Even aliens would be intrigued

Looking through the last issue of Out & About for 2016, searching for some ideas for what promised to be a rainy New Year’s Eve weekend, I was amused by the list of ball drops and by a few other activities in Macon and Middle Georgia.

If you had just pulled into Macon for a weekend respite from the clogged interstate or had just landed a UFO from Mars, would the list not pique your interest?

Do you think our out-of-town guests really expect to see a buzzard drop at midnight in Perry, a peach cobbler splattered over the main street of Fort Valley or shamrocks wafting from the roof of the courthouse in Dublin to herald the new year? Probably not, but all of those marketing tools certainly arouse some curiosity.

In Macon, Andrew Eck, one of the organizers of the public New Year’s Eve celebration at the intersection of First Street and Cotton Avenue, premiered the mic drop, which, according to Eck, is a first in world records, and certainly apropos for Macon, which might have more microphones per capita than any other city in the country.

It will be interesting, at the end of 2017, to know the results of the resolutions memorialized on large block letters, spelling out MACON, provided for revelers to detail their exalted plans for a more productive 12 months. How embarrassing to wake up on Jan. 1 and realize you committed to your first marathon, after never having run a 10k, and all of your Macon friends will be watching to see if it happens.

It was good to see Maconite Maggie Renfroe headlining the entertainment in her hometown, earning her chops for what surely will be a return visit to “The Voice” or to an even bigger stage. Renfroe writes much of the material she performs and has garnered praise for her guitar playing from none other than Chuck Leavell.

Several of Middle Georgia’s favorite bands ushered in the new year — Big Mike and the Booty Papas joined the Matt Pippin Band on the square in Forsyth; the A2Z Band dominated the stage at the Library Ballroom and the Grapevine Band brought its best Blues Brothers routines to the Big Bash at the Terminal Station.

With Rumours, the Fleetwood Mac tribute band, playing at the Cox Capitol on New Year’s Eve, downtown was filled with rock music from one end of Cherry Street to the other. Although Rumours is not the real thing, the band does a respectable job with Fleetwood Mac chart toppers like “Little Lies” and with the songs made famous by Stevie Nicks like “Sara” and “Rhiannon.”

LAYERS OF HOLIDAYS

Hanukkah and Christmas holiday dates overlapped in 2016, and Scott Mitchell and Bill Reynolds were part of the last evening of Hanukkah feasting Jan. 1 at Arielle Schlesinger’s home, which would include the traditional potato latkes, fruit-filled donuts and other delicious treats forbidden on most diets the rest of the year. They had reason to bend the dietary rules after celebrating their marriage on New Year’s Eve at Travis Jean Gallery surrounded by family and friends.

Mitchell can now add radio personality to his resume after appearing on The Creek with Ashley Doolin in their first radio program about gallery happenings and other arts related topics in Macon.

Kwanzaa, the seven-day secular holiday that honors African-American heritage, happens from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. Each day, it focuses on one of the seven ideals of Kwanzaa and incorporates a spiritual element in the ceremonies. On Dec. 30 at New Pilgrim Baptist Church, the service recognized the greatness of African and Asiatic history and its impact on blacks in today’s society. Saturday was planned specifically for children’s activities and was a day of fun at the Tubman Museum. On the last day, a closing ceremony and interfaith service was held at the Stewart Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Forsyth Street.

NOTES FROM THE WRITER

After Hours is now entering a third year of chronicling activities in a broad arena around Middle Georgia. Every topic from sports to opera has been mentioned, and anything that is of interest to readers of The Telegraph is fair game for coverage.

If you know of a special performance or an event that should be part of the column, e-mail me. It is preferable that any topic that is part of After Hours be about an event that is open to the public. As thoroughly as I search for intriguing subjects, there are always some that fall under the radar and I appreciate a reminder.

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Even aliens would be intrigued."