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Nick Bowman Features Editor | 770-718-3426 | getout@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Lanier boat parade likely
canceled due to weather
photos by DAVID BARNES I The Times
Thomas Bond, dressed as Santa Claus, stands on his boat during the 2017 Lake Lanier Parade of Boats in Buford, on Saturday,
Dec. 9, 2017.
Rain, sleet, wind in the forecast for the weekend, early next week
Derek Bush celebrates after docking during the 2017 Lake Lanier Parade of Boats in Buford, on
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017.
BY NICK BOWMAN
nbowman@
gainesvilletimes.com
The weather is literally
raining on Lake Lanier’s
parade this weekend
and forcing organiz
ers to abbreviate their
annual Parade of Boats
on Saturday.
Wind, rain and sleet
in the forecast for Sat
urday, Sunday and Mon
day likely mean that the
parade will be canceled
and, at most, boats will
gather at a marina on the
south end of the lake.
“Obviously there’s a
major concern about the
weather and the boats,”
said Barkley Geib, an
organizer of the parade.
“I can safely say the
parade is not going to
happen.”
A captain’s meet
ing including the boats
involved in the Christ
mas parade — which
under normal circum
stances includes a long
train of boats decked in
Christmas lights trav
eling among the lake’s
marinas and islands — is
scheduled for Wednesday
evening.
At that meeting, organizers
will decide how far to go with
the event this weekend. About
60 boats were signed up to
participate this year.
“We had 60 last year, too,”
Geib said. “It would have
been bigger had it not been
for the weather.”
The Lake Lanier Parade of
Boats is a fundraiser for Toys
for Tots, Boys & Girls Clubs of
Lanier and Georgia Sheriffs
Youth Homes.
Catch a deal on Chick-fil-A, care of Santa Cow
BY ASTA CEESAY
aceesay@gainesvilletimes.com
Santa is coming to town
later this month, but he’s
sending his advance man this
week: Santa Cow.
The little ones will get the
chance to get their picture
taken this Saturday, Dec. 8, at
Chick-fil-A Gainesville west
on Dawsonville Highway. The
annual Breakfast with Santa
Cow will include the photos
and other festive activities
for kids and will last from
9-11 a.m.
“We’ll obviously have the
Santa Cow, a nice backdrop,
and ... there will be a profes
sional photographer there
that’ll be doing complimen
tary pictures,” said Renee
Ginn, the restaurant’s mar
keting manager. “We’ll also
have some fun crafts and
Breakfast with
Santa Cow
When: 9-11 a.m., Dec. 8
Where: Chick-fil-A
Gainesville west, 805
Dawsonville Highway
How much: Free
some giveaways for the kids.”
Don’t worry if you can’t
make this one, Chick-fil-A’s
Jesse Jewell Parkway loca
tion in New Holland will be
having a Breakfast with Santa
Cow the following Saturday,
Dec. 15.
Not a breakfast person?
You and your family can
catch dinner with Santa Cow
from 5-8 p.m. Monday, Dec.
10.
You’ll save a couple bucks
with their family night dinner
special: buy a combo meal
and get a kid’s meal free.
Mmnula
wrft j
mm
For The Times
Edgar Loudermilk
Jaemor farms
gearing up for
May music fest
BY AMBER TYNER
atyner@gainesvilletimes.com
Bluegrass music will be filling the barn at
Jaemor Farms for the next few months leading
up to a festival in May.
Edgar Loudermilk Music Productions is host
ing its third-annual Bluegrass Farm Jam Con
cert Series, which brings a show to the North
Hall farm once a month from November to
April.
“We try to have a good time,” Edgar Loud
ermilk, a professional bluegrass musician, said
about the concerts.
“We try to have
an entertaining
show.”
He said there is
a featured band at
each event as well
as a performance
by children who
play bluegrass
music.
“We’ve got a
youth program
that we’ve put
together,” he said.
“We have this pro
gram called the
Bluegrass Farm
Jam Youth All-
Stars, and I allow any youth in the area that’s
playing to have stage time. Any kid that plays
this music — plays a fiddle, plays a guitar, banjo
— can join up. We let them open each show.”
He said the first concert in November was
pretty popular.
“It went wonderful,” he said. “We had a good
turnout.”
The next event, which will be Dec. 7, will
include four or five youth performers as well
as a show by Loudermilk and his father, Bobby
Loudermilk.
“I’m doing a bluegrass and gospel duet show
with my dad,” he said. “He’s got a lot of folks
that follow him around here, so I’m looking for
ward to doing a show.”
There will also be an open jam session at the
end of the night.
“All these shows are followed by a jam with
all the people who come that are players,” Lou
dermilk said. “Everybody comes and jumps in
and joins in playing music. ”
He said guests can expect a “down-home
family atmosphere” and a lot of fun at the
concert.
“We try our best to make everybody have a
great time so they’ll come back,” he said. “We
have a lot of the same folks that have been com
ing for three or four years.”
He said the concert series ultimately leads up
to the Bluegrass Farm Jam Festival on May 18,
which also features the Youth All-Star Band and
a variety of professional performers, including
his own Edgar Loudermilk Band, featuring Jeff
Autry and The Little Roy and Lizzy Show.
“It’s a concert series as a teaser,” he said
about the events from November to April. “This
will be the fourth-annual festival. It’s a great
day of music. A lot of folks come out, and we all
have a great time. ”
Loudermilk, who is a native of Habersham
County, said the festival is his “vision for having
something here at home.”
“I’ve been playing professional music in dif
ferent bands for the last 20 years,” he said. “I’ve
been on the road, and I play festivals all over
the nation. It’s something that I enjoying see
ing. And I wanted to have one of those in North
Georgia. So that’s what we’re working on — is
trying to build up and have a youth program
and a wonderful festival.”
Bluegrass
Farm Jam
Concert
Series
When: 6-11 p.m. Dec.
7, Jan. 11, Feb. 8,
March 8 and April 12
Where: Jaemor
Farms, 5340
Cornelia Highway,
Alto
How much: $15 at
the door
More info: www.
bluegrassfarmjam.
com
‘Mamma Mia!’ coming to Gainesville High stage for the first time
Gainesville High School’s pro
duction of “Mamma Mia!” opens
Tuesday, Dec. 11, and tickets
remain available for each of the
three shows.
Performances begin at 7:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday. The box office on the
Gainesville High School campus
opens at 6:30 p.m. and doors to the
theater open at 7 p.m.
“We just have a wonderfully
diverse, very talented group of
young thespians — some who
have been with me since they
were doing the summer commu
nity theater through parks and
rec,” said Pam Ware, director of
theater at Gainesville High School.
The famous musical is newly
available to the high school,
Ware said, and the number of
ensemble pieces — the namesake
‘Mamma Mia!’
When: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 11-13
Where: Gainesville High
School, Pam Ware
Performing Arts Center, 830
Century Place, Gainesville
How much: $5-10
More info: ghstheatre2445@
gmail.com
song “Mamma Mia!” and “Honey
Honey” both give large groups of
high school singers the chance to
get on stage — and a few select
songs offer chances for the entire
cast to shine.
Tickets are $5 for students and
elders and $10 for general audi
ences. For more information
about the play and to inquire about
tickets, email ghstroupe2445@
gmail.com.
Times staff
The cast of
“Mamma Mia”
put on by
Gainesville High
School students,
from left John
Bush as Harry,
Bella Scarlett as
Tanya, Balthazar
Gradin as Sam,
Delaney Benson
as Donna, Kylee
Peacock as
Sophie, George-
Henry Ewers as
Sky, Grayson
Wagner as
Rosie, and Pete
Alexander as Bill.
Photo courtesy
JODI BENSON
For The Times