Connect Savannah, February 17, 2021 by Connect Savannah

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Telfair hosts ‘Picasso to Hockney’ exhibit

FEBRUARY 17-23, 2021

FEB. 23–25, 2O21 Join virtual events, including talks and tours with internationally celebrated artists and special guests. Encounter thought-provoking work in new exhibitions at the SCAD Museum of Art.

2O21 HONOREE AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER

VIRTUAL KEYNOTE LECTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 | 6 P.M.

MUSEUM HOURS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

THURSDAY-SATURDAY | 1O A.M. TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY | NOON TO 5 P.M. 6O1 TURNER BLVD.

#DEFINEART | SCAD.EDU/DEFINEART

Sanford Biggers, Ghettobird Tunic, 2006, bubble jacket and various bird feathers, 32 1/2 x 36 x 17 in. Courtesy of the artist and David Castillo Gallery, Miami.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | DEC 16 - 22, 2020

17-23

WEEK CONNECT SAVANNAH

AT A GLANCE

HIGHLIGHTED PICKS FROM HOSTESS CITY HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK TO HAVE YOUR EVENT CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION IN WEEK AT A GLANCE, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE THE EVENT NAME, DATE, TIME, LOCATION WITH ADDRESS, COST, WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND A CONTACT NUMBER. THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS 5PM EACH FRIDAY BEFORE THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

WEDNESDAY 2.17

Savannah Repertory Theatre Streams “Brilliant Traces”

Peruvian Dinner at Sea Wolf Tybee

Catch a full production of “Brilliant Traces” starring Savannah locals and quarantined married couple Victoria Mack and Andrew Ramcharan Guilarte. Ticket codes are now on sale for $20; one code may be used by an entire household. Feb. 18-21, 6-11:45 p.m. Online savannahrep.anywhereseat.com

Savannah Black Heritage Festival

Savannah will celebrate its 32nd annual Black Heritage Festival virtually this year. The theme for the three-week event scheduled for Feb. 5 -21 is “Reﬂect, Reform, Rejoice.” Visit savannahblackheritagefestival. org for details on all events. Feb. 5-21 Online only savannahblackheritagefestival.org

Trivia Night with Jess Shaw

Jess Shaw and Kevin Ryan will guide participants through an evening of trivia and self discovery at Service Brewing. The ﬁrst place team receives a $100 cash prize. 6:30 p.m. Service Brewing Company, 574 Indian Street. servicebrewing.com

THURSDAY 2.18 Cowboys and Aliens Burlesque Show

The Tied and Tasseled Fetish Cabaret is bringing their ﬁrst show of 2021 to Club One. 9 p.m. Club One, 1 Jefferson St. $20 tiedandtasseled.com

9-19

FEB/

THE 28TH ANNUAL AMERICAN TRADITIONS VIRTUAL VOCAL COMPETITION

The American Traditions Vocal Competition has pivoted to present the competition online for worldwide and local audiences to ensure safety for audiences and artists during this time of COVID-19. Performances will broadcast online at 7 p.m. each evening throughout the competition, slated for Feb. 9-19, 2021. The $50 ticket grants access to the entire competition and only one subscription is needed per household. The ATC has also partnered with WSAV-TV to broadcast a 30-minute version of the ﬁnal round of the competition at noon on Saturday, Feb. 20 as well as online at WSAV’s website. Feb. 9-19, 7-9 p.m. $50 americantraditionscompetition.com/virtualatc

Husk Savannah Wine Dinner

Join Husk Savannah for their ﬁrst wine dinner since re-opening postCOVID. Husk Savannah will serve ﬁve-course dinners with exclusive wine pairings from Staglin Family Vineyards. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Husk Savannah, 12 West Oglethorpe Avenue. $175 facebook.com/husksavannah

Martinis at the Mansion

Enjoy a special menu with discounted martini prices, live music by Josh Johansson, and one complimentary rafﬂe ticket. A $5 donation to beneﬁt

Hospice Savannah is suggested for admission. Mansion on Forsyth Park, 700 Drayton St. 5:30-7pm kesslercollection.com/mansion

FRIDAY 2.19 Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth

Join Service Brewing for Bluegrass by the Pint every Friday featuring live bluegrass from favorite local favorites, Swamptooth. 6 p.m. Service Brewing Company, 574 Indian Street.

Social Media Breakfast Savannah Meeting

Social Media Breakfast Savannah (#SMBSAV) meets digital professionals monthly to discuss how to use social media to connect customers and clients with you, your brand, business, product or service. 8-9:30 a.m. Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St. foxyloxycafe.com

SATURDAY 2.20 Chatham Unity in the Community Chili Cook Off

Join Coastal Empire Beer Company and Chatham ES for a chili cookoff, food trucks, a cornhole tournament, live music and more. Proceeds from this charity event will beneﬁt Casa Savannah and The Front Porch. 12-9 p.m. Coastal Empire Beer Co, 79 Ross Rd.

Fire and Wine

Enjoy half-off bottles of wine and ﬁre pits in the courtyard. Purchase a s’mores kit to make the ﬁreside experience extra sweet. 6-9 p.m. Foxy Loxy Print Gallery and Cafe, 1919 Bull Street. foxyloxycafe.com EVENTS CONTINUE ON PAGE 6

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

Enjoy a delicious sit-down, ﬁvecourse meal with Chef Patrick Carruthers at Sea Wolf Tybee. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Humane Society for Greater Savannah. 7-10 p.m. Sea Wolf Tybee, 106 S Campbell Ave. $75 facebook.com/seawolftybee

CONNECT SAVANNAH

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EDITORIAL NICK ROBERTSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF nick@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4360 NOELLE WIEHE ASSOCIATE EDITOR noelle@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4356 BRANDY SIMPKINS STAFF WRITER brandy@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4358

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Brittany Herren, Lindy Moody, Frank Ricci, Bunny Ware, Lauren Wolverton, Nicole Youngblut

INFORMATION: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com CHRIS GRIFFIN STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4388 BUCKY BRYANT STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 LAUREN WOLVERTON STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT lauren@connectsavannah.com MANDY YOUNCE REGIONAL DIGITAL SALES DIRECTOR mandy@connectsavannah.com (912) 503-0874

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CLASSIFIEDS CALL (912) 231-0250

OUR VALUES

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

At its core, Connect Savannah is focused on the happenings in our community, highlighting local news, arts, and entertainment. Our professional journalists write about community issues and the people who live here. The public has a right to know about issues affecting them, and Connect Savannah is dedicated to keeping readers informed and aware of all that goes on in the community. The pursuit of truth is a fundamental principle of journalism. But the truth is not always apparent or known immediately. A professional journalist’s role is to impartially report the news based on verifiable facts so readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine the truth behind varied issues and developments. This is often an ongoing pursuit as journalists work to uncover stories and

follow those stories wherever they lead, regardless of preconceived ideas. The news that they report is separate from opinions shared in our labeled commentary, special columns, reviews and submitted letters to the editor. The presentation of both news and opinion is designed to educate, entertain, and foster conversation. We appreciate and encourage readers to share news tips with us, and to share any criticism and questions. We are your comprehensive local source for current news, arts, entertainment, music, and community events. We are here to serve you. We are blessed to be part of the greatest country in the world and the freedom it bestows on its citizens and its press. Find us on the platforms below or reach out to our newsroom at news@connectsavannah.com or (912) 721-4378.

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‘Costume design for Giselle, Act II, in Giselle’ by Eugene Berman. Photo courtesy of Telfair Museums CONNECT SAVANNAH

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Telfair hosts ‘Picasso to Hockney’ exhibit

FEBRUARY 17-23, 2021

CONNECT SAVANNAH IS PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY

WEEK

AT A GLANCE

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Forsyth Farmers Market

Bully Brunch at Bentley’s

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

Join the Humane Society for Greater Savannah at Bentley’s Pet Stuff for a brunch to raise awareness about Bully Breeds. 12-2 p.m. 4501 Habersham St.

Islands Farmers Market

Join Benedictine Military School for an event supporting Chatham Savannah Citizens Advocacy. 4-6 p.m. Benedictine Military School, 6502 Seawright Dr. savannahcitizenadvocacy.org

Weekly farmers market on Talahi Island highlighting local growers and makers, healthy foods and a positive environment. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Islands Farmers’ Market, 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/ islandsfarmersmarket

Simply Potted

Starting on Feb. 20, the brewery will have plants for sale on an ongoing basis from their friends at Simply Potted. After this launch date, if patrons see a plant they like while hanging out in the taproom, they’ll be able to take it home. 2-5 p.m. Two Tides Brewing Company, 12 West 41st St. twotidesbrewing.com

Taco Pop-up

Grab a taco from South of Heaven BBQ and a cocktail from Ghost Coast Distillery while Ben Keiser plays live music starting at 4 p.m. No reservations needed. 1-6 p.m. Ghost Coast Distillery, 641 Indian St. 912-298-0071 ghostcoastdistillery.com

SUNDAY 2.21 2 Chefs Southern Kitchen

Celebrate Black History Month with local speakers, dinner, and wine at 2 Chefs Southern Kitchen. Admission $25 per person. 5-10 p.m. 2 Chefs Southern Kitchen, 2007 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. $25

Game On- The NOT Oyster Roast at Benedictine School

MONDAY 2.22 Painting with a Twist 18+ Open Studio Class

Join Painting with a Twist for their Open Studio session for adults 18+. Register online. 513 E. Oglethorpe Ave. $37-$55 paintingwithatwist.com/savannah

Tybee Island Farmers Market

Weekly market featuring a variety of produce, baked goods, honey, eggs, BBQ, and more info. 4 p.m. 30 Meddin Drive. tybeeislandfarmersmarket.com

TUESDAY 2.23 13 Ghosts Haunted Tour

Discover Savannah’s haunted neighborhoods and spirits that exist there. Register online. 7-9 p.m. Monterey Square, Bull and West Wayne Streets. $25

Toddler Tuesday at Oatland Island Wildlife Center

Explore nature with wild fun for your wee ones. This week’s theme is “G(EE) is for Gopher Tortoise”. 10 & 11 a.m. Oatland Island Wildlife Center, 711 Sandtown Rd. sccpss.com/schools/oatland

BRIEFS

Savannah St. Patrick’s Day events go virtual

FOLLOWING THE January decision to out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancel Savannah’s 2021 St. Patrick’s Day filming these events and presenting them Parade and related festivities due to safety virtually to the public. This is much difconcerns about the ongoing pandemic, ferent than in 2020, when we had already several of the city’s major events to honor elected the parade grand marshal and held Irish heritage will be held online to carry several events such as the Celtic Cross on the spirit of the Hibernian holiday, Ceremony before we had to cancel that according to a year’s parade,” Feb. 12 announceFogarty stated. ment by the “Since the Savannah St. Patfirst Savannah rick’s Day Parade St. Patrick’s Day Committee. Parade in 1824, “Although we there have been are unable to have extraordinary the parade and times when we election of the had to cancel grand marshal the parade and this year, we know Savannah’s Greening of the Fountain will be other events, and that it’s important presented virtually in 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF this is unforTHE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE COMMITTEE to respect traditunately one of tion and our Irish those times. Our heritage as much as possible while ensurtop priority has always been to ensure the ing the safety and health of others,” stated health, safety and welfare of our memJohn Fogarty, the general chairman of bers, participants, and attendees,” Fogarty Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Comadded. mittee. “To that end, we are working with The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade the City of Savannah’s guidelines regardCommittee will provide more details ing the ability to film private events in tra- about this year’s virtual events on their ditional locations that we plan to virtually website, savannahsaintpatricksday. share.” com, before March 17, according to the According to Fogarty, the Celtic Cross announcement. Ceremony, Greening of the Fountain, Jas“We look forward to celebrating our per Green Ceremony, and St. Patrick’s Day parade and its traditions in person in Mass will all be held virtually this year. 2022,” Fogarty stated. “Due to these extraordinary times and − Nick Robertson

Tybee ofﬁcials consider alcohol-related issues TYBEE ISLAND’S City Council will hold a workshop on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. to discuss recommendations to tackle varied alcoholrelated issues affecting the beach town. The Tybee Island Alcohol Work Group is presenting suggestions to the City Council, and advising that a plan should be articulated by the end of February. The workshop agenda states that the goal of these suggestions is to develop a long-range plan to address oversaturation of Tybee Island, including issues involving overconsumption of alcohol. The solutions presented for the workshop include filling vacant police positions and making public-safety employee pay more competitive. The recommendations also include discussing enhancing the recruitment of police cadets.

Additional recommendations include creating a more visible presence in the city’s south-end business district while maintaining adequate coverage for the rest of Tybee Island, providing better training for servers at bars and restaurants, implementing safety checkpoints, increasing the use of cameras, and improving the release of public information. The work group recommends increased enforcement of current rules and laws regulating behavior, including public intoxication and disorderly conduct. The group also recommends conducting a recurring call-load study to determine an appropriate number of police on duty per shift. Visit cityoftybee.org to view the Alcohol Work Group recommendations. − Noelle Wiehe

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MARCH 31 GO ONLINE & VOTE TODAY!

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

NEWS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

Local paramedic to become first woman to win Medal of Valor

CHATHAM EMERGENCY SERVICES Paramedic Mindy Cauley will receive the 15th Annual Medal of Valor presented by the Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire, making her the first woman to earn the award, according to a Chatham ES press announcement issued on Feb. 11. According to Chatham ES CEO Chuck Kearns, who nominated Cauley for the award, the paramedic saved a man’s life while she was off duty, placing herself in grave danger by getting out of her car in high-speed traffic on a local highway bridge. On Sept. 10, 2020 at approximately 9 p.m., Cauley was driving home on Highway 80 from an overtime EMS shift in her personal car, when she noticed a man climbing onto the cement railing on the Thunderbolt Bridge who was apparently going to jump. Cauley called 911, stopped her car in the emergency lane near the top of the bridge, and responded to aid the citizen. When the man saw Cauley, he began to lean forward toward the river. Before he could fall, Cauley grabbed his arm, stabilizing him on the bridge’s edge. Cauley established a dialogue with the man, who told her he wrote a note telling his family he was going to commit suicide. Cauley asked him if he believed in God, and he replied that he needed a sign from God to keep living. Cauley told him that she was his sign from God, stating that she had gotten off work late, and ordinarily wouldn’t be crossing the bridge at this time, but yet there she was. The citizen decided not to jump, and finally came down onto the pavement. He was transported by Chatham ES to Memorial Health for help. “We’re extremely proud,” Kearns said of Cauley. “What she did that night was heroic. She placed herself in grave danger to help a complete stranger and saved a life.” − Nick Robertson

BRIEFS

Chatham COVID-19 rates decrease, but vaccine supplies remain limited CORONAVIRUS INFECTION rates appear to be dropping across Chatham County following an extended spike in cases from midDecember to late January, and while COVID-19 inoculation efforts are expanding locally, vaccine supplies remain limited throughout Georgia, according to the region’s top publichealth official. During a coronavirus-response update presented to the Chatham Dr. Lawton Davis addresses the Chatham County County Commission on Feb. 12, Commission on Feb. 12. PHOTO BY NICK ROBERTSON Coastal Health District Health Director Dr. Lawton Davis reported that inoculations, estimating that the CHD is the county’s average number of confirmed handling up to 1,200 appointment slots new daily cases had dropped to 30.7 per daily. Davis noted that nurses from the 100,000 residents, after reaching 45.7 per Savannah-Chatham County Public School 100,000 residents in early January – the System have been assisting in administersecond-highest total since the pandemic ing vaccine shots. began – following holiday-season gatherAdditionally, the CHD has opened a new ings that were believed to increase the temporary vaccine-administration clinic spread of COVID-19. at the EmployAbility facility at 1249 Eisen“We’re still on the high side, but we’re hower Dr., Davis said, while pop-up inocucoming down, and that’s good,” Davis said lation clinics are being organized at varied of Chatham’s infection rates. Chatham churches on Wednesdays from Davis said that the county’s public mid-February through early April. COVID-19 vaccination efforts are proceedNonetheless, these efforts are all hining smoothly following the rollout of the dered by insufficient vaccine supplies chdcovidvax.org portal for scheduling across Georgia.

“The state is not getting enough to spread it around,” Davis said, while noting that more vaccine supplies are expected in coming months. “Hopefully by summertime we’ll be rolling in vaccine, floating in vaccine.” Currently Georgia remains in Phase 1A+ of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, meaning that any residents aged 65 or older are eligible for the lifesaving shots, as well as their caregivers, healthcare workers, and first responders. While Davis expressed optimism about the progress of vaccination efforts, he warned that more contagious coronavirus variants are likely already spreading in the Savannah region. “I think we would be foolish to assume it’s not here,” Davis said of new COVID-19 mutations discovered in South Carolina and Florida. Davis reiterated that wearing a face mask can help prevent the spread of any COVID-19 variant, and said that while Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are now advising people to wear two masks, “I’m still happy if I can get somebody to wear one mask.” − Nick Robertson

Savannah bans pedestrians from road medians and soliciting from vehicles SAVANNAH’S CITY Council adopted an ordinance during their Feb. 11 meeting that prohibits pedestrians from obstructing the flow of traffic by soliciting money from vehicle occupants while standing in roadway medians. The traffic-ordinance amendment bans pedestrians from standing in city-owned medians; prohibits soliciting business, money, or employment from the occupant of any vehicle; and forbids pedestrians from impeding traffic in any other way in city right-of-ways for motor vehicles. The ordinance also bans citizens from sitting, lying, or sleeping on any public street or highway, except when temporarily physically disabled. Alderman Nick Palumbo said the ordinance will improve safety at the city’s median crossings. “We’ve received reports of a number of pedestrian-related fatalities and accidents,” Palumbo said. The council members said that they had

The new ordinance banning pedestrians from medians is expected to curtail litter. PHOTO BY NICK ROBERTSON

been working on the amendment for quite some time. “I am glad,” Alderwoman Estella Shabazz said. “It’s been a long time coming.” Council members stated that the ordinance will keep citizens safe, but Alderwoman Alicia Blakely mentioned that an effort must be made to inform citizens of the new rules.

“It is imperative that we give this information to the citizens,” said Blakely. “A lot of times things happen in our city government and the constituents don’t even know about it.” According to Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter, the ordinance does more than keep citizens safe. “Less than the fatalities and less than the traffic accidents that have occurred as a result of our medians being populated, I am pleased to announce to the many citizens that have reached out to me who are concerned with the amount of litter at the corridors of Victory Drive and Abercorn, Victory Drive and Truman, of Abercorn and DeRenne,” said Gibson-Carter. “This ordinance will also help us to keep our streets clean and free of litter.” In addition, Gibson-Carter announced that the city will soon launch a campaign encouraging Savannah citizens to keep public roadways clean. − Brandy Simpkins

NEWS

POLITICS

Chatham Democrats and GOP push merger between boards of registrars and elections Both board chairs warn that merging the two departments will not solve perceived problems nick@connectsavannah.com

ONE COULD PRESUME that activity would’ve died down for the Chatham County Board of Elections in the weeks following Georgia’s Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff race, coming on the heels of a turbulent 2020 balloting cycle. Such a presumption would be wrong. Since Jan. 5, the elections board has seen two members resign from the same seat, while the county’s longtime elections supervisor, Russell Bridges, retired before being rehired as a consultant. Now leaders from Chatham’s Democratic and Republican parties are pushing for the Board of Elections to be merged with the Board of Registrars, citing perceived problems with the county’s divided departments that oversee separate aspects of every election. Chatham County’s General Assembly delegation of state-level elected representatives is currently discussing the logistics of merging these boards, according to Georgia House Rep. Ron Stephens of District 164, chair of the Chatham delegation. “We’re in the process now of trying to decide how it’s going to look,” Stephens said of the possible merger, adding that he’s seeking input from board members before the eight-member General Assembly delegation moves forward with the merger. “It’s our decision. We have to be careful, because we’ve got to live with that.” And while talk of merging the two boards has circulated for years – Chatham being one of very few Georgia counties with separate departments for registrars and elections – the movement now has considerable momentum and bipartisan support, according to Stephens. “If I had to guess, either next week or the week after, we’re going to have the final version” of what structure a merged Chatham County Board of Registrars and

Elections would have, Stephens said. “We can really do anything we decide.” However, the chairs of both boards are united in warning that a merger may not address complaints about Chatham County’s voting systems. “It’s not necessary for us to merge,” said Board of Elections Chairman Tom Mahoney, asserting that Chatham’s divided system provides a mechanism for checks and balances. “There’s a thought that it would be streamlined if there was only one board. I really don’t think so.” Board of Registrars Chairman Colin McRae agrees with Mahoney that the split boards keep each other in check, but he is more concerned about how a merger could impact staffing for both departments. “We want to make sure that our very well-trained and tenured staff is looked after,” McRae said, adding that misconceptions about the roles of Chatham’s registrars and elections departments have led to many of the complaints against them. “Those shortcomings that people have identified, or think they have perceived, are not shortcomings at all.”

Responsibilities of the boards

Broadly speaking, Chatham’s Board of Registrars oversees registering voters and maintaining the voter rolls, organizing early voting, and mailing out absentee ballots, collecting them, and verifying voters’ signatures on them – one of the more controversial voting functions during the 2020 elections, when the pandemic led to a sharp rise in absentee balloting across the county and state. Meanwhile, the Board of Elections oversees county-level candidate-qualifying procedures and campaign-finance paperwork, as well as managing voting-day operations at precinct balloting sites and tabulating all votes collected before certifying the winners of local races. “I’m aware there is confusion in the

Signs point toward a merger between Chatham’s Board of Elections and Board of Registrars, both located at the Citizens Service Center. PHOTO BY NICK ROBERTSON

public about the responsibilities of the two boards,” Mahoney said. “Voters contact us a lot about things that are the Board of Registrars’ responsibility.” But perhaps the most significant difference between the two boards is how they are composed. Four of the five Board of Elections members are elected positions – two Democrats and two Republicans, chosen every four years during their parties’ midterm-election primaries – and the winning board members select their chair. On the other hand, Chatham County’s Superior Court Senior Judge appoints the five-member Board of Registrars from a list of names submitted by the Grand Jury for four-year terms, which McRae believes results in a nonpartisan board makeup that reflects the county’s demographics. “A board in which you don’t know how they lean politically is one that engenders more trust,” McRae said, adding that anyone seeking to combine the two boards would have to very carefully consider whether its members should be elected or appointed. “The big question is, how do the individual board members get selected?”

Back-to-back Board of Elections resignations

Because its members are chosen directly by party voters, Chatham’s Board of Elections is prone to partisan battles – and occasionally, board members end up being at the center of controversy. Since 2016, Republican Board of Elections member Debbie Rauers was twice censured by her fellow board members for making public statements asserting financial wrongdoing by elections staff, and for interfering with election workers.

Then during the 2020 election for the Chatham County Commission District 2 seat, Rauers played a central role in the controversial disqualification of Democratic candidate Tony Riley, resulting in Republican candidate Larry “Gator” Rivers winning the race essentially unopposed. On Jan. 7, Rauers resigned from her Board of Elections seat. According to an alleged copy of her letter of resignation obtained by Connect Savannah, Rauers had intended to resign on Dec. 19, stating that “the culture of the Board has dramatically changed.” The letter added that Chatham’s Republican leadership asked her to stay on through the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff, hence why she waited until Jan. 7. But allegations have surfaced that Rauers’ resignation may be connected to a hitand-run incident near the Savannah Civic Center on Jan. 5, with a Savannah Police Department report from that incident describing the offender as “a middle aged woman with shoulder length blond hair” who “was on the Board of Elections.” The physical description given in the police report matches Rauers, who declined to comment for this article. When a Board of Elections member resigns before their term concludes, the leadership of their party is entitled to choose a replacement. In mid-January, the Chatham County Republican Party selected Carry Smith – a self-described political independent, who collaborated with Rauers in the disqualification of Riley’s candidacy – to take over Rauers’ seat, according to CCRP First Vice Chair L. Carl Smith, Jr.; she was subsequently officially sworn in.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

BY NICK ROBERTSON

‘MERGER’ CONTINUES ON PAGE 27 9

NEWS

Providing insight to sites of Savannah’s Black history

‘Revisiting W.W. Law’s Negro Heritage Trail’ is a combined exhibit and Savannah tour BY BRANDY SIMPKINS brandy@connectsavannah.com CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

AUTHENTIC SAVANNAH grey-brick buildings, centuries-old oaks, and implanted Georgia Historical Society markers adorn trails that highlight varied tales of Savannah’s extensive history. This month, the Massie Heritage Center partnered with the Savannah Municipal Archives to highlight another trail showcasing often-overlooked Black history in the Hostess City: the new Revisiting W.W. Law’s Negro Heritage Trail combined exhibit and walking tour. The initiative revives the historical walking tour created by Savannah native W.W. Law (1923-2002) – a local icon of the civil-rights movement as a historian, teacher, and preservationist – to honor the community’s important African Americans. 10 The journey begins in an old classroom within

COMMUNITY

Savannah’s Massie Heritage Center, which was one of the city’s first schools to educate newly freed Blacks after becoming a Freedmen’s Bureau school in 1865. The classroom holds an exhibit about Law including historic documents provided by the Savannah Municipal Archives. The archival documents include pictures of Law guiding groups on his walking tour, along with maps of his original trails, Law’s handwritten notes on a recreation of his desk, his vinyl record music collection, and more. Heritage Specialist Ayela Khuhro guides the experiences by beginning the walking trail inside of the exhibit room. Khuhro said that Law had many variations of the trail, but he always included the Massie Heritage Center. According to the guide, Law would often go on to speak about the “Pioneers of Education” like seamstress and clandestine school founder Mother Matilda Beasley, and former First African Baptist Church Deacon James Simms, both of whom risked their lives to educate Southern Blacks prior to emancipation. Simms was whipped publicly in Savannah for running an underground school. Roughly 100 years after emancipation, Law led efforts to integrate Savannah’s high schools in 1963, picking outstanding Black students (known as the “Savannah Seven”) to begin attending classes with whites months before the federal Civil Rights Act was passed to end segregation across America in 1964. “They were the brightest, the smartest, the most profound students that Law hand-picked to attend the previously all-white school,” said Khuhro. The Massie Center sits nearby Calhoun Square, which is the first stop of the “Negro Heritage Trail” tour after exiting the exhibit. Khuhro said that Law would often recount hidden legends, such as stories of Calhoun Square once being a pauper’s graveyard − but Law would have added that in fact it is Whitefield Square, found two blocks from Calhoun Square, that was an actual graveyard for Blacks before their bodies were moved to Laurel Grove South Cemetery. Next on the tour was Lafayette Square, named for the French nobleman who fought under George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. The house of Andrew Low, who inherited his family’s

Scenes from the exhibit honoring W.W. Law inside of Savannah’s Massie Heritage Center. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MASSIE HERITAGE CENTER

cotton business and treated the enslaved like family, sits on Lafayette Square. Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, was Andrew Low’s daughter-in-law, and according to Khuhro she hired Morisana Millage − a formerly enslaved woman who cooked and lived in the basement of the Andrew Low House − as her personal chef. From Lafayette Square, the tour continues down Macon Street to Madison Square, which was named for Founding Father and former President James Madison. On the northwest corner of Madison Square is the GreenMeldrim House, where Union General William Sherman spent 41 days after his “March to the Sea” in 1864. After Khurho recounted the well-known tale about the Union general burning Confederate resources from Atlanta to the outskirts of Savannah, she said that Sherman later met with pastors who served as leaders in Savannah’s African-American community during that time to discuss the best ways for the newly emancipated to fairly integrate into society. It was decided that they should each receive 40 acres of land and a mule to work the soil, since the formerly enslaved were already skilled at working the land. Sherman ordered this land-allotment plan to be carried out, but after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Vice-President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency and repealed Sherman’s order guaranteeing the formerly enslaved their “40 Acres and a Mule.” Khuhro says that Law would have challenged his tour participants to imagine what life might be like for Blacks in America had the order never been repealed. “These are the kinds of stories W.W. Law would have told during his tour,” said Khurho. cs The ‘Revisiting W.W. Law’s Negro Heritage Trail’ exhibit and tour continues at the Massie Heritage Center (207 E. Gordon St., Savannah) through March 8, with the tour beginning at 2 p.m. every Monday through Friday. A $10 admission fee grants access to both the exhibit and the walking tour. Visit massieschool.com for more details.

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A 2017 triple shooting still unsolved One phone call could deliver justice for two families devastated by the tragedy BY BRITTANY HERREN, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CRIME STOPPERS OF SAVANNAH-CHATHAM COUNTY

IT WAS LATE into the night on Feb. 17, 2017, when Detective Rico Jordan made his way to Yamacraw Village. After an initial 911 call of a shooting was reported at 10:28 p.m. that night, responding officers with the now-demerged Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department located three victims inside a two-story, single-family apartment. Tori Plummer, 35, and Erik Lawrence, 25, were already dead. A third victim, 27-year-old Dennis Harris, suffered non-lifethreatening but serious injuries. By the time Jordan arrived, Harris had already been transported to the hospital by ambulance, and a trail of blood was all that remained of his presence. Jordan recalls pulling up in his unmarked police car and seeing a small crowd illuminated by the glow of blue lights. He could hear a low hum of voices as he walked towards the Yamacraw housing project’s building 500, and ducked beneath the yellow crime-scene tape, a baptism of sorts for the now eight-year police veteran who was approaching the scene of what would become his first homicide case. Walking through the doorway, Jordan came upon a grisly scene. As he gazed past the staircase on the right and through the living room into the kitchen, the bodies of Plummer and Lawrence lay strewn across the floor. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, and from the looks of it all, a subject just walked into the home and opened fire. It was a scenario inferred by a ubiquitous pattern of shell casings. “It was a big puzzle,” recalls Jordan of the case that remains his only unsolved homicide to date. The case hasn’t been classified as cold, but the lack of viable leads has certainly left it on a low simmer as it reaches its fourth anniversary this year. The deaths of Plummer and Lawrence were the sixth and seventh homicides that metro police investigated in 2017. There would be 27 more homicides investigated before the end of that

year, a total of 29 that took place within Savannah’s city limits. Unlike many jobs, detectives don’t have the luxury of finishing an investigation before moving on to the next. Homicides kept adding up over the years. In 2018, there were 31 homicides, with 23 in 2019 and 32 in 2020, a 33% rise over the previous year. However, despite investigating roughly 15 homicides and assisting in over 50 in his tenure with the department, Jordan has never given up on this case. He knows that in the end, it will ultimately come down to someone finally deciding to tell what they know. “There are people out there who know information, but they don’t want to talk to the police for various reasons,” said Jordan. “They are afraid of retaliation, being considered a snitch, or just don’t want to be involved.” In a January report by WTOC reporter Sean Evans, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson summed up a common problem in cases like this where a survivor remains. “It amazes me to talk to someone who’s been a victim of gun violence, and they’ll tell me they don’t know who shot them, or they know who shot them and they don’t want to tell,” Johnson is quoted as saying. While Jordan must act as the voice for his victims, he’s not the only one who wants to see this case solved. The families of Plummer and Lawrence, who continue to push for this case’s continued exposure even all these years later, are forced to grapple with the void of their loss and the questions that remain unanswered, the biggest being who? Who did this and who knows? Jordan is confident that the answer continues to live in pieces, the ones that shape the holes in his puzzle, and he encourages anyone with any information to come forward. “Whatever small piece of information someone has may be the piece that leads me to the next,” Jordan explains. “No piece is unimportant. They all work together to complete the picture.” Anyone with information regarding this case can call Crime Stoppers anonymously 24/7 at 912-234-2020, or can submit a tip online at SavannahChathamCrimeStoppers.org. Tipsters may qualify for a cash reward of up to $2,500.

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The Yamacraw Village scene of the 2017 triple shooting resulting in two deaths. PHOTO COURTESY OF CRIME STOPPERS

CULTURE

‘Dark Before the Bright Exit’ by Marcel Dzama. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD

ONLINE IDENTITY REVERIFICATION CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

SCAD takes this year’s deFINE ARTS events virtual to highlight globally prominent artists

BY LAUREN WOLVERTON lauren@connectsavannah.com

FOR OVER a decade, the Savannah College of Art and Design has welcomed culturedefining international artists for its renowned deFINE ART program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s deFINE ART proceedings will be held virtually, altering the experience but expanding the reach of this annual event’s showcase of intriguing contemporary works. Typically, the SCAD Museum of Art hosts deFINE ART as a grand premiere of featured artists’ new exhibitions, celebrating them with guests over the course of a weekend filled with presentations, themed discussions, and other creative events. Adapting to the times, SCAD is hosting 2021’s virtual deFINE ART events midweek during Feb. 23-25, with all events open to the public online. “SCAD deFINE ART is the museum’s biggest moment of the year,” said Associate 12 Curator of Exhibitions Ben Tollefson.

SCAD deFINE ART organizers say that although they will miss the crowd this year, the virtual format actually allows for more people across the world to tune in to three days of arts programming, including a virtual opening reception, gallery talks, artist conversations, and more. The entire program is free to watch, making it even more accessible to art lovers. All artists featured in deFINE ART 2021 have new exhibitions here in Savannah at the SCAD Museum of Art. Organizers are encouraging participants to tune in to the virtual programming, learn all about the artists and their works, and then see the installations in person by visiting the museum, which is open to the public with coronavirus-safety measures in place. The exhibits featured during deFINE ART will be on display through springtime. This year’s deFINE ART exhibitions include Rose B. Simpson’s Countdown, featuring the renowned Native American artist’s signature figurative sculptures bringing bodily forms to an groundbreaking totemic stature, as well as the Mainly for Women exhibit by leading Polish artist Paulina Olowska, with both shows already on view at the SCAD Museum of Art.

VISUAL ARTS

‘Ghettobird Tunic’ by Sanford Biggers.

‘Conjure’ by Rose B. Simpson. PHOTO

Additionally, a trio of exhibitions by other internationally prominent artists will debut during the deFINE ART festivities. Canadian artist Marcel Dzama’s An End to the End Times presents paintings and drawings addressing political issues with his distinctively surreal storybook style, while videos by Amsterdam-based British artist Kate Cooper challenge perceptions of bodily perfection in Symptom Machine, and Contra/Diction is a retrospective of works by celebrated Harlembased interdisciplinary artist Sanford Biggers, who is the SCAD deFINE ART 2021 honoree. “In a season of reimagination, SCAD’s renowned fine arts program showcases the shifting explorations and revelations of self,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “From Sanford Biggers’ ‘future ethnographies’ to Kate Cooper’s representations of the feminine ‘ideal,’ SCAD deFINE ART constructs − and deconstructs − identity through works by

African American histories,” Tollefson said. Tollefson says some of his favorite works by Biggers “remix” different perspectives of life and history into one work of art. “I hope that viewers will leave with a better understanding of Sanford’s work. He’s a really important artist on our roster,” Tollefson said.“I also hope visitors see SCAD’s commitment to bringing international artists to Savannah for the community.” Also featured in deFINE ART will be a conversation between Dzama and comedian Amy Sedaris, a virtual tour of the studio of SCAD alum and Black Panther muralist Brandon Sadler, and other talks, gallery tours, and presentations. cs

COURTESY OF SCAD

‘Rigged’ by Kate Cooper. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD

internationally celebrated contemporary artists. This year, your home and SCAD museums become one.” Biggers will deliver the keynote lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Organizers say his

exhibition is compelling and communicates deep feelings about the human experience and the lives of Black Americans. “Sanford works in a wide variety of media and really connects with important

Visit scad.edu/defineart2021 to see a complete list of deFINE ART events and for registering to participate in virtual presentations.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD

ART OF DRAMA

‘Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage’ highlights theaterrelated works by renowned artists BY NOELLE WIEHE

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

noelle@connectsavannah.com

Art truly comes alive when combined across its multiple forms, whether it be drawing and fashion or painting and theater. The new collaborative exhibition debuting at Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art encapsulates the pairing of artists to show art enthusiasts the dramatic magnificence of alliances between creative minds. Opening to the public on Feb. 19 at Savannah’s Jepson Center, Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage is a traveling exhibition considering modern artistic practice from the late 19th century through the 21st century, focusing on how visual artists innovate and experiment with theater arts, said Erin Dunn, associate curator of Modern and Contemporary Art with Telfair Museums. “Telfair Museums wanted to host this exhibition because we know Savannah is bursting with hardworking arts organizations that promote the thesis of the show − partnerships and interdisciplinary practice between the theater arts and visual design,” Dunn said. The exhibition features 85 works by 30 artists, with names familiar to art fans – including Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, Henri Matisse, Louise Nevelson, and Joan Miró. Their pieces on display were envisioned and executed in collaboration with the creators of varied dramatic works, often in different formats than what these artists are typically known for. The exhibition was organized for the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, and premiered there before going on display at Florida’s MFA St. Petersburg and the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio prior to its showcasing here at the Telfair Museum of Art. “Savannah is such a culturally invested town, a culturally interesting town, and with so many theater ‘Costume design for a Spinning Top in Jeux d’Enfants’ by Joan Miró. PHOTO COURTESY OF TELFAIR MUSEUMS

productions,” Dunn said. “We feel like this show just kind of enhances and builds on the creative community that we have here.” The works include drawings, paintings, costumes, books, and set designs from artists spanning more than 100 years of creative production. “It’s not just 2D works on a wall, but really a 3D exhibition that you can walk around and see,” Dunn said. Guests can view designs on paper made by featured artists, and then see the transformation to a real-life costume, Dunn said. Many pieces in the exhibition were created for the Ballets Russes, an itinerant ballet company based in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. “It’s a really exciting way to see how artists have collaborated with other art forms, including literature, theater, and opera,” she said. “It will be a lot of costume designs and set designs, as well as some actual costumes themselves. I think those will be really exciting forms for people to see.” For this reason, the exhibition appeals art lovers of all mediums, from fashion designers, graphic designers, and set designers to writers, dancers, choreographers, sculptors, and musicians. “It’s an exhibition for everyone,” Dunn said. “It has a populist appeal, really graphically interesting and beautiful works.” Visitors get to see their favorite painters and sculptors in a new light while seeing how they worked with other creators and collaborators through different sections of the exhibition, Dunn said. Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage was organized by three curators affiliated with the Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts and the Tobin Theatre Arts Fund: curators R. Scott Blackshire and Jody Blake, and assistant curator Timothy James Retzloff. The Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts was derived from collector Robert Tobin, who acquired a love of theater from his mother, Margaret Batts Tobin, who was well-known and respected in the art world for her service to the McNay Art Museum. The entire collection begins from the 1500s to the modern day, and continues to grow. In addition to learning interesting details about the featured artists, exhibition viewers can dive into the history and context of their times, Dunn said. She explained how the Industrial Revolution had people venturing into cities looking for entertainment, which resulted in a desire for more theater, ballet, and other performances. “The artists really jump on board and make these really experimental and exciting productions,” Dunn said. A fan of Picasso’s work may not have ever known that he worked with composers like Erik Satie to create theater productions, Dunn said. The exhibition is meant to dispel notions of isolated studio practice. “It is artists inspiring artists,” Dunn said. “They weren’t working by themselves in the studio, but working together to produce something for people to consume at the time.” Dunn said the exhibition is also a chance for people to learn about artists they may not be as familiar with, like Natalia Goncharova, who lived from 1881 to 1962. She was a Russian-born artist who studied painting, sculpting, and architecture at the Moscow School of Painting, but ‘Red Ecstasy Dress from Divide Light’ by Lesley Dill. PHOTO COURTESY OF TELFAIR MUSEUMS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

VISUAL ARTS

after meeting her partner − Russian artist Mikhail Larionov, who is also represented in the exhibition − she focused solely on painting. Goncharova was asked by Ballets Russes founder Serge Diaghilev to design sets and costumes for the 1914 production of “Le Coq d’Or” (“The Golden Cockerel”), so she incorporated her most recognizable floral and other Slavic motifs into the production. In 1916, she created numerous paintings depicting Spanish women dancing in traditional flamenco dresses, mantillas, and fans. Dunn said the exhibition will feature several costumes derived from the works of American artist Robert Indiana, also known as Robert Clark. Indiana, who passed away in 2018, played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting, and pop art. His “LOVE” print, created in 1965, was the basis for his LOVE sculpture that inspired the widely distributed 1973 U.S. Postal Service “LOVE” stamp. He is also known as a prolific painter and costume designer. This exhibition is the first that Telfair is holding in their large Jepson Center gallery space since the start of the pandemic last year. A series of special events affiliated with the Picasso to Hockney exhibit will be held both virtually and in-person. The exhibit will remain open to in-person visitors through May 31, with the permanent collection and special exhibitions also available to be viewed with the museum’s exhibition guides. The Telfair Museum of Art is taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among exhibition-goers by asking that guests wear a face mask and practice social distancing while visiting. Also, tours will not be held at the museum, but all exhibition guides are available online. “We’re really excited to offer viewers something new to see,” Dunn said.

Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage is on view during Feb. 19 through May 31 at the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center (207 W. 16 York St., Savannah). Visit telfair.org for information on the exhibition and the museum.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION EVENTS Virtual opening lecture

Feb. 18, 6 p.m. via Zoom Telfair Museums presents a virtual lecture by R. Scott Blackshire, Ph.D., curator of the Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. This lecture is sponsored by the Telfair Academy Guild. Register in advance at telfair.org. CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

‘Vaslav Nijinsky as Chinese Dancer in Les Orientales’ by Léon Bakst. PHOTO COURTESY OF TELFAIR MUSEUMS

Virtual open house for educators

Feb. 24, 4 p.m. via Zoom Telfair Museums’ education staff will offer a preview of the exhibition and a virtual walkthrough of the gallery. An educator guide and passes to view the exhibition at the Jepson Center will be available to all participating educators. Register online at telfair.org. Registration will open closer to the event date.

Free family weekend

April 16-18 Savannah-area residents are invited to visit the Jepson Center free of charge for three days, including access to the Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage exhibition. Displays of theater arts and fashion design by local students will be featured every afternoon of the free family weekend.

‘Costume design for Giselle, Act II, in Giselle’ by Eugene Berman. PHOTO COURTESY OF TELFAIR MUSEUMS

FOOD & DRINK

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

The full line of cocktail infusions by Fête. PHOTO BY MARGUERITE SECKMAN

TEMPTING FÊTE A creative Savannah entrepreneur launches a line of do-it-yourself cocktail infusions

BY LINDY MOODY

IN THE past year, date night turned into pizza with Netflix, and sitting at the bar has turned into a quick run for beer from the corner store. As everyone reshaped what is normal and adjusted to spending less time out in public, entrepreneurs saw the pandemic as an opportunity to start or grow an empire. There are now countless services for grocery delivery or restaurant delivery, and even medication delivery in New York City. Despite being stuck indoors, people can still enjoy their favorite meals almost any day of the week. What was lacking in the service industry experience, at least for Savannah, was the ability to enjoy a craft cocktail with a special order of delivery pizza. This is especially true because most people are not expert bartenders or craft-cocktail creators; therefore, the need for an at-home craft cocktail kit was an open gap in the Savannah market. Fête at-home craft-cocktail infusions are now how locals can recreate a full dining experience from the comfort of their own kitchen. The creature of Fête, Marguerite Seckman, is one of those entrepreneurs that took COVID by the horns. Seckman is from Rome, Georgia, and moved further south to attend an undergraduate chemistry program at Georgia Southern University. Eventually, Seckman landed a job as a chemist in Midway. She held this job for several years, all while learning more about her new city, Savannah. Seckman noticed (as all locals do) that Savannah is a popular destination for bachelorette parties. Being an entrepreneur, she immediately recognized a large market gap in guided bachelorette trips.

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full-time on her passions. While attending a Starland-area pop-up market with Thelma in tow, Seckman met her partner, Lara Neece. Once again, Seckman itched to expand the empire, and began thinking about upgrading from the quaint camper to start a full-blown brick-and-mortar locale. Small in size, the camper allows for a minimal amount of products that can be sold. There was no room for espresso machines or coffee brewers alongside the beers and wines. With According to Seckman, “They were this in mind, Fête Chalet evolved always just on River Street or just in into the Starland District’s City Market, and I was like, there is beloved coffee shop, Superbloom. so much more to Savannah than only Neece operates the shop side those two areas. Okay, you walk on of Superbloom with its rows and River Street, then what? I was always rows of curated local artisanal into throwing parties and events. I items. Seckman stepped into am very much a social butterthe left side of the shop, fly. I was like, you know what, which specializes in I am going to start a bachhandcrafted coffees and elorette planning business in teas. Savannah.” Superbloom is known The first iteration of Fête for its unique energizSavannah was formed in 2017 ing drinks that are as to serve as Savannah’s girl’sbeautiful to the eye as trip planning business. Secksatisfying the tongue. man created her platform by Standouts include items partnering with tons of local like their signature companies, creating unique Beetroot Cocoa superitineraries and offering a funfood latte that tastes yet-comfortable experience for like red velvet cake, or visitors, before her adventure their Jalapeño Honey continued. espresso latte layered “After getting involved with with cayenne and notes that for a little bit, I wanted to of earthy honey. get more involved in the wedThis story does not ding industry, since I was workstop at the opening and ing with so many bachelorettes. running of Superbloom. I started looking for mobile bars, It is truly just the beginand seeing so many in Europe ning. Seckman continwhere people were converting ued with her tale. old World War II vehicles into “I have always had my To create a Fête cocktail bars,” Seckman recalls. Evenfingers in the mimosa infusion, just pour and tually, she landed on a vintage bars and the bartendwait for the ﬂavors to camper − Thelma (the trailer was come alive. PHOTO BY ing for my camper, and MARGUERITE SECKMAN already named) − from Florida. now these crazy snacks The problem was, the old vehicle and drinks. So I was needed a lot of renovations. like, well, when COVID hit, I had wanted “I completely gutted it, in my driveway to launch my own product line for a long and everything. My uncle has a woodwork- time. The store had been closed for three ing shop, so I drove the camper to his place. months, so during those three months, I This is all while I was still with my chemis- was experimenting in my kitchen with all try job. So, every Friday, I would leave my of these types of crazy things,” Seckman job, drive to his, stay there for three days, recalled. and work on the camper nonstop,” SeckFête’s line of cocktail infusions arrived man told me. as a perfect culmination of the many iteraIt was only one short year after starttions of ideas Seckman worked on for so ing her first company that Fête Savannah many years. Lemonade out of lemons, as evolved into Fête Chalet. The Chalet is a they say; the lockdown was the perfect fully functioning mobile bar that makes time for Seckman to stretch her creative its way around Savannah for weddings, brain once again. This is where her chemevents, and many other functions. Quick istry background really began to come into success with the mobile bar allowed Seckplay. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 man to quit her chemist job and focus

EPICUROPEDIA

The leafy exterior of Superbloom in the Starland District. PHOTO BY LINDY MOODY

Featuring

Experience an exclusive taste of Ardsley Station! Join us for an exciting night of community, fun, food and drink. Featuring a 3-part appetizer and drink tasting, prepared live.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

The chef will share his process and inspiration along the way, allowing guests to be immersed in the delicious Ardsley Station menu.

Also featuring live music, photo opportunities, merchandise for purchase.

THURSDAY | MARCH 25, 2021 | 7-9 PM

$35 PER/PERSON

For more information or purchase tickets, contact Erica Baskin at erica@connectsavannah.com or at 912.721.4378 or 912-231-0250

“I literally had big 750-millimeter healthy drinking the tonic, as Tumeric is jars with notes and ingredients laid out. said to have anti-inflammatory properI would write the day I infused it, how ties. The Tumeric Ginger Tonic is one that it tasted after x amount of hours, how it you could easily get carried away with. The tasted after 24 hours. Just kind of experifinal libation is light and balanced, flavored menting with every kind of flavor,” she said with pineapple and spicy ginger. of the concocting process. Finally, for the vodka drinkers, Fête Every Fête bottle has the Raspberry is handcrafted with Cosmopolitan. The natural herbs and Cosmo is refreshspices obtained from ing, ideal for those local purveyors such as sticky Savannah True Earth. The idea is summer nights. You to give customers the can make any of craft cocktail experithe cocktails even ence without going out lighter by topping to the bar and ordering them off with a bit of a sugary, artificial-flasparkling water. vor-filled drink. Each full bottle Currently, there are creates 16 cocktails. three varieties availThe best part is that able − Figgy Old Fashconsumers are not ioned, Tumeric Ginger limited to one use Tonic, and Raspberry per bottle. Every Cosmopolitan. Fête bottle can be I lean towards whisinfused with a full key, so the Figgy Old bottle of liquor up to Fashioned was the first three times. fusion I tried. You take Seckman is your favorite spirit, nowhere close to A ready-to-drink cocktail infusion by pour it in, and let it ending her creFête. PHOTO BY MARGUERITE SECKMAN infuse into the dried ative streak, and figs, oranges, and cinplans on launching namon for at least 48 hours. The longer you Fête cocktail mixers sometime soon. For let it sit, the denser the flavor becomes. springtime, customers can expect some After longingly waiting the full 48 hours, brand-new seasonally inspired cocktail you get a smooth, full-bodied Old Fashfusions to make their way to Superbloom. cs ioned that tastes as though it was poured at your favorite bar. The Figgy Old Fashioned Fête cocktail infusions are available at Suis slightly sweet, with just enough unique- perbloom: 2418 De Soto Ave., Savannah. See drinkfete.com for more details about Fête, ness from the addition of figs. and visit epicuropedia.com to read more by Gin is the essential liquor addition for the Tumeric Ginger Tonic. You almost feel Lindy Moody.

THE BAND PAGE

BASICALLY NANCY @ VICTORY NORTH

Part punk, part grunge, and all girl power, Basically Nancy is a fun-loving Savannah-based trio comprised of bassist Alayna Bowen, drummer Esther Hines, and guitarist Greta Schroeder. Having played together since high school, the band has developed a one-of-a-kind sound described as “loud and pretty” – see them headline a Victory North courtyard concert that also features Chipper Bones and Early Branch. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 | 7 P.M.

BEN KEISER @ GHOST COAST DISTILLERY

MEGALODON @ ELAN SAVANNAH

As a world-renowned dubstep dynamo, California-based Megalodon has scored millions of Soundcloud and YouTube plays while collaborating with prominent bass-music pros including Zeds Dead, Skism, Virtual Riot, and more. Hear his forward-thinking tracks with deep dubstep roots when he visits Savannah for a Saturday-night EDM show that also features supporting sets from Geisha and LVNLIFE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 | 9 P.M.

LOGAN THOMAS @ STARLAND YARD

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

Step into Ghost Coast’s newly renovated Cocktail Room to enjoy tempting tipples and the grooving guitar mastery of Ben Keiser, one of Savannah’s most in-demand musicians who often appears onstage with VooDoo Soup and Danielle Hicks. During the show, a pop-up station from Brunswick’s South of Heaven BBQ restaurant will be serving up savory tacos to accompany the cocktails and Keiser’s tunes. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 | 4 P.M.

After performing across America since he was 14 years old, Logan Thomas always presents a polished performance, smooth vocals, and guitar stylings that impart pure emotions. The Richmond Hill resident brings his indie-pop chops to Savannah for this Friday-evening show sure to inspire listeners with his uplifting repertoire. Thomas is likely to play his latest release − “One More Chapter” – at Starland Yard. 21 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 | 5 P.M.

MUSIC

FEATURE

EVENTS IN THE SOUNDGARDEN

FRI., FEB. 19

The members of Obvious Liars, except for the random guy holding the ‘SLOW’ sign (no lie). PHOTO COURTESY OF OBVIOUS LIARS

FRI., MAR. 5

Obvious Liars are honest about their inﬂuences The South Carolinian alt-rockers play The Wormhole on Feb. 19 BY FRANK RICCI

SAT., MAR. 6

TRIBUTE

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

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IT’S DIFFICULT to overemphasize how fortunate live-music fans were over the last year. Who among us hasn’t reveled in the seemingly endless string of legendary national acts and inspiring younger bands making a name for themselves touring and playing to packed venues night after night across the country? Indeed, 2020 was a golden age of live music. Such are the tall tales you might hear during the onstage banter from South Carolina’s alt-rock foursome Obvious Liars. If your sense of humor remains intact, pair it up with your undeniable need to feel loud, live sound and get to The Wormhole on Friday, Feb. 19, for a three-band lineup of sorely needed energetic and entertaining rock music. Don’t let the humor fool you, though. Obvious Liars enjoy riffing off their name, but their dedication is no joke and the talent is apparent. “I’ve always had a passion for music, but after seeing a buddy’s band play in Charleston and feeling that energy, I picked up my guitar again and started joining bands,” explained lead guitarist Pedro Guillen. After a short spell performing classicrock favorites with cover bands, Guillen eventually met vocalist Cole Ginn through

friend and drummer Brian Hawkins, as their own cover band was falling apart. All three discovered they wanted to take their craft up a few notches and start writing and playing original music. With the addition of bassist Al Crabtree, the lineup was set and the songwriting began in earnest. Some of the inspiration is late-’90s/early-aughts rock acts they grew up with like Incubus, H.I.M., Foo Fighters, and Taking Back Sunday. Others are less apparent. “Neal Schon is my favorite guitarist of all time. He’s very inspirational, the way he plays with a lot of emotion,” Guillen says. “Carlos Santana saw something in him, so I’ve always idolized him.” Guillen makes an excellent point, given that Carlos Santana knows a little something about playing guitar. Inspiration from unexpected places is a recurring theme with Obvious Liars. Very little in their sound will make you think “I’ll bet this guy loves Journey,” yet there it is. And so it goes with vocalist Ginn, who cited The Doors as one of a few favorite bands that were decidedly unlike the others. Ginn’s voice isn’t quite the deep, natural baritone of Jim Morrison. He can certainly get low, but the highs aren’t as strained, boasting an impressive range. A sampling of Obvious Liars’ music

reveals that it isn’t simply a reflection of the overall sound and style of the bands they grew up with. The specific element that sets them apart is Ginn’s vocals and harmonies many bands take longer to achieve. Compelling riffs and hooks galore are present, but the tone, maturity and control of the vocals soar above it all, leaving the listener extra-satisfied. “That comes from Ben saying ‘do it again, do it again’ so many times,” Ginn recalls, referring to producer and sonic taskmaster Ben McMillan eliciting the most out of his efforts while recording the new single “Those Things You Do.” That drill-sergeant effect is clear, but earlier songs like “Moan” prove the progression was already underway. Diverse influences, a popular sonic landscape to mine, superior vocals, a joke or two, and a group of energetic performers promise a night out that live music is meant to provide. Support from fellow alt-rockers-who-can-sing Cleansweep and South Carolina funcore overlords Shem Creeps make this Wormhole show an offer you can’t refuse, and that’s no lie. cs Obvious Liars | Cleansweep | Shem Creeps: Friday, Feb. 19, 9 p.m.; The Wormhole, 2307 Bull St., Savannah – visit facebook.com/ obviousliars for more information.

CONNECT SAVANNAH MUSIC

17-23

SOUNDBOARD

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE THIS WEEK

SOUNDBOARD IS A FREE SERVICE. TO BE INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND YOUR LIVE MUSIC INFORMATION WEEKLY TO SOUNDBOARD@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. DEADLINE IS 10 A.M. MONDAY, TO APPEAR IN WEDNESDAY’S EDITION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

WEDNESDAY 2.17 LIVE MUSIC

Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay, 6 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

El-Rocko Lounge Trivia with Jules and Chris Grimmett, 9-11:30 p.m. Service Brewing Company Trivia Night with Daniel, 6:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

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

THURSDAY 2.18 LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies and Music, 5-9 p.m. The Perch at Local 11 ten Susanna Kennedy, 5:30 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

McDonough’s Family Feud, 7 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night. 8 p.m. The Wormhole Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Club 51 Degrees DJ B-Rad, 9 p.m. Top Deck Sunset Deck Party, 6 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club One Cowboys and Aliens Burlesque Show, 9 p.m. House of Mata Hari Burlesque Cabaret, 11-11:59 p.m.

FRIDAY 2.19 LIVE MUSIC

Barrelhouse South Justin Holt, 9 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar The Mandrakes, 8:30 p.m. Rancho Alegre JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth, 6 p.m. Wild Wing Cafe Josh Johansson, 7 p.m. The Wormhole Obvious Liars, Clean Sweep, Shem Creeps, 9 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES PS Tavern Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke, 8 p.m. Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.3 a.m. Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 9 p.m.

Club 51 Degrees DJ Fer, DJ Emalo, DJ Lil G, DJ BRad, 9 p.m. VICE Lounge + Mojito Bar DJ Primal, 9 p.m.

2021 VIRTUAL SEASON

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

COMEDY

MONDAY 2.22

SATURDAY 2.20

SUNDAY 2.21

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

The 5 Spot Eric Britt, 7 p.m. Barrelhouse South The Brown Goose, 9 p.m. Doc’s Bar Chester Love Band, 8 p.m.-midnight Elan Savannah Megalodon, 9 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Claire Vandiver, 8:30 p.m. Molly McGuire’s The Dimes, 6-9 p.m. The Perch at Local 11 ten Ford Natirboff, 5:30 p.m. Wild Wing Cafe Matt Hill, 1 p.m., Ray Stalnaker, 7 p.m.

Collins Quarter at Forsyth Live Music, 3 p.m. Congress Street Social Club VooDoo Soup, 10 p.m. Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m. Starland Yard Moss City Groove, 6 p.m. Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m. Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt) Bucky & Barry, 1 p.m. Wild Wing Cafe Bill Hodgson, 1 p.m.

House of Mata Hari Burlesque Cabaret, 11-11:59 p.m.

The Wormhole Dedrick Flynn, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC

KARAOKE

LIVE MUSIC

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m. McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m. Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Moon River Brewing Co. Trivia, 6 p.m.

KARAOKE

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

LIVE MUSIC

TRIVIA & GAMES

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

KARAOKE

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Fia Rua Irish Pub Family Movie Night, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY 2.23 LIVE MUSIC

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

McDonough’s Trivia Tuesday, 7 p.m. Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen Trivia Tuesday, 9 p.m. Starland Yard Trivia with Chris Grimmett, 6:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.

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CULTURE

POTS OF THE PAST

Colonial-style ceramicist Tammy Zettlemoyer offers workshops at Savannah’s Wormsloe Historic Site

BY NICOLE YOUNGBLUT

FOR THE PAST nine years, ceramicist Tammy Zettlemoyer has been on the road, traveling across the country packing and unpacking her beloved pottery pieces, setting up shop steps away from wherever she’s camping, all while participating in pre-1840 historical reenactments. During February, Zettlemoyer is bringing her unique talents to one of Savannah’s most fascinating attractions: the Wormsloe State Historic Site, where timetranscending artisans frequently provide demonstrations of their centuries-old

APPLIED ARTS

OPENS FEB 19 TELFAIR.ORG

LEFT: Pablo Picasso, Scene design for Pulcinella, ca. 1920; watercolor and gouache on paper; collection of the McNay Art Museum, gift of The Tobin Endowment; © 2021 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. RIGHT: Alexandra Exter, Lighting design for an unknown production of a tragedy, 1928; gouache, graphite, and ink on paper; collection of the McNay Art Museum, gift of The Tobin Endowment.

Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage is organized by the McNay Art Museum. INVESTMENT PROVIDED BY

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

craftwork. ZettleGerman Redware − from moyer’s visit will allow the era 1730-1850, and is Wormsloe visitors to a juried member of the join in the fun and crePennsylvania Guild of ate their own authentic Craftsmen. Inspired by colonial-style pottery her Pennsylvania Dutch alongside the traveling (German) heritage, her instructor amid a beaucraftsmanship combines tiful outdoor setting. different styles, includ“This week at the ing English and Pennsyloffice, I can’t beat the vania German sgraffito, view,” jokes Zettlemoyer Germanic slip trailing, of her upcoming workand English mocha shops at Wormsloe, a made with vinegar, manformer 18th-century ganese, turpentine, and plantation that is now tobacco juice. a state park where she “I brew the tobacco has previously plied as tea, but the original her trade. “When you mixture was tobacco want to get away from spit and stale urine,” modern-day, Wormsloe Zettlemoyer said, while is just this little hidden assuring prospective gem.” workshop attendees Zettlemoyer is welthat no human waste Traveling ceramicist and historic coming everyone to join reenactor Tammy Zettlemoyer products are utilized in her Traditional Redware creates colonial-styled pottery in her modern-day matevaried motifs. PHOTOS COURTESY Pottery Workshops at rials. “Today I use the OF TAMMY ZETTLEMOYER Wormsloe during Feb. apple cider vinegar as its 18-21 and Feb 26-28. substitute.” Attendees will have the opportunity to Each style translates a design on the design a sgraffito-style motif on a plate or pottery’s surface distinctively. The sgrafornament made almost exactly as it was fito bowls and plates feature intricate done during colonial times. scratched folk-art motifs such as wavy “Sgraffito is a secondary colored slip flowers, peacocks, doves, and rabbits. which is lighter in color, redware body Her English mocha pieces feature black with slip on top. Once it dries to the touch markings that create designs similar to but is still soft enough to ‘scatch,’ the top branches on a tree or a fern (akin to a “denlayer is removed so the red earthenware dritic agate fossil design”) paired with body underneath is the design,” explains a bold, contrasting white body. Stylized Zettlemoyer. patterns of raised dots and gentle stripes Zettlemoyer is self-taught in traditional (known as German slip trailing) freely earthenware pottery − also known as decorate the surfaces of various items with

APPLIED ARTS

Handmade wares by Tammy Zettlemoyer. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAMMY ZETTLEMOYER

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

the unique whimsy of the potter’s hand. “Working as a potter, I’m always experimenting and learning new techniques and making new wares that are rooted in history,” says Zettlemoyer. Before going on the road regularly beginning in 2012 − to Florida and Wyoming and everywhere in between − she participated in history- or heritage-based events in her home state of Pennsylvania. By now, her peripatetic lifestyle is second nature. “The road has been an adventure, hardship, weather, bugs, and some of the most spectacular and beautiful places, and the people I’ve met and now consider my road family. Many of us travel and live together, sometimes for days, weeks, or months,” Zettlemoyer says of the fellow historical reenactors that she often meets repeatedly at varied events. “The road is forever changing, but no matter where I go, I have my friends working sideby-side. There is a world out there of historical living, reenactments, which I’m so happy I found. It’s made for a good business and fellowship of friends.” In addition to her pottery pieces, Zettlemoyer’s traveling pop-up shop carries a mix of items hearkening back to varied eras ranging from the 18th century up to modern times. She proffers handmade clay water-bird whistles (a historical toy from the 1700s), pit-fired and hand-rolled clay woodland-style earthenware smoking pipes, and German gin-pressed pipes. Zettlemoyer also offers tea, mulling spices, pashmina scarves, all-natural tobacco-free smoking blends called Kinnickinnic, trinkets, and an array of kitchen utensils. However, anyone who cannot visit Wormsloe this month to peruse her complete assortment of 26 handmade wares will still find Zettlemoyer’s pottery in the gift shop year-round.

Otherwise, keep an eye open for Zettlemoyer whenever visiting historic landmarks nationwide. “Home is where you are building it that week. I spend about eight months of the year traveling. So it’s sort of like having this tiny life and then going back home and having a big life. It takes some getting used to try to live tiny. It’s very liberating in a way because you’re not tied down with cleaning your house when you move it every day,” explains Zettlemoyer. “If you like being outside and going to old places with great monuments and sites, it’s a great way to travel and live.” cs Wormsloe Historic State Park will host Pennsylvania colonial-style pottery instructor Tammy Zettlemoyer to teach Traditional Redware Pottery Workshops at 3 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 19, and at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 and 21, and on a walk-up basis during Feb. 26-28. Each workshop lasts 45 minutes. Pre-registration is required; call 912-353-3023 to reserve a spot. Workshop prices depend on the size of pottery chosen by each participant. Workshop participants’ pottery pieces will be fired in Zettlemoyer’s wood kiln at home and later shipped back to them. Visit zettlemoyerpottery.com for more details about the ceramic works, and gastateparks.org for information about Wormsloe State Historic Site.

POLITICS

“They wanted somebody who has been in the fight,” Carry Smith said of the CCRP rationale for choosing her to represent Republicans on the Board of Elections. “That’s honorable. They actually wanted somebody that’s apolitical.” But by Jan. 28, Carry Smith had resigned from the post as well, citing threats she’d received for her role in Riley’s disqualification, and a desire to avoid more vitriol. “I was looking at the community backlash, all the controversy that we had in the past year,” Carry Smith said. “We’re in a time when a lot of people don’t trust voting, and I didn’t want to be a part of the controversy.” In an alleged copy of Carry Smith’s resignation letter obtained by Connect Savannah, she recommended that James Hall be appointed to fill the Board of Elections seat. During a Feb. 13 CCRP meeting, Carl Smith said that Hall – a former leader of the Savannah Area Young Republicans – had been selected to replace Carry Smith. “We have appointed James Hall,” Carl Smith said, adding that he is waiting for the Board of Elections to make the appointment official.

Republican and Democratic leaders agree on merger

According to Carl Smith, the biggest benefit of merging Chatham’s Board of Elections and Board of Registrars would be removing political considerations from oversight of the county’s elections. “A lot of the politics need to be taken out of the Board of Elections,” Carl Smith said, adding that he believes the county’s current balloting-oversight structure is not transparent and thus diminishes confidence among Chatham voters. “There’s got to be a sense of professionalism and efficiency, and a desire to follow the law and make sure every legal vote is counted.” Meanwhile, Chatham County Democratic Committee Chairman James “Jay” Jones also supports merging the boards, as he believes a new voting-oversight body would likely result in a board makeup that more accurately reflects the county’s larger population of Democratic voters. “I love the idea about the two boards merging,” Jones said, adding that he would like to see all members of a merged board chosen by voters in a nonpartisan election. “It takes out that whole backdrop of who gets to pick the chair. … It should be all nonpartisan, and it should be on the general-election ballot.”

Changes continue at the Board of Elections Throughout the turmoil of January and early February, Mahoney has striven to keep Board of Elections business moving

forward, although he admits that he “was puzzled by” the CCRP’s selection of Carry Smith to replace Rauers. Mahoney pledged to cooperate with Republicans to seat their selected replacement for Carry Smith. “We’ll work with them on that appointment,” Mahoney said, adding that meanwhile the board can keep working while it’s one member down. “We have a quorum and can continue to function.” The Board of Elections is also experiencing another major change with the late-January announcement that Bridges would be retiring from his position at the end of February, to be replaced on an interim basis by department employee Billy Wooten, who has previously overseen Chatham’s elections training. While Stephens is eager to move forward with merging the Board of Elections with the registrars, he commended Mahoney’s leadership over what he called the “absolute chaos” engendered by the board’s current structure. “Tom Mahoney ought to have a halo on his head,” Stephens said. When the merger proposal came up during the monthly Board of Elections meeting on Feb. 8, both Republican and Democratic members raised concerns about how it could be carried out. Republican member Marianne Heimes stated that any merger should wait until their duly elected terms conclude in spring of 2022. “Feelings are intense on both sides of the aisle. We need to be there for the voters,” Heimes said, adding that any merger should be carried out with deliberation to produce a positive outcome. “If you’re going to change something, you sure want to make it better.” Stephens agreed that it makes sense to let the current Board of Elections members’ terms run out before initiating a merger with the registrars. “I would hate to change somebody’s term,” Stephens said. Board of Elections member Malinda Hodge, a Democrat, expressed concern during the Feb. 8 meeting that institutional knowledge will be lost if the two boards are joined. “If in fact our boards are merged, it will double our workload,” Hodge said, while encouraging the current board to remain vigilant about the merger’s proceedings. “I think it’s important that we do play an active role in what transpires.” At the end of the Feb. 8 Board of Elections meeting, Mahoney announced that Bridges would continue to work with the department as a consultant to help navigate the uncertainty ahead. “We really need that institutional knowledge in this transition, and I don’t know how long this transition is going to be,” Mahoney said. cs

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

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Please visit the Georgia Southern University employment website and complete the application process at http://apptrkr.com/2149423 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.

1 A name by any other name? 6 ___-pitch softball 9 Gradually withdraw 13 Country singer Griffith 14 Place first 15 Titular “Pinhead” of comics 16 Short, effective set for a stand-up comedian 18 Pissed 19 Gain again, as trust 20 Former Quebecois premier ___ Levesque 22 Cosecant, for one 27 “Citizen Kane” studio 29 Grant temporary use of 30 “Frozen” princess 31 Raphael’s weapon, in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” 32 Molecule unit 34 Held for possible sale, maybe 36 Midwestern NBA follower, maybe 39 Japanese period for over 250 years (headquartered in what is now Tokyo) 40 Oboe, for one 41 Suffix for trick 42 Leakes of reality TV 43 Final Four initials 45 Post-apocalyptic zombie series, to fans 46 Tank dwellers that need a lot of care

50 “Cinderella Man” antagonist 51 Feature of some interesting stories 54 Internet connection device 57 “Heads up!” (or advice to crossword speed-solvers) 60 A ﬁre sign 61 “Yikes!” 62 High-ranking 63 “Edward Scissorhands” star 64 Ham sandwich bread 65 Like some bathwater

DOWN

1 Colony resident 2 Dragon’s den 3 “Picnic” playwright 4 Really wish you could 5 Instrument that can play quarter tones 6 Refrain for a “sweet chariot” 7 Letters for the 2020 Super Bowl 8 Margin in a close game, maybe 9 Bugs 10 Green-minded org. 11 Fitting 12 Bill who appears in the 2021 Amazon movie “Bliss” 15 Much of a penny 17 Part of some three-day weekends, for short 21 Belgian salad green

23 Artery along the thigh 24 “Be back ___” 25 2020 Pixar movie 26 Au pair 27 Oakland athlete 28 Kyoto garment 31 Blood flow facilitator 32 ___ Lingus (carrier based in Dublin) 33 Techno offshoot big in the 1990s 35 Ryerson who shows up (again!) during repeat viewings of “Groundhog Day” 37 Traffic noise 38 How some flat, green insects are described 44 Oldest ever U.S. ex-president 45 It’s still a good idea to get a shot for it 47 Pet food brand 48 The Lightning Seeds lead singer Broudie 49 Wanda of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” 52 Mass movement of viewers to another Twitch stream 53 Air France assets, once 54 Magazine with a final print issue in 2018 55 Mineral-rich source 56 Quick swim 58 “Pay attention!” 59 Scottish mystery writer Josephine

Photos by Bunny Ware

PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

AUTHOR BREWS UP EXCITEMENT ABOUT HER BESTSELLING BOOK

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

Bea Wray, author, entrepreneur, and mother of three, signed copies of her book, What an MBA Taught Me... but My Kids Made Me Learn, and greeted fans on Feb. 5 at Savannah Coffee Roasters. Wray’s book was released in December, and in it she shares her skills learned through her Harvard Business School education and her family. “I’ve found that the best way to learn people skills is to try and raise some in your own home,” Wray said.

Photos by Bunny Ware

PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

DRINK LOCAL SOCIAL EVENT SUPPORTS AREA BUSINESSES

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEB 17 - 23, 2021

Area business owners and representatives gathered at Bar Food in Savannah’s Habersham Village on Feb. 9 as part of the year’s first Drink Local Social event put on by Buy Local Savannah. Buy Local Savannah now comprises some 150 businesses who call Savannah home, and they hold socials several times a month to support and promote local businesses.

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