcharge the artist little or nothing to display ness. Lupacchino herself exudes cheery their work. brightness—she might be the nicest person “We don’t take a cut of anything that I have known. gets sold because we’re not in the business; In November, Dime Store Red was a we’re not a gallery,” Clancy told me in July, pop-up installation in Smoke Cartel’s when I met him at the Hen House’s first warehouse. Lupacchino and Kesling built location on 39th and Paulsen (they have since moved to the Stables on the west side the three-room dime store from scratch of town). and invited artists of all styles to partici“I want the artist to reflect their work in pate in the project. They designed it to be all elements and how they show, how they Instagrammable, and it certainly was for hang,” Reidy said in October. “That’s what the week it was up.

I want to provide.”

“I don’t want to make something and it Clancy, Fisher and Reidy all told me just stands still,” Lupacchino told me when that in their spaces, artists are allowed to I interviewed her and Kesling. “We want do whatever they want, within reason. All people to be inspired to do stuff.”

“This is the weirdest shit I’ve ever done,” three talked about the need for affordable spaces for artists to show work.

Kesling added. More weird shit in 2020, please.

Savannah’s art scene is finally beginning

Considering 2019, and looking to 2020

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

A FEW WEEKS back, within a day of each other, two artists told me the exact same thing: something’s happening in Savannah right now.

I heard it from AJ Perez on the couch at Sulfur Studios, and then again the next day over coffee at Heather L. Young’s Richmond Hill home.

In fairness, it’s a pretty popular opinion right now. There’s a palpable excitement in the air here that goes beyond our recent election (though that’s pretty exciting all on its own).

Some years are for making big things happen, and some years are for building and growing. 2019 was a year of continuing momentum, of growth and of setting the stage for something really big to happen.

Now, that’s not to say that big things didn’t happen. The Starland Mural Project was a major win for public art this year, as well as a win for Clinton Edminster, who has been a tireless advocate for accessible art for years. I worked with Edminster at Art Rise Savannah when I was a staff writer at, and then editor of, the Savannah Art Informer (RIP) and witnessed his passion for making art accessible to everyone.

Lupacchino and Kesling inside Dime Store Red. PHOTO BY GEOFF L JOHNSON

to become accessible to all price points.

Let’s see more of this in 2020.

Reidy pointed out that not every artist is a student who has financial help from their parents, and that the skyrocketing cost of living in Savannah is not helping.

That’s an important consideration that I think often gets overlooked: Savannah is not SCAD. When I tell strangers I came here for school, the automatic reply is, “Oh, SCAD right?” Armstrong, actually. Savannah owes a lot of its artsiness to SCAD, but not every artist is part of that world.

One final point I’d like to make about 2019 is its consistency. We saw fantastic shows from the galleries that we’re used to seeing fantastic shows from. Sulfur Studios continued to offer its usual lineup of stellar programming at all of their satellite locations, even while losing In Vino Veritas and adding Alair Homes. The work Perez, Emily Earl and Jennifer Moss do for the art scene in our city should not be understated. Earlier this year, I heard one artist (not naming names!) look down their nose at the studio, calling it “grungy and dark,” and it reminded me that many galleries wish they had the reach Sulfur does.

Honorable mentions of course include Location Gallery’s star-studded group shows, Laney Contemporary’s sleek offerings, and the Jepson Center’s thoughtful programming.

So, Savannah, here’s to the New Year.

We made it through 2019, throwing ourselves into improving the art scene we love so dearly. We devoted our blood, sweat and tears to big projects, and we laid the groundwork for an exciting 2020. I can’t wait to see what happens. CS 33

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

“Brown Sugar” from Quran and Miranda, from Sulfur’s “North of Victory” exhibition.

Suzanne Jackson.

CULTURE VISUAL ARTS

QUESTIONS

in the outskirts of Savannah. I called and it was Charlie [Crosby, owner of Welmont] and everything was so serendipitous.

All I ever wanted to do was art. This is a big space, and I know that art isn’t enough—that’s a really hard market to make a successful business. So I was just like, “I’m going to do it by myself and figure it out.”

WITH

Kara Adoff

4. What do you think West House will

BY RACHAEL FLORA

do for Savannah’s art scene in 2020?

rachael@connectsavannah.com

I love that question because I’ve started saying “West House 2020” like a campaign slogan. Savannah just had a huge turnover politically, which is going to make a huge difference especially knowing these people come from these districts. Savannah is its neighborhoods. Coming in the location I am, I want to bring locals back: people from the Islands, people who stopped going downtown.

But I also really want to elevate Savannah to a level of Philadelphia, New York, Santa Fe, which is what I think has been missing. SCAD is so great, but it’s just so SCAD-oriented that I want a place that is more worldly.

You know like they say you learn more when you study abroad? Maybe coming here is like studying abroad. I’ve got some friends from Knoxville and Los Angeles and London, and just growing Savannah a little more progressive and keeping its heart. We want people to travel from out of town for shows. Savannah has an arts scene, but they’re not known for bringing in artists, whereas people will travel when a certain artist is showing or they’ll watch that calendar. We can still be Savannah and we can be bigger.

PAINTER KARA Adoff has been in Savannah since 2014 and has big plans for our city’s art scene in the New Year.

She’s set to open West House, an art bar, in the old Welmont space in January.

West House will offer studio and coworking space as well as a gallery and a bar, and Adoff seeks to support artists as well as restore intimacy to viewing and interacting with art. The space would energize the stretch of Montgomery St. that it sits on, as well as making the Savannah arts scene less insular by reaching out to touring artists.

We spoke with Adoff last week.

1. What’s your style like?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

It’s very thick, it’s sort of a sculptural oil style. I am a little bit snobby—I don’t like acrylic. I only like oil because it’s about the intimacy, about the buildup. It’s a little bit about the challenge.

With that said, I paint really fast, so I’ve done a couple things that are more realistic, but the best way I can describe it is it’s a little bit like Basquiat in that I like to build up a narrative and make it messy. I also like Dana Schutz in that I want the intelligence to be there in the story that I’m painting, and I want to be able to see the techniques and the time that it took.

It’s not a classical style of painting, and it’s also evolved a lot since I’ve become a mom because you can see where I obviously could take time and let things dry, and now I do it a lot quicker, a lot messier. I love to paint out of the tube.

My mom came before my show [at White Whale] and she did touch one of my paintings. She was like, “Kara, it’s still wet!” and I’m like, “Yeah, it’s oil!”

2. What’s your vision for West House like?

I really want the whole place to feel like a maximalist art installation, for one. It’s making it fun again, and intimate. If you’re not an artist, I think you don’t know how to interact with art—I see that with my husband. I’d like to have catered dinners where we bring in little tables and people eat, and then maybe at the end of the night 34 they could drink a bottle of wine and now

5.

What’s the key to getting artists to stay here?

Kara Adoff is bringing legs (pun absolutely intended) to a Westside neighborhood with West House, an art bar meant to foster a deeper art appreciation. PHOTOS BY RACHAEL FLORA.

suddenly you’re going to buy that painting, because people aren’t spending enough time with art. This is sort of taking it back to that 1890s Paris where people sat in a lounge and they bought art because they knew the artist.

I’d eventually like to not charger artists at all. I just want to be a supporter of arts; I can be this Peggy Guggenheim. We need the bar, we need the coworking space. A lot of people are like, “Savannah needs to be local,” but we have plenty of galleries that are showing local artists. Me coming in as an outsider was really hard for me to get into the art scene.

I feel like I’m coming at the right time with developing a business that is a person, because people are coming back to wanting things to be nostalgic. They want to be connected with it. Fast food is going out.

They want things that are cutesy and identifiable and feel cozy.

3.

Was there a moment that you knew this is what you wanted to do?

There was a moment. I was a stay-at-home mom and then, cold turkey, my kids were going to school five full days a week. It was the fourth day and I was like, “I’m going to watch Queer Eye.” It was a woman in St. Louis and she started the Latino Arts Festival, but she was very indie and trying to fit into this posh art market. Instead of redoing her house, they did her office. I was like, “Maybe I should get an office; maybe I’ll do something like this.” I started looking up places and I came across this space and it was exactly what I wanted: a neighborhood

Branching out a little bit more like this.

Savannah makes sense that you would stay here. There’s a beach and water is so important for creatives, Atlanta’s close, Charleston’s close, there’s a direct flight to Newark. We just need to do more, and I think we need to have more diversity. We need Sulfur, we need Laney Contemporary, and we need things in between.

Savannah’s going to get bigger, though.

I think this is a really exciting time. I remember I was on a Pedicab and someone said we were the Southern Brooklyn, and they were like, “Yes, and no.” We can be supportive to a high variety of creatives like Brooklyn is, and hopefully not price them out.

2019 was wack. It wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great, and we’ve come out at the end being like, “We need a fucking change,” and people voted that way. CS

Patrol

OPENINGS & RECEPTIONS ANDRE BERTOLINO — Dec. 30-Feb. 23. foxyloxycafe.com. Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St. BRYCE LANKARD: A STATIONARY POINT ON A SPINNING PLANE — Time is a precious commodity one often takes for granted. It is not a currency we have in an unlimited supply. It slips by us, often unnoticed. The two bodies of photographic work in this exhibition, Blink of an Eye and Transience, plus the debut of the short film, A Stationary Point on a Spinning Planet, all take a different look at this passage. One is a macro view, the other a micro view and the last a temporal view of time. Dec. 27-Jan. 4. sulfurstudios.org. Sulfur Studios, 2301 Bull St.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

AFRICA AND ITS GULLAH-GEECHEE CONNECTIONS — This exhibit showcases the personal collection of Willis Hakim Jones, a local historian, and collector of Gullah Geechee artifacts and memorabilia, and features work by Gullah Geechee artists Jerydine Bennet Taylor and Aleathia Chisolm. Through Jan. 31, 2020. The Beach Institute African-American Cultural Center, 502 East Harris Street.

CAL WOOD ART 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY & RETROSPECTIVE SHOW — Cal Woodum is celebrating his 10 year anniversary as an exhibiting artist. Through Dec. 31. Regus, 100 Bull Street, Suite 200.

CHRISTINA FORRER: FEET OF THE DEVIL — Depicting tales of mythological horror slyly imbued with the banal melee of modern life, the art of Christina Forrer sees the medieval tradition of tapestry thrust into a fanciful vision of the present. Through Jan. 12, 2020.

SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd.

EDWARD JONES — Edward Richard Jones is a sculptor. He works with wood that he gets from friends and tree services. After a stint in the Navy, he attended Rhode Island College where he majored in metals and jewelry design. Through Dec. 31. Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St. ENOUGH DISTANCE — The viewer is asked to consider how we distance ourselves from the implications of consciousness - whether these issues be emotional, moral, or political.

Emily Nola is a fine artist living and working in Savannah, GA. Through Jan. 5, 2020. Drive Thru Art Box, behind Green Truck Pub, 2430 Habersham St. FREDERICK DOUGLASS: EMBERS OF FREEDOM — This timely exhibition is centered on the Frederick Douglass Family Ar-

SOUTHERN ARCANA — Stephanie Howard synthesizes modern and imagined folklore, heavily influenced by literary artists such as William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor.

Through Jan. 11, 2020. Laney Contemporary, 1810 Mills B. Lane Blvd.

chive from the collection of Walter and Linda Evans in conversation with modern and contemporary works by renowned artists. Through Jan. 5, 2020. SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd.

SUMMON THE SEA! CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND MOBY DICK — Examines the work of six contemporary artists who act as epic storytellers as they respond to, challenge, and celebrate the allegories presented in Melville’s literary classic. Through Feb. 16, 2020. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

GARRISON SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS WINTER EXHIBITION — Garrison School for the Arts exhibits their Winter Student Exhibition! Artwork from students Kindergarten through 8th grade line the walls from top to bottom.

Come enjoy a magical winter exhibition. Free Through Jan. 3, 2020.

CorkHouse Gallery, 230 W Bay St.

TAPE PAPER SCISSORS PRINT — Featuring purposeful paper art. Through Dec. 31.

Location Gallery at Austin Hill Realty, 417 Whitaker St. WORK BY PEGGY JO AUGHTRY — Through Jan. 14, 2020. Starland Cafe, 11 East 41st St.

HOLIDAY ARTIST COLLECTIVE 2019 — This show includes local and/ or regional artists, handpicked to showcase and Work by Kay Wolfersberger is at Foxy Loxy. offer some of their best work to the community.

601 Turner Blvd.

All artwork is original, and produced locally by a working artist. Through Jan. 11, 2020.

MARK WALLINGER — Wallinger is known Photopoint Gallery, 30 Cherokee St. for his poignant, multifaceted works that take on notions of reality, power, authority, class I HAVE MARKS TO MAKE — Telfair’s “I Have and religion. More recently, the artist has Marks to Make” celebrates its 25th year as delved into a profound exploration of identity. an inclusive, community-based art exhibition Through Jan. 19, 2020. scadmoa.org/. SCAD by individuals of diverse ages, backgrounds, Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd. and abilities, demonstrating the healing and transformative power of art making. Through MICHAEL CINCO — This exhibition of work Jan. 12, 2020. Jepson Center for the Arts, by the Phillippines-born, Dubai-based fashion 207 West York St. designer Michael Cinco is his first solo museum show and explores his unique global THE JOURNEY IS MINE: CHAPTER ONE perspective. Through Jan. 5, 2020. scadmoa.

— The works in this exhibition present org/. SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd. scenes of William Kwamena-Poh’s native Ghana, West Africa, often featuring the busy PJ ANDREWS — Although his immediate lifestyles of fishermen, the hub of market influences are Jackson Pollock and Andy scenes, and sensitive portraits of Ghanaian Warhol, PJ’s animated work, however, comes women and children. Museum admission straight from the source - cartoons and Through May 25, 2020. telfair.org/jepson/. cartoon characters. Through Jan. 31, 2020.

Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St. Gallery Espresso, 234 Bull St. LEATHER, LACE AND LUSTER — In this installation of black evening wear from the SCAD Permanent Collection, the expert choice of materials conveys the drama and interest of the darkest hues. Through Jan. 25, 2020. scadmoa.org/. SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd.

LIU JIAKUN: WEST VILLAGE — In his multidisciplinary work, architect/artist/writer Lia Jiakun contextualizes local building traditions, social needs and ever-changing ecological environments. Through Jan. 12, 2020. scadmoa.org/. SCAD Museum of Art,

RAPHAEL BARONTINI: THE GOLDEN MARCH — Commissioned by the SCAD Museum of Art within the framework of the exhibition “Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom.” Through Jan. 5, 2020. SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd.

SINGLE ORIGIN BY KAY WOLFERSPERGER — “Single Origin” is a collection of tea and coffee centric artwork celebrating the bigness in a cup of coffee’s smallness. Through Dec. 29. foxyloxycafe.com. Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St.

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ART

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35

FOOD & DRINK EPICUROPEDIA The great Geneva Wade in her kitchen.

Sunday’s Special Oxtails with yams and mac and cheese.

Geneva’s victorious return

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Beloved Southern and soul food chef opens new location

BY LINDY MOODY

THERE AREN’T many Savannah institutions left that have made it to three decades.

That’s how long Geneva Wade has been filling the bellies of our community. Cooking for most of her adult life, Geneva is renowned to many locals and for good reason.

She started with Geneva’s Home Plate, 36 which served Southern and Cajun dishes,

and over time, she has sold various versions of love-filled food.

“I’ve been doing this for a little over thirty-six years, off and on. I first started in the restaurant business back in 1983,” Wade recalls.

“My first location was right in the historic district [at] Hall and Habersham street. I stayed there for several years and then I branched out over to the Bee Road center location, right across from the park.

I closed that one down after several years then moved over to Victory Drive.”

Savannah lost Geneva’s in 2010 when Geneva took some time off for personal reasons. However, Savannah is lucky, because Geneva loves it so much she couldn’t stay away.

She decided to grace Savannah once again with her soulful cuisine this year by opening the doors to Geneva’s Famous Fried Chicken and Cornbread.

The new location sits close to a previous location: off Victory Drive near the intersection with Skidaway Road. It is quaint, homey, and constantly filled with patrons.

I feel especially lucky because she has opened in my neighborhood—it’s a much welcome change from the sea of fast-food chains that sit off of Victory Drive.

“That is what we have done for this area, to bring a little bit more to the table rather than just everything being fast food. We serve lots of fresh vegetables here and we sell a variety of chicken, not just fried,” she says.

The fresh vegetables she is referring to are both her regular and premium sides.

All of the homecooked favorites are available—yams, green beans, mac and cheese, squash, slaw, and everything in between.

All of us know that only true Southerners consider mac and cheese to be a vegetable.

Some of the sides reflect Geneva’s history. Her original Geneva’s Home Plate location was inspired by creole flavors in addition to the southern favorites. Keeping true to her roots, the premium sides include chicken gumbo and rice and beans.

You may be asking, “Why chicken and cornbread?” Geneva makes it clear that creating and sharing her long-developed cornbread recipe is special to her. There are currently six types of cornbread.

EPICUROPEDIA

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Fried Chicken with potatoes and mac and cheese

classically fried, your plate will include a hefty portion of extra crispy, moist, and tender chicken.

Each serving of bird has many different sizes, and many different sauces. According to Geneva, “Our roasted birds are made here, and we have different flavors.

Chipotle lime is roasted then marinated in a chipotle sauce. We have an orange marmalade. The sweet-chili red pepper is by far the best seller; it has the sweet and the heat. We do our wings in those sauces as well, but you can still get the original fried.”

Keeping with the Lowcountry flavors, you will also find Ogeechee Crab Cakes and Fantail Shrimp on the menu. Geneva’s doesn’t serve just any old crab cake. As you would expect and in line with her chicken and cornbread, she has created a special lime sauce to pair with the dish.

Finally, because turning out perfectly cooked comfort food isn’t hard enough, Geneva’s offers daily specials.

As for dessert, the Mistake Cake is as famous as Geneva herself. It’s a recipe that she has kept with her since the original 1980 location—a pound cake made with pears.

The mistake is that it was originally created to be made with peaches, but Geneva grabbed the wrong fruit.

She tried the pears she mistakenly purchased, and the cake came out perfect. It has been present on the menu ever since.

If you don’t have room, I suggest you grab one to take home after your meal. CS Geneva’s Famous Fried Chicken and Cornbread is at 1909 E. Victory Dr.

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As a Southerner with a heart for cornbread, I have only ever found it with one or two variations. The half a dozen options at Geneva’s include original, jalapeno, mexi, pecan, broccoli, and blueberry.

Each variation has a corresponding butter that you can slather all over the warm bread. Honestly, the bread is so moist the butter is just an extra treat for your palate.

“We actually do twelve flavors of corn bread but we only presented six to the public. We did not want to overwhelm,” Geneva says. Each year Geneva’s will release one of the twelve variations of cornbread.

The cornbread is available in three sizes, mini, big, and jumbo. I say go for the mini so you can order one of each variation.

According to Geneva, “The cornbread is made from scratch. It is made from flour and cornmeal. It does require quite a bit of butter to make it, and I think that is one of the secrets of it.”

As the kitchen pulls out trays of freshly baked bread, Geneva insists I sit down and eat some cornbread with her. I’m glad she didn’t take no for an answer. The jalapeno was balanced with just the right amount of heat, and the bread itself was slightly sweet with a savory flavor of cornmeal.

So, what about the chicken? With over thirty years of experience, it goes without being said that the chicken is the showstopper. And although most people expect fried chicken when they think of Southern cuisine, Geneva’s offers chicken tenders, wings, and roasted chicken in addition to the classic variation.

If you opt for the Southern favorite,

37

MOVIES THE FILM SCENE

Get on the good foot with these films

BY JIM REED

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

BY THE time most of you read this column, it will be December 25. That most sacred of annual occurrences.

A holy time of rejoicing and goodwill towards men and women the world over, when untold millions of children (and adults) across the globe contemplate whether they’ve been naughty or nice these past 12 months and how, if in any way, said behavior may affect the amount of peace, tranquility and pleasing gifts which the universe (and other human beings) might bestow on them in the coming year.

I’m speaking, of course, of James Brown Day: the 13th anniversary of the passing of the perhaps single most influential black musician who has ever lived.

Why? What did you think I was talking about?

My wish for all those who follow Film Scene from week to week –and even to those who may be perusing it for the first time– is that you have plenty more goin’ on than just the rent; that you keep it on the good foot; that you stay away from that ol’ King Heroin; that you don’t take no mess; that you get up, get into it and get involved; and –most importantly– that for goodness sakes, you take a look at those cakes!

With that said, let’s take a look at all the noteworthy alternative cinema events taking place around our area over the next seven days. The busy holiday season always conspires to reduce the number of such happenings for a bit (things will pick back up in a week or so), but just because there are a smaller number of options for adventurous movie lovers does not mean said options are any less worthwhile.

All of this upcoming week’s selections are showing at just two locations: Tybee Island’s historic Post Theater and Springfield, Ga.’s historic Mars Theatre, both of which are vintage, single-screen movie houses of a similar size (holding approximately 200 and 240 patrons, respectively) which, after decades of disuse have been restored, outfitted with state-of-the-art 38 A/V equipment and re-envisioned as

Pavarotti

multi-purpose venues which not only host screenings of first-run and older, classic films, but also present live music, comedy, dance and theater productions as well.

They’re operated as non-profits for the benefit of their small communities, and usually boast cheaper prices for both tickets and concessions than corporate-owned multiplexes.

Plus, every time you patronize one of these establishments, you’re helping to keep them afloat, which is very much in the giving and charitable spirit of James Brown Day, don’tcha know.

We start out on Tybee, where on Dec. 26, the Post Theater kicks off a three-day engagement of the action-packed race car docudrama “Ford v Ferrari,” starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon. It’s based closely on the real-life rivalry between the American Ford Motor Company and the iconic Italian sportscar manufacturer Ferrari which in 1966 resulted in a fabled head-to-head competition at the famed Le Mans sportscar endurance race.

Critics have given the film high marks for both the recreation of the time period and the consistently nuanced and believable acting on display from all involved.

Audiences are praising it as well.

As if that wasn’t enough of a reason to give it a chance, portions of the film were actually shot here in the Savannah area.

7 p.m. showtimes on Dec. 26 through 28, with 3 p.m. matinees on Dec. 27 and 28.

The day after that film closes, the Post Theater offers up two screenings only of the 2019 documentary “Pavarotti,” which celebrates the larger-than-life career and legacy of the Italy’s controversial, immensely talented operatic tenor, Luciano Pavarotti. Produced and directed

by Ron “Opie” Howard in coordination with the estate of the late, great vocalist and international cultural icon, the film features tons of well-known, rare and previously unreleased archival footage of the singer both in performance and in private.

While it is said to be a somewhat revealing portrait of a mercurial man of all

manner of extreme appetites, and includes information on the numerous affairs which wrecked his longtime marriage, it has also received no small amount of criticism, as many feel the film (which was authorized by his descendants) simultaneously downplays some of the more unsavory accusations of lewd conduct which dogged Pavarotti in his later years.

Regardless, it’s packed with phenomenal vocal performances, and should prove to be an eye-opening introduction to anyone curious as to what the fuss was all about when it came to this unique and enduring legend of fine art music. Showtimes at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 29.

Heading out to the Effingham County Seat of Springfield, Ga., on Dec. 26, the Mars Theatre begins a four-day run of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which dramatizes the eye-opening relationship between an investigative journalist and the late children’s Public-TV show host and educator “Mister” Fred Rogers.

The film, which stars Tom “The Modern Jimmy Stewart” Hanks as Rogers, is said to be a much different sort of movie than its advertising campaign might suggest, and one with the ability to touch and resonate with a far broader range of viewers than those with a lifelong interest in the wholesome, self-empowering message espoused

by Mr. Rogers to generations of young people. 7 p.m. showtimes on Dec. 26 through 28 with a 3 p.m. matinee on Dec. 29.

A few days later, the Mars launches an extended run of “Knives Out” the unabashedly retro-styled murder mystery dramedy from acclaimed writer-directorproducer Rian Johnson (“Brick,” “Looper” aka “The Movie That Blatantly Ripped Off ‘Timecop,’” “The Last Jedi” and TV’s “Breaking Bad”).

It stars Daniel “James Bond” Craig in full Louisiana hambone mode as fabled detective Benoit Blanc, who’s hired to privately investigate the seemingly accidental death of elderly best-selling crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (played by Christopher Plummer), and in doing so must navigate the emotional minefield of Thrombey’s greedy, bickering extended family (played by a star-studded ensemble cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette and Chris Evans).

A self-aware and winking throwback to the glory days of 1970s and 1980s, when similarly paced and humored whodunnits like “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Murder by Death,” “Deathtrap” and “Clue” were all the rage, “Knives Out” may not be the equal of some of those timeless slices of scenery-chewing schtick, but it’s clearly a labor of love for auteur Johnson, and all involved look like they had a blast making this old-fashioned mystery flick.

Special recognition must be given to rising female star Ana de Armas, a Cuban actress whose work in this picture earned

her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

If you wind up going, be prepared to pay very close attention to even minor plot details if you want any hope of solving the crime before Blanc does! 7 p.m. showtimes on Jan. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 11, with 3 p.m. matinees on Jan. 5 and 12.

Please note: for those of you who routinely check this column for word of upcoming selections in the Psychotronic Film Society’s long-running Wednesday night series of underappreciated feature films from around the world which takes place at the Sentient Bean Coffeehouse on Forsyth Park, please be aware that due to Christmas and New Year’s falling on Wednesdays this year, there will be no PFS screenings on those nights.

That organization’s next event at the Bean takes place on Jan. 8, when they’ll present a rare public viewing of the sleazy, darkly comedic 1977 black exploitation flick “Fight for Your Life!”, which stars beloved character actor William Sanderson (best known as hotelier E.B. Farnum on HBO’s groundbreaking series “Deadwood,” or as the backwoods oddball Larry on the smash 1980s network TV sitcom “Newhart”), and which balances violence and disturbing scenes with sardonic, politically incorrect humor.

Until next week, see you at the movies, be kind to those around you, and don’t forget to turn off that cell phone. CS Jim Reed directs the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah.

This Week’s Highlights: “FORD V FERRARI”

7 p.m. Dec. 26, 27, 28; 3 p.m., Dec. 27, 28 Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horne Ave. Tybee Island $5 - $8 tybeeposttheater.org

“A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD”

7 p.m. Dec. 26, 27, 28; 3 p.m. Dec. 29 Mars Theatre, 106 S. Laurel St. Springfield $7 marstheatre.com

“PAVAROTTI”

3 p.m. & 7 p.m. Dec. 29 Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horne Ave. Tybee Island $5 - $8 tybeeposttheater.org

“KNIVES OUT”

7 p.m. Jan. 2, 3, 4, 9, 11; 3 p.m. Jan. 5, 12 Mars Theatre, 106 S. Laurel St. Springfield $7 marstheatre.com

BY MATT BRUNSON

VISIT OUR WEBSITE ONLINE AT WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM/ SAVANNAH/MOVIETIMES FOR DAILY MOVIE TIMES AND TRAILERS

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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

OOO “Something old, something new” seems to be the defining philosophy behind the third and final(?) trilogy of films set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and now Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have all cannily placed familiar motifs in new packaging, a mixing and matching that has drawn praise in some quarters while earning vilification in others.

Lifelong Star Wars fans have perhaps been more lenient while naysayers have definitely been more critical — those factors clearly come into play with this new picture, which is the least of the three yet still manages to send the series off in a satisfactory manner.

Spoilers are an absolute no-no when it comes to this franchise, but, since it’s revealed in the opening scrawl and even some of the marketing, it’s no shock to learn that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has somehow returned from the dead and seeks to reclaim his position of prominence among the galaxy’s foremost evildoers.

Realizing that something is afoot, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), accompanied

by Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and BB-8, set out following a trail of clues while General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher, courtesy of carefully arranged footage left over from The Last Jedi) and R2-D2 remain with the troops. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) continues to pursue his own claim to absolute power.

That’s a frightfully short synopsis, but the more surprises, the better when it comes to this latest endeavor. Certainly, there’s much about the picture that annoys and might even infuriate.

Starting with Palpatine, the dead have a way of returning with absurd frequency — Star Wars has always been about sacrifice as much as anything, but when characters can repeatedly bounce back like video game avatars, it takes away much of the meaning and import.

The delicious tension between Kylo Ren and the easily agitated General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) has been a constant highlight of this trilogy, and the manner in which it’s suddenly truncated is extremely disappointing.

While Palpatine is certainly a fan favorite (albeit not a fave of mine), he’s basically the same one-note villain as before — like one of those dolls where you pull the string and it repeats the same five or six phrases, he seems capable of only uttering dialogue along the lines of “Come to the Dark Side” and “Give in to your hate.”

And speaking of dialogue, some of the

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

lines placed in the mouths of other characters (courtesy of director J.J. Abrams and Argo Oscar winner Chris Terrio) are awfully clunky, recalling George Lucas’ lesser moments with the prequels.

But the nitpicks are small compared to what the film gets right. The relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren remains suitably complex and conflicted, and this storyline plays out in deeply moving fashion.

Rey is provided some essential backstory that allows her to come into clearer focus, while Poe Dameron is finally allowed to fully evolve as a character.

Aside from a ghastly CGI rendition of a youthful Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia, the effects are outstanding. And Lando Calrissian! While the character was noticeably MIA in the first two pictures, that enhances his belated appearance here, and Billy Dee Williams is clearly having the time of his life.

Lando isn’t the film’s only blast from the past. Since this is (supposedly) the final chapter in the Skywalker saga, there’s a “Greatest Hits” feel to the film, with all manner of past players making cameos: a veteran X-Wing pilot, disembodied Jedi masters, even those infernal Endor furries. And the final shot is perfect, invoking a bit of John Ford mythmaking while bringing the saga full circle in a way that’s immensely fulfilling rather than forced.

CATS

O There’s a scene in 1993’s Wayne’s World 2 in which Garth (Dana Carvey), upon hearing the name Kenny G, imagines himself sitting in attendance at one of his concerts while having his teeth painfully

drilled by a dentist. Suffering through the cinematic abomination that is Cats, I recalled this sequence and then moved way past it.

Instead of poor Garth, I imagined myself as the cop in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, having his ear sliced off by Michael Madsen. I imagined myself as the poor woman in Fulci’s Zombie, whose eyeball gets punctured by a particularly pointy piece of splintered wood.

I imagined myself as Dante, preparing to tackle the nine circles of Hell but first weighing the gravity of the words at the entrance: “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”

Come to think of it, movie theaters would do well to helpfully post that disclaimer right outside the auditorium, perhaps underneath the showtimes.

Incidentally, Carvey’s co-star in the Wayne’s World flicks was of course Mike Myers, who headlined his own felineinspired atrocity back in 2003. The Cat in the Hat is a worse film than Cats, but at least there, audiences had to cope with only one kitty.

Cats features ample Mike Myers at every turn and in every frame — it’s like watching the ’03 flick from the POV of the manfly in 1958’s The Fly as he peers upon his wife through kaleidoscopic peepers.

Thankfully, nobody in this new film lasciviously licks his lips at a garden tool and mutters, “You dirty hoe” — then again, there is the spectacle of the lazy cat Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson) munching on cockroaches and spreading her legs Sharon Stone-style to expose pussy galore.

Disclaimer: I was never a fan of the

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

wildly popular stage show, but I certainly didn’t hate it. It was at worst a shallow but harmless piffle, certainly not in the same league as other Andrew Lloyd Webber productions like Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. But this screen version takes the theatrical experience and sours it for the movie screen, with bad decisions crippling the piece at every turn. Those completely enamored of the stage show may very well love it, but the uninitiated might want to consider a hard pass.

Royal Ballet star Francesca Hayward makes her film debut as Victoria, a cat who’s abandoned on the London streets by her owners. She’s taken in by a group of cats known as Jellicles, and these felines explain how the sage Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench) chooses which cat gets to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and begin a new life.

Like American Idol contestants, these creatures fall all over themselves vying for the prize, from the blowhard Bustopher Jones (James Corden) to the frail Gus the Theatre Cat (Ian McKellen). On the outskirts are the villainous Macavity (Idris Elba), who plots to win the competition by devious means, and the impoverished Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a former society cat now shunned by the rest of the gang. It’s Grizabella who sings the show’s signature tune “Memory,” although, in this interpretation, there’s no emotional resonance behind it.

Rather than stuffing them inside actual costumes, the actors are transformed into cats via digital means, but it’s immensely off-putting and in some instances even a bit creepy. The CGI is slathered over this picture like copious ketchup pouring too fast over fries, in effect drowning everything that feels remotely natural or authentic.

Seeing Dench and McKellen look like they recently escaped from Dr. Moreau’s island results in discomfort, not joy. The choreography is by multiple Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton), but while some of the dancing comes through unscathed, many of the movements do not.

The effects should enhance the leaping about so that the actors slink and glide like felines, but the result is instead a herkyjerky motion, bringing to mind yet another cat — the one spotted by Neo as “a glitch in the matrix.”

For all its visual grotesqueness, the worst thing about Cats is that it’s often excruciatingly boring. Tom Hooper, whose direction of 2012’s Les Miserables yielded so-so results, gets completely overwhelmed by the artificiality of this endeavor, and, unless one is a devotee of the show, each subsequent song isn’t another gift to be unwrapped but another chore to be endured.

40 I’ve never walked out of a movie and

I never will, but this was one of those instances in which I felt so angry at a film for wasting my time that flight seemed like a reasonable option.

Is there anything of merit in Cats? Certainly. There’s a tap number that’s pleasing (or maybe it’s just my lifelong love of tap dancing, fostered by catching numerous Fred Astaire flicks during my childhood, that allowed me to be lenient).

And, perhaps surprisingly, there’s a solo number by Taylor Swift (cast as the purring feline Bombalurina) that proves to be the film’s highlight. As she sings and sashays her way through “Macavity: The Mystery Cat,” she momentarily shakes off the rigor mortis curbing the rest of this bloated boondoggle.

BOMBSHELL

OO Bombshell is the latest “preaching to the choir” movie to hit multiplexes, albeit one with a twist.

Directed by Jay Roach (whose underappreciated Trumbo earned my vote as the best film of 2015) and scripted by Oscar winner Charles Randolph (The Big Short), Bombshell takes a peek at the 2016 FOX News scandal, when the odious CEO Roger Ailes (John Lithgow in fat suit and caked-on makeup) was accused of sexual harassment by various women in his employment.

The picture chooses as its primary players two real FOX journalists: Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), at the time also having to deal with vicious and misogynistic attacks by presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), one of the first to file a lawsuit against Ailes. It also throws one fictional composite, a producer named Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), into the mix.

Naturally, this is the sort of movie that conservatives will hate sight unseen.

Progressives will have a trickier path to navigate.

It goes beyond the fact that the film doesn’t dive especially deep into gender politics, or that its fictional character is a more well-rounded and interesting person than those based on real-life figures (all three actresses are fine, but Robbie is particularly excellent).

It’s absolutely essential that Ailes be taken down, but while we can cheer their achievements as symbols of women, we cannot cheer the actual Megyn Kelly or Gretchen Carlson. These were two people perfectly at ease with the fake news, fearmongering tactics, and hatred of “the other” perpetrated by this three-ring circus of a media center. In the grand scheme, they were villains more than victims, and it’s only through the very narrow prism of this entertaining if flawed film that they can be championed for the right reasons.

BLACK CHRISTMAS

OO The 1974 Canadian effort Black Christmas, starring Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder as two of the sorority sisters in a house that also harbors a killer, is one of the best in the endless cycle of slasher flicks, largely because it arrived before the genre got set in its tired and overly familiar parameters. (The nice virgin who survives in every post-Halloween picture? Forget it — here, she’s the first one to go.)

I never saw the loose 2006 remake (though the plot synopsis makes it sound perfectly dreadful, what with small children getting raped and disfigured), but here we are with yet another version.

Give this Black Christmas points for not only trying to be different but also attempting to add some social commentary into the slasher genre. Then take them away for devolving into sheer idiocy.

Written (with April Wolfe) and directed

by Sophia Takal, this feminist slant on the story centers on Riley Stone (Imogen Poots), a sorority sister who has largely withdrawn into herself following her rape by a popular frat boy (Ryan McIntyre).

Naturally, no one believes her except for her closest friends — chief among them is Kris (Aleyse Shannon), an outspoken student who petitioned to have the bust of the sexist college founder removed from public display and is now working on a petition calling for the dismissal of a misogynistic English professor (Cary Elwes) who refuses to teach any books written by women. Soon, a hooded figure (or figures) begins murdering female students, and Kris eventually discovers that it all leads back to the university’s original Men’s Rights Activist.

As long as it remains grounded in reality, Black Christmas is a bravura variation of the original tale, tapping into the #MeToo movement with its forceful ideals and sympathetic protagonist (there’s even a scene that knocks the “Not all men” retort).

But matters go seriously awry in the second half, when a supernatural element is added to the proceedings. It’s arbitrary, ludicrous and wholly unnecessary, and it in effect defangs the picture’s piercing POV. Too bad. Black Christmas initially appears to be the cinematic equivalent of spiked eggnog, but by the end, it’s as uninviting as a mass-produced fruitcake a decade past its expiration date.

RICHARD JEWELL

OO It’s unlikely that a more hypocritical movie than Richard Jewell will see the inside of theaters over the course of the next several months. The film is supposed to be about the championing of an innocent man — a hero, no less — who was

unjustly and irresponsibly maligned, and that’s a fine and noble pursuit.

But when the picture repeatedly sets said objective on the backburner while taking equally irresponsible potshots at other targets, then it tends to diminish the points the movie is attempting to make.

Paul Walter Hauser, who previously played the dimmest of white supremacists in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, stars as Jewell, the security guard thrust into the national spotlight when he discovers a backpack containing explosives at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

While the pipe bombs do eventually explode, Jewell manages to herd countless civilians away from the area, resulting in only one death rather than the hundreds that conceivably could have occurred.

Initially, Jewell is hailed as a hero, much to the delight of his proud mother Bobi (Kathy Bates). Before long, though, the FBI receives information that places Jewell clearly in its crosshairs. He becomes the agency’s prime suspect, and that information is soon relayed to the public by zealous Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde, oddly not provided a pencil mustache to twirl).

A frenzied news media swallows the security guard whole, with even Tom Brokaw painting him in an unflattering light.

Jewell has no choice but to obtain the services of a lawyer, so he nabs local attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell).

In reality, the problem wasn’t that the FBI initially focused on Jewell — after all, he fit the profile of the “lone bomber,” he had raised flags in the past (including being arrested for impersonating a police officer), and other recent incidents tracked by the FBI had involved a law officer planting explosives and then pretending to find them in order to be the hero.

The problem wasn’t even the AJC’s initial news story, which simply stated that Jewell was being investigated by the FBI (true). The problem was the period, as this particular circus occurred one year after the start of the O.J. Simpson trial and two years after Tonya Harding and the kneewhacking incident.

It was a bloodletting time when the media worked 24/7 to find the juiciest stories to satisfy sensationalism-seeking viewers and readers (honestly, this period still continues, with no expiration date in sight).

But rather than even squint in the direction of the national mood and place the story within its proper context, director Clint Eastwood and scripter Billy Ray (already repped this season via the duds Gemini Man and Terminator: Dark Fate) set their sights squarely on the usual boogeymen. At least the FBI gets sort of a pass since the aggressive agent on the case (Jon Hamm) is a fictional character. CS

HAPPENINGS IS CONNECT SAVANNAH’S LISTING OF COMMUNITY EVENTS, CLASSES AND GROUPS. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM TO SUBMIT A LISTING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

ACTIVISM & POLITICS

SAVANNAH AREA YOUNG REPUBLICANS Get involved. Meetings are the last Tuesday of every month (except for December) at 7:00pm. Contact number: (912) 657-9623 912-604-0797. chairman@sayr.org. sayr.org.

UNMERGE MY UNIVERSITY FREE: UN-MERGE MY UNIVERSITY vehicle stickers. Greater Savannah and Statesboro areas. Visit www.unmergemyuniversity.com for details. ongoing.

VICTORIAN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS The VNA represents all residing, working or otherwise involved in the Victorian District and meets every second Tuesday of each month to the exception of the month of August. Meetings are held at The Mansion on Forsyth Park. Social starts at 5:30 p.m. and meetings start at 6 p.m. There is no fee to attend our meetings. For anyone using the Valet Parking at The Mansion, there is a $5. fee. MEMBERSHIP YEARLY FEES are: Individual $25. - Household (2 people) $40. - Business $50. and Students $10. Free ongoing, 6-7 p.m. vnasavannahga2013@ gmail.com. mansiononforsythpark.com.

Mansion on Forsyth Park, 700 Drayton St.

AUDITIONS AND CALLS FOR ENTRIES

AUDITIONS FOR ARMSTRONG YOUTH ORCHESTRA Auditions for spring session will be held January 9, 2019. Students who played in the Fall 2018 session, and who plan to remain in the same ensemble, do not need to re-audition in January. The January auditions are for new students, or students wishing to move to a different ensemble.

Choose your instrument from the list on their website - https://ayosavannah.org/ auditions/ -to see the audition requirements for applicable ensembles. Then, contact them via email at ayosavannah2004@gmail. com to reserve an audition date and time, or with any questions you may have. ongoing.

Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University, 11935 Abercorn St. CALL FOR ARTISTS TO EXHIBIT AT THE GALLERY ON CHIPPEWA SQUARE Located in the heart of the Historic District’s dynamic art scene, the Gallery on Chippewa Square is now offering a section of its Perry Lane wing to artists seeking a venue for solo and group exhibits. The space offers ample wall area, great light and maximum exposure for your project. The cost is $600 for one month, $450 for members of the Savannah Art Association. Shorter term leases can be negotiated. For details, call or text (912) 631-0616 or send an email to focus@josephshieldsphotography.com ongoing.

CALL FOR EARLY 19TH CENTURY DANCERS/REGENCY DANCING The Davenport House has a social dance program which meets most Wednesdays at 5 p.m. The Museum is looking for new participants in this free

Chili Cook Off

It’s chili time again and we’re extending an invitation to our 3rd Annual Coastal Empire Chili Cookoff! So if you think you’ve got the best chili in the south, come by and show us what you’ve got!

DEC. 28, 3 P.M. COASTAL EMPIRE BEER CO., 79 ROSS RD.

community activity. For information contact info@davenporthousemuseum. org or call 912-236-8097. ongoing. davenporthousemuseum.org. Davenport House, 324 East State St. CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR BOXED IN/ BREAK OUT 2020 Telfair Museums invites Chatham County artists to submit proposals for the fifth annual call to artists Boxed In/Break Out. The call to artists seeks entries for Boxed In/Break Out, a museum-sponsored public art installation that involves activating six windows at the Jepson Center facing Barnard Street. The artist chosen should have a detailed plan for how to utilize all six windows in a cohesive manner through self-created art that fulfills the following criteria: creativity, originality, feasibility, visual appeal, as well as resourcefulness and suitability in the space. The project will be displayed from May 1-November 8, 2020.

Full Details: https://www.telfair.org/article/ boxed-in-break-out-call-to-artists-2020/ No Application Fee Through Jan. 10, 2020.

912.790.8800. dunne@telfair.org. telfair. org/article/boxed-in-break-out-call-toartists-2020/. Telfair Museums, PO Box 10081.

CALL FOR ENTRY: CORKHOUSE GALLERY SMALL WORKS EXHIBITION CALL FOR ENTRY: CorkHouse Gallery presents its annual Small Works Exhibition.

Submission is free and encouraged. The exhbition is accepting works of all mediums and formal expressions. Works should be no longer than 20 inches in their longest direction and should be submitted online via our website. Free Through Dec. 27. 912-6773212. ch.sav@gmail.com. corkhousegallery. com/. corkhousegallery.com. CorkHouse Gallery, 230 W Bay St. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR 2020 LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM Leadership Southeast Georgia, a leadership development program for professionals in a 10-county coastal region, is calling for nominations for the class of 2020.

The program fosters relationships among leaders in the region and offers professional

development related to critical leadership skills and issues such as conflict resolution, self-awareness, communication and strategic thinking. For more information, visit http://www.lsega.com/home.html. ongoing.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE DRIVE THRU ART BOX AT GREEN TRUCK PUB The Drive Thru Art Box is ideal for showing mounted prints of 2-dimensional work, wheat pasted prints, site specific installations, and any other artistic medium that can hold up to direct sunlight and a non climate-controlled environment. Pegboard and hooks allows for flexibility of display options, and LED lighting ensures the work is visible for late night crowds. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. ongoing. greentruckpub.com. Green Truck Pub, 2430 Habersham St. CALL FOR SPEAKERS FOR TEDXSAVANNAH 2020 TEDxSavannah, an independently organized, day-long event based on the international TED talk phenomenon, is now accepting applications for speakers for the 11th anniversary event, which is set to take place on Friday, June 5, 2020 at the Yamacraw Performing Arts Center at Esther F. Garrison School of Visual and Performing Arts. The TEDxSavannah 2020 theme is Standard Deviation. In their application, prospective speakers will need to communicate how the theme will drive the content of their TEDx talk. Each speaker is limited to a maximum of 12 minutes to present an interesting talk influenced by the theme and of interest to the Savannah community. Each live talk will be filmed and posted on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel following the event. All speakers must submit an online application and be available for several rehearsals and coaching sessions. The speaker application deadline is Sunday, January 26 at midnight.

Speakers cannot promote businesses or endorse products during their TEDx talk.

Through Jan. 26, 2020.

LEOPOLD’S CREATIVE WRITING CHALLENGE Leopold’s Ice Cream and Live Oak Public

Libraries have partnered once again to host the 10th Annual Leopold’s Ice Cream Creative Writing Challenge. This year’s theme is “Imagine Your Story”, through poetry. One finalist from each of the four age groups (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 & High School) will win a Leopold’s Ice Cream party for their classroom. Full contest rules and informational flyer can be found at www. leopoldsicecream.com or www.liveoakpl. org. Through Feb. 7, 2020.

CLASSES, CAMPS & WORKSHOPS

APPLY NOW FOR INTENSIVE ENGLISH CLASSES (SPRING 2020) Apply now for intensive English classes taught by professional instructors with Georgia Southern University’s English Language Program. The 16-week program offers 20 hours of class each week. Spring semester classes will start on January 13, 2020, and end May 1, 2020. High Beginner to Advanced levels are available. This program will help you gain academic and professional skills for school and work.

Tuition and fees vary Through Jan. 10, 2020, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 912-478-5796. elp@ georgiasouthern.edu. cah.georgiasouthern. edu/elp/. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro.

BACHATA AND SALSA DANCE CLASSES New 4 week dance series, designed for absolute beginners to learn the fundamentals of Bachata or Salsa for social dancing! Bachata and salsa are fun dances from the Dominican Republic that can be found in cities all over the world, and is a great way to meet other people and enjoy amazing music. No partner or dance experience needed, just come and have fun! Special discount if you decide to do the salsa and bachata series together! RSVP via facebook or email. $40 for 4 classes, $70 for both bachata and salsa series ongoing. stephaniehmetzger@gmail.com. facebook. com/events/239285403377870/.

BASIC SELF DEFENSE Essential self-defense for adults. $30/ month Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6 p.m. fit912savannah.com. fit912savannah.com.

Fit912 Savannah, 428 Bull Street.

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU CLASSES Monday/Wednesday- Competition 5:30pm and Fundamentals at 7:00pm Tuesday/ Thursday- Fundamentals at Noon and Fundamentals at 5:30pm Friday- Private Lessons by appointment Saturday- Open Mat at 10:30am ongoing. Serg Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 401 Mall Blvd.

BRIDGE LESSONS Learn to play bridge. BB2 Competitive Bidding: Monday, September 24@7:00PM. BB4: Play of the Hand/ Declarer/Play: Saturday, September 15@10:00AM. Intermediate/Advanced Workshops: Friday, September 14@10:00AM ongoing. 912-2284838. bridgewebs.com/savannahclubs.

Savannah Duplicate Bridge Center, 8511 Ferguson Ave.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

Happenings

COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA happenings@connectsavannah.com

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

COCKTAIL CLASSES Congress Street Up hosts Cocktail Classes every Monday and Tuesday night at 6pm.

Learn how to shake and stir like a pro. Learn all about the fancy tools we use and their fascinating history. Impress your friends and make your co-workers envious. $40 Mondays, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. 912.220.1249. kblack@historictours.com. facebook.com/ pg/CongressStreetUp/about/?ref=page_ internal. Congress Street Up, 220 W. Congress St. CONTEMPORARY DANCE FUSION CLASS AT THE STUDIO IN THUNDERBOLT Join a classically trained dance teacher for a fun and challenging dance class. Focus on technique, choreography, and whatever else you would like to do! Opportunity to learn aerial hammock moves as well.

Every Sunday from 6-7pm $20. To reserve a space call/text 912-483-2109 or email ktoyogasurf@gmail.com ongoing.

COUNTRY TWO STEP GROUP CLASS Join us every week to learn how to dance to the classics and modern day songs of country music. All levels welcomebeginners to advanced. Each week will progress from the previous. First week is the top of the month and runs for 4 weeks. Sign up today! $40 for 4 weeks Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. 612-470-6683. salondebaile.dance@ gmail.com. salondebailedancestudio.com.

Salon de Baile Dance & Fitness Studio, 301 US Hwy 80 SE. CREATIVITY COACHING Do you have a creative idea but don’t know where to start? Is it time to move forward with your project? Work with your very own creativity coach and learn how to blast through blocks, plan your time, and enjoy the richness of a creative life. You’re Invited To A Free Masterclass: 5 Steps to Turning Your Talents and Expertise Into A Successful Online Coaching Business (even if you have no idea how to get started!) See website for more info at www.laurenl.com/creativity_ coaching/ or contact Creativity@LaurenL. com ongoing. Online, ---.

DUI PREVENTION GROUP Offers victim impact panels for intoxicated drivers, DUI, offenders, and anyone seeking knowledge about the dangers of driving while impaired. A must see for teen drivers.

Sign in time begins 6:00-6:20 p.m. Panel starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. and ends at approximately 8:00 P.M. Fee is $40.00 money orders or certified bank checks only payable to DUI Prevention Group. Meets monthly, check the website. $40/session (912) 691-4905. info@duipreventiongroup. org.

FREE BRIDGE LESSONS Free Bridge Lessons beginning August 19, 2019 from 7-9 pm. For more information call 912-238-4838. ongoing. Savannah Duplicate Bridge Center, 8511 Ferguson Ave. HIGH VIBE / LOW COST YOGA Join Melissa DeLynn for all-levels, beginner friendly Yoga classes. These classes are well-balanced, nourishing, and challenging with an emphasis on philosophy and spirituality. Expect to learn, heal, meditate and connect. $15 Wednesdays, 6-7:15 p.m. 706-614-4715. mdelynn@gmail.com.

WELMONT, 1930 Montgomery Street.

42 HYPNOSIS AND GUIDED IMAGERY

Hypnosis, Guided Imagery, Mindfulness, Eft, will create neural pathways in the brain Because our brains are neuroplastic it has a positive effect and helps you to recover from anxiety, stress, trauma, and PTSD, It’s great for weight loss and to stop smoking.

Kind and compassionate care. 25 years experience. Call 912-927-3432. Website: www. Savannahypnosis.com. Facebook: Alpha Institute. ongoing.

JEWELER’S GUIDED OPEN STUDIO Use our space to practice your skills and knock out your personal pieces. Tuition includes access to the studio with support from Christina or one of her assistants.

Students are responsible for their own materials. Prerequisite of Jewelry I or similar instruction from another studio. $30 Fridays, 6 p.m. 912-289-8337. christina@ dreamcatstudio.com. dreamcatstudio.com. dreamcat studio, Hover Creek RD. KWANZAA QUILT MAKING WORKSHOP PART 2 Free Sat., Dec. 28, 11 a.m. savannahafricanartmusuem.org/ volunteer. This is the second part of a two part workshop series. You must have participated in part one to attend part two. Attendees will add family photos, images and written expressions to their existing quilt or create a new quilt that best exhibits the spirit of Kwanzaa and any of the 7 Principles. Please bring your photos and written expressions (typed or hand written). All other supplies will be provided.

Multipurpose Room, Carriage House (2nd floor), Savannah African Art Museum, 201 East 37th Street, Savannah, GA 31401 (this location has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible) Free Sat., Dec. 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 912-721-7745. visit.saam@gmail. com. savannahafricanartmuseum.org/ kwanzaa-pt-2. savannahafricanartmusuem. org/volunteer. Savannah African Art Museum, 201 E. 37th Street.

MUSIC LESSONS AND CLASSES: ALL INSTRUMENTS, ALL AGES Portman’s Music Academy offers private lessons on piano, guitar (electric, acoustic, classical), mandolin, ukulele, banjo, bass guitar, drums, percussion, voice, clarinet, saxophone (alto and tenor), oboe, flute, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, DJ, Pro Logic, Composition, Ear Training, violin, viola, and cello. Group classes for beginner piano and guitar. Music Adventures for ages 5 to 7. ongoing. 912354-1500. portmansmusic.com. Portman’s Music Superstore, 7650 Abercorn St. NEW YEAR’S EVE YOGA CELEBRATION The new year represents a chance to reflect on the past and generate space for something new. Join Kate for a special evening of intentional practice. We will meditate on 2019 and identify the things for which we are grateful and the things we wish to leave behind. We will also mindfully create our intentions for something new in 2020. 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Spry Mat Yoga Practice 4:15 - 5:00 pm: Intention Setting 5:15 - 6:30 pm: Power Yoga Practice Participants are invited to attend either practice or both. $35 in advance | $40 day of Tue., Dec. 31, 3-6:30 p.m. 912-349-2756. programs@savannahpoweryoga.com. savannahpoweryoga.com/workshops.

savannahpoweryoga.com. Savannah Power Yoga, 7360 Skidaway Road Unit J-3.

POWER SELF DEFENSE Join us for fun and fitness in the heart of downtown Savannah. Fit912Savannah offers fun, safe, friendly classes in yoga, self defense, dance, and fitness, with more classes coming soon! Have a question, want to register? Contact us at nfo@ fit912savannah.com! Located in the lower level of the United Way Building, 428 Bull Street, Savannah, GA (Enter via the red doors on East Wayne Street) Tuesdays, Thursdays, 7 p.m. fit912savannah.com. fit912savannah. com. Fit912 Savannah, 428 Bull Street.

SURFING AND UKULELE LESSONS Surfing & Ukulele Lessons and surf camps. Tybee Surf Lessons, Tybee Island/ Savannah. Email or call Turner for more info 808-385-5364. TybeeSurfLessons.com. ongoing. Tybee Island, Tybee Island.

TAI CHI The tai chi classes are open to the first 25 participants 60 years of age or older.

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. 912-877-0056. Senior Citizens, Inc. Liberty County Neighborhood Center, 800 Tupelo Trail.

TODDLER TOUCH TANKS Explore the coast with your child in a unique setting perfect for inspiring wonder and curiosity! During Thursdays in December and January (exception: December 26, January 2 and January 16), marine educators at the UGA Aquarium will host toddler programs specifically designed with our youngest visitors in mind. Activities and topics covered will be different each week.

Programs will include a mix of games, art, stories and animal encounters that provide fun learning experiences about the ocean.

Activities are designed for children ages 2 to 5. $6 per person Thursdays, 9-10 a.m.

9125983345. kayla270@uga.edu. UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium, 30 Ocean Science Circle.

TURTLE TUESDAYS Meet a new turtle that’s native to the Georgia coast most Tuesdays in December and January (exception: December 24 and 31) at the UGA Aquarium! Turtle talks begin at 2 p.m. and include a feeding at the aquarium’s freshwater turtle pond as well as an opportunity to interact with one of the aquarium’s ambassador turtles. Registration is required. $6 per person Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m. 9125983345. kayla270@uga.edu. UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium, 30 Ocean Science Circle.

ZONA ROSA WRITING WORKSHOP Become the writer you were meant to be: Join Zona Rosa, the internationally acclaimed, monthly Savannah-based writing workshops founded and led by awardwinning author Rosemary Daniell. Over 180 Zona Rosans have become published authors. For information, contact Rosemary at info@myzonarosa.com. Also ask about the week-long, intensive Sixteenth Annual Zona Rosa Writing and Living Retreat,Tybee Island, July 22-29, 2017. ongoing. No physical address given, none.

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

ABENI CULTURAL ARTS DANCE CLASSES Classses for multiple ages in performance

dance and adult fitness dance. African, modern, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, gospel. Held at Abeni. For more info visit https://www.abeniculturalarts.com or call 912-272-2797. ongoing. abeniculturalarts@ gmail.com. abeniculturalarts.com.

BUCCANEER REGION SCCA Local chapter of the Sports Car Club of America, hosting monthly solo/autocross driving events in the Savannah area. Anyone with a safe car, insurance and a valid driver’s license is eligible to participate. See website. ongoing. buccaneerregion.org.

CHATHAM SAILING CLUB Friday evening social event at the clubhouse. Meet Members and their families who all enjoy water based activities but whose prime interest is sailing. This BYOB event is free and all are welcome, but Membership is encouraged after several visits once interest is gauged!! We look forward to meeting you. Fridays, 7-10 p.m. cdixon604@aol.com. Young’s Marina, 218 Wilmington Island Rd. COASTAL BEAD SOCIETY Our mission is to further the art of beading and bead education within our membership and our communities.

Visit website for more info regarding the next Bead-In Class or the next CBS Meeting! ongoing. coastalbeadsociety. com/coastalbeadsociety-com. cgc. georgiasouthern.edu/. Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Fahm Street.

FIBER GUILD OF THE SAVANNAHS A club focusing on weaving, spinning, basket making, knitting, crocheting, quilting, beading, rug hooking, and other fiber arts.

Meets at Oatland Island Wildlife Center (in the 2nd floor studio), first Saturday of the month (Sept.-June) 10:15am - 1pm.

Visit website for more updates! ongoing. fiberguildsav.com. Fiber Guild of the Savannahs, 711 Sandtown Road GA. HOSTESS CITY TOASTMASTERS CLUB Toastmasters International is an organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, seminars, and contests.

Regardless of your level of comfort with public speaking, you will find a club that is interested in helping you improve your speaking abilities. Free Tuesdays, 6:15-7:15 p.m. hostesscity.toastmastersclubs.org. bullstreetlabs.com. Bull Street Labs, 2222 Bull St. PHILO CAFE We are a free form informal discussion group meeting to discuss a different topic every Monday night at 7:30 upstairs at Foxy Loxy Cafe on Bull St. across the street from the Main Library. The public is welcome and there is no charge. Topics can be found ahead of time on our Facebook page. ongoing. 904-440-8475. foxyloxycafe.com.

Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St. PROOFREADER’S WHISKEY CLUB Membership includes the first whiskey drink free, free monthly private whiskey tastings from various brands, 15% off the member’s bill for the year, and a personalized book card including a list of 75 whiskeys in each chapter in the DeSoto library. Library series meetings will be the last Thursday of every month and include one free guest pass

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per member for the year. They will pick a book from the Edgar’s P&P library to hold their personalized book card which will be used to keep track of their progress on the whiskey list. $50 ongoing. eventbrite. com/e/proofreaders-whiskey-clubtickets-42943991635. proofsavannah.com.

Edgar’s Proof and Provision, 15 E. Liberty St. SAVANNAH HOME COOKERY CLUB This is a group for home cooks and bakers to expand, explore, and inspire our skills. Come join us in sharing our culinary adventures. This is a place where we can exchange resources, ideas, and our tastes for food adventure and bring it all home. Meets the second Saturday of every month from 1-3pm. Free ongoing.

SavHomeCookeryClub@gmail.com. friendshipcoffeecompany.com/index.html.

Friendship Coffee Company, 205 Johnny Mercer Blvd, Ste I. SAVANNAH SACRED HARP SINGERS Savannah Sacred Harp Singers welcome you to join our monthly community singing on the second Saturday of the month from 2-4pm at Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church.

Sacred Harp is an American tradition of singing hymns in four part harmony. No particular religious affiliation is required or endorsed. All are welcome. No experience necessary. ongoing. Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church, 10050 Ferguson Ave. SCAD DAILY TOURS SCAD offers tours in Savannah, Atlanta and Hong Kong for prospective students and their families. Tours are available daily,

excluding Sundays, in Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong. Tours allow prospective students an opportunity to view classrooms and administrative buildings, galleries, residence halls and dining facilities and see where our students live, learn and prepare for professional careers. Free MondaysSaturdays. scad.edu/admission/visit-scad/ daily-tours. scad.edu/. Savannah College of Art and Design, PO Box 2072.

STITCH AND BITCH Slow down and nurture your creative spirit in a constructive, casual atmosphere. Bring a project or enjoy one of our kits curated to focus on the dedicated process of craft: embroidery, knitting, needlework, or any of the fiber arts. All ages are welcome!

Cheeseboard + wine deals to be had.

Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. foxyloxycafe.com.

Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St. Patch Rd.

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

BY MATT JONES ©2019 Answers on page 46

“ALPHABET RUN” -THE QUICK PART OF THE SONG.

FITNESS

6:00 A.M. CLASSES STARTING IN OCTOBER 6:00 a.m. Yoga & Barre classes beginning in October at Savannah Yoga Barre. Karma Classes are only $8 drop-in! Tues/Thurs: All Levels Yoga Flow with Rob begins 10/8. Wednesdays: Barre with Terry begins 10/16. Get up early to workout before going to work! Savannah Yoga Barre, 2132 E. Victory Dr. $8 Tuesdays-Thursdays, 6-7 a.m. 912-200-4809. bebalanced@syb.life. savannahyogabarre.com. Savannah Yoga Barre, 2132 E Victory Drive.

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ACROSS

1 Tres ___ cake 7 Dangerous reptiles 11 Indicted Giuliani associate Parnas 14 Breathe out 15 Monument Valley state 16 Windows file extension 17 100% correct 18 It may be an acquired taste 20 Comment about a loud blockbuster after thinking it was a Chaplin movie?

22 “___ Tu” (1974 hit song) 23 Shoe bottom 24 “Nailed It!” host Nicole 26 Mountain suffix 27 Permit 29 “Beefy” Trogdor feature 31 Academic URL ender 32 Fake device 34 “Where did ___ leave off?”

36 Phrase you won’t hear from me or other solvers?

39 Winding 41 Den-izens?

42 Planned Airbnb event in 2020 43 Throw in 46 “A Dream Within a Dream” writer 47 “Charlie’s Angels” director, 2000 50 “That ___ funny” 52 Island with Pearl Harbor 54 Country singer McCann 55 Like the most lenient

newspaper ever?

59 Word before band or papers 60 2001 A.L. MVP Suzuki 61 Pint at a pub 62 Service rank 63 Home-___ (local athlete) 64 “That’s it” 65 Steering wheel adjunct 66 Finely decorated

DOWN

1 Apartment renter 2 Become invalid 3 Irascibility 4 Has no love for 5 Tesla CEO Musk 6 Airmailed 7 Pub quiz round format, maybe 8 “A Streetcar Named Desire” shout 9 Four-time Masters champion 10 It’s between the knee and the ankle 11 2020, for one 12 Goes beyond 13 “Oy ___!”

19 Summer cookout leftover 21 Aperture setting on a camera 25 9-to-5 grind 27 “Threepenny Opera” star Lotte 28 “Baudolino” author Umberto 30 Creator of Piglet and

Pooh 32 Driver’s license agcy.

33 “The King and I” star Brynner 35 “___ Miserables” 36 Hematite and pyrite 37 Close, as a jacket 38 Exhibit site 39 10% of MXX 40 High-end 44 Two-ended tile 45 De Niro’s wife in “Meet the Parents” 47 Smallest possible quantities 48 Bordeaux red wine 49 Aplenty 51 “American Chopper” network 53 Hulkamania figure 54 “Mean Girls” actress Lindsay 56 “Trouble’s in store” 57 “Mambo King” Puente 58 “Happy Birthday” writer 59 Indy 500 month

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

HAPPENINGS

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HAPPENINGS

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AERIAL YOGA CLASSES Increase flexibility and strength using aerial yoga, a relatively new approach to a traditional yoga practice. We use a silk fabric called a ‘hammock’ to support the weight of our bodies, helping us achieve various postures with more depth, ease and excitement. Every Saturday. Class size limited. Required to register online ahead of time. $25 Saturdays, 12:30-1:45 p.m.

954.682.5694. elyse.thestudio@yahoo.com. thestudiosav.net/schedule.html.

AFRO-CARIBBEAN DANCE Let the excitement begin as Mahogany takes you to the best staycation each and every Tuesday night to the Islands through movement and rhythm. This class will focus on the cultural movement of Afro-Caribbean dance. Get ready for hip winding and arms in the air as we explore our bodies’ rhythm through Caribbean and reggae music. $10 Tuesdays, 6:45-7:45 p.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. AIKIDO CLASSES Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba, ‘O Sensei’ or (‘Great Teacher’). On a purely physical level it is an art involving throws and joint locks that are derived from Jujitsu and Kenjutsu (open hand and weapon based techniques).

Beyond the self defense aspects of the art its true goal is to challenge its practitioners to discover their best selves. $50/month for JEA Members, $70/month for Non-

Members, or $80/8-class punch card Tuesdays, Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. 912-6040958, 912-346-2650. AikiNorm@aol.com, AikidoBilly@hotmail.com. CoastalAikido. com. savannahjea.org. Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St. BALLET BODY TONING Ballet Body Toning is a ballet inspired workout designed to improve balance, flexibility, and use body resistance to strengthen core, legs & booty. This workout is low impact and scorches major calories and teaches you basic ballet! Call to make a reservation before class. This is a semiprivate class so space is limited! $10.00 Wednesdays, Sundays, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

732.232.3349. FitnessFoodWine@gmail. com.

BALLROOM FIT Always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance? Don’t have a partner? Want to get in shape and have fun in the process? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this program is for you! Learn how to ballroom dance and get a great workout in the process. We use all styles of music that are modern or traditional. Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble, Foxtrot, Waltz, Hustle, and more! Check out our schedule for more details. 4 classes for $40, 10 classes for $80, UNLIMITED for $120 Sundays, 5-6 p.m., Mondays, 6-7 p.m., Tuesdays, 12:30-1 p.m., Wednesdays, 12:30-1 & 6-7 p.m. and Thursdays, 12:30-1 p.m. 612.470.6683. salondebaile.dance@ gmail.com. salondebailedancestudio.com.

Ch ristmas

OPEN XMAS DAY 5PM-2AM FREE XMAS BUFFET

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

New Years

44

New Years Eve Open 11am-2am

Free champagne toast at midnight Drink and dance specials all night

New Years Day Open 11am-2am

T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T L E G E N D A RY G E N T L E M E N ’ S C L U B !

12 NORTH LATHROP AVE. • 233.6930 • SAVANNAHSCORES.COM

Salon de Baile Dance & Fitness Studio, 301 US Hwy 80 SE. BEGINNING POLE FITNESS Pole fitness is a fun and flirty way to get in shape! Taught by Pole Dance America National Professional Champion Sabrina Madsen, you’ll learn the basics of pole dance in a safe and welcoming environment. Gain strength, balance and confidence. Beginner Classes are open to all shapes and sizes and are for ladies only (men welcome at our Intermediate Class). $25 for drop-in or $100 for a package of 5 classes Tuesdays, 8-9 p.m. 801.673.6737. info@firstcityfitness.com. firstcityfitness. com/pole-fitnessparties.html. First City Fitness, 2127 1/2 Victory Dr. CORE AND MORE WITH MADISON Mondays, 6 p.m. Fitness on Broughton, 1 E. Broughton St. EXERCISE CLASS Stretches, strengthening and general feel good moves. ongoing. 912-667-0487.

Functional Bodies, 821 E. 66th St. FIT4MOM SAVANNAH STROLLER STRIDES A group of moms that meet with strollers and workout at Savannah Mall, Daffin Park and on occasion Hull Park. Also offer HIIT Classes to other Moms who have any age children. The HIIT program is a kid free program. 1 hour long stroller based workout with kiddos. Moms- Pre and Post Natal, and kids of stroller age. Savannah Mall (M,W,F). Daffin Park (T,Th), Hull Park (Sat) ongoing. ashleyyoungblood@fit4mom.com. savannah.fit4mom.com. Daffin Park, 1198 Washington Ave. GET EXCITED AND MOVE This program is designed to combat the effects of Parkinson disease for Savannah/ Chatham-area people and their caregiver.

The activities are designed to enhance and improve muscular strength, and endurance, coordination, agility, flexibility, speed work, and voice command. Visit the website for more info. Mondays-Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. and TuesdaysThursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. 912-663-5833. getexcitedandmove.com. Anderson-Cohen Weightlifting Center, 7230 Varnedoe Drive.

HISTORICAL FENCING Learn and practice historical longsword fencing as depicted in 14th and 15th century fencing manuscripts. No experience or equipment necessary. We’ve got plenty of loaner gear for you to borrow. Just wear athletic clothing and close toed shoes. Men will need to wear a cup if they intend to participate in drills. Feel free to come sit in on class. $45 monthly for non-YMCA members $35 for YMCA members Mondays, Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. and Fridays, 6-8 p.m. ssg.sav@gmail.com. ssgsavannah.com. YMCA (Habersham Branch), 6400 Habersham St. INSANITY LIVE WITH SHAWN All classes are included in membership and day passes. Please contact gym for more information. Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. Fitness on Broughton, 1 E. Broughton St. ISRAELI KRAV MAGA SELF-DEFENSE CLASSES A system of self-defense techniques based on several martial arts. The official fighting system of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Class sessions and intensive workshops scheduled throughout the year and held at CustomFit Center. Visit savannahkravmaga on facebook for more info. 912-224-2085. ongoing. 912-224-2085. facebook.com/ savannahkravmaga. customfitcenter.com.

CustomFit Center, 101-A West Park Ave. JIU JITSU/MMA CLASSES Classes everyday. Free woman’s class every Wednesday at 5:30. Other classes 6:30 to 8:30 for everyone else Monday thru Thursday. Kid classes 4:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Thursday. Visit constantexpansion.net for more information. ongoing. Constant Expansion, 302 W. Victory Dr., unit B. LINE DANCE Line dance class teaches basic instructions, coordination, and dance combinations, to the rhythm of different styles of music. Line Dancing is exercise for the body & mind, and is a fun way to dance socially without a partner. Dancing styles covered in this class include Country Western, Swing, Salsa, Tango, Cha Cha, Waltz & more. $10 Wednesdays, 6-7:45 p.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. LUNCH CRUNCH WITH MADISON Mondays, Wednesdays, 11:15 a.m. Fitness on Broughton, 1 E. Broughton St. PILATES CLASS Skidaway Island United Methodist Church (SIUMC) offers, to church and non-church members alike, basic Mat Pilates classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:1510:15 a.m., for only $5.00-$6.25 per class, depending on the number of classes taken per month. Classes focus on improving core strength, posture, flexibility and muscle tone. Participants must be able to lie down and stand up from a floor mat.

Class instructor is Elena Bennett, a certified exercise instructor with 25 years of teaching experience. For more information, visit: www.siumc.org/nurture or call 912-5988460. ongoing. siumc.org/. Skidaway United Methodist Church, 54 Diamond Causeway.

POWER YOGA This is an hour of stretching your mind and body to become one, and a reset in the middle of the work week. Come experience the endless possibilities as you take yourself to the next level with Mahogany. $10 Wednesdays, 8-9 a.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. PRANA YOGA Prana Yoga is a practice that integrates breathing techniques and chakra sounds into the yoga. Come experience a deep sense of grounding, learn to be present, and develop your center, passion, strength, compassion, creativity, intuition, and light. $10 Mondays, 6:45-8 p.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. SHIMMY CHIC Shimmy Chic Fitness is an energetic, fun dance workout based on the ancient art of belly dance- with a modern twist.

The class provides calorie-burning and muscle-toning moves, along with increased flexibility, grace, and sense of self. No

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dance experience necessary. Shimmy Chic provides fun & repetitive routines suitable for all fitness levels. Please wear comfortable workout clothes and sneakers (you do not have to show your stomach).

Open to all ages and fitness levels. $10 Thursdays, 5:45-6:45 p.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. TRX CIRCUIT TRAINING WITH SHAWN All classes are included in membership and day passes. Please contact gym for more information. Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. Fitness on Broughton, 1 E. Broughton St.

TRX FUNCTIONAL TRAINING WITH SHAWN All classes are included in membership and day passes. Please contact gym for more information. Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. Fitness on Broughton, 1 E. Broughton St. VINYASA YOGA In this vinyasa yoga class you will experience dynamic movements while linking breath, building heat, and endurance.

This class is open to all levels. We will explore each pose with special attention to alignment. This class will be the perfect way to start your week and stay energized. $10 Mondays, 8-9 a.m. 912-233-1951.

wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. WEIGHTED WORKOUT A 45 minute, total body workout that includes a 5 minute warm-up and a 5 minute cool-down/stretch. We will use dumbbells and steps to perform compound functional movements to maximize workout time. $10 Tuesdays, 8-9 a.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. YOGA - $10 FLOW A dynamic flow class designed to

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Denmark during World War II. In 1943, Hitler ordered all Danish Jews to be arrested—a first step in his plan to send them to concentration camps. But the Danish resistance movement leapt into action and smuggled virtually all of them to safety via fishing boats bound for Sweden. As a result, 8,000+ Danish Jews survived the Holocaust. You may not have the opportunity to do anything quite as heroic in 2020, Aries. But I expect you will have chances to express a high order of practical idealism that could be among your noblest and most valiant efforts ever. Draw inspiration from the Danish resistance.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

When she was 31, Taurus writer Charlotte Brontë finished writing her novel *Jane Eyre*. She guessed it would have a better chance of getting published if its author was thought to be a man. So she adopted the masculine pen name of Currer Bell and sent the manuscript unsolicited to a London publisher. Less than eight weeks later, her new book was in print. It quickly became a commercial success. I propose that we make Brontë one of your role models for 2020, Taurus. May she inspire you to be audacious in expressing yourself and confident in seeking the help you need to reach your goals. May she embolden you, too, to use ingenious stratagems to support your righteous cause.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

2020 can and should be a lyrically healing year for you. Here’s what I mean: Beauty and grace will be curative. The “medicine” you need will come to you via poetic and mellifluous experiences.

With this in mind, I encourage you to seek out encounters with the following remedies. 1. Truth Whimsies 2. Curiosity Breakthroughs 3. Delight Gambles 4. Sacred Amusements 4. Redemptive Synchronicities 5. Surprise Ripenings 6.

Gleeful Discoveries 7. Epiphany Adventures 8. Enchantment Games 9. Elegance Eruptions 10. Intimacy Angels 11. Playful Salvation 12. Luminosity Spells

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

The Roman Emperor Vespasian (9–79 AD) supervised the restoration of the Temple of Peace, the Temple of Claudius, and the Theater of Marcellus. He also built a huge statue of Apollo and the amphitheater now known as the Colosseum, whose magnificent ruins are still a major tourist attraction. Vespasian also created a less majestic but quite practical wonder: Rome’s first public urinals. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you Leos to be stimulated by his example in 2020.

Be your usual magnificent self as you generate both inspiring beauty and earthy, pragmatic improvements.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

When Virgo author Mary Shelley was 18 years old, she had a disconcerting dreamlike vision about a mad chemist who created a weird human-like creature out of non-living matter. She set about to write a book based on her mirage. At age 20, she published *Frankenstein*, a novel that would ultimately wield a huge cultural influence and become a seminal work in the “science fiction” genre. I propose we make Shelley one of your role models for 2020. Why? Because I suspect that you, too, will have the power to transform a challenging event or influence into an important asset. You’ll be able to generate or attract a new source of energy by responding creatively to experiences that initially provoke anxiety.

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BY ROB BREZSNY

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer,” wrote author Zora Neale Hurston. According to my astrological analysis, Cancerian, 2020 is likely to be one of those years that asks questions, while 2021 will be a time when you’ll get rich and meaningful answers to the queries you’ll pose in 2020. To ensure that this plan works out for your maximum benefit, it’s essential that you formulate provocative questions in the coming months. At first, it’s fine if you generate too many. As the year progresses, you can whittle them down to the most ultimate and important questions. Get started!

strengthen your body and energize your day. All levels welcome -- from beginner to experienced yogi -- move through challenges to find your personal change. Practiced to light music. Mondays @ 6AM, Tuesdays @ 6PM, Thursdays @ 4:30PM, Fridays @ 9:30AM, Saturdays @ 9:45AM. $10.

TheHubSavannah.com, 4505 Habersham Street, 912.356.8280 $10 Tuesdays, 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Fridays, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Saturdays, 9:45-11 a.m. and Mondays, 6-7 a.m. 9123568280. info@ thehubsav.com. thehubsavannah.com. The HUB Savannah, 4505 Habersham St.

Libra-born mystic poet Rumi (1207–1273) wrote that he searched for holy sustenance and divine inspiration in temples, churches, and mosques—but couldn’t find them there. The good news? Because of his disappointment, he was motivated to go on an inner quest—and ultimately found holy sustenance and divine inspiration in his own heart. I’ve got a strong feeling that you’ll have similar experiences in 2020, Libra. Not on every occasion, but much of the time, you will discover the treasure you need and long for not in the outside world but rather in your own depths.

Among his many accomplishments, Scorpio rapper Drake is an inventive rhymer.

In his song “Diplomatic Immunity,” he rhymes “sacred temple” with “stencil.”

Brilliant! Other rhymes: “statistics” with “ballistics”; “Treaty of Versailles” with “no cease and desist in I”; and—my favorite— ”Al Jazeera” (the Qatar-based news source) with “Shakira” (the Colombian singer). According to my analysis of the astrological omens in 2020, many of you Scorpios will have Drake-style skill at mixing and blending seemingly disparate elements. I bet you’ll also be good at connecting influences that belong together but have never been able to combine before.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sagittarian poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) embodied a trait that many astrology textbooks suggest is common to the Sagittarian tribe: wanderlust. He was born in Prague but traveled widely throughout Europe and Russia. If there were a Guinness World Records’ category for “Time Spent as a Houseguest,” Rilke might hold it. There was a four-year period when he lived at fifty different addresses. I’m going to be bold here and hypothesize that 2020 will NOT be one of those years when you would benefit from being like Rilke. In fact, I hope you’ll seek out more stability and security than usual.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Fifteenth-century Italian metalworker Lorenzo Ghiberti worked for 28 years to turn the Doors of the Florence Baptistry into a massive work of art. He used bronze to create numerous scenes from the Bible.

His fellow artist Michelangelo was so impressed that he said Ghiberti’s doors could have served as “The Gates of Paradise.” I offer Ghiberti as inspiration for your life in 2020, Capricorn. I think you’ll be capable of beginning a masterwork that could take quite some time to complete and serve as your very own “gate to paradise”: in other words, an engaging project and delightful accomplishment that will make you feel your life is eminently meaningful and worthwhile.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You’re wise to cultivate a degree of skepticism and even contrariness. Like all of us, your abilities to say NO to detrimental influences and to criticize bad things are key to your mental health. On the other hand, it’s a smart idea to keep checking yourself for irrelevant, gratuitous skepticism and contrariness. You have a sacred duty to maintain just the amount you need, but no more—even as you foster a vigorous reservoir of receptivity, optimism, and generosity. And guess what? 2020 will be an excellent time to make this one of your cornerstone habits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) finished writing *The Divine Comedy* in 1320.

Today it’s considered one of the supreme literary accomplishments in the Italian language and a classic of world literature.

But no one ever read the entire work in the English language until 1802, when it was translated for the first time. Let’s invoke this as a metaphor for your life in the coming months, Pisces. According to my visions, a resource or influence that has previously been inaccessible to you will finally arrive in a form you can understand and use. Some wisdom that has been untranslatable or unreadable will at last be available.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

HAPPENINGS

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HAPPENINGS

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YOGA FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS Free for cancer patients and survivors. The classes help with flexibility and balance while also providing relaxation. Located at FitnessOne, on the third floor of the Memorial Outpatient and Wellness Center.

Tuesdays, 5:45 p.m. and Thursdays, 12:20 p.m. 912-350-4030. memorialhealth.com/.

Memorial Health University Medical Center, 4700 Waters Ave. YOGA, BARRE, PILATES MAT CLASSES Join our experienced and knowledgeable teachers for a variety of classes at Savannah Yoga Barre. No matter what your fitness/wellness goals or level, we have something for you. Open 7 days a week.

New to the studio? 3 Weeks Unlimited class pass $30. Membership options to suit your schedule and budget. We want to welcome you to our studio family and help you on your way to living comfortably in your own skin. Visit our website for full class schedule or call for more info. $$ ongoing.

9122004809. info@SavannahYogaBarre. com. SavannahYogaBarre.com. Savannah Yoga Barre, 2132 E Victory Drive.

YOGA, PILATES, AND SPIN Flow, Yin Yasa, Sculpt, Pilates, Spin, and the only studio in Savannah with the original Hot Yoga. Introductory Special: $49 for 30 days of unlimited classes. Visit thehubsav.com to see our awesome lineup of teachers and classes. $49 ongoing. 912.356.8280. info@ thehubsav.com. thehubsavannah.com. The HUB Savannah, 4505 Habersham St. YOGA@THELIBRARY The All Levels class meets from 10:30-11:30 and the Chair Yoga class meets from 12:001:00. Tuesdays. Southwest Chatham Library, 14097 Abercorn St. ZUMBA Zumba Fitness is a dance fitness class for everybody and every body! With easy to follow moves, Zumba focuses on a wide variety of Latin and International rhythms.

This hour long class is guaranteed to make you sweat. It’s not a workout, it’s a party. $10 Tuesdays, 5:45-6:45 p.m. 912-233-1951. wbsymcagardener@westbroadstreetymca. org. westbroadstreetymca.org. YMCA-West Broad St, 1110 May St. ZUMBA FITNESS Isn’t lifting weights and running on the treadmill boring? Come join Sheena’s Zumba Fitness class and have fun while burning calories! The class regularly has

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

46

75+ participants that know that Sheena is the best Zumba instructor in Savannah!

So show up early and see you soon!

Free with YMCA membership Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. 912-354-6223. facebook. com/ZumbaFitnesswithSheena/. YMCA (Habersham Branch), 6400 Habersham St. ZUMBA FITNESS (R) WITH APRIL Mondays at 5:30pm, Thursdays at 6:30pm.

Nonstop Fitness in Sandfly, 8511 Ferguson Ave. $5 for nonmenbers. call for info. ongoing. 912-349-4902.

FOOD & DRINK EVENTS

CHILI COOK OFF It’s chili time again and we’re extending an invitation to our 3rd Annual Coastal Empire Chili Cookoff! So if you think you’ve got the best chili in the south, come by and show us what you’ve got! Dec. 28, 3 p.m. Coastal Empire Beer Co., 79 Ross Rd. NEW YEAR’S EVE SOIRÉE Free Dec. 31, 9 p.m. Perry Lane Hotel, 256 E. Perry St. NEW YEAR’S EVE SOIRÉE AT PEREGRIN Ring in the New Year in style at an exclusive rooftop soiree at Peregrin. Sip champagne as you arrive and pose for a photo by our professional photographer. The roof will be transformed into an elegant scene with bubbles, bites and plenty of enticing treats as you bourgeon into 2020. Dance the night away to the musical stylings of Savannah favorite, SOAP (7-piece band) and enjoy an array of complimentary party favors and vintage props. Ticket includes open bar and all of the New Year’s festivities. $150 Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.. 912-559-8400. info@ perrylanehotel.com. Peregrin, 256 E Perry Lane.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER AT LILI’S RESTAURANT AND BAR Featuring complimentary champagne, specialty cocktails, baked oysters, beef tenderloin and crispy scored flounder. Call 912-235-2236 to make a reservation. Dec. 31, 5 p.m.. Lilisrestaurantandbar.com. Lili’s Restaurant Bar, 326 Johnny Mercer Blvd.

NEW YEAR’S EVE OYSTER ROAST $25 per person, plus tax. All-you-can-shuckand-eat local Bluffton cluster oysters Dec. 31, 6 p.m.. thecrabshack.com/. The Crab Shack, 40 Estill Hammock Rd.

Ongoing

$10 PITCHER THURSDAYS It’s Thursday. You’ve almost made it to the weekend, but you need a beer. Swing by with your friends for $10 pitcher night! business. facebook.com/events/771292539893213/.

Southbound Brewing Company, 107 East Lathrop Ave. 201 OYSTER MONDAY Each and every Monday til we run out of oysters. Enjoy Fresh Oysters for $1 (each) along with $5 Champagne, Blue Point Toasted Lager beer or our Ice-cold draft Beers. This will be the “Shucker’s Choice” with steamed and raw options.

201savannah.com. 201 Seafood Restaurant and Tapas Lounge, 201 James B. Blackburn Drive.

BETHESDA FARM AND GARDENS STAND Featuring in season, organic (not certified) veggies, herbs and flowers. All proceeds go directly to funding tuition expenses for Bethesda Academy students. For specialty

orders, contact Merrin at merrin.slocombe@ bethesdaacademy.org. merrin.slocombe@ bethesdaacademy.org. bethesdaacademy. org. Bethesda Academy, 9250 Ferguson Ave. CHILI COOK OFF It’s chili time again and we’re extending an invitation to our 3rd Annual Coastal Empire Chili Cookoff! So if you think you’ve got the best chili in the south, come by and show us what you’ve got! Coastal Empire Beer Co., 79 Ross Rd. FARM TRUCK 912 The Farm Truck 912 is a mobile market program of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market that aims to improve healthy food access by bringing locally produced fruits and vegetables into Savannah’s neighborhoods.

Check the website for more info, including the location where the truck would be found in different days of the week. forsythfarmersmarket.com/farmtruck912/.

W.W. Law Gym, 909 E. Bolton St. FORSYTH FARMERS MARKET Local and regional produce, honey, meat, dairy, pasta, baked goods and other delights.

Rain or shine. Free to attend. Items for sale.

912-484-0279. forsythfarmersmarket.com.

Forsyth Park, Drayton St. & East Park Ave. PRESS PLAY BOOMBOX BRUNCH Brunch is served from 11 am – 3 pm. Jason B. James Live vinyl DJ spinning classic soul, R&B, indie, rock, pop, and everything in between begins at noon. foxyloxycafe.com.

Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St. SUNDAY SUPPER CLUB ecome part of a Savannah tradition. Join us at our festive community table with new friends and old to share in a night of food, libations and southern hospitality.

Each Sunday you will experience unique thoughtfully created dishes paired with meticulously selected wines to complement each delicious course. $55 for four-course meal and wine pairings paccisavannah.com.

Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar, 601 E Bay St. TYBEE ISLAND FARMERS 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 on beautiful Tybee Island, GA at 30 Meddin Drive.

We are right behind the Historic Tybee Lighthouse. Visit the website for more info. tybeeislandfarmersmarket.com. 30 Meddin Drive, 30 Meddin Drive.

WEEKLY CASK & FOOD PAIRING Each Wednesday, we create a special cask and pair it with a complimentary dish. Follow us on Facebook for more information! moonriverbrewing.com/. Moon River Brewing Co., 21 West Bay St.

LITERARY EVENTS

FAULKNER AND MORRISON BOOK CLUB Join our book club discussing the works of Toni Morrison and William Faulkner!

We’re starting in September with Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and continuing monthly on Thursday evenings; future titles include Morrison’s “Sula,” Faulkner’s “Sanctuary” and “As I Lay Dying,” and others. Each month’s info will be placed on the E. Shaver website, and the bookstore is offering a 20% discount

on book club books. All are welcome! free fourth Thursday of every month, 6-7 p.m.

920-629-1219. samuel.lwe@gmail.com. eshaver.com/event. eshaverbooks.com/. E Shaver Booksellers, 326 Bull St. LET’S ROAM SAVANNAH SCAVENGER HUNT Searching for an exciting outdoor activity in Savannah? The hunt is over! Download the Let’s Roam scavenger hunt app and start exploring today! Tourist, local, or new to town, this is a lively small group activity that anyone can enjoy. Lace up your walking shoes and get ready to experience Savannah like you never have before. Snap pics, race against the clock, and put your navigation skills to the test as you roam through Savannah discovering different destinations along the way, Historic Savannah Adventure has it all! Through Dec. 31, 2020, 1 a.m.-11:45 p.m. 833-2027626. support@letsroam.com. letsroam. com/scavenger_hunt/historic_savannah_ scavenger_hunt?utm_source=partner&utm_ medium=mwrtvxmr. LetsRoam!, 10 East Oglethorpe Avenue.

NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

DOLPHIN PROJECT Dolphin Project’s Education Outreach Program is available to speak at schools, clubs, organizations. A powerpoint presentation with sound and video about estuarine dolphins and their environment.

Age/grade appropriate programs and handouts. See website for info. ongoing. thedolphinproject.org.

JEKYLL ISLAND RANGER WALKS Jekyll Island is home to more than a thousand acres of maritime forest, 10 miles of shoreline, and marshes filled with many wonders. Learn more about the island’s natural resources from Jekyll’s own park ranger during these unique eco-experiences.

Ranger Walk programming is updated seasonally, so please visit frequently to learn more about the latest offering. Reservations are required and must be made 30 minutes prior to the tour start. $8.35 Saturdays, Sundays, 10-11 a.m. & 3-4 p.m.

912.635.3636. remerson@jekyllisland.com. jekyllisland.com/activities/ranger-walks/.

The Old Infirmary, 101 Old Plantation Road.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE A two-mile Native Animal Nature Trail winds through maritime forest, freshwater wetland, salt marsh habitats, featuring live native animal exhibits. Open daily, 10am-4pm except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.

Call or see website for info. ongoing. 912395-1500. oatlandisland.org. oatlandisland. org/. Oatland Island Wildlife Center, 711 Sandtown Rd. WILD NIGHT ON OSSABAW: NEW YEAR’S EVE OVERNIGHT TRIP Free Tue., Dec. 31, 1 p.m. Ossabaw Island, 1 Cane Patch Rd. WILDERNESS SOUTHEAST A variety of programs each month including guided trips with naturalists. Canoe trips, hikes. Mission: develop appreciation, understanding, stewardship, and enjoyment of the natural world. Call or see website for info. ongoing. 912-236-8115. wildernesssoutheast.org.

EXCHANGE

For Your Information

320 WEST

BROUGHTON STREET LOSING OUR LEASE

SHIRT PRESSER NEEDED ROOMS-FOR-RENT. Apply in person Ages-40-up. $150/weekly. No Campbell’s Cleaners, 8422 deposit. Furnished. All utilities Waters Avenue, 912-355-6266 included. On Busline- 912-8445995

Real Estate For Rent

1/2 PRICE SALE

Happy Ads 61-year-old Military Veteran looking for a good/decent woman 50-55. German/French Canadien/Hispanic/Latino descent. Doesn’t smoke/drink/ take drugs & takes care of herself.

Royalty Condo Loves too cook. Likes sports/ Southbridge movies/traveling Keeps up with Gated Community current events. Lives in Savannah Columns/ or in/near Georgetown. Please 4BR/Office/Grecian Jacuzzi, 2 Garages. Screened call 912-604-5996. Let’s Talk! porch, Lagoon, deluxe Kitchen.

Deposit $1100. Rent $2100. Call: 912-661-4814.

Items for Sale

Room for Rent EFFICIENCY APARTMENT on E. 38th St. Very Private. Ideal for mature/senior person. $180 Per Week. Linda 912-690-9097/Jack Jack 912-342-3840.

EFFICIENCY APARTMENTS. Clean and safe.

Quinta 912-650-9358 Linda 912-690-909 Jack 912-342-3840

John Deere LARGE PRIVATE SUITE 72030 Premium ON SOUTHSIDE 3400 hours, excellent condition, $56,500.00 912- Sitting/kitchen area. Furnished.

PRIVATE BATH and ENTRANCE. 682-4213 Water/Electric Included. $700

Jobs

MONTH/$300 DEPOSIT Call (912)-777-7530

ROOM FOR RENT IN ROOMING HOUSE Private w/Private Bath.

Help Wanted Ideal for mature/senior person.

Experienced Residential Quinta 912-650-9358, Linda 912ELECTRICIAN and HELPER 690-9097 needed. Must have VALID driver’s license. AMERICAN ELECTRIC 912-604-9649

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ROOMS FOR RENT: Westside Savannah: 38th/42nd Street.

Adult Living. Furnished, all utilities included. Washer/Dryer on premises, cable TV, WiFi/ Internet. $150/weekly. $100/ deposit. Requirements: Pay stubs/ ID. Call-912-677-0271

Looking to plan to fill your week with fun stuff? Then read Week At A Glance to find out about the most interesting events occurring in Savannah.

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Week at a Glance

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 25 - 31, 2019

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