Georgia Singers Summer Festival Concert, which was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City, drew nearly 200 listeners on July 24th. Georgia Singers is a community choral organization, and has two choirs for young women. Bel Canto features young ladies in  grades 7 through 10, and Tour Choir, grades 10 through young adult.   The groups meet on Monday night at the First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City. Georgia Singers is directed by Dr. Franklin Green and accompanied by Rick Massengale.

Two years in the making, it contains an overview of the history of the county, along with many photographs, both old and new. Carolyn Cary, Official Historian for Fayette County, was chosen to write this part.

The solo female ensemble Zaphyra, based in the Southern Arc, will be holding auditions. All members perform solo and ensemble pieces in an array of different styles (classical, pop, Christian contemporary, musicals, etc.)

The bell has rung and thousands of local children are back in class, wishing they could be outside having fun. There is plenty of fun to be had after school hours though, for children and adults alike.

Echostage, the extremely active and popular Theatre Club at East Coweta High School, is acting out a life-or-death struggle, but this time the struggle is offstage and real, not onstage and scripted.

“Echostage” stands for East Coweta High On Stage. The club is entering its ninth year of existence. From a first year of fewer than 35 members, Echostage now averages over 130 members each year, easily the largest club at ECHS.

McIntosh High School Class of 1989 is having its 20 year class reunion on Saturday, October 3.  The reunion will be he

An evening of 1960’s pop classics awaits everyone going to see Gary Lewis & The Playboys this Saturday, Aug.1, at the Villages Amphitheater. Although most concertgoers will be familiar with all of the tunes, many people will be surprised to learn of his celebrity lineage. As the son of famous comedian Jerry Lewis, Gary rose to fame while still in his teens. It was the summer of 1964 when Gary Lewis & The Playboys were first discovered at an audition in Disneyland. Before long, they took their first single, “This Diamond Ring” straight to number one. After their second hit titled “Count Me In” went to number two, Lewis and the band proved that they weren’t just a flash in the pan. They followed with more Top 10 songs such as “Save Your Heart For Me,” “Everybody Loves A Clown,” “She’s Just My Style,” “Sure Gonna Miss Her,” and many more.

The Fred will be swingin’ August 7 as the Glenn Miller legend lives on through the big band tunes of the 30’s and 40’s. “The hardest thing in the world is to start an orchestra and the next hardest, to stop it.” That bit of wisdom was uttered by Hans Richter more than a century ago, but he might very well have been speaking about the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, which appears in Peachtree City at The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater.

Fayette Shrine Club is hosting its first Chili Cook-off to support Shriner Children’s Hospitals. The cook-off will be held on the grounds of Fayette Shrine Club located at 205 Ellis Road in Fayetteville.

Fans of musicals still have a chance to see three shows at local theaters this week.

The Legacy Theatre in Tyrone will close out "High School Musical 2," while Twilight Theatre completes their run of "Oliver" at "The Fred" next Friday and Saturday and Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn presents "Snoopy! The Musical," Thursday through Saturday.

“Oliver!” will be presented by the Twilight Theatre starting this weekend at the Frederick Brown Jr, Amphitheater Over 50 adults and children have been studying lines, learning music, building sets, and sewing costumes. Some of the participants decided to become involved with the play as a way to stay busy over the long summer months, some did it because they love acting or supporting community theater productions. But others chose to do “Oliver!” so they could spend time with their very own family members.

Music Schools International (MSI) is hosting a free concert, C.I.T.Y (Concert in the Yard). Come with your family and lounge chairs for a day of fun, food and entertainment. The event will take place outdoors on the school campus Sunday, August 2, 6-8 p.m. C.I.T.Y is a concert used to celebrate MSI’s first Annual Music Campaign. They welcome the community to join them.

Look at the calendar this morning and realize there are only two Mondays left before school starts again. Summer, according to the school calendar, is waning. If you want to get the most out of it, you should consider some of these local events to fill your schedule.

Charles Schulz’s beloved characters were already feted in the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which has been a staple of community and high school theater groups for years. Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn will present another show featuring the gang from Peanuts, although this one has more of a focus on Charlie Brown’s lovable beagle.

By Tony Peregoy

Its comic collision of lovers – both mortals and fairies – and its blend of rhymed poetry, prose and music, have kept “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” high on the list of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies.

The Lexus of South Atlanta Summer concert series continues with The Spinners performing on July 17 and 18 at “The Fred.” The legendary Motown and R&B group will take the stage each night at 9 p.m., with local group Shavaughn opening at 8 p.m.

The Spinners have always made timeless music. Their classic group sound and approach never loses its universal appeal. Throughout the years they have acquired twelve (12) gold records with hits on top of both Pop and R&B charts and they are one of the few groups who can boast of four lead singers.

The Peachtree City Parks and Recreation Department will be offering an art camp for children 7- 12 years of age the week of July 20-24.

What’s your cup of tea? Theater, comedy, R&B, country, classical music? There is a lot going on in the area this week, so there is absolutely no reason you should be bored, sitting in front of the t.v. watching re-runs.

The 1st Annual Spaghetti Throwdown & Ice Tea Challenge will be hosted by Senoia Area Historical Society on Saturday, July 25, 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m. Four great Senoia chegs will be in charge and are Brett Divido, David Moye, Gary Gruby and Keith Skantz. There will be a variety of sauce receipes to choose. The event will be held at the Hutchinson/Gruby home in the historic district at 365 Seavy Street in Senoia. Children's plates are $1.00 & adults $2.00.

The rule for sequels is to be bigger than the original. The musical numbers have to be larger, with more dancers performing difficult moves while singing songs that show off more range. All of this must be done while continuing to present the beloved characters in a tale that is still interesting and feels true to the overall story. The cast of Legacy Theatre’s production all agree that “High School Musical 2” is a big show and choreographer Bethany Hayes Smith feels that the cast and crew have accomplished their mission.

It will be a special night in Fayetteville this Saturday when Randy Travis brings his big stage show to the Villages Amphitheater.

Few careers have produced as many country classics as Randy Travis. His heartfelt vocals are the envy of his industry. George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson are just a few of the legendary vocalists who have sung with Randy Travis. To date, he has sold more than 21 million records and is one of the ten top-selling solo country artists of all time.

Nick St. Nicholas’ music career began in Toronto when he first formed a band called the Mynah Birds, a group of unknowns that would begin the careers of the king of funk, Rick James, and Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. One year later he would assemble another band called The Sparrow. Using an unknown lead singer, John Kay, as their front man, and little money in their pockets, Nick drove the band from Toronto to the Sunset Strip in search of a record deal. Once in Hollywood, the Sparrow would soon change their name to Steppenwolf and a film that would become an instant classic, “Easy Rider,” would launch their biker anthem, “Born To Be Wild” into rock and roll history. Nick toured and recorded on many of their gold and platinum albums including “Early Steppenwolf”, “Steppenwolf Live”; “At Your Birthday Party”; and “Monster.” Some years later, he began his quest to form another band that would appeal to an entire generation. But this time it would not be a group of unknowns, he would instead seek to combine the talents of several of the most prominent musicians, singers and songwriters whose work represented a number of smash, popular chart-topping hits from the greatest bands in the world. The end result of his efforts is the formation of the World Classic Rockers, who are entering their second decade of outstanding performances and along the way have become the ultimate classic rock all-star band.

This is no ordinary summer camp! The Camp Action Project is highly motivated toward providing at-risk youth in our community the opportunity to participate in a safe and fun environment for a 5-day experience, totally free of charge!

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The last time “Ice Age” was on the big screen, I didn’t like it. This time I was greatly impressed. Thanks to Sid, our heroes are off on another big adventure. Compared to “The Meltdown,” this film has more adult humor in it then kid humor. Jokes go from bodily humor to movie references and many times the adults in my screening laughed out loud.

Mark Twain's beloved 1876 novel, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," is about a young boy growing up in the antebellum south on the Mississippi river. The play version will be on the main stage this September at the Newnan Community Theatre Company.

Offshoot Productions, in conjunction with the Tyrone Recreation Department, will offer The Cinderella Chronicles drama camp for ages 7 to 15.  The partially scripted, partially improvised play, which depicts the discovery of Cinderella’s diary by two modern-day children, is the culmination of a week of drama instruction at the Roger Spencer Community Center, beginning July 20 and ending July 24.

The annual Peachtree City Fourth of July Parade begins at 9 a.m. and proceeds up Peachtree Parkway. The fire department expo returns this year. The event will take place at Drake Field from 2-4 p.m. The gathering at City Hall Plaza will start at 5 p.m. and he fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

"Stay-Cationers” who will stay close to home this Independence Day holiday will have a fun and affordable event for the whole family, right here in their back yard at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater.

Fun at the Fred takes on a new meaning July 3rd as area residents can help celebrate Peachtree City's 50th Anniversary with music of the City’s formative years at the "50's Family Sock Hop and Great American Rock 'n Roll Revival!" This 50th Anniversary event is being sponsored by the Delta Community Credit Union.

More Fun, Fun, Fun with the Beach Boys!

“Surf’s Up” at the Fred when the Beach Boys hit the stage on June 26 & 27 at the Fred in Peachtree City. What better way to spend a hot summer night than grooving to all of the beach tunes you know so well?

The Beach Boys first rode the waves of success in 1961 with their regional debut hit ‘Surfin.” By 1966 they had emerged as one of America’s top pop groups by releasing eleven top-10 singles in five years. They were made popular with hits like “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” “Help me Rhonda,” “California Girls” and “Good Vibrations.”

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Eddie Murphy has made some very badly reviewed films in the past few years (I.E. Norbit, Meet Dave). Nickelodeon Movies’ last film, Hotel for Dogs, was very stupid. But now both NM and Eddie Murphy are getting their act together as they bring us Imagine That, a peculiar and surprisingly funny story with no bathroom jokes, just clean family humor.