Connect Savannah | November 16, 2022

WEEKS

AT A GLANCE

WEDNESDAY 11/16

PARKER’S HOUSE DONATION DRIVE 2022

Oliver Maner is partnering with other local law firms to raise funds and collect supplies for Parker’s House at Union Mission. Items needed include: Personal care items (toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant) Bedding (pillows, sheets) Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels) Cleaning supplies (Swiffer products, Lysol cleaners, disinfectant wipes) Undergarments (socks, undershirts) Laundry supplies (detergent, dryer sheets) Donations of goods can be dropped off at the Oliver Maner office, 218 W. State St., during business hours. The firm will accept donations through Wednesday, Nov. 30.

MIX IT UP AT THE MOON

featuring Woodinville Whiskey Co. Featuring master mixologists and brand ambassadors from around the globe, Mix It Up at the Moon is a monthly interactive mixology class that showcases a rotating series of experts throughout the year. At the November event, guests will learn how to mix two cocktails crafted with Woodinville Whiskey Co. as well as signature dishes from the culinary team at Electric Moon. Electric Moon Skytop Lounge. Tickets: plantriverside.com

THURSDAY 11/17

ELF THE MUSICAL LIVE ON STAGE

(ONGOING) The Historic Savannah Theatre presents the Broadway stage adaptation of the hit movie which tells the lovable story of Buddy the Elf. It’s both hilarious and heartwarming, and it’s perfect for the whole family. Through Nov. 27 222 Bull St, savannahtheatre.com

NOVEMBER/16-29

HIGHLIGHTED PICKS FROM HOSTESS CITY HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK

To have your event considered for inclusion, please send an email to happenings@connectsavannah.com. Include the event name, date, time, location with address, cost, website address for additional information, and a contact number. The submission deadline is 5PM each Friday before the following Wednesday’s edition.

BINGO! AT ELKS LODGE

Join Elks Lodge for Bingo on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7-9 p.m. Enjoy great family fun, good food at the snack bar and many chances to win cash. Elks Lodge, 183 Wilshire Blvd.

FRIDAY 11/18

BLUEGRASS BY THE PINT WITH SWAMPTOOTH

Join Service Brewing for Bluegrass by the Pint every Friday featuring live bluegrass from local favorites, Swamptooth.6 p.m. Service Brewing Co., 574 Indian St. servicebrewing.com

SATURDAY 11/19

FORSYTH FARMERS MARKET

Local and regional produce, honey, meat, dairy, pasta, baked goods and other delights. Rain or shine. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Forsyth Park, Drayton St. & East Park Ave. Free to attend. forsythfarmersmarket.com

FIRE & WINE

Enjoy half off bottles of wine and fire pits in the courtyard. Purchase one of our s’mores kits (marshmallows included) for the ultimate fall experience. 6-9 p.m. Foxy Loxy Cafe, Bull St.

SUNDAY 11/20

GOSPEL SUNDAY BRUNCH

This family-friendly event features a buffet-style brunch prepared by the exceptional culinary team at Plant Riverside District as well as inspiring live performances by the Shannon LeCounte Ministries Gospel Choir. District Live at Plant Riverside District Reservations: OpenTable.com

SUNSET PARTY SUNDAY

Wrap up the weekend with a Sunday Funday Sunset Party

SAT/26 SAVANNAH BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS

on the roof. Local DJ Doc Ock, an amazing view, Long Drink and Herradura specials, and $3 Rosé all day. 6 - 9 p.m. Top Deck, 125 W. River St

MONDAY 11/21

BINGO

8 p.m., Moodright’s, 2424 Abercorn St.

TYBEE ISLAND FARMERS MARKET

Weekly market featuring a variety of produce, baked goods, honey, eggs, BBQ, sauces and dressings, popsicles, dog treats and natural body products. Pet friendly and no-smoking. Artisans are also featured each week. 4 p.m. 30 Meddin Dr., tybeeislandfarmersmarket.com

TUESDAY 11/22

STAFFORD’S TUESDAY COMEDY OPEN MIC

The ghost of Savannah’s legendary open mic returns. 8:30-11:45 p.m. Stafford’s Public House, 306 W. Upper Factor’s Walk.

WEDNESDAY 11/23

TRIVIA NIGHT WITH JESS SHAW

Jess Shaw and Kevin Ryan will guide participants through an evening of trivia and self discovery at Service Brewing. Test your trivia knowledge while also competing in interactive challenge rounds to gain extra points. The first place team receives a $100 cash prize. 6:30 p.m. Service Brewing Co., 574 Indian St.. servicebrewing.com.

Plant Riverside District will host a special Thanksgiving Brunch, featuring a menu inspired by traditional Thanksgiving favorites as well as live music by The Howard Paul Jazz Trio. Reservations: OpenTable.com

FRIDAY 11/25 TREE LIGHTING

& OPENING WEEKEND AT SAVANNAH CHRISTMAS MARKET

Celebrate the opening of the third annual Savannah Christmas Market at Plant

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EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

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OUR VALUES

Connect Savannah is a weekly arts, entertainment and news magazine, focused on Savannah and the Coastal Empire life and experience.

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Riverside District with a special Tree Lighting Ceremony and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend! The Savannah Christmas Market at Plant Riverside District will officially open on Friday, November 25 at noon and will feature a special Tree Lighting Ceremony, featuring Roger Moss reading “The Night Before Christmas” and live holiday-themed performances by Coastal Youth Choirs on Friday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The official lighting of the Christmas Tree in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park will take place at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. -27, 12-10:30 p.m.. 912-373-9100. info@jwsavannah.com. plantriverside. com/savannah-christmas-market/. plantriverside.com. Plant Riverside District, 400 W. River Street.

SATURDAY 11/26

SOCK IT TO TECH

SAVANNAH BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS VIP VIEWING PARTY AND HOLIDAY AFTERPARTY

The Savannah Boat Parade of Lights will float past Plant Riverside District on Saturday, Nov. 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. Get the VIP treatment and view the parade from the Electric Moon Skytop Lounge. At this special VIP Viewing Party and Holiday Afterparty for ages 21 and up, guests will enjoy high-energy tunes spun by DJ Lil G, a large dance floor, an exclusive holiday gift bag and a complimentary glass of Kessler wine, Budweiser beer or Bud Light Ugly Sweater Seltzer. Tickets $20 at door. Electric Moon.

FORSYTH FARMERS MARKET

PROUD SPONSOR OF

Join UGA Alums and fans at Starland Yard for “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” as the culmination of SOCK IT TO TECH week! The Savannah Chapter of the UGA Alumni Association is partnering with Oliver Maner, LLP, to gather donations of SOCKS to support the needs of Parker’s House and Union Mission. Bring a new, clean pair of socks (or 10 or 100), put on your spirited red and black and head to the Savannah chapter’s game watching party to watch the Bulldogs play at Noon. 2411 De Soto Ave

SAVANNAH BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS

Local and regional produce, honey, meat, dairy, pasta, baked goods and other delights. Rain or shine. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Forsyth Park, Drayton St. & East Park Ave. Free to attend. forsythfarmersmarket. com

FIRE & WINE

Enjoy half off bottles of wine and fire pits in the courtyard. Purchase one of our s’mores kits (marshmallows included) for the ultimate fall experience. 6-9 p.m. Foxy Loxy Cafe, Bull St.

SUNDAY 11/27

SUNSET PARTY SUNDAY

ON THE COVER

© 2022, Savannah Media, LLC. 611 East Bay Street Savannah, Georgia 31401 Phone: (912) 231-0250 | Fax: (912) 238-2041

It’s the Annual FREE Savannah Boat Parade of Lights. This 20-year tradition has been enjoyed by generations of locals and visitors alike. The Savannah Boat Parade of Lights, headed by Savannah Harbor Foundation has also been a great benefit to the charities it has contributed to! This year we are partnering with Greenbriar Children’s Center, an amazing organization which has been helping children in need in Savannah since 1949! We will be donating proceeds raised by the parade to the Center, and this year… A very special treat… The Greenbriar children will be designing our parade t-shirts! The Parade of Lights, led by the Georgia Queen Riverboat, will begin its voyage on the Eastern Wharf Dock at the Thompson Savannah Hotel, Our Premier Sponsor. After passing the panel of judges at the Eastern Wharf Park, the Captains will continue down the river past River Street and Plant Riverside District, ending back at the Eastern Wharf Dock. The Eastern Wharf Park committee is planning a wonderful event to coincide with the festivities of the parade!

Wrap up the weekend with a Sunday Funday Sunset Party on the roof. Local DJ Doc Ock, an amazing view, Long Drink and Herradura specials, and $3 Rosé all day. 6 - 9 p.m. Top Deck, 125 W. River St

MONDAY 11/28

BINGO

8 p.m., Moodright’s, 2424 Abercorn St.

TYBEE ISLAND FARMERS MARKET

Weekly market featuring a variety of produce, baked goods, honey, eggs, BBQ, sauces and dressings, popsicles, dog treats and natural body products. Pet friendly and no-smoking. Artisans are also featured each week. 4 p.m. 30 Meddin Dr., tybeeislandfarmersmarket. com

TUESDAY 11/29

STAFFORD’S TUESDAY COMEDY OPEN MIC

The ghost of Savannah’s legendary open mic returns. 8:30-11:45 p.m. Stafford’s Public House, 306 W. Upper Factor’s Walk.

@ConnectSavannah /connectsavannah /connectsav

JOSHUA

KATIE BRYANT PUTS THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A CRANBERRY-POMEGRAN ATE MOUSSE PIE, ONE OF MANY BAKERY ITEMS IN DEMAND AT AUSPICIOUS BAK ERY THIS SEASON. PHOTO BY ADRIANA IRIS BOATWRIGHT

INTRODUCTIONS: MEET DEBORAH McINCROW

Deborah McIncrow is a transplant from upstate New York who relocated to Savannah 17 years ago with her family. She is a wife, mother and former teach er who recently took on another role: entrepreneur. McIncrow is the founder of PillowSak, a protective cover for your pil low while you travel. She was inspired to invent the PillowSak to address a personal pain point.

“For years, I’ve worried about traveling with my pillow, keeping it clean and safe and making sure that come bedtime it’s nice and germ-free. It was just a constant struggle. I would get ready for a trip and I’d say to my husband, ‘don’t pack it underneath all the luggage,’ or ‘don’t put it in the back of the car because I’d taken the dog to the vet.’ Or ‘don’t put it in the front seat because I’d spilled dirt from Lowes,’ And it went on and on like that for a few years before the straw broke the camel’s back,” McIncrow explained.

That straw turned out to be a trip that she took with her family last year to the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a rainy day and she struggled to keep her pillow dry. Furthermore, it proved difficult to travel with all of her luggage and her pillow.

“When we finally got into the lobby of the hotel, I placed my pillow on the back of my suitcase and balanced it. We went on our merry way to check in and when we got to the check-in desk, I turned around and my pillow was gone. It was way back down in the lobby, meanwhile it was dirty and grimy and I was just morti fied,” she recounted.

Upon her return from the trip, McIn

crow went online determined to find a product to help her travel with her pillow in peace, but she came up short. There was nothing on the market available, and so for a while, she gave up on her pursuit, but she was fixated on the thought.

“It kept regurgitating with me. I kept thinking about it. I couldn’t let it go. Weeks went by and I was still per turbed that there’s nothing on the market that houses your pillow when you travel. So, I said, ‘well, maybe I’m supposed to do something about that,’” she said.

She got a notebook and started jotting down ideas and rough sketches. The sketches became prototypes and those prototypes led to the final product, the PillowSak, which launched officially in July of 2022. A protective cover for your pillow, the PillowSak is made with 100 percent cotton canvas material, which is liquid-resistant.

“It shields from the dirt and germs and grime that you may pick up along the route to your destination,” she explained.

The PillowSak comes in a variety of prints, providing complete pillow protec tion and privacy. For McIncrow and many others like her, pillows are an investment.

“You invest your money in a high-qual ity pillow because you’re going to use it for a duration of time. You use it every single day at least once a day, and if you take naps, maybe more than once a day.

created protected that investment,” said McIncrow.

She also wanted to ensure that patrons have the freedom to bring along their good night’s sleep while traveling.

“Whenever you go away and you’re sleeping on other people’s pillows, or you’re in a hotel using their pillows, you really have no idea what’s happening to them. I wanted to solve this problem by providing something that allows you to bring your pillow, get a good night’s sleep and have peace of mind so that you could wake up the next day fully rested to take on and tackle the day ahead of you,” McIncrow stated.

Since launching this past summer, McIncrow has enjoyed a warm reception for the PillowSak. The product is currently available in about 25 retailers throughout the Southeast.

She also sells at local artisan markets throughout the year. McIncrow is a regu

lar vendor at the Islands Farmers’ Market, which is a particular point of pride. More than a decade ago, McIncrow gathered friends in her backyard to create a farm ers’ market on Wilmington Island where the community could gather. With the support of the community, she was the catalyst who conceptualized the market and brought it to fruition. So to come back years later as a vendor at the market she founded is truly a full-circle moment.

“It’s been so surreal. . . It’s really excit ing and it makes me really proud to know that what we started way back when over a decade ago is still thriving,” she beamed.

She hopes to appear on investment television show Shark Tank and land a deal with multiple investors. She sees lucrative licensing opportunities for Pil lowSak with sports teams and Disney. She also plans to sell in big box retailers like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.

“I don’t see an end in sight. I will keep pushing and moving forward everyday and striving to make the best product that I possibly can,” she said.

McIncrow will be a vendor at the 3rd annual Christmas Festival at Trustees’ Garden on Dec. 17.

To learn more about PillowSak, visit pillowsak.com

SAVANNAH AGENDA:

PROPERTY MATTERS

By Eric Curl savannahagenda.com

JINX OWNER’S PLANS UNVEILED FOR MUSIC VENUE’S NEW LOCATION

I know I’m supposed to be objective, but can’t help but be excited about the planned rebirth of the Jinx. The popular “boozery and music cavern” was where I, and many others, first learned to feel at home in Savannah - all with the help of 17 years of great bands and a PBR-Jameson shot special on the side.

At the same time, patience is probably in order. The new location looks like it needs some sig nificant work before the likes of some of my favorite Savannah bands (a GAM reunion is surely in order) and national acts are once again gracing the stage. That day can’t come too soon.

Stay Engaged Savannah, Eric Curl

RAISING THE ROOF FOR THE JINX’S RETURN

Jinx fans may be in luck.

The owner of the popular Savannah bar and music venue recently submitted plans to open a new location in the city’s Streetcar Historic District following the downtown establishment’s closure more than two years ago.

The proposed venue is at 43rd and Whitaker streets where a vacant one-story building is currently located, according to plans prepared by Savannah-based Rose Ar chitects for Jinx owner Susanne Warnekros. The planned improvements include the in terior build-out of a stage and performance space, two bars and kitchen for short-order food service.

The building’s roof will also be redesigned to allow for more ceiling height in the main event space, according to the project description.

Hosting a variety of genre-spanning mu sical acts, including rock, metal, country and hip hop, the original Jinx entertained music fans for 17 years before closing its doors at 127 West Congress St. in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plans for the new location are sched uled to go before the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) on Nov. 21.

If approved, the music venue would not be the first in the area branded as the Star land District.

The Victory North event venue is located catty-corner from the site across Whitaker Street. The outdoor Starland Yard food truck park one block north also regularly features live music performances.

CITY PLANNING HOMELESS TRANSITIONAL CENTER WITH APARTMENTS ON MLK

The city intends to build a homeless tran sitional center with apartments on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to a plan going before the HPC on Nov. 21.

The proposed 3-story building at 916 MLK will feature administrative space for providing homeless support services, along with apartments to transition single parent families, usually women with children, out of homelessness, according to the project description submitted by Savannah-based Gunn Meyerhoff Shay Architects.

The proposed transitional center is the city’s latest plan for the site following the demolition in 2014 of the 1960s-era building that previously housed the city’s first-black owned pharmacy. Following the closure of the pharmacy in 2007, the city bought the property and an adjacent vacant lot for about $510,000 in 2009 with the in tention of rehabilitating the building, which featured a unique honey-comb façade. The

council initially wanted to renovate the structure and use it for the department of economic development and commercial space, but the plan was abandoned after en gineering analysis determined the building was structurally unsound and could not be saved.

At the time of the demolition, the city planned to build a replica of the demolished structure, but that plan too was subse quently abandoned.

ART DECO HOTEL ON

Street’s western end and near the Yamacraw Village public housing community to the northwest.

MLK

RETURNS TO REVIEW BOARD

After a period of inactivity, the developer appears to be moving forward once again with a previously approved plan to con struct a 6-story, Art Deco-style hotel on a vacant lot along MLK (image below).

Atlanta-based North Point Hospitality re cently submitted minor design amendments to the plan, which were approved by the Historic District Board of Review on Nov. 9. The hotel site is located within the local Historic District across from Broughton

It is surrounded by construction activity, including a 390-unit apartment complex being built to the west across three blocks. To the south, buildings located at 111 and 119 MLK will be rehabilitated, while the center structure at 113 MLK will be demol ished to make way for a public courtyard, under the plan approved by the review board in July. Across MLK, Chatham County is constructing a new courthouse down the block at Oglethorpe Avenue.

A Firestone Auto Care shop built in the mid-1960s previously occupied the site be fore being demolished in 2017. The hotel’s height and mass were previously approved by the review board on Feb. 12, 2020 and the design details were subsequently ap proved three months later.

63 MLK, an affiliate of North Point Hospitality, purchased the property in 2014 for $4.5 million, according to the public records.

Take a journey back in time through the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA Learn fascinating history through stories, art, and artifacts while exploring the historic mansion.

The proposed venue for the Jinx is at 43rd and Whitaker Streets.

LOCAL SHOPS HELP MAKE OUR

HOLIDAYS SWEETER

FROM SAVORY DISHES TO DELICIOUS DESSERTS, THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN HELP TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF HOLIDAY FOOD PLANNING

By Chantel Britton chantel@connectsavannah.com

A revered time for gathering and gratitude, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. For many, Thanksgiv ing preparations involve planning and executing a hearty meal to share with loved ones. People often spend hours if not longer cooking their Thanksgiving meal, but not everyone.

Some choose to skip out on the stress of Thanksgiving cooking by having their holiday meals catered. If you’d like to join the ranks of those who are picking up their catered meals this year instead of cooking at home, consider placing your order with a local restaurant. There are several Savannah eateries offering delicious holiday meals so you don’t have to do it all yourself. Save yourself the time and spare the headache by ordering a prepared meal at one of these local restaurants.

AUSPICIOUS BAKING CO.

Auspicious Baking Co. is known for some of the freshest, flakiest baked goods available in the city, which are perfect for your Thanksgiving Day feast. Sweeten your meal with one of their palate-pleas ing pies.

“We’re doing all of our staple pies. . . but we always pull out a special pie and this year, we’re trying a Cranberry and Pomegranate Mousse Pie. It’s going to be really lovely [with] . . . more of a fresh finish for your Thanksgiving dinner, as opposed to a pecan pie or an apple pie, which can be a little bit heavier after eating all that turkey. So I think the Cranberry Pomegranate Pie is going to be a lovely addition,” said Chef Katie Bryant.

In addition to the pies, Auspicious Baking Co. is also offering a take and bake cinnamon roll special.

“People love our cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese frosting. We usually sell hundreds of them on holidays like this. We started introducing take and bake kits, and people really love that,” she said. Bryant encourages locals to turn to Auspicious Baking Co. for their baked good needs this Thanks giving.

“It’s a lot of love that we put into the product. We’ve got a huge team here putting tons of effort into getting everything together. We’re doing our best to really make everybody feel comfortable and at ease with the holiday. It can be a huge undertaking when you’re feeding a family, trying to get dinner buns made and pies in the oven and everything timed out accordingly. We just want to make things a little bit easier for everybody,” she explained.

Thanksgiving pre ordering is available now through Sunday, Nov. 20 online at auspiciousbakingco. com/. Pick up will take place Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

COTTON & RYE

Cotton & Rye is back with their Sides & Pies Thanksgiving Pop-Up, bringing bold flavors to your dinner table. Sides include traditional fa vorites like Green Bean Casserole and Southern Chicken and Dressing. They’re also offering inventive pies like their Browned Butter Parsnip & Pecan pie, which features a cocoa crumble crust and dark chocolate-caramel ganache. Online ordering is available daily at toasttab. com/cotton-rye/v3 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. until they sell out.

(At right: Green Bean Casserole with brandied cremini mushroom, caramalized onion and housemade rye bread crumb. Instagram @cottonandrye)

Mark Ekstrom of Auspicious Baking Co. prepares some of the day’s breads and pastries.

Photo by Adriana Iris Boatwright

STEVEDORE

Recently-opened bakery Stevedore is celebrating its first Thanksgiving by offering some scrumptious specialty pies and cakes that are available for preorder. Pies include the Honey Chess Pie, which is a twist on a Southern classic, the Salted Caramel Apple Pie and their indulgent Chocolate Pecan Pie. They also have a Cranberry Upside Down Cake made with fresh cranberries, candied citrus peel and cranberry glaze, which is well-suited for the holiday. Orders must be placed at least three days in advance. Visit them online at stevedorebakery. com/ to place your order. (Above, a selection of pies from Steve dore bakery)

SAVANNAH SMOKEHOUSE

Savannah Smokehouse is known for bold barbecue through out the year, but they’ve got some stellar Thanksgiving specials as well. Their Heat n’ Serve holiday feast serves 12 and comes with a smoked whole or sliced turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, two sides of your choice, and pecan or pumpkin pie. You can also order the turkey on its own as well as a pan of the cornbread dressing. Email them at savannahsmokehouse@ gmail.com to order.

MCDONOUGH’S

A Savannah classic, McDonough’s is hosting a special Thanksgiving feast on the holiday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They’ll be serving up turkey, ham, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, rice and beans and all the other traditional fixings of a delicious holiday meal. The meal will be buffet style, and no reservations are necessary as the food will be served on a first come, first served basis. Come hungry and leave happy with a festive holiday meal at McDonough’s.

THE DESOTO SAVANNAH

The DeSoto invites you to their traditional Thanksgiving feast in their grand Oglethorpe Ballroom. From 12- 6 p.m., guests can enjoy fresh fares, Thanksgiving classics and an abundance of sweet treats. The all-inclusive buffet is $65 per person with cocktails available at an additional cost. Fami lies are encouraged to come and dine. Children under 5 are free, and children ages 6 - 12 are half off. If you dine with The DeSoto on Thanksgiving, you can receive complimentary valet parking as well.

ROCKS ON THE RIVER

Located in the Bohemian Hotel, Rocks on the River is hosting a special Thanksgiving buffet on the holiday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The menu consists of traditional Thanksgiving favorites, like Honey-Glazed Ham, as well as Southern-inspired staples, like Oyster Stuffing. RSVP and prepare to enjoy a memorable meal without all the labor.

FLEETING

Not a fan of turkey? No problem! Fleeting has the holi day meal for you. Their No-Turkey Thanksgiving menu has everything you love about the holiday dinner except for the traditional fowl. The prix fixe meal includes three courses for $95 per person. The menu will be served from 2 to 7 p.m. on the holiday. Reservations are recommended.

RIVERBOAT CRUISE

LADY & SONS

The Lady & Sons is offering holiday eve catering this year. You can create a customized order by choosing from their wide array of tasty options. Orders must be placed at least 48 hours in advance for pickup between 12 and 3 p.m. on the day before Thanksgiving. You can place your order online at ladyandsons. com. (Above, catering options for The Lady & Sons)

There are also several restaurants that are open on Thanks giving Day and ready to serve a magnificent meal to you and your loved ones. Make your reservation and prepare to dine on the holiday at one of these fine establishments.

Forget the ordinary and do something different this Thanks giving. Take a riverboat cruise and enjoy a delicious holiday buffet, live music and striking views as you sail along the Savannah River. There are two cruises available on the holiday, with the first boarding at 11:30 a.m. and the second boarding at 4 p.m. Prices are $109.95 for adults, $62.95 for children ages 5-12, and free for children who are 4 and under.

SIX PENCE PUB

Six Pence Pub is hosting a Thanksgiving feast at the affordable price of just $19.95. The menu includes all of the traditional staples, with dessert, a sweet slice of Pumpkin Pie, available for an additional $4.95. Their regular menu will also be served on the holiday.

THE PIRATES’ HOUSE

The famous Pirates’ House is offering their grand Thanks giving buffet on the holiday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Prices are

$52.95 for adults, $22.95 for children ages 4-12, and $5.95 for children 3 and under. The buffet includes a wide variety of salads, sides, seafood, sweets and traditional holiday staples. With so many options on the menu, there’s truly something for everyone. Call (912) 233-5757 to make your reservation.

BELFORD’S

City Market eatery, Belford’s is hosting a special Thanksgiv ing dinner at $80 per person. The menu includes all the tradi tional fixings along with Southern coastal favorites like their award-winning Crab Cake & Gulf Shrimp. There are plenty of menu items to accommodate every palate this Thanksgiving. Email tpalmer@belfordssavannah.com to make a reservation.

AQUA STAR

The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa’s Aqua Star restaurant is offering a delicious Thanksgiving feast featuring fresh, flavorful food items that are well suited for the holiday. At $85 per person, guests can enjoy a variety of garden goodies, as well as turkey and pork loin carving stations and several Savannah favorites. There will also be an assortment of pies, cakes and treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. Their Thanks giving menu will be available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the holiday.

CHART HOUSE

The Chart House welcomes you to enjoy their Thanksgiving Day menu offerings. Their all-inclusive three-course dinner is available at $55 per person. It includes a starter, a traditional turkey dinner or other entree options, and a dessert of your choice.

RHETT

If you’re interested in a Thanksgiving Day brunch, make your reservation with Rhett. They’re offering a special holiday brunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring all of your brunch favorites along with a few festive dishes. They’re also hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. The prix fixe menu includes three courses that you can enjoy for $65. Pictured below. Instagram @diningwithrhett

ONLINE EXTRA:

There are so many cultural differences in how Savannahians celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. We take a dive into several of them at connectsavannah.com

BY TRAVIS JAUDON Sports Columnist @JaudonSports

At a time when we need it most, the United States Men’s National Team is returning to the biggest event in sports next week, as 26 Amer icans are ready to represent the USA at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, set for November 20 - December 18 in Qatar. The World Cup. There is nothing quite like it because there is nothing that can unify a country quicker than international sporting events. America unified? Tough to imagine, but that’s exactly what this tournament has done in the past.

If only for a week or two, every American can root for the same result. Instead of tracking polling numbers and preparing for election run-offs, we can all pay attention to a single team with a single goal in mind.

We need that now more than ever, it seems.

The USA will kick off its World Cup campaign against Wales on Monday (Nov. 21) at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan (2 p.m. ET; FOX) before going up against one of the tournament favorites, England, on Friday (Nov. 25) at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (2 p.m. ET; FOX). The group stage for the Americans wraps up against Iran on Tuesday (Nov. 29) at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha (2 p.m. ET; FOX).

I’m not exactly a “soccer guy,” I’ll confess to that. And maybe you aren’t either. That’s okay. You don’t need to be a soccer-guy to get extra-excited come World Cup time. The moments and memories tran scend the game and we’ve got precedent for that in this country. Maybe we aren’t a country with a rich history in the beautiful game. That doesn’t mean we don’t know what this tournament means.

I can’t be the only one who remembers where he was when Landon Donovan scored a goal late against England in 2010. I can’t be the only one ready to revive that captivatingly simplistic chant from 2014: “I believe that we will win!” I get giddy just thinking about it.

“We believe we have a talented group, a strong team spirit, and one that is ready to compete,” said head coach Gregg Berhalter last week. “We are extremely proud and honored to represent the United States and appreciate all the amazing support from our fans as we head to Qatar.”

This U.S. team isn’t exactly veteran. In fact, they are the opposite. Young bucks, if you will. Defender DeAndre Yedlin is the lone American to have played in Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Of the 26 players selected to Berhalter’s squad, 25 are making their World Cup debuts. With an average age of 25 years, 175 days, it is the second-youngest roster in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Three of the 26 players are Georgia natives: Walker Zimmerman (Lawrenceville), Shaq Moore (Powder Springs) and Sean Johnson (Lilburn). Berhalter himself will become the first American to represent the USA at the World Cup as both a player and a coach.

America did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, so this is

the first time soccer fans here can root for their boys since the 2014 Cup. This time around, the road will be tough as the USA is in the toughest group in the tournament. Alongside the Americans in Group B are Iran, Wales and England – the group’s average world rank (15) is the best in the 32-team field.

It’s going to be difficult for Team USA to advance into the round of 16 this time around, something it did in 2010 and 2014 after having not reached the second stage since 1994. But we get a minimum of three matches, a minimum of three opportunities to come together and root for a common goal of winning.

Nowadays, that unification is an absolute rarity. There are very few things that we can all agree on, but this is one of them. I can’t wait.

SPORTS NOTES

THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS (10-0, 7-0 SEC) remain the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings this week. UGA knocked off Mississippi State by a score of 45-19 last week in Stark-Vegas. This Sat urday in Lexington, the Bulldogs play Kentucky (6-4, 3-4) at 3:30 before wrapping the regular season in Athens against Georgia Tech. Georgia is headed to the SEC Championship on December 3 in Atlanta where it’ll meet the SEC West champion LSU Tigers (8-2, 6-1).

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL season is underway with most area teams beginning regular season play this week and next. The annual Joe Greene Tournament at Beach High School is set for Monday and Tues day (Nov. 21-22) and this year’s boy’s field is stacked with talent. Teams in the field ranked in the preseason top-10 polls are: Johnson (Class 3A No. 3), Beach (3A, 4), Portal (1A DII, 5), Hiram (5A, 4) and Dougherty (3A, 7). Games tip-off beginning at 10 a.m. both days and continue throughout the day before concluding with nightcaps each evening at 8:30 p.m.

Follow Travis Jaudon on Twitter/Instagram @JaudonSports. Email him at travisLjaudon@gmail.com

United States players and fans celebrate a goal against Panama in the first half during a FIFA World Cup Qualifier soccer match at Exploria Stadium.

Photo by Jeremy Reper

Our Christmas tree is looking a little bare! Use your crayons, markers, construction paper, glue, glitter, or craft supplies! Decorate the tree so it’s fit for the Christmas Festival! You may even win a gift card to BARNES RESTAURANTS and have your photo featured in Connect Savannah!

WHERE TO SEND YOUR ENTRIES

You can mail your entry or drop it off at: 611 E. Bay St.

ATTN: Decorate the Tree Contest Savannah, GA 31401

(Do not deliver your entries to Barnes Restaurants)

CONTEST RULES

• All fields on entry form must be completed to be considered valid.

• Only one entry per person.

• Artwork must be created by name on entry.

• No adult’s work will be accepted.

• Original work only.

• Entries will not be returned.

• The judge’s decision is final.

• All entries become property of Connect Savannah.

• Winners agree to allow publication of their name, and, if necessary, their likeness in Con nect Savannah and connectsavannah.com. Acceptance of any prize indicates acceptance of this clause.

• Employees of Barnes Restaurants, Connect Savannah or Morris Multimedia and their im mediate families are not eligible to win.

EMPORIUM KITCHEN & MARKET

By Jesse Blanco eatitandlikeit.com

Every year we attempt to put together a list of spots that may be offering some type of holiday cheer on Thanksgiving Day. In making the rounds this year, we found more than a few of our ‘go-to’ spots are either closed or full on Thanksgiving Day. These calls were made with about 2.5 weeks to go before Thanksgiving.

What I usually tell people who email is to call your favorite spots. You know what they are. You know what you like. Find out if they are going to be open on Thanksgiv ing Day. Chances are, they are not. So that

leaves you scratching your head trying to figure out where to Eat It and Like It.

My first go-tos are always the hotels. Not only are their restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day, but some of them in Savannah are doing some of the city’s best food week to week.

Emporium Kitchen and Market - Perry Lane Hotel is always a favorite of ours. As is Fleeting at The Thompson Hotel at the Eastern Wharf Project.

Beyond that, we’d recommend checking with 1540 Room at The DeSoto, 45 Bis tro at The Marshall House and Rhett on the ground floor of The Alida Hotel near the Plant Riverside District.

The other option is to buy some Thanks giving Day food already cooked and bring it home with you.

Several area restaurants are offering to do the heavy lifting for you this year. They include J. Thomas Kitchen on Wilming ton Island and Cohen’s Retreat (dead line to order at Cohen’s is Nov. 16).

If you are looking for something com pletely different but not any less deli cious, there is a pop up in the works that you should pay attention to.

Eden Supper Club is back this year preparing what they call “Eden Boxes” of sides for Thanksgiving. The club is run by a couple of local chefs who to the point have done some pop up dinners around town. They offered their Eden boxes last year at the holidays and they were very well received

You can find the menu on our website (eatitandlikeit.com) or on their Instagram page. The prices are fantastic. And from what I am told, so is the food.

One word of caution...if you don’t con sider yourself technologically savvy, then find someone who is to help you. Orders for Eden are taken ONLY VIA Direct Mes sage on Instagram, donations (yes, dona tions to pay for your order) via Venmo.

The cut off to order is Nov. 20 at 5pm. They will have pick up on the 23rd and are even willing to deliver locally.

This is a great deal and very much worth your consideration.

QUICK BITES

Shuk Mediterranean opened for business last week. You can find them at Habersham and Anderson Streets in Savannah’s Victorian District. Daytime and night time menus, plus a full bar. shuksavannah.com

Provisions, a small wine and grocery store has also just opened at the corner of Liberty and Whitaker Streets downtown. They are open seven days a week and a perfect place to grab some munchies or a quick bottle of something to take out the park or a square while you are downtown. find more about them at provisions-sav. com

Taqueria Los Compas on Ogeechee Road near Chatham Parkway (behind Sonic) is worth your drive for authentic tacos.

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK

BANANA’S FORSYTH

ENJOY AT: THE BAMBOO ROOM 116 W Congress St. (above Sorry Charlie’s)

MADE WITH: Rum Blend #1, Jamaican Rum, Black Strap Rum, Banana, Cinnamon, Coconut, Orange, Lemon, Chocolate

A riff on the Painkiller and inspired by the dessert, ‘Bananas Foster,’ the Banana’s Forsyth is a rich and delicious hometown twist. This inventive cocktail showcases the fun and complexity of tiki, combining several different citruses, sweet coconut cream and chocolate bitters into an exciting cocktail with wonderful aromatics. Find time to give the Banana’s Forsyth a try soon.

There are also several other new fall cocktails available at The Bamboo Room.

FOOD TRUCK OF THE WEEK

MOLLY’S FISH & CHIPS N MORE

Molly’s Fish & Chips n More food truck is the mobile arm of Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub, bringing Scottish and American staples to hungry patrons throughout the Coastal Empire. The menu features simple but delicious dishes like fried shrimp, reubens, burgers, wings and more.

You can’t go wrong with their Fish & Chips — it’s the food truck’s namesake after all. Enjoy flaky white fish battered and fried golden brown along with crispy fries, or chips as they’re known across the pond. The menu also includes palatepleasing po’ boys and wonderful wraps. If you want to enjoy flavorful, unfussy food, give Molly’s a try soon.

SHUK SAVANNAH

by Chantel Britton

by Chantel Britton

Photo by Zach Kozdron

INTO THE MAZE: EXPERIENCE AN ORIGINAL NEW ADVENTURE IN WONDERLAND

By Kareem McMichael Arts & Entertainment Writer

Explore ‘Alice’s Adventures in Won derland’ like you have never seen it before as you journey down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass with the Savannah Children’s Theatre and this Collective Face Theatre Ensemble in this newly conceived production.

“I decided from the beginning that we were going to divide the story. I was not happy with a lot of the adaptations of Alice, and we wanted to make our own Alice. We took the original writings by Lewis Carroll and literally took the book and said here’s your script,” said David I.L. Poole the director of the show and founder of Collective Face.

In this show the cast was involved from the very beginning with building this version of Alice and the script.

“We were able to build this play from nothing. It’s an interesting process for actors that they get to be at the ground roots of something at the very beginning. They own this text as much as I do,” said Poole.

They used some of the dialogue that was written by Charles Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, to create this world that features music, dance, songs, and acrobatics for all ages.

“It’s spectacular. Mary Edwards composed some original underscoring. There are songs in it that were composed in the 1920s, and so we’ve used that music to form our play as well,” said Poole.

The show will be told in two acts. Act one being ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and act two being ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ giving the audience a full scope of Alice adventures in wonderland with the cast of about 25 playing multiple roles.

“There was a lot we talked a lot about when looking at Alice. Alice as a child and Alice growing up. This play is about growing up and becoming especially act two, through the Looking Glass is a book about hitting adulthood,” said Poole.

Using viewpoint exercises in rehearsals helped the cast and Poole build scenes for this show as they broke down chapters in the book and interpreted them into this play.

Poole is a master at production design. Rather it is elaborate or simply Poole’s sets and designs leave audiences wowed and the sets are just as much a part of the story as the cast and crew are.

“For this show I looked at hedge Gardens mazes, the hedge mazes that are predomi nantly in Europe,” said Poole when talking about his influences for the designs. “We get this sense of wonderment, lush greenness. That’s what I was constantly thinking about with this hedge maze. You go in and you get lost in all the spectacle and all of that and the opulence”

This aspect and others of the shows production design was inspired by ‘Alice’s Adven tures in Wonderland’ preface poem called ‘All in the Golden Afternoon. For this show Poole did not keep things minimum.

“We went to the maximum. The set is comparison of hedge walls to give us a maze that constantly move and shift and change, to reveal things, to have doors on them, even though they’re hedge walls,” said Poole.

The audience will be immersed as soon as they walk through the door transforming the experience the audience will have right away.

“We’re trying to give it a bit of an immersive experience. It’s about experiences of lifetimes for me. How does our Alice behave differently than anyone else’s Alice? How is it different? How is it experienced for people that are coming? This is not Walt Disney’s Alice by any means.,” said Poole.

The last show dates are Nov.19 and 20. For more information, visit SavannahChildrensthe atre.org

CATS AND COFFEE: Phil Musen brings his feline-focused art to Gallery Espresso

By Joshua Alexander

Locally known street artist, Phil Musen—a SCAD alum nus who has turned cat paintings into his calling card—is bringing his cats indoors as Gallery Espresso is hosting an exhibition of his work.

You could say art runs in Phil’s family. He began learning to create from his grandmother during his childhood.

“I started taking any art class I could. I focused on it in high school and eventually got into SCAD,” he explains.

But it wasn’t until years after graduation that Phil truly found his niche in the crowded art community of Savannah.

“I was working in farming for a while,” he says. But for Phil, this wasn’t where his passion resided. “I had tried to make it as an artist before and failed. I did a lot of hard and unrewarding work, and I thought I should try out being an artist one more time. I thought that I should try out the street artist route.”

Phil moved his art operation outside and began painting at some of Savannah’s most famous locations, most notably Forsyth Park. Times were tough at the beginning of his attempt at making it as a street artist.

“It is easy to become a street artist, but hard to become successful at it. I started out just painting landscapes and stuff, but I wasn’t selling enough to feel confident about it,” Phil remembers. But in a stroke of good fortune, he discovered the key to his now famous street art operation.

His ex-girlfriend at the time, was a cat lover.

“I was painting a picture of some cats drinking martinis to give her and ask her back out. It was supposed to just be a cute painting you’d give to your girlfriend, but when people saw me painting it, everybody wanted to buy it. I made a few more just to test out the theory, and they sold right away” This began the feline frenzy.

Phil saw a market and began rapidly expanding his portfolio of cat art. He places cats within bizarre and unexpected landscapes and settings such as ancient Rome, futuristic robot worlds, and the time of the dinosaurs.

“I try to paint things I like, it keeps the paintings interesting for me. That’s why I paint stuff like history, dragons, and whatever else I find fun. A lot of times, I am trying to be mildly clever. People often see cats in people’s home windows, but what other types of windows could a cat be behind? A submarine has a window, a giant robot has a window,” he laughs, “Sometimes the cat is only a tiny part of the painting, but, as long as it is in there somewhere, it continues the theme.”

His quirky style is fast becoming an institution in Savannah.

“I didn’t think it would last as long as it has, but I keep on pushing the boundaries with it,” he explains.

That being said, Phil also creates art on a variety of other topics. For those interest ed, his entire portfolio which includes both paintings and ceramics can be seen on his website philmusen.com. Fans of his work should keep their eyes peeled as he can often be seen around town creating his art pieces.

For art and cat lovers alike, Phil’s whimsical work is a must see. The show is on display through Jan. 3 at Gallery Espresso downtown on Bull St.

ART PATROL

“TWO

ROADS”: TOM CURRAN

Cedar House Gallery

November 16-29, 2022 Enjoy a local art show focused on natural forms created with pencils and paint.

“LOOK!”

Sulfur Studios

Through December 17 This show brings together many of Savannah’s local artists under one roof for an unforgettable art experience!

PETE SCHULTE

Laney Contemporary Fine Art

through January 14, 2023 Visitors will enjoy a thoughtful drawing exhibition focused on abstract ideas such as time, perception, and thought.

8 Laney Contemporary Fine Art November 4, 2022 through January 14, 2023

Viewers will experience a philosophical contemporary art exhibition created by a group of female artists.

SHIN JINSONG: “WAITING FOR A RESPONSE WHICH WE MIGHT NEVER GET”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through January 2, 2023 Experience a thoughtful exhibit on the rapidly changing world in the modern age through fascinating sculptural work.

SEHER SHAH AND RANDHIR SINGH: “STUDIES IN FORM”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through December 26, Viewers will take in an exhibit focusing on architecture using cyanotype, “an early photographic process and precursor to the blueprint.”

“THE DOG SHOW”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Dec. 26. A great exhibition for Savannah’s dog lovers! This art collection focuses on the characteristics of our canine friends in a variety of mediums.

ROXY PAINE: “SEDIMENTARY LENS”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Jan. 2, 2023 Roxy Paine displays her large scale sculptures that dive into topics such as the natural world and human actions.

MARIA NEPOMUCENO: “DENTRO E FORA INFINITAMENTE”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Dec. 26.

Experience sculpture derived from traditional Brazilian straw weaving techniques combined with other materials including beads, ceramic, and more.

“STUDIES IN FORM”

Seher Shah and Randhir Singh

SCAD Museum of Art Through Dec. 26.

Viewers will take in an exhibit focusing on architecture using cyanotype, “an early photographic process and precursor to the blueprint.”

ANNA PARK: “LAST CALL”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Jan. 2, 2023 Experience Anna Park’s large scale charcoal drawings that exist in a blended style of abstraction and figuration.

“AARON DOUGLAS: SERMONS”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Dec. 31. The exhibition looks at celebrated artist, Aaron Douglas, from the Harlem Renaissance era and displays modern artists’ work alongside his to display his lasting influence.

GISELA COLÓN: “THE FEMINIST DIVINE”

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Jan., 2023

A perfect exhibition for 3D art enthusiasts. The work showcases invented design features and construction of sculptures influenced by the natural world.

ALLISON SCHULNIK: “OMINOUS, CRUDE BEAUTY’’

SCAD Museum of Art

Through Jan. 16, 2023

A truly unique claymation based exhibition that will fulfill any macabre art lover’s interests.

DECONSTRUCTED Jepson Center

Through Nov. 27.

Experience an art exhibit focused on the art of the American Southeast from the 20th and 21st century. An amazing opportunity to learn about the culture of the Southeast through visual art.

To submit an ART PATROL listing, please enter an event at connectsavannah.com

GOTHIC SOUL: CHARLES MERYON Jepson Center, Through Jan. 8, 2023. Come see the revealing exhibit that focuses on the art and life of Charles Meryon, a French artist who specialized in black and white etchings after finding that he was colorblind. This is an amazing opportunity to step back in time and view a celebrated artist of the 19th century.

ELEGIES: STILL LIFES IN CONTEMPORARY ART

A group exhibition bringing together an international collection of artists who have disrupted or extended the traditional presentation of still lifes. The artists have appropriated the genre in order to create works within a framework of Black diasporic identities, histories, and collective experiences. Jepson Ctr.

JOSÉ RAY IN THE DRIVE THRU ART BOX

The Drive Thru Art Box at Green Truck Pub. 2430 Habersham St

ThroughDecember 8 sulfurstudios.org/drivethruart José Ray is working on transparent plexi-glass with mixed media and light to create an engaged and fantastical landscape.

“FEELS LIKE FREEDOM”: PHILLIP J. HAMPTON Jepson Center

Through January 29, 2023 This exhibition takes viewers through the entire career of the late painter Phillip J. Hampton.

The varied work includes everything from abstract to illustrative realism, many of which were created in Savannah.

SOY X SOY

Savannah Cultural Arts Center

Through Dec. 3 SOY X SOY (x=como), ‘I Am Who/What I Am,’ is a collective of Latin, Hispanic and Native American creatives working together to curate a variety of experiences through a series of artistic engagements, exhibitions, performance, culinary arts and installations.

PHIL MUSEN @GALLERY ESPRESSO

The work features whimsical canvases that show cats doing very “un-catlike” things such as riding dragons, fighting with lightsabers, and going on martini dates.

BETH LOGAN’S ART PATROL RECOMMENDATIONS:

Join me in supporting Tybee Island’s artists and busi nesses by attending the Tybee Tour de Art coordinated by the energetic Charissa Murray. Murray says, “Our first date is November 19, and we expect to have close to 50 vendors. This event will be unique as the vendors will be set up at multiple businesses along the North End corridor on Tybee. Each location has agreed to sponsor a certain number of artists. Many of the locations will be offering specials, live music, food trucks, etc. In addition to the sponsoring businesses, Tybee’s Art Galleries will also be participating. Attendees can rent bikes to travel the route at TIMS Bikes at a 15% discount and also at the Tybee Arts Association building, maps will be available at both bike locations.” Upcoming dates are 11/19 and 12/17, but mark your calendar for the spring tours on 3/18, 4/15 and 5/20.

“Wild Ponies of Cumberland Island,” (above) paintings by Mitchell Lee Kolbe, will be on view at Plant Riverside District’s Grand Bohemian Gallery from November 25 through December 23. On Friday, November 25, guests can enjoy a special artist reception from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Inspired by a 10-day sailing trip in 2006, “Wild Ponies of Cumberland Island” serves as a tribute to the wild horses Kolbe refers to as “Georgia’s oldest and most beloved inhabitants.”

Born and raised in Charlotte, N.C., Kolbe received a scholastic art scholarship to the prestigious Art Students League in New York City, where he studied for four years. He has painted murals for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Fla. as well as Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. and restored the famous Atlanta Cyclorama, which features a mural of the Battle of Atlan ta. Kolbe has also earned acclaim for his sculptures.

Compiled by Joshua Alexander

- Beth Logan

JULIA CHRISTIAN A LIFETIME OF CREATIVITY

By Beth Logan ART COLUMNIST

Julia and Bob Christian’s gallery on Taylor Street is a feast for the eyes. Open to the public three days a week, the second-floor parlor of their brick rowhouse lights up like a jewel in the morning sunlight, and everywhere I look are intricately decorated surfaces…tables, chairs, urns, cut-out figures, planters, baskets, picture frames, the walls themselves, and, of course, the many, many paintings.

I am here to meet the rather reticent Julia Christian about her artwork, but I soon realize that one can’t really talk about Julia’s work without talking about her husband Bob’s. After more than forty years, their art careers and styles are inextricably bound together.

We start at the beginning. Was Julia always artistic? “Yes,” she responds, “You know when you are a young child.” The daughter of an architect, her earliest memories in Albany, Georgia are of painti ng Joan Walsh Anglund coloring books her mother would buy her. When I ask about her time earning a BFA in Painting and Drawing at The Univ. of Georgia, she laughs and says, “I was just thinking about that this morning. When I think of UGA, I think about the B-52’s. I had the very first party where they played. Fred wanted to have a dance party.”

What a claim to fame! She refers to Fred Schneider and the iconic Athens new wave band formed in 1976, currently on their farewell tour. “The last stop is Athens. We’ve got to go.”

Husband Bob, also from Albany, attended the Atlanta College of Art, and the pair moved to New York City where Julia says, “I worked for an ‘art factory.’ The owner had a six-store factory where they made frames on one floor and I oversaw producing abstract paintings, mostly for the interior design industry. We had a ball doing it.” She goes on, “When Bob and I fi nally got married, we came to Savannah and stayed downtown in the Hyatt. Got off the elevator, and lo and behold, there’s one of my paintings. It was the funniest thing.”

While Julia was mass producing bold abstracts (which still occasionally

come to auction), Bob was training under the decorative painter and antiques dealer John Rosselli on 72nd Street. In 1982, he relocated his own decorative arts business to Savannah where he and Julia went on to raise three sons. It is unspoken, but Julia must have borne the brunt of the raising as Bob’s assignments take him all over the country for seven to ten days at a time, while she runs the business side of things, and creates and shows her own work.

While there are several of Julia’s pieces in the main gallery, we must walk outside to the ground floor level to see the lion’s share of her output. The street level gallery is filled to overflowing with her impeccably framed pencil figure studies from models (“We used to have a figure drawing group that met at the Jepson”), painted portraits, her time-consuming pen and ink and colored pencil still lifes, and colorful oil paintings of dogs and people portrayed in her uniquely volumetric, and often humorous style. Interestingly, she still displays several loose abstract pieces and at least one figure drawing created during her time at UGA.

Julia is currently represented by a gallery in Dallas and by the talented Carmen Aguirre, director of the Gallery at the Mansion, who has made it her mission to highlight the work of Savannah artists. Of course, Julia makes sales through foot traffic to the gallery and via her website, but says, “We mostly work with interi or designers.” It seems that over the years they have found out about Bob’s work through Julia and found out about Julia’s work through Bob’s. As I said, their careers are inextricably intertwined…

Even their styles seem interwoven. In Julia’s paintings, planes are flattened in a Post Impressionistic fashion and there is often a stylized and decorative element. For example, I look at a recent still life of beautifully rendered loaves of bread sitting upon a fabric that she subsequently embellished with a rich russet floral design. When I ask her about similarities to Bob’s decorative work, she says, “Well, you’d almost expect that after forty years. He’s my greatest influence.” Naturally introverted, humble, and deeply private, Julia appears to feel that good art requires no dialogue. She says she likes to paint figures and seems to effortlessly pull compositions from her imagination, “putting together paintings that hopefully people will enjoy.”

She does, however, mention that her latest painting – a still life of a ham – was influenced by her love for Gauguin’s 1889 “The Ham” which hangs in the Phillips Collection in DC. She is excited to see the Alex Katz Retrospective at the Gug genheim this month and the “Edward Hopper’s New York” show at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Always creative, always producing work, Julia has a cluttered drafting table in the back of her downstairs gallery where she draws two days a week. “And I paint up stairs four days a week.” We go to the top floor of the house to take a look - a bright, well-lit room contains several works in progress, her new ham still life, her multi ple tubes of oil paints and her enormous easel, which already holds the beginning sketches of her next painting.

Back in the main gallery, we sit at a faux marquetry round table in the gallery and flip thought the huge binders of magazine articles from such publications as Ve randa Magazine, Elle Decor and Architectural Digest. They feature Bob’s work with the country’s leading interior designers - commissioned murals, floors, ceilings, furniture, and canvases - all showcasing what Julia refers to as his “innate sense and depth of style.”

She is particularly proud that one of his murals is featured on the cover of At Home in the South: Interior Design Reimagined, the recently published, and first, hardcover book by Veranda Magazine.

Julia says, “We just work all the time. Anything with paint, we have done!” As an artistic couple, they are as one, though, of course, each partner’s works stand on their own merit…

After UGA Julia continued her studies at The Arts Students League of New York, The National Academy School of Fine Arts, and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She is a member of Allied Artists of American, Inc., National Association of Women Artists, Inc., and Women’s Caucus for Art of Georgia, and her work has been featured in numerous national publications.

Her creative output is prodigious, and the caliber of her painting is truly museum worthy.

When I ask about the future, Julia says, “You don’t retire when you’re passionate about what you do. You just do it for as long as you can.”

Julia Christian: A woman of exceptional artistic ability deserving of our attention. Find out more at Juliachristianart.com and follow her on Instagram.com/juliachristi anart. See her work at the Gallery at the Mansion, 700 Drayton Street, and at Bob Chris tian Decorative Art and Julia Christian Gallery, 114 W. Taylor Street, open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: “Red Pepper and Blue Figure,” oil on board; “Bread,” oil on board; THIS PAGE< TOP TO BOTTOM: Interior of Bob Christian Decorative Art; “Savannah Living Room,” pen and ink

BOOKS

WHAT ARE WE READING?

BOOKS WHAT ARE WE READING?

PRESENTED AND CURATED WEEKLY BY E. SHAVER, BOOKSELLER

PRESENTED AND CURATED WEEKLY BY E. SHAVER, BOOKSELLER

NOVELIST AS A VOCATION

DINOSAURS

BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

BY LYDIA MILLET

ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER

DEAD MAN’S HAND

BY EMILY STONE

BY JAMES J. BUTCHER

Aspiring writers and readers who have long won dered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this engaging book from the in ternationally best-selling author. Haruki Murakami now shares with readers his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.

The story of a man named Gil who walks from New York to Arizona to recover from a failed love. After he arrives, new neighbors move into the glass-walled house next door and his life begins to mesh with theirs. In this warmly textured, drily funny, and philosophical account of Gil’s unexpected devotion to the family, Millet explores the uncanny territory where the self ends and community begins―what one person can do in a world beset by emergencies.

A novel that asks: In the shadow of existential threat, where does hope live?

Here are the personal details of a life devoted to craft: the initial moment at a Yakult Swallows base ball game, when he suddenly knew he could write a novel; the importance of memory, what he calls a writer’s “mental chest of drawers”; the necessity of loneliness, patience, and his daily running routine; the seminal role a carrier pigeon played in his career and more.

Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle colli sion with a handsome stranger--a stranger who will change the course of Josie’s life.

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Un orthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.

Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same— and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.

Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.

After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not De partment material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, some way, get another chance to prove his skill. That op portunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered, and Grimsby becomes the number one suspect.

LORD OF THE FLY FEST

BY GOLDY MOLDAVSKY

DICKENS AND PRINCE

BY NICK HORNBY

Rafi Francisco needs a splashy case to put her true-crime podcast on the map. Her plan? Land an interview with Fly Fest headliner River Stone, who rocketed to stardom after his girlfriend’s mysterious disappearance―and expose him as the killer she’s sure he is.

When Prince’s 1987 record Sign o’ the Times was rereleased in 2020, the iconic album now came with dozens of songs that weren’t on the orig inal— Prince was endlessly prolific, recording 102 songs in 1986 alone. In awe, Hornby began to wonder, Who else ever produced this much? Who else ever worked that way? He soon found his answer in Victorian novelist and social critic Charles Dickens, who died more than a hundred years before Prince began making music.

But when Rafi―and the hordes of influenc ers―arrive at Fly Fest, the dreamy Caribbean getaway they were promised turns out to be a nightmare. Soon, Rafi is fighting for her life against power-hungry beauty gurus and spotty WiFi. And, as she gets closer to River, she discovers that his secrets might have even bigger consequences than she suspected.

Examining the two artists’ personal tragedies, social statuses, boundless productivity, and other parallels, both humorous and haunting, Hornby shows how these two unlikely men from different centuries “lit up the world.” In the pro cess, he creates a lively, stimulating rumination on the creativity, flamboyance, discipline, and soul it takes to produce great art.

& CLUBS

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS ABOUT TO STEAMROLL INTO SAVANNAH

AN INTERVIEW WITH MANNHEIM

STEAMROLLER’S CHIP DAVIS

By Dave Gil de Rubio

If you were to be asked what artist is the best-selling Christmas artist, answers would invariably range from Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby to Mariah Carey, Josh Groban or Kenny G.

But that honor actually goes to Mannheim Steamroller, whose dozen Christmas albums (and counting) have racked up 31.5 million sales worldwide to date. And while Mannheim sounds like the name of a German heavy equipment apparatus, it is actually the nom de plume of Chip Davis, an Omaha-based composer/producer who has been churning out neoclassical new age holiday and secular music under this stage name since 1974.

Born Louis F. Davis, Jr., the Ohio native is a musical iconoclast and former child prodigy who went from writing his first piece of music at age six, eventually worked at an ad agency writing jingles before founding this musical persona after numerous labels shot down his neo-classical music pitch.

“[Mannheim Steamroller] was just my notion of trying to create a sound that was different, but also at the same time had clas sical roots to it,” Davis explained in an early November interview. “I see it as an eclectic mix of classical forms alongside modern-day rock and roll instruments and some older instruments from the 18th century like the harpsichord. [Those major label execs] said that there wasn’t a place on the shelf for something that was eclectic like that, but at the same time they wanted to know if I could send them a box of my debut album because they wanted to pass it around in their office.”

While it may have been a daunting prop osition to go forward on his own, Davis was already experiencing concurrent success via CW McCall, a country music persona created by ad agency client and late friend Bill Fries. With the latter providing the voice, concept and lyrics for McCall, Davis wrote the music. In addition to scoring a number of chart-top ping country hits, the duo recorded the global

No. 1 hit “Convoy” (and earned Davis the 1976 SESAC Country Music Writer of the Year). With the metaphorical wind blowing at his back, Davis founded the independent label American Gramaphone and took the name of his new project from a play on the 18th-century musical technique known as the “Mannheim crescendo.” The first in the “Fresh Aire” series of records was released in 1975 at a time when the new age genre was coming into being. Davis’ belief in Mannheim Steamroller found him taking out a loan to finance the first tour.

“On that initial tour, the money was used to cover the costs of playing those first three cities—Omaha, Denver and Salt Lake City,” he recalled. “That was in 1975. Mannheim Steamroller was a five-piece with two key boards, a bass player that also doubled on lute and other fretted instruments. I was playing percussion and recorder and we had another percussionist. Then when we got to a city, we’d hire a small orchestra to play the orches tral parts that were on the record. Ironically, the band behind CW McCall are the same players that are the Mannheim Steamroller players.”

All this bootstrapping eventually led to Davis indulging his childhood adoration of the holiday season nearly a decade later via 1984’s “Christmas.”

“I grew up in a pretty small town in Ohio of about 500 people when my grandmother was a piano teacher and my dad was a piano teacher at the school there,” he said. “Christmas music always had a special place in my heart for all the seasonal things that happened, which included my grandmother’s fabulous cooking and all of that. I decided to find out where some of the roots of Christ mas music came from. Which is why on the first “Christmas,” there’s a song called ‘The Christmas Sweet,’ which is a suite of four pieces. I took songs like ‘I Saw Three Ships’ and went back to the origins and played it on instruments that would have been used at that time. Being a wind player, I could pretty

much play all of those.”

That fascination with Christmas music grew into a cottage industry for Mannheim Steamroller, leading to another 11 Noel releases. Further opportunities sprang up and included performing at the White House for the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony three times under three different administrations in addition to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Davis has also produced Mannheim Steamroller holiday ice-skating shows involving other well-known artists like the late Olivia Newton John, Martina McBride, Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano.

Currently, two traveling troupes of Mann heim Steamroller perform across the country every holiday season, with a third ensemble playing at Universal Orlando Resort during the holidays. Hip surgery a decade ago means Davis has hung up his touring shoes.

“It’s very tiring. When we first started with the “Fresh Aire” tours, the band was the crew,” Davis said. “We put the stage up and did everything. It was exhausting.”

These days, Davis hangs out on his 150acre farm just north of Omaha. But rather than live the life of a country gentleman, the 75-year-old musician is still intimately involved with the stage shows he promises will tap into the Christmas spirit fans have come to expect.

“These tours are a combination of the live music and sound effects like in some cases where there is a thunderstorm happening with one of the pieces,” he said. “There is also a multi-media show that includes slides and film. And then of course, the musicians and the live orchestra.”

Davis’ restless creative spirit has continued to yield musical fruit in the past two decades

ranging from albums focusing on Disney music (1999’s “Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse”) and American heritage (2003’s “American Spirit”) to amassing a notable cat alog of natural sounds, from the Tucson des ert to the full sonic span of all four seasons in the Midwest highlighted in his “Ambience” series. His latest creation is “Exotic Spaces,” a series that finds him casting his musical net rather widely.

“What I did was I tried to musically de scribe places like the Taj Mahal, so that gave me an opportunity to write using sitars and other really cool instruments like tabla and those sort of things,” he said. “Then one of my favorite cuts on it has me using hydrophones (microphones designed to be used underwa ter for recording or listening to underwater sounds). I’ve been a scuba diver since I was in my 20s and with the hydrophones, I actually recorded the song of the whales. I have one of the songs—I say it’s in the ‘key of sea.’ I use the whale song as the melody and it really is in the key of C. I wrote background stuff around the whale song and I had a really fun time doing that because it lined up so perfect ly with what I was composing.”

It’s just the latest leg in Davis’ lifelong journey of following his own musical star, a piece of advice he received from a Nashville lawyer many moons ago.

“What I tell any budding young composer or musician is to follow your own star,” Davis said. “Don’t let anybody detract from what you’re doing because it’s you that’s doing it. It’s the only way I know how to do it.”

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis hits the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 19. For more information visit savannahcivic.com

By Alan Sculley

When singer/songwriter Max Muscato released his punchy single “Valerie,” in February, it ended a five-year drought since he last released music in the form of his 2017 debut album, “Act One.”

The reason for the break was Autism Rocks, a non-profit inspired by his brother, Sonny, who has autism. It works to keep people with autism on track by offering workshops in music, acting, film and other arts careers while also raising funds and awareness for autism.

“I took three to four years off from my music career to make sure my brother was solid and the organization was great,” Muscato said in a recent phone interview. “And now that it is where we want it to be – it’s self-sustaining – I told the board, I said ‘Guys, I’m going to focus back on my music career now. It’s what I’m meant to do.’”

So fans can be assured they’ll be seeing new songs from Muscato on a more frequent basis going forward. Musca to, 32, has been writing songs in the interim and plans to release a new single every month or two, while building up his touring schedule.

“It took me awhile to kind of understand the new music industry now where unless you’re a big artist and have a big following, singles are really the way to go now because everybody consumes things so quick,” he said. “So if you come out with a single every four to eight weeks, it keeps the audience engaged and builds your fan base. And that ultimately triggers the algorithm for Spotify and Facebook and all the social media platforms.”

Muscato, who grew up and continues to live in Buffa lo, New York, came to music naturally, as his father was a professional percussionist who toured with Aerosmith. His brother. Sonny, in fact, plays drums. But for Muscato, guitar was the instrument that got him hooked on music.

He began playing at age 13, learning guitar by playing along to songs by classic rock and blues artists. He also started writing original songs, and by age 16 was playing in a number of local Buffalo bands.

He went to the University of Buffalo, where he continued to hone his playing and songwriting skills, sometimes to the detriment of his studies. But upon graduation, he took a detour, moving to Florida where he worked as a personal trainer for a number of professional golfers.

But music stayed with Muscato, and after a few years, he returned to Buffalo to launch his music career. He released “Act One” before founding Rock Autism in 2018 and step ping away from music.

Muscato also found his activities interrupted by the pan demic, after he contracted COVID.

“It was a really tough case,” he said. “I don’t have the best immune system, so it hit me really, really hard and for about, I’d say, about two or three months after, I did not get back into anything until after that.

But 2022 has seen Muscato back and busy. He’s been writ ing new material and re-recording some of those songs from “Act One” for possible release as singles. He has released “Valerie” and has a second single, “Toxic & Poison,” in the pipeline.

Max Muscato plays Starland Yard on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7pm.

By Frank Ricci

GEORGIA ON MY MIND

@ VICTORY NORTH

Like they’ve done before for Neil Young and BB King, your favorite local musicians and putting on a big show celebrating the countless Georgia artists who’ve influenced rock, soul, country, R&B, new wave, and hip hop. And as always, it’s a worthy cause that benefits the community.

WED NOV 23 | 7 PM

IAN ABER

@ THE WORMHOLE

The Atlanta-based comic was a national Finalist in NBC’s Stand Up For Diversity and hosts the “str8 ppl” podcast. In his act, Aber riffs on inescapable conversations with strangers, food as drugs, and fighting off attackers with deadly fashion criticism.

FRI NOV 18 | 8 PM

HOUSE OF GUNT

@ LODGE OF SORROWS

A hundred straight days of other drag burlesque shows cannot prepare you for the unexpected, unspeakable debauchery a House of Gunt show promises. Even minor details can’t be conveyed in a family publication, so take that as the description and endorsement.

SAT NOV 19 | 7 PM

DEPARTURE – JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND

@ COACH’S CORNER

The Bay area rockers debuted 50 years ago, and after a brief hiatus, are still going strong. For an excellent recreation of the band’s glory days, Departure hits the sweet spot hard and loud. With 100 million in global sales, expect to hear more hits you love than you thought.

FRI NOV 18 | 7 PM

SOUNDBOARD

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY 11/16

LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat

Midtown Pickers, 6 p.m.

Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay, 6 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar

Freespirits

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

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m. Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen

OAK 36 LIVE MUSIC

WEDNESDAY, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Moodright’s Duckpin Bowling League Night, 8 p.m. Service Brewing Company Trivia Night with Jess Shaw, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Bingo, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

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

THURSDAY 11/17

LIVE MUSIC

6 East State

The Brandon Walker Jazz Trio featuring George Grosman, 6:30 p.m.

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies & Music, 5-9 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Bottles and Cans

TRIVIA & GAMES

Bar Food Trivia Night, 8 p.m.

McDonough’s Family Feud, 7 p.m. The Wormhole Trivia, 10 p.m.

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

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

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

DJ Club 51 Degrees

DJ B-Rad, 9 p.m.

Top Deck

Sunset Deck Party, 6 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Service Brewing Company Service Brewing Run Club, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY 11/18

LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina LAX, 6 p.m.

District Live at Plant

Riverside District

Eric Hutchinson, Live in Concert, 8-10 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar

Cyril Durant Band

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant

JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company

Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth, 6 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

PS Tavern

Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE Bay Street Blues Karaoke Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971

Karaoke Night, 9 p.m.

The Hive Repertory Theatre LLC

Adult Night Out - Karaoke!, 8 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

DJ

Club 51 Degrees

DJ Fer, DJ Emalo, DJ Lil G, DJ BRad, 9 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club DJ Flip

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Club One

Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

Rock House Music & Dance, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY 11/19

LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina Gary Strickland, 6 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar

Jon Lee Murphy Trio

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant

JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Randy Wood’s Pickin’ Parlor

Randall Bramblett with Nick Johnson, 8-10 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Blueberry Hill

Pool Tournament, 2 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bar Food

Karaoke Night, 10 p.m.

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

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Rock House Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

COMEDY

Front Porch Improv Adult Drop-in IMPROV Class, 10 a.m.

DJ

Congress Street Social Club

DJ Kut Daily BAR & CLUB EVENTS Club One

Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

Over Yonder Honky Tonk Saturdays

SUNDAY 11/20

LIVE MUSIC

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

Congress Street Social Club

Voodoo Soup, 10 p.m.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar

Jonathan Santana & Christopher Jenkins Myrtle & Rose, Rooftop

Garden Plant Riverside

Live Jazz Sunday Brunch

Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nickie’s 1971

Roy Swindell, 7 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt)

Bucky and Barry, 1 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Moon River Brewing Co. Trivia, 6 p.m.

KARAOKE

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

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

MONDAY 11/21

LIVE MUSIC

Nickie’s 1971

Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m. The Wormhole Open Mic, 6 p.m.-2 a.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES Club One

Super Gay Bingo, 5:30 p.m. Moodright’s BINGO, 8 p.m.

Starland Yard Music Bingo, 7 p.m.

KARAOKE Club One

Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Fia Rua Irish Pub

Family Movie Night, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY 11/22

LIVE MUSIC

McDonough’s Open Mic/Jam, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar

Savannah Spotlight Hosts Open Mic Night at Totally Awesome Bar, 9 a.m.-noon TRIVIA & GAMES Basil’s Pizza and Deli Trivia, 7 p.m. Fia Rua Irish Pub Trivia, 7 p.m. McDonough’s Trivia Tuesday, 7 p.m. Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen OAK 36 TRIVIA TUESDAY, 6:30 p.m.; Trivia Tuesday, 9 p.m.

Savannah Taphouse Trivia, 7 p.m. Starland Yard Trivia with Chris Grimmett, 6:30 p.m.

KARAOKE Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. COMEDY

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

WEDNESDAY 11/23

LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Midtown Pickers, 6 p.m. Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay, 6 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Patti & The Mild Mannered Men McDonough’s Blues with Eric Culberson, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m. Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen OAK 36 LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES Moodright’s Duckpin Bowling League Night, 8 p.m. Service Brewing Company Trivia Night with Jess Shaw, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Bingo, 10 p.m. KARAOKE Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

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

THURSDAY 11/24

LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies & Music, 5-9 p.m. TRIVIA & GAMES Bar Food Trivia Night, 8 p.m. McDonough’s Family Feud, 7 p.m.

NOV/16-29

ENTER YOUR EVENT ONLINE AT CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

The Wormhole Trivia, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE Bay Street Blues Karaoke Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Open Mic Comedy, 8:30 p.m. DJ Club 51 Degrees DJ B-Rad, 9 p.m. Top Deck Sunset Deck Party, 6 p.m.

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

FRIDAY 11/25

LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina LAX, 6 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Voodoo Soup Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth, 6 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m. TRIVIA & GAMES PS Tavern Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m. KARAOKE Bay Street Blues Karaoke Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 9 p.m. The Hive Repertory Theatre LLC

Adult Night Out - Karaoke!, 8 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

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

Congress Street Social Club

DJ Flip

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Club One

Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

Rock House Music & Dance, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY 11/26

LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina Gary Strickland, 6 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Liquid Ginger; Levi Moore

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant

JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES Blueberry Hill Pool Tournament, 2 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bar Food Karaoke Night, 10 p.m. Bay Street Blues

Karaoke Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. Rock House Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

COMEDY

Front Porch Improv Adult Drop-in IMPROV Class, 10 a.m. DJ Congress Street Social Club

DJ Kut Daily Electric Moon Skytop Lounge and The Moon Deck, Plant Riverside District - Power Plant Building rooftop Savannah Boat Parade of Lights VIP Viewing Party and Holiday Afterparty, 7-10 p.m.

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

Over Yonder Honky Tonk Saturdays

SUNDAY 11/27

LIVE MUSIC

Collins Quarter at Forsyth Ember City, 2 p.m. Congress Street Social Club

Voodoo Soup, 10 p.m. Myrtle & Rose, Rooftop Garden Plant Riverside

Live Jazz Sunday Brunch

Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt)

Bucky and Barry, 1 p.m. TRIVIA & GAMES

Moon River Brewing Co. Trivia, 6 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

MONDAY 11/28

LIVE MUSIC

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m. The Wormhole Open Mic, 6 p.m.-2 a.m.

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

Moodright’s BINGO, 8 p.m. Starland Yard Music Bingo, 7 p.m. KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. BAR & CLUB EVENTS

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

TUESDAY 11/29

LIVE MUSIC

McDonough’s Open Mic/Jam, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m. Totally Awesome Bar Savannah Spotlight Hosts Open Mic Night at Totally Awesome Bar, 9 a.m.-noon

TRIVIA & GAMES

Basil’s Pizza and Deli Trivia, 7 p.m. Fia Rua Irish Pub Trivia, 7 p.m. McDonough’s Trivia Tuesday, 7 p.m. Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen

OAK 36 TRIVIA TUESDAY, 6:30 p.m.; Trivia Tuesday, 9 p.m.

Savannah Taphouse Trivia, 7 p.m. Starland Yard Trivia with Chris Grimmett, 6:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Stafford’s Public House

Stafford’s Tuesday Comedy Open Mic, 8:3011:45 p.m.

HR + XULUPROPHET @ THE WORMHOLE

THE DOG APOLLO + FRIENDS @ THE WORMHOLE

This writer’s life changed forever as a dopey kid in Sept. 1985 watching a face-melting Bad Brains performance in NYC. In their prime, no band on Earth could touch them. Longtime front man and all-around enigma Paul “HR” Hudson is as must-see as it gets. Refill your positive mental attitude tank to overflowing with a living legend. No better opener than Xuluprophet.

Get your Halloween weekend going with four bands that rock. The headliners play a strange mix of post-punk, shoegaze and roots. BAS Music uses two drummers to reach new psychedelic heights. The Maxines are grungy hard rock bordering on punk, and Xuluprohpet jam funk, reggae and rock. Like a pillowcase full of candy from strangers, there’s something for everyone.

TUES NOV 15 | 8 PM

FRI OCT 28 | 8 PM

HALLOWEEN HAVOC @ THE WORMHOLE

ERIC HUTCHINSON @ DISTRICT LIVE

Hutchinson hit it big early in 2008 when his debut album spawned a gold record single “Rock & Roll.” The international hit launched a career that continues today. Usually backed by a full band, songwriting takes center stage at this solo acoustic show.

FRI NOV 18 | 8 PM

Lots of bands, so note the decidedly un-spooky daylight start time. Hard rockers Kamenar (pictured) headline with support from Kill the Sound, The Dood, Once Kings, Hassleinone, and Losing Daylight. That’s six!…six!!…six!!! live bands to rock that ass on a Halloween weekend night. $300 in cash prizes for best costumes, so get creative and go home with the munny.

SAT OCT 29 | 6:30 PM

THE BAND PAGE

THE BAND PAGE

By Frank Ricci

By Frank Ricci

YEAR OF OCTOBER – THE WEIRD SISTERS - NOMAD @ THE WORMHOLE

156/SILENCE @ LODGE OF SORROWS

If you enjoy the feeling of big, warm, fuzzy guitar tones washing over you like a fluid sonic blanket, this night is for you. Two more Nashville bands, YoO and TWS, treat Savannah to a night of psychedelic rock, with local stoner rockers Nomad opening. Turn up, tune in, fuzz out.

SAT NOV 19 | 9:30 PM

The Pittsburgh-based metalcore act headlines the loudest Halloween party in Savannah. Bang your head bloody with these yinzers and fellow metalcore madmen Circle Back (Charleston) and If Only (Augusta). Local beatdown specialists Omenkiller get the carnage splattering early. Finish your trick-ortreating, eat a razor blade apple, and mosh into the void.

MON OCT 31 | 7:30 PM

BLACK CARL! + SAKA PRESENT RUSH HOUR @ ELAN SAVANNAH

NORDISTA FREEZE @ EL ROCKO LOUNGE

A dubstep producer who admits to adding “a little emo at times” is not your typical EDM. The Birmingham-based artist collaborated with fellow experimental beatmaker and Hong Kong native Saka on the Rush Hour EP. It’s so good, they had to tour. Get all squiggly in the noggin and see why.

FRI NOV 18 | 10 PM

The hardest working man in indie pop returns to Savannah for the fourth time in the last 12 months. As cliché as it sounds, the shows keep getting better. If you’ve seen the relentless Freeze and his band in action, you already know this. If you’ve managed to miss the last three, prepare for Friday Night Rectification. A guaranteed monster show.

FRI OCT 28 | 9 PM

SOUNDBOARD

The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum to be held February 27-28, 2023, at Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees Garden. With its core mission being to include, listen, learn, act and grow, the Forum was founded to help our region address generational systemic poverty, isolated silos of community and communication, while moving the community forward towards excellence and growth opportunities for all.

Forum attendees include emerging, established and diverse leaders from civic groups, non-profits, neighborhoods, government, and business. visit southeastleadershipforum.com for more information!

77TH ANNUAL VETERANS DAY GALA

By Bunny Ware

Kicking off Veterans Week with their 77th Annual Gala on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Elks Lodge on Wilshire, the Veterans Council of Chatham County hosted local military dignitaries and community leaders along with special guests, 94 year-old Bob Cutler and 97 year-old Howard Young.

Having two World War II veterans attend tonight’s event makes it even more special, but before I can get over to greet the dapper dressed gentlemen, I find triple amputee Ryan Davis and his wife Asia entering the Elk’s Lodge. Wishing I could talk with the couple longer, I reluctantly rushed inside the ballroom to snap pics of newlyweds Mike Ball and Jennifer Fortenberry.

My petite friend is looking ravishing in an black and silver fitted sequin dress, while Mike is all suited up in a black tuxedo. Thinking that they are a perfect poster couple for the US Army (Mike is a former US Army Staff Sergeant and Chinook Flight Engineer while Jennifer is a former US Army Major and Black Hawk Helicopter pilot), I smile when I realize that this 5’1” lady outranks her 5’11” husband—as it should be!

Walking past The Dive Savannah’s scrumptious buffet, I see Joe Mitchler looking all kinds of happy about being selected as the Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshall, while his wife Carolyn and granddaughter Michelle Holton look on with pride. Sitting at the table beside them is my patriotic Step One Automotive Group family: Maja Ciric, Danica Williams, Jonathan Oppenheim and Chelsea Altman along with Jessica Blakely, Andreas Edwards and Sinisa Ciric.

Slowing down my favorite veteran historian Doug Andrews and asking him to condense his history is a tough call, but Doug replies with “I served seven years as Veterans Council Chairman from 2013-2020, was Veteran of the Year in 2009 and have been involved with the American Legion since 1998. The project I am most proud of is when we created and erected the World War II monument on River Street in 2010.”

The local attorney and retired military court martial judge then gives me the scoop on 2013 Veteran of the Year, 94 year-old Bob Cutler. I learned Bob

BUNNY IN THE CITY

Hunter AAF Garrison Commander Robert Cuthbertson, Meaghan Cuthbertson, Joe Higgins, CSM Ryan Reichard

Ryan and Asia Davis

Bob Cutler, Carol Purcell, Howard Young

Michelle Holton, Joe and Carolyn Mitchler

joined the Coast Guard in 1945 when he turned 17, he served various positions protecting shipping, and for his final assignment, Bob served as Port Captain of the Port of Savannah after WWII.

Sitting beside Bob is our oldest veteran in the room, US Navy veteran Howard Young. Always smiling and bearing Tootsie Rolls, Howard cheerfully poses for pics before I get called over to snap pics of Old Town Trolley’s Scott Leekly and his wife Michelle. Proud to finally meet this brunette beauty, I ask the couple where they are sitting. At Marianne Ganem Poppell’s table of course!

Seated with them is Marianne and her Simply Savannah Marketing partner Dru Usry, her main man Rob, State Farm’s Vernon Donovan, Connect Savannah’s Chantel Britton and Chantel’s sister Lavyon Frazier. Not exactly sure what Marianne is wearing, I giggled when I heard Rob ask Marianne, “Are we going to a costume party?” But seriously, I have to admire her poofy tulle camouflage skirt!

Continuing in the long line of distinguished Veterans of the Year like OC Fowler, Jim Grismer, Rich Noel and Jim Vejar, Greg Kindred is one of those reluctant heroes who has always shied away from the spotlight but is so deserving of this prestigious award. The retired US Navy Command Master Chief has such a long list of veteran organizations that I can’t list them all, so I ask Mike Ball to give me a rundown of Greg’s achievements.

The American Legion Post 135 Junior Vice Commander responds with, “I admire Greg because he is so giving of his time. He is the behindthe-scenes guy for Flags of the Fallen, the B-17 Restoration Project, the Veterans Tiny Home Project, is a member of five veteran organizations and does everything at American Legion Post 135. He is a quiet professional that has made a tremendous impact on the Chatham County Veteran community.”

It’s award time! Joe takes the stage to present awards to NonCommissioned Officer of the Year SGT Garrett Blanchard, Soldier of the Year SPC Mathew Martin, and the Bald Eagle Award to Veteran Carriers’ Lukas and Roy White, Jr., for the massive amount of money raised for the Veterans Council from their annual car show.

He concludes with, “With a long history of honoring local military, first responders and community partners for their support of the veterans’ community in Chatham county, the Veterans Day Gala is the crown jewel event that celebrates their achievements.”

Amen. Celebrating our local legends while they are still alive, giving a spotlight to young officers and troops that stand out to local companies like Veterans Carriers who continue to pay it forward are reasons why I love Veterans Week so much. Dear veterans, we appreciate your service, we salute you and we love you all!

Michelle and Scott Leekly

Marianne Ganem Poppell, Joe Higgins, Dru Usry

Lukas Wargin, Roy White Jr.

Sabrina, James and Janet Putney

Greg Kindred, Tim Ansley