because we love our town!!

My friend Russel Stall and Greenville Forward were drafted for a very important task for the future of Greenville and we need your help.

Greenville is at an important crossroads in its future. Building upon the successes which started with Vision 2005, we continue to build the excitement in Downtown Greenville and the entire Upstate.

Greenville Forward was created to help us realize the aggressive goals established in Greenville's Vision 2025. As a part of this effort, the City of Greenville asked Greenville Forward to study the role the City of Greenville must play in building a vibrant Downtown. To understand the pivotal issues, we are conducting a series of focus groups with Greenvillians who are most involved with the future of our community. These groups will deeply explore the key ideas, issues, and concerns our most involved residents have with the city.

This is where we need your help. I would like to meet you and a few of your peers for an honest, objective conversation about the future of Greenville, and what we can do as an engaged group of leaders to improve it. We are holding a series of focus groups to explore this at the following times. Please send me an email about which time you would like to attend so I can make appropriate room arrangements.

• Wednesday, May 10th
  
  5:30 to 7:00 Piedmont Natural Gas
  
• Monday, May 15th
  
  12:30 to 2:00 Greenville Forward
  
• 
  Monday, May 15th
  
  4:00 to 5:30 Piedmont Natural Gas
  

This is an opportunity to dream about our future and to have a dramatic impact what policies and programs will be developed in the community. Please call me when you have questions. This is an exciting time in the life of Greenville and we look forward to your participation.

Russell Stall

15 Reedy View Drive

Greenville, SC 29601

864.233.8443

864.430.0636 (m)

864.370.4778 (f)

because i've been working way too much!

Tonight (Thursday) is Gigi Dover and her band at The Handlebar around 8:30 ish. Gigi is a favorite of ours and should be one of yours. Come see her wail away on original and covers. She makes it to G-Vegas a couple of times a year. She is scheduled for the Reedy River Music series later this Spring also.


It should be a nice tonight so come to Downtown Alive at Piazza Bergamo after 5:30 before Gigi. Did you know they've been doing that for over 20 years! Wow! Come be a part of history and drink warm beer at Greenville's oldest Thursday afternoon party while you can still play on the grass!


Friday night is Hootie and the Blowfish at the Bi-Lo Center. Darius and the boys are back for the umpteenth year playing in, around and at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. If we ask nicely maybe they will play I Go Blind ;)


Did you know that Soby's now has Sunday Brunch! What could be better than that?? Check out the details at Soby's.


We hope everyone Got Out of The House and enjoyed Artisphere last weekend - it was wonderful. Three cheers for Mary, Henry and the whole team that is working to give us a great venue for creativeness and to put Greenville on the International art map.


Our friend Teri Pena has opened a gallery in the West End. Well less a Gallery than a window display. But coolness non-the-less. Teri is a fantastic painter, sculpter and general all around creative class poster girl. Check it out across from Latitude on Main Street.


Our old friend Anastasia, an artist specializing sculptures, has launched a new biz online selling mini-sculptures of her busts, butts and torsos. The catch is they are soap! Sounds a little goofy, but worth the looksee: Art by Anastasia.

Get Out of the House
because its a brand new year, baby!

• This Friday 1-20: Cigar Store Indians The worlds best party band. Ok, but at least the worlds best party band playing in Greenville on Friday night. CSI website or The Handlebar
• Now Showing in Clemson: "The Langston Hughes Project" until Feb. 10 at various locations around campus. What! You don't know who Langston Hughes is? Shame on you. research him.
  
  I was so sick last night I
  Didn't hardly know my mind.
  So sick last night I
  Didn't know my mind.
  I drunk some bad licker that
  Almost made me blind.
• Friday Feb 3rd. Wanda Sykes You know she is. The personal assistant in Monster-in-Law, on TV in 'Curb your Enthusiasm' and 'The Chris Rock Show'. Best known for her appearance in 'Pootie Tang' and as Bessie the Cow in the upcoming 'Barnyard' movie!? Seriously, a very funny woman - At the Peace Center
• Friday Feb 10th - 14th. What's Love Got To Do With IT? Chapter Two: an artistic exploration of sensuality at Vista Studios Gallery 80808 in Columbia. ROAD TRIP! My friend Anastasia is having her first show of sculpture along with 7 other artists including some performance artists. The fact that a "Mature Audience" is suggested should make most of you attend! www.Gallery80808VistaStudios.com
• Feb 28 - Mar 5th - Movin' Out - The ode to Billy Joel, with singing, dancing and cavorting straight from Broadway to Greenville's Peace Center
  
  Have you seen Hub-Bub in Spartanburg -> www.Hub-Bub.com. Coolness.

because the ice storm has you stir crazy...

Get Out of the House
because the ice storm has you stir crazy...

• Thursday 12-22: Doug Jones acoustic sets at Connolly's - come by and check out one of Greenville's own famous band frontmen.
• Thursday 12-29: Canine Conspiracy! The Blue Dogs and Jupiter Coyote together at The Handlebar. The Blue Dogs and Jupiter Coyote
• Ending 12-31: What Modern Looked Like:Diverse in its many styles, Modernism was the visualization of artistic rebellion in the early years of the 20th century. Drawn for the Museum's collection, this exhibition offers paintings, drawings, and prints by Modernist artists such as Alfred Maurer, Henry Lee McFee, Will Henry Stevens, Georgia O'Keefe, among others. Greenville Museum
• Friday 1-6: Danielle Howle w/ Jef Chandler, Chris Garrett & Kevin Hueir Columbia's own folk-rock singer-songwriter is often compared to k.d. lang, Joni Mitchell and Melissa Etheridge. Do a quick Google search on her name and you'll wonder why you don't know her yet. The Bohemian Cafe. Learn more about her at Danielle Howle website
• Friday 1-20: Cigar Store Indians Ok, if you haven't been to a CSI show you just haven't been living right. One of my all time favorite bands, they are rockabilly, country, rock, the total package. I like The New York Times quote "A Waffle House, cow-tippin' good time" - of course any cow farmers on the list shouldn't be offended by that, please. CSI website
• From the "I wish I'd thought of that" file: check out this website http://www.donorschoose.org/, where educators post their ideas/needs for funding and normal people (like us) can contribute cash to help. Check out the South Carolina section, browse the requests - some pretty interesting and innovative ideas from the front lines in education.

Please support your local artists, musicians, venues, bars and restaurants!

a request from Pat Victory...

GREENVILLE, SC

A controversy has developed over the naming of Greenville's minor league baseball team---

Quick Summary---
MLB turned down the team owners' first choice name: "The Greenville Joes" because of the obvious association with native son "Shoeless Joe Jackson" who was banned for life from baseball for his association with the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Shoeless Joe has also been denied entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the same reason. The team owners then went to their second choice name: "The Greenville Drive"---a name that has met with overwhelming disapproval (roughly 80% in polls).

A grass roots effort called "Hall Yes" has formed with the following goals:
1. Generate fan support of the effort to lift baseball's ban on Shoeless Joe and get him inducted into the Hall of Fame.
2. Draw attention to the effort and stand up to Major League Baseball by calling the team "The Greenville Joes" anyway---even though the "official" name is "The Drive".
3. Create a logo and merchandise in support of the effort with profits going to support the campaign, the Joe Jackson Museum and local Little League Baseball leagues.
4. With the ban lifted, clear the way for the team to be renamed "The Greenville Joes"---the first choice name of the fans and the original first choice of Team Management.


Hall Yes bumper stickers, created with the approval of the Shoeless Joe Jackson estate, are being printed now. (See jpeg below). The plan is to make them available through local merchants at a nominal cost. And online.

A website, HallYes.com, with the full story and an online petition is scheduled to go live the week of Dec 12.

On the website, there will be a link to the Greenville Joes store where fans can purchase a variety of team items to show their support of the effort.

Even though the "Hall Yes" website is still being finished, the merchandise section is already up and operating at the link provided below. More items will be added as time goes by. This email is being sent in advance because "Joes" items would make a great Christmas gift for people who wish to support the cause, for any baseball fan----and for anyone who can't stand the name "Drive".

If you know of others who might be interested, please forward this email to them. The whole effort is going to depend on grass roots support and people who are willing to spread the word and "talk it up". So, if you like the idea, consider forwarding this note to everyone on your email list. Because of the association with Shoeless Joe and MLB, this effort will probably get some national exposure, so don't be shy about forwarding to out of town friends.

Here's the link to "JoeStuff".

www.cafepress.com/gvljoes

from: Pat@TenthPlanetAdvertising.com

Greenville GOOTH???

Ok, obviously i'm not as creative as I thought I was, someone already had set up a Get Out of the House blog (getoutofthehouse.blogger.com).

I 'localized' and acronymed it.

But I really just needed a spot to post my newsletters, so this is it. Happy reading.

and oh yes...Get Out of the House - it's a big world out there.

-jeff

Get Out of the House

Get Out of the House!

Hey! Just a quick note to remind everyone about the Greenville Open Studios tour this weekend.

It happens on Saturday November 5 from 10 am until 6 pm and Sunday November 6 from noon until 6 pm.

Great art, great artists, cool studios, fun in the sun (we hope!). Come check it and buy local art!

Better information here: http://www.greenvillesouth.com/openstudios.html