I Did It For The Beard

A few weeks ago I was scanning one of those publisher's catalogs that gift shops and museums get. You know the kind, one peddling the wares of this company or that. As I was checking out the various entries, I came across one book in particular that caught my eye: "Bad Ass Civil War Beards" by Anna Hider and Julia Hider.

I stopped.

I laughed.

You see, I run a historic house in Macon, Georgia that happens to be an homage to life during the Confederacy. The home was built in 1853 and belonged to a plantation owner and probate judge, Judge Asa Holt. The home is a planter's townhouse and absolutely the quintessential antebellum home.

One of the goals I have set for myself is to really increase their  bottom line. I noticed the home/non profit did not have a true signature fundraiser. Then it hit me - why not do something that will celebrate beards. They are all the rage these days with younger, hipster type guys. Not to mention, most of the volunteers of the house are Civil War reenactors and a majority of the men have burly beards.


Okay.. now that I had the idea of celebrating the beard - but what else? It hit me - A Gentlemen's night. But what else do guys enjoy down here? Well.. hello! Bourbon... and BACON.

Boom - Now I have a fantastic fundraiser called Beards, Bourbon, and Bacon: A Gentlemen's night at the Cannonball House.

Let me tell you - it is coming together so nicely! There is a fantastic barbershop in town called, "The Gentry."

photo found on the Gentry's website

The gentleman you see in the picture is going to lead a discussion on the proper growth of a beard, how to maintain and care for your beard, and what face shapes work best with different styles.

Then... I figured, if you are going to celebrate the beard - we should have a BEARD contest. Softest/longest/bushiest/most unique stash, etc.

Plus - we will have a local historian and author, Wayne Dobson, share the history of the styles of beards. Apparently the 1850s - 1860s were considered the "Golden Age" of beards. 

As far as bacon goes, the house is super lucky to have the United Daughters of the Confederacy involved with the home. The ladies of the UDC plan to create a large variety of bacon inspired dishes!

Finally, how do we do the bourbon? Oh boy - this is a good one! Ryan Smith is a mixologist at Dovetail restaurant in Macon. Ryan is known for his extensive knowledge about bourbons/whiskey.

Photo credit: From Ryan's Facebook - Jessica Whitley

Ryan plans to share about four different bourbon options: high grade to mid grade. He is also working on making some bacon-infused bourbon in a barrel that he plans to sell.

We will have the tasting back in the old kitchen that is basically lit with soft lighting and candles. It will be incredibly authentic.

To top it all off - CIGAR GROTTO in the beautiful garden - complete with reenactors singing songs.

The event is going to be Saturday, April 11 from 7 - 9pm. Tickets will be $20 a person.

I am sooo excited and hope that we are able to secure some good sponsors and have a great turnout!

Any of my friends or readers that have ever considered visiting a southern town - this may be the perfect trip for you. No beard required and yes, ladies are welcome!

Grab Your Pencils & Paper

I think today is a good day to jot down what I am thinking.

It's the first day of school for me, but this time... I'm the principal. ;-)

I say that tongue-in-cheek, but you see, I have a new job. I'm super excited about the job, and yes, the position is going to be a happy challenge for me. I am now the new Executive Director of the Cannonball House in Macon, Georgia. This place is simply beautiful - that's the best way to describe it. It is an 1853 planter's townhouse. It survived some slight damage during the Civil War. 

Well.. today is the first day. 

For me, I find this a huge responsibility! Our fair city is known for its antebellum homes, and one of the biggest draws for people is to tour these grand residences. This is also a confederate museum. There are tons of artifacts stored that tell the story of the south's experience during the War Between the States. 

With all of that being said, I would love for my readers to check out the website - http://www.cannonballhouse.org and tell me what you think!

Well.. it is time for me to finish my coffee, grab my suit, and head out! Wish me luck!

What Summertime Means To Me

Growing up in the south affords you the opportunity to experience a long summer. It typically starts in April and will last well into September, and oftentimes, parts of October. 

Yes, Spring and Fall do make it here, but they are so short lived. 

When I think of growing up, outside of little memories about Christmas or birthdays, I mostly remember summertime.

I'll be the first to admit, I am not a big fan of the hot weather. I don't mean 80 degrees and sunny hot, I'm talking 100 degrees with 90% humidity hot - sauna hot. That's what most of our days feel like down here, starting in July. However, the memories, especially as a child, sort of drown out the hades-like temperature, and flood my mind with happiness.

For one, I remember swimming pools. I spent a majority of my more formative years living in an apartment complex. Luckily, the neighborhood we lived in had a community pool, lake, volleyball court, and 1/2 a dozen playgrounds. It was a huge co-op community - more set up like condos and townhouses, versus your standard apartment complex. 

Each morning I would get up fairly early, choke down some breakfast, grab my towel and head to the pool. I only came home for lunch, and then would pop right back down and swim all day long. I remember sliding down the water slide, playing "Sharks & Minnows," perfecting my serve at volleyball, and sitting by the pool listening to Madonna, Elton John, Prince, and Michael Jackson. We would all beg for 50 cents from our dads for the soda machine. I would consume my Dr. Pepper like it was the second coming. We would spend hours upon hours trying to soak up the sun, and gossip about the cute boys. At night, we would all gather down at the picnic tables and engage in a little hide & go seek through the woods of the complex. Later, we would slip on over to the dock, and hang out until we individually would hear our parents yell our names. That was my the bulk of my summer.

But there were other things I remember: 

Camp Martha Johnston
I spent a good bit of time from 1979 - 1985, at Girl Scout Camp each summer. Here I learned how to swim, play tennis, hook a warm and fish with a cane pole, identify most plants, canoe, skate, hike, and a ton of other typical summer activities. I remember mail call- a time when we would gather at the McGee lodge and get "Miss you" cards from our parents, and purchase items from the country store. I remember the cool, sweet taste of Cherry Berries, Astro pops, and Mickey Mouse ice creams. I remember limitless mosquito bites and the smell of Deep Woods Off or Avon's Skin-So-Soft. I remember challenging each other to cross the "monkey bridge," it was a rope bridge that took you from bank to bank over Sweet Water Creek. My claim to fame was that I was the only kid who was able to cross blind-folded and walking backwards. Yeah - I used to be quite the dare devil. 

Community Children's Theatre
Though most of my friends were stuck to only hanging out at the pool, I was shipped from camp to camp. Each summer, my sister and I would partake in CCT's summer theater camps. I was spend my morning in dance classes, and improvisation classes, and preparing for our summer theater production. Hours and hours were spent rehearsing with some of middle Georgia's best theater instructors. I perfected my form, improved my voice, and could remember entire dialogues very quickly. I made some wonderful friends, people I still know today, and gained incredible experience that has helped me conduct myself appropriately in the workplace, as well as completely washed away any fear I would have of public speaking. 

July 4th in Indiana
My dad was from a little town called Monroe City. We would return to southern Indiana every summer for a little family reunion. I remember corn fields and tons of little blond haired cousins. (The Thurston clan - mostly blond hair and blue eyes.) Playing badminton and softball games. Being asked numerous times to, "Say something in southern." Hilarious.

Granny's House
I also spent an extraordinary amount of time at my Great Grandmother's home on my mom's side. Granny was born in 1901, and was still very traditional in her old age. I was extremely close to her because my mom grew up in her house. My grandparents lived with Granny their entire married life - so needless to say, I was probably closer to them than most of my cousins. 

As soon as we would enter the doors of my Granny's house, my Papa would point us in the direction of the treats he had waiting for us. (Which would drive my mom crazy.) He would have a bag of Golden Flake Sour Cream & Onion chips and some fudge ripple ice cream in the freezer. I would run to his room and play with my paper dolls, or sit and listen to his Johnny Cash records. I would head out side and play with the dogs, or wander through his amazing garden. I would invite my cousins that lived across the street to come over and play. We would have a wonderful time. I always got the biggest kick from going through their old things. My Grandma Betty had a huge assortment of jewelry and purses. I would have her show me her things, every time I came over. I think she enjoyed telling the stories as much as I loved listening to them.
****

Summers in the south really are grand. From quick trips to the beach or lake, to campfires at night. From sweet iced tea on the front porch, to catching lightning bugs at night - everything is special down here. 

What are some of your fondest memories surrounding summer?

Hard Conversations

That girl to the left is me - age 20 or so. I was sitting on the front campus of Georgia College & State University, already a junior in college, studying to be a journalist.

I wanted to change the world. I wanted to complete my degree in Broadcast Journalism and travel the world, exposing injustice and highlighting life's little miracles.

I'm 41 now, a whole other lifetime later - and I still want to change the world, at least my little corner of the world. Try as I might, I can't quite seem to walk away from exposing my community's injustices and little miracles.

I did achieve that journalist's dream, and later I transitioned to work in nonprofits. At 39, I was able to mix two worlds I loved - art + nonprofit. As many of you know, I am the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Tubman African American Museum.

Aside from that title, I am still just a girl who wants to make a difference. I am incredibly lucky that I get to not only make an impact on my community, I get paid to do it. 

Unfortunately, I find myself backed into a corner. My museum was hit with some very hard information and it could potentially cause serious problems.

We've seen it time and time again - government and corporate spending/donations dwindling away. I understand that. You can't work in nonprofit as long as I have and not fall victim to this. I've also experienced life unemployed - both are absolute dark times, for certain. 

My museum just found out that the Mayor has proposed cutting all money to the museum. That means $250,000 would be eliminated in about 6 weeks. That's 40% of our operating budget. (that's what helps keep the doors open.) Let me repeat - this decision will be voted on in 6 weeks. As wonderful as we are, we are 99.9% not likely to raise a quarter of million dollars in just 6 weeks.... unless our commissioners vote in favor of reinstating this money.

Not only is it terrifying for me personally - it's terrible for our community. It's such a short sighted move. I'll tell you why - this community NEEDS the museum to not only contribute to the quality of life, but there is a definite need to promote the art, history and culture of the African American community.

How many African American museums can you name? How many serve as broad an audience as we do? How many are located in the thick of where the Civil War - Civil Rights - Integration - and a whole slew of activities took place? If we don't tell the story... who will? 

So many people do not value the arts, and it all goes back to education and exposure. I can assure you, if you took music, art, theater, dance, and a list of other amazing activities, there would be absolutely no reason to live. When I say music - I mean even the music you listen to on the radio. When I say art, I even mean the clothes you wear, to the jewelry you buy, to the very design of your car. When I say theater - I mean the movies you watch, the tv shows you are addicted to, and when I say dance - I mean the most exhilarating movement you can possibly use to express. Of course I mean the classics (art/live theater/orchestra/etc,) but I want to drive home that message that you are SURROUNDED by art. It's all a part of the creative process, and if my museum does not survive this, a piece of that creative process dies.

Our museum was founded by Father Richard Keil. Richard has since left the priesthood, but it was the priesthood that was the catalyst for events he would witness that would create this museum. He was a farm boy from Wisconsin, and eventually was assigned to rural Alabama/Mississippi during the Civil Rights era. He saw atrocities, he witnessed injustice, he made a decision early on that human rights were for all people, regardless of color. When he was moved to Macon, Georgia to work as the priest at St. Peter Claver, he eventually decided to put his money down on an old dilapidated building downtown, and turned it into a museum to celebrate the culture of African Americans. 

Did I mention he was a white man? Yes, he was - but that doesn't matter.

30 some years later, here we face a potential issue. Of course, as with everything, it goes back to money. I can only raise awareness so much - but I can't make you care. You might think, "Hey... we are like 40 years past the Civil Rights era... let's move on." If that is true, why did I receive hate mail at work after a television interview? Don't remember? Let me show you - click HERE.

It still exists - which means we have a looooooong way to go. How better to tell the story of the struggles and triumphs of this issue than with a museum dedicated to it. We have to understand the past so that we don't repeat it. 

Again, I can't make anyone vote a certain way. I can't make you write to your commissioners. I can't make you buy a membership, or organize a rally, or even read this blog - but I can ask. 

Do what you can .... with what you have.... where you are. 

If you want to understand what I am talking about... click HERE. (That's detailed info.)

Personally, I'm trying really hard to fight like hell. I want this museum to succeed, with or without me. I want this community to succeed - but a decision to pass this budget without reinstating the $250,000 would be detrimental.  I will be fine... I always am. But for once, it's time to roll up our sleeves and decide what's important. 

Where do you stand, and are you brave enough to stand up and fight for it? 

PS - though I may work for the museum, this is in no way the reflection or opinion of the museum. This is me - just sharing what I feel is the right thing to do. No one has permission to use anything I have said as a response from the museum, because it is not that. This is simply a Macon-Bibb County, tax paying resident voicing her opinion on a personal blog. 

Local Leaders Put A SPIN On Medical Assistance For The Working Poor

On any given day, you will find me pounding out a press release, media alert, pitching a story to the media, or concocting these off-the-wall ideas to garner buzz about whatever project/product/cause I am working on. Some of them I am super passionate about, some I do it because I have to.

Today I was super proud of a project my Leadership Macon Class has been working on for quite some time. 

The Class of 2013 for Leadership Macon, a program sponsored by The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, spent eleven months studying the needs of Macon-Bibb County and uncovered one of the most cost prohibiting health disparities in the nation today – the lack of affordable health care resources for the working poor. 

After much consideration, SPIN (Surgery For People In Need,) was created as an option for those that qualify as the “working poor” to receive free outpatient surgery through community partners identified by the class. The working poor are working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line. The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Macon Class of 2013 partnered with the Macon Volunteer Clinic and The Medical Center of Central Georgia. 

“On December 1st, we conducted the first surgery day for our program,” said Dr. Benjie Christie, Leadership Macon Class of 2013 member and surgeon for The Medical Center of Central Georgia, “We did four cases. The day started at 6 am and finished around 11:30 am. The volunteer turnout was great, the patient/process flow was efficient, and systematically things ran as smooth as silk.”

The SPIN program is the first volunteer surgery program in the state of Georgia. The goal of this program is to deliver high quality surgical services to ensure a superior patient experience and clinical outcome. All medical care will be provided by licensed professional staff.  Staffing will be maintained at a level of competency to meet standard of care and the patient’s needs.  Age specific pharmaceuticals and equipment will be available.  Support services for individual patient requirements will be provided through community services and resources.

All patients will be treated with the utmost respect and care and all patients will be assessed and care provided according to the approved policy and procedure of the facility.

It's a good day for our class, for our community, and for people who work so hard to make ends meet, but can't afford the health care they deserve. These are people that make too much for Medicaid, but not enough to afford health insurance. 

My hope is that we make a difference in the quality of life for people just trying to have some sort of a quality of life. :-)

You Know You Were Raised In Macon, Georgia...

by Nicole Thurston

I got to thinking about all of those "You know you are from... " posts that I have read from time to time. I often chuckle and nod my head at the ones about southerners, Georgia, and a ton of other relatable posts. 

Why not write my own version? Pick the one place I am from, know, understand, and share my viewpoint!

Well... for better or for worse... here we go!

You Know You Were Raised in Macon, Georgia...  

1. The very first question you are asked when you meet someone is, "Where did you go to school?" No.. they are not talking about college, they are asking you what high school you attended.

2. Followed by... "Where do you go to church?" Both answers will either award you with a look of approval, or the forever dreaded eyebrow raise, followed by, "Uh huh.."
(For the record, I went to South West High School and attended St. Joseph's Catholic Church. A double eyebrow raise... considering this is the land of private schools and Protestants.)

3. That when you mention you want to get a hot dog, NuWay Weiners are the only choice. They have a distinct smell , they are red, and they are highly addictive. You will smell of onions for about a week, but it will be worth every little bite.

4. It is drilled into your head that southern rock is KING. You can name every southern rock band that got their start here, and will become offended when someone says they have not heard of Capricorn Records. The Allman Brothers Band songs are a staple at any outdoor BBQ.

5. Otis Redding. Little Richard. The Douglass Theatre. Three pieces of African American pop culture history we are most proud of.

6. Though the poets of the Civil War may not be the most popular to people elsewhere, growing up I believed Sidney Lanier to be the most important writer of all time. Yeah.. he was from here also.

7. Cherry Blossoms - we go crazy for pepto pink & bright green. Most people can recite exactly how many Cherry Trees are estimated to be planted within the county line!

8. If someone says they used to go riding around Godfather's, you know exactly where they are talking about. (Even though that place did not stay open long, and kids continued to cruise around that parking lot in south Macon calling it "Godfather's.")

9. You still remember the big, rough, incredibly dangerous water slide at Lake Tobo.

10. You believed with all of your heart that devil worshipers would gather in some random "cave" at Rose Hill cemetery back in the 80s. 

11. The "skating rink" and the "mall" was the best place to troll for boys & girls back in the day.

12. Speaking of the mall, Aladdin's Castle was where all of the cool kids hung out.

13. You still remember when West Gate mall had the best movie theater in town.

14. Gladys Lasky was THE name when it came to our community's Nutcracker.

15. Each Christmas Eve, you head to St. Joseph's, even if you are not Catholic.

16. Mama Louise served you the best fried chicken of your life.

17. If someone said you would grow up to work on the corner of Cherry Street, that was never a compliment. My, oh my, how times have changed. 

18. The Artist. No, I'm not talking about Prince.

19. You still call the place where the city has concerts, "The Coliseum."

20. Finally, Macon Whoopee is not a dirty phrase. 

Where Have I Been?

Where have I been?

Good question.

I've been BUSY.

Let's recap in photos..

Let's go back about two weeks... Girl's night out at TWANG in Macon. Click on the link to see the menu!

Me, Cate, JJ, & Georgia (same girls I went to Hilton Head with) - Relaxing at the Bar at Twang!

Regina and I at Twang

JJ & I at Twang!

After cocktails.. we headed to the loft area for dinner! A table full of thespians!

A Twang Tea - Southern Comfort - Peach Schnapps - Sweet Tea. Can we get anymore southern?

Spent some time with Auttie Blossom at Krispy Kreme (another southern institution)

Spent some time at Capricorn Records? Not familiar? It's located in Downtown Macon. Click on the link - it just might blow your mind. ;-)

Salvatore did not want to let me go to work..

Invited my friend and fellow writer, Molly, to Rotary with me.

Hung out with Director of Fine Art at MAA (Heatherly) and Executive Dir of the 567, Melissa. Just artsy chicks having a little fun at a Pop Up Gallery. Bravo's "Gallery Girls" got nothing on us. ;-)

Had dinner a beer with my friend Cate at The Rookery

Spent a little time at Grant's Lounge. Who performed on this stage? Ready to get your mind blown? Click on the link. yep... that's in my hometown too. ;-) People don't believe us.. but Macon is the HOME of southern rock. Seriously. The sound was invented here.. and on this stage. ;-) CLICK ON THE LINK.

More friends of mine at the Pop Up Gallery Preview Party

I made time for chocolate cake

Spent a little time in the dressing room of Theater Macon.. That's me being silly in the back on the right..

Hung out with my friends at MAA

Want to know what Soul Food/Southern Cooking is? Welcome to H&H in Macon.

Rushed Zen Kitty to the vet. Allergies.. bless his heart

Spent some time at Theater Macon... backstage..

Hanging out with my friend, Chris, at the Pop Up Gallery

Watched my mom and her friends do a "painting in the round"

Tucked Zen kitty in.. he was not feeling well...

The founder of my museum and his wife on the left, and my boss and his wife on the right

Some of mom's friends at the gallery

Me, Susie and Kathy at the CVB

Scott and I hanging out at the Pop Up Gallery

Maybe you don't understand the importance of this restaurant? Click on this LINK - H&H Even Oprah was raving about this restaurant when she visited Macon.

My interior design friend, Betsy, and I hung out a little at the Pop Up Gallery Preview Party

Leadership Macon at Grant's Lounge

The famous Mama Louise at H&H

Bill and I hanging out at Grant's Lounge

Finally.. REAL soul food... at H&H

What have YOU been up to?