VISIT COLQUITT

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Swamp Gravy: Georgia’s Official Folk Life Play

Year after year, Swamp Gravy, the Official Folk Life Play of Georgia, produces plays that delight audiences of all ages and all backgrounds. While definitely steeped in Southern tradition, Swamp Gravy presents stories of universal appeal- stories about life and death, about family, about community. Each performance is a crowd-pleasing blend of comedy, drama, and music with a cast and crew of over 100 people who transform southern life into the unforgettable Cotton Hall theatre.

Shows every Friday and Saturday in October and March.
Friday at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 2pm and 6:30pm; all shows are Eastern Standard Time.
For tickets, call 1-800-514-3849 or visit www.swampgravy.com for more information

Crooked Oak Golf Club

Crooked Oak Golf Club offers the challenge of an Arthur Davis-designed course with the serenity, unobtrusive service, and scenic beauty of a luxury golf resort.

From the well-appointed clubhouse to the groomed greens, you’ll find all the hallmarks of a larger, more publicized golf club – and none of the inconveniences. The clubhouse is designed in the style of an old-fashioned Southern cottage and features breezy porches, intimate seating downstairs and a large meeting room upstairs. The pro shop is located in the clubhouse. Crooked Oak Golf Club’s 177-acre exquisitely-landscaped course features numerous waterways, which include a split-level lake and spillway. A pavilion on the lake is available for parties and other functions. Crooked Oak Golf Club offers modest green and cart fees.

18 holes – Pro shop with PGA Pro Instructor – Putting green and driving range – Fleet of golf carts – Walkers welcome – Ample, free parking – Ladies, seniors, pros and intermediate tees – More than 50 bunkers – Modern rain shelters and restrooms – Snack Bar – Upstairs meeting room seats up to 50 – Pavilion on the lake

100 Club House Drive
Colquitt, Georgia 39837
For more information or to reserve a tee time, call 229-758-9200. Or visit www.golfcrookedoak.com

Georgia’s First Mural City, Self-Guided Mural Tour

The Millennium Mural Project began in 1999 when the Colquitt-Miller Arts Council received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Arts Council decided that murals, over any other artistic endeavor, would impact the community the most by drawing tourists throughout the year. Colquitt currently has fifteen murals, with the Agricultural Icon Mural being the largest and most recent. In 2006, the State Legislature made our designation as Georgia’s First Mural City official.  In 2010, Colquitt hosted the Global Mural, Arts and Cultural Tourism Association Conference. Colquitt is located in the Southwest corner of GA, equidistant from Dothan, AL, Tallahassee, FL, and Albany, GA.

For a self-guided mural tour, visit the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center for a brochure and Storybox locations.

Agricultural Icon Mural

*From the Miller County Liberal, November 3, 2010
The agricultural icon mural was painted by one artist, Charlie Johnston. Charlie was chosen after a call of artist went our internationally and was picked to relocate to Colquitt, Georgia from British Columbia, Canada while the project was underway. He personally cleaned the silo, treated it, and painted it with a standard paint roller.

As far as we can determine at this time, one of the largest hand painted murals in the U.S.A. has been dedicated right here in Colquitt, Georgia. The 27,000 square foot structure is owned by Birdsong Peanut Company and is used to store peanuts.On Friday, October 29, 2010, the First Mural City of the State of Georgia dedicated the Agricultural Icon Mural located just off of Main Street, and on Second Street. The dedication ceremony came toward the end of the three day Global Mural Conference held in Colquitt. The dedication event was held directly behind Cotton Hall.

Jennifer P. Trawick, Executive Director of the Colquitt/Miller Arts Council opened the program and said, “I would like to welcome you here today on behalf of the Colquitt/ Miller Arts Council to the dedication and celebration of the Icon to Agriculture Mural. It has been my pleasure and the residents of Colquitt to host the 2010 Global Mural Conference this week. We have thoroughly enjoyed our guests.”
She told of how all of our murals tell a story, and how this mural tells the story of the American farmer being tied to the land, not to earn a living but as a way of life. With the sun beating down on his back, the farmer’s face reveals his struggles year after year. The deep crease in his forehead are the years that it didn’t rain.

The lines around his eyes tell of the year that he had to mortgage another piece of land just to survive. The wrinkles around his mouth tells of his sadness as he watched his neighbor lose his farm to hard economic times. If you look closely, you can see the light in the farmer’s eyes. When he sees his crops, it reminded him of all of the good that he has sown. The family that he has raised and the friends who showed up when his crops needed picking because bad weather was on its way. It is no accident that on this mural, the farmer is growing peanuts. When the boll weevil wiped out the cotton crops across the South, Dr. George Washington Carver showed us the profitability of the peanut, and so, it became the staple crop of South Georgia farms. As our farmer pulls up his peanuts to inspect his future, his weathered hands hold the wisdom of years working the land. He can tell by his touch if his crops are dry, if they need to be sprayed, if it is time to harvest or if they should wait another three days. But his hands also hold something less tangible. They hold the knowledge that he did not and could not have done this alone. Yes, there is the satisfaction that he broke the ground and sowed the seeds, but being a part of something bigger satisfies his very soul. As the elements of nature take over and the crops began to sprout, the farmer knows that he is God’s chosen caretaker and the farm is a way of life, his way of life.

Before the farmer, man roamed the earth feeding himself by hunting game, but when he began planting crops he forever tied himself to the land and created a place called home, and we call that home, Colquitt, Ga.

The mural is painted on working peanut storage silos. They are owned and operated by the Southeast Division of Birdsong Peanut Company, who graciously lit the mural at night in honor of Mr. Birdsong.
Watch a video of this mural process by clicking here! 

Veteran’s Memorial Courtyard and Wall

Adjacent to Cotton Hall, the Veterans Memorial Courtyard and Wall were made possible by a generous donation from Mr. Clifton Griffin, a World War II Veteran. Mr. Griffin lived to see his long-time dream come true and passed away two days after the wall and courtyard dedication. Over 1900 names are inscribed on this tribute to Miller County Veterans of War who served from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War. We also have a Veteran’s Memorial located on the Northwest side of our town square.

166 East Main Street
Colquitt, GA 39837
Located adjacent to historic Cotton Hall. For more information, call 229-758-5450.

Georgia’s Native American Monument

Georgia’s official monument to America’s indigenous people is located in Colquitt on Highway 27. The 27-foot masterpiece sculpted by “humanitarian” artist, Peter Toth, pays tribute to the spirit of the Native Americans who inhabited this land long before Europeans arrived. The sculpture is carved from a red cedar log. Hungarian born, Toth began a quest 30 + years ago to pay tribute to Native Americans by creating giant sculptures entitled “Whispering Giants” in each of the 50 states. He has completed almost 70 of the huge works of art. Toth chose Colquitt because of the spirit of hospitality, friendship, and cooperation he experienced when he visited almost 30 years ago.

Spring Creek Park

Birdwatchers and nature lovers can enjoy a mile of trail and boardwalk meandering through cypress and wetland hard woods along beautiful Spring Creek.

This 40 acre park features: Full Service RV Park with 7 hook-ups, 4 Baseball/Softball Fields, 4 Tennis Courts, Picnic areas, Playgrounds, and 3 Restroom Buildings, Amphitheater, Physical Fitness Course, Football/Soccer Field, Camping area, 2 Fishing Landings, 4-week Christmas Light Display

158 West Street
Colquitt, GA 39837-3417
(229) 758-6213
For information, visit springcreekpark.net

Cotton Hall Theater

Originally a cotton warehouse, this 70 year old building is home to all of the productions put on by the Colquitt-Miller Arts Council. If the paintings on the outside of the building do not get your attention, just wait until you go inside. Inside Cotton Hall you will find a top-of-the-line Storytelling Museum that will captivate your attention for hours. A gift shop offers Swamp Gravy souvenirs and a concession stand that makes the best popcorn in the Southland! You will see Colquitt’s own Cotton Hall quilters working on their most recent quilt, which is raffled off each year. Your enjoyment will continue once you walk through the theater doors. Our 284 seat theater is made up of over three stages and offers a unique theater-in-the-round experience with local volunteer cast members. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.
For more information call 229-758-5450 or go to http://www.swampgravy.com/