Beautiful Day in Colquitt

These November days are gorgeous. Even though we need rain so badly we can still glory in these crisp bright clear days. We went to LaGrange, GA. yesterday to see the Exploration in Antiquities Center. What a wonderful experience it was. A site in an industrial park has been converted into a center of Biblical history in the time of Christ. A guide named Max dressed as a Shepherd was our tour guide. We saw a cave like the one where Jesus was born and the manger were the animals ate, which was Jesus first bed. I have been to Sunday School and Church all my life and I learned so much yesterday about the Bible stories that made it all become very real. The olive tree never dies, but will come back from its roots and live hundreds of years. The altar where asimals were sacrificed, the threshing floor, the well, the tomb and many more thngs brought the stories of the Bible home to us. We had a meal, modeled on the Last Supper with explanations of the symbolism of the food and seating arrangements. It was a wonderful day and I highly recommend it.

Building Creative Communities: the Art of Storytelling, Community Building and Social Change

We are planning the fifth Building Creative Communities Conference: The Art of Storytelling, Community Building and Social Change. It will take place in Cotton Hall Feb 3-6. The Keynote speaker will be Dr. Robertson Work, former Under-Secretary of Local Governance at the United Nations. Dr. Work has 30 years experience in community development in the U.S., Central and South America before going to the UN. By popular demand Richard Geer will return for the fifth time to lead the Story Cirlces which culminate in an evening Cabaret. Dr. Tim Chapin, Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning will bring faculty to speak on Community Building to Effect Change, Creating Special Places and Building Community Values. The third track will be the Art of Social Change which will be led by Jan Sanders and Robertson Work. Jan is presently in Nepal for 6 weeks working with local communities. We welcome Jan back for her fourth conference with us. Also, we will be featuring a panel on Global Issues around water culminating with a Water Blessing. Another panel will be best practices of communities the Swamp Gravy Institute has consulted with, ie, Valley, AL. and Perkerston, LA.
What a jam packed and fun conference this will be. Registration will be limited to 75 people.
See website http://www.bccconference.com/.

The Global Mural Conference

Starting Tues, Oct. 26, the Global Mural, Arts and Cultural Toourism Conference will be held in Colquitt. In 2004, Karen Kimbrel and I went to Ely, Nevada to promote Colquitt's mural project. Ely is a small town 250 miles from Las Vegas on the major north-south highway. We were very impressed with their murals and their towm spirit. Ely is made up of many different groups. The Basque sheep hearders, the cattle ranchers, the horse ranchers, Native Americans, cowboys, as well as towns people. We were treated with great hospitality to all these cultures and diverse groups. Karen and I were exposed to many different styles of murals and mett very creative muralists. When we saw how this small town pulled together to host an international event, we said to each other, "We can do this." so that is how the idea was born. Two years later, 7 of us traveled to Prestongrange, Scotland to bid to bring the gathering to Colquitt. So stay tuned to hear about that trip.

The Big Picture

This is the last week-end of the Fall 2010 Swamp Gravy season. The Big Picture has been another winner. The stories of the Murals, and the stories behind the stories of the murals are retold on the Cotton Hall stage. On the back wall the murals are projected as the scene is enacted. The big surprise is the puppets from the found objects which enliven the scenes. I especially like the alligator from the Summer in the Swamp mural. The alligator's mouth is made from pans which hold the paint. The audience is delighted when the alligator opens his big red paint pans mouth. As usual the children steal the show. They know every line and every song and could play each other and all the adult roles. The music is a compilation of the wonderful songs from former shows and makes your heart sing with their beautiful melodies.
It is Saturday morning and what a thrill it is to see the tour busses and church busses already here to walk aroung our town on this beautiful Fall Day. We love sharing our talent and our love for our community with visitors. Next week we will be sharing it with the World at the Global Mural, Arts and Cultural Tourisn Conference.

LEADERSHIP GEORGIA COMES TO COLQUITT

The Leadership Georgia Class of 2010 visited Colquitt on Sept 23. Leadership Georgia is a project of the Fannin Leadership Institute at the University of Georgia. Each year a select group of young leaders under 40 and their spouses are selected to travel all over Georgia to learn about thier state. Being chosen is one of the highest honors a young adult can receive. One hundred and eighty participants came to Colquitt to have dinner at Tarrer and see a dress rehersal of Swmap Gravy. The staff of the Fannin Institute was also in attendance. They were one of the most enthusiastic audiences who have ever seen the show. Jennifer Trawick, Executive Director of Colquitt/Miller Arts Council, and I gave a short history of the 18 years of Swamp Gravy shows. This year's production is based on the stories of the Murals. It is full of music and the most adorable children who are having the time of their lives. Colquitt loves welcoming visitors to our town and most of all loves performing our stories.

The Big Picture

Swamp Gravy: The Big Picture is opening on Sept 30. It is the play based on the beautiful murals painted on the buildings in Colquitt. Every mural tells the stories of the Swamp Gravy plays but there are stories behind the stories (and as always some we can't tell until people die and some that we can never tell). The Big Picture is by far the most interesting show we have ever done. The murals will be projected on the wall of Cotton Hall and the actors will step out of the mural to tell the stories. There are lots of other surprises but you will have to come to the show to discover them. Wait 'til you hear Albert Douglas sing Amazing Grace. See you there.

Getting Started

Hi, I am starting a new blog to keep fans informed about Swamp Gravy and Colquitt.