Showcasing the Macon dream team

Whenever I am behind a vehicle with one of those oval-shaped stickers on the back window, I place one hand on the steering wheel and use the other to scratch my head.

I have been known to sit at a traffic light, trying to guess the meaning of the decal with the three black capital letters.

It’s a self-serving of alphabet soup on the avenues. Sometimes the letters represent the initials of a local school. Or the code word for a favorite beach.

One of my favorites was created a few months ago, partly as a joke but mostly as a point of local pride. “LBC” is short for Lower Bibb County.

“LTD” are the latest three consonants to make an appearance on a car, truck, SUV or minivan near you. They probably have you stumped, too.

If you prefer to figure it out for yourself, like solving a crossword puzzle, I don’t want to be a spoiler.

For the rest of you, though, here’s a hint:

LTD is not an abbreviation for “Limited.” Nor is it short for Long Term Disability, Live Test Demonstration or Leadership Team Development.

In our community, it stands for “Livin’ the Dream.”

In 10 days, you will find out why.

The Macon Civic Club’s Annual Musical Revue is always one of the most spectacular stage events of the year. It is everything show business is supposed to be -- singing, dancing and comedy routines.

It’s fun. It’s festive. I never cease to be amazed at the number of talented people we have in this community.

But here’s the best part of all. Not only is the musical revue a longstanding Macon tradition, it is one of the city’s largest charitable events.

Last year, more than 3,200 people attended the four nights of performances at the Grand Opera House. That kind of box-office appeal enabled the club to contribute a record $204,000 to 44 local charities.

Since 2005, the club has given away $960,000 to area organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Salvation Army, Mentors Project, Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Macon Outreach, Goodwill and Project Giving.

Last year’s theme was “Solid Gold,” to celebrate the 50th year since the revue began in 1961.

When Scott Spivey took the reins as show chairman for 2012, he inherited the lead-off spot for the premiere of the next generation of what has become known as the “Miracle on Mulberry.”

Scott, a local attorney, and his wife, Jacki, chose “Livin’ the Dream” as the theme. So just call them the “Dream Team.”

The Spiveys were high school sweethearts at First Presbyterian Day School, went away for college and spent the early years of their marriage living and working in places like Atlanta, Birmingham and Washington, D.C.

After a while, they felt the tug of home.

“Our dream was moving back to Macon and being in the area where we were raised,” said Jacki.

She said even though everybody’s “dream” is not the same, she knows others who are now living their dreams here, too. Many times, folks don’t appreciate Macon until they’ve been away. Then they realize what a special place it is and how much potential it has.

This year’s show, which will run Feb. 1-4 at the Grand Opera House, is about as pure on the Macon-meter as it ever has been.

You can hear Nan Solomon singing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” with a decidedly Macon twist. Several of the club members will jam for a rendition of “Blue Sky,” by The Allman Brothers Band. Tami Tesch-Jerles and her husband, Matt, will sing a duet, “You’re All I Need To Get By.” That alone may be worth the price of admission.

And in what promises to be a show-stopper, Billy Walker will belt out the Broadway song “Memphis Lives in Me.”

You can scratch out the Memphis reference and insert Macon. ... “Like a friend who always stands by me, Macon knows me. ...”

There may not be a dry eye in the house.

Another exciting aspect of the show will be the custom-made scenery created by Backdrops Fantastic in Macon. The set will feature such downtown venues as Coleman Hill, the Cox Capitol Theatre and the Nu-Way on Cotton Avenue.

There will be several new charities in the spotlight this year: Central Georgia Autism, ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease) of Central Georgia and Bo’s Camp.

The camp, which will open in late September, is for families and their children ages 5-18 who have experienced the death of a family member or friend. It was founded in memory of Bo Berg, a 3-month old child who died in a shopping cart accident at the Kroger on Forsyth Road last September.

Some of you are already making plans to attend, especially since it’s another way to give back to the community.

And now you know what “LTD” means. It won’t be printed on the tickets or be the required password at the door of the Grand Opera House.

But no one is going to stop you from telling folks you’re livin’ the dream.

Reach Gris at 744-4275 or gris@macon.com.