Fall Line Jam Launches

Fall Line Jam Launches: Celebrating Arts and Culture in the Heart of Georgia’s Fall Line Inaugural Event Showcasing Culture of Central Georgia to be Held November 1 - 3, 2019 (SPARTA, GA) August 22, 2019 – Georgia is gaining a new festival building a bridge of sharing between the State’s urban and rural communities through film, food and music. Announced today, Fall Line Jam is a weekend festival celebrating the history, arts and culture of Middle Georgia – along Georgia’s Fall Line. The inaugural event will be held November 1-3, 2019 at three historic locations in the county and at a central stage at Elm Street Gardens and the old train depot in the seat of Hancock County, Sparta, GA. Fall Line Jam was initiated by Fall Line Press and SpartaHancock Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring the event.

The event’s name “Fall Line Jam” derives from the geological boundary or “fall line” which stretches about twenty miles wide and northeast across Georgia from Columbus to Augusta. It is a gently sloping region separating Georgia’s Piedmont region from its Coastal Plain that rapidly loses elevation from the north to the south characterized by a series of waterfalls and rapids. The festival’s home, Sparta, is situated near the fall line and lies roughly halfway between Macon and Augusta, twenty-three miles east of the old Georgia capital at Milledgeville, and sixty-five miles south of Athens.

The concept for Fall Line Jam grew out of a 2019 summer arts residency for college students, 3 Cent Studio, held this summer at the historic 3 Centuries Farm outside Sparta in Hancock County. Fall Line Jam co-founder Bill Boling is the Farm’s owner and also a healthcare attorney, fine art photographer and creator of the art book publisher, Fall Line Press. Boling co-founded 3 Cent Studio program with Georgia Tech architech Pavan Iyer to help students understand the existing context of life in rural Middle Georgia and to foster grassroots arts ideas from the community. Participants interacted closely with local residents and documented the area’s culture through drawings, photography, story-telling, architecture and film. The success of the Studio program sparked the launch of Fall Line Jam. “Fall Line Jam is meant to tell a new, evolving story of this region of Georgia,” said Boling. “It is the story of a creative community of residents surviving and thriving together in a beautiful natural environment. It is the story of genuine hospitality and resilient entrepreneurs. It is the story of strong spiritual traditions which are especially showcased in the arts and music. This project grew out of my work with the Landmark Forum and I want to acknowledge their team for sparking the energy and vision that inspired us to take on this initiative.”

Film-making has become a mainstay of Georgia’s economy and film will be a featured element at Fall Line Jam. For example, one Fall Line event will be the screening of a new documentary film about the people of Hancock County which was created by two Spelman College students who participated in 3 Cent Studio. Another film-related Fall Line Jam initiative is a screen-writing competition for Hancock County high schoolers challenged to write a short film script.

“We are fortunate that Georgia’s film industry has touched so many parts of our State including Central Georgia and Hancock County,” said Lee Thomas, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Major film stars like Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray have filmed on location in Hancock County. “We’re proud to support Fall Line Jam’s film festival component as a way to encourage the area’s talent and to showcase production that occurs in this important region of Georgia,” Thomas added.

Sistie Hudson, Chairman of the Hancock County Board of Commissioners said, “Hancock County is at the core of Georgia’s historic Fall Line region. We’re excited to host this event which will showcase the rich culture of our area. Fall Line Jam film, food, and music events will be held at several locations throughout Sparta.” In addition to film screenings at 3 Centuries Farm, activities will be held at the former Sparta Furniture Factory – now home to Sparta Mushrooms - a high-tech indoor mushroom growing operation, supplying the top restaurants in one of the food capitals of the country.

Events will also be held at the acclaimed organic farm, Elm Street Gardens, which has been featured in Southern Living for its elegant historic restoration.

For more information about Fall Line Jam, please visit http://www.falllinejam.com ## Contact: Andrew Dietz | Creative Influence | andrew at creativeinfluence.io | 404 664 7484