Townie 2014 #4

FREE

Thomasville’s Only

Issue No.

Mar 7 - mar 20

Thomasville’s Only

4

Mar 7 - mar 20

ReMax is Now KeySouth Real Estate Group After fifteen years as a presence in Thomasville for ReMax, Julie Bryan decided to bring her business back home as a 100% locally owned and operated company.

After many years of affiliation with ReMax in Atlanta, Bryan has made up her mind to keep the decision-making and money at home. KeySouth has been in the works since last September and was founded and named by Bryan herself.

“We feel that business and leadership decisions should originate with the local team,” says Bryan. “We were independently owned for 15 years, but not independently operated. We wanted to keep the decision-making at home.”

For anyone concerned about the fate of a favorite local real estate agent, never fear. The newly founded KeySouth will have the same agents, staff, and leadership, but under a new name, and will provide the same service geared to excellence that Thomasville has come to expect over the last 15 years.

The KeySouth agents have over 250 years of experience among them. Bryan says that the KeySouth brand will strive for excellence and will not be settling for less. “It is all about how you present yourselves that determines the company’s success, and I take my role very seriously,” she says. “We are excited, thrilled, and committed to excellence, but now we will be spreading the money throughout the community.”

Stay tuned for other exciting news and events in the works from KeySouth in the coming weeks and months. For updates on KeySouth news, information, and successes, please visit their Facebook page at KeySouth Real Estate Group.

Your Favorite Local Paper is Growing!

Dearest readers, you’ve been so good to us! Not only did we go from a sheet of copy paper to four pages broadsheet in only a year - we’ve also added some new Townies to our staff.

LorenT.

Taking over for his brother Jon Towns, Loren is our new King of Distribution. If you see Loren out on delivery, feel free to say hello and grab a few copies from him - he’s got our signature Townie chumminess. Jon is still writing for the Townie, so don’t cry! Loren’s secret talent? He’s fluent in Spanish.

minute of her Thomasville life. She’ll be handling our social media, so when you drop us a line on Facebook or connect with us on Twitter, she’ll likely be the Townie responding to you. If you see her around, be sure to say hello! Her “best friend”? Her English Cocker, Huckleberry.

Wade C.

Wade is my new partner in this little thing we call the Townie, and the staff and I couldn’t be happier! He’s got big ideas, and an even bigger heart, so be on the lookout for some great things to come. Plus, he’s got a candy bowl at his office. Go see him on Broad at his day job at Chapman Financial Services.

Jennifer W. Sarah E.

I’ve turned over the Managing Editrix position to Jennifer! You know her from reading our pages; she’s been penning our Road Trip column and various other pieces throughout the last year.

She’s a Hemingway fanatic, has a pirate heart and can cut a sweetly scathing look - we are birds of a feather. And she has an undying love for our sweet little ‘Ville! Her fave girl rockers? Sleater-Kinney.

Betsy J.

The newest member of our team is the darling mastermind behind B the Buzz Marketing. She’s a newlywed, and is loving every

Starting now, you can call The Thomasville Townie on an actual phone! And who will answer? That’ll be Sarah, the alwayssunny keeper of the schedule, and the peace, at Chapman Financial. You may know her from her yoga classes at Live Young. Her guilty pleasure? CrossFit!

We’ve got some big things cooking…so keep your peepers peeled! And, as always, we love to hear from you, so say hi! There are more Townies to talk to, so don’t be shy. And if you’ve got a story idea, send it our way at yourtownie@gmail.com, or call us at {229} 2369232.

- Bunny

+ THE

CENTER Whet Your Palette!

Ashley Ivey • Relief Printing March 20 • 6:30PM • Studio 209

Bring your friends, your favorite beverage and prepare for a memorable night out!

Learn more at�

www.thomasvillearts.org

Whispers.

CHUMS

Relish is for sale...but they are NOT closing...

Wade Chapman You’ve seen Wade around his block of Broad, near Loli’s + Savannah Moon. He’s the fellow who’s smiling and saying hello, and he’s always up for a chat. His family is number one…and that includes his three beagle mix pups. Yes, three.

We now have handmade bagels in the Ville!

Get ‘em at Savannah Moon before they’re gone...

What’s your favorite thing about The Townie Newspaper? All positive, all the time!

Due South music fest has announced this year’s lineup...

What makes you a Townie? I love the downtown area.

If not in your office, where else can you be found lurking downtown? Jonah’s, Moonspin, Savannah Moon...pretty much anywhere good food is served.

You can apply to be a vendor in the Due South Makers Market...thomasvillearts.org...

If I could be somewhere else right now, I’d be...

Fishing any Gulf flats.

$5 martinis on Tuesdays...at Chop House

The most important thing to me is: Family. Period.

Henderson’s is now offering large meal pans for events...

Read more about Wade in the article below-left...

- Denise P.

Got a tip for the Townie? Shoot us an email: yourtownie@gmail.com

Our commitment has always been to Thomasville in general, and to you in particular. We want to bring you the best - and always positive - local news, and help you connect with all the good things the ‘Ville has to offer…and with each other! Here are some of the new faces at the Townie:

FREE

F r e e

t o

r e a d ,

Birdsong Nature Center’s Old-Timey Plant Sale Back for 7th Year Spending a beautiful half-day at Birdsong’s annual plant sale is just about the best way to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Come lift your spirits and beautify your yard on Saturday, March 15th from 9:00AM – 1:00PM at 2106 Meridian Road in Thomasville.

Over thirty varieties of native trees will be for sale, selected for their usefulness to wildlife and for their seasonal appeal.

In addition, there will be hundreds of native perennials, including azaleas in all colors, a whole section of flowering plants to attract butterflies and other pollinators, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, and nature-related gifts.

plant shoppers should plan to bring a cart or wagon, and Birdsong accepts cash or checks only. All proceeds benefit Birdsong Nature Center. For more information call {229} 377-8822 or email: birdsong@birdsongnaturecenter.org.

A unique feature of Birdsong’s sale is the collection of oldtimey garden plants that have been donated by generous local gardeners. Many of these plants will have been growing in family gardens in South Georgia and North Florida for generations, and often come with a history of their origins and culture. You might go home with a gorgeous deep blue hydrangea that began its life at a funeral, a pink phlox that grew in the garden of the Florida Governors’ Mansion, or an intoxicatingly fragrant tuberose that a bride brought to Thomasville from her home in Americus in the 1940’s. All of the sale’s plants are well-adapted to grow and thrive in our soil and climate conditions.

Lunch is available for purchase at the sale, or guests may opt to bring a picnic lunch. They may visit the Nature Center, take a walk to the Listening Place at the edge of The Big Bay Swamp, or sit on a comfortable sofa at The Bird Window in the old farmhouse to watch songbirds at the feeders. Serious

t h a n k s

t o

B acchus W I N E

B A R

t h e s e :

2014 expo Senior Living 2014 MARCH 13, 2014 / 8:30am-12:30pm FREE RESOURCES  DOOR PRIZES SNACKS  SCREENINGS  SEMINARS

9:45am Critical Care 11:00am Keep your brain + body moving

229 West Jackson Street Thomasville, GA 31792 www.bacchusthomasville.com bacchus@rose.net

229-236-9463

Southwest GA Technical College 15689 US HWY 19 Thomasville, GA Building D, Rooms 106-108 For more information about this event, please call 229.226.8183 or 850.445.3751.

to advertise, contact yourtownie@gmail.com.

- June W.

Page No.

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Mar 7 - mar 20

Trill in the Ville

Polish Up Those Lightbulbs…

Trill - Urban; Meaning Truly + Real

…cuz we wanna see you at this event with one over your head! Thomasville Center for the Arts, Thomasville Landmarks and the City of Thomasville invite you to learn more about Thomasville’s proposed arts district, and to participate in a communitywide design charrette. What’s a charrette?

Keep reading!

Open Studio Session March 9 • 8am – 10am • Building 209 Everyone Welcome • FREE

Closing Session + Design Presentation March 9 • 1pm – 2pm • Building 209

Our Staff Editor in Chief + Publisher Bunny Byrne Managing Editor Jennifer Westfield Columnists Lauren Basford J. David Bray, Jr. Denise Purvis J.K. Slaughter Abrie Soileau Contributing Writers J. L. Cox III Laura Floyd Rebekah Giambroni Denise Purvis Jon Towns

Design Charrette Session

Everyone Welcome • FREE

March 7 • 2pm – 4pm • Walking Tour of District with Community Leaders

About the Arts District

March 7 • 6pm – 8pm • Building 209 Everyone Welcome • FREE A Charrette is a highly collaborative brainstorming and design session that allows everyone who has a stake in the project to develop a vested interest in the ultimate vision while avoiding the prolonged discussions that often delay conventional planning projects. It also ensures that the finished result is produced more efficiently and cost effectively.

Open Studio Session March 8 • 3pm – 5pm • Building 209

The Arts District will embrace the geographic context of the land, express our rich cultural heritage, increase economic opportunity, enrich our historic district, and bring our creative community resources together. The open space is also the centerpiece and trailhead for a new multi-use trail that connects our historic districts, parks and commerce centers. Additionally, it is a corridor between downtown and Victoria Place, an urban redevelopment project centered around affordable housing.

We want to see all the Townies there!

They’d like a headcount for snacks, so RSVP at thomasvillearts.org.

Everyone Welcome • FREE

Copy Editor Abrie Soileau

Georgia Press Association

The Thomasville Townie publishes the first and third Friday of every month. To advertise, suggest article ideas or contact staff members, please email yourtownie@gmail.com.

Printed by the Bainbridge Post Searchlight

I am a tropical person and simply do not care for the cold weather. By cold weather, I mean anything below 60 degrees. I hate it when someone tells me, “It’s not that cold.”

That qualifier has no place in my vernacular. Trust me, it is that cold. I’d rather deal with 90 and 100 degree days than the occasional 30 degree night.

All my friends who live in the uninhabitable Northeast and Midwest always mock me for my cold intolerance. “Ohhh, when it’s 60 degrees where I live,” they say, “it’s shorts weather.” No, it’s not. And they’re insane for living somewhere that requires Goretex.

Actually, I’m not even sure that cold weather requires Goretex. I just heard that word on ‘Seinfeld’ ten years ago and somehow it stuck in my brain, but regardless, winter wardrobes are ridiculous. I hate jackets, coats and gloves. Springtime clothes are vastly more attractive. You cannot look cute in a bubble coat and serial killer gloves, period.

I yearn for spring although I am certain that I will be an allergy-ridden basket case. My yard is already blooming all sorts of terrible allergens as I type. Unfortunately, my lawn mower is out of commission, and my lawn makes my house look like an abandoned property. If you feel sorry enough for me, go ahead and mow the thing. It’s an eyesore and sometimes I can’t see my tiny dogs when I look down while walking them. You may even be able to collect enough weeds to make a delightful pre-springtime bouquet for your special someone. Knock on the door and I will provide you with a ribbon to tie it together.

Here’s hoping that soon these cool evenings will turn into warmer ones, and we can stop burning things in our yards for warmth and start setting out our citronella candles for barbecues. I want my worries to turn from resuscitating my frozen plants to panicking that I might have contracted West Nile. Everyone knows that mosquitoes are the little troublemaking harbingers of warm weather.

It will be Easter when we next meet, so I have to go prepare my Easter finery: the head adornments, footwear, and swishy dresses. I’ll catch you on the flip side, dear ‘Villians.

Next time I might not even need hedge trimmers.

Farm to Table

- Denise P.

Home Cured, Grass-Fed Corned Beef & Cabbage

Blogging Bunny Byrne Website Maintenance Jon Towns

The truly unfortunate matter is that it’s March, and somehow, still cold outside—well, at least in the morning; when I walk to my car in the afternoons, I end up sweating like fat Elvis. I wake up the next day, and have to bundle up like a strange turtle. It makes it really difficult for me to wear my standard-issue flip-flop getup. Mother Nature is in the midst of a terrible spell and someone needs to get her some hormones, STAT.

I guess what I am saying here is that I am ready for spring and all the good and bad things that come with it. I long for itchy, red eyes, tiny tissue packs, sun dresses and bug bites. To Hades with all of this cold weather. I’m ready to grab my flip-flops, Allegra, and bug spray and sail out into the sunset.

Comics Artists Laura Floyd Benjamin Gardner David Longstreet Distribution Loren Towns

When I went to sleep it was Christmas, and when I woke up this morning, it was March!

Where has the time gone, dear ‘Villians? I feel like the common day Rip Van Winkle, and boy, am I overdue for an eyebrow waxing. Someone go get the hedge trimmers!

{adapted from a recipe by Food Network’s Tyler Florence}

To cook:

To brine:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup each: kosher salt & brown sugar

1 onion, halved

1 1/2 tablespoons each (all whole seed): coriander, mustard, black peppercorns, allspice

6 organic carrots, coarsely chopped: Orchard Pond Organics

4 sprigs each: fresh marjoram & fresh thyme leaves: Lewis Produce 2 bay leaves

1 head each: celery including leaves, coarsely chopped; garlic, halved

3 lbs. grass-fed beef brisket: Orchard Pond Organics

3 sprigs fresh marjoram

Rub brisket with combined whole-seed spices. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients with cold water. Add brisket and additional water until meat is submerged.

Cover and brine overnight, or for up to ten days depending on your palate’s predilection to pickling.

2 bay leaves 1 small organic cabbage cut into 6 to 8 wedges: Orchard Pond Organics Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove brisket from brine and rinse well. In Dutch oven, heat olive oil, onion, carrots,

Calling all Night Hawks!

apparel,” says Lara Newborn, a TU alumna. “Other stores in town have always carried gear for the high schools, but TU somehow got left out. The new store has all sorts of cool items for an alumna to show her school spirit.”

The Spirit Shop opened in the fall of 2013 to provide TU students, alumni and other supporters with all they need to show their Night Hawk spirit. Originally, TU items were available for sale in the Hawk’s Nest, the on-campus café. As demand grew for more TU merchandise, the items were moved to the Campus Connection Center. In the CCC, students can buy textbooks and visitors can get directions to specific departments. It’s a one-stop source for information about TU.

Want to cheer on the Night Hawks at the next sporting event? Pick up a foam finger or a set of thunder sticks to show your support. And don’t forget those T-shirts that support specific TU Athletics teams.

“It’s great to finally have somewhere in town to get TU

*Visit www.orchardpondorganics.com to pre-order local, farm-fresh beef and seasonal vegetable shares, which may be picked up weekly from George & Louie’s restaurant.

- Jennifer W.

For all you Night Hawks fans, Thomas University has the perfect place to get your gear.

The Spirit Shop, located inside the Campus Connection Center on TU’s Main Campus, features everything Thomas University – from clothing for you and your pet to the classiest of car attire.

But it’s the Spirit Shop merchandise that usually draws in people.

celery, garlic, marjoram, and bay leaves until soft. Add brisket, and fill with water until meat is submerged. Bring to a boil, and skim surface foam. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cabbage pieces, replace cover, and bake in oven for 3 hours. Remove meat, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Serve in bowls with cabbage wedges and a bit of cooking liquid.

“The Spirit Shop gives students a chance to officially represent and exhibit their school pride,” says TU student Adonis Smith. “There is a variety to choose from, not just for the students, but for the whole family. I send my parents TU wear all the time, and it comes in handy.”

Need protection from the elements? The Spirit Shop has TU logo apparel including zip-up fleece jackets, umbrellas, gloves and hats of several shapes and styles. For your car,

to advertise, contact yourtownie@gmail.com.

there’s a gorgeous sun reflector to keep the interior cool on hot days.

Cred?

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that TU student graduating in May, the Spirit Shop has that, too! What about a classy Thomas University wristwatch, keychain or pair of sunglasses? Or a button-up dress shirt to wear to that first job?

And the Spirit Shop isn’t just for adults. There’s plenty of clothing for little Night Hawks from birth through youth sizes. For Fido, the Spirit Shop has leashes, collars and bandanas.

Do you want to celebrate the Night Hawks but can’t make it in to the Spirit Shop? Just visit the Shop’s website at www.tuspiritshop.com. Need more info? Call Lauren G. at {229} 226-1621 Ext. 1100 or drop her a line at lgrubbs@ thomasu.edu.

- Cindy M.

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FACEBOOK.COM/THOMASVILLE.TOWNIE

Mar 7 - mar 20

Road Trip

The Stylish House

Key West

One morning last month I walked out of the house to head to work and the sky was the color of dishwater. There was half an inch of ice caked on my railings, and when I reached the car, the digital thermometer read twenty degrees. I live in Florida and thought to myself that the only things more miserably caked-over than my icy railings were my dustcrusted flip-flops, and spring fever smacked me like a halfton marlin crashing the deck of a fishing boat. This was a hankering that would only be satisfied when I was sitting at Sloppy Joe’s, listening to Pete and Wayne rip raunchy jokes, and sweating only slightly, along with a giant daiquiri.

March is high season in Key West, so the lodgings aren’t as reasonably priced as in the summer, but don’t let that stop you—escaping winter is worth every extra penny, and in the summer the heat can be unbearable for pavement pounding. I hopped a cheap flight out of Tampa after a three-and-a-half hour trek down I-75, and an hour later I was parked on a bar stool overlooking Duval Street, triumphantly slathering a conch fritter in key lime mustard.

There is no place on the planet like Key West. It’s the southernmost city in the United States, but it feels like a foreign paradise, where no passport or knowledge of a second language is required. The city is a cultural Mecca full of longtime establishments that haven’t changed since long before I started going, year-after-year as a kid on day trips from Marathon during lobster season, all the way up through my 21st birthday when I was finally allowed my long-awaited Duval bar crawl—to until now, almost ten years later to the day.

Many of the residents you’ll meet are folks from all over the country who went to Key West once and decided to do whatever was necessary in order to move there—their way of life is simple, welcoming, and contagious. Ernest Hemingway was one of those folks, of course, and a visit to his home on Whitehead Street is requisite, if only to see the study where he wrote. Trips to the Green Parrot Bar a block up the road, however, should be made frequently.

Like many of the bars in Key West, it’s a dimly lit dive with eclectic wall hangings and a jukebox, rife with history and owned by people who have no plans to change it. Both the free popcorn and their Sunday build-your-own Bloody Mary bar have saved my gullet more than once.

You don’t have to want to party like a coed to enjoy Key West—far from it. As you window shop down Duval Street, you’ll see a ton of foreign coins mounted on necklace charms, most of which are likely Spanish coins (or replicas) from Nuestra Señora de Atocha, a galleon sunk by a hurricane off the coast of Key West in 1622. The Atocha was carrying a priceless cargo of Spanish silver, gold, and precious stones; treasure hunter Mel Fisher spent nearly seventeen years in the 1970’s and 80’s searching the ocean

Photos by Jennifer Westfield

A Women’s History Month Tribute to Elsie de Wolfe

floor for the wreckage, often finding small, promising items from the ship, but then nothing more for lengthy stretches of time.

Fisher’s crew discovered the mother lode of the ship’s treasure in 1985, and items are on display at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum on Greene Street. Mel Fisher’s Treasures, a small shop on Duval, sells actual and replica coin charms from the Atocha. You can buy replica coin charms forged from silver bars found in the wreckage for as little as $70; actual coins can run upwards of thousands of dollars depending on size. If you don’t have time to see the museum, the store on Duval also has documentary DVDs about the Atocha’s history and Mel Fisher’s incredible search—The History Channel DVD is particularly good.

The places to dine in Key West are endless, but my favorite has always been Blue Heaven, on the corner of Thomas and Petronia Streets. It’s where my best friend’s dad taught us what the word ‘decadent’ meant on a trip during the summer before 3rd grade, after our server used it to describe one of their desserts (true story). Blue Heaven serves up culinary decadence in a backyard setting where chickens and cats roam freely among tables. Their brunch is legendary, and the lobster eggs benedict is the best on the island—I say the same about their key lime pie. While you’re waiting for a table, you can listen to live music, hulahoop, play ping-pong, lounge on a tire swing, or order one of their unbelievable mojitos from the bar.

Cuban food is bountiful in Key West, since you’re only ninety miles from the island, but if you want the best Cuban sandwich, visit El Siboney on Catherine Street. A bit off the beaten path, down Caroline Street, is Harpoon Harry’s, a breakfast joint that has the cure for whatever you did the night before. The Bloody Harry is their spicy Bloody Mary that will burn the sin right out of you, and the Heapin’ Harry is a pile of savory sausage gravy on top of eggs, meat and bread that will fortify your gut for another day of tromping and traipsing.

This time of year when it isn’t sweltering, one of the best things to do is rent a scooter for a couple of hours, and take a ride along the coastal periphery of the island. The ocean air, scenery and breezes are a perfect counter to the light humidity of March, and you’ll forget all about that bonejolting cold you left behind. Watching the sunset from Mallory Square in the evening is sure to have the same effect—don’t miss that either.

- Jennifer W.

Editor’s Note: Elsie De Wolfe was featured prominently in the recent lecture by Hutton Wilkinson at the Thomasville Antiques Show and Sale.

animal prints and soft colors became her standards. She is even credited with inventing the cocktail party and in 1935, Parisian society deemed her the best-dressed woman in the world.

March is Women’s History Month and, to honor that, The Stylish House would like to pay tribute to one of the Grande Dames of interior design, Lady Mendl, otherwise known as the fabulous Elsie de Wolfe.

Over the course of her legendary career, de Wolfe designed the interiors of prestigious homes and clubs along both the East and West coasts of America, and in England and France. By 1913, her business took up an entire floor of offices on New York’s 5th Ave. In 1915, she collaborated with Henry Clay Frick, one of America’s richest men, on his New York home. She earned a commission for every piece of art and furniture she purchased for Frick and became a very wealthy woman.

Throughout her career, she designed interior spaces for a Who’s Who of prestigious clients and wrote several books and articles on the subjects of interior design, fashionable hostessing and stylish living. During the First World War, she was a volunteer nurse in France. At the twilight of her career, in 1926 at the age of 61, she married diplomat Sir Charles Mendl, this time transforming herself from Elsie de Wolfe into Lady Mendl.

Elsie de Wolfe was an actress, interior decorator and author of the influential 1913 book The House in Good Taste, a compilation of articles she had written for Good Housekeeping, The Delineator and other popular women’s magazines of the time. She was also a prominent socialite and hostess in New York, Paris, and London. It has been said she invented the interior design trade as we know it today and she is often credited with being the first female interior designer. History calls her “the first lady of interior decoration.” I call her absolutely divine.

One of the best, if not the most widely known interior designers of the early 20th century, her clients included Anne Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, Henry Clay Frick and the architect Sanford White. De Wolfe transformed the interiors of her wealthy clients’ homes from the dark, cluttered, Victorian style into the brighter, softer and more comfortable designs she became famous for. She introduced a variety of novelties to the idea of what interior design could and should be. Soft and comfortably upholstered chairs replaced the heavy upholstery, dark wood, and intricately patterned wallpapers so prominent in Victorian parlors. In her own words, she said, “I opened the doors and windows of America, and let the air and sunshine in.” Relaxing chaise lounges, faux finish wall and trim treatments, exotic

Her goal in life was to “make everything around me beautiful“ and she did it. Her motto in life, which she had sewn onto her taffeta bed pillows, was, “Never complain, never explain.” Truly words we can all live by today.

- Davey B. J. David Bray, Jr., is a Project Manager and Designer with Landford Thompson Interiors. Though based in Savannah, GA, Bray has current clients in town and works in Thomasville by appointment. www.landfordthompsoninteriors.com

FREE

FREE

Mar 7 - mar 20 VOLUME 3

Mar 7 - mar 20 VOLUME 3

FIND US ONLINE AT THOMASVILLETOWNIE.COM

Dance Card.

Thomas County Museum of History Spring Lecture Series March 11, 7:30 PM

Ephraim Rotter, Curator, Thomas County Historical Society, will present Grand Old Flags.

March 18, 7:30 PM Dr. David Williams will present Georgia’s Civil War Home Front.

Admission is free and open to the public Thomas County Museum of History, 725 North Dawson Street

March 14

Another Night of Bluegrass featuring Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers

HY-Dü by Benjamin Gardner + David Longstreet

An energetic mix of quality bluegrass and gospel music, plus a variety of vocal arrangements and tasteful, down-home humor. Friday, 7:30 PM {Doors open at 6:30 PM}. Tickets are $10 and available at the Thomasville Visitors Center: 229-228-7977.

Issue No.

4

FACEBOOK.COM/THOMASVILLE.TOWNIE

March is Youth Arts Month

Quoted in the Ville

March is all about the kiddos! Creatively speaking, that is.

March is Youth Arts Month or YAM. This month-long national event has been observed annually since 1961, and has been celebrated in Thomasville since the inception of the Center for the Arts {formerly the Cultural Center}.

A craft brewery is a small, independent operation that produces less than six million barrels of beer per year—there are thousands of craft breweries in the United States alone. What’s your craft beer of choice?

The purpose is to encourage children to become involved in the arts and to foster their creativity from a young age. YAM always involves fun, stimulating activities and this year will be no different! Kicking off the festivities is the high school youth art show on March 4th at 5:30 PM. The students’ works are currently hanging in the Center for the Arts Main Gallery, where the art show event judging will take place. The judges are never from this area- to avoid bias- and have a background in the arts, whether they currently teach, practice or study the arts. The judges themselves, based on student ability and potential, determine the judging criteria.

Later that night TCA will host a Literary Showcase where students will perform dramatic interpretations as well as solos, trios and quartets.

March 15

Saturday, March 8th, YAM presents its Family ArtReach Program, which welcomes a new performer each year. This year, Lee Bryan, That Puppet Guy, will present ‘The Zany Zoo’ at 10 AM. In this action-packed show, audience members will meet a frog on roller skates, a weightlifting bear, a juggling dog, a bumblebee ballerina, and even a belly dancing bunny!

After the show, stick around for a workshop with Lee Bryan where participants can make their own moving mouth-hand puppet head. All supplies are provided but the event does require pre-registration.

St. Patrick’s Day Party in Boston

Good food and fun - can you spot the leprechauns?

Four course Irish menu, Irish folk music. $10 adults, $6 children. Boston Community Center.

March 17

Bacchus St. Patrick’s Day Party

Gathering featuring green beer and malarkey!

8:00 PM – 12:00 AM, Bacchus Wine Bar. www.bacchusthomasville.com

Next up is the Teen Art Jam on March 14th, from 7 to 9 PM at Grassroots Coffee. Ages 13 and up are invited to hang out and create art while listening to budding poets and aspiring musicians in a fun and inspiring environment.

March 20

Thomasville Entertainment Foundation Series Concert New York Chamber Soloists

Tickets $35 Adults, $15 Students. Season Tickets Available. 8:00 PM, TCA. www.TEFconcerts.com

by Benjamin Gardner

Closing out the month is the FUNtastic ART Free for All, and with a name like that, it is bound be a blast! On March 28th from 6 to 10 PM, kids ages five to eleven will run wild (creatively) at the Center for the Arts, playing games, performing in pop-up plays, while making art and great memories! Oh and parents, a bit of subtext here: this is free babysitting for FOUR whole hours! This would be a fantastic time for that date night you’ve been putting off.

March is bound to be a busy, crazy-fun, awesome month of creativity! All events are free and open to the public. Check out Lee Bryan at www.puppetguy.com. For more information about the events of YAM, visit www.thomasvillearts.org or contact TCA’s Mary Oglesby at {229} 226-0588.

- Rebekah G.

SAT. March 22 Downtown.

The Sarah Mac Band Family friendly fun on the bricks starting at 6:30pm!

Bring your own chairs and come enjoy an outdoor concert.

On Broad Street at Jefferson.

“I

t’s a tie between Rouge Dead Guy and the Highland Gaelic. The Rouge Dead Guy is a very well-crafted beer, and I like the Highland Gaelic because I grew up near the brewery in Ashville, North Carolina, and often went on their brew tours.” – Rob Q.

“M

y favorite is Sweetwater 420. It has a bold, yet mellow, hoppy flavor. 420 goes well with a round of Sweet Grass’ Green Hill, a dozen raw, hot wings or boiled peanuts. When it’s available I also really like Sweetwater’s Road Trip. It’s just easy to drink.” – Clay B.

“P

liny the Elder, an imperial IPA from Russian River Valley brewery. I absolutely love this beer because of how challenging it is to obtain (At least for our area)! This beer teases your taste buds with every sip. It coats your pallet with butter, and finishes with grapefruit.” –Victoria H.

“M

y favorite is Native Lager, which is made in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It has a light taste and an amazing aftertaste. In my opinion it goes with almost anything.” – Joseph L.

“J

ai Alai by Cigar City is the only IPA I volunteer to drink regularly because the citrus hops are so spectacular and refreshing. The tastiest beer I can remember is Konig Ludvig Dunkel—a Warsteiner beer I had in Vienna that’s an amazing balance of malt, hop and drinkability.” – Ged H. - Jon T.

If you’re like me, you’ve got a towering stack of books on your nightstand, begging to be read. Each month, I like to recap the books I’ve read, looking back to the ones I powered through, pulling all-nighters until I was done, and the ones I relished slowly, underlining and lingering through the pages.

The books that brought me magic in February?

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen. I love Anna Quindlen. I want to be her when I grow up. Still Life with Bread Crumbs follows defunct photographer Rebecca Winter as she comes to terms with her life and finds herself in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. The plot floated along slowly, but it was -- as with all Quindlen’s books -- really well done. If you’re looking to get lost in a good book for days, Still Life is for you. The payoff just takes a while to earn, and that’s okay.

Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider. Maybe I’m alone in my quest, but I want a quiet life devoted to hospitality and community, to good books and good food and meaningful relationships. As it turns out, author and blogger Tsh Oxenreider wants those things too. This memoir serves as a how-to manual for guiding your family to simplicity, and I enjoyed so many of the practical tips and real-life stories.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Landline is a book I finished in three hours; that’s how much I loved it. All of Rowell’s books revolve around love (though in a perfectly realistic, wonderful way), but this is Rowell’s first book about a marriage, and I found myself laughing and crying in equal measure. Landline doesn’t release until July, so go ahead and familiarize yourself with her style -- you’ll be glad you did. Start with Eleanor & Park, then Fangirl, and finally, Attachments.

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My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer. Author Krista Bremer tells the story of her marriage in beautiful, sometimes poetic prose. She first met her Libyan-born husband on a running trail in North Carolina. The two hit it off, despite vast cultural differences: Krista, a California beach bum, and her husband, a hard-working Muslim raised in an impoverished country.

There’s so much more going on here than an insider’s look at Islamic culture, although that’s certainly at play and makes the book that much more eye-opening. The book is really a story about marriage, about the compromises we all make when two become one. My Accidental Jihad releases next month. - Annie J. The Bookshelf