Connect Savannah September 9, 2020

SEP 9-15, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Larry’s Owner of beloved local

diner reflects on decades of community in wake of closure

PHOTO BY JON WAITS

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The new name says it all. The Pooler chamber has changed it’s name, logo, and address. We are now

Located at 305 West Collins Street, Pooler, GA. Our thanks to the city of Pooler for purchasing this historic home and allowing us to be the new tenants. We are open to the public by appointment only (912) 748-0110. Stay tuned for our Grand Opening celebra�on and Open House.

305 W. Collins St., Pooler, GA

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PoolerChamber.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

The Greater Pooler Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau, Inc.

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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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Markets:

The Eric Culberson Band at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Sat., Sept. 12, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner

Islands Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/

Livestreams: Front Porch Improv: Fun House SAT.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRONT PORCH IMPROV

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.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

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.

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N Departure at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Fri. Sept. 11, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner

Forsyth Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

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

Tybee Island Farmers Market Mondays, 4-7 p.m.

30 Meddin Dr. facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersmarket

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

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

Massie Heritage Center Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

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

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 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: Free Comic Book Summer This is the last Free Comic Book Day of 2020. They’ll have the following books out new this week, and they’ll also have any books remaining from our previous weeks.

Wed., Sept. 9, 11 a.m.

Neighborhood Comics, 1205 Bull St.

Vegan Brews and BBQ Menu highlights include Fried Chickun, BBQ. Mac N Cheeze, Jambalaya, Cajun Corn, Beer-Cheeze Battered Beyond Burgers, and Totchos.

Fri., Sept. 10, 5 p.m.

Southbound Brewing Company, 107 E. Lathrop Ave. Front Porch Improv: Fun House Fun House is a never-seen-before improvised comedy show. Using audience suggestions the cast will create original comedic scenes and games right before your eyes. For ages 16 & older. This show is also available to watch live online via Zoom.

Sat. Sept. 12 8 p.m. $14 facebook.com/frontporchimprov/

Live Concerts: Bluegrass by the Pint Swamptooth performs.

Fri., Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.

Service Brewing, 574 Indian St. Nashville Nights with Hunter Price at Coach’s Corner Live performance in a courtyard setting.

Thurs., Sept. 10, 7 p.m. facebook.com/coachscorner/

Quarantine Concert w/ Clouds and Satellites Livestreamed from the historic Tybee Post Theatre.

Sat., Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. quarantineconcerts.org 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/

win st u audien dio ticket ce s!

BLUES NIGHT

Savannah-Safe Jazz Festival SEPTEMBER 23 – 27, 2020

The Show Goes On! 16 live-streaming shows AND A FILM. s a v a n n a h j a z z . o r g

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

T H U R S D A Y, 2 4 / 7 : 3 0 W I L L I E JAC K S O N A N D T H E T Y B E E B LU E S BA N D 8:35 ERIC CULBERSON WITH SPECIAL G U E S T, D O L E T T E M C D O N A L D

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NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Erica Baskin, Publisher erica@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Brittany Curry, Kristy Edenfield, Jessica Farthing, Brittany Herren, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Chris Griffin, Senior Account Executive chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4388 Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 DESIGN & PRODUCTION

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

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

Six months in: Assessing the damage

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

IN A FEW days Savannah will mark six months since the St. Patrick’s Day Parade that didn’t happen.

At the time, canceling Savannah’s largest single event seemed like the biggest blow the city could receive.

Now, it seems more like six years ago than six months.

As the time passed, we quickly began worrying more about getting sick and dying than about parades.

We worried more about losing our jobs and/or getting kicked out of our apartments and houses than whether the local tourism industry would come back.

We waited in line for several hours to get tested.... so we could wait several days to get the test results.

Why did we bother getting tested again?

We sadly counted the beloved local spots that would never reopen... the Jinx, Atlantic, our cover subject Larry’s, to name just a few.

There are more to come, no doubt.

All guilty of the crime of being in the wrong sector of the economy, an economy left to rot with a laughably small amount of relief from a federal government that doesn’t bat an eye when Wall Street needs a trillion dollars to keep it afloat for a single afternoon.

We did each get $1200 from the government, or most of us did, anyway. We kidded ourselves that more help — what some of us decided was “socialism” — might be on the way.

Those of us that suddenly found themselves having to deal with the state Department of Labor now understood all the complaints we’d heard over the years from those less fortunate or privileged than us lucky ducks who had jobs.

Turns out they were right the whole time. The state doesn’t really want you to collect those benefits to which you’re entitled, makes it as hard as humanly possible to get them.

Meanwhile —breaking news —the rich got richer. Shocker, I know.

Billionaires increased their wealth by $970 billion during the recession, by 33 percent, while over 30 million Americans are unemployed.

The world’s richest man before the pandemic, Jeff Bezos, got much richer during the pandemic. His personal wealth has increased by $94 billion as of this writing.

(Bezos is so rich that his ex-wife, MacKenzie, has now become the world’s richest woman — simply due to her divorce settlement with him.)

The stock market hit all-time highs during the worst economy since the Great Depression. That should tell you a lot, about a lot of things.

We fought over masks.

Wow, did we fight over masks.

Wearing them, not wearing them, wearing them inside, wearing them outside, yelling at people for wearing them, yelling at people for not wearing them, wearing them just over your mouth with your nose hanging out... who’d have thought masks would provide such fertile ground for a fight, for so damn long?

We debated over whether and how soon the economy should “reopen,” and for whom. What was appropriate? What was in bad taste? What was essential?

Bars that didn’t serve food had to shut down for months. Bars that served food could open, however.

The virus is driven away by food? Who knew?

Elderly and sick people died in ICUs and nursing homes all alone, all over the country, due to strict visitation restrictions.

Couldn’t even get last rites.

Megachurches? They could stay open and keeping passing the plate.

Outdoor funeral services had to be limited capacity, or postponed indefinitely.

Outdoor gatherings like protests and high school sports practices? No problem, go right ahead.

The virus knows the difference, apparently. Quite a virus, that COVID-19. Smart.

Turns out everybody’s gotta eat, and there’s no way around it. So grocery stores stayed open, masks or no masks, no questions asked.

We lionized their employees for a few weeks to make us feel better about it all, but most of them never saw a pay raise.

One of the world’s great social movements happened during the pandemic, during this recession.

How much actual change has come out of it? Too soon to tell, but the conversation quickly shifted away from police reform and doesn’t seem to have come back to it.

As the pandemic settled in, people did what people do, and started congregating with like-minded people and patronizing like-minded businesses.

The people that didn’t care about masks, or didn’t even believe there was a virus, tried to do whatever they wanted, and sometimes got very mad when they couldn’t.

Others stayed home nearly all the time, whether immunocompromised, from fear of spreading the virus, from being generally fearful, or all of the above.

People were shamed for not wearing masks, and for doing things.

People were shamed for wearing masks, and for not doing much of anything.

Lots of shame in all directions. Didn’t do much but make a country full of people who basically already hate each other, hate each other that much more.

Other countries, meanwhile, quietly got their act together. Many already moved on some time ago.

Tiny, powerless Greece — with a population about the same as the state of Georgia, and arguably the most dysfunctional democracy in Europe — got the better of COVID-19 as mighty America struggled.

The one thing most of those countries that got a handle on the virus had in common was... not letting Americans in anymore.

We built a wall, all right.

So, what’s next?

College campuses are reeling from new, entirely predictable outbreaks, with colleges blaming the students rather then their own unwise leadership.

No news on a vaccine, and who knows how many people would actually take one?

The U.S. Congress remains AWOL on most issues, including economic relief.

Basically took the summer off.

The presidential election may come down to how accurately mail-in ballots are counted. Did I mention that we don’t even know if the Postal Service will survive?

Locally, things could be better, but things could definitely be worse.

The local economy seems to be dipping its toe back in the water. Hopefully not too many more beloved institutions will give up the ghost.

Our social justice protests remained peaceful ones.

Michael Gaster has done his 50th Quarantine Concert! A groundbreaking venture I think we all thought wouldn’t be needed longer than two or three months.

The much-maligned Arena project didn’t stop, or even really slow down, for the pandemic. It is being built as we speak —a live venue for a time when the future of live events is entirely unpredictable.

Our Mayor continues tirelessly promoting mask usage like it’s still June, even as the autumn economy seems to be bursting at the seams to “reopen,” come what may.

And another City Council is at each other’s throats over petty disagreements.

Some things never change. CS

NEWS & OPINION CITY NOTEBOOK

A LITTLE over a week ago, the earth beneath Savannah seemed to shake a bit for many of us as word spread that the landmark Skidaway Road “meat-andthree” eatery known as Larry’s Restaurant had quietly gone out of business.

While this dispiriting development did not come as a complete surprise to many who’d longingly eyed the empty parking lot of the unpretentious brick and concreteblock building for the past few months (Larry’s had been temporarily closed since this past March 26 due to operational

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

BY JIM REED

impediments caused by the pandemic), the reality of its permanent closure is yet another body blow to this city’s storied quirkiness and charm.

In some ways, the loss of this old-school, by-the-numbers example of homespun country cooking and Southern diner culture mirrors the crushing feeling of regret and “de-volution” brought about by the 2005 conversion of downtown Savannah’s historic Drayton Tower Apartments from a 188-unit fortress of shabby-yet-funky, affordable efficiency rental housing that skewed toward Bohemians, ne’er do-wells and fixed-income elderly residents into a cost-prohibitive, 88-condo enclave of wealthy swells and upscale hipsters.

In the grand scheme of area eateries, Larry’s was a bedrock of relatively inexpensive consistency, and, in many

and still is, a “Larry”) could often be found perched on a tall swiveling chair at the checkout counter, greeting folks as they entered and ringing them up and making change as they left.

Corey says that providing meals to people in that way was, quite literally, in his blood.

“I grew up in it,” he says by phone a few days after the public announcement of the closure.

“My father had several restaurants, so I was washing dishes and bussing tables and all that as a kid. A lot of our customPHOTO AND MENU COURTESY OF LARRY’S ers basically raised me from the time I was RESTAURANT five years old. Across the street where the Firestone Tires and the Dairy Queen are respects, a living, breathing example of the now used to be Tom’s Drive-In. My father best kind of neighborhood restaurant: one owned that. It had the radio station in the that creates its own neighborhood. restaurant and the car-hops who’d come To be sure, plenty of the people who out and deliver your order to your vehicle. dined there regularly or semi-regularly for Kids would cruise in, get a milkshake and a breakfast or lunch (they closed at 3 p.m.) burger and cruise on out.” lived fairly close to its rather bleak and In fact, the iconic, Holiday Inn-esque slightly industrial-feeling address at 3000 sign which bears the name of Corey’s resSkidaway Road, just a few blocks west of taurant is simply a retooled version of the Victory Drive. same one which advertised his dad’s DriveBut plenty of others drove miles out In back in the day. of their way for their much-needed fix “That sign was there before my dad, of shredded hashbrowns, country ham, even,” he explains. “It had to be from the French toast, fried eggs, coffee and other 1950s. When he moved across the street to favorites which one could certainly make what has been our location, they tore his at home but rarely wishes to. buildings down, but he kept the sign.”

And then there were those who swore by Still, despite his background in food their homestyle, stick-to-your-ribs lunch service, that was adamantly not a career specials, replete with sweet cornbread choice Corey was interested in pursuing. muffins and even sweeter iced tea.

“I swore I’d never go back into the resThose who knew it was one of the only taurant business,” he reminisces. “I was places for miles around that served not an accountant for a living. I’d moved to one, but three different varieties of cooked Atlanta and eventually came back here greens every day (collards, mustards and and worked for the shipyard. My father turnips) – “and one of them went out with had been out of the business for about five almost every meal at lunchtime,” says years. During that time he’d leased the Corey with a chuckle. space out to a total of five different people.

Larry’s was the kind of place where they “First, a Swedish guy had it, and then shut down for a few weeks several years four different Chinese groups were in ago for “remodeling” –which many of us there. And none of them could make a go of assumed actually meant “modernizing it! Carey Hilliard’s actually went in there the quite dated décor”– only to learn upon for about five months after they’d had a returning to the newly completed space fire during remodeling (and needed a temthat (it appeared at least) they had merely porary location). So, when my father had installed a brand-new piece of the exact gotten the property back under his control, same choice of carpet which had graced the I started thinking maybe I’d give it a shot. floor for decades, and replaced the slightly He said he’d work with me for six months dingy acoustic ceiling tiles with new –and just to see what I thought of the whole thus cleaner– duplicates. thing. We wound up working together for In other words, at Larry’s Restaurant, 19 years. (Laughs) When he had the place everything new was old again. And that’s initially, it was called Tom’s and when I a refreshingly comforting attitude that’s opened up it became Larry’s.” increasingly hard to find these days when it Corey opened his place on August 21, comes to the restaurant biz.

1981, and ran it until 2017, at which point For decades, longtime owner and opera- he finally decided it might be time to give tor Larry Corey (yes, there really was, CONTINUES ON P. 8 7

CITY NOTEBOOK

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“That sign was there before my dad, even. It had to be from the 1950s. When he moved across the street to what has been our location, they tore his buildings down, but he kept the sign.”

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

up the somewhat relentless schedule required to run a successful family-style eatery.

“I asked my daughter and son-in-law if they might be interested in taking it over,” he explains. “She’d been in and around it forever, working there on Saturdays when she was growing up. They enjoyed it and did a really good job with it.”

Corey is adamant the restaurant was on firm footing and had a bright future ahead of it, were it not for the financial hardships caused by the current health crisis.

“To be honest, this year had been great for them. January, February and the first half of March they were just tearing it up. But the truth is they have two small children and they just can’t afford to be involved with COVID. “I think they were gonna try and reopen back near the first of July, because some of the restrictions on restaurants were coming off then. But those restrictions returned and that pushed them to the first of August. Then that became the first of September, and nothing was really changing in terms of the virus (infection rates) continuing to go up, so they had to make this decision (to close for good).”

I made the point to Corey that I assumed a place like Larry’s was hit especially hard by this pandemic because the appeal of his place was rooted as much in people gathering together and sharing a unique, and in some ways “vintage” dining experience as it was the food itself. He agreed.

“We always had a strong to-go business, but we’re just not set up for that full-time.

Whether or not they could have made a living at it, I just don’t know. I am grateful it was not up to me to decide what to do in 8 that situation, because the hardest part of

all this was thinking of all the wonderful people who worked for us. I would still go in there and work on Saturdays just to see everybody and help out. But the whole business that was there, they did it all. It was all them.”

Another aspect of Larry’s core clientele that made reopening more difficult than at most other restaurants was the fact that a great number of their regular visitors were senior citizens.

To many elderly patrons, it became something of a home away from home for them where they could enjoy the kind of traditional meals they grew up on but simply did not have the energy or wherewithal to cook for themselves any more.

It was not uncommon to see large groups of retirees getting together there to eat and boisterously hang out (often for hours at a time), most any morning of the week. But their age bracket unfortunately placed these loyal customers squarely in the most obvious high-risk group for COVID-19.

“There were several groups like that,” offers Corey. “The ladies would come in groups, but not every week. We had folks who’d retired from AT&T and other big companies, and church groups. They’d worked alongside each other every day for decades, but when they retired, they’d gone their separate ways. However, they knew they could show up on a set day each month and see some number of their old friends and co-workers there. And they did that for years and years.”

He credits the combination of the style of their menu, along with the extremely welcoming nature of his crew with creating an atmosphere that earned and maintained such repeat business.

“Truthfully, we were an old-fashioned meat and vegetables kind of a place, and I believe we were pretty much it around here for that sort of experience. We just had good people, that’s all I can tell you. It didn’t matter if they were a cook, a waitress or waiter or whatever. Folks got used to seeing the same faces in the kitchen all the time, you know, cooking their breakfast just the way they liked it. The customers would stop and shoot the bull with the cooks and ask about their families, you

know. One of our dishwashers would often step out there and greet the regulars, ask about their kids, say a prayer for them…”

Those who dined at Larry’s will recall the large number of folks in the construction, demolition and real estate development trades who seemed ever-present at breakfast and lunch.

One would routinely see groups of men in dusty jeans and work boots dining with suit-and-tied wheeler-dealer types wearing polarized sunglasses on cords around their neck, deliberating loudly via cell phone with subcontractors over the minutiae of tile size or grout color.

Corey says he understood the appeal of his place to day laborers and their supervisors.

“People knew they could get a good meal at a reasonable price and get it quickly.

Let’s put it this way: I’m sure there has been a lot of money exchanged, deals made and contracts negotiated in that restaurant over the years.”

Corey estimates that 70 percent of his customers ate there at least once a week, and amazingly, a great number of them ate there every single day they were open.

“We had a wonderful clientele,” he gushes. “They knew about us, we knew about them and over the years relationships were established. Sometimes, if we didn’t see somebody for a week or so, we’d find their number from someone who knew them well and call them up just to make sure they weren’t sick or in trouble.

That’s how we operated. I guess it was more of a big extended family than a business, is what I’m trying to say. Our customers were good to us.”

And, given the longevity with which some of his employees stuck with their jobs, he was good to his workers.

“We didn’t have a big turnover at all,” he avows. “We were blessed in having great people. Two waitresses and one cook were all with me for 36 years, and another lady washed dishes for probably 25 years. I truly don’t think anybody in the restaurant business around here is gonna beat that.”

As Corey looks back on more than three decades running a beloved local institution –and then seeing it subsequently run well by the next generation of his family– he is clearly touched by the specific and

memorable place that Larry’s Restaurant occupies in the hearts and minds of the local populace. But perhaps even more so, he seems struck by how much he and his relatives have themselves been touched by their staff and clientele.

“We watched a lot of families grow up, and then their families had kids and they started bringing them in. So, I guess that’s three whole generations we’ve watched,” he muses, slightly in awe.

When I mention to him that one of things that endeared his place to me over the years was the sheer diversity of his customers — meaning that it seemed to be a true microcosm of Savannah, which cut across lines of race, age, gender, faith, worldview and prosperity, he enthusiastically concurs.

“Oh yeah. You know, people are just people. Whoever they are, no matter who they were, hopefully we always treated everyone the right way. I always felt like we did. I have been to many funerals over the years, because our customers were special to us.

It may sound corny to some folks to hear it put like that, but that’s just the way it is.”

Corey says that while he is aware there has been much public speculation over the fate of his property (which lies in the midst of no small amount of commercial redevelopment), he has no plans to sell it in the foreseeable future.

He is, however, actively hoping to lease it to a qualified tenant, and notes that while the building is currently configured as a restaurant, he feels it could serve a wide variety of purposes and is open to any and all inquiries and ideas.

As our conversation comes to a close, I ask him what if there is anything he’d like to say to all the folks who have enjoyed and felt at home in his restaurant for so long.

“Yeah,” he replies. “I just want to thank them for supporting us all those years and being a part of our family. And I want to thank the people who worked at Larry’s Restaurant for caring about the business and their customers. I just want to thank everybody for caring about us and loving us the whole time.”

So, is there any one thing in particular that Corey missed most once he officially got out of the restaurant game?

“I missed the people: my customers and the people I worked with. In fact, I just had lunch with eight of them today.”

Of course, I ask where they chose to eat.

“I won’t tell you,” he says with an audible smile. “I’m not advertising for nobody!

(Laughs)” And is there any one thing in particular that Corey won’t miss at all about that experience?

“4:30 in the morning! I don’t miss getting up at 4:30 in the morning for anything in the whole world. Nowadays, if I get up that early it’s to go hunting or fishing. Not for working.” CS

NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY

Three weeks in, Georgia Southern experiences jump in cases—but who’s to blame?

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

AS OF Sept. 4, Statesboro was the second highest metro area in the United States for having the greatest number of COVID-19 cases relative to population over the previous two weeks.

Of course, Statesboro is home to Georgia Southern University, which resumed classes Aug. 17. Some classes have been offered virtually, but face-to-face instruction is still allowed to happen at the school, which recorded 508 new cases in one week across three campuses.

Who’s to blame in this situation? You might say the University System of Georgia for failing to localize control to each of its 26 universities. You might look to the state or federal government for their failure to take definitive action. But top officials think the blame lies much lower on the pecking order.

On Aug. 28, an email went out to students from President Dr. Kyle Marrero, Provost Dr. Carl Reiber, and VP of Student Affairs Dr. Shay Davis Little. The email

asked students to take responsibility and monitor their behavior by limiting social events, and then invokes the Student Code of Conduct against them.

The code in question reserves the University’s right to “apply sanctions or take other appropriate action” when a student’s conduct challenges the university’s ability to ensure educational opportunities or to protect property. In other words, Georgia Southern can remove a student if they feel they’re not keeping campus safe.

The email also reminds the students how excited they’ve been for this semester and warns of having to follow the suit of other universities, who have had to cancel student activities and move to online learning. (That is what many faculty have asked to happen since the summer.)

Then on Sept. 4, before the long Labor Day weekend, students, faculty and staff received another email that asked them not to travel and asks students to stay on campus instead of going home.

This sets a dangerous precedent for students at Georgia Southern and sets up the entire community for unsafe conditions.

Georgia Southern currently operates

under a self-reporting system through the CARES Center. Students, faculty and staff can report COVID-19 test results and symptoms through the online portal.

If a student reports through the portal, CARES sends an email to the student’s professors advising them that the student will not be able to attend class and may need some extra time to complete work.

However, one professor on the Statesboro campus told us they’ve had students talk about a potential quarantine and then never received a CARES email for that student, meaning that the student didn’t report themselves through the portal.

And, to be clear, what would motivate a student to report themselves as having COVID-19 if the administration itself blames their social interactions on the spread and then invokes the school’s code of conduct against them?

“They’re not wanting to contact CARES because they don’t want to get in trouble for having it, and they don’t want to be kicked off campus because so many of those students who do contact CARES are told, ‘You should go home,’” said the professor we spoke to under condition of anonymity.

“They count the cases through selfreporting, so it’s kind of scary to go into class, because I think, ‘How many of these people had a cough today and chose to just come to class and not self-report?’” adds a student on the Savannah campus.

To be clear, individuals do have a certain level of responsibility in protecting themselves and their community. Face coverings help protect others, so they are mandatory on campus. To interact in public with others, everyone must take steps to be responsible.

But consider the situation: Georgia Southern University chose to resume faceto-face classes instead of going entirely virtual, allowed students to move into the dorms, will still host their season opener football game on Sept. 12, and asks students to self-report any symptoms or positive test results, but then reminds students that they can be removed from campus for not following safety protocol and opens up the narrative that they may be blamed for

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

Georgia Southern is now in the top ten for cases per capita. PHOTOS BY TAYLOR WARD

being sick.

It seems naive to bring college students back to campus and then ask them not to socialize with each other, but it’s also potentially an example of the university not acting within best practice —and then pushing the responsibility onto students to mitigate a situation they created.

You can find another, possibly more egregious example of this blaming within Georgia Southern’s Greek life.

On Aug. 31, Greek councils on both Statesboro and Savannah campuses announced that they would refrain from hosting social events and would hold virtual meetings through Oct. 1. The councils made a similar decision in the summer, when they chose to hold rush events virtually instead of in person.

However, on Sept. 1, Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar held a press conference in which he blamed the uptick in positive cases on the college’s Greek life.

“The uptick in cases that they saw, nearly half of those came from Greeks and a rush that occurred prior to classes starting,” said McCollar. “[Georgia Southern] immediately communicated with these organizations. What these organizations have done is move all social events online.

So that’s a win.”

Francisco Lugo, director of fraternity and sorority life, disputes that statement.

“Everything was done virtually; I’m not sure where he’s getting those numbers,” says Lugo. “We made the decision with our students to do everything virtually in July because we wanted to make sure we kept our members safe.”

While the Savannah campus has far fewer cases than Statesboro, that could quickly change. After the merger, some classes are available on only one campus, so students have to commute.

It’s unclear to what extent that is still happening, but one Savannah campus employee spoke of knowing several students who are going back and forth between campuses, though the students have largely stopped going to class unless necessary. (A request for comment from the registrar’s office was not answered by press time.)

Additionally, some faculty members are commuting between campuses to teach classes, and some students who were supposed to live on the Statesboro campus were moved to the Savannah campus because of space limitations.

As aforementioned, Georgia Southern still plans on hosting its first football game of the season on Sept. 12. Paulson Stadium will reduce its capacity to 25% and implement enhanced safety precautions.

Last season, the university ran a shuttle from Savannah to Statesboro for game days, but it’s unclear if that will happen this year. CS 9

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BY JOHN BENNETT

john@georgiabikes.org

WHEN THE pandemic cancelled Maria Borowik’s summertime travel plans, which included a trip to attend a friend’s wedding in Europe, she came up with a Plan B. Or, to be more exact, a Plan T — for trails.

“I drummed up my very own Tour de Georgia,” she said. “This was not meant to be a revival of the acclaimed professional cycling stage race or an ambitious bicycle ride across Georgia. The premise was to ride my bicycle on as many multi-use paved paths I could find throughout the state in three days.”

Borowik — who works at Hagen Rosskopf/Bike Law Georgia, a Decatur law firm that represents people who are injured in traffic crashes — visited trails in Columbus, Macon, and the Atlanta area for a total of 172 miles of riding over three days.

“I’m often reminded of the vision behind The Appalachian Trail. Benton McKaye and Myron Avery expressed concern about the increasingly fast pace of life even in the 1920s,” she said.

“They wanted to create a space where Americans could connect with nature and that was easy to access near towns and cities. I believe that more than ever we live in times where this vision is vital and the trails we have in place are providing space for people to de-stress and find much needed mental repose both in recreational and daily transit use. We need more of them.”

While some may regard trails as purely recreational, Borowik encourages people to think about their potential to provide access to everyday destinations.

“Something that struck me about some of the trails I visited during my trail tour was how they were connected to public transportation or to commercial areas in town. I would imagine what my life would look like if I lived in that specific town,” she said.

“Would the trail allow me to connect my house with my job? Would I be able to ride my bike to a restaurant using the trail?

Could I afford to live near the trail?”

Borowik described this as “a mental exercise” that residents should undertake when thinking about trails in their communities.

A new publication produced by the Coastal Regional Commission proposes

Maria Borowik undertook a tour of Georgia’s trails in a single weekend.

a similar focus on, “improving bicycle connectivity between commercial and employment districts, public services, transit access points, schools, neighborhoods, and existing population centers.”

Approved last month, “Bike + Walk Coastal Georgia” is intended to “guide short-and long-term land use and transportation planning decisions for a safer, more accessible region for people on bike and foot.”

Brent Buice, the Savannah-based South Carolina and Georgia coordinator for the East Coast Greenway Alliance, said the plan will be useful to the 10 counties and 35 cities within the CRC’s jurisdiction.

“The East Coast Greenway’s route vision, design requirements, and proposed route alignment are now formally recognized in an official planning document,” he said.

“Communities from Savannah to St. Marys can point to this document when applying for grants to fund trail development. Being acknowledged in this planning document will greatly aid local efforts to plan, design and build a continuous paved trail through coastal Georgia.”

Buice explained the potential benefits to Savannah and Chatham County, in particular.

“The plan aligns with Georgia’s new funding opportunity, the Outdoor Stewardship Program, which offers competitive, DNR-administered grants to build regionally significant trails,” he said.

“Bike + Walk Coastal Georgia identifies

several such trails envisioned for the region, including Tide to Town, a planned network of 30 plus miles of trails throughout greater Savannah. The northwest portion of Tide to Town will also serve as Savannah’s main segment of the East Coast Greenway.”

The plan underscores the opportunity to expand through links to other parts of the county, describing Tide to Town as “connecting all of Savannah’s neighborhoods, from the heart of the city to its marshes and waterways.

Tide to Town will serve every aldermanic district within the City of Savannah, with the potential to expand to unincorporated Chatham County, Tybee Island, Garden City, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, and Port Wentworth, integrating with long distance walking and bicycling trails like the East Coast Greenway.”

Unfortunately, Georgia is dead last in construction of the East Coast Greenwway route, which runs from Maine to Key West.

But Buice thinks the new plan could help the state catch up to its neighbors.

“I want to publicly thank Russell Oliver, a senior planner at the CRC, for allowing the East Coast Greenway Alliance to collaborate on the Bike + Walk Coastal Georgia plan. I’m confident this new and improved plan will help coastal Georgia move up from last place in greenway development,” he said. CS

NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD

Bright Idea

Officials in Amsterdam have installed 12 hemp-filled urinals around that city’s notorious red-light district in an attempt to control if not eliminate late-night public urination, or “wild peeing.” The boxes, called GreenPees, resemble planters, according to CNN, and the hemp filters inside turn urine into an organic fertilizer and water that feed the plantings on top.

During initial trials in 2018, inventor Richard de Vries said, “there was a 50% reduction in wild peeing. It was a great success.”

For his next project, de Vries is researching how electricity can be generated whenever someone pees into one of his GreenPees.

Beliefs

Nguyen Van Chien, 92, from a village in the southern Mekong Delta in Vietnam, hasn’t had a haircut in almost 80 years. A follower of Dua, a religion banned in Vietnam, Chien believes he has been called to grow his hair, Reuters reported, and his dreadlocks now measure about 16 1/2 feet.

“I believe if I cut my hair I will die,” Chien said. “I only nurture it, cover it in a scarf to keep it dry and clean and looking nice.”

Great Art!

-- Three years ago, Emma Aldenryd, 18, of Aarhus, Denmark, discovered she had a rare condition called dermatographia, which causes her skin to temporarily swell up when touched. Oddity Central reports that the teen has decided to use her skin as a canvas on which she traces artwork with a pencil and posts the images to Instagram. “I started by drawing quite random stuff like a bunch of words,” Aldenryd said.

“Lots of people question whether it hurts, but my dermatographia has never hurt.”

Antihistamines treat the itch associated with her condition -- but they also stop the swelling, so she doesn’t take them.

-- Drivers on U.S. 70 in New Mexico have wondered about the 18 wooden chairs set up six feet apart in rows on a hill between

Clovis and Portales. KRQE reports they are the work of three local sisters who wanted to express their feelings about socially distanced learning as schools struggle to open. “I have a daughter that’s a teacher and both my sisters have kids who are in school and this is really, really difficult for them not to be in school,” said Alyssa Idsinga, who created the art installation along with April Rutter and Abigail Pritchett. “It’s just so lonely.” She had the chairs in a shed and said the installation would remain as long as the pandemic continues or until the weather destroys it.

Compelling Explanation

Nicole Dozois, 40, was arrested in Largo, Florida, on charges of domestic battery after allegedly attacking her father “due to his flatulence,” according to an arrest affidavit. The Smoking Gun reported that Dozois, who shares a room in a home in Largo with her 59-year-old father, allegedly punched him in the face numerous times, leaving him with a “bloodied left eye and scratches all over his neck,” authorities said. She pleaded not guilty before being released, with the proviso that she have no contact with her father.

WE ARE

OPEN! SCAD Museum of Art reopens Sept. 10

Wait, What?

Villas Las Estrellas is a settlement of about 100 on King George Island in Antarctica with a school, a bank, a church and even a souvenir shop, but if you want to live there, you and your family -- including your children -- will be required to have your appendixes removed before you arrive. The reason, Medium reports, has a logic grounded in history: The town has a small clinic, but not always a surgeon, and the nearest hospital is more than 600 miles away. In 1961, Russian explorer and surgeon Leonid Rogozov at the similarly isolated Novolazarevskaya Station suffered life-threatening acute appendicitis and was forced to operate on himself -- without anesthesia. The two-hour operation was successful, and Rogozov returned to work two weeks later.

The Continuing Crisis

Dr. Devainder Goli, was watching a movie on his phone as his Tesla drove on autopilot near Spring Hope, North Carolina, early on Aug. 26, according to authorities, before narrowly missing a Nash County Sheriff’s deputy and a State Highway Patrol trooper and crashing instead into both of their cruisers. “It could have been very horrific,” Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told WRAL. The officers were conducting an overnight lane closure at the time of the accident. Goli was charged with a moving violation. “We need to understand that automation cannot do everything,” Stone said. CS

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Ander Christensen, 27, of Lincoln, Nebraska, has had to take time away from his job to field the media requests that have been pouring in since his Aug. 31 appearance before the Lincoln City Council, reported The Washington Post. Reading from a script, Christensen, whose father, Roy, is a councilman, made an impassioned plea against the widespread use of the term “boneless chicken wings,” pointing out that “boneless chicken wings are just chicken tenders” and don’t “actually come from the wing of a chicken.” Laughter and applause broke out in the chamber as Christensen made his presentation, and his father said the council was “taking the matter under advisement. ... He’s a chemical engineer by profession,” he said of his son, “but he’s a comic at heart.”

Shoplifter, Chromo Zone, SCAD Museum of Art (installation view)

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11

NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER

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BY BRITTANY HERREN IN THE early morning hours of March 5, 2017, Detective Zachary Burdette with the then Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department passed through the yellow-crime scene tape strung decisively around the stucco house with the black door and shutters on E. 34th Street.

At that time in Savannah, the tape had become such a frequent occurrence Saundra Thomas throughout downtown that to regular observers, it became less of a nuisance and more of an ill-lapsed Christmas decoration purposeful avoidance of having to face her that still remained in spring. and her reaction. Furthermore, the murThe house’s occupant, 47-year-old derer left her untouched and showed no Saundra Thomas, was one of thousands attempts to frantically revive an unrevivof victims who were a part of 1,123 violent able situation. crimes investigated by Savannah-ChaThe bedroom was not fashioned with tham police that year. In fact, Thomas had the gore that true crime fanatics have become the murder victim that just took become accustomed to witnessing secondSavannah’s homicide tally from nine to hand. The home was relatively untouched, ten, far outpacing the 2016 rate. the doors and windows showed no signs This, however, was a statistic that Detec- of forced entry and a found mailbag with tive Burdette was all too aware of. Each undelivered letters indicated that Thomas’ victim and the life and families they left intention the next day was to wake up and behind became an overpowering weight report to a South Carolina mail facility made from grief and determination that, where she worked at seven days a week as a for him, displaced statistics for more mail carrier. empathetic compositions that allowed him Publicly, no suspects or persons-ofto not see a victim, but instead, a daughter, interest were ever formally announced, sister and friend. but those working the case had people of Detective Burdette moved through the interest that they spoke to out of the suspihouse in light steps, as if to not disturb the cion that certain evidence imposed. eventual 100 or so pieces of evidence that Family and friends also pointed fingers would be found and logged from throughto individuals who, for multiple consisout the house, a stark contrast to other tent reasons, felt were responsible for the cases that reared only ten to 20 pieces of murder. evidence.

Detective Burdette recalled some of Calmly, Detective Burdette described to the conversations he had with people who me the murder scene that, even with the could have potentially become suspects. distance of three-and-a-half years later, On more than one occasion, the line of he was able to do as if it had been permaquestioning drew awkward and inconsisnently ingrained into his memory, nestled tent accounts, poor corroboration of facts between the threads of personal moments and emotional and physical responses that with his wife and family that were forced often left him with more questions than to co-exist uncomfortably next to recollec- answers. tions of such violent finality.

However, though finger-pointing and The violent finality, in particular, of accusations abound, no physical eviThomas’ life stood out. She was shot while dence from the house nor from Thomas’ in a postured sleep position that indibody ever directly connected any people cated no alarm on her behalf, and a chillof interest or unknown assailants to the ingly detached range that suggested the murder. Three and a half years later, after

The scene.

a promotion to sergeant that removed him from the homicide unit and the subsequent return to homicide in October 2019, Detective Burdette has returned to the case that he has described as infuriating and solvable.

To date, it is the only homicide he has ever been assigned to that he has not solved. A chip in the armor of a dedicated man whose grit and unrelenting perseverance is not defined by a self-imposed career goal, but by the vexatious permanence of the knowledge that Saundra Thomas’ murderer walks free while she is relegated to a yearly crime statistic.

When I asked what the missing link in solving this case was, Burdette simply replied that the intimate knowledge of even one person could crack the solvable, unsolved case. One person.

You could be that person. Crime Stoppers of Savannah-Chatham County provides a service that makes it easy for all citizens to report crime anonymously.

By calling the 24/7 crime tip line at 912234-2020 or going online to SavannahChathamCrimeStoppers.org and clicking “Submit Online Tip,” you can anonymously report any information you have regarding this case and qualify yourself for a cash reward up to $2,500.

Until then, this solvable, unsolved case fails to reach its justly deserved conclusion and Saundra Thomas lies beneath a headstone in Jacksonville Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in South Carolina while her killer presumably lives free, with either the zealous confidence of a person who escaped the grasps of the law, or an emaciating remorse.

I can only hope the latter, though most would agree it is no replacement for the resolve of justice. CS Brittany Herren is assistant executive director of Crime Stoppers of SavannahChatham County.

MUSIC FEATURE some form or another. What they ended up with is a series of events that will be GEOFF L JOHNSON announced four weeks in advance, so as to give enough time to assess what’s happening in case changes need to be made.

One of the regular events on schedule, which is set to begin on October 1, is a concert series at Victory North. The shows will feature a pared down version of the Philharmonic, performing in the venue to a maximum capacity of 50 patrons. The show is titled “String Theory,” and tickets are on sale now with an option to purchase a virtual ticket for those who prefer to stay home.

“Victory North was a really good find in many ways. We’d just done a gala there in January. The owners are doctors, and my guess is that they were probably the first place in Savannah that really changed the air system and cleaning system so it’s safe for the audience,” Harada says.

“They were on the front lines of making sure that during this pandemic, people can still come to Victory North and come out of it beng safe. So we immediately wanted to do a partnership.”

Other events scheduled to begin in this reimagined season include a free concert series called Phil the Squares With Music.

That event will take place on a balcony overlooking various squares throughout the city, and people are encouraged to watch and listen from their cars or as they walk by on the street.

As for the elephant in the room, so to speak, there will be a Picnic In the Park this year. It won’t be like any other in its history, however, and may very well be the only one of its kind to ever take place.

This year’s Picnic will be a pre-recorded concert that will be broadcast exclusively on WTOC—meaning it will reach an even wider audience than the 20,000 that typically attend the in-person event every year.

It will coincide with a Mask-A-Rade virtual costume contest during the show, in which viewers are encouraged to participeople of Savannah. pate at home using a hashtag on Instagram.

BY SEAN KELLY “Just like anywhere else all around the That element, Harada says, was included sean@connectsavannah.com world, everything got cancelled starting after he realized Halloween will look in March. And I think what we did was the extremely different for kids this year.

AS IS the case with everyone in Savannah smart moving of seeing how things pan out “I wanted to give a reason for children and beyond, the Philharmonic is smack by the fall,” Harada tells Connect via phone and families to dress up and decorate for dab in the middle of a very, very new norfrom Tokyo, where he also conducts.

Halloween. So we’ll be taping the show mal. At a time when they would typically “As you look around and see what hapand broadcasting it on October 18, and the be preparing their annual Picnic In the pened with other arts organizations in the Orchestra members will be dressed up,” he Park event—which draws tens of thouU.S. especially, they made a lot of splashy explains. sands of attendees each year—the orchesannouncements about concerts because “We’re encouraging people who’ll be tra has had to pivot and figure out how to they got nervous about revenue structures watching to also dress up, and we want keep going amid a pandemic that continues and income. And then come late August, everyone to post photos from their home to ravage the United States. they had to postpone or cancel everything. Halloween on social media. Then people Thankfully, under the leadership of With a pandemic like this, we have to be can vote on their favorite costume or decoKeitaro Harada, the Philharmonic has very careful with making sure we’re able to ration, and we’ll give out prizes to the winmade that happen. They’ve got a series perform. The safety of the audience is the ner. It just brings everyone together and of events coming up, some of which have most important thing.” gives families something to look forward been announced, that abide by every safety Harada instructed his staff not to rush to.” CS and health precaution possible in an effort into anything, and instead spend time to keep people safe while continuing to seeking out every possible option for conFor more info and tickets for the 2020/21 provide the great service of music to the tinuing forward with programming in season, visit savannahphilharmonic.org Keitaro Harada PHOTO BY

Savannah Philharmonic prep a reimagined season

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13

NEWS & OPINION WRUU SPOTLIGHT

WRUU Spotlight:

DJ Spooky

‘I love just really dark folky music’

BY JIM MOREKIS

jim@connectsavannah.com

OUR SERIES profiling WRUU show hosts continues with our talk with DJ Spooky.

Her eclectic show “Rigor Mortis” airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m.

What in your background or interests led you to wanting to curate a radio show? Have you worked in radio before?

and overlay sounds from them onto bass or guitar riffs I pre-recorded. Then bring that sound bit over to the boombox and incorporate commercial radio recordings.

Looking back, that was definitely a preview of my future radio days.

Tell us about Rigor Mortis and what you’re trying to accomplish with the show and its content. How does it stand apart from other dark/chill/EDM type shows on WRUU?

WRUU has been my first official on-air experience, but DJ Spooky really began in New Jersey in the early ‘90s.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

Music has always played a major role in my life in one capacity or another. WRUU has been my first official on-air experience, but DJ Spooky really began in New Jersey in the early ‘90s. My 6-year old-self, dressed in a variety of Halloween costumes, toy microphone and Beetlejuice doll in hand frequently took to the living room to announce music videos that appeared on MTV. As any good host would, I also rewarded my onscreen guests by feeding them cookies through the VCR, which at the time I imagined was the TV’s mouth. That, as you can probably imagine, did not go over well.

I used to get really excited and jump around on the furniture when my favorite song “I Love Rock N’ Roll” by Joan Jett came on MTV. I remember begging for a leather jacket like Joan’s, which I never got. Not much changed all in all, except I now have that leather jacket, and I don’t feed my guests.

At 10, I got my first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster (90’s, I know). This eventually lead to me forming and performing in several bands over the years, and in the process I picked up bass and drums as well.

When I was around 12, I had this Sony boombox that I used to plug a mic into and record curated cassette tapes, and give them to friends. I’d add in random facts, tidbits or just weird sound bits into those recordings.

Eventually, I got a four-track recorder.

That’s when stuff got really weird. I would 14 gather household items such as hair combs

Rigor Mortis feeds your weekly desire for curated playlists that consist of old and new rock. I love just really dark folky music, and all of this has really led me to curate playlists that some weeks can really appeal to those earlier areas of interest, then sometimes, it just gets spooky. Other times the energy and angst pick up a bit.

It’s really just a reflection of what I am into that week. Rigor Mortis has morphed into a show of spooky dark rock music. DJ Spooky is set to haunt your speakers every Thursday evening from 9-10pm.

What are your goals each week, both for yourself and for the listeners?

Doing this show weekly challenges me to find new music and to learn more about the bands I discover. I really enjoy the research aspect of it. I found it more and more difficult to discover new music, but having the consistency of doing the radio show every week encourages me to find new music and learn about the bands, and share that with listeners.

How specifically did you get involved with WRUU and what has it been like working there?

I moved down to Savannah from the NJ/ NY metro area to attend a Masters program at SCAD and I saw an advertisement asking for volunteers to host a radio show.

I attended an information session and started my first show two weeks later after

DJ Spooky at the board.

training. I’ve been with WRUU since 2016.

At that time we were streaming only and it has been a truly exciting journey to see it grow into what it is now.

I took a chance and I am glad I did because WRUU has brought a lot of great people into my life, with similar passions for music, and doing great things within the community.

Sometimes I deem it fun and necessary to add sound effects or clips into my recordings, influenced by my earlier years tinkering with sound clips and cassettes.

I invite listeners along with me on the journey.

What have you learned so far by doing the show that you didn’t expect to be learning?

I love bad puns! Send me puns at RigorMortisWRUU@gmail.com. If it is radio appropriate, I will share on air. CS

Doing this show has also helped me with my storytelling skills. And that trickles over into finding music flows that work, sort of like painting with sound. Some weeks I want to experiment with softer sounds, and others I want to explore heavier.

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 or listen at 107.5 FM

Feel free to add anything else you think is important or appropriate.

MUSIC REVIEWS

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

JON WAITS IS back! What a great sentence to write. The now Dallas-based singer/songwriter has been in town for the last few weeks, participating in a Quarantine Concert among other things.

One thing that hasn’t been part of his visit until now is the release of any new music. In fact, over the last couple of years, Waits has been full time invested in another side of the music industry: live concerts.

Working for Live Nation in Dallas, Waits was in the big leagues and worked on some of the biggest tours of the past two years when they came through Texas. That all stopped when the pandemic hit, so the natural question from fans and Savannahians

produce and record the song while he was in town. What resulted is a pretty spectacular snapshot of a moment in artistic time.

“Silk and Lace” features the great Americana storytelling you’d expect from someone like Jon Waits, but Sovine’s presence really enhances things sonically and musically. The production is rather minimal, but it doesn’t feel that way thanks to Sovine’s textural pedal steel layers and subtle keyboard beds.

Having those elements underneath Waits’ percussive strum and impassioned vocal lifts the entire song in a very special way.

It could’ve been easy to The cover of Waits’ new single, featuring his wife Anita. overproduce a song like this, even without a proper drum kit, but the duo really seems to was concerning his next move musically. have taken great care to let the song guide I asked Waits about this in a recent things. Shakers and acoustic keep it movinterview, but he didn’t mention anything ing, and Waits’ impeccable sense of melody new on the horizon. As it turns out, the is guided by Sovine’s expansive and sussong “Silk and Lace” was waiting in the tained guitar work. There’s no overplaying shadows. It’s a song that has apparently here—just simply serving the song. been around for some time, but hadn’t Some of the sustained electric guitar been recorded. Recently, Waits enlisted layers remind me a lot of something Ed virtuoso guitarist Andrew Sovine to O’Brien might do in Radiohead, and in

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this context that might sound strange but it works. There doesn’t need to be much going on, even with a lead guitar part.

Everything surrounds the story and the vocal, which is how a flowing Americana song should be.

Tonally, Waits sounds at his best on this song. Lyrically, he’s firing on all cylinders.

There’s imagery here that really compliments the sonics beautifully, and it all feels like part of a package rather than just the recording of a song.

All of this aside, the song also somehow feels like it was captured rather spontaneously and in the moment. By all accounts, it was. It wasn’t labored over for days and days, and you can hear that spirit in the performance. Waits’ vocal up front and there aren’t any frills or even much treated.

He sounds like he’s been around the block a bit, because he has.

If there’s a song I’d recommend right now, at a time like this, it would be “Silk & Lace.” It’s a testament to how much talent we have in Savannah, and what happens when you put two of the most talented among us together in a room and let the song go from there. CS For more on Jon Waits and to listen to the new single, visit jonwaits.bandcamp.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

Song Review: Jon Waits “Silk & Lace”

15

MUSIC THE BAND PAGE

BY SEAN KELLY

DEPARTURE @COACH’S CORNER

The great Departure returns to Coach’s Corner with their vast catalog of Journey songs in tow. The band covers all eras of the rock heroes’ music, from all the hits to some deeper cuts you may not know unless you’re a diehard fan. Grab your mask and get to Coach’s for top notch tribute to one of the most beloved classic rock bands of all time.

FRI., SEP. 11, 7 P.M.

LAFAYE & THE FELLAS @STARLAND YARD

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

High caliber vocals and amazing music is what you’ll get with LaFaye and the Fellas, who will be taking the stage at Starland Yard for a really eclectic and powerful show. With Prince, Whitney Houston, and Al Green as some of your influences, there’s really no going wrong here. LaFaye is a powerhouse singer that you won’t want to miss—especially in this unique setting.

SUN., SEP. 13, 6 P.M.

16

LYN AVENUE @PLANT RIVERSIDE DISTRICT

Lyn Avenue brings their country and Americana song craft to Plant Riverside District’s main stage for an evening of compelling and energetic songs that center on storytelling and excellent hooks. If you’re not familiar with these guys, their latest EP produced by the great Peter Mavrogeorgis is a really wonderful starting point. This is a duo to watch in the years to come.

FRI., SEP. 11, 7 P.M.

CATHERINE ALTOMARE @QUARANTINE CONCERTS

Savannahian Catherine Altomare has been organically making quite a name for herself lately with her own brand of country and indie pop. It’s been paying off quite significantly, with her recent single getting some serious attention on radio and digital charts. This special matinee Quarantine Concert will be a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon.

SUN., SEP. 13, 3 P.M., QUARANTINECONCERTS.ORG

Soundboard MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD IS A FREE SERVICE - TO BE INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND YOUR LIVE MUSIC INFORMATION WEEKLY TO SOUNDBOARD@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. DEADLINE IS NOON MONDAY, TO APPEAR IN WEDNESDAY’S EDITION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

PHOTO BY JON WAITS

Josephine Johnson @PERCH AT LOCAL 11 TEN

Beloved singer/songwriter brings her enthusiastic stage presence and eclectic talent to the socially-distanced venue just south of Forsyth Park.

THURS., SEPT. 10, 5:30 P.M.

LIVE MUSIC

Club One Broadway Wednesday, 9:30 p.m.

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m.

Starland Yard Claire Vandiver, 6 p.m.

The Wormhole Open Jam, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY 9.10 LIVE MUSIC

Calvary Baptist Temple Zach Williams, 7 p.m.

Coach’s Corner Nashville Nights presents Hunter Price, 7 p.m.

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies and Music, 5-9 p.m.

Namaste Savannah Himalayan Nights, 9 p.m.

The Perch at Local 11 ten Josephine Johnson, 5:30 p.m.

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m.

The Rail Pub Whaleboat, Ember City, 7 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Gypsy Jazz, 7 p.m.

Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

Top Deck Thursday Sunset Party, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY 9.11 LIVE MUSIC

bar.food AMAR, 6 p.m.

Blueberry Hill Evenpete, 9 p.m.

Coach’s Corner Departure - The Ultimate Journey Tribute Band, 7 p.m.

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m., Lyn Avenue, 7 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Live Jazz Music, 6:30 p.m.

Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass By The Pint w/ Swamptooth, 5:30 p.m.

Wild Wing Cafe Matt Hill, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY 9.12 LIVE MUSIC

Coach’s Corner The Eric Culberson Band, 7 p.m.

Online Quarantine Concert w/ Clouds and Satellites, 8 p.m.

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m., Laiken Love and the Fellowship of Love, 7 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant Live Jazz Music, 6:30 p.m.

Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos, 7 p.m.

Wild Wing Cafe Jason Courtenay,

Andrew Ottimo, 3 p.m.

SUNDAY 9.13 LIVE MUSIC

Collins Quarter at Forsyth Live Music, 3 p.m.

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

Edgar’s Proof and Provision Live Music and Mimosas, 11 a.m.

The Perch at Local 11 ten Rachael Shaner, 5:30 p.m.

Plant Riverside District The Fabulous Equinox Krewe, Kenny Munshaw, 11 a.m.

Starland Yard LaFaye and the Fellas, 6 p.m.

Wild Wing Cafe Josh Johansson, 1 p.m.

MONDAY 9.14 LIVE MUSIC

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m.

OCTOBER 21, 2020 #BOS2020

TUESDAY 9.15 LIVE MUSIC

Plant Riverside District Live Piano Performances, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m.

CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

WEDNESDAY 9. 9

17

CULTURE THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH

Megan Kranzler, left, is behind Olive Ridley Studios and the Love for Lebanon pins. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRANZLER/OLIVE RIDLEY STUDIOS.

Kranzler, a graphic designer who lost her job in the spring due to the pandemic, took the opportunity to pursue a dream she’d always wanted: to open her own business.

Enter Olive Ridley Studios, a design agency and online store with a natural bent towards philanthropy.

“One of the main ideas behind me starting my own business has always been to take on philanthropic initiatives,” says Kranzler.

Over the past ten years, Kranzler has worked for several big-name brands here in town, so her experience prepared her for this moment.

“If I would’ve tried to do this five years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been very successful at it,” she says, “but I think having a decade of experience has allowed me to build the tools I need to really take this and run with it.”

The first big project for Olive Ridley Studios has been the Love for Lebanon campaign. Kranzler designed an enamel pin based on the Lebanese flag, a project Art can help take our minds off the bad she took on after the Aug. 4 explosion at the stuff, help us find community, and help us Port of Beirut. express ourselves.

The situation in Beirut got some attenThat’s the gist of what Megan Kranzler tion for a couple days, but then faded from did to cope with getting some unsavory public attention. news back in the beginning of summer.

“Everybody stopped talking about it, After Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s illbut this is still a huge issue,” says Kranzler. fated executive order that banned cities “They need help. I think there’s so much from making their own mask mandates, going on here at home right now that it’s Kranzler felt frustrated and overwhelmed, easy to just ignore the problems happening as many of us did. Using art to vent, she in the rest of the world. I was like, ‘Somecreated masks that expressed contempt for body needs to pay attention to this.’” the idea with a particular four-letter word.

As Kranzler points out, the Lebanese Clearly, many people felt the same way, currency has lost value over the year, so since Kranzler quickly sold a lot of the American dollars end up helping more. masks and had to rush to keep up with The Love for Lebanon pins are just $15, demand. and 100% of the proceeds will be donated “I quickly was trying to scramble to put to Impact Lebanon’s Disaster Relief Fund, a business together because I didn’t really an organization that distributes funds to have a way to sell the masks,” she says. trusted and vetted groups.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

Brand-new Olive Ridley Studios launches philanthropic, artistic effort to benefit Lebanon

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

AS FAR as years go, this one has been more difficult than most.

From a global pandemic and civil unrest to an increasingly corrupt administration and the brief threat of murder hornets, 2020 has felt like a barrage of bad news, which can be difficult to avoid and harder to cope with.

It’s been a lot, y’all. And sometimes we can feel helpless in the face of it all. When things get rough, we can always turn to art 18 to help.

The pins were just released for presale last week, and Kranzler hopes to sell at least 50 pins.

“I’m keeping my goals pretty modest for now, but I’m hoping that maybe this’ll take off and exceed all of my expectations,” she says. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Right now, Kranzler has been putting most of her attention and energy towards the online store to get the pin sale up and running, but she plans to devote equal attention to the design agency in the future.

“I’ll pick out some charities to try to donate to regularly, for sure, as the business continues to grow,” she says. “There are so many humanitarian and environmental issues that need attention right now. I have not yet done my research to figure out which organizations would be the most beneficial to donate to, but it’s definitely going to be an ongoing thing.”

Kranzler has lots of plans for the future of Olive Ridley Studios, including product lines that benefit a specific organization, but for now, she’s content with putting in work to cheer people up.

And that brings us to the mascot of Olive Ridley Studios: a friendly turtle, decked out alternately in sunglasses and a graduation cap.

“I made the mascot super happy because my focus is really making your life better,” says Kranzler. “Even if it’s just putting a smile on your face because I designed some silly thing that makes you smile, that is still making your life a little bit better, even if it’s just for five minutes.” CS Visit oliveridleystudios.com for more info and to order the Love for Lebanon pin. Follow along on Instagram at @oliveridleystudios

CULTURE VISUAL ARTS

Ayers, at left, created a Black Lives Matter mural for SCAD at the Gutstein Gallery. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAYLER AYERS.

BY RACHAEL FLORA

you more successful?

QUESTIONS WITH

rachael@connectsavannah.com

TAYLER AYERS is everywhere.

No, seriously—you’ve probably seen his TEA tag around town, or seen someone wearing his merch, or seen someone repost one of his pieces on Instagram.

He’s designed a label for Two Tides, and he recently worked on a Black Lives Matter mural with Will Penny for SCAD. It may seem like work to be everywhere, but for Ayers, it’s just part of the deal.

Growing up, Ayers played tournament tennis and was not interested in art until a trip to Italy allowed him the chance to see a da Vinci sculpture in town. He came to SCAD in 2015 and graduated last year.

Ayers’ work is comprised of a black and white palette, and his goal is to produce work that’s relatable.

We talked with Ayers last week.

1. How has your creativity changed since you came to Savannah?

When I was starting out, I was into 20th century art history classes. That was great to open my mind up to different types of art and the conversations art can create.

I’m a huge Basquiat fan, a huge Keith Haring fan, a huge graffiti fan in general.

Everywhere I go, I have a pen on me. I was tagging desks, sides of businesses, and I got obsessed with it. I’m going to mark on everything and make Savannah my city.

I started selling a little bit of work, posting a lot of stuff online. I was a fibers major

2. Do you think that head start made

Yeah, entirely. I’m not a bad student by any means, but I’d be in class and the same things I’d get counted off for in class were things I was already selling.

I’ve learned a lot of amazing things from SCAD, from all my colleges, but they’re preparing you for a career. They’re not preparing you for entrepreneurship. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you have to be aware: you might never get an A if you’re 100% doing what you want to do.

People who know me have heard me say this before: I don’t really care about being the best artist. I’m not. I can pick 20 other artists who are probably more technically sound than I am, but what I can tell you is all my work is relatable.

I can’t actually do all the coursework; I just don’t work that way. I was already sharing my stuff online and I already had my confidence because the Internet is the fastest way to decide if you’re going to be insecure or if you’re going to be confident.

I was like, “Man, you think 30 people in a classroom can harm me? Bro, everything about me is on the Internet.”

3. You have a huge social media following. How do you maintain that?

I grew up with social media and this online presence. The account I have now is the same account I’ve had since I was 15.

When I say this, I’m not dissing anybody, but the day and age of the artist in the basement and never resurfaces, only

posts once a year and it’s some low-lit brooding picture on Instagram—that age is over. You can’t do that anymore. If you want to push your product, if you want to be out there and have access to the world, post your work online. I have to shamelessly promote myself as a brand, because I am Tayler, but Tayler Ayers is a brand.

I don’t really have any emotional attachment to my work. My mom is attached to everything I do, but I could care less. As soon as I make it, let’s get it out. I can just think and create freely.

I realize with the nature of my work, especially being text-based, I post something and 300 people will send it out and 70 people will save it, and I only know 1% of them. How am I going to be like, “Oh my God that’s so personal,” if I put it out there?

Everywhere I look, we have such a hard time trusting anything anymore. We’re so distrustful; we’ve been burned. So I’m going to be as honest and authentic as I possibly can so every interaction you have with me is going to be pure.

I remember an acquaintance DMed me and was like, “Hey, I want to let you know I’m hanging out with some guys and your name came up.” I was like, “Is it good or bad?” And he was like, “Yeah, it was bad.”

I got a little upset—I’m still sensitive—so it hit me a little bit for 20 seconds, and then I smiled. Bro, there’s six of y’all sitting somewhere on a Friday night, drinking beers and probably smoking a little weed and talking about another guy they don’t know.

I own property in your mind.

4. You recently created a Black Lives

Matter mural. How’d that come about?

I got the call from SCAD two weeks after George Floyd was killed. I felt super helpless; I didn’t really know what to do.

The one in Savannah at the Gutstein Gallery, that [building] played in a role in the civil rights movement because there was an actual sit-in in that building. I was like, I’ve done work on a part of history.

It’s very humbling. It’s very weird to have the best eight months of my life be the worst eight months of the world. It’s a very

interesting thing to navigate.I’m trying to push product while people are literally losing their jobs. I had to do a lot of soul searching, honestly. I was on cloud nine, cloud eleven!

I realized everyone in the world is online—they’re forced to be. If people are on their phones, I’m going to give them something to look at. I never thought a pandemic and race wars would be one of the biggest turning points in my career.

5. What put you on cloud eleven?

I made some major lifestyle changes at the beginning of the year. I prioritized sleep and focused on meditation and mindfulness. I was able to stay hyper-focused during the crazy times. I felt the weight of everything for sure, but I was able to look at the news and my default brain would automatically start calming my anxious brain. I’d been practicing mindfulness for six months, so I was able to control myself.

Sometimes people will ask, “How do you do it, though?” My income is directly related to how much I produce. The quality of what I produce is directly related to my headspace. My headspace is directly related to my habits. I’m this disciplined, focused and almost robotic because that $60 shirt could be the last shirt I ever sell.

It’s the name of the game. There’s no guarantee that anyone will buy anything you make. That comes with the territory of being self-employed, and it takes a certain person to deal with that.

It’s how we define success, how we define “making it,” how we define a truthful life: that’s all different to everyone. I think it’s important to weigh that out.

In a career way, I want to have an incredibly honest product that can stand the test of time and that someone in an art history class 20 years from now can read about. I want my work to be in the same conversation as people you read about.

Art-wise, I want people to relate to my work, whatever that looks like. That’s really it. CS Follow Tayler on Instagram at @tayler.ayers

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

Tayler Ayers

at SCAD, but no one really knew how to critique my work because it was not necessarily what you’d find from a fibers major. I think that made it hard for me academically, not in a sense where I was a bad student but I just felt a little displaced. But that made me hone in on what I was really good at. It helped that I was a sophomore, but I was 22 instead of 19—I already had a pretty good idea of who I was, so I started to show a strong sense of identity and individuality in my work.

19

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Clouds & Satellites come together for Quarantine Concert, new EP

Markus Kuhlmann chats about upcoming show and the last six months

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

CLOUDS & SATELLITES ARE such a creative band that one imagines they’d spend a ton of time together, working out arrangements and experimenting with recording. That’s largely what they did, until the pandemic forced them to put a pause on playing shows and keep a complete distance from one another.

For starters, co-leader Markus Kuhlmann spent two months away from Savannah with his son and mother, isolating but spending plenty of time recording. Eric Scott Guthrie, the band’s keyboard player, even had a bit of a COVID scare at one

20

point (though he consistently tested negative). That all meant that the band’s triumphant set at Savannah Stopover in March was their last show. Until now.

On Sat., Sep. 12 at 8 P.M., the band will be partaking in a Quarantine Concert, the virtual pro-shot show helmed by the excellent Michael Gaster. They’ve now done nearly 50 shows since the pandemic began, and it will be Kuhlmann’s second after doing one with his other group Waits & Co. recently.

They just started rehearsing, and Kuhlmann says he felt like things really clicked as soon as Guthrie joined in after missing the first couple of get togethers.

“Before that, the four of us were together and it sounded great. But the last practice

OCTOBER 21, 2020 #BOS2020 CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

LIMITED SEATING INSIDE

we had him come in and there were a couple of spots where his keys and background vocals hit. It was like, ‘Man, that’s how I heard it in my head.’ We weren’t thinking about what we were doing, we were just feeling it,” he tells Connect.

The concert will feature songs from the band’s last several releases, some of which are Kuhlmann’s and some of which were written by co-leader Tim Warren. There will also be new songs in the set, which will be featured on their just-completed EP. “Tim has two new ones that are pretty awesome and fully fleshed out. So we’ll do those at this show,” Kuhlmann says.

“We’re taking the Stopover set and adding some new stuff to it.”

Kuhlmann just finished mixing the band’s new EP, which he says was done energetically and swiftly and will be released via Bandcamp imminently.

“I’m working on it right now, so hopefully by the end of the day or tomorrow I’ll have something up,” he says of the quick turnaround time. It’s a real testament to the time we’re living in, when people can really do things however they want with no real rules for releasing.

“Tim has a song called “All The Storms,” and it’s one of those songs that you feel like has existed forever. I’ve dug into a lot of the keyboard stuff that has come out since the pandemic started, so I’ve been doing some synth stuff. So there’s been a newness to the way we’ve been creating. The finished product has been really fun to work on.” CS

Happenings COMPILED BY RACHAEL FLORA happenings@connectsavannah.com

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

BY MATT JONES © 2004, 2020 Matt Jones Answers on page 22

“JOIN UP!” --TWO AND TWO ARE INDEED FOUR. [#215, AUG. 2005]

HAPPENINGS IS CONNECT SAVANNAH’S LISTING OF COMMUNITY EVENTS, CLASSES AND GROUPS. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM TO SUBMIT A LISTING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

CHATHAM COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE — The purpose of the Chatham County Democratic Committee (CCDC) is to foster local Democratic activities and affiliated organizations; seek out and assist democratic candidates for public office; provide voter education; and work with democratic officials at all levels while ensuring they stay true to our guiding principles. 912-4018913. ccdcgeorgia.com.

POOLER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Pooler City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Pooler City Hall, 100 SW US HW 80. Variances, Conditional Uses, Zoning Map Amendments and Text Amendments need to be submitted to the Zoning Administrator at least 30 days prior to the scheduled Planning and Zoning Meeting. For more information, visit poolerga.gov.

RICHMOND HILL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Richmond Hill holds its city council meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 40 Richard Davis Drive.

The public is always welcome at these meetings. You may register to speak at the end of a council meeting when you sign in at the meeting or you may contact Dawnne Greene, City Clerk, at (912) 756-2749 or dgreene@ richmondhill-ga.gov in advance to be placed on the council agenda. For more, visit richmondhill-ga.gov.

SAVANNAH AREA YOUNG REPUBLICANS — Get involved. Meetings are the last Tuesday of every month (except for December) at 7:00pm. Contact number: (912) 657-9623 chairman@sayr.org. sayr.org.

SAVANNAH CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY REGULAR MEETING — Join a nonpartisan group that has genuine concern about how climate change is affecting Savannah (and the world) and is researching how

the people of Savannah can help mitigate or even reverse some of the worst consequences of climate change. fourth Monday of every month, 7-8 p.m. facebook.com/ events/174811263853917/. Two Tides Brewing Company, 12 West 41st St. SAVANNAH CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — All regularly scheduled meetings are held every other Thursday. The first meeting of the month is at 2 p.m., and the second meeting of the month is at 6:30 p.m. Savannah Government Television (Channel 8) broadcasts Council Meetings live at 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting. You can view a livestream of the meetings at www.savannahga.gov/ livestream. savannahga.gov/458/CouncilMeeting-Schedule. Savannah City Hall, 2 East Bay Street.

THOMAS SQUARE/METROPOLITAN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION — The Thomas Square Neighborhood Association meets monthly via Zoom. Visit thomassquare.org for more information. ongoing.

TYBEE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS — Mayor and Council will hold City Council Meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.at the Burke Day Public Safety Building, 78 Van Horn. For more information on the Tybee City Council, visit cityoftybee.org.

LGBTQ

SUNDAY SERVICE WITH EPIPHANY — Epiphany is a church without walls because we know that love knows no barriers. As we pray, worship and proclaim the Good News together, we also seek out co-conspirators with whom we may promote justice, peace and love. A “different kind of church,” Epihpany livestreams their Sunday morning service. Sundays, 11 a.m. facebook.com/ EpiphanySavannah.

FIRST CITY NETWORK — Georgia’s oldest LGBT organization (founded in 1985) is a local non-profit community service organization whose mission is to share resources of health care, counseling, education, advocacy and mutual support in the Coastal Empire.

Members and guests enjoy many special events throughout the year, including First Saturday Socials held the first Saturday of each month at 7pm. Mondays. 912-236-CITY. firstcitynetwork.org.

ACROSS

1 Starts the golf game 8 Steel worker of sorts 15 All pointy and line-y 16 Season division 17 Yell directed at a muchhated portal?

18 Speedo bunch?

19 Org. 20 “Classic Concentration” puzzle type 22 Word before Moines or Plaines 23 Target of crunches 25 “Charlotte’s Web” author White and namesakes 26 In ___ (actually) 27 Voicemail message opener, if you know someone well 30 Georgia airport code 31 One-named comedian and host of “Celebrity Fit Club” 32 “What’ll break if I break up with you” response, for a thuggish couple?

37 Where letters are sent to the mil.

38 Futuristic van Damme flick of 1994 39 Sweet suffix 40 Vegetarian’s “Duh!” response to why they hate their formerly vegan pal?

43 Brit or kiddie follower 44 Actress Jillian 45 Illegal lighting 46 Early gay rights advocate André 48 Campus comedy with a cameo by George Clinton

49 Wind dir.

50 Mass ___ (Boston thoroughfare, to locals) 51 Play cowritten by Mark Twain and Bret Harte 53 Prepare the day before 57 Drink Mencken called “The only American invention as perfect as the sonnet” 60 Library’s attempt at copying milk ads?

62 Like leftovers 63 Ripken’s team 64 He’s a little froggy 65 Keep in check

DOWN

1 Fanfare noise 2 Deputy played by Michael Weston in the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie 3 They’re stroked but not seen 4 Sarkisian, for Cher, once 5 Gathering dust 6 County gatherings 7 Like some refills 8 Lincoln or Grant, e.g.

9 Not-quite-ready-to-fold remark 10 Tayback who played Mel on “Alice” 11 Lang. that doesn’t really contain that many words for “snow” 12 Forest floor growth 13 Blurry area, maybe 14 Witherspoon who played an angel in “Little Nicky” 21 Confidential phrase 24 Outdo in

26 Pt. of ESL 27 “If ___ be so bold ...”

28 Shat this clue has 29 Took on, as a burden 30 Redundant-sounding cash dispenser 31 Dominant figures 33 “___ of Me” (1993 PJ Harvey album) 34 Auction grouping 35 Capital home to a Viking Ship Museum 36 Ultra-bright 41 Go quickly 42 Muscle that makes things stand upright 46 Entire range 47 Trump’s ex 48 Dashboard 49 Annoy your bedmate, in a way 52 Composer Stravinsky 54 Part of a reversal, maybe 55 Actor Ed in a famous “Tonight Show” tomahawkthrowing stunt 56 Pigsty 58 Phone line invasion 59 Lance of the O.J. trial 61 Leave change on the table

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

ACTIVISM & POLITICS

CHATHAM COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS — The Board of Commissioners usually meets twice a month (except for January) on Fridays at 9:30 a.m.The meetings are held in the Commission Chambers of the Old Courthouse, 124 Bull Street, Second Floor, and are open to the public. All Chatham County Commission Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Videos have moved to a new system that provides live streaming of video of the current meeting. chathamcountyga.iqm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx. Green Room, Old County Courthouse, 124 Bull Street.

21

ASTROLOGY

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t,” observes author James S. Gordon. “Rather, it’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”

Lucky for you, Aries! Your willpower is even more potent than usual right now, and your willingness to change is growing stronger. And so very soon now, I expect you will reach the threshold that enables you to act crisply and forcefully. You will become so convinced that it’s wise to instigate transformation that you will just naturally instigate transformation.

Adjust, adapt, improvise, improve!

rise above self-deception in the coming weeks—and will therefore be able to call on a great deal of courage. As Cancerian author and Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön says, “The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

If you like, I will give you the waning crescent moon and the dawn breeze. Do you want them? How about sudden bursts of joy for no apparent reasons and a warm greeting from a person you thought had a problem with you? Would you be interested in having those experiences? And

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi is an expert on the mental state known as being in the flow. He defines it as what happens when you’re completely absorbed in what you are doing: “immersed in a feeling of energized focus,” with “full involvement and enjoyment in the process of the activity.”

According to my reading of the astrological omens, you are extra likely to enjoy such graceful interludes in the coming weeks. But I hope you will be discerning about how you use them. I mean, you could get into a flow playing video games or doing sudoku puzzles. But God and Life and I would prefer it if you’ll devote those times to working on a sublime labor of love or a highly worthy quest.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEPTEMBER 9 - 15, 2020

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CANCER (June 21-July 22)

All of us are susceptible to fooling ourselves and lying to ourselves. And all of us are susceptible to the cowardice that such self-sabotage generates. But the good news is that you Cancerians will have an expansive capacity to dissolve and

to be and do. Here’s another favorite Mary Oliver permission that I hope you’ll offer yourself: “And I say to my heart: rave on.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

“The more unintelligent people are, the less mysterious existence seems to them,” wrote philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.

I agree with that idea, as well as the converse: The more intelligent people are, the more mysterious existence seems to them. Since I expect you to be at the peak of your soulful intelligence in the coming weeks, I am quite sure that life will be exquisitely mysterious to you. It’s true that some of its enigmatic qualities may be murky and frustrating, but I suspect that many of them will be magical and delightful. If you ever wanted your life to resemble a poetic art film, you’re going to get your wish.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Comedian and actor Aubrey Plaza bragged about the deal she made. “I sold my soul to the devil,” she said. “I’d like to thank the devil.”

Plaza is quite popular and successful, so who knows? Maybe the Prince of Darkness did indeed give her a boost. But I really hope you don’t regard her as a role model in the coming weeks—not even in jest. What worked for Plaza won’t work for you.

Diabolical influences that may seem tempting will not, in the long run, serve your interests—and may even sabotage them.

Besides, more benevolent forces will be available to you, and at a better price.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

According to researcher Rosalind Cartwright, “Memory is never a precise duplicate of the original. It is a continuing act of creation.” Neurologist Oliver Sacks agrees, telling us, “Memories are not fixed or frozen, but are transformed, disassembled, reassembled, and recategorized with every act of recollection.”

Reams of additional evidence also suggest that our experience of the past is always being transformed. In accordance with astrological potentials, I invite you to take advantage of this truth. Re-imagine your life story so it has more positive spins. Re-envision the plot threads so that redemption and rebirth are major features. Engage in a playful reworking of your memories so that the epic myth of your destiny serves your future happiness and success.

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

what about an unexpected insight into how to improve your financial situation and a message from the future about how to acquire more stability and security?

Are those blessings you might enjoy?

Everything I just named will be possible in the coming weeks—especially if you formulate a desire to receive them and ask life to provide them.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Virgo poet Mary Oliver was renowned for giving herself permission. Permission to do what? To become a different person from the self she had been. To shed her familiar beliefs and adopt new ones. To treat every experience as an opportunity to experiment. To be at peace with uncertainty.

I think you’ll be wise to give yourself all those permissions in the coming weeks— as well as others that would enhance your freedom to be and do whatever you want

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Many of you Sagittarians specialize in generous breakthroughs and invigorating leaps of truth. Often, you make them look easy and natural—so much so that people may not realize how talented you are in generating them. I hope you adjust for that by giving yourself the proper acknowledgment and credit. If this phenomenon shows up in the coming weeks—and I suspect it might—please take strenuous measures to ensure that you register the fullness of your own accomplishments. To do so will be crucial in enabling those accomplishments to ripen to their highest potential.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel wrote, “When you die and go to heaven, our maker is not going to ask, ‘why didn’t you discover the cure for such and such? why didn’t you become the

Messiah?’ The only question we will be asked in that precious moment is ‘why didn’t you become you?’” I hope that serves as a stimulating challenge for you, Capricorn. The fact is that you are in an extended phase when it’s easier than usual to summon the audacity and ingenuity necessary to become more fully yourself than you have ever been before.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Years ago, comedian Lenny Bruce observed, “Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God.” His statement is even truer today than it was then. Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, has gathered the concrete evidence. Church attendance was way down even before the pandemic struck. Now it’s even lower. What does this have to do with you? In my astrological opinion, the coming months will be prime time for you to build your intimate and unique relationship with God rather than with institutions that have formulaic notions about who and what God is. A similar principle will be active in other ways, as well. You’ll thrive by drawing energy from actual sources and firsthand experiences rather than from systems and ideologies that supposedly represent those sources and experiences.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Psychologist Carl Jung wrote, “The function of dreams is to restore our psychological balance by producing dream material that re-establishes the total psychic equilibrium.” According to my reading of the astrological omens, you especially need this kind of action right now. To expedite your healing process, meditate on what aspects of your life might have become too extreme or one-sided. Where could you apply compensatory energy to establish better equipoise? What top-heavy or lopsided or wobbly situations could benefit from bold, imaginative strokes of counterbalance?

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Help Wanted Biblia, Inc. Marine Towing and Transportation is

Outside Account Representative for Alternative Weekly Publication in historic Savannah near the Georgia coast. Must have proven track record in both print and digital advertising sales. Must be a goal-oriented self-starter with an exceptionally strong work ethic. Salary plus commission/bonus.

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Send cover letter with salary requirements and resume to address below or e-mail to HR@morrismultimedia.com

looking for full time deckhands who live within one hour of the city of Savannah, GA. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and be able to pass a physical and drug screen: Call the office at (912) 232-7342 or apply in person at 49 Hutchinson Island Road.

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KW Coastal Area Partners Connect Savannah Human Resources Morris Multimedia.com 27 Abercorn Street Savannah, Georgia 31401

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TOM ANDERSON • 912.433.4340 Keller Williams REALTY • 912.356.5001

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

Administrative Coordinator - Health Policy & Community Health - JOB ID 220390 Peer Programs Coordinator - Academic Success Center - JOB ID 220449 Academic Advising Coordinator - Armstrong Advisement Center - JOB ID 220446 Please visit the Georgia Southern University employment website and complete the application process at http://apptrkr.com/1994882 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.

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