May/June 2009

Q and A

ADVERTORIAL

With

Jan Spender spoke recently with Mare Baracco, 3M Safety Products Specialist

3M

JS: We’ve heard that 3M has a product for severe weather, hurricane protection and anti-theft that’s now available to residents and businesses in Glynn County, even for new construction! What can you tell us about it?

MB: The 3M Impact Protection System for Glass is a virtually invisible safety system, applied to the interior of the glass and bonded to the frame of each window. Once applied, this system provides passive, year round protection, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for greater “peace of mind”.

JS: How strong is this system?

MB: It’s been tested to withstand up to 140 mph wind loads, provided of course, the structure is compatible. Naturally, one wouldn’t anticipate that result on a historic building, for example, that wasn’t built to current standards. It can be used in lieu of impact glass, shutters or plywood on new construction in Glynn County, provided that the remainder of the structure is code compliant.

JS: What type of property would this system best be suited for?

MB: Virtually any structure, whether it be commercial, residential, new or existing will benefit from this passive, invisible safety system. It is extremely durable and may be cleaned with almost anything, including commercial strength ammonia and Windex.

JS: What happens if a door or window is shattered by wind, debris or crime?

MB: This 3M System is designed to hold shattered glass together, in place, in the frame, much like the windshield of your car, for example. Nothing can prevent glass from breaking; however, upon impact, this system is designed to reduce the risk of openings in glass and the window separating from the frame, to help prevent wind, water and debris from entering the structure. Also, it deters street crime by protecting against forced entry.

JS: Does this system have solar reducing properties as well?

MB: Yes, there are solar controlling versions of this system available as well, to make the structure more energy efficient, more comfortable and, reduce the harmful effects of damaging UV rays and severe glare. In fact, these products are eligible for federal energy saving tax credits. 3M is very committed to Green initiatives!

JS: How can customers get more information on these amazing safety products?

MB: They may call me directly at 843-3211101 or the local 3M Coastal Window Worx offices at 800-952-2725. We’d be delighted to help!

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May/June 2009

48

Foto Italiane

Photos by Benjamin Galland

Features

32

Raising SPIRITS Bars and restaurants take the guilt out of going out

36 travel agents vs. the Internet Why the old-fashioned way is still best

42 Hopeful Notes A requiem for grief

60

The Idiat And the Odd-yssey A journey through International Georgia

70

TRavelers Rest Visitors who never left

74

The sad boys Recollections of a high school frat boy 2 Goldenislesmagazine.com

OntheCover Photographed by Benjamin Galland A mysterious glamour girl awaits her flight at McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport.

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78

business

The upside of downtown

Departments 8

Editor’s NotE

10

PAR FOR THE COURSE

by Thomas D. Brinson

12

From the heart

by Ami Presley

14

family Thoughts on parenting

18

inside An authentic beach cottage

22

Outside Taking in the outdoors in Alpharetta

26

food Chef Joe’s Savannah cooking school is a lesson in history

83

Money Finding good deals in a bad economy

86

away The wonderful world of the Vegas Strip

90

bullbat time The spirit of our founding fathers

92

the best of coastal illustrated

94

calendar of events

96

parting shot 4 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Don’t

Let Your Wealth Sail Away

GoldenIsles magazine

Celebrating the enchanting beauty, charming personalities, sophisticated lifestyles and rich history of the Georgia coast.

Contact us: 247 Edwards Plaza St. Simons Island, GA 31522 (912) 634-8466 Publisher C.H. Leavy IV Editor Amy H. Carter Design/Art Director Bob Swinehart Design Assistant Stacey Willis

AMERICAN RECOVERY & REINVESTMENT TAX ACT OF 2009

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the massive Stimulus Bill. The total $800 billion dollar act contains nearly $300 billion dollars in tax relief. Some of the major provisions of the 2009 Act cover areas such as: • Making Work Pay Tax Credit • Economic Recovery Payment • Increased First-Time Homebuyer Credit, which does not have to be repaid • AMT Exemption Increase • Deduction for Sales Taxes on automobile purchases • Expansion of the Child Tax Credit • American Opportunity Tax Credit (replaces the HOPE credit) • Exclusion of ďŹ rst $2,400 of unemployment beneďŹ ts received in 2009 • Extension of Bonus depreciation • Extension of Section 170 expensing for certain business capital assets, such as equipment • Increased carryback period for business losses from 2 to 5 years • Work Opportunity Credit • Many Energy Tax Incentives The 2009 Act is one of many bills that have been passed by Congress to stimulate the economy. Many of the laws and rules are very complicated, have income thresholds and most are temporary. In these troubled economic times it is very important for you to seek professional advice. It is important for you to review your tax and ďŹ nancial condition immediately and determine how these Stimulus provisions will affect you. These laws present important planning opportunities. The professionals at Moore Stephens Tiller are ready to be of service to you. Please contact us – we can help.

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6 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Contributing Photographers Tracy Adams Alexandra Brinson Tim Brown Debbie Curran Benjamin Galland Harlan Hambright Nancy J. Reynolds Brooke Roberts Bob Swinehart Advertising Director Heath Slapikas Retail Sales Manager Burt Bray Advertising Representative Megan Edens Circulation Director Frank Lane Golden Isles Magazine is published six times per year by The Brunswick News Publishing Co. Postmaster: Send change of address to The Brunswick News Publishing Co., P.O. Box 1557, Brunswick, GA 31521-1557. Periodicals postage paid at Brunswick, Ga. USPS-068180.

Submissions: Golden Isles Magazine is always in search of talented contributors. Unsolicited queries and submissions of art and stories are welcome. Please include an email address and telephone number.

Submit by email to the Editor, Amy Carter, at acarter@goldenislesmagazine.com or by regular mail to Golden Isles Magazine, 247 Edwards Plaza, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Only work accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned.

Advertising: Information regarding advertising and rates is available by contacting Megan Edens by phone at (912) 634-8466 or by email at medens@goldenislesmagazine.com.

Contributors

Altman

Thomas D. Brinson, PGA, is the head golf professional at Brunswick Country Club. He brings more than 12 years of experience to the Golden Isles from some of the South’s top clubs, including Charlotte Country Club, Atlanta Athletic Club and Atlanta National Golf Club.

A graduate of Florida State University, he is only the 26th PGA Professional to obtain all six certifications from the PGA’s Certified Professional Program. Thomas resides on St. Simons Island with his wife, Alexandra, and their retriever, Bogey.

Brinson

Ray Crook is a professional archaeologist living with his family on St. Simons Island. He has conducted research along the Georgia coast for more than 35 years and previously taught at Georgia State University and at the University of West Georgia, where he also served as Director of the Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory. Now Professor Emeritus at UWG, Dr. Crook continues to write, watch the ebb and flow of the tide, and undertake occasional archaeological projects.

Crook

Bob Dart recently retired as a national correspondent in the Washington Bureau of Cox Newspapers, the chain that includes the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He has moved home to Glynn County where he grew up and where his greatgreat-great grandfather, Cyrus Dart, arrived shortly after fighting in the Revolutionary War. His book, a collection of his stories about the South entitled “Downhome: Dispatches From Dixie,” is available at Hattie’s Bookstore in Brunswick.

Dart

Jan L. Harper, a retired public relations professional, has lived on St. Simons since 1979. She has a bachelor of arts degree from LaGrange College, where she double majored in music (organ) and English literature, and a master of arts in journalism from The University of Georgia. For fun, she reads, bikes, plays bridge, and travels far and near. She also enjoys playing for weddings throughout the Golden Isles (sometimes piano and organ duets with her husband John).

Harper

J.M. Lacey is a professional freelance writer, and writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

She has worked as a journalist and reporter for a weekly newspaper.

She has written feature articles that focused on human interest, social and educational developments.

She has over 14 years of experience working in business and has a background in marketing and public relations. J.M. Lacey resides in Brunswick and is currently working on a novel.

Lacey

Photo by JESSIE LACEY

Julie Custer Altman grew up in southwest Georgia amid farmlands, tall tales and pecan groves.

After graduating from Agnes Scott College and backpacking through Europe, her wanderlust took her to Colombia, Mexico, and finally to that mecca for youth – Atlanta.

Having fulfilled her need for competitive racing on I-285 and Spaghetti Junction, she was drawn to Coastal Georgia and the Golden Isles. Here, she met her husband, local boy Stuart Altman. They live in the Golden Isles with their two children, two cats, an African water frog and a bearded dragon lizard.

Mike Morrison has been a reporter and freelance writer in and around the Golden Isles for 25 years. Over the years his pieces have appeared in The Brunswick News, The Georgia Times-Union, The Islander, and Golden Isles Magazine. A winner of more than 65 writing awards from state journalism organizations, he spends his free time contemplating re-hiking the Appalachian Trail or taking another extended backpacking trip around Europe.

CUNNINGHAM JEWELERS Classic Mother’s Day

Traditional Graduation

Morrison

Mary Helen Moses, a native of Atlanta, returned to Georgia 10 years ago after a legal career, as a law professor and practicing lawyer, that took her to North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Albany, New York. Mary Helen now has a solo practice in Redfern Village on St. Simons Island.

She lives on Sea Island with her son, Andrew Ruberti, a student at the University of Alabama.

Everything for the Bride

Moses

Ami Presley is a Toledo, Ohio, native who recently found herself transplanted in Coastal Georgia. She and her husband, Mike, have settled in Brunswick, where he had lived for many years previous.

She spends her days teaching preschool, and her evenings writing, reading and all kinds of other creative things. In her free time, she is also the mother of six children – three by birth and three by choice.

Presley

Bridal Registry, Fine China & More

Kathi Williams is currently the Assistant Editor of Coastal Illustrated. She moved to Coastal Georgia in 2006 by way of New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Massachusetts and immediately fell in love with the beauty and special community of St. Simons Island.

Kathi is pleased to call the island her home now, and you can often find roaming the Village with pen and camera in hand and son, Declan, in tow.

Williams

Golden Isles Premier Jeweler Since 1916 1510 Newcastle Street, Brunswick, Georgia (912) 265-8652 May/June 2009 7

Editor'sNote

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Discover.” - Mark Twain It was in the spirit of adventure that I once traded my newspaper career for the friendly skies. I got to fly! I don’t remember how or when I came across a photograph of a Flying Clipper, but I do remember wishing I could join the happy jetsetters on board, dressed to the nines and flying off to some exotic place or another where we could land on runways and waterways with equal ease. I have always struggled with the belief that the grass is always greener wherever I’m not.

I was cured of my desire to fly, however, after spending four years doing a lot of it. Had my most frequent destination not been Flint, Mich., via the Detroit airport, I might feel differently about flying today, but as it is I hope to never set foot aboard a commercial aircraft again.

So now I’m happily grounded and swimming in ink, which I think is my rightful place in the universe. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying the occasional trip (by car), or other people’s travel tales. And that’s what this issue of Golden Isles Magazine is all about.

It may seem a bit indecent of us – given the current economic climate – to dedicate an entire magazine to something so seemingly frivolous as travel. Even our cover girl, at first glance, appears to be the embodiment of the heartless capitalist, a material girl perched in pearls atop her packed bags, pining for destinations unknown, oblivious to the economic turmoil around her. She is, however, a studied homage to Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” fame. As you may or may not remember, Holly was not what she seemed. In fact, because the wholesome gamine Audrey was portraying her, she wasn’t even as rough around the edges as Truman Capote wrote her in the novella that loosely inspired the movie.

But one intelligent enough to read between the lines (or see between the frames, if you will) would understand that Holly was living off her beauty and feminine wiles. Penniless, she nonetheless maintained an appearance of prosperity, earning what little she had through her relations with wealthy men. On many levels, this cover is a metaphor for our times. We lived large off the beauty of the land and the illusion of wealth created by paper profits. We all go a little more lightly these days, no?

After so many hard lessons, though, it’s still important that we go. Whether near or far, we all need to get away. In celebration of the great American summer vacation in whatever form it takes for you this year, I’m happy to welcome you aboard our Travel Issue.

We’ll be flying to Italy, Las Vegas and even Cuba (Georgia) absolutely free. (Sorry there is no stewardess aboard but we have included recipes for some truly tasty dishes in addition to a tasteful primer on Madeira wine.) I do hope you find this issue to be an escape worthy of your time and, as always, thank you for flying with us!

8 Goldenislesmagazine.com

P.S. “Us” now includes another grounded traveler, Megan Edens, our new account executive for Golden Isles Magazine.

Megan is a native of Athens and a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. A frequent visitor to St. Simons Island while growing up, Megan says she’s very excited to call the Golden Isles home after living in Charlotte, N.C., and traveling exhaustively for the last two years.

A postscript to the postscript: Several people were very helpful in the production of our cover image, so I must extend grateful thanks to: Lindsey Mason, our lovely model; Renn Gruber for suggesting the 1944 Beechcraft Staggerwing that shares her spotlight; King Sims for letting us “borrow” the plane; and J.T. and the guys from Palmetto Aviation Repair for rolling it out of the hangar and back and forth on the apron until we got our shot.

Amy H. Carter Editor

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May/June 2009 9

Par for the Course Today’s Tip ... THE BUMP-N-RUN

by Thomas D. Brinson, PGA

Head Golf Professional Brunswick Country Club

Imagine

this:

You are playing the round of your life. You hit every fairway and every green to this point in your round. On the 16th hole, a lengthy par 4, you miss the green, short and right.

What do you do? Without hesitation, most players would pull out the 60 degree lob wedge, open the face, take a full swing as if they had a driver in their hands, and hope that they do not hit the shot thin and send the ball racing across the green.

Without question, the Phil Mickelson style flop shot is more fun to hit than a boring ole’ bump-n-run shot. You need to ask yourself, though, would you rather hit the flop shot and hope that it works out? Or play the odds and hit a bump and run shot that you know will get you close to the flag, allowing you to continue the round of your life?

If you think outside the box a little,

10 Goldenislesmagazine.com

you will start to see that an 8-iron is good for more than just being 150 yards from the green, a pitching wedge is useful for more than just 125 yards, and so on.

When hitting a simple bump-n-run shot, remember these few thoughts: Set up for the shot just as you would a normal putt with three adjustments. (1) Open your stance slightly; (2) Shift your weight so that 60 percent is on your left foot (for a right-handed player) and, finally; (3) Grip your club toward the bottom of the grip with your hands pressed forward as pictured.

When I teach junior camps, I will tell the kids that their arms and the club shaft make a lower-case “y” because of the forward press. From this set-up position, you will simply make your putting stroke, maintaining the “y” throughout the swing.

Your bump and run shot should not require more than a short swing and the

ball should not get higher than a foot off the ground. You can plan on the ball flying one-third of the way in the air and rolling the other two-thirds of the way to the hole.

Practice this shot and work it into your normal thought process around the greens. Once you are comfortable with this shot, you will not have to hope anymore that the shot will work out. You will know that you can get it up and down and continue the round of your life.

Email questions or suggestions for future columns to thomasbrinson@brunswickcountryclub.com

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Wonder Woman

Mom, the Superhero

by Ami Presley

W

When I was a young girl, I idolized Wonder Woman. She was always calm and in control. She had the perfect figure, a cool costume, and the best weapons. Any time an evil-doer stirred up trouble, you could count on Wonder Woman to show up and foil his plans. She could beat up a whole band of bad guys and block bullets with her wristbands, all without messing up her hair. She was incredible.

Week after week I sat, mesmerized, in front of the television. I wanted to be just like her. My Mom, of course, thought I was crazy.

She’d stand behind me with her arms crossed and scoff, “I’m better than her any day.” At the time, this was the funniest thing I had ever heard.

Now that I’m older, and a mom myself, I see things a little differently. I think my mom was on to something. She is better. Not her specifically, but all moms in general. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s take a look at the facts.

Starting with clothes, Wonder Woman is already at a disadvantage. Although her outfit is sexy, a swimsuit and high heeled boots aren’t very practical in everyday situations. Mom, on the other hand, has an outfit for every possible occasion – swimwear, business wear, evening wear, workout clothes, yard work clothes, “Sunday” clothes; not to mention the sections of the closet dedicated to “fat” and “skinny” clothes. And every category has something for every season of the year. In the interest of time, I won’t even touch the shoe collection.

12 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Another disadvantage to being Wonder Woman is that she isn’t always Wonder Woman. Whenever she needs to use her super powers, she has to go through this long, involved transformation process.

Once you become a mom, however, you are always a mom – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of your life. Even when your kids have grown up and moved away, you’re instantly a babbling idiot around any baby, and turn around every time you hear a voice call out, “Mommy!”

When it comes to weapons, I found that both women come out pretty even.

Mom may not be quite as high-tech, but she holds her own. For example, Wonder Woman has a jet, mom has the family car.

The car may not be invisible, but it can get you and a handful of friends to the movies or a game without needing clearance from the tower. Wonder Woman has those bulletstopping bracelets. Mom has those magic kisses that stop pain instantly. Wonder Woman may have that truth-telling lasso, but Mom has “The Look.” You know what look I’m talking about; every mom has one.

It’s that burning glare that goes straight to your soul. Even politicians go to their knees – no additional equipment required.

Moms also have some special abilities that surpass Wonder Woman’s powers. Moms have the amazing ability to spontaneously produce Kleenex from any pocket, at any given moment. They can also get anything off your face with one of those tissues and a dab of her spit. Even Mr. Clean bows down in awe. Moms can also clean up virtually anything without getting sick. Baby’s got a crusty nose? Mom will clean it up. Puppy’s not housebroken? Mom will clean it up. I will never forget the time

my little sister got car sick and, for lack of a better container, my Mom let her throw up in her hands and then held it for two miles until we could get to a restroom. Now THAT is power, ladies and gentlemen.

By far the best thing about Moms, however, is that everyone has the potential to be one – even a man, if necessary. There are millions of moms all over the world, using their powers to fend off evil and better society. I am willing to bet that you know at

least five personally. And how many of you have ever met Wonder Woman? Exactly.

So, as you can see, moms are the best thing ever created. We literally would not exist without them. So I would just like to say thank you to moms everywhere for sharing your incredible powers with the world. A special thanks to my Mom for putting up with me and doing what you had to do. I was wrong about you. I understand now. I want to be just like you. n

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Family Photos They have us at hello, the moment those newborn eyes meet our own, when baby makes three or four or more. Parenthood is life’s most awesome, most awe-inspiring and most terrifying gift, one that can leave us speechless with emotion one moment and bubbling over with it the next. In anticipation of Mothers Day (May 10) and Fathers Day (June 21), four Golden Isles families agreed to share glimpses of special moments in their lives, in both words and photographs.

“The contrast of her tiny new hand on ours takes us back to the very beginning of our life’s journey together. Through her arrival, we have become brand new lovers with a world of possibilities ahead.”

14 Goldenislesmagazine.com

– Matthew and Tiffani Walker with daughter, Elizabeth Photographed by Brooke Roberts Photography

“Finley is a gift Jarrett and I prayed so hard for and by God’s grace she is a miracle two times over. She arrived five weeks early and Jarrett hasn’t slowed down since. Finley is first on his agenda and at the end of each work day he always says, ‘Wow, we got five extra weeks with our girl that most folks don’t get.’”

– Courtney Bridges of husband, Jarrett, with daughter, Finley Photographed by Tracy Adams/Life Gallery May/June 2009 15

“Being a grandmother is truly amazing. It has taken the relationship I have with Catherine to new heights. I am so proud as I watch her enjoying motherhood as much as I did. And watching Miriam grow ... it is truly God’s gift to me!”

– Anne Banks with daughter, Catherine Gregorie, and granddaughter, Miriam Gregorie Photographed by Nancy J. Reynolds 16 Goldenislesmagazine.com

“This picture captures the essence of our family – lots of togetherness and joy! It warms my heart to see the adoration in Dylan’s eyes as he’s looking at Marina.

The incredible thing about parenting is that not only are you a caregiver, teacher and guide but you’re privileged to witness the amazing journey your children take from wide-eyed baby to giddy child and into loving adult. There can’t be too many other experiences as open-ended and as fulfilling.”

– Bryan and Carrie Myers Jaynes with son, Dylan, and daughter, Marina Photographed by Tim Brown Photography

May/June 2009 17

The family room of this eclectic cottage overflows with conversation pieces, from family heirlooms to garage sale finds and little pieces of history handed down with the house.

Opposite: The view from the crow’s nest.

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St. Simons Beach Cottage

A

Story by Amy H. Carter Photos by Benjamin Galland

A gentle sea breeze carries the sound of children laughing up two stories and into Robin Dickson’s living room. The wind is a regular caller at the Dickson beach house, one of many old family friends who are always welcome to just come on in through the back door, no knock required. The laughter is a gift, just one of many that the sea heaps upon this rare island octogenarian that stands stalwart against time and the tide of change that’s swallowing up the St. Simons of old.

Robin rubs her hand over the date etched in the mortared mantelpiece atop a fireplace built of ballast rock.

Nov. 1924, it says, the birth date of this cottage. It belonged to one of a pair of twin brothers who lived sideby-side in identical houses. Robin and her ex-husband, LeRoy, and their children bought this particular house in 1983, moving in permanently in 1990 after relocating from Gainesville and Lake Lanier.

“We’re water people,” Robin explains.

The twin of their cottage soon fell victim to a fire started by a squatter frying shrimp, and was replaced by a three-story tower of slick stucco and shiny glass, one of a pair of modern “cottages” that frames the Dickson place like modern-art bookends. For all their shiny newness, those houses look plain dull next to their humble neighbor clothed in cedar shake siding. The cottage is still a work in progress, even after all these years, but every addition only enhances the core character of the original.

“I’ll just keep working on it little by little,” Robin says. She and LeRoy discussed selling the cottage and splitting the proceeds when they parted ways, but she couldn’t bear to let go. And it’s no wonder. Everything inside, outside and around this house is personal.

There’s the lattice work on the ceiling and the cutaway underneath that reveals three steps on the staircase that leads to the second story that came with the Dicksons. There are the worn Oriental rugs layered over Sisal squares spread atop hardwood floors sandblasted over the years by millions of tiny grains of beach tracked in on bare feet. There are family photos framed and loose, clusters of antique door knobs and glass insulators off power and telephone poles, spent wine corks and books, lots and lots of books. Some of it came with the house.

Some of it came with the family. Some of it came from antiques stores. Each piece has its own little story to tell.

“We love interesting pieces, conversation pieces,” Robin says.

The bar in a cozy nook off the family room was reclaimed from an old Holiday Inn hotel in north Georgia.

Its smoky glass mirror is framed by sta glass panels, and the burled wood

May/June 2009 19

stained glass panels, and the burled wood encasing it all is carved with old designs and new – dolphins LeRoy fashioned with a jigsaw. Dolphins are everywhere in this house, its signature motif and mascot.

The house has undergone a slow transformation in the Dicksons’ hands.

Their first order of business was jacking up the house to make the view and the seabreezes more accessible from the main floor. They approached Lloyd’s of London about insuring the cottage while it was being raised, but the venerable underwriter of all things unusual declined this particular oddity. The Dicksons called in the cranes and went ahead with their plan. They added a second story, then a crow’s nest with a million-dollar view of the ocean and the horizon beyond. They studied the landscaping of the King and Prince Hotel down the street to develop a salt-hardy plan for their own backyard. They view it all through a set of reclaimed French doors made of mahogany that span the back wall of the main floor.

Altogether, a very apt metaphor for the St. Simons of old, where individuality was not an option but the only fee for admittance; where eccentricity, a little chip here or a slight ding there, a colorful past and windblown hair were traits to aspire to.

And where everyone – regardless of socioeconomic status , choice of footwear or lack thereof – felt at home. n

20 Goldenislesmagazine.com

The decor of this eclectic beach cottage is rustic by design; the wear and tear are signs of love, not distress.

May/June 2009 21

GA

Alpharetta

Hometown Charm with Big City Sophistication 22 Goldenislesmagazine.com

by

Katie Reeder

Alpharetta, Georgia, a quaint town only 22 miles north of Atlanta, yet still close to the mountains of north Georgia, beckons visitors with its plethora of outdoor activities, seven shopping districts, 13 spas, more than 150 restaurants and 23 upscale and modern hotels. Some 300 attractions within a 50-mile radius ensure boredom is nary a worry.

A historical walking tour, two arboretums and a scenic 6.1-mile long trail, including additional mountain biking trails, mean there’s an abundance of free family-friendly adventures awaiting you in Alpharetta.

Photo by Chris Lee

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

May/June 2009 23

Zoom, Zoom!

If adventure is what you crave, Alpharetta is your destination. From the 6.1-mile long, 12-foot wide Alpharetta Big Creek Greenway, which meanders through the city, includes additional mountain biking trails and is perfect for walking, running, cycling and inline skating, to the Cooler Indoor Skate Center, with its two 85- x 200-foot ice arenas and one 85- x 185-foot roller arena, families are bound to have hours of fun. You can go from novice to expert on two wheels at the Honda Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center where instructors outfit you in topof-the-line gear before educating you about how to safely navigate terrain using an ATV, dirt bike or motorcycle.

Age is no problem here because there are customized bikes and gear for people ages 6 to 100. And, you won’t want to miss nearby Andretti Karting and Games; with two indoor race tracks, an arcade and a retro-style diner, you’ll zip and zoom the night away.

While all of these activities are budget-friendly, nothing beats free.

Explore Alpharetta’s Milton Log Cabin which was built during the 193435 school year by Future Farmers of America students. The cabin provides an example of life during the late 1800s and is open for tours by appointment. Stop by the Walk of

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Memories where a tank and helicopter are on display. The only memorial of its kind in Georgia, the Walk of Memories pays tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with a brick walk inscribed with the names of all Georgia residents killed in service including and following WWII. Use the complimentary walking tour brochures available at the Downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center and wander through the historical markers located throughout downtown or pay a visit to Alpharetta’s two arboretums.

A Diva’s Delight!

For the little women in your life, Alpharetta boasts the only American Girl Boutique and Bistro in the southeast. This girls’ world showcases a doll hair salon, in-store bistro that serves two-foot long banana splits and all the accessories you could ever imagine a girl and her doll needing.

Overnight packages are available at select Alpharetta hotels where girls of all ages are clamoring to experience a oneof-a-kind sleepover, American Girl-style.

Pleasures for Your Palate…

Publix Apron’s Cooking School is yet another Alpharetta attraction of the only-of-its-kind variety. It’s the only such cooking school in Georgia and one of just five in the nation.

Always on the menu: Hands-on classes on food and wine pairings, cooking techniques, cooking with chocolates and more, plus visits with celebrity chefs, including New York’s famed Tom Colicchio and Ingrid Hoffman ,who launched “Simply Delicioso” on Food Network, while learning how to cook a gourmet meal.

If you prefer to have the food brought to you, just choose from

Photos courtesy Alpharetta CVB

among the city’s more than 150 restaurants which span a variety of cuisines including American, Chinese, Italian and Mexican, Brazilian, Caribbean, Irish, Japanese and Thai fare, and in settings that range from al fresco to fireside to plain and simple fun.

For finger-licking good eats, try Smokejack BBQ. Experience the city-chic yet casual ambience of Sage Woodfire Tavern or sample the authentic Mexican dishes at Pure Taqueria. The upscale conviviality of Village Tavern, where regional entrées are a specialty, will ensure an evening to remember. Whatever you choose, Alpharetta is a mouth watering experience waiting to happen to your taste buds.

Get Away!

Gather your buds and experience spring time at its finest with special Alpharetta golf packages that allow you to play a round at the exclusive Manor Golf and Country Club for as little as $99, including overnight accommodations, breakfast, golf, transportation and more. Other special packages available online at www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com couple a night at an Alpharetta hotel with a local attraction, making it convenient and affordable to get away. Check out deals catering to romance, family fun, shopping and cycling.

While in town, don’t forget to catch a concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. The

12,000 capacity amphitheatre in the heart of Alpharetta, the outdoor home of the awardwinning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, will host the likes of Kenny Chesney and the Dave Matthews Band during its 2009 season.

Make a weekend of it and visit during one of the city’s upcoming special events:

19th Annual Taste of Alpharetta

race is a 5K/10K Peachtree Road Race Qualifier for the serious runner as well as a Fun Run/Walk for the whole family. A runner’s pancake breakfast is served at the race finish. Saturday, May 16; 7:15 a.m.; Wills Park Pool on Old Milton Parkway

Old Soldiers Day Parade Held annually the first Saturday

The largest “Taste of” festival in the South, celebrating its 19th year in 2009, is held mid-May on Old Milton Parkway at Wills Park and features more than 70 restaurants.

Sample and savor appetizers, entrées and desserts, experience the Culinary Arts area featuring chef’s competition, cooking demonstrations and exhibits.

Spread a blanket on the concert lawn and enjoy live jazz, rock and contemporary music, play at the Kids Zone or Fun Zone for older kids and visit the Community Corner. Free admission, parking and shuttles.

Thursday, May 14; 5-10 p.m.; Old Milton Parkway at Wills Park

in August and sponsored by the City of Alpharetta and the American Legion Post 201, this event begins with a Memorial Service held on Main Street in front of City Hall before the parade kicks off just after 10 a.m. and ends at the American Legion Post 201 on Wills Road for free food and activities. Along with the program and parade, this celebration features floats, bands, entertainment, children’s activities and prizes—and free hot dogs and soft drinks at the American Legion. A 5K and 10K race is also held in conjunction with the event. Saturday, Aug. 1; Races begin at Wills Park at 7 a.m.; Parade starts at 8:45 a.m.; Main Street n

Alpharetta Mayor’s Challenge

Alpharetta Attractions

Meet at the Alpharetta Pool at Wills Park for this mid-May event sponsored by the Alpharetta Rotary Club and the City of Alpharetta. The

Visit www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com for more information about all of these attractions.

May/June 2009 25

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No Regular

Joe in the Kitchen Story and Photos by

Amy H. Carter May/June 2009 27

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The Dinner Party A Southern Cooking Class Lecture & Demonstration Soup Beef Tenderloin Soup Salad Spring Greens and Yellow Tomatoes with Country Bacon Dressing Entree Baked Flounder Fillets Stuffed with Crabmeat Oven-Roasted Rosemary New Potatoes Buttered Fresh Asparagus Dessert Creme Brulée with Fresh Berries

C

Chef Joe Randall is not a Southerner by birth, but the bacon grease in his cast iron skillet will fool you into thinking otherwise. The man says one thing; his pan, something else.

Chef Joe specializes in couture cuisine with a down home twist. He serves the best and explains that his best was thought up not by culinary school graduates feeding masters of the universe but enslaved cooks serving masters of the plantations. Black cooks in the antebellum South brought their own food traditions with them from Africa to America, and those traditions continue to flavor Southern cuisine to this day.

In a raspy voice that speaks of smoky nights in sultry places – or perhaps just a few too many smoky kitchens – Chef Joe explains the roots of that unique flavor during his reservations-only dinner parties.

He hosts these weekly events in a white

wood-frame house on the outskirts of the Savannah Historic District ruled by that other famous Southern cook, Paula Deen.

Geography aside, the most important difference between the two is that Chef Joe’s party feeds body and mind.

He starts his dinner party with a soup made with the tail of the tenderloin, a soup as rich as country beef gravy that fairly begs for a biscuit to sop. He serves it with crisp garlic bread. This soup, he explains, reminds us that nothing was wasted in the historic Southern kitchen.

(Oxtail, actually the tail of the steer and a princely delicacy these days, is a prime example.) The party ends on a wild note with a refined creme brulée topped with blueberries and blackberries, fruits of the rich Georgia soil.

Chef Joe is God’s gift to modern cooks left somehow wanting by the current culinary wave of style that drowns

substance in a sea of haute herbs. If you’ve got a drop of Southern blood coursing through your veins, you were born with a taste for anything seasoned with pork fat. Sadly, only rebels cook publicly with it anymore. You’ll want to thank Chef Joe for making simple flavors respectable again.

His recipes harken back to the days when Southern cooking meant resourcefulness, when dining richly had nothing to do with money. The most exotic spice of the night is garlic, and it’s fresh.

The rest is salt and black pepper, white and cayenne pepper, celery salt (or Old Bay seasoning), paprika and dry mustard.

He sautés in clarified butter, not olive oil.

His motto: “Keep it simple. Make it taste good.” If you’re reaching for the salt and pepper shakers after the first bite, he says, “then I haven’t done my job.”

Chef Joe is a man of common sense.

As he pours out a can of whole tomatoes

May/June 2009 29

baked potato at a neighborhood eatery.

On Sunday mornings, he goes out to eat, allowing his own personal chef to sleep in.

“I don’t mess around in her kitchen,” he says of Barbara, his wife of 31 years.

“Her kitchen says ‘Barbara’s Kitchen.’”

and commences crushing them with both hands, he traces his aversion to storebought crushed tomatoes back to San Diego, where he lived down the road from a Del Monte plant.

“I would see the trucks bringing in the tomatoes, and I knew the ones on the bottom were all smashed, and you know they’re not going to waste them, so they sell them as crushed or diced … to make you think they’re doing you a service,” he says.

For his supper tonight, Chef Joe dined on catfish, oysters, shrimp and a

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In Chef Joe’s kitchen, she’s the sommelier, the sous chef and the chief bottle washer. Barbara spends most of the dinner party at the sink.

Spend three hours with Chef Joe and the busy Barbara and you’ll understand that theirs is a union of sauce and spice.

“She was still living home with her grandmother when I met her. She’d never been off the step,” he says.

As men are wont to do when discussing the loves of their lives, he makes her sound more naive than she really was.

From her station at the sink she says of her own aspirations for the partnership: “Let’s just say I didn’t see dishwashing in my crystal ball, considering I paid my

family members to wash dishes for me on dish night.”

Foreseen or not, the Randall partnership is a culinary experience not to be missed. Go see them some time soon and “get a little taste of the South in your mouth,” as Chef Joe is fond of saying.

Bon appétit, y’all! n

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 OUR HERITAG OUR HERITAGE IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN OUR SOULS  T        OUR HERITAGE IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN OUR SOULS                       OUR HERITAGE IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN OUR SOULS                                                                                                                                                                                             OUR HERITAGE IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN OUR SOULS   OUR SOULS OUR HERITAGE IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN                                  

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                                                OURHERITAGE      IS THE TRUTH THAT LIES WITHIN OUR SOULS                                                                                                                                           

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These recipes were developed by Chef Joseph G. Randall

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reserved. Copyright 2/1/09

May/June 2009 31

raising spirits

by Bob

Dart photos by Benjamin Galland

32 Goldenislesmagazine.com

May/June 2009 33

I

“I come for the cole slaw and the talent,” declares Dale Tushman, explaining how she came to be eating supper and listening to music at The Club @ Bennie’s on a Thursday evening.

The combination of a $5 all-you-can-eat barbecue and fried fish buffet, live band, bar and dancing in the casual clubhouse beside Bennie’s Red Barn, St. Simons’ venerable steak and seafood house, illustrates how restaurants in Glynn County are adopting innovative strategies to woo frugal diners in a recession.

“The economy has very definitely affected this business,” says J. Mac Mason, owner of JMac’s in the Village on St. Simons Island. “We have promotions every night of the week to try to bring people into the restaurant.”

“The whole island has been hit hard – as has America in general,” says John Howton, owner of Blackwater Grill in Redfern Village on St. Simons Island.

Indeed, full service restaurant revenues nationwide are predicted to decline by 6 percent in 2009 – more than double the 2.5 percent decline in 2008, according to Technomic, a food service research

34 Goldenislesmagazine.com

and consultant group.

Technomic expects 2009 will be the worst year for food service since it began tracking performance in 1972.

New York’s glitzy Rainbow Room – mecca of glamour and elegance since it opened in 1934 – has even fallen victim to hard times. The restaurant on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Center, where Frank Sinatra sang “New York, New York” and fashionable couples waltzed while gazing over the glittering lights of Manhattan, closed earlier this year.

“Full service restaurants are the ones feeling the recession the most as the public ‘trades down’ to more casual restaurants and even fast food,” says David Pavesic, a professor of hospitality management at Georgia State University in Atlanta. “Price is king right now and lowered prices translate into value to the customer.”

At The Club @ Bennie’s, customers echoed the value of value nowadays.

“In this day and time, this is a phenomenal deal,” says Tushman, a clinical social worker at Dialysis of the Golden Isles in Brunswick. “And I always have a very good time.”

“It isn’t rocket science” to know that diners are more cautious about spending their money on eating out and that they “are looking for value,” says Mason.

So JMac’s has made a myriad of menu changes in recent months.

There’s a tapas menu for the bar with items from $2 to $6. “Combine two or three of them and you’ve got a meal,” says Mason.

The restaurant offers a “small plates” section on the menu with smaller, less expensive portions of regular entrees and nightly fixed price specials with appetizer or salad, entree or dessert for $18.

And there is a deal a night – free pasta with a bottle of wine on Monday, half price for a bottle of wine on Tuesday, 20 percent off on Wednesday, half price martinis on Thursday.

Diners are seeking out specials all over St. Simons.

“We get a great crowd for our happy hour” – actually two hours, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where oysters on the half shell are 35 cents apiece and Miller High Life draft beer is $2 for a pint glass, says Brad Campbell, owner of Catch 228 Bar and Grill in Redfern Village on St. Simons Island.

“We had a dismal fall and winter” but now with Spring Breaks, business has picked up at the Blackwater Grill, says Howton.

He is also attracting customers by expanding the “early dining specials.”

These $10.95 smaller portion entrees from the menu had been offered only from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. but are now available all evening.

The 4th of May offers a daily “Economic Relief Special.” The Crab Trap has happy hour oyster specials. Cargo in downtown Brunswick has a “Starters, Shares, Grazing” section on its menu.

At the Red Bar, owner Don Gentile says “we’re trying to segregate the businesses” between the original Barn, which has been

a favorite destination for high-quality steaks for generations of Glynn County diners, and the clubhouse where drinks, music and dancing are as much an attraction as the menu.

“The buffet is going toward a different market. So far, we’re not making any money doing that,” says Gentile.

The Club @ Bennie’s has drawn an older group of dining dancers than has Ziggy Mahoney’s, he says, and they tend to come once a weekend, at best, while the young partiers – “the 10 to 2 group” – go to Ziggy’s Friday and Saturday nights most weekends.

Ziggy Mahoney’s hasn’t been hurt by the sagging economy thus far, says owner Keenan Carter. But that’s largely because of the St. Simons dance club’s new larger location across from the airport and young devotees, says Carter, who MCs the action.

“Any time a new place opens, there is a honeymoon period. And we’re certainly enjoying that,” says Carter, who orchestrates the music and dancing like a sort of Wizard of Oz pulling levers above the dance floor. The new location is better suited for his customer base than was the old one by Bennie’s, he explains.

“We’re now in the loop. You have to go right past us driving between the Village and Redfern,” he says. “And we’re the only place in the shopping center open at 11 p.m. so we have 300 spaces on a paved lot.”

Still, Carter often plugs the kitchen in breaks between songs and there are price specials to win customers to the menu. During an extended happy hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for instance, $6 entrees are reduced to $4.50 and $4 appetizers sell for $2.50.

And if you’ve ever wondered if Carter is having as good a time as he seems to be: “I tell the crowd that my job is to entertain them and their job is to have as much fun as I do,” he says.

“People will go where they are treated right and the entire ‘dining experience’ is outstanding,” says Pavesic, the Georgia State hospitality professor.

“When this occurs, price takes a back seat and is not the driving force of the decision to select the restaurant.” n

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Top Ten

Reasons to use a Travel Agent

1. Convenient One-Stop Shopping Travel agents can handle every aspect of your trip from airline tickets to lodging, ground transportation, activities, tours and more.

2. Consumer Advocate If you should have a problem during your trip, travel agents can act on your behalf to see that proper restitution is made.

3. Expert Guidance Travel agents are experts in helping travelers get where they need to go and in helping to create possibilities most people never would have dreamed were possible.

4. Save Time Avoid the headaches and let the travel agents call around and do all the time consuming work of planning a complex itinerary.

5. Choice Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of travel suppliers, giving you the upper hand when making your final travel decisions.

6. Less Stress Planning a trip can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about. Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you.

7. Updated Information Travel agents are constantly communicating with the travel community, thus giving you the most up to date info on airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel visas, and other travel services to consider as you plan your trip.

8. Customer Service Travel agents offer that “personal touch” to your travel planning experience – offering help and advice that a Web site cannot provide.

9. Travel Documentation Travel agents can help you to prepare and organize any necessary documents that you may need in order to travel outside of the country.

They can direct you to your local passport office, and they know where you need a visa, as well as any other documentation that you might need along the way.

10. Travel Expertise Many travel agents are considered experts in the area you are traveling to and have probably already been to your chosen destination.

– Source: American Society of Travel Agents

36 Goldenislesmagazine.com

A Personal Touch

by Mike Morrison

In this age of the Internet, the world is literally at your fingertips.

With a few clicks of a mouse, you can book a trip anywhere around the globe, and spend thousands of dollars as quickly as you can blink your eyes.

It’s wonderful, marvelous, exciting ... and potentially as risky as online gambling.

The Internet, see, is like a box of chocolates (with apologies to Forrest Gump’s Mama). You never know what you’re going to get until you take a bite, or until you depart on your dream vacation, in this case.

When you book online, the monetary savings, if any, may be offset by hassle, inconvenience and disappointment. Betting against the odds may appeal to some adventureseekers; others who desire a safer route may choose to do it the triedand-true way – by enlisting the services of a local travel agent.

Wherever you may want to wander, they’ve been there and done that, or at least know somebody who has, and their job is to put their experience to work for you, matching trip to traveler in the appropriate budget range.

Sylvia Sweat, owner of Carlson/ Mary Miller Travel Service (soon to be Travel Leaders), is the Golden Isles’ most experienced travel agent.

She went to work for the company’s founder, well-known Brunswickian the late Mary Miller, in 1964. Mary Miller started the agency in 1946 in the Oglethorpe Hotel, once a landmark on the Brunswick waterfront until the city tore it down in a fit of urban renewal. The agency has moved several times and has bobbed up and down with the economy, but continues to serve the community.

Even in the midst of the current economic doldrums, Sylvia is planning trips for Golden Isles travelers to

destinations near and far.

“We’re staying busy,” Sylvia says as winter gives way to spring in the Golden Isles. The folders of clients piled high on her desk stand as a paper tower of proof. “I’ve got some going to New York, Europe, Korea, Peru – just a variety of places. That’s what makes our life so exciting. It’s just a mixture.”

Those intrepid travelers are not letting the economic doldrums keep them at home, but they’re not leaving much to chance either. They’re relying on the accumulated knowledge of Sylvia and her staff to ensure that they enjoy a successful travel experience.

Sylvia is not a huge detractor of using the Internet for travel planning, but she recognizes the risks involved.

“People don’t realize,” she says.

“They think they’re getting the best deal. They may be, but there’s no way for them to tell. Sometimes, we can beat it.”

May/June 2009 37

It’s easier, also, for a travel agent to compare prices, she says, and put together a package that suits her clients. Online, for example, there’s almost an endless list of hotels in major destinations such as New York, Orlando or London. How do you pick one from the list, especially if you’re on a budget and looking for something a few glimmers less than five stars?

You roll the dice, or you defer to the experience of a travel agent.

Such details are best left to an agent, according to Ann Owens, coowner with Camille Adams of The Travel Service on St. Simons Island.

“We do all the work for you,” she says. “That’s a headache you don’t need to have.”

It is a time for penny pinching, Ann concedes, but vacations aren’t at the top of the expendable list.

“For the most part,” she says, “people will give up a lot of other things before they will give up their annual vacations.”

She’s been busy sending them off on cruises, or to Europe or Costa Rica, and she’s confident she’s giving them at least as good a deal as they could get online, and without a lot of the worry and hassle.

Such online travel juggernauts as Expedia and Travelocity can’t do any better price-wise than local agents can, she says.

“We have the same software,” she says. “You can’t get any better deal on Expedia than I can get for you.”

The local agencies affiliate themselves with national tour operators, allowing them to offer the best prices on package deals. One such operator, Ann says, will meet or beat any price to a major destination offered by any other supplier.

Using a local agency also helps the local economy, Ann pointed out.

“They’re spending their money

38 Goldenislesmagazine.com

locally, and not sending it off to an agency in New York or somewhere,” she says.

Travel inevitably offers up a few surprises, sometimes the unpleasant variety, such as cancelled flights or lost hotel reservations. That’s another area in which a travel agent can come in handy. You’re far away from home, perhaps in a land where English isn’t spoken, and you’ve just learned the hotel has no record of your reservation.

They’ll likely not deal with you.

You need someone to help. You can call the big online company and reach an unending telephone menu, or you can call somebody you know.

“You can call us from wherever you are and we can help,” Sylvia says.

Bob Burke, a St. Simons Island retiree with an appetite for world travel, doesn’t hesitate to use his international cell phone if he encounters turbulence during his far-flung adventures.

One time, he found himself in Copenhagen when a sudden tightening of security sent the airlines into chaos. Passengers went scurrying to ticket counters to rebook after their flights were cancelled. Unruffled, Bob called Ann Owens back home on St. Simons Island.

“It was pandemonium in the airport,” he says. “I started to worry that we would get stranded there, but then, I called Ann. She told me there was no problem with our flight, just to get in line and not worry.”

Another time, in New York City, Ann helped solve a problem Bob didn’t even realize he had. At the airport a sky cap had inadvertently taken the wrong bag off the luggage carousel and loaded it into the taxi that was to take Bob and his wife, Nelda, into the city.

Before the couple arrived at their hotel, Bob’s cell phone rang. It

was Ann, informing him he had the wrong suitcase in the trunk.

His bag had a tag from The Travel Service on it, enabling the airline to contact Ann. Bob then was able to get in touch with the owner of the bag that was in the trunk of the taxi. She agreed to bring his bag into the city.

They later met and swapped bags.

The services of a travel agent are invaluable, Bob has come to realize through experiences like those.

“It’s comforting to know someone who is a professional is working for you,” he says. “I use my travel agent for her expertise, of course, and almost as much for the safety net she provides. Some of the damnedest things happen when you travel.” n

PERIODS A PROBLEM?

Take Back Your Life!

Take a trip – stimulate the economy!

• Travel makes up an important part of the economy. Millions of people are employed in the industry nationwide.

• Airlines, hotels, resorts, car rental companies, restaurants, theme parks and other tourist attractions provide productive jobs to workers and contribute to the tax base of the communities they serve.

• According to U.S. Travel Association statistics, some $740 billion are spent annually on travel in the United States. That’ll stimulate your economy!

– Source: Travel Leaders

Ann Owens of The Travel Service, at left, and Sylvia Sweat of Carlson/Mary Miller Travel, at right.

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To save cash, plan your vacation carefully • Ask your travel agent about incentives such as free airfare, free days, two-for-one deals or cabin upgrades. With the economy in a hole, businesses are offering more incentives than ever to get travelers out of it. • If possible, be flexible with your travel dates. Airfare could vary according to time and day of the week. • Shop for airports.

Less expensive flights often are available at airports a little farther from home. • Consider flying on a charter carrier or a low-cost airline. You may have to forgo a few frills, but the savings could be worth the inconvenience. • Consider using a ticket consolidator, who buys unused seats from airlines at a reduced rate and passes some of the savings along to customers. The downside: often no frequent flyer miles. • Check out the package deals, which combine transportation, hotels, car rentals and sightseeing. Usually, a significant savings can be realized if you’re willing to stick to a specific agenda. • Look to all-inclusive resorts and cruise lines for action-packed and fun-filled vacations for a set prepaid price. • Save cash on cruises by driving to the point of departure. – Source: Travel Leaders

40 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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Hopeful Notes O

On the morning after Christmas 2007 – one day shy of her 20th birthday – Sigourney Maurer died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on the F.J. Torras Causeway. In the months that followed, the community saw a renewed campaign for a median in the center of the road that would prevent other accidents like the one that claimed Sigourney’s life. The median is in the works and now a sign on the causeway memorializes Sigourney’s life and death.

There is another, more significant, memorial in the works.

This one is not geared toward preventing further suffering; rather, it is hoped that it will give solace

42 Goldenislesmagazine.com

by Mary Helen Moses

and hope for those devastated by life and loss. It is a compact disc called “Reconciled,” which contains songs of salvation and redemption, hope and faith. Tim Haynes, Sigourney’s stepfather and the writing and recording artist for the CD, believes firmly that God gave him these songs so that he can pass them on to all of us. Tim, a resident of St. Simons Island, brings to the project a lifetime of experience with songwriting, performing, joys, sorrows, love, loss and the struggle to find his own spirituality.

Growing up in the D.C. suburb of Bowie, Md., Tim learned to love music at an early age. His dad was a distributor for Atlantic

records, so recordings were readily available. Tim’s older brother Barry and cousin Craig were always jamming in the house and young Tim, 10 years their junior, had to join in. He started with the organ at age eight, playing by ear, but soon went on to the guitar, at which he excelled. By the time Tim was 12, their band called “Steamboat Mercy” was playing in the clubs of Georgetown and the D.C. suburbs. In 1972, when Tim was only 14, Steamboat Mercy took up residence in what Tim laughingly calls a “hippie commune” – an old farmhouse on 880 acres near Blacksburg, Va. There the members of Steamboat Mercy worked on the house (Tim

Sigourney Maurer

May/June 2009 43

recalls putting in indoor plumbing) and perfected their sound, playing in music festivals and clubs in the area.

After a few years of life on the commune, Tim returned to Bowie and continued the musician’s life. In 1976, he was playing solo at the Cellar Door in Georgetown, where he was “discovered� by singer/guitarist Bonnie Raitt, who told him, “You’re awfully young to be so good.� Raitt introduced the young Tim to Cellar Doors Production, and Tim spent the next 10 years touring with a variety of rock stars, from Jackson Browne to the Grateful Dead. All the while, Tim was writing songs and, between gigs, spent time in Nashville working with other songwriters and musicians. There were some really exciting times, particularly Tim’s participation in “USA for Africa,� starting with a 1981 benefit concert on the National Mall. USA for Africa led to a national movement in 1985, which included such notables as Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles and Tim’s old friend and mentor, Bonnie Raitt.

From left, Aliese Haynes, Laurence Haynes, Sigourney Maurer and Jason Haynes share a happy moment.

At right, Tim Haynes in the ‘80s.

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a group that played at Murphy’s Tavern, the Sunset Café, and other haunts.

In the summer of 1995, Tim met two people who would change his life – sevenyear-old Sigourney Maurer, a first grade classmate of son Jason, and Sigourney’s mother, Laurence, with the beautiful face and intriguing accent. Laurence was born and raised in the Moroccan city of Casablanca and schooled in France.

She and Sigourney had been living on St. Simons Island since 1988. Tim and Laurence laugh about their courtship.

Laurence admits to some misgivings: “He was always walking barefoot around the island, so I bought him some shoes.”

It didn’t take long for Tim and Laurence to realize that they could offer each other and the children a real home. They formed a tile company, Create Ceram, in 1996 and married on the beach in 1997.

Tim was creative with his tile and his music; Laurence added to the beauty of the island as a stylist at Tangles. Together they parented three lively kids.

With all the happiness in his

Tim’s life changed drastically in 1987, when his first child, son Jason, was born. Tim recalls a moving experience in early 1988, when he came home at daybreak after a night of performing and partying. “I went into his room in the early morning,” Tim says, “and the light was streaming in on that beautiful little creature. I was so moved by how much I loved him! But, even then, I was in such a state I knew I wasn’t even capable of safely picking him up. I think it was God’s way of telling me I needed to change.” Tim took Jason and his mother to Nashville, where he “settled down,” more or less. He worked at the Gibson Guitar factory, building guitars, which he loved. And he kept on with his songwriting, branching out from rock to country. In 1990, his daughter Aliese was born in Nashville. But the musician’s life and the partying that went with it took a toll on his marriage and his soul.

In 1992, Tim saw St. Simons Island for the first time and told himself, “this is where I want to raise my kids.” A few months later, Tim was divorced and a full-time single parent to Jason and Aliese. He describes the next several years as his “hippie dad” period. He had a small house near the St. Simons lighthouse, walked the kids to school, did odd jobs (including housekeeping at the Beach Club condominiums), and began his career as a tile man. All the while, Tim stayed with his music, writing and performing as part of Haynes and Parr, May/June 2009 45

Tim Haynes in the studio recording “Reconciled” with, from left, Mike Hulett, Denise Carley and Scott Rich.

life, things were still not right with Tim. In 2001, after a bad business experience, he became disillusioned with the commercial music that had been his passion and his outlet. Laurence, an active member of St. Simons Community Church, urged Tim to attend church services, and he eventually became a somewhat reluctant member of the Praise Team, the musical performance group for the church. By Easter 2003, a church friend said to him, “Tim, you’ve finally got it.”

At that point, he realized he had changed.

Although it was Laurence who had guided Tim into the church, it was young Sigourney who was his spiritual adviser, in a sense. “She had Christ all over her, and she didn’t know it,” Tim says now. The two had a great relationship, “a bond of trust and love,” that enabled them to share

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their thoughts with each other without judgment. Tim recalls that Sigourney often asked him questions about faith that gave him food for thought and spurred him to reflect more deeply on his relationship with God. Despite their age difference, Tim says Sigourney knew him as well as anyone else. With his family’s support, Tim began doing foreign mission work with the church, as praise and worship leader in trips to Romania and Nicaragua. He was making music for the Lord, but it was other folks’ music.

Then, on Christmas night of 2007, the unthinkable happened. Sigourney, who was returning to the island from visiting friends in Brunswick, was hit head-on by a drunk driver. Both were killed. The loss of Sigourney struck the entire Haynes family. Tim describes his own pain as “unbearable.” Laurence found solace in her memories of Sigourney’s spirit. “She always told me never to give up on love,” Laurence recalls. Laurence’s deep and abiding faith have kept her going through her grief.

Tim’s faith through his grief worked another change in his life: suddenly, the music was back. “I had lost the music in 2001, “ he says. “I just didn’t have it in me.” A few months after Sigourney’s death, Tim began to write again. When he opened up his mind and his heart, Tim found incredible bursts of creativity and energy, writing almost daily. And, he found, the music comforted all members of the Haynes family and the friends who surrounded them. Tim’s writing became an outlet “for praise, for sorrow, for crying out,” he says. “And then it turned into music.”

Earlier this year, Tim and Laurence formed a production company called “Yeshua SPM,” the Aramaic name for Jesus followed by Sigourney’s initials.

The company’s first production is the CD Tim calls “Reconciled.” The title is apt, for the music has given Tim and Laurence a sense of faith and hope in the face of unspeakable loss. The songs are praise and worship music at their finest – ballads, blues, reggae and rock sounds with themes of faith, joy and comfort.

The production experience itself has given both Tim and Laurence a renewed spirit. Many of the musicians who have participated have done so without any thought of compensation for themselves, but just to give to Tim and Laurence and to their cause. The CD is dedicated to the memory of Sigourney, and much of the profit will go to the mission work of St. Simons Community Church.

From the Grateful Dead and Jackson Browne to praise and worship.

From devastation and despair to faith and reconciliation. Tim and Laurence Haynes and their children know these passages. It is their prayer that the music will provide others with the hope that their own path can be eased as well. n

May/June 2009 47

Foto

Italiane foto e testo da Benjamin Galland

Sun bather on rocks in Riomaggiore, (Cinque Terre)

48 Goldenislesmagazine.com

I was 20 years old when I first went to Italy.

However, my semester spent at the Lorenzo De Medici school in Florence was certainly not my first encounter with the Italian culture. See, my grandparents were Italian; DeLorenzo was their name. I grew up learning how to talk with my hands while rolling the perfect meatball. At an early age I learned that serving sauce from a jar is a cardinal sin and that everything is better with garlic. I grew up on pasta and never met a cannoli that I didn’t like.

During my college semester in Italy, I lived in an apartment right across from the Piazza

Independenza. I always found that ironic – how close I lived to independence, but with four female roommates, how far. However, living with women had its unexpected perks. My first honey-do found me tromping all over the city in search of an electronics store to buy fuses for the hair dryers. After getting lost several times, then having to stop at the nearest trattoria for a glass of refreshment, I finally stumbled into an appliance repair shop halfway across the city. As I attempted to explain to the 80-year-old man in my best Italian-accented English what I was looking for, I felt a breeze of confidence. I left with fuse in hand, intent on getting lost again.

May/June 2009 49

I was fortunate enough to return to Italy this past summer and reconnected with my absolute favorite Italian pastime (besides a bowl of fresh bow tie pasta with truffle sauce), the passeggiata.

The passeggiata is a time-honored Italian tradition whereby one takes to the streets before or after dinner to mingle with the people. Italians generally do this nightly and I highly recommend adopting this tradition as soon as

50 Goldenislesmagazine.com

you get in town. Florence seems to transform into its Renaissance heyday during this time. And, if anything, staying up late sure helps beat the jet lag. Days in the heart of the Renaissance are spent stuffing in museums and pizza margherita, allowing nights to unfold the splendor and life of the local population. My suggested recipe? Get up early, see all day, nap, head back out... eat and drink as desired. No trip is complete without the passeggiata.

Above and below: Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Fisherman on Arno River, Florence May/June 2009 51

Piazza del Campo, Siena

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View of Arno River from Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Venice May/June 2009 53

Getting lost, unknown street in Siena, somewhere near the Duomo

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While wandering flea market and buy through Florence’s some old wine twisting alleys glasses used by and wide piazzas, Stefano and his first maps are about as wife, Marcella. important as washer fluid. I mean, you Although, while Getting found, some random street in Florence need it sometimes, exploring, stay on but not really. I’ll be foot. I’m a huge the first one to tell you not to solely rely on conventional fan of anything motorized, but don’t be tempted by the travel advice. Yes, see the major sites, but don’t let that shiny Vespas and three-wheeled trucks. You cannot learn dictate your entire trip. Throw away the map (or at least to drive in the city. You will die, or at least run into one pocket it). Get lost. Indulge yourself in the city. Let the of the many men trying to sell you fake Gucci bags and alleys, piazzas and random gelaterias suck you in deep. “watercolors” of the Ponte Vecchio. Getting lost on foot is Find that occasional, only-on-a-third-Sunday-of-the-month the only way to truly find the city.

The Bustling San Lorenzo Market.

May/June 2009 55

Above: Vendors sell art along pretty much any street the police aren’t on. Below: Many piazzas set up attractions during the busy months of the summer. Right: In many cities, streets are roadways for cars and people. Walk with caution.

Far Right: Sunrise over the Arno River.

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May/June 2009 57

Musician on Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Dining al fresco, Florence

Biking the perimeter wall in Lucca 58 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Waiting musicians in Piazza Navona, Rome

Pantheon, Rome

If you are planning your own trip to Europe, I have a tried and true school of thought when it comes to traveling within a country: Stay put, but take day trips. The best way to truly embrace a city is by immersing yourself in it. Don’t go to Rome for two days and leave. Stay put, enjoy the finer parts aside from the Pantheon. While in Florence, take a

Reflection pool, Florence

day trip off the beaten path to Lucca, a little town to the west. Spend time outside a trattoria listening to musicians and enjoying the house red. Try to speak Italian, even if it just means adding a vowel to the end of an English word.

Ditch the fanny pack and get lost. Ciao! n

The Fountain of Neptune, Piazza Navona, Rome May/June 2009 59

The

Idiat and the

Searching for International Georgia A Quest by Harlan Hambright/H2O Creative Group

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Odd-yssey

Spain, Bermuda, Scotland, Jerusalem, Amsterdam, Rome, Sweden, the Isle of Wight–so many destinations on the list of “places to visit before you die.” International travel may be difficult right now, however, owing to the state of the economy, but there is, luckily, a way to visit all these places and many more–Queensland, Cairo, Milan–without a passport and without even leaving the state of Georgia! As a public service, I recently visited most of Georgia’s international hot-spots and report the results here to whet your appetite and give you alternate opportunities for travel to some of the most romantic spots on Earth, and all within a day’s drive of the Golden Isles. (These are tips and recommendations your travel agent will never suggest to you.)

May/June 2009 61

The

Idiat and the Odd-yssey

H

aving learned of the surprisingly large number

of towns, burgs and communities named for

foreign places within the state, the temptation for a journey “around the world” is just too great, so it is decided–I am going on an odd-yssey. Since I have borrowed the title from the tales written of a previous explorer, it is only fitting that I pay homage by beginning my journey, symbolically at least, from an appropriate location: Homerville, a modest south Georgia village. (Homerville-get it?)

Forgive me, dear reader, for not reporting this account in dactylic hexameter–I have a hard enough time getting a cogent sentence cobbled together. And I rather doubt that my little project will rise to the level nor achieve the status of Odysseus’ adventures. I frankly hope not to encounter a Cyclops nor be shipwrecked repeatedly, I don’t leave a dog behind, and the only siren song I anticipate hearing would be

by Harlan Hambright, world traveler (First in a series)

the occasional fire truck or ambulance, but the possibilities of the unknown beckon, so with an unbridled spirit of adventure, I cast off from Homerville, leaving it in my wake at a speed of nearly 60 miles per hour, with a course set straight for Spain.

One would never accidentally find ones self in Spain, Georgia.

It is hard enough to find even if you’re looking for it, which the normal person would not. But as I reluctantly progress down a dirt road just after sunup, in fog, I imagine an iconic image for Spain. The first thing that comes to mind is the bullfight. I finally arrive at the intersection that my Gazetteer indicates as Spain.

The irony is palpable. The only characteristic differentiating Spain from the past five miles of south Georgia is a field full of cows, with a bull present no less. And it is plain. And rain is falling. If this is an indication of how this trip is going to be, I am giddy with excitement. Giddy. I shoot the bull, then

Spain

The iconic image of Spain would have to be the bull fight.

That would of course be out of the question, but I was hoping to find a bull, or at least a few cows in our Spain.

As it happens, that is just about all there is there, and it was mainly raining to boot.

Previous page: The bucolic landscape of Limerick 62 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Cairo

head on my way–there is much ground to cover.

Top photograph: Just a few of the many pyramids to be found in and about Cairo.

Unidentifiable hieroglyphics frame a view of a seemingly abandoned industrial section of downtown Cairo, above.

Spain to Cairo. Course set. (More dirt roads.) What do you look for in Cairo?

Pyramids, of course. It happens again, just like in Spain–as I enter Cairo, everything looks like pyramids! It must be serendipity. Gable-end roofs lined up, dormer windows stacked up, triangles everywhere, all screaming to have their picture taken. The famous sports persons, Jackie Robinson and Teresa Edwards, are from Cairo. (I was going to interject here that Mr. Robinson was the first Egyptian to play Major League baseball, but it would be misinterpreted in this era of political correctness, so I leave the joke out.) Festivals dedicated to rattlesnakes, mules and antique cars are held here annually. The town was named for either its counterpart in Egypt or Illinois and has a strange connection to the famous syrup if only owing to the mispronunciation of its name. It does not take long to photograph the pyramids, in any case, so off we go to the next stop: Amsterdam.

May/June 2009 63

A sampling of the diverse entertainment opportunities in Cairo.

If you’re interested in seeing canals or red light districts, the Amsterdam in Georgia is not for you. Let me be frank, if you’re interested in seeing anything, Amsterdam, Georgia is not for you. In its heyday, the late 1800s and early 1900s, Amsterdam was the largest singly-held tobacco plantation in the whole world, and had, at one time, a population of 450.

Today, it can’t be far into the double digits if that.

The only tourist attraction, appropriately denoted with a “no trespassing” sign, is an abandoned diner or club.

An actual, if oblique connection is that one Eagle Bill (1942-2005), a native of rural Georgia who invented the vaporizer, an alternative technology for partaking of cannibis products, was for over a decade himself an actual exhibit at the Hemp, Hash & Marijuana Museum located at Oudezijdsachterburgwal 148, Amsterdam, but unfortunately it’s the one in the Netherlands.

German cities are not far off, so I trudge on, disappointed, seeking adventure.

Left, an unusual collection of architectural styles collected on Cairo’s main downtown thoroughfare.

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Amsterdam

Don’t go to Amsterdam looking for canals and a red light district. Amsterdam, Georgia was at one time the largest singleowned tobacco plantation in the world and in the early 1900s had 450 residents. They may have dined in the no star, no diamond establishment above.

Amsterdam’s main residential district.

Agriculture is thriving in Amsterdam.

May/June 2009 65

Berlin

It does not take too long to explore the entirety of downtown Berlin, unless you want to see remnants of The Wall, which I could not locate as I was on a tight schedule. Or perhaps it’s totally cleaned up by now. The Berlin Diner, above, may not be that good a place to get some Sauerbraten and a Pilsner.

Technology peeks out from behind a modest shed near the spot where President Ronald Reagan famously implored, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this store!”

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Berlin’s modest shopping district.

First stop: Berlin. According to the Web site, berlin. georgia.gov, there is a festival in October, but it’s not even in Berlin. It is in far-off Moultrie which is beyond the scope of this present venture. I explore downtown Berlin nonetheless and am not disappointed. I can now say in all sincerity, “Ich bein ein Berliner.”

Hanover is a short drive up the Autobahn, or US 84 depending on the route you choose.

My sources report that Hanover is the site of the second

largest

Oktoberfest.

Unfortunately,

my

brief visit was in March, near St. Patrick’s Day, so I missed the festivities. All that was visible to the casual observer was a small cluster of green, empty, uninspired buildings decorated with yellow bollards.

Certainly Ireland has more to offer this time of year.

May/June 2009 67

Hanover

Hanover is home to the second largest Oktoberfest, probably not held in the facility pictured above.

Killarney

I leave the German region and head for Killarney. I am excited: it’s the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day and the real Killarney is known as a party town! Georgia’s does not share this distinction, however, unless the cattle I saw there get crazy after sundown.

It seems to be but one farm–a very nice farm–and an appropriately-hued green, if abandoned, house. The hopefully greener pastures of Cuba beckon.

In spite of supposed restrictions, I manage to get into Cuba easily and am not impeded in any way with my documentary endeavors. I chat with a friendly local who, while quite fluent in English, cannot tell me how Cuba got its name. He refers me to some more longtime residents of the area nearby, but my heavy schedule does not allow dillydallying, so I press on towards Damascus.

An appropriately-hued, if uninviting home in the party town of Killarney.

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It and other exciting destinations will be featured in future installments of this column. In the meantime, may the road rise to meet you and don’t let the screen door hit you in the backside as you leave. n

Cuba

In spite of harsh travel restrictions imposed by the State Department, I had no problem getting in and out of Cuba.

What to actually do there was another matter altogether; Presbyterians seem to run the place (above), and there was not a cigar to be found.

All photographs Š2009 Harlan Hambright May/June 2009 69

Do not pass by my epitaph, traveler.

But having stopped, listen and learn, then go your way.

There is no boat in Hades, no ferryman Charon, No caretaker Aiakos, no dog Cerberus.

All we who are dead below Have become bones and ashes, but nothing else.

I have spoken to you honestly, go on, traveler, Lest even while dead I seem loquacious to you.

– Roman Tombstone

photos by

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Debbie Curran

Here lies proof that death is indeed the ultimate adventure, tombstones that speak of those who came from elsewhere but entered eternal rest here. Were they immigrants or merely itinerants whose thoughts of just passing through ended with their passing and being planted here forever, ashes and dust mixing with salty loam? Dead men tell no tales, except with their epitaphs. The imagination is inspired to lively flights pondering those ageless letters etched in stone and all that is left unsaid.

May/June 2009 71

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May/June 2009 73

TheSadBoys

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Story by

Bob Dart

I

t was a Monday night in September of 1961 and we were huddled in a hole behind a tabby house somewhere on St. Simons Island. Dressed in white tennis shoes, blue jeans and red T-shirts with the Greek letters Sigma Alpha Delta on the fronts, we were a dozen or so sophomore boys in our first weeks at Glynn Academy. Now fear replaced the pride we felt only days before when we received the engraved bids that brought us to this foreboding spot.

We watched as two seniors slipped out early from the meeting in the tabby house. Each carried a paddle shaped like a cloverleaf.

“Gielow,” demanded one.

Russell Gielow, an Island boy, scrambled from the hole.

“Grab your ankles,” came the order. Gielow obeyed and I swear it looked like smoke came from his jeans when the resounding “Whap!” was delivered to his rear end. In historical perspective, the smoke was probably just dust from where we had been sitting.

“Dart,” said the other senior, a defensive tackle on the Red Terrors football team.

“Dart? I didn’t even know he knew my name,” my mind screamed as my shaking legs somehow propelled me from the hole.

“Grab your ankles.”

Bending over, I began my initiation into the SAD Boys.

From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, the SAD Boys – members of Sigma Alpha Delta Fraternity – were part of teen-aged life of Glynn County. SAD Boy Sweetheart Balls were legendary with music provided by headliners ranging from Otis Redding to Roy Orbison to the Drifters. House parties were occasionally wild but always well attended. Spring Break trips to Daytona Beach and Myrtle Beach fueled lifelong exaggeration. Girls of Glynn wore

SAD Fraternity pins as proudly as they did “G Jackets” as symbols of “going steady.” And SAD Boys, which was pronounced simply as “sad boys,” were forever cool, at least in our own estimation.

This was a time of racial segregation. Glynn Academy was the white public high school for the county and Risley High was the African American one.

There were three fraternities and three sororities made up of Glynn Academy students but not sanctioned by the school during this era.

“I was a charter member” of the Sad Boys, says Richard Lyons, a retired vice president of King and Prince Seafood. “We were a closeknit group. A lot of us remain friends today.”

In a sense, the SAD Boys of Glynn Academy were sort of like Skull and Bones of Yale. Members have gone on to achievement and prominence in this community and beyond but SAD Boy affiliation has rarely turned up on their resumes or obituaries. Retired Superior Court Judge James Tuten was a SAD Boy, as were his brothers, architect Johnny Tuten and builder Ernie Tuten. Bankers Jimmy Gash, Jack Hartman, Mel Baxter and Gene Haskins were SAD Boys. So were attorneys Jim and Ernest Gilbert and Bob Killian, seafood industry icon Jack

May/June 2009 75

Kilgore, my brothers Bill and Don Dart, Richard Armstrong, Jock Williams and Howard Browning, community activist Jeff Kilgore, former politicians Freddy Tullos and Buddy Knight, teacher Stewart Pittman, and business moguls Bubba Timbes, Ken Tollison, Ben Grantham, Robert Jenkins, Mike Clements and Donnie McCaskill.

Fred Pilgrim, first president of the Glynn Academy Alumni Association, was a SAD Boy.

Some of Glynn Academy’s most storied football players were SAD Boys. Jimmy Dix. Johnny Pittman. Tash Van Dora. Johnny Tullos. So was baseball star Tommy Cason.

But many SAD Boys of yore are grandfathers of today – our adventures and misadventures now shadows obscured by fogs of time and discretion. Except for the girls of the Pirates, the fraternities and sororities died as the county’s students were divided between Glynn Academy and Brunswick High. Many former SAD Boys – Henry Moss, Marc Hartman, Thorny True, Billy Cullens, Frank Kilgore, Danny Linkenhoker, Paul Weston, Spencer Deen, to name a few – have died. So, before the rest of us expire to that Great Olive Race in the sky, maybe it’s time to tell some of our stories:

Sigma Alpha Delta began in 1957, says Gash, who was a freshman member then. The pin was designed with symbolic Spade, Ace and Diamond (SAD) from a deck of cards and a “Sad Face” from the Greek theater symbol of

tragedy. The paddles were shaped like Clubs in a deck of cards. Henry Moss was the first president. He died in 2008 while serving as the mayor of Ridgeland, S.C.

The first Sweetheart Ball as held on September 21, 1957, at the Crane House on Jekyll. The Emma Kelly Band of Statesboro played.

Tickets cost $1.50 a couple.

“We had annual Spring Break trips to Daytona,” says Gash. “We had house parties on Jekyll at the Crane House.”

These traditions, with changes in locations, prices and dates, would continue throughout the SAD Boy era.

The Sweetheart Balls became more elaborate through the years.

My sophomore year, 1961-1962, the Sweetheart Ball was held at the King & Prince Hotel with music by Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers. The band’s lead singer

Sweethearts Anne Johnny Tuten

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Crews

and

was Otis Redding.

Roy Orbison played at our Sweetheart Balls my junior and senior years. The events were held at the Aquarama on Jekyll to handle the much larger crowds.

Phil Walden, then in his early 20s, booked these bands for us out of Macon. Of course, Walden went on to launch Capricorn Records and discover the Allman Brothers Band.

In the spring of 1963, a group of SAD Boys hiked to Jacksonville to promote the Sweetheart Ball. “It was me, Billy Welch, Allyn Wraggs, Paul Weston and I don’t remember who all else,” says Jesse Tullos, the recently retired editor of the Georgetown (S.C.) Times. “Fiftymile hikes to create publicity were sort of a fad then.”

By the time they neared Jacksonville, the marchers were being covered by reporters from WAPE “Big Ape” radio and Jacksonville TV stations.

“They were all interviewing us,” says Tullos. “But when we called back to tell people, they told us that we were in trouble because we’d been seen on TV by Mr. Warren and Mr. Lee (the principal and vice principal of Glynn Academy). We were skipping school and thought for sure we’d be suspended when we got back.”

Instead, they got a congratulatory telegram from Congressman Russell Tuten, a Georgia Democrat and father of SAD Boys, and they never heard a word from school administrators.

Throughout the fraternity’s

existence, raising money was a frequent activity. We had sock hops and car washes. And many weekends, we had bake sales, often going door-to-door.

Our mothers cooked countless cakes, pies and brownies for us to sell. But we were shameless and would buy cakes for $3 from the bakery beside Walgreens in the old Glynn Plaza, put them on a returnable plate from home, and sell them for $6 as made by mom.

I remember once taking a chocolate layer cake from the bakery to Kay Perry’s house in Riverside and telling her mother that it had been made by the mother of Glynn Youngner, a fellow SAD Boy.

“I know Flo Youngner is a good cook,” said Mrs. Perry as she bought the cake. We might have gotten away with the ruse if we had bothered to take off the cardboard from the cake bottom before putting it on a plate from Glynn’s house.

Bids to join the SAD Boys were delivered the first week of school.

Membership in selective organizations is always a subjective and controversial matter. Family wealth or prominence was never a qualification for the SAD Boys, however. We were sons of shift workers at the pulp mill and Hercules as well as sons of doctors, lawyers and business leaders.

Many SAD Boys were leaders in student government, scholars and athletes at Glynn but others were just guys who liked to hang out together.

After accepting a bid, prospective members became “rats” during an initiation period of several weeks. Rats wore the red T-shirts always – keeping them beneath their oxford-cloth, button-down collar shirts during school with only a patch of the red showing at the neck.

The dark side of the SAD Boys was the beating of rats. It says a lot about the adolescent need to belong and the testosterone levels of teen-aged boys The SAD Boys identified: Page 74, from left – Paul Weston Allyn Wraggs Johnny Tuten Johnny Tullos Donnie McCaskill Jim Gilbert Jesse Tullos Spencer Deen

that we endured and inflicted such pain.

“I recall members who took pride in breaking paddles on our behinds and Jimmy Dix, the toughest guy I ever knew in high school, who wouldn’t hit any of us,” says Jim Gilbert, senior vice president and general counsel of the Sea Island Company.

Dix, a Glynn football star who went on to play at the University of Georgia, was SAD Boy sergeant-at-arms for two years running.

But there was humor during initiation, too. One rat gained lifelong notoriety when a foam rubber pad was found inside his jeans. The Olive Race was another ritual. For a description, well, ask an old SAD Boy. I’ll only say that Donnie Revels won and I lost when we were rats. I still regret not practicing.

The SAD Boys were still going strong in 1969 when I, at the age of 22, was home on leave after graduating from Florida State and being drafted into the Army. I was heading to Vietnam. My brother, Don, was a senior preparing for the Sweetheart Ball. “I was thinking that I kinda look like Bob and he won’t need his driver’s license in Vietnam,” Don told me decades later. So he took my driver’s license out of my wallet while I was asleep to use as a fake ID for himself.

“I remember Bob telling our parents, ‘I can’t understand how I just lost my driver’s license and nothing else is missing,’” Don says.

Using my ID, my 17-year-old brother bought booze for SAD Boys who wanted it and stashed it at various places inside the Aquarama for them to find at the start of the dance. By the end, many of them were onstage singing with the bands – the Dixie Cups and Spyder Turner.

The thing about the SAD Boys was that we were seldom sad. n

Page 75, from left – James Tuten Freddy Tullos Jeff Kilgore Jack Kilgore Glynn Youngner Tash Van Dora Henry Moss Bubba Timbes

Jan Stevens and Andy Tipaldos

Page 76, from left – Billy Welch Marc Hartman Fred Pilgrim Jack Hartman Jimmy Gash Billy Cullens Ernest Gilbert Bob Dart May/June 2009 77

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Downtown Brunswick A Happening Place on First Fridays

By J.M. Lacey

When the 5 o’clock end of the work day approaches, shops close and the streets grow quiet as people head home.

But on the first Friday of every month, a change takes place in downtown Brunswick. Retailers keep their doors open and beckon customers. Music streams down the cozy streets as local bands strum their guitar strings and singers bellow out jazzy tunes. Instead of streets emptying, streams of people fill the sidewalks and the streets are lined with cars. From the very young to the more mature set, it is not unusual to see 200 to 300 people on this night.

During the event, aptly referred to as “First Fridays,” local merchants keep their doors open for a few more hours, allowing customers to shop and sample hors d’oeuvres donated by local restaurants. Since First Fridays began in August 2006, it has grown into the monthly social event of the downtown area.

Emmitt Nolan, program manager of Main Street with the Brunswick Downtown Development Authority, says First Fridays during the months of September through February were better than the previous eight months.

“We’re getting a real consistent crowd,” he says. “Everything is pretty much packed downtown.”

Local merchants agree that First Fridays affords an opportunity for community spirit and exposure for the local shops.

“There’s some energy with what we can do to help each other to be successful,” says Marcia Stutz, owner of Hattie’s Books. “The more of us that are successful, the better the whole area is going to be.”

Marcia says she always does well with sales on First Fridays, but even if she didn’t, she feels the event is a “valuable marketing tool” for businesses and allows customers a unique occasion to

see what the downtown has to offer.

At a time when there seems to be no end in sight for the worsening economy, causing many people to look closer to home for enjoyable things to do, the downtown is blossoming with creative ideas. First Fridays is a chance to check out the wares in one’s own neighborhood when one might not otherwise have the time during a typical 9-to-5 work day.

Alice Furtado, owner of Beauty and Skin, feels the downtown area has “come a long way” in the last 10 years and has grown even more in the last couple of years since she has been open on Newcastle Street. “In 1997, the downtown was nothing,” she says.

Now the downtown has “a lot to offer,” and is “the place to go.”

Shortly after Marcia took over ownership of Hattie’s in October 2005, she began chatting with another local merchant, Ian Kaszans of Kazuma May/June 2009 79

Gallery (no longer in business), about an event similar to First Fridays called the Gallery Hop that was popular in Columbus, Ohio, from where Stutz relocated.

“And so we thought, we can do something like that, probably on a much smaller scale.” She explains downtown Brunswick had done something similar a few years earlier, but the idea fizzled. Though the plan for First Fridays was met with a bit of resistance because of the earlier attempts, she says, she and Ian tried it anyway and then eventually, the Lady in White bridal shop joined them. Soon, other merchants began to participate, such as Color Me Happy and Ned Cash Jewelers. The merchants worked together on cross marketing to increase visibility. For example, Marcia displayed some of her books on boating in the window at Ned Cash Jewelers with the jeweler’s Tide clocks and she put some of their Tide clocks in her book boating section, a move that sparked interest in the two businesses among patrons.

When True Vine Wine and Gourmet opened last fall and joined the First Fridays event, three other businesses, including Hattie’s, Ned Cash and Inspirations, began the “He Said Beer She Said Wine” tour, based on the book “He Said Beer; She Said Wine: Impassioned Food Pairings to Debate and Enjoy — From Burgers to Brie and Beyond” by Marnie Old and Sam Calagione (DK Publishing, 2008).

Marcia says the purpose of the wine tour is to offer “tastings of different kinds of wine and different kinds of beer with the same foods. Most people wouldn’t think about a beer tasting,” she adds, “but this is quite a beer community.” She feels the tour offers some good exposure for people to taste wine and beer with savories or sweets.

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Brian and Sara Green, owners of True Vine Wine, conduct the “He Said Beer She Said Wine” tasting.

Now, roughly 22 businesses participate in First Fridays, including art galleries, restaurants and other retailers, and the list of participating merchants continues to grow as new shops move into the area and open their doors.

Most of the establishments offer specials during the event. Art galleries use the opportunity for exhibition openings; restaurants offer drink and dinner specials; and retailers offer discounts and other sales specials. The Ritz Theatre usually has an art opening and a live performance. Hattie’s Books has had local authors at the store for book signings.

Many of the retailers remain open until 8 p.m. and the restaurants remain open even later.

Alice says she has had mixed results with the event, which she says is due mostly to her location. She feels that since many of the merchants are concentrated toward the center of Gloucester and Newcastle streets, she tends to “not get the traffic.”

“There’s nothing between us and the center, except closed offices,” she explains. Alice’s shop is located near Market on Newcastle and the area is not as well lit as is the center of town. However, she is optimistic as the longer days of summer approach and she hopes the specials she is offering, such as her free hand treatments, will bring more people through her door.

Alice does feel that the concept for First Fridays is a good thing and people are seeing that the downtown area is a fun destination.

Marcia says some months for sales are better than others. She added that the First Fridays event in December 2008 was her second biggest sale day since she has owned Hattie’s.

Tyler Roberson, owner of Pranzo Portside, says she takes in double the amount during First Fridays events than she makes on other Fridays. “It’s always busy” on First Fridays, she says. “People are waiting in line to be seated.”

Emmitt was apprehensive about First Fridays in January because it was the day after New Year’s.

“I didn’t think there was going to be that many people out,” he says, “but it turned out to be okay.”

“We’ve all had months that we haven’t had as many people in or maybe the sales aren’t quite what we want them to be,” Marcia says of the area merchants. But because people are out in the downtown, they are finding stores they didn’t even know were in the area. “I didn’t know you were here” or “I didn’t know the store was so big,” are comments Marcia says she often hears. And, she adds, the patrons that do come in during First Fridays are always different people.

As the buzz of First Fridays continues to circulate, Brunswick residents are not the only ones who check out the merchants or

First Fridays Participating businesses are listed below and more continue to join the event. Check out specials many of them offer on First Fridays.

Antiques Brown’s Antiques 1330 Newcastle St. 265.6099 Ongoing First Fridays—Sales and discounts Art & Art Galleries Art Downtown / Gallery 209 209 Gloucester St. 262.0628 artdowntowngallery209.com Ongoing First Fridays—Meet the artists; Special Exhibition Opening; Wine with light hors d’oeuvres Artsy Studio & Gallery 1426A Newcastle St. 267.4738 iloveartsy.com May 1—1st Annual Student Art Show June 5 and July 3—2nd Annual Summer Camp Color Me Happy Pottery 1426 Newcastle St. 554.1900 colormehappypottery.com Ongoing First Fridays—Ladies’ Night (kid-free zone!)

“Chick Flicks & Paint Chips”—popcorn, pizza, chocolate, BYOB and create art Inspirations 1413 Newcastle St. 265.5667 Ongoing First Fridays—“He Said Beer She Said Wine” Tour

Dining Cargo Portside Grill 1423 Newcastle St. 267.7330 cargoportsidegrill.com Ongoing First Fridays—Live music, Drink and Dinner specials Fox’s Pizza Den 1429 Newcastle St. 265.4490 foxspizza.com Ongoing First Fridays—Spaghetti and lasagna specials Jim’s Corner Café & Dessert Bar 1312 Newcastle St. 267.5630 Pearl 1401 Newcastle St. 265.0111 pearlrestaurant.us Ongoing First Fridays—Free glass of wine with dinner

Pranzo Portside 1430 Newcastle St. 466.0131 pranzoonline.com Ongoing First Fridays—Live music, chef’s special, tapas menu

Shopping Beauty & Skin 1616 Newcastle St. 554.1616 beautyandskininc.com May 1—Free Hand Treatments (exfoliation/massage/hydration) and Hand Product Specials June 5—Sun Care and Body Products Specials Ongoing First Fridays—Special sales and discounts; refreshments Chic Couture 1422 Newcastle St. 267.0700 Ongoing First Fridays—Discounts City Music 1409 Newcastle St. 280.0034 city-music.com Ongoing First Fridays—Live music, Incentives and Discounts Hattie’s Books 1531 Newcastle St. 554.8677 hattiesbooks.net Ongoing First Fridays—“He Said Beer She Said Wine” Tour Lady in White Bridal 1521 Newcastle St. 264.6961 Market on Newcastle 1624 Newcastle St. 554.7909 Ned Cash Jewelers 1418 Newcastle St. 264.0012 nedcashjewelers.com Ongoing First Fridays—“He Said Beer She Said Wine” Tour Spaulding’s Fine Menswear 1428 Newcastle St. 262.6447 Ongoing First Fridays—Sales and discounts True Vine Wine & Gourmet 1523 Newcastle St. 280.0380 Ongoing First Fridays—“He Said Beer She Said Wine” Tour

Theater Ritz Theatre 1530 Newcastle St. 262.6934 goldenislesarts.org Ongoing First Fridays—Art openings and Performances May/June 2009 81

Compassionate Care for Terminally ill Patients and Their Families A non-profit Hospice organization serving Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Brantley and Charlton Counties since 1981 In-Patient Care In-Home Care Long-Term Care Bereavement Services & Programs

912-265-4735 866-275-6801

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82 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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grab a bite to eat during the event. Residents from St. Simons Island and Darien have been known to travel to the downtown area.

“I have a couple of cookbook clubs here,” says Marcia, “and a number of those people are from St. Simons Island and they do come for First Fridays events.”

Emmitt has been able to book local bands to play in the squares and provide entertainment. Cargo Portside Grill, Pranzo Portside, City Music and other merchants usually have musicians perform live outside on the street or inside for their patrons.

In February, as Marcia was leaving her shop, she says the music was still playing.

“It was probably about a quarter to nine.

There were a lot of people in the street, so I think [the music] has really helped to bring attention down here.”

Emmitt feels First Fridays continues to get better as new restaurants open and patrons come to the downtown area simply to enjoy the parks and streetscapes. He adds that he would like to see artists feel comfortable setting up their easels in the many parks the downtown has to offer.

“This is not a destination shopping place,” he says, but the First Fridays event has been successful. “People see the other shops [in the area] and come back.”

“The businesses here are owned by local people trying to make a living,” says Alice.

“People come down here to support us. It helps the community.”

“I guess my thought on [the event] is that it’s two more hours than I would normally stay open,” says Alice. But to her, the additional time and some added expense for the refreshments is for a greater cause. “The real purpose” for First Fridays, she says, “is for people to know that [merchants] are here and to come and shop with us.” n

saving m ney

by Julie Custer Altman

N

Now is a great time to buy just about anything, if you have cash money. For those whose wealth was tied to the real estate and stock markets, now is still a great time to buy, but with care.

With so many deals out there it isn’t difficult to be a savvy shopper, but with so much economic uncertainty, most everyone is looking for new ways to stretch a dollar. Here are a few ways we’ve found to save without looking like you scrimped.

Coupon Consultant

Whether you have small children in diapers or growing teens, groceries tend to be the largest expenditure for the average American family after housing expenses.

Like many others in this uncertain time, Lisa Sadie Newton lost her job after many years with a local company. Realizing she needed to do something to reduce her household expenses, the family grocery bill seemed the place to start. Not content to just clip coupons from the Sunday

paper and with time to devote to this endeavor, Lisa researched and developed methods and techniques to stretch her dollar. Sifting through the sheer numbers of coupon tool Web sites made her realize what an overwhelming amount of information was out there. Information was available, but not organized in a useful and time efficient manner.

Targeting her methods to meet her shopping needs, she began realizing significant savings and sharing her tips and techniques with family members. Suddenly friends and acquaintances were clamoring for tips, as well. Lisa knew that in these trying times everyone wanted to reduce expenses, but did not have the time to devote to research and to refining shopping techniques, thus www.savingswithsadie.com was born.

Lisa’s blog is a well designed, easy to navigate Web site with links to other sites including additional coupon and shopping sites and soon to include a wine feature. The tone is chatty and friendly, filled with usable

pertinent information. Not only is Lisa’s blog a success, but her classes on savings and shopping techniques are in constant demand.

Locally, “Savingswithsadie” classes are regularly filled and Lisa is now traveling throughout South Georgia in response to requests for training sessions on her tried and true shopping techniques.

Frugal Fashionistas

Another area that lends itself easily to reduced spending is the clothing budget. There are many deals to be had on the Internet, but what kinds of savings can be found locally without sacrificing quality for price? Entre Nous Boutique located at 1505 Newcastle Street in downtown Brunswick is a gold mine for quality clothing at reasonable prices.

Window shoppers get an eyeful before entering the store. Entre Nous merchandises the old-fashioned way, with an attractive window display that mixes alluring wedding gowns with cute spring pieces punctuated

May/June 2009 83

Lisa Sadie Newton www.savingswithsadie.com

84 Goldenislesmagazine.com

with a well placed, to-die-for crocodile handbag.

Inside, accessories and shoes are attractively displayed on shelves above the clothes and on antique tables. The red Prada slip-ons among the Coach and Cole Haan handbags called to me immediately. How do you resist such temptation?

(Especially at a price well below retail.)

Clothing is grouped according to style and in some cases by brand. St. John is in one section, Talbots in another to facilitate one’s search for the perfect outfit.

The six-year-old shop attributes its success to providing personalized customer service and quality garments and accessories. The success of Entre Nous Boutique showcases the hidden opportunities waiting to be found in today’s economy. Even the most frugal fashionista will find it difficult to walk out of the store empty handed.

In the past drivers would opt to purchase a new vehicle as opposed to paying $1,000 for a repair. In this climate that repair looks more attractive than a $400 car payment for 60 months.

Additionally auto parts supply stores have seen an increase in sales as well. In a time when many stores are cutting their hours of operation, the NAPA Auto Parts store on Community Road is now open seven days a week as more people are opting for the do-it-yourself type approach to small repairs. Many times the high cost of the repair bill is attributed to labor. With direction

from the internet as well as from informed sales staff, a driver can purchase and replace her own signal lamp instead of paying someone else to do it.

Everyone wants to save money and stretch their budget. Whether we are discussing the grocery budget, car repair or wardrobe there is a way to achieve your desired economic goal and reduce spending. Residents in the Golden Isles evaluate their options whether starting a new business or figuring out ways to economize and realize significant savings in the process. n

Collateral Deals

The times are driving more people to pawn shops, and not all are down on their luck.

“We’re seeing more shoppers,” says Brad Attaway at Mr. Pawn Depot on Community Road in Brunswick.

Those budget-minded consumers seek everything from jewelry to yard equipment to musical instruments. You can find a complete set of golf clubs, an electronic keyboard, windowunit air conditioners and even boat motors. The downturn in the housing market has brought a flood of construction equipment, hand and power tools, Attaway says.

“We have a larger location off (U.S. Highway) 341. You never know what you’re going to find in there – jet skis, boats, riding mowers,” Attaway says.

The shop makes 30-day loans on pawned goods, and Attaway says fewer people are returning to buy their things back. The shop pays based on the condition of an item, the rarity of it and how many the shop has in stock already.

Get an Overhaul

Local mechanics say they have seen an increase in customers who want to spend a little additional money on vehicle upkeep rather than taking on a new car payment. Regular vehicle maintenance such as timely oil changes, new air and fuel filters in addition to any needed repairs can keep your vehicle running longer and more efficiently, saving you time and money in the long run.

May/June 2009 85

Vegas Vacation Story and Photos by

Jan Lane Harper

86 Goldenislesmagazine.com 86 Goldenislesmagazine.com

W

When the times are tough, the tough get going, and that’s just what my husband John and I did. Alas, the stock market was down, but so were the prices of airline tickets and hotel rooms. It was a good time to travel, so we stopped newspaper and mail deliveries, packed our suitcases, and boarded a plane traveling west to see the sights.

We didn’t miss much. We strolled the avenues of Hollywood, paying homage to lions, real and gilded, and we walked the streets of New York, sampling deli menus. Then on to Venice where we rode a gondola, enjoyed a scoop of gelato, marveled at the architecture of St. Mark’s Square, and were entertained by statuesque mimes, frozen in poses yet welcoming photo ops. In Paris, we rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower. In Egypt, we were welcomed by the sphinx guarding entrance into the pyramid, and there was a brief stop in Monte Carlo. Along the way, we saw erupting volcanoes, vicious sharks, dancing waters and skin – alive and preserved (but more about that later!). This journey’s destination was actually Mandalay Bay where we enjoyed sunny days on a sandy beach with predictably lapping waves. In reality, those waves were created in a man-made wave pool, and all these sights were geographically within a mile or two of one another on one amazing street, Las Vegas Boulevard, familiarly

called “The Strip.”

Capturing the essence of Las Vegas is somewhat like trying to describe the ever-changing patterns of a kaleidoscope. It’s a microcosm of the world, replicating historic landmarks and capturing the glamour of some of this planet’s amazing wonders, natural and man-made. Here, the heartbeat of the city flutters with the ca-chings ringing throughout each hotel’s Casino.

People gather at gaming tables to try their luck, clapping and cheering when fate favors their bet. Their eyes light up when slots sing their repetitive songs and when jackpot lights blink above slot machines, signaling big wins requiring the attention of an attendant.

If you’re not into Casino games, you may not want to visit Las Vegas regularly, but it is a place you should experience at least once. It’s the place where the Rat Pack played and where some of the legends of the entertainment world made their names. Even now, it’s a mecca where headliners draw capacity crowds.

Of course there are big show girl productions. Sadly, Follies Bergere, a long-standing extravaganza, closed its doors in March; others, including Bally’s “Jubilee” continue. There are comedians, Louie Anderson, Rita Rudner and Carrot Top; magicians, including Lance Burton and David Copperfield; big names, Bette Midler, Cher, and Barry Manilow (all were there when we were); and

numerous masters of impersonation – Danny Gans tops that list. It’s a virtual smorgasbord of entertainment opportunities, including half a dozen Cirque du Soliel productions. The original “Mystere” has been running about 15 years, and now there’s the adult-rated sensual “Zumanity” and my favorite “O” at Bellagio, where acrobats fly from trapezes, dive into waters, and demonstrate agility beyond description.

We had only four nights, but we made the most of them. In truth, we didn’t do all the things listed above. At least, not on this trip. I know folks who travel to Las Vegas once or twice a year.

In the past 20 years, this marked our fifth trip. We had a good time, enjoying sights and tastes, but sometimes it was just a bit much. One night, seeking refuge from the noisy cacophony emanating from the Casino in our hotel, I inquired of the doorkeeper to the Foundation Room if there were any quiet places to get away from these sounds. Graciously he offered access to this private club on the top floor. Admonishing my unacceptable dress (tennis shoes were not allowed), he suggested that I go to my room to change shoes. I not only changed shoes but also shed my jeans for a more acceptable pair of black slacks, and we gained access to the most spectacular view of The Strip imaginable.

May/June 2009 87

Kids In College Eight Weeks, June 2July 25 MondayFriday (Except June 1) 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Lunch, snacks and t-shirt included }iÃÊÈ £ÓÊUÊf£ä Ê«iÀÊÜii `ÃÊ Ê i}iÊ ÃÊ>ÊÀiVÀi>Ì > Ê`>ÞÊV> «ÊÜ Ì Ê ÕÃÌ the right mix of fun, recreation, and academicallyL>Ãi`Ê>VÌ Û Ì iÃ°Ê `ÃÊi ÞÊ>ÀÌÃÊ> `ÊVÀ>vÌÃ]Ê ` ÀÊ and outdoor games, drama and music. Profesà > Êi`ÕV>Ì ÀÃÊ« > Êi ÌiÀÌ> }Ê>VÌ Û Ì iÃÊÜ Ì Ê> Ê i « >à ÃÊ ÊÀi>` }]ÊÜÀ Ì }]ÊÃV i Vi]Ê >Ì ]Ê ÃÌ ÀÞÊ > `Ê}i }À>« Þ°Ê >V ÊÜii Ê >ÃÊ ÌÃÊ Ü ÊÌ i iÊÜ Ì Ê Ã«iV > ÊÛ Ã Ì ÀÃÊÜ ÊLÀ }ÊÌ iÊÜii ½ÃÊÌ « VÊÌ Ê vi°

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Headliners and some special exhibits come and go. I knew I could count on seeing those beautiful long-legged show girls in those big productions (although we decided to pass on this trip), but I didn’t expect to see skin without the body (which I did in that amazing exhibit called “Bodies”).

I remembered the controversy when this exhibit opened in New York City, so I was curious. Actually, these are real bodies, on loan from a Chinese medical school. The docs know all of this, but I was amazed by the intricacies of the bodies on display – the zillions of muscles and nerve endings, and blood vessels and organs and joints. As one anticipating a knee replacement, I paid special attention to that joint and to the connecting cartilage. I had spent too much time walking and standing, and my knees were really hurting – which leads me to offer some advice. You have no idea how much walking you will do in Las Vegas. Even if you take a taxi, you will still walk a lot. Once you are inside the resort, you will still cover great distances to theaters and restaurants. Just be forewarned and wear comfortable shoes. There are trams and a monorail, but all properties are designed to lure you through casinos on your way to anyplace else; just getting to the monorail entrance will require more walking.

You will want to experience the spectacular ambiance of many of these lavish properties, but I have one final suggestion. If there’s a show you want to see or an amenity you want to enjoy, stay on that property and enjoy all the perks offered at that site. On our five visits, we’ve only repeated a location once.

Next time I want to stay at the Venetian.

I just loved those statuesque mimes, especially that first one who broke his pose to wink at me as I walked past. I’ll be ready for a return visit in four or five years. n

GOLDEN ISLES DINING blackwater grill 260 Redfern Village/ St. Simons Island (912) 634-6333 Blackwater features Low Country Cajun & Southern Coastal Cuisine in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Located in Redfern Village. Open Sunday through Thursday 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm; Friday & Saturday 5:30 to 10:00 pm.

BARBERITOS 250 Golden Isles Plaza/ Brunswick 509 Ocean Blvd / St. Simons Island (912-261-2840) • (912-634-2812) Barberitos proudly serves its patrons with southwestern cuisine that is fresh and healthy! The produce arrives daily, yielding only fresh, homemade menu items to its customers including burritos, tacos, salads and more. Catering any event is our specialty! Two locations serve your area.

EL POTRO 3460 Cypress Mill Rd./ Brunswick (912) 264-1619 At EL POTRO we use only the freshest homemade salsa, chips, chile rellenos, steak and much more. Every menu item is prepared to order with the ingredients of your choosing.

We combine authentic, quality ingredients to assure that you have

the best possible dining experience at El Potro.

Fox’s Pizza Den 1435 Newcastle Street 265-4490 There is only one like us and it’s downtown! A real destination dining experience serving our hand-tossed and thick-mama crusts topped with a large variety of fresh meats, veggies and signature cheeses. Enjoy signature salads, hoagie and wedgie sandwiches, strombolis, wings and the best homemade lasagna in the area.

Large variety of wines and beers.

GNATS LANDING Redfern Village/St. Simons Island (912) 638-7378 A “Flip-Flop Friendly” environment for Beach goers and locals! Relax in and enjoy some good ole’ American fare. Menu of daily specials, fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches, fried pickles…not to mention the $8,000 Margarita…are all beyond “Beach Casual”.

JMAC’S 407 Mallery Street/St. Simons Island (912) 634 - 0403 The Best on the Georgia Coast since 1991! Regional dishes with a worldly flair. Seafood, steaks and chops incorporating the finest ingredients.

Hawaiian Butterfish, New Zealand Lamb, Diver Sea Scallops, American Red Snapper, Coastal Georgia Shrimp & All Natural Beef. Creative & innovative nightly specials! Entrees $13-$32. Full Bar & extensive wine list. Casual attire welcomed.

Reservations 912-634-0403. Mon - Sat. 6-10pm. www.jmacsislandrestaurant. com. Live Music Friday & Saturday .

LATITUDE 31 1 Pier Road/Jekyll Island (912) 635-3800 At Latitude 31 you can enjoy radiant sunsets and experience the Golden Isles’ premier dining destination. We offer the best service and finest food, in a casual atmosphere. Experience the wonders of nature at The “Rah” Bar which features Georgia Wild Shrimp, Dungeness Crab, Oysters, and our Famous Low Country Boil.

Additionally we offer seasonal entertainment.

Ole Times Country Buffet 665 Scranton Road/Brunswick (912) 264-1693 Ole’ Times Country Buffet is “Home Cookin’ the Way Mama Does It!” Voted #1 in Southern Cooking and Best Country Buffet in South Georgia and North Florida for the last 8 years running.

May/June 2009 89

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MADEIRA The Spirit of St. Simons Island and the Colonial Coast

by Ray Crook

Ah, Madeira – that grand old wine wrapped in such rich history and fascinating lore. Wrongly likened by some to sherry, the under-appreciated tangy spirit – a still, fortified, blended wine – graced the tables of both commoners and elites for hundreds of years as the drink of first choice.

Produced on the small Portuguese island of Madeira, the wine was discovered to improve with the stirring pitch and yaw of vessels sailing to America.

Exempted from England’s ban on importing foreign wines, many thousands of pipes (tapered oak casts containing 92 Imperial gallons) were delivered to Savannah and other American ports during the 18th and 19th centuries.

This wine’s fame is attached to a long list of American historical figures and monumental events. The work of the First Continental Congress was toasted with Madeira in 1775 and Francis Scott Key is said to have sipped of Madeira as he wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814.

The Declaration of Independence was signed with toasts of fine Madeiras expressly ordered for the occasion.

The inauguration of President George Washington was toasted with Madeira, as was naming the City of Washington our nation’s capital. Even the legendary U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides) was christened with a bottle of Madeira.

George Washington, John Hancock, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin were a few of the founding fathers who regaled their guests with Madeira wine.

Washington himself never drank more than one bottle 90 Goldenislesmagazine.com

a night, as historians like to say, besides the rum, punch and beer. Thomas Jefferson also cherished his Madeiras and special social gatherings – Madeira Parties – began to center around serving wine from the finest imported pipes.

Archaeologists at Monticello even have unearthed Jefferson’s specially marked decanters.

A taste for Madeira wine developed early in Savannah and on St. Simons Island. When James Oglethorpe left England in 1732 with 35 families to establish the Colony of Georgia, his ship made a detour before continuing its venture. The Ann first sailed south to the island of Madeira, where the vessel took on five tons of the wine to serve the colony.

As Savannah blossomed as a port, some merchants and their customers became quite serious about Madeira wine. Robert Habersham, beginning in 1744, exported rice and returned with Madeira wine as ballast. William Habersham built upon his father’s import business and also developed an impressive personal collection of fine old Madeira wines. Rainwater Madeira, according to its legend, was created when his order of wine was left on a Madeira beach. When its pickup was delayed by a storm, heavy rains saturated the exposed barrels. Upon delivery to Habersham, he initially objected to the diluted wine but then reconsidered and ordered more of the same. The new Rainwater variety became popular in Savannah and soon was distributed all along the Eastern Seaboard.

The Colonial figures and plantation owners of St. Simons Island all enjoyed drinking Madeira wine, their

guests regularly sending letters of apology for their over indulgence and raucous behavior. The elder Pierce Butler maintained a standing order for a pipe of Madeira’s “best old wine” and made gifts of his prestigious “Butler Madeira” to Philadelphia friends and colleagues. Among the many visitors to his Hampton Plantation was Aaron Burr, who, after killing Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel, was consoled over glasses of Madeira.

The Civil War devastated stocks of Madeira all along the southern coast. The valued and prestigious wine had become both financial and social capital to wealthy merchants and the plantation elite. Attempts were made to hide their caches, but Sher-

man’s marauding “Bummers” nevertheless found and consumed or stole nearly all the prized bottles.

Nostalgia for the bygone days of Madeira became the talk among old Southern gentlemen, but a real Madeira Party now was rare.

However, its traditions were celebrated in the 1895 publication of “A Madeira Party” by S. Weir Mitchell. The slender leather-bound book affectionately described a most social of gatherings, this one attended by a small group of fictional gentlemen with likely historical identities (including James Hamilton of St. Simons Island). Readers learn about pouring “with the sun” (clockwise), different selections being leisurely tasted, discussed and compared, and also get a sense of the

ambiance through repartee like “There is but one wine” and the reply “And his name is Madeira, of course.”

Madeira wines are known for their extraordinary longevity and are available today in several varieties and styles. It is still possible to drink the same vintages enjoyed by Pierce Butler, providing a unique opportunity to touch, taste, and smell real coastal heritage. You might consider preserving that heritage by adding some of its customs to your own traditions. You could serve, clockwise of course, a fine Madeira and ask “Are you all charged?” Then offer a traditional toast – “Here is to each other,” followed with a slight pause, “and to one other.”n

Varieties Sercial

Nutty, mellow, and dry with very little residual sugar, high-toned golden colors, subtle almond and citrus flavors, and high acidity. May have a harsh taste when young, but becomes smooth and rich with age. A favorite variety in Charleston, Savannah and the adjacent coast.

Verdelho

Rich, fruity, and a little sweeter than Sercial, with smoky notes and moderate acidity. A complex wine with nutty undertones, it becomes drier with age.

Rainwater

Varieties and Styles of Madeira Wine

Pale and medium dry, a milder version of Verdelho. This variety became popular during the 19th century in Savannah and other east coast areas.

Bual

Also rich and fruity, but less sweet than Malmsey, with a dark color and medium rich texture, rich aromas and a balance of sweetness and acidity. A favorite variety in Boston and the northeast coast.

Malmsey

Rich, dark, and full-bodied. The sweetest of Madeiras and is characterized by its dark color and rich texture, with hints of toffee and vanilla. The most famous Madeira wine globally, it became an American regional favorite in New York and the middle Atlantic coast.

Styles Finest

Wine that has been aged for at least 3 years; usually reserved for cooking. However, some – such as Leacock’s 3 year-old Rainwater – can be surprisingly good to drink.

Reserve

Designates a minimum of 5 years of aging in tanks or oak casts; may be blended from multiple vintages and usually subjected to heating (estufagem).

Special Reserve

Wines blended from multiple vintages that are naturally aged for a minimum of 10 years in the cast; aged long enough to acquire the fully distinctive Madeira aromas and tastes.

Extra Reserve A rather rare and richer style aged for over 15 years in the cast.

Harvest

Wines from a single vintage that are aged for a shorter period than true Vintage Madeira. May be labeled with a vintage date but include the word “Colheita.”

Vintage

This style must be aged in the cast for at least 20 years, followed by 2 years in the bottle before shipping. These are extremely resistant to oxidization and may be cellared, with periodic recorking, for many years.

Solera

No longer produced, but many bottles survive of vintages from around the turn of the 20th century up to 1985.

May/June 2009 91

Best of

Coastal Illustrated

In the “Best of Coastal Illustrated,” we will bring you select photographs of local events and social gatherings from the pages and files of the Coastal Illustrated. Check these pages to see who you know and what’s happening around the Golden Isles. Want to see more? You can access copies of the current Coastal Illustrated online at www.thebrunswicknews.com by clicking the Coastal Illustrated tab at the top of the home page.

SABRE “Dreamscapes” Opening Reception: Left Bank Art Gallery recently held an opening reception for a new exhibition by artist Sabre Esler. Gallery staff and patrons say it is one of the most beautiful exhibits ever held at the gallery.

1. From left, Frances McCrary, artist Sabre Esler and Dennie McCrary 2. From left, Barbara Deriso, Left Bank Gallery owner Millie Wilcox and John Kaufman 3. From left, Barbara Kraus and Duane Harris

Coastal National Artists Reception: The 22nd Annual Coastal National Juried Exhibit, co-sponsored by Glynn Art Association and Coastal Bank of Georgia, recently opened with an artists’ reception at the Glynn Art Gallery on St. Simons Island.

4. Coastal Bank of Georgia Vice Presidents Keith Crusan and Jo Ann Joubert 5. Artist Jo Elliot 6. Artist Reg Finlayson 7. Artist Randy Hodges

Wine Pairings Benefit Heart Association: Harris Teeter and “The Wine Guys” recently held a wine pairings dinner at the lovely Sea Island home of Tina and Steve Bostic. Chef Laurie Erickson prepared delicious dishes to complement South American wines. At the event, Mark Gagliano announced that the group had raised $25,132 from the pairings dinners they have been holding for approximately 16 months. All funds from these pairings are donated to the American Heart Association.

8. From left, Heath Porter, Chip Ward, Tom Delaney, Phyllis Braswell, Mark Gagliano and Tina Bostic.

9. From left, Jeff & Sarah Brzezinski, Mark Kennedy and Heather Poindexter

ECW Celebrates Successful Tour of Homes: The Christ Church Episcopal Church Women’s 2009 Tour of Homes committee gathered to celebrate a successful event at the beautiful home of Phil and Linda Allen. Nancy Goodman was introduced as the Chairman of the 2010 Tour of Homes. 2009 Tour Chair Sue Cansler presented the owners of the houses that were on the 2009 tour with artist Barbara Mueller’s sketches of their homes.

10. From left, 2009 Tour Chairman Sue Cansler, Alice Barlow, and ECW President Catherine Holt 11. From left, Barbara Bruce and Jo Ann Scott 92 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May - June

EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES | HAPPENINGS | GATHERINGS

Jazz In the Park The annual summer concert series that takes place on the lawn at the St. Simons Lighthouse marks its 20th Anniversary with a line up of performers chosen by season ticket holders. These audience selections promise entertainment from some of the top musicians in the Southeast in a variety of jazz genres. The season kicks off on May 24, with hometown favorites, The Phil Morrison Trio featuring Keith Williams. On June 21, JB Scott’s Swingin’ All Stars will bring their Chicago swing/New Orleans jazz stylings to the stage. Pack your picnic, grab your blanket and chairs and make sure you don’t miss one of the Golden Isles’ most popular events!

Details: www:goldenislesarts.org

Ongoing: The City of Savannah applauds the accomplishments and influence of its famed son by celebrating 2009 as the Johnny Mercer Centennial.

From June through August, the City squares will be filled with the sounds of Mercer’s timeless classics at noon each day. The Gallery at Center Court City Market will feature a Tribute to Johnny Mercer Art Exhibit 94 Goldenislesmagazine.com

June 1-30. On June 18 and 20, the Savannah Film Society will present special showings of the Academy Award nominated Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn film “Charade.” The film features a score by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for the title song.

Details: www. johnnymercercentennial.com

May 9-10: On Mother’s Day weekend, head to Downtown Brunswick for Mayfair.

On Saturday, the streets will be filled with live entertainment, food vendors, and an arts and crafts show. On Sunday, join the crowd at Mary Ross Park/Downtown Docks for the oldest Blessing of the Fleet ceremony in Georgia.

Details: (912)262-0628 May 10: Celebrate Historic Preservation Month at the grand reopening of Indian Mound Cottage in the Jekyll Island Historic District. Period music and Club Era characters will add a

historic touch to the ribbon-cutting festivities.

Details: www.jekyllisland.com May 15-17, 22-24, 29-31: The Island Players present their production of “Enchanted April,” a romantic comedy by Michael Barber, at the Casino Theatre on St. Simons Island. Evening performances on Friday and Saturday and matinees on Sunday.

Details: www.theislandplayers.com June 9: Orlando Montoya, award-winning journalist and news producer from Georgia Public Radio, will speak to the Hospice of the Golden Isles Auxiliary. The meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the Bereavement Room at Hospice of the Golden Isles.

Details: www. hospiceofthegoldenislesauxiliary. org June 11-14: The Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association’s 20082009 “Southern Exposure” Performing Arts Series ends its season with a play written and directed by Rob Nixon. “Heartbreak” is a comedy-drama set in a Southern coastal town in 2001 and will be staged as a multi-media production that incorporates live actors, video and music. The production will showcase the talents of a number of Golden Isles actors, including Jack Conyers and Heather Heath, and guest performer Dikran Tulaine, an Atlanta-based actor.

Details: goldenislesarts.org June 20: Celebrate the region’s GullahGeechee heritage at the Georgia Sea Islands Festival at Neptune Park on St. Simons Island. Enjoy live musical performances, food, traditional crafts and demonstrations at this festival unique to the Golden Isles.

Details: www.ssaahc.org

The New Renaissance Island Ensemble presents Vivaldi’s “Gloria”

May 11, 2009 Conducted by Dr. Kermit Breem, the arrangement features soloists Rhonda Hambright and Vanessa Mincey, a string quartet and organ accompaniment by Jan Lane Harper. The entire group and smaller ensembles will also perform madrigals and other a cappella selections. Performance is at 7:15 p.m. at St. William’s Catholic Church on St. Simons Island. Free and open to the public.

Details: (912) 638-5956

GIRLS NIGHT: THE MUSICAL May 26-31: Girls Night: The Musical comes to The Wilson Center in Jacksonville.

This “touching and hilarious ‘tell-itlike-it-is’ musical” follows the lives of a group of five female friends.

Taking place during a wild and funny karaoke night out, the show bustles with energy and is packed with every female anthem you can think of.

Details: www.artistseries.fccj.org

May/June 2009 95

partingshot

Agent provocateur

Photographed by Benjamin Galland 96 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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