From the Editor - The LocaL

Springer Opera House Receives Grant from Georgia Council for the Arts

Posted on August 26, 2022September 2, 2024 by Editor - the Local

The Springer Opera House was awarded a grant by Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, as part of its initial disbursement of grants for fiscal year 2023. A total of 213 organizations were awarded 253 grants that provide more than $3.1 million in funding to arts organizations throughout the state. The Bridge Grant will provide operating support funding to 134 organizations, the Project Grant will…

The Joint Redemption: how one irresponsible publication embarrassed a respected local businessman

Posted on December 13, 2018September 2, 2024 by Tom Ingram

In the 70s, Ken Friedlander made a name for himself with his clothing store, Ken and Company. He was well-known, a man with a booming voice, the kind of man who never met a stranger. His son, Paul, remembers his father always smelling of Paul Sebastian cologne, and says, “you would hear and smell him before you saw him.” Ken would later go into real estate, where his personality and business acumen translated into a…

I floated for an hour and I liked it: my surprisingly relaxing and invigorating experience in a sensory deprivation tank

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Tom Ingram

I was nervous. I’m not typically claustrophobic. I get antsy toward the end of trans-Atlantic flights, but otherwise do well in enclosed spaces. A sensory deprivation tank, though, is very different from a crowded airplane. You’re alone, in total darkness. The water temperature is set so that within a few minutes, you no longer feel it against your skin. Suspended and in repose for an hour, you are left to yourself. I was nervous, but,…

Letter from the Editor, January 2018

Posted on January 5, 2018December 28, 2017 by Tom Ingram

Happy New Year! Most of us approach the New Year in celebration. Full of optimism, we adopt mantras, like ‘new year, new me.’ Looking back on our mistakes, failures and missed opportunities of the outgoing, we promise to enter the incoming year with eyes and arms open to whatever good is on our horizon. Sure, I have made mistakes this past year—foul-ups galore. But, as I cast my retrospective gaze on the past 365 days,…

Letter from the Editor, December 2017

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Tom Ingram

It isn’t that I’m biased because I work for a locally owned company. I work for a locally owned company because I know how much local business do for their communities. The math on this is simple. When you buy locally, more of your money stays in your community. When you buy locally, you encourage start-ups. Buying local combats inequality; the difference in income between employees of small business is less than the difference at…

Letter from the Editor, November 2017

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Tom Ingram

Some lessons stick with you. I remember one summer afternoon in the car with my father and brother. Maybe I was in the 7th grade. Columbus Park Crossing was still new, and I had convinced my father to take me to Barnes & Noble. I left with a few new books and that excitement I still get when I leave any bookstore with something fresh to read. I didn’t notice the three young men walking…

Voices of the Valley sings a song that touches all of our hearts

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Tom Ingram

Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus is fundraising for their July trip to England. Help these kids do great things abroad, especially because they do so many great things locally. On a recent evening, I visited Chipotle on Macon Road. The food is fine, but it’s certainly not one of my usual stops. I came because a friend told me about a local organization that was having a fundraiser. Half of my purchase would…

Letter from the Editor: Roundabouts

Posted on October 13, 2017June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

Yes, we still need to talk about roundabouts. Welcome to Fall, ya’ll! While we wait for some cooler weather, I want to invite you to do two things. First and always foremost, enjoy this month’s magazine and all the fun and fascinating events we are so proud to promote. Second, let’s talk about a subject well-known to anyone who keeps up with the goings-on in Columbus. Let’s talk about roundabouts. Traffic circle. Road circle….

Letter from the Editor, September 2017

Posted on September 3, 2017September 15, 2017 by Tom Ingram

I’m in school again, ya’ll, working on a master’s degree. A lot of people are back in school. Maybe you’re a teacher or a teacher’s spouse. Maybe you have school-aged children or adult children in college. If someone central to your life is in school, so are you. Even if you’re not in school, one way or the other, September always seems to bring with it an uptick in activity. Could be that the closing…

I’m really excited about this magazine

Posted on May 26, 2017May 26, 2017 by Tom Ingram

Here you’ll find our mission statement. That’s the heart and soul of what I’ll elaborate here. But elaborate I must. I’m really excited about this magazine. The mission statement says that this magazine exists “because we who work on it believe in actively engaging with community improvement.” And that’s true. But that isn’t the story. This magazine exists because a few people kept talking about how great it would be for a magazine like this…

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