Connect Savannah August 5, 2020

AUG 5-11, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

PLANT RIVERSIDE

AMBITIOUS, ECLECTIC PROJECT OPENS -NOT WITHOUT CONTROVERSY

PHOTO BY JIM MOREKIS

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Markets:

Sat. Aug. 8, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/

Forsyth Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays facebook.com/forsythfarmersmarket

Livestreams: Virtual First Friday for Folk Music Jacob Evans in a livestream performance at 7:30 p.m.; Annette Wasilik at 8:30 p.m.

Fri. Aug. 7 facebook.com/ events/610031419653892/

Islands Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/ Tybee Island Farmers Market Mondays, 4-7 p.m.

30 Meddin Dr. facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersmarket

Site Reopenings: Davenport House Museum Daily tours begin 10 a.m., last tour 4 p.m. except Sundays when hours are 1-4 p.m.

Georgia State Railroad Museum Wed.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Harper-Fowlkes House Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Guided tours will be offered every half hour, with the first tour starting at 10 am and the last tour starting at 3:30 pm.

Old Fort Jackson Wed.-Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mars Theatre Friday/Saturday night movies at 7 p.m.

Pin Point Heritage Museum Thu.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

American Prohibition Museum Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., last entry 4:15 p.m.

Savannah History Museum Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Telfair Museums 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Mondays.

During initial reopening phase, they closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Admission to all sites $20 inclusive.

Events: Savannah Bananas vs. Macon College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Wed. Aug. 5, 7 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com

Mercer-Williams House Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday

Savannah Bananas vs. Savannah Party Animals College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Thu.. Aug. 6, 7 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.

Savannah Bananas vs. Lexington College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Sat.. Aug. 8, 7 p.m., Grayson Stadium

thesavannahbananas.com Savannah Bananas vs. Lexington (Bark in the Park) College summer league ball in a historic ballpark.

Mon..Aug. 10, 7 p.m., Grayson Stadium thesavannahbananas.com

Live Concerts: JerryDay at Southbound Brewing Commemorating the life and music of Jerry Garcia. Shakedown Street starts at 4 p.m., the Charlie Fog Band plays acoustic set at 5 p.m., and inside set from 7-10 p.m.

Sat. Aug. 8 Free and open the public Comedian Chris Deal at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Fri. Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/ Outlaw Gypsy at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Fri. Aug. 7, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/ Rumors: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Front Porch Improv: Long Story Short Live ‘storytelling event.’

Fri. Aug. 7 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/ Front Porch Improv: Hot Takes Comedy talk show.

Fri. Aug. 7 8 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/ Friday Night Live with Mayor Van Johnson Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s “fireside chat” about the state of the city.

Fridays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/MayorJohnsonSAV/ Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties To receive the link to these streaming playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to donate at least $5 via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high quality digital download of a movie from the archive, and is entered into a drawing to win a T-shirt.

Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Seldom Sober Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk.

Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

S

Glance

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

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NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

The controversial interior of the Baobab Lounge at Plant Riverside

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com

A developer’s vision – and a building controversy

Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com Josephine Beisel, Editorial Intern CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Brittany Curry, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 DESIGN & PRODUCTION

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

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

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

A WATERFRONT hotel project so massive and ambitious that it would literally change the physical geography of River Street and how people experience it.

A highly controversial design which seemed jarringly out of context for its setting, and polarized Savannahians.

A developer famous for “thinking big” and putting his personal — critics also say garish — stamp on every project.

Plant Riverside? Maybe.

But all that certainly applies to the Hyatt Regency hotel on River Street.

Built in 1980, that project from late developer Merritt Dixon took Savannah’s historic fabric and tugged it at both ends.

Originally envisioned as a 14-story high-rise, a long struggle with the Historic Savannah Foundation resulted in the “compromise” of a six-story building.

In addition to the Hyatt’s brutally modernist architecture, it further insulted preservationists by bridging the old cobblestones of River Street, physically dividing the waterfront in two.

“This is the best thing that ever happened to Savannah — this is big business,” Dixon said at a dedication ceremony for the Hyatt Regency 40 years ago this month.

Dixon predicted it would become “the focal point of the entire historic district.”

Sound familiar?

River Street now sees another massive hotel in Richard Kessler’s Plant Riverside District, which dwarfs Dixon’s Hyatt Regency not only in size, but in scope.

Anchored by a JW Marriott hotel repurposed from the old Savannah Electric Power Plant on the west end of River Street, the Plant Riverside District includes over a dozen separate food and beverage outlets, a dedicated Riverwalk, and will eventually have a parking garage and attached live performance venue.

The entire District was made possible by private/public partnership, which includes a bond issue to fund construction of the parking garage and a sizable tax credit.

I toured the space at last week’s ribboncutting. It takes a lot to render me speechless. But that was the case.

The volume of sensory stimulation is something closer to a theme park than a lodging place. Plant Riverside is “just a hotel” in the same sense that the Great Pyramid is just a triangle-shaped building.

The décor quite simply defies explanation. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Part Jurassic Park, part Harry Potter, part ‘70s-era Disneyworld.

Steampunk meets Indiana Jones meets New Age meets Victorian Folly.

A life-size, moving chrome dinosaur skeleton. Fossils. Pterodactyls. Thousands of geodes and crystals of all colors and origins.

An enormous, imaginative bronze of Beethoven. And outside – yet to be revealed and placed on its pedestal – a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. While the design aesthetic itself has drawn howls of local criticism due to its over-the-top eclecticism, there’s no question that you can see every dime of the $350 million-plus that went into it.

Whatever your take on the taste level, there’s no doubt that every inch of the

renovation is at a world-class, top-notch level of craftmanship.

The developer says there’s nothing like Plant Riverside in the world, and for once I’ll take a developer’s word for a statement that ambitious. He’s right.

Unfortunately that cuts both ways.

There is already a heated controversy building around one particular — and to be fair, quite small — segment of Plant Riverside, the African-themed Baobab Lounge.

While defended by the developer as an homage to Africa and the roots of humanity in that continent, the actual bar space features a variety of questionable design choices which taken together as a whole seem guaranteed to offend some patrons.

The bar is designed around the big game safari motif, with all the associated tropes of the “Great White Hunter” — including actual big game trophy heads around the walls, staring at you with now-dead eyes.

There are beautiful paintings of African tribespeople in indigenous dress, painted

by Black artist Richard Woodrow Nash.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with Nash’s paintings, in context of the bar’s stereotypical colonialist theme they take on a different character.

There has been widespread revulsion at what was thought – and looks like – a huge chandelier allegedly made of whips.

But they aren’t actually whips – they’re animal horns. Which, if you’re familiar with the way illegal hunting for horns and tusks has decimated animal populations in Africa and Asia, is frankly about as tasteless as a chandelier made of whips.

The glorification of poaching continues with the ghoulish piece de resistance: A tied-up, upside-down replica of a dead crocodile hanging directly over the bar.

The problematic racial depictions combined with the animal rights nightmare are a signal that the Baobab Lounge needs to be closed and redesigned, full stop.

The developer has the funds to do it, and that’s what needs to be done. Whether it will be, of course, is another story.

That said, there are many people not offended at all, by the bar or by anything else at Plant Riverside. Overall, the reception has been glowing among the people intended to be its target market.

And there’s a case to be made that nearly any development in that space is better than the decades-old brownfield of a deserted power plant.

Like the once-shocking Hyatt Regency nearby, Savannah will probably come to accept Plant Riverside, too.

I must say I prefer Plant Riverside to what was equally likely to be put there: Upscale residential apartments or condos — essentially a gated community.

Plant Riverside is intended to be a destination for all the public in and of itself, and that it surely is.

They just need to redesign that bar. CS

NEWS & OPINION FREE SPEECH

Fighting the horror of human trafficking

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

trafficking and how to deal with various situations to provide immediate aid, to build the best case for prosecution, and to

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This type of training is essential as they are the first responders who will encounter IN A SENSE, slavery is not dead. The dirty a young person in trouble. little secret in the state of Georgia, and Local hotels are helping as well by diseven here in posh little Savannah, is the playing posters in public restrooms which fact that human trafficking is alive. have the Human Traffick Hotline number Georgia has the seventh highest (888-373-7888). It is hoped a victim will rate of human trafficking at 3.49 per attempt to make a call or use a simplified 100,000. Even more astounding is the fact text (233733) to call for help. that according to some estimates, there Sadly, according to Dosomething.org, are more human slaves in the world today only .04% of human trafficking victims are than any time in our history (www.factre- ever identified. When parents are pimping triever.com/human-trafficking-facts). out their own children, it seems beyond Make no mistake, human trafficking is comprehension that this could even be modern day enslavement, whether by sex- happening, but it is. ual exchanges, forced labor, organ removal Another source for this illicit activity or many other deviant activities. comes from the often under-regulated and The victims, mostly children, who are underfunded Foster Care system. This shuffled from one activity to the next, statement is not to discredit the monuproduce up to $150 billion per year on the mental sacrifices many dedicated individglobal market. uals make to bring warm, safe and happy The hotspot in Georgia is Atlanta, but homes to neglected children. with the idea of casino gambling coming The service of these people can never be to Savannah, the possibility of this kind of acknowledged enough, but the good work activity growing exponentially here could is being stained by a small percentage of be on the horizon if we let it happen. individuals who use the system to gain During a Super Bowl celebration a few personal profit through forced labor and years ago in Phoenix, AZ, the United States farming out of the youth for sex.

Institute Against Human Trafficking Advocates for the Foster Care system (USIAHT) reported a boy as young as 10 are crying out for help, but due to COVIDwas sold to men for sex. The average age of 19 the response from those in power has victims is 11-14. been not enough. These abandoned chilThe recent news reports of Jeffrey dren are being exploited.

Epstein and his evil cohorts brings to light Chatham County has one of the highest how deep this sickening problem has pernumbers of foster children in the state, yet meated our culture in America, even at the it gets the least amount of dollars to serhighest levels of government. vice them. There are anecdotal stories of Fortunately, there are a dedicated num- children having to temporarily sleep in the ber of individuals, organizations and poli- offices of the Department of Family and ticians who have made it their mission to Children Services (DFCS) because of the find any way possible to stop this scourge. lack of placement opportunities.

The group Savannah Working Against The same children are hindered from Human Trafficking, Inc. (SWAHT) was being registered in public school due to formed in 2008 under the Zonta Club of bureaucratic “Catch 22” situations which Savannah, and they became incorporated takes away a safety net as teachers are in 2009. Their mission is to: trained to identify potential abuse issues.

• Be a forum leader to develop a stratThe end result for some youth is to take egy to eradicate human trafficking and aid the option of becoming a juvenile offender victims for the ability to get three meals a day and a • Promote awareness dry place to sleep. Once entrenched in this • Educate the community on how to cycle, the recidivism rate is predictable. identify and report human trafficking As a community, we must open our • Establish a network to combat human collective eyes and ears to bring about trafficking change. Like abolitionists of the past, it During the recent annual Traffick is our duty to provide a safe haven for our Jam held at Savannah State University, youth to let them know good caring people hundreds of law enforcement officials are there to protect them, and there is not a price tag attached for the effort. CS were trained on how to identify human

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NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK

Plant Riverside: ‘a vision come to reality’ Vast hotel and ‘entertainment district’ unveiled to crowds

TEXT AND PHOTOS

BY JIM MOREKIS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

jim@connectsavannah.com

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ON WEDNESDAY July 29, the official ribbon-cutting and public opening of the long-anticipated Plant Riverside District took place.

The centerpiece is a JW Marriott built within the old Savannah Electric power plant from which the complex gets its name.

The power plant dominated the skyline on West River Street since its construction in 1913, standing dormant since being taken offline in 2000.

“Fast forward to today to observe the urban regeneration of this six-acre tract. No one can doubt the redevelopment of River Street has forever changed this landscape,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, joking, “What a difference $350 million and a dream makes.”

Developer Richard Kessler purchased the property from the Southern Company specifically to make what he calls an entertainment district, beginning a near-decade long effort to transform the area into the Plant Riverside District.

“Seeing a vision come to reality after eight years is moving, I will tell you,” said Kessler at the ribbon-cutting.

“Today we introduce you, Savannah citizens, to your new neighbor, your new playground, your new place to come eat, to have fun, to see fountain shows, to hear live music, to meet new people,” he said.

The project is estimated to provide 600-800 new jobs, according to Johnson.

“History is made in a city that is known for its history,” he said. CS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE 135-FOOT CHROME DINOSAUR DOMINATES THE LOBBY INTERIOR; REPLICAS OF PTERODACTYLS HANG FROM THE HIGH CEILING; THE BRONZE OF BEETHOVEN IN A MEZZANINE CAFE AREA; ONE OF THE ROOFTOP BAR AREAS; THE ATRIUM; RICHARD KESSLER, IN RED JACKET, CUTTING THE RIBBON

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

CITY NOTEBOOK

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Omega Construction’s Georgia Division has just completed construction on its latest project, the new Corporate Headquarters and STEM Center of the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. The building at 535 East Liberty Street was completely renovated for its new tenants.

“We’re thrilled to have a new space for people to come and experience Girl Scouts,” said Sue Else, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.

“The STEM Center will be unlike anything we’ve had before at GSHG, and we are more than ready to give our Girl Scouts another fun, educational, and collaborative environment in Savannah. The center will host programs and be open to every Girl Scout. It will also be a place to relax and shop while experiencing Savannah’s many attractions.” said Else.

Omega remodeled the building’s interior space to accommodate the needs of the Girl Scouts including full interior demolition and new construction of customized offices, bathrooms, public spaces and a retail space featuring modern interior design and finishes.

Future plans for the space include a new rock-climbing wall and a fully interactive retail space for the Girl Scouts to utilize.

Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, the Girl Scouts still attracts thousands of girls to Savannah for QuestFest, the organization’s annual Girl Scout-themed scavenger hunt and festival, as well as to visit the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Other popular Girl Scout landmarks include Juliette Gordon Low’s grave at Laurel Grove Cemetery North and the Girl Scouts’ First Headquarters on Drayton Street.

The new Girl Scout center will be opening soon. For more information about Girl Scouts, visit www.gshg.org.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Homeless Authority announces 2020 Exec Committee

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The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH) has announced its 2020 Executive Committee with John Miller serving as Board Chair. Joining him as officers are Julian Miller, Vice Chair; Josua Rine, Secretary; Janet Kniss, Treasurer; and Toby Browne, Past Chair.

John Miller is the former Executive Director of Southernmost Homeless Assistance League and has many years of experience with Continuums of Care in Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. He was Executive Director of a HUD housing organization and has managed several other nonprofits and for profit companies.

Miller moved to Savannah in 2005 to become publisher of the Savannah Morning News. After retirement from the newspaper industry in 2008, he started a group of real estate management companies,

Girl Scout headquarters interior.

served five years as Public Affairs Director of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, and served as Savannah City Council Alderman, 4th District 2016 – 2020.

Josua Rine, LPC, CPCS, was the Director of Operations for Union Mission 2013 – 2019 and is currently the Program Director at Recovery Place, Inc. He is a U.S. Army Veteran, recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for combat service in Operation Iraqi Freedom V, and is an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trainer, as well as a 2019 TedX Savannah speaker.

Janet Kniss, CPA, is the Controller for BRW Construction Group, LLC and has over 20 years experience in financial and tax accounting, as well as expertise in controls and operational improvements for real estate development and construction.

Toby Browne owns Comprehensive Business Partners, LLC, a business consulting firm that offers corporate planning and tax services.

Three new members were also appointed to the board including Vernon Jones; Linda Wilder - Bryan, Savannah City Council Alderwoman, 3rd District; and Kurtis Purtee, Savannah City Council Alderman, 6th District.

Tybee Post reschedules concerts

The Tybee Post Theater will reschedule its upcoming September live music concerts for later this fall or into the spring due to the current uptick in the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“We know many of you are disappointed, but our live music events are typically sell outs, and a full house of enthusiastic patrons doesn’t seem prudent at this time,” they say.

“Our first priority is the health and safety of our patrons, employees and the community. Tickets already purchased will be valid for the new dates. Ticket buyers will be notified by email of the option to hold onto their tickets or seek a refund if they can’t attend on the rescheduled night.”

The “One of These Nights” Eagles tribute previously set for Sept. 25 has been rescheduled to Nov. 21, 8 p.m.

Atlanta-based legends Drivin’ ‘N’ Cryin’ is set for Sat. Nov. 7, 8 p.m.

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday August 2

HOMICIDES

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Sexual assault suspect sought

SPD apprehends Entering Auto suspect

Entering auto suspect Richard Strickland, 21, has been located.

SPD Southside Precinct detectives were seeking a suspect in an entering auto that occurred at a motel in June.

“Around 11 p.m. June 25 officers

Alleged sexual assault suspect

responded to Comfort Inn, 7110 Hodgson Memorial Drive, for a man who was pulling on door handles and then entered an unlocked vehicle. The suspect was positively identified as Strickland,” police say

SPD seeks to ID persons of interest in investigation

Savannah Police Violent Crimes detectives are seeking the public’s help identifying two persons of interest in an ongoing

Richard Strickland

Persons of interest

criminal investigation.

“The first person of interest is described as a black male, believed to be in his late 20s to early 30s with a full beard and an afro. In surveillance footage, he wore a white shirt, dark pants and white shoes.

The second individual is described as a black male with a full beard and low haircut. He is believed to be in his late 20s to early 30s and wore a t-shirt during the incident under investigation,” police say.

Anyone with information on their identities is encouraged to contact detectives at (912) 651-6728 or CrimeStoppers at (912) 234-2020.

ALL CASES FROM RECENT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENT REPORTS. GIVE ANONYMOUS CRIME TIPS TO CRIMESTOPPERS AT 912/234-2020 OR TEXT CRIMES (274637) USING KEYWORD CSTOP2020.

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Special Victims Unit detectives are seeking to identify a man who is a suspect in a sexual assault earlier this month.

The incident occurred the morning of July 18 at La Quinta Inn, 8484 Abercorn Street. The suspect, who goes by “Al,” is described as a black male in his 40s who has a beard, short hair and is around 6-feet tall. He is known to frequent the area near the La Quinta Inn and Studio 6, 60 W. Montgomery Crossroad.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Special Victims Unit at (912) 651-6742 or Crimestoppers at (912) 2342020. Tipsters remain anonymous.

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Gabriel and Tracy Brawn moved into Gabriel’s childhood home in DoverFoxcroft, Maine, in 2012 and enjoyed a warm relationship with next-door neighbor Steve Ritter, whose garage had been partially built on the Brawns’ property decades ago. But after Ritter passed away in 2016, his wife and grown children took over the property, sometimes renting it out, and “this place turned to craziness and chaos,” Tracy Brawn told the Bangor Daily News on July 16, leading finally to Gabriel Brawn grabbing his Sawzall on May 26 and cutting the Ritters’ garage in half, right down the property line. “We’re putting up a fence,” Tracy Brawn said.

“Fences make good neighbors.” DoverFoxcroft police Chief Ryan Reardon said, “We were aware of the situation and believe it’s been resolved at this point.”

Latest Alarming Headlines

A roving gang of baboons in Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside, England is known to vandalize cars and otherwise alarm visitors, but lately, The Sunday Times reported, they’ve been seen carrying knives, screwdrivers and a chain saw, which workers believe they’ve acquired from visitors. “We’re not sure if they are being given weapons by some of the guests

... or if they’re fishing them out of pickup trucks and vans,” an employee said. Park officials have pooh-poohed the reports, saying, “We believe that many of these stories have grown in exaggeration as they’ve been retold.”

Predictable

A $64,000 glass replica of a Disney castle on display at the Shanghai Museum of Glass in China was shattered in July after two kids “hit the exhibit counter when they were chasing each other,” a museum spokesperson posted on Weibo. The Today Show reported Spanish glassblower Miguel Arribas spent 500 hours creating The Fantasy Castle in 2016, but “luckily it’s not destroyed,” said Arribas Brothers company spokesman Rudy Arribas. When COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Miguel will go to Shanghai to repair the castle.

“We’re used to kids and this kind of stuff happening,” said Rudy. “Glass breaks.”

Lost and Found

• Chris Marckres of Hyde Park, Vermont, went skydiving on July 25, but, he told NECN, “I think my adrenaline was so high and I was just so excited, I didn’t realize I had lost it.” “It” was one of Marckres’ two prosthetic legs. The double amputee was harnessed to an instructor and landed safely, but he didn’t know where the leg ended up. His plea for help on Facebook was answered the next day by farmer Joe Marszalkowski, who found the prosthetic in his soybean field. Marckres said the leg suffered a few scratches but was otherwise unharmed. “We kind of take for granted sometimes how many truly good people there still are in the world,” he mused.

• Mike Evans of Woodson Terrace, Missouri, went for a 5-mile float trip with friends on the Meramec River on July 25 and decided to get out of the raft and walk behind it in the water for a bit. As the water got deeper, he had to swim to catch the raft, and as he climbed back in, Evans discovered his prosthetic leg was gone, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He

searched with no luck, but a Missouri state trooper responding to a call nearby heard about the loss and coordinated a dive team to help. It took divers a couple of hours the next day to find the leg, saving Evans about $27,000 to replace it. “It was a happy ending to a stressful few days,” Evans said.

• After Christian Meyer of Berlin, Germany, lost his running shoes to a thief, he posted a notice on a community sharing platform and learned other residents had also lost shoes that were left outside.

Meyer soon discovered the culprit, telling local media on July 26 that he caught a fox “red-handed” with a pair of blue flipflops in its mouth and eventually found its stash of more than 100 multicolored shoes, according to Fox News. Meyer’s shoes, however, were not among them.

The Street Where You Live

Concerned friends of Hartford, Connecticut, retiree Victor King contacted police on July 26 when they couldn’t reach King, who had recently reported being threatened with a samurai sword by a man he rented a room to, according to an arrest warrant. The Hartford Courant reported that first responders arriving at the house on Asylum Avenue found King’s body, badly slashed and decapitated.

Police began a search for the renter, Jerry David Thompson, who was soon found and arrested, but refused to cooperate with detectives, referring them instead to paperwork in his car indicating he believes himself to be a sovereign citizen and therefore not subject to the law. He was arraigned on July 28 and held on $2 million bail.

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MUSIC WRUU SPOTLIGHT

WRUU Spotlight:

Dave Lake

‘The greatest joy I have is giving people the chance to realize a dream’

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

AS PART of our new series profiling WRUU show hosts, this week we talk to WRUU Studio Manager and host Dave Lake, who has also been instrumental in the expansion of this nonprofit, all-volunteer local community radio station.

What in your background or interests led you to the role of managing WRUU? Back in the late 70s I was an on-air personality and the classical music coordinator at KTXT-FM in Lubbock, Texas, and then moved on to host a show on WKNC in Raleigh, NC. I went on to another profession and eventually become a physical therapy academic administrator, first in Boston at

Northeastern University and then coming to Savannah as the founding chair of the physical therapy program at the thenArmstrong State College. This gave me both the on-air skills and administrative skills.

In the summer of 2015, I submitted a proposal for what is my Savannah Music Local and Sustainable show, which is interviews with and the music of local musicians and presented the show at a meeting in July. By December, I had not heard anything about the submission show. I contacted the station and learned that the program director and the associate directors for music and for talk programming had all quit.

I got together with a couple of other people who had submitted programs, Doug Johnson and Louis Clausi. We started learning the board and computer programs that were purchased to run

automation and other programming at the station.

I loaded up all the music that I had to create the Americana, classical, jazz, soundtracks, world, classic rock and alternative rock for our automation programming.

And we started to stream in February 2016. In January and February, we tried to contact all of the people who had submitted shows back in 2015, but most of the people were so discouraged that they had not been contacted during 2015 about their shows, they had made other commitments or were no longer interested.

So we started with 7 hosts who had submitted programs and the rest of the 24 hours was automation. We wrote a new manual, and we developed a program development process. Contacted various media sources to promote submission of new programs.

We continued to raise money to be able to put an aerial up and install the computers and other equipment to be able to broadcast. Because I had retired in the Summer of 2015, I could spend more time in the studio than anyone else. Learned all the systems and worked with the fundraising team and the infrastructure team.

Because I was spending so much time at the studio and coordinating activities between the teams, I was appointed to the position of studio manager. Remember, however, that I had signed on to be a host of one show. But by the time we went on the air, I was hosting 3 shows and had assumed the role of studio manager.

In the year from the time we started streaming, we raised enough money so we could install our broadcast antenna, and went on-air in March 2017. At that time we had about 35 hosts. Now we have between 60-70 hosts and producers.

What particular challenges and rewards have you experienced running an all-volunteer operation?

The main challenge is maintaining staffing for live programming. We have presently 60-70 hosts and producers, but if you count everyone who has served in that role during our 4 years of streaming and 3 years on the air, we have had over 120 people who have been hosts and producers.

Yes, my list of active hosts and producers is about as long as previous hosts and producers. But I understand. Life intervenes and they have to suspend their programs.

On the other hand we have had hosts who have continued their shows since when they joined when we were early in our streaming back in 2016.

Another challenge is making sure hosts can meet their show commitments. Work changes, family illness, car broken down, etc. and hosts miss their shows. On the other hand we have hosts who have met

their show commitments come hell or high water, through pandemics and hurricanes.

The greatest joy I have is giving people the chance to realize a dream. They have listened to radio and dreamed that they could be on radio. And we are able to help them fulfill that dream.

I have such joy to see their smiles when they are on the air and sharing the music that they love and discussing issues that are important to them.

You have quite a full plate hosting three shows—tell us a bit about each one, and your goals with each.

The show that I proposed back in Summer of 2015 was Savannah Music Local and Sustainable. This show is a 1 hour prerecorded show that features interviews with and the music of local musicians.

I love this show because I love talking to musicians about their process of writing music and/or performing music. I have interviewed rock, folk, jazz, rap and classical musicians.

Savannah is such an awesome musical town. Now after over 4 years of shows with only a few encore episodes and interviewing only a very few musicians more than once, I have to reflect back on the meeting where I proposed this show.

During that proposal meeting, the following statement and question were asked, “Now you realize a weekly show means interviewing about 50 musicians a year.

Are there 50 musicians in Savannah?” So with close to 200 shows, I can clearly say – yes there are more than 50 musicians in Savannah.

I saw that we needed more live programming so I started Evening Eclectic the first week we started streaming in February 2016. Evening Eclectic is anything I want to play. This is a fun show.

As you can tell my musical tastes run the full range of genres. So I get to include multiple genres in a single show or a single genre. All of the episodes of Evening Eclectic are really good.

But some of these episodes include ones that I am truly very proud of. For instance, a few weeks ago I did a show called “From their Lips to Your Ears” which featured an eclectic mix of vocal music from jazz, modern classical and off-beat pop. On what other radio show are you going to hear Bec Plexus, Cory Smythe, Anahita Abbasi, Björk, Meredith Monk, Shara Nova, Fiona Apple, Dirty Projectors, My Brightest Diamond, Roomful of Teeth and the Silk Road Ensemble on the same episode?

Contemporary Classics started with programming concert/art music from the 20th and 21st centuries. And you immediately say isn’t classical music Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms and they are all dead. And I say no!

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Dave Lake at the WRUU board.

CONTINUES ON P. 14 13

WRUU SPOTLIGHT

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

There are composers who are living and breathing today, and there are musicians and musical groups who do nothing but contemporary classical music. And this is what this show is all about.

I regularly go to festivals of contemporary classical music, I have connections with three record labels that regularly release contemporary classical music and I have friends who are composers and musicians. So the show has evolved into having interviews with composers of classical music every other week.

But in addition to these shows I am the voice of both Jazz Brunch every day except Friday around the noon hour and Classical Eclectic on weekends.

I regularly provide more music for these automated shows. I will out announce each tune on both of these shows, which requires a couple days every other month doing voice work.

And of course I am studio manager. So every time I say I am “retired,” my wife starts laughing. I am working as much now as when I was employed, but I love it.

I have never enjoyed life as much as I do now, and my payment is not money, but joy.

Enthusiasm is the number one criteria for a host. We look for a person who loves a musical genre, or loves a topic that they wish to talk about.

In what direction would you like to see WRUU move forward? Where do you see the station in five years?

Fifth, the ability to do remote broadcasting so we could do broadcasting live from events around the city.

First, I would like to see a paid person replace me as studio manager. We are the only community radio station in the country that does not have any paid staff.

Second, I would love to have a production/training studio alongside our broadcast studio.

Third, I would like to see us having investigative reporters who can spend time meeting with city and state leaders investigating issues that are critical to local and state residents.

Fourth (or maybe it should be first), we would like a to have a bathroom in the studio area because to go to the bathroom we have to leave the studio itself and go to the Unitarian Church next door.

What makes the ideal WRUU board/ show host?

THANK YOU.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Our sincere thanks to the awesome advertisers who supported this week’s issue of Connect Savannah.

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How has Savannah itself—its community, history, politics, culture, etc.— influenced the formation and content of the station?

These businesses and organizations are helping to support free, independent journalism and a locally-owned media company at a time when financial resources are critical for all.

Please show them your support.

Enthusiasm is the number one criteria for a host. We look for a person who loves a musical genre, or loves a topic that they wish to talk about.

Dedication is also a factor. We are looking for hosts who are willing to dedicate the time to prepare and deliver a show on a weekly basis.

Computer and technological skills are very helpful. Working the board and computer software to do a show is not rocket science, but some hosts have real problems because of their low level of technology skills.

WRUU is Savannah and Savannah is WRUU. All of our hosts live and work in the Savannah area.

Our talk shows focus on issues that are important to Savannah residents, and in many cases the focus is on local issues, politics and the arts. Music programming is centered on what is not available locally on the radio such as lesser heard contemporary alternative rock, rockabilly, Irish music, jazz, contemporary classical music, lesser heard music from 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s, reggae, punk rock, ambient, electronic and exotica. CS WRUU Savannah Soundings radio focus is on celebrating Savannah’s creative depth and diversity, and providing programming to unserved or underserved community groups. WRUU is an all-volunteer station.

Stream them at wruu.org and listen at 107.5 FM.

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MUSIC FEATURE

Gear Geek:

Andrew Sovine

Virtuoso multiinstrumentalist talks shop

BY SEAN KELLY

Andrew Sovine’s massive collection of gear.

sean@connectsavannah.com

Do you remember what age you got your first guitar?

I was four years old when I got my own guitar. It was a cheap acoustic from a department store in Nashville. It possessed no redeeming qualities aside from it being the instrument that got me started.

Was there a moment or a particular time in your life when you really started getting into guitars and gear?

I started working at a vintage guitar store when I was in high school. That got me hooked. We would go to guitar shows all over the country and buy the coolest pieces. As a result of that I was able to play a lot of the “holy grail” instruments and begin to understand the appeal. Around that time I started noticing the oddball guitars (Silvertone, Harmony, Wandre, Airline, etc.) at the shows. That planted the seed.

Yes! Long ago I saw Marc Ribot holding a weird guitar in an issue of Fretboard Journal. I fell in love with the guitar. It was funky looking and spoke to my heart.

Several years later I ended up buying that exact guitar from Marc. It’s a 1958 Wanre Tri-Lam. It was designed by an artist named Antonio “Wandre” Pioli who also did some work for Ducati.

The whole line of guitars and basses looks like an acid trip. Mine is a great example of what can be done with a combination of fiberglass and aluminum. It’s the guitar I will bring to a session if I can only pick one. It has a sound that’s a bit like a telecaster meets a 335, but with a character all it’s own.

What guitars inspire you the most as a songwriter?

You have lots of fun things in your arsenal, lap steels and other things like that, but guitar is clearly where your heart is. Why is that? What is it about guitars that you love so much?

There’s something beautifully organic and unforgiving about playing guitar.

There is nothing between your fingers and the sound being produced. It’s addictive.

Tell me a bit about what you’ve got in your collection right now.

We don’t have that much time! I try to never use a piece of gear that is stock and/ or “normal.”

The highlights of my current arsenal would be my 1958 Wandre Tri-Lam, a Sierra pedal steel, a TVL Fender Jazzmaster, a jarana segunda that I picked up in Oaxaca, a Chandler lap steel that’s been heavily modified with Mule Resophonic pickups and a Hipshot palm bender setup, my 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster, Casio

SK-1 keyboard, Suzuki Omnichord, a Vox Pathfinder, a 1964 Fender Vibroverb, and my old Vox AC30 Top Boost.

I have way too many effects pedals to list here. I’ve recently started tracking down old microphones too. That’s a whole other rabbit hole.

Do you have a favorite piece of gear?

Something you find yourself going back to as of late?

Lately I will grab my jazzmaster and plug it into the large pedalboard I recently assembled. That all goes into the Vibroverb or AC30. Sometimes both! After that I’ll mic them up with an SM57 and one or two of my vintage Telefunken dynamic mics.

The old mics are great for lo-fi sounds.

Recently I have been writing more ambient stuff. So I tend to grab an electric (lately the Wandre or Jazzmaster) and start manipulating sounds through the pedalboard. Honestly, the instrument I grab doesn’t matter much. They’re all tools, and I try to keep them all in working order.

Lastly, I’m curious who your heroes/ idols were in terms of guitar players, and especially when it comes to the guitars you play. There are a lot of players out there who really made it cool to collect guitars, amps, etc.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

WE SHOULD lead this off with a bit of a warning: what you’re about to read is very geeky, and may not be especially pertinent to the average reader. That said, if you have any interest or fascination with instruments and music gear whatsoever, this is for you!

Gear Geek is our chance to shine a light on local musicians and talk about something musicians love perhaps more than anything: their gear. This week we’ve got guitarist and all-around multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Andrew Sovine.

A lifelong guitar player, Andrew is best known for his work as a guitarist with Ashley McBryde, Big Kenny, Chase Rice, and more. He calls Savannah home, and some of the most fascinating work of his career has come in the last several months of quarantine—in the form of daily improvisational offerings.

He’s an inventive and versatile guitarist, and his vast and varied collection of gear proves that.

ABOVE PHOTO BY ANDREW SOVINE / LEFT PHOTO BY SAMITA WOLFE

I remember stumbling onto David Lindley’s website several years ago. He had photos of some of his instruments up and it floored me. That definitely got me started “collecting” in a real way. Though, while I am always buying and acquiring gear, I Is there something in your collection don’t keep anything around very long if I’m that was a dream guitar or piece of gear not using it. CS for you? Something you always wanted For more on Andrew’s work, visit andrewsovine. and finally was able to acquire? com 15

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

Fake Fangs revisits Savannah’s musical past, opens doors to its future

This deck used some sort of strange interface, and the recording heads were aligned in a proprietary way, which meant you could basically only use the tapes on the exact same machine they’d been recorded on. I think the format did not take off, and so he was left with this odd little deck.

Bill would primarily use it himself to record his own group’s songs and his own demos. We’d sometimes use it to record live shows by local bands or by bigger-name acts that came through town on tour and were friends of ours.

At some point, I believe he decided he needed a place to record that had more to sing at the same time for shows that last space and perhaps different acoustics than three to four hours a night, it was a very his house, so he wound up renting a dusty unusual and demanding form of physical old commercial space that had been used exercise that I actually enjoyed. for storage by an existing business that I mean, it’s easy to give up and just sit occupied the front of the building. on a couch when you’re doing push-ups by My friend and bandmate Kevin F. Rose Jim Reed yourself, but if a room full of people are had come onboard in a more official sense watching you and some friends do those to help Bill upgrade the studio with slightly They pay insulting low rates to the crenicer gear: better microphones, proper prepush-ups together and you’ve all signed amps and outboard processors, an analog ators and performers whose music is their a contract that says you won’t stop doing reel-to-reel deck that I believe might have sole inventory, and often ae given permisthem till two in the morning, it kind of sion to do so by record labels who own art- been an 8-track machine – and they began forces you to stay in shape, you know? allowing local musicians to come record ists’ music – even if the artists themselves I have close friends who work in varithere for a small fee. want no part of such a deal. ous behind-the-scenes aspects of the live Bill and Kevin were both self-taught The only way for people to truly support entertainment world at the national level, the musicians who bring them joy through recording engineers, but Kevin is an archiand so I suppose I wound up realizing a tect by trade and had a keen interest in the their recorded music, is to purchase that bit earlier than most musicians just how actual mechanics and physics of how audio devastating and long-term this health cri- music, and ideally to purchase it directly recordings are made. He also possessed the from the artists themselves, so there is no sis would be to the entire notion of people kind of analytical approach to problemgoing out to enjoy live performances of any middleman.

However, middlemen have gotten some- solving that allowed him to dive in and sort for years to come. really run with this new vocation.

At that point, I realized it would behoove thing of a bad rap over the years, because Kevin soaked up as much knowledge so many of them are crooked. They’re not me to try and come up with some sort of as he could very quickly and that led him musicians or artists themselves, like Danalternate plan to bring in a bit of revenue, to what he is today: a top-notch recording no matter how small. I was also concerned iel Ek, the CEO of Spotify. They are more than happy to screw over the musicians if it and live sound engineer who’s able to walk for my fellow working musicians, as most into most any serious studio or 3,500-seat of their livelihoods had been devastatingly makes their company more profit. venue anywhere and hold his own.

I, on the other hand, am a struggling impacted in the same way.

Ultimately, Kevin became the sole proOne night my mind was racing and I just musician myself, and I know exactly how prietor of Elevated Basement Studios, rotten it is to be taken advantage of in this couldn’t sleep. I remembered this busiway. So, I have structured the business side redesigned and rebuilt the place from the ness plan I had developed over a decade of Fake Fangs to be as “artist-friendly” as it ground up, and for decades now it has been ago and realized that, while it was by no can be, while still hoping to remain solvent. one of the finest tracking and mixing facilimeans a big moneymaker, it was —in a ties of its size on the East Coast.

Fake Fangs will be paying significantly strange way— almost uniquely suited to But back in 1997, most of those upgrades higher royalties to its artists than most any this strange time we are living in. and changes had yet to occur. Bill felt other indie label that I have found, and we Did quarantine shape the vision/model are doing that specifically because I realize strongly, as I did and still do, that it was for Fake Fangs, in terms of the state of most of the artists on this label aren’t going important to document as much of the amazing original music that was being to sell a ton of CDs or digital downloads. the industry? made in and around Savannah at that time.

Tell me about the original Pineapple He also wanted to spread word that his The recording industry now is, for most Upside Down Tape, and the story little DIY studio was now open for business of us, a sad joke. I came of age playing in behind it. It’s a historical document in to anyone who wanted to book a session. alternative rock bands in the late 1980s the history of Savannah music.

The most logical way to do that was to crethrough the late 2000s, and during that ate a compilation showcasing not only what time, everything shifted. In some ways for he thought were some of the most impresthe better, but in many ways for the much, Decades ago, Bill [Hodgson] had what was very cool consumer-oriented analog gear sive and unique local acts, but the abilities much worse. at the time, but which would not have been of he and Kevin to make those acts sound It’s one of the reasons so many talented seriously considered for use in a profesgood on a very small budget. artists who have huge fanbases are still sional recording studio. As I recall he had a Some of the 13 acts which ultimately basically going bankrupt now. The advent really odd little 4-track recorder that used were invited to be included on the “Pineof streaming services like Spotify is very standard audio cassettes, but was not the apple Upside-Down Tape” recorded their convenient for consumers, but the entire typical Tascam-style Portastudio most contributions specifically for that collecbasis of their business model is “legalized recording aficionados would remember. tion, while a few had already or were then criminality.”

Jim Reed talks about his new label venture and its very first release

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

JIM REED IS something of a Savannah legend. As a member of bands like Superhorse and GAM, Reed has been part of the fabric of this city’s music scene for decades.

He’s also been at the forefront of preserving a city that fosters cinema, thanks to his long-running Psychotronic Film Society events and screenings.

Now, he’s launching Fake Fangs—a label that will focus heavily on re-releasing rare, out-of-print and underappreciated gems from the city’s musical history books. He will also work to give currently active local artists a home for back catalogs.

First up for Fake Fangs is Pineapple Upside-Down Tape, a compilation that includes both his legendary bands among other local and regional bands, and was recorded and released in 1997 by Bill Hodgson and Kevin Rose (at the original Elevated Basement studio). It’s being remastered by Rose at his studio.

Ahead of the launch of the Fake Fangs store on August 7, we spoke to Reed about the exciting new label.

When exactly did the idea come about?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

It’s probably been 15 years since I first came up with the concept for what has finally come to be known as Fake Fangs Records. There have been plenty of times over that period where I tried to goad myself into making good on the idea. But I could never find the time or energy to devote to it. The enthusiasm was always there, but logistically it just didn’t make sense.

A few months into this pandemic lockdown I found myself extremely depressed and demoralized, and a big part of that had to do with the fact that regularly playing live rock, Americana and soul music in bars, clubs and restaurants was much more than a steady source of my meager income, it was an emotional and creative release that I had become accustomed to for decades.

Also, because I play the drums in a fairly 16 dynamic fashion, and often am called upon

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

in the process of recording demos or tracks they intended to use on commercially released EPs or LPs, and they agreed to give a sneak preview of their own albums by donating a track to this compilation. So, it is my understanding that the first time any of these recordings appeared publicly was on this collection.

What can you divulge about the future for the label/what’s in the pipeline?

I am thrilled to say that I already have verbal commitments and handshake deals with several really outstanding musical acts from our area that are no longer together, but who have some very cool but under-appreciated records in the can. I am looking forward to Fake Fangs being the exclusive, authorized home for their back

catalogs – some of which was available commercially at one time or another and some of which has never been made available to the public before.

I am also really happy to be working with a few very well-known and respected local artists that are currently active, and it looks like we’ll not only be remastering and reissuing their out-of-print albums (and in some cases doing deluxe, expanded versions of those records with additional rare or previously unreleased bonus tracks and detailed liner notes), but helping them to release brand-new albums of original material in the future. CS Pineapple Upside-Down Tape will be available for order August 7 at fakefangs.com. All orders placed first day of sale will receive a special bonus track not on the original release.

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SPOTLIGHT

17

MUSIC VOICE FEST

Savannah VOICE Festival launches stay-at-home season The virtual festival series will showcase a variety of talent

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

AS WITH all events and festivals slated for 2020, the Savannah VOICE Festival found itself in limbo at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year. They were quick to pivot, however, and began to navigate what events could look likely virtually so as to carry on the important work they’ve been doing for singers and performers.

Now, they’re prepping the launch of their first stay-at-home season of virtual concerts, which begins on Sat., August 8 and goes throughout the month until August 22. The series of virtual shows begins with a kickoff concert featuring voices from around the country.

“I think the evolution of this was sort of easy, in the sense that as sort of the pandemic hit, we knew that there were things ahead that would be cancelled. Including our gala event in New York, which had to be cancelled immediately,” SVF co-founder and Executive Director Maria Zouves tells Connect.

“We saw that, and then we started talking to artists, and we realized that they 18 were frightened, and they wanted to do

something. Our patrons were also concerned that everything was going to be shut down, and the music was going to stop. Those two things really just lead us to say, ‘I’m sure we can figure something out.’”

They’ve certainly done more than that— curating an extensive schedule of virtual shows that are being put together remotely through pre-recorded performances that will air exclusively on the show dates. Each show will start at 7 P.M., with a rebroadcast the following morning at 11 A.M. The eleven shows will feature singing, of course, but will also echo the spirit of classic variety shows and offer entertainment that promotes positive and inspirational messages.

“Two months was not enough to create 500 minutes of music video, but we spanned out really across the globe. We had singers in Brazil and Argentina and Italy. All sending video files and rehearsing on Zoom,” Zouves says.

The performances were all recorded in the performers’ homes or a setting of their choosing, with the SVF team helping to curate and direct their recordings. They opted for the pre-recorded route rather than attempting to do a fully live stream, which has allowed them to not only ensure optimal audio and video, but also to edit in

Scene from 2019’s Opera as Drama Showcase

segments with prominent locals who will share trivia, and create a flow that really does feel like a variety show.

The entire team at SVF has been working to put together the shows, including Zouves’ son, who is a video editor.

Inspiration for this direction, Zouves says, came from the variety shows she grew up with but also the recent Saturday Night Live shows that were filmed remotely by cast members.

“They activated right away; they just did it right away and started working from home. I’m a big SNL fan, and I watched it and realized, ‘Wait a minute! I can do that,’” she says.

There is also the aspect of reaching a wider audience than perhaps they could at previous festivals that were held in person.

Because the festival is virtual, it opens up the audience to those outside of Savannah and gives more of an opportunity for connectivity.

“One of the things that I say is that we’re both confined to a box now, and have the real estate of the vast cyberspace. There’s a dichotomy there, and there’s a lot of responsibility to get it right,” she says.

One of the performers in the first show is doing something particularly notable as part of a segment called “Welcome to My Window,” which is intended to showcase

singers’ environments during quarantine.

“It’s her first program, and she did it all about Black Lives Matter because that was what was going on in her world at the moment. That was her world, and then she picked this French piece about being jealous of someone’s beauty. She picked it,” Zouvas says.

“My son edited it, and he said, ‘Mom, am I doing this well? I wanted to do it well.’

He wanted to do justice to the Black Lives Matter movement. I watched it and it gave me such chills. It was so poignant. I said, ‘This definitely has to be on the first show.’”

As for the future of SVF and their newfound virtual format, Zouvas enthusiastically says there’s no reason why they can’t keep exploring streaming and virtual concerts as a way of providing art and entertainment to their patrons.

“There’s no reason why we can’t have this as one of the things we do,” she says.

“We’ve learned so much during this process—why put it away and not do it going forward? It’s very creative. These shows are a very wild ride, from start to finish.” CS Savannah VOICE Festival Stay-At-Home Season August 8-22, savannahvoicefestival.org

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TAKE YOUR CONSULTATIVE SALES EXPERIENCE TO A NEW LEVEL As a multimedia sales executive you’ll join a collaborative, entrepreneurial team. It will be your mission to consult with customers and develop customized, targeted multimedia solutions from a broad, diverse portfolio of exceptional products leveraging highly recognized local print and online brands in the greater Savannah, Georgia area.

You’ll also receive a generous compensation plan and much more.

To be a fit for the Multimedia Sales Representative role in our group, you will have: • Two or more years in consultative, solutions-oriented sales, with a track record of success, and a demonstrated understanding of needs-based selling • A Bachelor’s Degree • Proficiency in MS Office Suite including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook • Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational and time-management skills • A valid driver’s license • Residency in the greater Savannah, GA area While this is a multimedia sales role where digital media sales experience is strongly preferred, it’s not required. At a minimum, however, you should have some knowledge of print advertising and the growing digital media marketing landscape.

Whatever your level of experience -- an active social media presence, experience creating websites, in-depth study of related topics and/or an understanding of terms/concepts like SEO/SEM, content marketing, programmatic advertising, audience targeting, retargeting, Google AdWords, CPM, CPC, etc. -- if you have the sales skills, motivation and passion to learn, we’ll provide the training and tools you need to succeed.

Connect Savannah is a Morris Multimedia company.

Port Royal-based concert series will be socially distanced

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

A MONTHLY live concert series is starting in Port Royal, S.C., near Beaufort.

Yes, you read that correctly: live music.

The Sunset Sessions will take place at the Port Royal Waterfront, starting on August 7 and 8, and continuing on through September and October. The series was created to showcase regional music and bring back the experience of live concerts to the area, especially amid the uncertain times in which we’re living.

Each show will be socially distanced, with ticket packages being offered in groups of two, four, and six. Each ticket package will be assigned a designated area on the Waterfront, and guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blanket to enjoy the show.

First on the schedule for Thurs., August 7 is Hurt and Skip, featuring Spartanburgbased musicians Joe Power and Shane Pruitt, with support from the Devin Harris

Band. The next night, on Fri., August 8, the Joe Marcinek Band will play, with the Donna Hopkins Band opening.

Pricing for the ticket packages are $30 advance and $40 day of for the two-person package, $60 advance and $80 day-of for the four-person package, and $90 advance and $120 day-of for the six-person package. All shows start at 7:30 P.M., with gates opening at 5 P.M. Organizers are offering what they call “primitive camping” for those who want to attend both Friday and Saturday shows, which will cost $50 for the night. RV site hookups are also available for $75 per night.

Enjoy food and beer vendors during the shows as well, which will help make this the perfect mini getaway and a responsible, socially-distanced way to enjoy the beauty of live entertainment once more. CS For more info on the series and the upcoming schedule, visit Facebook.com/3brosevents

JOIN THE CONNECT SAVANNAH TEAM & EARN EXTRA CASH! Distribution person needed to deliver Connect Savannah in the downtown area. This

FRI, AUG 7 7PM

OPENING ACT LOCAL COMEDIAN CHRIS DEAL 6:30PM

SAT, AUG 8 7PM

RUMORS

FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE BAND BASEBALL IS BACK!!

is an independent contractor position. Must have own vehicle (SUV preferable), valid driver’s

FEATURING THESE SPORTS AS WELL

license and proof of insurance.

TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE

Contact Wayne Franklin at 912-721-4376 for application.

3016 E. VICTORY DR.

912.352.2933 • COACHS.NET

DOWNLOAD OUR APP!

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Sunset Sessions bring live music back, responsibly

Take the first step. Send your resume and a cover letter to sales@connectsavannah.com

LIVE MUSIC IN THE SOUNDGARDEN

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FOOD & DRINK BOOKS Peter Leopold and young Stratton Leopold, circa 1945.

IMAGES COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR AND THE LEOPOLD FAMILY

Leopold’s Ice Cream: A story of family, dedication, and love New book chronicles an iconic Savannah success story

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

AN EPIC TALE requires an epic effort to tell. That’s Melanie Bowden Simón’s takeaway from the herculean effort behind writing the definitive history, Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories.

“I was a bit overwhelmed, but also very excited,” Simón recalls of the moment she was given the opportunity to write the exhaustive, coffee-table work commemorating one of Savannah’s favorite success stories — complete with a foreword by former President Jimmy Carter.

“It wasn’t my story. It feels like a responsibility. I want to do well by them,” she says of Stratton and Mary Leopold, owners of the now globally-famous ice cream shop.

“They were people I already very much respected and appreciated, and then we became friends. So not only was I writ20 ing about this iconic institution, but I also

wanted to do right by my friends,” says Simón.

“It was a special project that became personal.”

The newly published book is a comprehensive history of the Leopold family’s immigrant odyssey to America, the formation of an ice cream empire, Stratton’s extensive film career, and his relationship with his beloved wife Mary.

The tale begins in 1901, when two young brothers, Peter and George Eleopoulos, came to the U.S. from Greece looking for new opportunities.

In the manner of many immigrants of the era, they Americanized their surname to the now-familiar Leopold.

From Indiana and eventually to Georgia, they grew into their new country, with Peter serving it in the U.S. military when World War One broke out.

After the war, a business opportunity soon presented itself.

The original Leopold’s shop, at the

corner of Habersham and Gwinnett Streets in downtown Savannah, opened in 1919 as a fruit and grocery stand with ice cream service.

It rapidly became a social and culinary hub, with “soda jerks” working the intricate machinery for making ice cream and shakes.

“The craze for ice cream in the U.S. really started during Prohibition — it was sort of a replacement for alcohol,” says Simón. “Peter Leopold picked a great time to open an ice cream business!”

As the years went on after Prohibition, “they were able to grow the business not only because they had an excellent product that people wanted, but also because people liked them. They were really part of the community,” she says.

While brother George returned to Greece awhile to take care of family matters, Peter stayed behind in Savannah to manage the family business. He would never again leave the U.S. “The book isn’t only about the ice cream shop — it’s really an homage to Stratton’s father. The shop is a continuation of that story,” says Simón.

“There’s the community aspect, the historical aspect, and the local aspect. Of course it’s now a huge regional thing, and even beyond that at this point.”

In 1920, Peter and George's younger brother Basil had arrived in the U.S. and was brought in as a partner. During the

Depression, the shop remained popular enough that it was extensively remodeled in 1935.

In 1943, Efstratios “Stratton” Leopold was born. He grew up as a typical Savannahian, though the child of two Greek parents, Peter and Marika.

At age 8, Stratton met Howard Morrison, who would be a lifelong friend and one of Savannah’s greatest philanthropists. (Morrison passed away last year.)

At age 10, he met and befriended Johnny Mercer, who would go on to be another Savannah icon.

Stratton attended Benedictine Military School and then Armstrong College, back when it was based in an ornate mansion overlooking Forsyth Park (now the residence of developer Richard Kessler).

In college, he was bitten by the acting bug. Becoming enamored with show business — and with both his father and uncle, the shop’s founders, having passed away — Stratton closed the flagship shop in 1969 and headed to New York to begin his new adventure.

Thus began a long bicoastal career for Stratton as a director and producer. While in L.A., another life-changing event happened in 1991 when he met and fell in love with his wife-to-be, Mary Poulos.

They immediately moved to Savannah — and were also moved to revisit the idea of reopening the original family business.

And that they did, in 2004, at the nowfamiliar storefront at 212 E. Broughton St., which the couple had purchased just for that purpose.

The opening date? August 18, chosen

by Stratton to commemorate the day his father died.

Simón remembers being shown the enormous cache of family memorabilia, lovingly preserved by Stratton through the years.

“I teased Stratton that he could easily open a museum with all of it — I mean they had boxes and boxes,” she says. “We began sorting things by decade. Once we started to organize it that way, it really fell into place.”

Almost all the images in Simón’s book are courtesy of Stratton and Mary, “but that said, I did do a good amount of independent research,” she says.

“I wanted to put the story of Leopold’s in the context of what was happening in Savannah all during that time. It gives a

BOOKS

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

BY MATT JONES ©2020 Answers on page 23

“CENSOR-Y OVERLOAD” --JUST CAN’T SAY WHAT’S HAPPENING.

broader sense of what was going on around people.”

Simón knew of the Leopold’s, but didn’t properly meet Stratton until he attended the launch party for her novel La Americana: A Memoir, at Pacci’s downtown.

“He mentioned the possibility of a film version of the book. I was very nervous, but also excited,” Simón remembers.

“After a few meetings, my husband and I were set to go to dinner with Stratton and Mary. We drove there in my husband’s ’56 Chevy, which Stratton really liked,” she laughs.

“Mary and I were sitting in the back seat, talking, and finally she said, ‘Can I ask you something? Would you consider writing this book about Leopold’s?’ How could I say no?”

The idea was overwhelming in the beginning, she says, “especially when I saw all the photos and memorabilia they had collected over the years.”

The reality became all the more intense when Simón found out who was going to write the foreword to her book.

“President Carter’s favorite flavor of ice cream is Butter Pecan from Leopold’s!

Sometimes Stratton quietly will personally deliver some to the Carters' house,” Simón says.

Of course, Carter also was very familiar with Stratton from his work building up the Georgia film industry.

“One Saturday night I got a call from Stratton, and he said, ‘I just wanted you to know that President Carter has agreed to write the foreword for the book.’ I was like, oh Lord, now the pressure’s really on!” she says.

ACROSS

“That was classic Stratton – he just has a way of attracting special people and experiences.”

Simón’s book has been named as a finalist for the 2020 International Book Awards in four categories: Biography, General Business, General History and United States History. It was also named one of the Best Cover Design finalists in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA) non-fiction category.

The credit for the success of all the design work, Simón says, goes to Wes Johnson.

“I want to give a huge shout out to Wes, who did such an expert job with the design of the book. It wouldn’t be the same without his talent and hard work,” she says. CS Purchase Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories, by Melanie Bowden Simón, at Leopold’s Ice Cream at 212 E. Broughton St. or E. Shaver Bookseller, 326 Bull St. Order online at www.leopoldsicecream.com/leopolds-icecream-a-century-of-tasty-memories-1919-2019/

1 “Groovy” relative 4 Bitter-tasting 9 With celerity 13 Citrus beverage suffix 14 “Awesomesauce” 15 Set of principles 17 Censored hearty meat entree?

19 Clue options 20 Heavy metal’s Motley ___ 21 Censored mugful for Harry Potter?

23 Prepare for a sale, maybe 25 Domain of a bunch of Ottos, for short 26 Tango requirement?

27 Hundreds of wks.

28 Brief calm 32 Biblical peak 34 Outdoor eating areas 36 They precede Xennials 37 Poker player’s censored post-hand challenge?

41 Protagonist of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” (or a Hindu goddess) 42 Detestable 43 Medicine show bottleful 46 Went 9-Across 47 Start of many California city names 50 “The Family Circus” cartoonist Keane 51 Classical opening 53 Potable, so to speak 55 Clearly inflamed, but

censored?

60 Toe the line 61 Soap that’s evidently 0.56% impure 62 Unable to escape censorship?

64 Receive at the door 65 Boxer Fury 66 Pastrami sandwich bread 67 Filmdom’s suave bloodsucker, for short 68 Introduce yourself 69 Brit. reference work

DOWN

1 Pale imitation 2 Passionate fan 3 Fine specimens 4 Teensy invader 5 Salad with bacon and egg 6 Waltz violinist Andre with PBS specials 7 “Colors” rapper 8 Profoundness 9 Oscar winner for playing Cyrano de Bergerac in 1950 10 Basic travel path 11 Closet-organizing device 12 Dance in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 16 $100 bills, slangily 18 It has a bed and a floor 22 Period of importance 24 Garbage bag brand 29 Pac-12 athlete 30 Long ride to the dance

31 Laundry piles 33 Kindling-making tools 34 Paris’s Rue de la ___ 35 Barber’s cut 37 No longer worried 38 Villainous sort 39 Name of anonymity 40 Melville sailor Billy 41 Litter 44 Lined up 45 British singer-songwriter Chris 47 Defensive specialist in volleyball 48 Cyclops feature 49 Did some videoconferencing, maybe 52 Passing remarks?

54 Hold up 56 Operatic solo 57 “Shepherd Moons” Grammy winner 58 Online crafts marketplace 59 Christopher Robin’s “silly old bear” 63 Ending for pepper

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Above: part of the 100th birthday block party on Broughton Street (photo by Stephen B. Morton). Right: Tom Cruise with Stratton Leopold during filming of Mission: Impossible 3

21

ASTROLOGY

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19)

In her book *Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones*, Stephanie Rose Bird reports that among early African Americans, there were specialists who spoke the language of trees. These patient magicians developed intimate relationships with individual trees, learning their moods and rhythms, and even exchanging non-verbal information with them. Trees imparted wisdom about herbal cures, weather patterns, and ecologically sound strategies. Until recently, many scientists might have dismissed this lore as delusion. But in his 2016 book *The Hidden Life of Trees*, forester Peter Wohlleben offers evidence that trees have social lives and do indeed have the power to converse. I’ve always said that you Aries folks have great potential to conduct meaningful dialogs with animals and trees. And now happens to be a perfect time for you to seek such invigorating pleasures.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Author Joanne Harris writes, “The right circumstances sometimes happen of their own accord, slyly, without fanfare, without warning. The magic of everyday things.” I think that’s an apt oracle for you to embrace during the coming weeks. In my opinion, life will be conspiring to make you feel at home in the world. You will have an excellent opportunity to get your personal rhythm into close alignment with the rhythm of creation. And so you may achieve a version of what mythologist Joseph Campbell called “the goal of life”: “to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

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Author Gloria Anzaldúa writes, “I am an act of kneading, of uniting and joining.”

She adds that in this process, she has become “a creature that questions the definitions of light and dark and gives them new meanings.” I would love for you to engage in similar work right now, Gemini.

Life will be on your side—bringing you lucky breaks and stellar insights—if you undertake the heroic work of reformulating the meanings of “light” and “dark”— and then reshaping the way you embody those primal forces.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

“Pleasure is one of the most important things in life, as important as food or drink,” wrote Cancerian author Irving Stone. I would love for you to heed that counsel, my fellow Crabs. What he says is

always true, but it will be extraordinarily meaningful for you to take to heart during the coming weeks. Here’s how you could begin: Make a list of seven experiences that bring you joy, bliss, delight, fun, amusement, and gratification. Then make a vow—even write an oath on a piece of paper—to increase the frequency and intensity of those experiences.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

At times in our lives, it’s impractical to be innocent and curious and blank and receptive. So many tasks require us to be knowledgeable and self-assured and forceful and in control. But according to my astrological analysis, the coming weeks will be a time when you will benefit from the former state of mind: cultivating what Zen Buddhists call “beginner’s mind.” The Chinese refer to it as *chūxīn*, or the mind of a novice. The Koreans call it the *eee mok oh?* approach, translated as “What is this?”

Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield defines it as the “don’t-know mind.” During this upcoming phase, I invite you to enjoy the feeling of being at peace with all that’s mysterious and beyond your understanding.

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

moment has arrived. Have you been wondering when you would get a ripe opportunity to express and highlight the most interesting truths about yourself? If so, that opportunity is available.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

“I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes,” writes Scorpio author Maxine Hong Kingston. That would be an excellent task for you to work on in the coming weeks. Here are your formulas for success: 1. The more you expand your imagination, the better you’ll understand the

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Have you been saving any of your tricks for later? If so, later has arrived. Have you been postponing flourishes and climaxes until the time was right? If so, the coming days will be as right a time as there can be. Have you been waiting and waiting for the perfect moment before making use of favors that life owes you and promises that were made to you? If so, the perfect

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Capricorn occultist Peter J. Carroll tells us, “Some have sought to avoid suffering by avoiding desire. Thus they have only small desires and small sufferings.” In all of the zodiac, you Capricorns are among the least likely to be like that. One of your potential strengths is the inclination to cultivate robust desires that are rooted in a quest for rich experience. Yes, that sometimes means you must deal with more strenuous ordeals than other people. But I think it’s a wise tradeoff. In any case, my dear, you’re now in a phase of your cycle when you should take inventory of your yearnings. If you find there are some that are too timid or meager, I invite you to either drop them or pump them up.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22)

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Author Anne Lamott wrote that, and now I’m conveying it to you—just in time for the Unplug-Yourself Phase of your astrological cycle. Any glitches or snafus you may be dealing with right now aren’t as serious as you might imagine. The biggest problem seems to be the messy congestion that has accumulated over time in your links to sources that usually serve you pretty well.

So if you’ll simply disconnect for a while, I’m betting that clarity and grace will be restored when you reconnect.

that you don’t take it personally. Your job is to be your radiant, generous self—and not worry about whether anyone has the personal power necessary to handle your radiant, generous self. The good news is that I suspect you will stimulate plenty of positive responses that will more than counterbalance the challenging ones.

big picture of your present situation—and the more progress you will make toward creating the most interesting possible future. 2. The more comfortable you are about dwelling in the midst of paradoxes, the more likely it is that you will generate vigorous decisions that serve both your own needs and the needs of your allies.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons,” says actor and director Denzel Washington.

“When you shine bright, some won’t enjoy the shadow you cast,” says rapper and activist Talib Kweli. You may have to deal with reactions like those in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. If you do, I suggest

The people who live in the town of Bazoule, Burkina Faso regard the local crocodiles as sacred. They live and work amidst the 100+ creatures, co-existing peacefully. Kids play within a few feet of them, never worrying about safety. I’d love to see you come to similar arrangements with untamed influences and strong characters in your own life, Aquarius. You don’t necessarily have to treat them as sacred, but I do encourage you to increase your empathy and respect for them.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Your body naturally produces at least one quart of mucus every day. You might not be aware of it, because much of it glides down your throat. Although you may regard this snot as gross, it’s quite healthy. It contains antibodies and enzymes that kill harmful bacteria and viruses. I propose we regard mucus as your prime metaphor in the coming weeks. Be on the alert for influences and ideas that might empower you even if they’re less than beautiful and pleasing. Make connections with helpful influences even if they’re not sublimely attractive.

EXCHANGE

BUY. SELL. CONNECT. CALL 238-2040 BUSINESS RATES ADS RECEIVED BY 5PM FRIDAY WILL APPEAR IN THE WEDNESDAY ISSUE OF THE NEXT WEEK.

Announcements For Your Information IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Action pact formerly CONCERTED SERVICES, INC. is now the service provider for The Weatherization Program that previously was administered by EOA Savannah. Applications are being accepted to weatherize the homes of Low-Income Families living in Chatham County.

For more information, please contact Teresa Lewis @ 912-285-6085

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Call 912-721-4350 and Place Your Classified Ad Today!

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CROSSWORD ANSWERS

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Admissions Counselor - Office of Admissions JOB ID 219735 Grant Coordinator - Office of Research Services & Sponsored Programs JOB ID 219802 Electrician - Armstrong Facilities Operations JOB ID 219624 Please visit the Georgia Southern University employment website and complete the application process at http://apptrkr.com/1970052 The application process must be completed by the deadline to be considered. Georgia is an open records state. Individuals in need of reasonable accommodations under the ADA to participate in the search process should notify Human Resources: (912) 478-6947.

Georgia Southern University is an EEO/AA/ADA/Veteran employer.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | AUGUST 5 - 11, 2020

Georgia Southern University invites applicants for the following vacancies on the Armstrong campus:

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