Bennie Wheels Johnny Cash Tribute to Take Place on November 16th at 7pm

Press Release

Release: Immediate
Contact: Tami Mayhugh
Date: October 28, 2019

RE: Historic Ritz Theatre Welcomes Bennie Wheels and Walkin the Line

Toccoa, GA – October 28, 2019 – It’s time to “Walk the Line” to the Historic Ritz Theatre on Saturday, November  16 at 7:00pm for an exciting musical tribute to The Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

Bennie Wheels, who has been described by Cash’s lead guitar player Bob Wooten as, “no doubt the best tribute to John I’ve ever seen,” is keeping alive the memory of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.  Wheels’s  “Walkin the Line” show, is the #1 and most authentic  live concert tribute to Johnny Cash.  A natural born entertainer and trained powerhouse vocalist, he awes Cash fans nationwide with his authentic representation of The Man in Black in his “Folsom Prison” era prime!

The Bennie Wheels and Walkin’ the Line concert is a Night at the Ritz performance which is generously sponsored through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Georgia Council for the Arts.  Tickets for all shows may be purchased online at www.ritztheatretoccoa.com, www.eventbrite.com, or at the Toccoa/Stephens County Welcome Center. Tickets can also be purchased at the box office night of show. Adults tickets are $10, children under 12 and students with an I.D. are $5. Doors open at 6:30.

 For more information on the Bennie Wheels and Walkin the Line performance or Night at the Ritz, please contact Ritz Theatre General Manager Tami Mayhugh at tmayhugh@cityoftoccoa.com or 706.244.0039.

October Open Mic Monday Winners Announced

Press Release

Release: Immediate

Contact: Tami Mayhugh 706-244-0039

Date: 10/25/2019

RE: Open Mic Monday

Winners of October Open Mic Monday

What do Big Spike Hammer and Swing Low Sweet Chariot have in common? They were just two of the songs the Farm Jam Youth All-Star Bluegrass Band performed on Monday night to win the October Open Mic Monday competition and secure a spot at the 2020 Ida Cox Summer Music Series.

The band of teens, with one exception, began playing together at Jaemor Farms just three years ago. The band includes brother and sister duo, Brady and Rachel May of Gainesville, GA on mandolin, Cape Guthrie of Flowery Branch, GA on banjo, Brandon Dover of Clarkesville, GA on guitar, Johnnie Vickers on banjo, and dad, Warren Vickers, both of Cleveland, GA, on bass.

Our next competition is set for Monday, November 18^th at 7:00pm at the Ritz Theatre. The musical category is Singer/Songwriter. Contestants are allowed to perform two songs of original material only. As always, the winner will receive $50 and a paid gig at the 2020 Ida Cox Summer Music Series. Contestants can sign-up online at ritztheatretoccoa.com or contact General Manager, Tami Mayhugh at 706-244-0039.

TMU Orchestra to Perform on November 14th, 2019

Press Release

Release: Immediate

Contact: Tami Mayhugh, 706.244.0039

Date: October 21, 2019

RE: Historic Ritz Hosts Truett-McConnell University String Orchestra Concert

Toccoa, GA – October 21, 2019

With a string orchestra that has almost doubled in size since their last performance at the Historic Ritz Theatre two years ago, the Truett-McConnell University orchestra is set to take the stage again on Thursday, November 14^th at 7:00pm for a Night at the Ritz performance.

This free performance, under the direction of Heather Strachan, will include works by Balmanges, Bloch, Hofedt, Vaughn Williams, and others.  Pianist Cathy Rogers will also join the ensemble for the final piece of the evening.  The thirty-five member orchestra is made up of TMU students and faculty, professional and semi-professional musicians, private instruction students, and community members.

Night at the Ritz, a regular event series at the Historic Ritz Theatre, is funded in part, by generous grants received from the Georgia Council for the Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information on this performance or other Night at the Ritz shows, please contact Ritz Theatre General Manager Tami Mayhugh at tmayhugh@cityoftoccoa.com or 706.244.0039.

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Reminder: Home & Business Essentials Seminar to Take Place on October 29th

Press Release

Release: Immediate
Contact: Sharon Crosby, 706.282.3309
Date: October 14, 2019

RE: Main Street Toccoa & USDA Partner for Home & Business Essentials Seminar

Toccoa, GA – October 14, 2019 – Main Street Toccoa and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are proud to partner together to present Home & Business Essentials at the Historic Ritz Theatre on October 29^th, beginning at 4pm.

Home & Business Essentials is a seminar focusing on such varied topics as starting a business, improving a business, getting a business loan, garnering a home loan, and even a discussion of federal programs that provide loans and grants for home repair. If you want to get ahead in life, this free seminar provides the perfect starting point.

Speakers featured will be from the USDA, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission (GMRC), the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), and more. Each speaker will provide a brief discussion of available programs.

This event is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Door prizes will be given out throughout the night. The event will last from 4pm to 6pm.

For more information, please contact Sharon Crosby at the Main Street Office at 706.282.3309 or Kathy Forster at the USDA at 770.267.1413 Ext. 114.

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October 2019's Open Mic Monday Brings Bluegrass to the Ritz!

Press Release

Release: Immediate

Contact: Tami Mayhugh 706.244.0039

Date: 10/14/2019

RE: Open Mic Monday

Bluegrass Competition Set for October Open Mic Monday

Toccoa, GA, October 14, 2019 – Get down your fiddle and get down your bow, it’s time for an Open Mic Monday Bluegrass competition on October 21^st at 7pm at the Historic Ritz Theatre.

A special guest joining our panel of judges for the competition will be local favorite and Bluegrass great, Edgar Loudermilk. Edgar’s latest release, Lonesome Riverboat Blues, is high on the charts of Bluegrass Today and Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s National Bluegrass Survey.

Any interested performers can sign up online at ritztheatretoccoa.com or at the theatre the night of the show before 6:30. Contestants can play two songs or for ten minutes. The night’s winner will receive $50 and a paid gig at the 2020 Ida Cox Summer Music Series.

The November 18^th competition will spotlight Singer/Songwriters with original compositions only. December 16^th brings the Battle of the Bands with January 20^th culminating in a showcase of the months’ winners.

For more info contact Tami Mayhugh, General Manager of the Ritz Theatre at tmayhugh@cityoftoccoa.com.

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Get Ahead in Life with the Home & Business Essentials Seminar on October 29th at 4pm.

Press Release

Release: Immediate
Contact: Sharon Crosby, 706.282.3309
Date: October 7, 2019

RE: Main Street Toccoa & USDA Partner for Home & Business Essentials Seminar

Toccoa, GA – October 14, 2019 – Main Street Toccoa and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are proud to partner together to present Home & Business Essentials, a free seminar focusing on a variety of different quality-of-life topics, all aimed at helping you get ahead in life.

On October 29, 2019, Main Street Toccoa and the USDA invite you out to the Historic Ritz Theatre beginning at 4pm to hear a selection of speakers discussing such topics as starting a business, obtaining a business loan, improving a business, applying for a home loan, or even attaining a home repair loan or grant.

Speakers featured will be from the USDA, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission (GMRC), the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), and more.

This event is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Door prizes will be given out throughout the night. The event will last from 4pm to 6pm.

For more information, please contact Sharon Crosby at the Main Street Office at 706.282.3309 or Kathy Forster at the USDA at 770.267.1413 Ext. 114.

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The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow to Thrill the Ritz!

Press Release

Release: Immediate

Contact: Tami Mayhugh, 706.244.0039

Date: October 7, 2019

RE: The Historic Ritz Theatre Welcomes The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow:  Live from WVL Radio Theatre

Toccoa, GA  October 7, 2019 – Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? Join us at the Historic Ritz Theatre on Thursday, October 24^th at 7:00pm and find out with a live “radio” production of “The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow and Other American Horror Stories.”

This 1940s “live broadcast” from the fictitious studio of WVL radio includes a creative retelling of the Lizzie Borden axe murders, Edgar Allan Poe’s  The Tell-Tale Heart, and a 1940’s re-imaging of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  The audience will not only get to experience the actors’ reactions but also learn how the actors create the sounds of wind howling, horses trotting, doors slamming, and the many noises that make the production come alive.

Four actors, live sound effects, and original music transport you back to 1946 when the imagination created horrors more vivid than any that might actually be lurking in your living room…or your radio station.

Night at the Ritz, a regular event series at the Historic Ritz Theatre, is funded in part by generous grants received from the Georgia Council for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fox Institute, and local sponsor TruVista.  Tickets for all shows may be purchased online at www.ritztheatretoccoa.com, at the Toccoa Welcome Center, or at the box office night of show. Adult tickets are $10, children under 12 and students with an ID are $5.  

For more information on the performance or Night at the Ritz, please contact Ritz Theatre General Manager Tami Mayhugh at tmayhugh@cityoftoccoa.com or via phone at 706.244.0039.

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October Open Mic Monday Features Bluegrass

Press Release

Release: Immediate

Contact: Tami Mayhugh 706.244.0039

Date: 10/1/2019

RE: Open Mic Monday

Bluegrass Competition Set for October Open Mic Monday

Toccoa, GA, October 1, 2019 – Get down your fiddle and get down your bow, it’s time for an Open Mic Monday Bluegrass competition on October 21^st at 7pm at the Historic Ritz Theatre.

A special guest joining our panel of judges for the competition will be local favorite and Bluegrass great, Edgar Loudermilk. Edgar’s latest release, Lonesome Riverboat Blues, is high on the charts of Bluegrass Today and Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s National Bluegrass Survey.

Any interested performers can sign up online at ritztheatretoccoa.com or at the theatre the night of the show before 6:30. Contestants can play two songs or for ten minutes. The night’s winner will receive $50 and a paid gig at the 2020 Ida Cox Summer Music Series.

The November 18^th competition will spotlight Singer/Songwriters with original compositions only. December 16^th brings the Battle of the Bands with January 20^th culminating in a showcase of the months’ winners.

For more info contact Tami Mayhugh, General Manager of the Ritz Theatre at tmayhugh@cityoftoccoa.com.

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