www.yourtownie.com
FREE
Thomasville's Only Issue No.
February 3 - 16 VOLUME 6
2
Q & A with World-Renowned Design Maven Amanda Lindroth Amanda Lindroth is incredibly fascinating. She leads an insanely enviable life, maintaining a successful interior design business, and owns her own line of products with multiple storefronts. Why should you know her? She’s worked at Gucci, Women’s Wear Daily and W Magazine. She’s also going to be a brunch speaker for the Thomasville Antiques Show on Saturday, February 25 at 10a. Visit thomasvilleantiquesshow.com to get tickets. What brought you to Thomasville for the Antiques Show? I was asked by Kathy Vignos, originally. I have had a few friends speak here like India Hicks and Nina Campbell and Tom Scheerer, who have raved about the show and the town. Is there any particular thing that most intrigues you about antiques? All houses need antiques and BROWN FURNITURE! There is nothing nicer than having furniture that has been handed down and means something. And if one is not lucky to have handed-down treasures just BUY THEM! As far as your background goes, it is incredibly impressive! Please tell us a little about your time at Gucci and working with Tom Ford. Tom designed the Women’s Collection and I was the U.K. PR based in London. It was great fun. Tom’s partner Richard Buckley and I had previously worked together at Women's Wear Daily in New York. When we all arrived in Milan for the first time, it was such fun. How did you end up at Gucci? I was living in London as a newlywed and had taken a year off after WWD. I saw the story in Manhattan Inc about the renaissance of Gucci. Mauricio Gucci had hired an American, Dawn Mello, as Creative Director. Mello had
created the magic at Bergdorf's, really. I figured it was time to go back to work and I wrote Ms. Mello and got the job! What made you decide to settle in the Bahamas? Husband{s}!! What is the most satisfying thing about completing an interior design project? Magical interiors need lots of layers. It is great when all the layers are there. The interiors look magically old. I like interiors to look like they have been there forever even if they are brand new. When you're designing a room or a home, where do you draw your inspiration? I study books and images and also study the client a bit. I ask the client for a few images, as well, to be sure I am headed in the correct direction. What is the most fabulous party you covered while you were working for Women’s Wear Daily and W Magazine? The Met Ball. Where did you get the idea for your new collection of straw bags and home goods? I have always collected bags and other straw made things…it was a perfect fit to start manufacturing them. Why did you choose Palm Beach as the home for Lindroth Designs instead of Nassau? We have offices in both places. Palm Beach is a natural for our interiors. It is simply the prettiest town in the world! — Denise P.
Antiques Show Donates $2M and Counting to Children's programs Longtime antiques collectors and novices alike will have the opportunity to contemplate vintage furniture, jewelry, silver, and porcelain – each piece with a story of its own — at the 28th annual Thomasville Antiques Show this February. But what most don’t know is that their attendance will actually make a difference in the lives of area children. The mission of the Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation {TASF} is to raise funds for non-profit organizations focused on children’s programs in Thomasville, Thomas County and the surrounding areas. Only second to that mission is the goal to create an opportunity for the community to understand and appreciate fine antiques and objects of art. Over the past 27 years, the foundation has given away more than $2 million to local children’s programs, said Kathy Vignos, president of the Board of Directors at TASF. The list of organizations awarded funds has grown from an original handful to upwards of 30 programs that serve children in our area. Vignos said that after overhead and operating expenses, these organizations receive 75 cents of every dollar. The monies collected come from show sponsors, corporate and individual underwriters, ticket sales, and featured speakers. The Antiques Show and Sale brings in a yearly average income of $140,000, Vignos said. “Many of the organizations depend on our annual giving to them. They have it earmarked for programs that they otherwise could not fund,” she said. And that giving has made a difference. Just last year:
•
•
Halcyon Home received funds that will help support children and their families who are victims of domestic violence. The monies will fund a crisis hotline and 24-hour intervention; group treatment and individual counseling; and household establishment assistance, among other services. The Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Club was awarded funds to expand its daily visual and performing arts program with STEAM {science, technolog y, engineering, arts, and mathematics} learning.
•
• •
•
The Treehouse Children’s Advocacy Center received funds to replace much-needed video equipment used to record forensic interviews of children and rape victims. These recordings are pivotal during investigations and court proceedings, often keeping a child from having to give his or her statement again. Funds also will help to provide coats and blankets for the children. Thomas County Youth Camp received funds to replace the roof of Hines Hall at Camp Piney Woods. Thomasville Entertainment Foundation received support for its Tickets for Teens program, which works with performing-arts teachers and directors to identify deserving students to receive free concert tickets. Vashti Center for Children and Families was awarded funds to begin an arts enrichment program for its 36 residential children, focusing on visual art, chorus, and group guitar.
The list goes on. “Our biggest aim is to give as much money as we can to enrich the lives of children in Thomas County and Thomasville,” Vignos said. “We also hope to continue to provide Thomasville with a wonderful experience.” TASF was established 28 years ago by Marguerite Neel Williams, a tireless philanthropist and a passionate advocate for education and the arts. A woman who loved antiques and historic renovation, Williams had been involved with the successful antiques show in Jacksonville, Fl., and thought a local show would be a good way to raise funds for area children. “She [also] wanted to instill a love of and appreciation of antiques and works of art – silver, porcelain, rugs, furniture, and paintings — to the citizens of Thomasville and the surrounding areas,” Vignos explained. Originally, the show was held in the Armory on Varnedoe St, “which was not the most hospitable location,” she said. Soon, the show was relocated to the Thomasville Fairgrounds, where it returns
... Antique Show Donates, Continued. Pg 2
+
F r e e
t o
r e a d ,
FREE
Thomasville's Only
February 3 - 16 VOLUME 6
Five Thomasville Dates Valentine’s Day can be a hallowed event for many with the anticipation of wonderful opportunities of fairytale escapades filled with love, romance and fireworks. As the day quickly approaches, I am feeling overwhelmed with the various responsibilities in my life. As I strive to balance work, freelance jobs, my spiritual life, sleep, music and my wonderful, beautiful girlfriend and her children, I want to celebrate our day rather than breeze through it. Therefore, planning it can be very challenging since all I want for our first V-Day together is for it to be special and memorable. Talking with Paula {the lady that holds my heart} one Saturday morning over a cup of homebrewed Grassroots coffee we decided to plan the day together; this was a way for us to both contribute and find mutual hopes that we might have for the day. We spent some time sharing ideas with one another, listening, writing them down and then discussing what our ultimate plan to pursue might be. As I share with you some of our ideal dates, we’d like to encourage you and your significant other to talk, dream and share ideas of your special date. Hopefully, you will have an amazing day. Help yourself to some of our ideas or fancy your own. Perhaps you’ll see us: F Taking a walk at Cherokee Lake with a packed picnic full of locally
sourced ingredients from Lewis Produce. Paula and I like to eat well so in our basket may be some organic hard boiled eggs, fresh green beans, some type of salad and a baked sweet 'tater or two. The lake is waking up this time of year and there’s lots of wildlife activity. Visit the otters; usually they’re playing round the edges of the lake.
F Stopping in at Hong Yip for the buffet and family ambiance,
then heading to Rose City Lanes for bowling and perhaps a game of pool. {Though we recommend returning on Sunday for great bowling specials.}
F As we are both self proclaimed “Foodies,” we might call ahead to
get into Liam’s and enjoy their local treasures and tasty victuals, followed up with a evening stroll down Thomasville’s quaint streets before a visit to Grassroots Coffee.
F Renting bikes from Joyride and taking a self guided historic tour
of the town. Do your homework though and Google some places that may stir personal romance. We'll just enjoy our time together, sharing Thomasville’s history and stopping to take photos at different locations of the two of us { yes, Paula loves “selfies” of us}. For Paula and I, we take photos at almost every date, just to have a visual scrapbook of time we have to enjoy each other. Be sure to include Dawson Street area and the Lapham-Patterson House, the downtown area, Gordon Ave., the Big Oak and the rose gardens.
F Finally, we will be extending our Valentine’s time together as we are
planning to book a tour towards the end of the week, with Deborah with Taste of Thomasville. Fortunately she provides private tours, and this can be a great way to sample a variety of local restaurants, so, we are excited to enjoy this opportunity as well.
There you have it peeps, some of our ideas for a intimate evening together in the City of Roses. Oh yeah, guys, don't forget those roses; place your orders NOW at Singletary’s or Walden’s. Perhaps we will bump into you on Valentine’s Day or sometime during the week. As a note, we are very active individuals, so a stroll downtown or something more active is our M.O.; there are lots of options in Thomasville for everyone. Be sure to plan ahead and make reservations. If your date day includes dining at one of the awesome local eating establishments, call ahead. If you don't have a lot of time to spend, make all your days with that special person Valentine's Day and be sure to tell them you love and like them… One last thought: If you forgot that reservation and it's late, Waffle House is open 24/7 and can be a memorable event in and of itself... Happy Valentines Day.* — Clay B. and Paula K. *One last, last thought: Perhaps if you are looking for finger bling, a visit prior to to Godwin Jewelers or Lewis Jewelers should be in the plans….
t h a n k s
t o
t h e s e :
Our Clients Are Our Friends
Where Living is Easy Phone 229-226-3911 www.keysouth.com
to advertise, contact yourtownie@gmail.com
CHUMS Father Dawid Kwiatkowski Father Dawid Kwiatkowski is the new guy in town, the man with the collar at the Catholic Church. He hasn’t wasted any time making himself at home here in Thomasville, as he presides over St. Augustine Catholic Church at his first parish as Pastor. If you spend any amount of time with him, you will quickly learn that he’s a man of action and change is not only inevitable, but it is also constant. How does a priest from Poland end up in America in the Deep South? God must have been involved. I was invited to check it out by a Priest of the Diocese of Savannah during my studies in Warsaw Poland. I came and I stayed, seeing the great need for more Priests. Do you ever get homesick? Often, yes. You just got back from Poland, what was the best thing about being "home"? The best thing was enjoying my mother's cooking, walking the familiar streets, enjoying a beautiful winter and, of course, visiting all of the beautiful churches where I could celebrate the Holy Mass. What made you decide to become a priest? That seems like a pretty huge life calling. Did you just wake up one day and decide or what? Every calling looks different. Mine came through a desire deep inside my heart, like an attraction towards the Ministry of the Priest, especially of celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, belonging only to God and serving people. It is a huge calling but the Lord gives enough grace to carry it out. One day, in 2003, when I was twenty, I woke up and I said to myself, “Enough of this searching, I am going to a Seminary to discern if this desire and these convictions are true.” They turned out to be true. I have been a Priest for almost six years now.
CHUMS
This is your first parish? This is my third parish, but first as a Pastor. What has been the most challenging thing so far about running a parish/pastoring by yourself ? Balancing the Temporal dimension and the Spiritual. We are Priests but we also have to be administrators. It seems like a lonely job... is it? Only if you neglect your relationship with the Lord. Most of the time, I need more silence and privacy, so no, not lonely. Can anyone pronounce your last name? I know I can't! When I came to the United States for the First time in 2006, I could not speak English, I was sent to GSU in Statesboro to study English. People in my group could not pronounce my last name, so they nicknamed me Kawasaki. You're impressively fluent in both written and spoken English. What other languages do you speak? I speak Polish, of course, and Spanish. Although my friends in Poland can already see that I have not read a book in Polish for over ten years. My grammar is suffering. You're a very private person. Have you always been? Or is it an occupational habit? I live alone; I guess that would make one a private person from the get go. There is not much to reveal at this point of my life. A Priest' life is rather simple. Plus as a Priest, I think, one should always retain some distance in order to always be able to be a Priest to the people and simply another Friend or acquaintance. People want a Priest not Dawid, even if they think sometimes they want another Dawid or Michael or whoever the Priest is. What's your favorite thing to do or place to go on your day off? I wish there were a lake house around. So far just trying to visit other Priests. Do you have a favorite spot to eat in town? Yes. {smiling} I have to ask, do you always wear your priest clothes? No, during my day off I usually do not. I dress like a regular person and blend in with the crowd. I like to have a day without people around being interested in me only because I wear a white collar. What is the most exciting about being a Catholic Priest? It is the awareness of a life dedicated to God and his people. It is the fact that by becoming a Priest, one assumes a great responsibility of making Jesus Christ present to the people in a real way. Being able to be a part of the Catholic Church, and being able to celebrate the Sacraments and see how they change people's lives. Being able facilitate meetings between God and people at every prayer, being able to teach the Law of the Lord and serve him every day in an intimate way, practicing celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God. This is it. There is no better life on the face of the earth.
— Cherie L.