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Savannah is in the "Championship Round" of Garden & Gun’s Best Southern Town Competition, having defeated Asheville, North Carolina, yesterday in online voting in the "Final Four."

The championship pits Savannah vs. Franklin, Tennessee.

Vote here. The fight ends Thursday.

"Each IP address can vote once per hour in this round," we're told!

Members of the public are invited to attend a design overview of Savannah’s new Cultural Arts Center during a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Cultural Affairs Department’s Black Box Theater, 9 W. Henry St.

Funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), the Cultural Arts Center will be located at Oglethorpe and Montgomery streets.

A model of the new center will be available for viewing.

The Telly Awards has named Savannah’s Cosmos Mariner Productions the winner of one Silver and four Bronze awards in the 35th Annual Telly Awards, featuring nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries.

The awards were:

· The Silver Telly (the highest level of Telly Award) in the category TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces—Documentary, was captured by “Isaiah Davenport: Portrait of a Master Builder,” a half-hour documentary Cosmos Mariner Productions created for the Isaiah Davenport House Museum. Nate Nauert was director of photography, video editor, and associate producer on this film.

· A Bronze Telly, in the category Non-Broadcast Productions—Education (for academic use) goes to “A Deadly Pestilence: Yellow Fever in Savannah,” another production for the Isaiah Davenport House Museum. Nate Nauert was director of photography, video editor, and associate producer on this film.

· A Bronze Telly, in the category Internet/Online Commercial—Not-for-profit, goes to “Capt. Matthew Freeman: The Mission Continues,” a short video created for the website of the Matthew Freeman Project: Pens and Paper for Peace.

· Two Bronze Tellys, in the categories TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces—Documentary and TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces—Copywriting, go to “Savannah in the Civil War,” a feature-length documentary produced in 2012.

• The silver Telly

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films.

“It’s a great honor for our work to be recognized by the prestigious Telly Awards," says Cosmos Mariner Productions President Michael Jordan. "Each of the productions honored represents just one example of the high-quality work we strive to produce for all of our clients, as well as the accurate and enjoyable historical documentaries for which we’re known in the community.”

Blessings In A Book Bag Inc. presents The 2nd Annual Healthy Body Healthy Minds Extravaganza March 29 from 12-3pm at the West Broad Street YMCA.

"This is a community wide event which is free and open to the public that will include: family friendly activities for all ages, local media specialist and talents, exhibits and activities provided by local organizations, businesses, the BIBB staff and board members," an organization spokesman says.

The mission for Healthy Body Healthy Minds is "to register as many people in the community for affordable health care and to raise consciousness amongst the inner city community on the importance of creating and maintaining a healthy life style."

The informational health fair and field day will include assistance in registering for affordable health care, free food, health screenings, line dance classes, Zumba lessons, Salsa lessons, a tug of war competition; an Uno tournament, prizes, live entertainment by Infallible Funk, natural hair seminars and a runway show by natural hair specialist Alia.

To get more information and to find out how to volunteer go to www.blessingsinabookbag.org

The Arts Ashore Legacy Fund of The Savannah Community Foundation, Inc. this year reached the $100,000 milestone in charitable distributions.

"Its annual gifts are in furtherance of Arts Ashore’s purpose to foster the legacy of synergistic relationships among Savannah’s cultural resources that arose from Arts Ashore’s sponsorship of the 100 day, 100 event Arts Ashore Festival that celebrated the 1996 Olympic Sailing Event in Savannah," an organization spokesperson says.

The AALF also announces the following grants for 2014:

1. to the Music Medicine Institute and Live Oak Public Libraries - $1,500.00 for their program, “Celebrating the Month of the Military Child!” ;

2. to West Broad Street YMCA, The Wesley Community Centers of Savannah, Inc., and Hands On Savannah of the United Way of the Coastal Empire - $1,500.00 for “The Beloved Community Quilt Project”;

3. to Horizons Savannah and Savannah Country Day School - $1,500.00 for the Horizons Summer Music Program; and

4. to Savannah State University and Savannah Black Heritage Festival - $500 for “Three Diverse Brother Turners” — a pottery exhibition by three African-American male potters.

AALF issues requests for proposals to local charities in the Fall of each year to be evaluated the following January. Supported projects must be related to arts and education and must be jointly submitted and carried out by two or more non-profit organizations and/or governmental entities in the Savannah area. The Arts Ashore grants annually total about $5,000.

City and Parade Committee officials will greet "the top Irish tourism official and celebrate Savannah’s participation in Ireland’s Global Greening initiative" during a news conference in front of City Hall on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, a City spokesman says.

The event with Leo Varadkar, Irish Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and Paul Gleeson, Consul General of Ireland, happens today, Sunday, March 16, 7:15 p.m. at Johnson Square. City Hall, whose dome will be lit green, will be the backdrop.

Mayor Edna Jackson, members of City Council, and members of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee will greet the dignitaries.

Savannah City Hall joins "more than 70 iconic sites from across the world that will be lit in green to mark St. Patrick’s Day. Tourism Ireland has been pushing the Global Greening initiative as way to unite people across the world who feel a connection with the island of Ireland," the City spokesman says.

Atlanta alt-country band Drivin' 'N' Cryin' is set to play a free concert in Johnson Square immediately following the St. Patrick's Day parade this Monday, according to the Savannah Downtown Neighborhood Association, which is promoting the event.

Historic Savannah Foundation has selected former Shuman Elementary School student Odysseus Dingle’s design as the official 2014 Savannah Preservation Festival poster.

Last May, Dingle was honored as the elementary school winner of the Pennies for Preservation Poster Contest while he was a fifth grade student at Shuman Elementary School under the direction of his art teacher, Adele Hughes. Dingle is currently attending Hubert Middle School.

“We encouraged students to submit creative, original posters with vibrant images celebrating our community’s strong sense of place,” said HSF president and CEO Daniel Carey. “We were impressed with the quality of the submissions and are delighted to share Odysseus’s image nationally as we promote the 2014 Savannah Preservation Festival.”

HSF is currently accepting submissions for the 2014 Pennies for Preservation Poster Contest. Submission rules and applications are also available by emailing Danielle Meunier at [email protected].

Midtown Miracle Community Garden has an immediate need for donations of ground fill and landscaping materials and volunteers to prepare the lot, and create the free garden boxes that will benefit Second Harvest's fresh lunch program currently serving 3,800 children daily.

The first drop off is all week and work party is this weekend: Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2, 9AM to noon
at the Midtown Miracle lot on Abercorn and E. 64th Street.

For the wish list or to RSVP for the Work Party contact on Facebook: Midtown Miracle Community Garden
E-Mail: [email protected] or call Carol Greenberg (912-352-1238).

The Georgia Day Parade, scheduled for Wednesday, February 12 has been postponed due to inclement weather. The parade has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19, at 10:30 a.m.

“With the forecast calling for 100 % chance of rain the decision to postpone had to be made in time to alert the 33 schools that are participating this year,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “Our first priority is always the welfare and safety of Georgia’s school children.”

The Parade will take place at the same time, 10:30 a.m., and follow the same route along Bull Street from Forsyth Park to City Hall on Wednesday, February 19.