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Richard Garrett (right) answered audience questions following his “Forgotten Music of Georgia and Beyond” presentation at The Plaza. CONTRIBUTED

Richard Garrett (right) answered audience questions following his “Forgotten Music of Georgia and Beyond” presentation at The Plaza. CONTRIBUTED

Garrett gives music history lesson at The Plaza

News Staff
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Richard Garrett, co-owner of Dot-2-Dot Inn and recently elected as Putnam County’s District 2 Commissioner, presented “Forgotten Music of Georgia and Beyond” Sunday afternoon at The Plaza Arts Center in downtown Eatonton.
The Plaza announced a bonus performance of “The Color Purple,” scheduled for 2 p.m. March 30, though ticket sales were not yet available online as of press time. IAN TOCHER/Staff

The Plaza announced a bonus performance of “The Color Purple,” scheduled for 2 p.m. March 30, though ticket sales were not yet available online as of press time. IAN TOCHER/Staff

‘The Color Purple’ to return to The Plaza

Story And Photos By Ian Tocher
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
A musical version of “The Color Purple,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Eatonton native Alice Walker, completed a five-show run Sunday afternoon, playing to near-sold-out crowds for each performance at The Plaza Arts Center in downtown Eatonton.After a somewhat slow start, demand grew...
The “Four Old Broads” cast includes (back row, l-r): Greg Tantum, Gail Wilkes, Heath Burton, Sherry Shutze, Erin McCurry, and Suzanne Vest, and (front row, l-r): Kathy Wardlow, Cindy Helms, Debbie McCown, Rusty Faulk, and Carol Grant. CONTRIBUTED

The “Four Old Broads” cast includes (back row, l-r): Greg Tantum, Gail Wilkes, Heath Burton, Sherry Shutze, Erin McCurry, and Suzanne Vest, and (front row, l-r): Kathy Wardlow, Cindy Helms, Debbie McCown, Rusty Faulk, and Carol Grant. CONTRIBUTED

LCP to present ‘Four Old Broads’ at Festival Hall

News Staff
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Lake Country Players is bringing “Four Old Broads,” a comedy by Leslie Kimball set in a madcap nursing home, to the stage at Festival Hall in downtown Greensboro.The show runs nightly from March 20 to 22 at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee performance scheduled for March 23.Retired burlesque queen...
Eatonton City Councilmember Janie Reid (right) took a moment near the entrance to Barrel 118 to pose with a Canopy Studio dancer from Athens. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Eatonton City Councilmember Janie Reid (right) took a moment near the entrance to Barrel 118 to pose with a Canopy Studio dancer from Athens. IAN TOCHER/Staff

ArtiGras delivers N’awlins vibe to Eatonton’s Barrel 118

News Staff
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
The fifth annual ArtiGras Carnival, a Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser for the arts in Eatonton, returned to town Saturday night.
Trumpeter Byron Stripling led a tight quartet in entertaining a sold-out crowd Friday night at Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton. The concert was part of an ongoing jazz series by OPAS (Oconee Performing Arts Society) that brings world-class talent to Lake Country. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Trumpeter Byron Stripling led a tight quartet in entertaining a sold-out crowd Friday night at Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton. The concert was part of an ongoing jazz series by OPAS (Oconee Performing Arts Society) that brings world-class talent to Lake Country. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Stripling jazzes up OPAS event in Eatonton

News Staff
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
A capacity crowd filled Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton on Friday night to hear jazz trumpeter and singer Byron Stripling’s Mardi Gras and All That Jazz, presented by the Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS).A masterful trumpeter and charismatic vocalist with a long list of Grade-A jazz...
DFCS coordinators carefully organized and distributed Easter baskets for last year’s event, ensuring children in foster care and those in need experience the joy of the season. CONTRIBUTED

DFCS coordinators carefully organized and distributed Easter baskets for last year’s event, ensuring children in foster care and those in need experience the joy of the season. CONTRIBUTED

Community unites to create Baskets of Hope for Easter

News Staff
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The Lake Area Easter Basket Project, also known as Baskets of Hope, will once more spread Easter joy to children in foster care and those facing economic hardship.
Naturally Georgia by Chris Greer

Naturally Georgia by Chris Greer

Georgia Writers Museum book review: Naturally Georgia

News Staff
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River — 300 miles from north to south and a little more than 200 miles east to west — and it has a wonderfully diverse geography.In his book, Naturally Georgia: From the Mountains to the Coast, photographer Chris Greer offers a rich visual...
The Heart and Soul Gala Committee included (l-r): Patty Dailey, Christa Hyatt, Tim Green, Lisa Tubbs, Riezl Baker, Elizabeth Davis, Chuck Shaheen, Susan Helmrath, and Chris Helmrath. CONTRIBUTED

The Heart and Soul Gala Committee included (l-r): Patty Dailey, Christa Hyatt, Tim Green, Lisa Tubbs, Riezl Baker, Elizabeth Davis, Chuck Shaheen, Susan Helmrath, and Chris Helmrath. CONTRIBUTED

Heart and Soul Gala glitters at Ritz-Carlton

News Staff
Thursday, February 20, 2025
The 2025 Heart and Soul Gala, held Feb. 15 at The Ritz-Carlton ballroom, was an unmitigated success, raising over $800,000 to benefit St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro.Community members packed the ballroom as they came together for a sold-out evening filled with generosity,...
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