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The 113-year-old Mills B. Lane House, located at 26 E. Gaston Street in Savannah, was sold to its fourth owner in mid-January for $4 million, according to the realtor who brokered the deal.

Originally built for Georgia banking magnate Mills B. Lane in 1908, this grand six-bedroom home overlooking Savannah’s Forsyth Park is considered as an architectural masterpiece, featuring commanding Ionic columns, a stately brick facade, graceful Swan’s neck pediment and hand-crafted wrought iron fencing.

“The Mills B. Lane House perfectly blends classic Savannah style and historic Southern charm, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy one of the city’s most exceptional historic homes,” said Staci Donegan with Seabolt Real Estate. “I’m delighted to welcome the new homeowners to the National Historic Landmark District and honored to represent the sellers, who beautifully maintained this iconic historic home for future generations to enjoy.”

The 14,500 square-foot property, which is comprised of a main house, carriage house with pool cabana, features renovated interiors with period details, high ceilings, parquet floors, and hand-painted panels by Bob Christian.

A finalist in this summer’s HGTV Ultimate House Hunt 2020, the Mills B. Lane House was prominently showcased in the “Homes with a History” category as one of the nation’s most incredible listings. The home was also featured in the film “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”

The Savannah Fire Department is one of 250 firefighting forces nationwide selected to participate in a pilot program to build a digital community risk assessment tool, which could help pinpoint where fires and accidents are probable to occur, according to a Savannah Fire spokesperson.

The National Fire Protection Association chose Savannah Fire to take part in the second phase of developing the high-tech risk assessment tool, called a “dashboard” that works to help fire departments aggregate and disseminate data that identifies where blazes and other emergencies are most likely to transpire.

According to the agency’s Jan. 22 announcement, Savannah Fire will be given free access to the dashboard prototype that includes customized maps, charts, and graphs that illustrate community risks. Hazards are identified in varied categories such as demographics, geography, building stock, infrastructure, and event-loss history.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Savannah Fire to help with the development of an important risk reduction tool, and at the same time, gain insight into the areas of greatest need in our community,” stated Savannah Fire Department Research and Planning Chief Jack McCutchen, Jr.

According to National Fire Protection Association officials, the dashboard will also provide an overview of local capacity for risk-reduction activities with information about public-safety response agencies and community-service organizations, giving Savannah Fire an advantage in planning future strategies.

“Access to accurate data will allow [community risk reduction] leaders to use insights and make informed decisions about where to focus efforts and resources,” stated Karen Berard-Reed, a National Fire Protection Association strategist. “Participation in this project allows each fire department to provide important feedback that will be used to improve future versions of the dashboard.”

Participating in this program also provides local firefighters a chance to network with other agencies selected by the National Fire Protection Association for this dashboard trial, according to the Savannah Fire announcement.

Americans love sports bars with generic fried food, pool tables, a thousand televisions, and lukewarm beer − they’re a dime a dozen around any drinking town. For the longest time, the sports bars of Savannah have been limited to a few local watering holes that have character but are not overwhelmingly different from the million other sports bars found from coast to coast.

Bar Food Sports is flipping that normalcy on its head by offering central Savannah its only gastro-centric tavern with all of the aspects of a classy sports bar, but with an elephant-sized culinary elevation. The new endeavor of the Bar Food family allows patrons to enjoy a frosty brew while sitting behind a beehive of screens but while savoring a much higher level of culinary genius.

General Manager Samantha Igoe explained, “Since I have been working with Bar Food, Paula and Johnny have always talked about wanting a sports bar in Habersham Village. Next door opened up, so it felt like the perfect opportunity.”

If you recall, it was only last year that Bar Food sat next to a popular pizza spot, but with the pandemic forcing the pizzeria to close its doors, Bar Food was allowed to grow.

The new Bar Food Sports not only sits next door to Bar Food, but shares an entryway making either side easily accessible to guests. Bar Food Sports meets a niche for bar patrons that want fervent fans, a plethora of big-screen televisions, and food to eat with your hands.

Bar Food has always been known as the cool and happening location for a large selection of wines, craft cocktails, and craft food. Coffee Deli, Bar Food’s sister eatery, hits the craft coffee and deli-sandwich demand. Bar Food Sports is the newest sibling of the restaurant group, and will work to provide something new to the family’s repertoire.

“Bar Food Sports will share the same menu, however, it will provide a totally different atmosphere. With 15 TVs, a pool table, two dartboards, and several beers on tap, we plan to be THE sports bar in the area,” says Igoe. The hot new venue is filling a large gap in the Habersham market, and is now the standout place to go for sports and ice-cold beverages for anyone in Lamara Heights and surrounding neighborhoods.

The menu is what will make the posh pub a star. Chef Davis allows patrons to transcend the usual sports-bar fare from boring plain cheeseburgers and stale nachos to daring epicurean delights. You can still get classic game-day favorites like hot dogs, but do not expect to receive a flavorless boiled weenie in a stale bun. His version, the Smoked Sausage Dog, is a truly swank frank.

According to Igoe, “The new menu offers familiar sports-bar items, but with extensive authenticity and unique recipes. Chef Davis has taken normal things that you may see on a typical sports-bar menu and really made them his own. You can see this from our house burger grind on homemade brioche bun, to our homemade tater tots. We have also included several homemade vegetarian options.”

I am not a vegetarian, but the Veggie Burger sounded too good to resist. Like almost everything on the menu, Chef Davis hand shapes fresh vegetables into a hearty patty. The seared meatless burger is served with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a sweet brioche bun. The ending embellishment is a special house sauce that I ended up ordering extra to accompany my side. Although the airy hand-breaded onion rings do not need anything to help the flavor, an occasional dunk in the creamy aioli doesn’t hurt.

Any good sports bar hails hot wings to eat as an accompaniment to an ice-cold beer. The wings at Bar Food Sports are no exception, except that they have ramped up the quality of available sauces for drowning the crispy chicken. Sweet and umami-filled Honey Miso, deep and dark Bourbon Caramel, and punchy Garlic Parmesan are several of the succulent sauces mixed up in the kitchen.

The handmade tater tots were a standout. Golden brown and extra crispy on the outside, and pillow soft in the middle. Order them as the side for a meal or as Totchos smothered in cheese, chili, bacon, onions, and jalapeños. Most unique is the Steak and Tots, Bar Food’s play on steak frites. A tender hand-cut steak is served aside the homemade tots and a side salad for a little greenery.

The menu is well-rounded and takers eaters around a world of gastropub hits. For a healthy-ish yet flavorful meal, go for the Chopped Thai Salad, which is nearly too pretty to eat. Expect vibrant crisp vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, and cabbage. Your palate gets a kick from the fresh mint and cilantro, and is coated with a nutty finish from the made-from-scratch peanut vinaigrette. Keeping in the same Eastern vein, the menu has Dumplings and Tempura Fried Veggies as well.

Even before they officially opened the doors, Bar Food Sports packed the house for several weekends, and specialty events are expected to continue regularly, as Igoe explained.

“Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 4-7. $5 wells, $5 house wine, $3 domestics, $12 pitchers of Miller Lite and XX. As we get past the initial grand-opening stage, we will create daily drinks specials,” Igoe said. What’s more, Thursdays are for trivia between 8-10pm, while Sundays feature brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m with Mimosa Towers, Bloody Marys, and biscuits.

Bar Food Sports: 4521 Habersham Street, Savannah. Visit savannahbarfood.com for details, and check out epicuropedia.com for more by Lindy Moody.

With stages remaining silent due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, catching any sort of live music is like kneeling at the altar of a mutual enthusiasm for normality. However, to classify The Orange Constant as “any sort of live music” is an injustice to this regional group that has become one of the best live-performance bands in the Southeast.

Read that again: the best. So, when they return to Savannah and plug in at Barrelhouse South on Saturday, Jan. 23, it would absolutely be a missed opportunity to sit out this show.

“Savannah is one of the few places we can actually play right now, and the band has been playing at Barrelhouse for longer than I’ve been in it,” said keys player Chris Freiberg, who joined the band in 2016.

The five-piece ensemble, which began in Statesboro and later relocated to Athens, started in 2012 with guitarists Andrew Brantley and Nickalous Benson. Over time they were joined by Freiberg, bassist Tyler Walker, and drummer Sam Groveman. Together they play an intriguing combination of Southern rock, funk, and prog that inspires ambient qualities of vintage and experimental sounds.

The atmosphere of their live shows can often feel like a late-night jam session, depending on the receptivity of such auditory revelations by the audience, which Frieberg contends is very deliberate. While improvised fills have allowed the band to don the jam-band crown, their most recent time in the studio was spent playing technically precise and artfully designed instrumentals that are now the signature of what has evolved into The Orange Constant sound.

“Savannah is one of the few places we can actually play right now, and the band has been playing at Barrelhouse for longer than I’ve been in it.”

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The troupe released their third studio album, Peel, this past May, returning to the producer of their first album, Time to Go, Grammy-nominated legend John Keane. Keane, who has worked with globally successful bands such as R.E.M. and Widespread Panic, played a big role in the influence of the album’s mechanics of full-bodied, repetitive riffs and fine-spun harmonies.

“Our last album [Point of Reference], we worked with producer Drew Vandenberg, and he had a lot of influence in our sound,” recalled Freiberg. “He had this indie, experimental style and played a lot with tone. With Keane, it was more from a polished and technical approach. It was less about the natural take and more about precision.”

There’s a natural evolution from Time to Go to Peel, but considerable differences in tone and texture can be heard between the band’s second and third album, which has three years between them.

“You can hear the difference projected in both albums,” Freiberg adds.

While the new album has received commentary that described the band’s nine new tunes as being contextually darker and heavier, many will contend that the music remains upbeat and lighthearted in nature. This alone posed some challenges amid a COVID-stricken release that could feel tangibly disconnected.

“That was part of the problem when the pandemic hit,” explained Freiberg. “But we didn’t have the vision to put out a politically current album."

Peel was pushed back a few times from being released, but when it finally took flight, it landed just right. Synth sounds of the ’90s, a familiar and codependent sound of psychedelic-tones-meet-funk-rock rhythms, and, surprisingly, tinges of contemporary blues all take listeners on a blissful journey that is more than welcome during an uncertain and dreary time. A time, in fact, that the band is weathering rather well, considering.

“We know other bands in our scene who might not come back from this,” said Freiberg.

Thankfully though, for music lovers, it looks like The Orange Constant will remain a constant fix for quite some time to come.

The Orange Constant concert: Saturday, Jan. 23, doors open at 9 p.m.; Barrelhouse South, 125 W. Congress St., Savannah – visit theorangeconstant.com to learn more.

HunterMaclean, a business law firm with offices in Savannah and St. Simons Island, is pleased to announce that Christopher H. “Smitty” Smith was recently made a member of the Conference of Freight Counsel. The Conference of Freight Counsel is an association of attorneys in private and in-house practice in the United States, Mexico, and Canada representing motor, rail, ocean, and air freight carriers, brokers, and forwarders in cargo claim and freight charge disputes.

Smitty focuses his mediation practice on complex business disputes, construction law, and catastrophic personal injury. As a partner with HunterMaclean, Smitty serves as the leader of the firm’s Logistics Group. He has tried numerous cases across the country and was nominated to the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2012. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© and has been named one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite as well as a top attorney by Savannah Magazine. He is a graduate of both Leadership Savannah and the State Bar of Georgia’s Leadership Academy. With twenty years of litigation experience, Smitty has participated in more than one hundred mediations and has been a registered neutral with the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution since 2012.

Smitty received a B.S. in Kinesiology from the College of William and Mary and earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.

When a building is under construction or renovation, this usually means that neighborhood residents are forced to look at drab fencing surrounding the site for months on end.

However, when Savannah community booster Clinton Edminster recently looked at construction-site fences around his beloved Starland District, he saw something else entirely – an opportunity to simultaneously beautify the neighborhood and showcase local artists.

Thus was born The Fence Art Project, an initiative to drape construction barriers with hand-painted canvas murals created by a variety of Savannah-area visionaries, including local children. Now 11 oversized paintings grace multiple building sites around the district in a project organized by Edminster’s Starlandia Foundation, which also produced the popular Starland Mural Project in 2019.

“I was definitely inspired by the amount of construction going on in the neighborhood, and wanted to draw attention to it in a positive way,” Edminster said while hanging up murals in Starland Village on Jan. 6. “As the world gets a little darker this winter, we hope to bring some color and hope to the neighborhood.”

The Fence Art Project was conceived as a pandemic-safe way to create something of an alfresco gallery show for local artists Amiri Farris, John Grund, Xavier Hutchins, Nae’Keisha Jones, Brian MacGregor, Tyriq Maxwell, José Ray, Dana Richardson, and Jon Witzky, all of whom produced the murals separately at their individual studios on six-by-nine-foot canvases.

Once completed, Edminister collected the murals and weatherproofed them with clear sealant before installing them on construction fences surrounding The Matadora apartments being built at 1512 Bull Street, the Starland Village at the corner of Bull and 38th Street, and at the new Savannah Economic Development Authority offices under development at the intersection of Drayton Street and E. Bolton Street.

After hanging the murals in early January, Edminster said that feedback from area residents on The Fence Art Project has been overwhelmingly supportive.

“It’s been really very positive, and how could it not? We’re adding a lot of color and introducing the community to a lot of artists,” Edminster said, adding that this was the first time that some of the contributors were commissioned to paint a mural. “Giving them the opportunity to do that can make them more confident in what they’re doing.”

One of the first-time mural painters was Nae’Keisha Jones, who created a playful image of three kids enjoying their imagination to the fullest by reigning over their own fanciful storyland based on features of the Savannah community, building on her previous work of writing and illustrating children’s books.

“I wanted them to be in a place where they could build and be part of a community,” Jones said of her mural’s youthful stars, adding that it was intriguing for her to paint an artwork without knowing specifically where it would be displayed. “It’ll be a good piece regardless of the location. Even if it was in a random alley or something, it’ll bring light.”

Children were also direct contributors to The Fence Art Project, as two murals were completed as collaborative efforts by kids participating in Loop It Up Savannah, a nonprofit community program providing art classes and activities for local youths and adults.

Investment for The Fence Art Project was provided by the City of Savannah’s Weave-A-Dream program, while sponsors included the Foram Group, The Matadora developed by My Nice Apartments, and the Savannah Economic Development Authority, as well as Starland Yard and Edminster’s Starlandia Supply store.

The murals are expected to remain on display at their various Starland locations until at least March, and afterwards Edminster would like to offer them for permanent display on blank walls of Savannah-area public-service institutions that could use a little brightening up. He is also interested in organizing another round of The Fence Art Project for future construction sites that will inevitably pop up again soon in Savannah.

“I’d like to keep this going with different artists on different construction projects,” Edminister said.

Over the last 12 years, Mountainfilm has steadily ascended to become one of Savannah’s most popular film festivals, showcasing stories about adventure and outdoors, environmental protection, culture and diversity, and social-justice issues.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colorado-based touring film festival is happening entirely virtually this year. This means the annual local Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah event will also be virtual.

However, organizers say they’ve striven to make Savannah’s 2021 event a high point of the film-festival series. This year’s attractions include a virtual screening of the feature Public Trust, multiple documentary shorts, a special family program, a Q&A with Savannah leaders, and more. The events begin on Friday, Jan. 22 at noon and continue through noon on Monday, Jan. 25.

“We welcome everyone to enjoy a curated selection of incredible films that inspire all of us to create a better world,” said Leslie Carey, director of Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah. “The 2021 Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah virtual playlist offers exactly what we need to get through this challenging time: hope, inspiration, purpose, laughter, and a sense of community.”

This year’s main feature documentary is Public Trust, directed by David Garrett Byars and produced by Jeremy Hunter Rubingh. The film explores public lands in the United States, breaking down the complex topic with a long history into something compelling, easy to understand, and visually stunning.

Public Trust explains that U.S. public lands are an idiosyncratic American experiment that welcome all to its 640 million acres. However, U.S. public lands are under threat, with bills written every year to sell the lands off.

“We’ve chosen to preserve and protect these lands, and other places don’t do that,” Carey said. “We’re at this critical point now where we really have to fight to save them from politicians and oil and gas interests. We have these same issues all around the country.”

The film follows acclaimed outdoors journalist Hal Herring, who has covered the issue for 20 years and says public lands are truly special.

“It’s one of the last things that we share in common amongst all of us,” Herring said.

Herring says Public Trust encourages people to get outdoors and leaves viewers with “a new kind of patriotism.” He says the public-lands system is something to be proud of.

“I hope that we can start appreciating the visions of our forefathers, you know? And understanding what it is that we have and enjoying it more,” Herring said, while encouraging Savannah residents to visit regional wildlife refuges. “If you live in Georgia, go to the Okefenokee.”

Overall, Herring says Public Trust is a must-see that leaves the audience feeling ready to explore and take pride in the pristine lands in our own backyards.

“I just think the movie kind of brings home what we have, and the fact that if you’re not willing to stand up and speak for it and fight for it, you probably won’t be able to keep something this valuable,” Herring said.

A Q&A session with Savannah-area environmental experts follows the feature film screening. The discussion will include issues impacting Georgia’s beaches, barrier islands, and swamps, with speakers including Tybee Island Marine Science Foundation President Cathy Sakas, Ogeechee Riverkeeper Executive Director Damon Mullis, and Director of the Georgia Office of the Southern Environmental Law Center Gil Rogers.

There will also be an online auction benefiting Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah’s “Movies that Matter” education program. Each year, students from local schools get to screen selected Mountainfilm documentaries at Savannah’s Trustees Theater. Carey says that this year, “Movies that Matter” is also going virtual.

Carey says an estimated 8,000 local students will participate, breaking an all-time record. She says she’s hopeful that with the virtual format, more people than ever will be reached by Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah.

“Thanks to Mountainfilm’s vision and leadership, our 2021 lineup covers a broad range of topics, from polar exploration, ultra-running and slacklining to black bears, honeybees and chess,” said Carey. “We can’t wait to share this thoughtful selection of films with audiences across the Savannah area and beyond.”

Mountainfilm on Tour − Savannah is happening virtually during Jan. 22-25. Tickets for the Public Trust and Adventure Shorts program are $20 per person and $35 per family. Tickets for the Family Program are $10 per person and $15 per family. Visit mountainfilmsav.org for more details.

During the Jan. 20 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., Vice-President Kamala Harris – the first woman, first African American, and first person of South Asian descent to fill the second-in-command Executive Branch role – was wearing purple attire designed by Christopher John Rogers, a 2016 BFA graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

According to Harper’s BAZAAR, Vice-President Harris chose to be sworn in while wearing the elegant outfit by Rogers accessorized with pearls by Puerto Rican-American designer Wilfredo Rosado. Rogers, a 27-year-old Black and queer fashion designer, is the 2020 Council of Fashion Designers of America winner of the American Emerging Designer of the Year award.

“This morning, Vice President Kamala Harris – the embodiment of historical firsts – strode proudly onto the world stage as a modern superwoman. Her regal Inauguration Day ensemble was created by SCAD alumnus and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund-winner Christopher John Rogers,” stated SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “Congratulations, Vice President Harris! Bravo, Christopher!”

According to Wallace, Rogers has also designed attire for Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga, all three of whom were in attendance at the Jan. 20 inauguration.

Rogers launched the CJR brand with his SCAD senior thesis collection and a close cohort of friends from the class of 2016, according to his Instagram page. He credits the many Sundays spent attending Baptist church as a driving inspiration for his interest in monochromatically coordinated ensembles, such as the one worn by Harris on Inauguration Day.

If you have ever enjoyed a heavy-metal show in Savannah, you likely have Tim Walls to thank for it. The promoter and now producer can easily be credited for creating the local heavy-metal scene, in no small part due to his popular AURA Fest that rose from the embers of grunge and heavy rock in 2000. Since then, he has held more than ten festivals in three cities.

Now in 2021, with a global pandemic to spar with and most of Savannah locked away in their houses instead of attending concerts and live shows, Walls has taken the re-envisioned festival to the web, where on Saturday, Jan. 23, AURA Fest: Home Invasion will safely bring seven of the best metal and hardcore bands in the Southeast right to your preferred streaming device. It’s the true definition of a captive audience.

“I was close to not doing anything, but as live music stopped, I really wanted to do something positive,” explained Walls. “I wanted to give local bands a platform.”

Walls contends that it’s difficult to emulate the live festival experience via a series of pre-filmed concerts, but he and his production crew − video director/editor Jeremiah Stuard, Hidden Audio Studios recording engineer Chris “Scary” Adams, sound producer John Edwards, behind-the-scenes videographer Jim Reed, and photographer Valentin Sivyakov − pulled it off near-flawlessly.

“Doing festivals is crazy because there is a lot of coordinating and logistical planning, so you have to have a good team that you trust, and I had that,” said Walls.

Once Walls decided to adapt rather than surrender, he designed a streamed experience that accounted for necessary safety measures and protocols, social distancing and controlled capacities for the bands and crew at Southbound Brewing Company.

All filmed in just one day, Walls and his ancillaries did everything imaginable to maintain an immersive experience. Multiple cameras show different vantage points, while live audio, a moving first-person-view type of camera, live photography, and even real-time stage management were deployed so that the shows felt anything but static.

“It wasn’t easy,” recalls Stuard. “It was intense because you have one chance to get this thing captured, because we filmed everything live in one take.”

One thing that Stuard and others found that can’t be replaced is the energy that a crowd brings to a live show.

“The band stops playing and there is just no applause, that was the most jarring thing for me,” explained Stuard.

Nevertheless, the crew persisted and rolled with the punches for more than ten hours, creating a COVID-proof experience for fans and a rare platform for local musicians who remain unsure of their futures in the scene.

After Stuard completes the production’s editing, AURA fest will look a little different, but will offer the usual assortment of up-and-coming heavy-metal rock bands. The full lineup includes Rhythm of Fear, Second Death, Depressor, Down Under, Circle Back, Hellcast, and The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir.

Tickets to the 2021 AURA Fest: Home Invasion are on sale now through the event’s official website. General admission is $5, while VIP tickets cost $15 and include a full download of the festival video, an exclusive audio sampler of live tracks from the show, and a care package mailed with a limited-edition AURA Fest pin (first 25 tickets only), band stickers, a Southbound koozie, and drink recipes for your home bar.

The 2021 AURA Fest: Home Invasion festival premieres on Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. The video will be available for three days after the premiere for anyone who buys a general-admission ticket. Visit aurafestsavannah.com or facebook.com/aurafestsavannah for more information.

A somber bell-ringing ceremony was held at Savannah City Hall as the local community joined cities across the nation in honoring the lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic during a COVID-19 memorial on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and City Council members observed the memorial while standing on the balcony of City Hall, while no more than two dozen individuals participated from adjacent corners of Bull and Bay Street. For this solemn event, City Hall was illuminated in red lights, and a bell rang once for every 10 of the 264 lives lost to COVID-19 in Chatham County as of Jan. 19.

“These are more than statistics, these are 264 souls, 264 mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, empty seats at the table, 264 calls that will not be answered,” Johnson said at a Jan. 19 press conference. “So we do this not only in memory of the lives that were lost in this war against COVID-19, but we also do it to support the families that still remain.”

Houses of worship, businesses, and individuals were invited to participate in the national memorial in their own respective socially-distanced ways. Displays on Chatham Area Transit buses read “Savannah Remembers” and “Savannah Strong” on Jan. 19. The Adams Funeral Home honored the lives lost with a white rose tribute, and many individuals showed their support by posting their personal memorials and photos on social media with the hashtags #SavannahRemembers and #SavannahStrong.

Savannah's memorial coincided with ceremonies nationwide, including a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. As of Jan. 19, more than 11,000 Georgians and 264 Chatham County residents have died from COVID-19, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health Website.