Georgia Magazine - February 2013 - (Page 7)

Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett • ‘Spring training’ time. Baseball gears up this month as Atlanta Braves players report for spring training at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The first full squad workout is set for Feb. 15. Braves regular season games begin April 1 at Turner Field in Atlanta, against the Philadelphia Phillies. GDEcD • Reel ’em in. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division recently released the 2013 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations Guide, providing educational information for anglers including license information, fish identification charts, fishing regulations and more. The guide is available in print at WRD fisheries offices and license vendors throughout Georgia, and online at www.gofishgeorgia.com/fishing/reg ulations. • Read a book! The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts, kicks off in Coastal Georgia with a focus on the works of Thornton Wilder. Reading, performance, art and lecture-related events in the Brunswick community will introduce residents to this American master, including reading his 1927 novel “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” and performances of his classic play “Our Town.” For more on The Big Read project, call (912) 262-6934 or visit www.goldenislesarts.org. • Free admission. Pine Mountainbased Callaway Gardens is encouraging Georgians to explore its butterfly center, floral displays, and biking, walking and nature trails this month, offering free admission on weekdays through the end of February. For details, visit www.callawaygardens.com or call (800) 225-5292. February 2013 Bremen’s musical heritage The Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibit New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music makes its way to Bremen, Feb. 9-March 23, at the Warren Sewell Memorial Library. Sponsored by the Georgia Humanities Council and in association with the Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia, the touring exhibit is opening its second year in Georgia. Hugh McGraw, a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage fellow, hails from Bremen, where he has helped promote the Sacred Harp singing so well known in this region. McGraw organizes popular annual singings, and he will be participating in the “Southern Sacred Music Sampler” singing at the Bremen First Baptist Church on March 2. Other types of shape-note singing are well-known here, including the popular seven-note Southern gospel tradition, with a vibrant history in area churches. The AfricanAmerican shape-note United Shape Note Singers will be holding their annual singing at Antioch Baptist Church in Bremen on Feb. 17. COURTESY NEW HARMONIES Georgia glimpses Bremen resident and National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow Hugh McGraw leads singing at the Sacred Harp School in the 1970s. The region is also a hotbed of bluegrass and country music. County music producer Harold Shedd and popular country entertainer Zac Brown both hail from West Georgia, as do as many other old-time, bluegrass and country musicians. The Bremen tour features a full program of performances. Visit new harmoniesbremen.wordpress.com for more details. For info on other tour stops for New Harmonies in Georgia, visit www.georgiahuman ities.org/newharmonies. —Ann McCleary Slow down, share the road The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety are encouraging drivers to be mindful of safety along the state’s rural roads. According to agency reports, crashes with farm equipment on Georgia’s roads increased by 33 percent in 2011. Among the 401 reported accidents involving farm equipment, five resulted in fatalities; many others resulted in serious injuries. Patience is key, says Gary Black, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. “While traveling, we urge you to be mindful of tractors More online at www.georgiamagazine.org and other farm equipment sharing the same roadways and to take extra precaution.” “Nothing is more enjoyable than a fun ride on a country road, but approaching a slow-moving farm vehicle at a high rate of speed could prove deadly,” says Harris Blackwood, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “Slowing down to 20 mph for two is just a drop in the bucket to the time you could lose in a crash on a rural road.” For more on the safety initiative, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org and www.agr.georgia.gov. 7 http://www.gofishgeorgia.com/fishing/regulations http://www.gofishgeorgia.com/fishing/regulations http://newharmoniesbremen.wordpress.com http://newharmoniesbremen.wordpress.com http://www.georgiahumanities.org/newharmonies http://www.georgiahumanities.org/newharmonies http://www.goldenislesarts.org http://www.callawaygardens.com http://www.gahighwaysafety.org http://www.agr.georgia.gov http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2013

Georgia Magazine - February 2013
The 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards
Table of Contents
Viewpoint
Liberty Notes
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Picture This?
Currents
My Georgia
A Safe Haven
Around Georgia: Return to Tara
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - February 2013