The Hogansville House of Horrors offered up plenty of chills and thrills last Saturday night, and the ghouls will be back for more hauntings this weekend and next.

This is the first year that opening night for the haunted house was held immediately following the Hummingbird Festival, and it . . . → Read More: House of Horrors Opening Night a Success]]>

2010 House of Horrors

The Hogansville House of Horrors offered up plenty of chills and thrills last Saturday night, and the ghouls will be back for more hauntings this weekend and next.

This is the first year that opening night for the haunted house was held immediately following the Hummingbird Festival, and it was a big success, according to local merchant and volunteer coordinator B.J. Boyer.  Boyer’s cast of costumed volunteers helped make the old Royal Theater come alive.

Most attendees were families and adults.  Volunteers have been working for months on a new layout and new decorations, and parents are being warned to leave small children at home.  “It’s super scary,” said Boyer.  “The screams coming out of the torture chamber were especially spine-chilling.”

The event came to a halt at one point in the evening, when a group of boys got overly excited and destroyed some of the props.  The lights went up and the boys were ushered outside to Police Chief Moses Ector, while staple guns were deployed inside to repair downed walls.

A lot of work went into making the event a success, and “shenanigans will not be tolerated,” said Boyer.  “The police are readily available to us if anything gets out of hand.”

The haunted house will be held on October 23, 24, 29 and 30 at the Royal Theater on Main Street.  Hours are from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.  The event is sponsored by the Hogansville Downtown Development Authority, and there is an admission fee of $10 for adults and $5 for children.  Proceeds generated by the haunted house will help fund DDA projects in Hogansville.

Cast of Hogansville House of Horrors 2010

This year, Jackie Neighbors Villani and Nancy Daniel Pye . . . → Read More: Hogansville High and West End High Alumni Activities]]> Hogansville’s annual Hummingbird Festival is always a much-anticipated event, offering free entertainment, arts and crafts to tempt holiday shoppers, and a huge variety of Southern and international food.  It also coincides with the homecoming of many Hogansville High School and West End High School alumni.

This year, Jackie Neighbors Villani and Nancy Daniel Pye will have yearbooks and other items on display at Alumni Headquarters, located at 403 East Main Street next to Community Bank and Trust.  The building has been provided by John Hardy Jones and the banner on the building is sponsored by John McKibben and Son’s Funeral Home.

Saturday evening, Greenwave alumni will challenge Callaway High Cavaliers alumni rivals in a game of flag football at Hendrix Field.  Immediately after the game, the HHS Sports Hall of Fame class of 2010 will be inducted in a ceremony at Eugene Crocker Gym, next to the field.  Former coach Charles Jetmore will emcee the event to recognize former coach Mike Castronis as well as 23 former athletes.

Free parking will be available at several lots around town, and free parking shuttle buses will run between the Festival and parking lots at the Piggly Wiggly shopping center and Hogansville Elementary School during the Festival.

Beginning Saturday, October 17, over 200 vendors will set up their booths in the downtown area, offering a wide variety of arts and crafts.  Demonstrating artists will exhibit . . . → Read More: 2010 Hogansville Hummingbird Festival]]> Hogansville’s signature event, the annual Hummingbird Festival, is right around the corner.  Volunteers have been busy decorating the downtown area in preparation for the free event.

Beginning Saturday, October 17, over 200 vendors will set up their booths in the downtown area, offering a wide variety of arts and crafts.  Demonstrating artists will exhibit their creative processes.  Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions as well as to sell native plants and birdbaths.  A grassy area will feature children’s rides and activities.

A large food court will offer Southern favorites as well as international treats, sweets, and baked goods.

Entertainment stages adjacent to the food court will showcase a variety of musical talent, and Magic 98.1 will broadcast live from the festival on Saturday.  The Corbin Jackson band will provide the music this year for the popular Saturday night street dance from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Also at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday is the opening night of the annual Halloween House of Horrors, located behind City Hall in the old Royal Theater.

And, there’s still time to buy tickets for the Hummingbird Festival Dinner & Silent Auction.  The charity auction will take place at the Victoria Belle Mansion on Thursday, October 14.  Dinner this year will be catered by Chef Matt Preble of Professional Touch Catering and will include two salad options, three entrees, a selection of side dishes, and an assortment of desserts.  Music will be provided by Chad Goss of DJ’s Guitar Shoppe.

Festival organizers promise many new auction items this year, including framed art, pottery, unique one-of-a-kind handcrafted items, salon and spa gift baskets and gift certificates, restaurant gift certificates, wine basket, Hogansville Golf Club membership, Legacy Theatre tickets, and more.  Attendees will preview auction items at a reception before the dinner, and place bids throughout the evening.  A portion of the proceeds from the silent auction will benefit the Festival’s annually designated charity.  Tickets for the dinner are $65 per person and can be purchased in advance from many downtown businesses.  The reception starts at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 7:00 p.m.

Now in it’s 13^th year, the Hummingbird Festival is produced by the Hogansville Charitable Trust, a non-profit organization created for the purpose of renovating and preserving historic and municipal properties in and around the city.  Over $100,000 in proceeds from past Festivals have been donated to the City of Hogansville for city redevelopment projects.  Funds raised have been matched by federal and state grants, resulting in over $1.5 million in improvements, including new sidewalks and a walking trail near the historic water tower.

Tower Trail Ribbon Cutting 8-27-10

The Hogansville Charitable Trust, the non-profit organization that sponsors the city’s annual Hummingbird Festival, has selected a painting to represent this year’s Festival.

Hogansville resident Clint Robinson’s colorful painting of the old Royal Theater was unveiled at a recent Festival planning committee meeting.

“It’s fabulous,” said graphic artist and Festival volunteer Leah Leidner.  . . . → Read More: 2010 Hummingbird Festival Poster Art Selected]]>

The Hogansville Charitable Trust, the non-profit organization that sponsors the city’s annual Hummingbird Festival, has selected a painting to represent this year’s Festival.

Hogansville resident Clint Robinson’s colorful painting of the old Royal Theater was unveiled at a recent Festival planning committee meeting.

“It’s fabulous,” said graphic artist and Festival volunteer Leah Leidner.  “This is the Royal Theater as you’ve never seen it.”  Leidner designs the Festival’s annual poster and guidebook.

Each year, a new work of art is selected to adorn that year’s Festival poster.  The artwork is also used on the cover of the event guidebook and on tee shirts.

The Royal Theater was built in 1944 and was used as a movie theater for many years before it fell into disrepair.  The building was donated to the city and currently houses the offices of City Hall.

In his painting, Robinson transformed the theater’s stark white exterior into an explosion of color.  He took his inspiration in part from an Andy Warhol print he saw at the LaGrange Art Museum.

“I started playing around with different colors and took a gamble and ran with it,” said Robinson, who is also a professional pinstripe artist.  His pinstriping skills are evident in the Festival painting.

Pinstriping, the application of a very thin line of paint, became an art form in the 1950’s as a way to decorate and personalize hot rod vehicles.  Its popularity waned in 80’s but recently began making a comeback, said Robinson, who has pinstriped cars and motorcycles in addition to shirts, shoes, cell phones, helmets, picture frames, skateboards, and guitars.  His work can be seen online at clintjustinrobinson.com.

Robinson has been Callaway High School’s art teacher for the last four year, and one of his students there painted the art for last year’s Hummingbird Festival poster.

Robinson is currently illustrating a children’s book written by a Callaway High School counselor, and he is considering pursuing a Master of Art Education degree.

Final 12 . . . → Read More: Audience to Select Winner of West Georgia Idol Contest]]> The 16 finalists at last Saturday’s fifth round of competition in the West Georgia Idol contest had clearly heeded the advice of the judges from the previous four weeks.  In the final round this week, the audience will decide which of the 12 remaining contestants will be the grand prize winner.

Final 12 Contestants

Contestant Joseph Rainwater has a beautiful country sound, but he had been criticized in past weeks for not looking the part.  He pleased the judges and the crowd last week with his ten-gallon cowboy hat and boots, and he will be back for the final contest.

Joseph Rainwater

Brandon Boone has been coming to the contest each week from Five Points, Alabama.  He’s appreciated hearing both “the good and the bad” from the judges, said the 28 year old singer.  “They’re telling me the things I need to know,” he said, including advice on “filling up the stage” with his presence and showing that he is comfortable in front of an audience.  Although one judge praised his “really good, mellow voice,” he was not selected to return for the final round.

Brandon Boone

Anglea Price of Hogansville spent a week practicing the suggestions she’d received from the judges:  “working the mic” and making eye contact with the audience.  But she confessed some nervousness about being randomly chosen to be the first contestant of the day.  That might have been a factor in why she was one of four contestants who were not selected to go on to the final round.

Angela Price

“Judging has become harder and harder each week, because all the contestants are so talented,” said Vickie Brown, Chair of the Downtown Development Association, which is sponsoring the event.  Judges give points in five separate categories, and there have been several ties in the last couple of weeks, creating tough decisions for the judges.

Contestant Freddie Britt’s soulful gospel performances have been well received by the judges each week, and he will be back for the final contest.  He is “Marvin Gay waiting to happen,” said judge Charlie Smith, of the Smith Family Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Britt, 39, has been singing in church all his life.  Originally from Newnan, he now lives and works as a special education teacher in Decatur.  He sings a variety of musical genres at weddings and banquets, but said that singing gospel music defines who he is as a performer.

Freddit Britt

Audiences and judges alike look forward to hearing Lloyd Buchanan and his keyboard in the final round.  “You can slay a piano,” said one admiring judge after last week’s performance.  The 26 year old from Manchester grew up playing piano in church and he credits his mother, a voice teacher, as his greatest inspiration.  He now teaches piano and voice at his Columbus studio.  He said he is comfortable being an accompanist, having performed with Wet Willie and Hank Williams, Jr., among others, but he aspires to “move in the direction of being the front man.”  Judging from his Idol performances, he is well on his way.

Lloyd Buchanan

The final contest will be held on August 14, 2010, at 4:00 PM at Hogansville’s outdoor amphitheater.  The winner will receive the grand prizes of $1,000 in cash, studio time in a professional recording studio, and the opportunity to perform live at the Smith Family Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  “We’re building a balcony just for you,” judge Charlie Smith told the contestants last week.  He also encouraged the finalists to be entertainers and not merely singers.  “Singers have hits, but entertainers work forever,” he said.

The favorite West Georgia Idol entertainer will be chosen by audience participation.  “The audience has been great” so far, said Vickie Brown.  Family and friends of the contestants have come from all over the area.  “We’d like to see all of Hogansville turn out” for the final contest, she said.  “You don’t need to know any of the contestants to come out and have a great time.”