Recently, a friend asked me what we have been up to.  She went on to say that we have been awfully quiet.  We are not blogging like we normally do and we seem to be flying low.  She knew we were up to something and she was right!  For the better part of a year, DeWayne and I, along with GSU student Andres Montes and countless other volunteers in our community have been working on a dream to open a free health clinic in Statesboro.  If you know me, you know my passion (and often frustration) includes providing healthcare to our community.  So every spare minute, we have focused our energy on this incredible effort.

Last night, with the help of lots and lots of people, we opened the Hearts and Hands Clinic in Statesboro.  This clinic provides FREE dental, optometric and medical care to the “working poor” in our community.  It is not a clinic for indigents or people who have health care.  To be seen in the clinic, your income must be between 100 and 200% of the federal poverty levels.

A special thanks to Dr. Larry Hubbard (my stepfather), Dr. Jarrett Waldren and Dr. Les Kicklighter for donating their time last night to the clinic.

Here is a recent article in the Stateboro Herald that lists our board of directors and tells more about this incredible project.

Especially in these trying economic times – we are all looking for ways to help those who need it most in our community.  Together, we will continue to build a stronger community!

If you want to help there are lots of ways to get involved for medical and non-medical volunteers.  We are projecting the cost to be about $100 per patient and we have a goal of seeing 600 patients by year end.  If your civic organization, church, business or you personally would like to sponsor some patients – please mail your check, made payable to Hearts and Hands Clinic, to DeWayne’s attention at 34 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia 30458.

Watch for special offers over the next few months where we will be donating some or all of the proceeds from photography sessions to this effort.

Thanks in advance for your help with this wonderful project.

Summer Camp!

Extreme Art Camp
for kids ages 6 and up!
Weeks available:                     Clay Projects
June 14-18                               Glass Fusing
June 21-25                               Canvas Painting
July 12-16                                Pottery Painting
July 19-23                                Tye-Dye
9:30-12:30 M-F
Weekly Cost is $135 per artist.
(7% sales tax included)
Snack will be provided.
Registration forms are available for download by clicking below or at the studio. Can email or fax them to you as well. Give us a call at 912 489-3232. Seating is limited so register early.
Camp Registration Form

Ladies Night!!

Calling all Ladies!!!
Grab a friend, sister, mom…(you get the picture— no male species) and sign up for Ladies Night!  Thursday, June 17th, 6-9pm.
Reserve your spot in advance by stopping by or calling the studio.  912 489-3232.
3 Hours in the studio to mix, mingle and create!
Light snacks provided.  Feel free to bring any munchies or refreshments you desire.  Cost is $6 per person plus cost of art.

Bisque Painter

Lot’s of new items have been added to the
interactive pottery painting
page on our website. 
Have fun and don’t forget to
print it out for a
surprise discount!!

Edie Grace wants your kids to join her at camp!

There are just a few slots open each week so don’t procrastinate!  Mrs. Ann is our neighbor, our friend and just plain out one of our favorite people in the whole world!  She has put together four weeks of fun for our kids 6-7 and up.

Here is the 411:

Campers enjoy completing a variety of different art projects.  The curriculum includes techniques that are challenging and fun.  A snack will be provided.

Sessions are Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 12:30pm

• Session One:  June 14 – 18
• Session Two:  June 21 – 25
• Session Three:  July 12 – 16
• Session Four:  July 19 – 23

The cost is $135 per week for each child.  There is a 10% sibling discount.  Registrations are required with a $50 non-refundable deposit.  Balance will be due on the first day of camp.  Space is limited.

Edie Grace and Madison (Mrs. Ann’s grand-daughter) have been busy this week testing out some of the activities and they don’t think you should miss out on the fun!

If you have further questions, just call Free Spirit Pottery @ 912.489.3232

Oh, and by the way…Father’s day is just right around the corner!  So go this week and create something Dad will love!  Today, I saw some of you in there creating cool stuff with your children’s handprints and footprints.  How priceless will that be someday???  Of course, we could create some portraits to go with those he would love too!

We have had so much fun partnering with the Statesboro Herald in recognizing a select group of business, civic and political leaders in our community.  The inaugural class of the 20 under 40 recipients are an impressive group of young leaders selected from a large number of well qualified nominations.  The number of nominations and the selected group represents everything that is good about our wonderful community.  It is the people who make the community and to see so many young people so actively involved is certainly a wonderful thing. 

The recipients met tonight as a group at the Statesboro Herald for a reception in their honor.  Each recipient has already been featured in a special 20 under 40 edition of the paper.  Tonight they received a framed portrait recognizing them as one of our communities 20 under 40 leaders for their office.

We were honored to be included as the sponsor of this years event and hope that this will become an annual recognition.

Here is a video that played at the reception tonight honoring the recipients:

Please join us this Friday night as we celebrate Edie Grace’s 9th birthday.  There will be cake, popcorn, lemonade and fun Party Harbor bounces for your kids!

Seriously, though, no gifts.  Your company to celebrate what she means to us is truly the best gift we can receive.  If you feel compelled, we will be accepting small (very small) gifts for a charity.  Edie Grace has it narrowed down to two charities…she will let you know Friday night which one she decided on.

Friday, May 7th

5:30pm – 7:30pm

in the alley behind the studio

(F1RST Friday will also be going on so there will be tons of fun things to do in downtown!)

The downtown Streetscape program is moving along and we are very excited about our NEW LOOK!  When complete – shopping downtown will be more fun, more accessible, and more customer friendly than EVER before!  Renovating and restoring a Main street that was established in the early 1900’s (our building was constructed in 1911) has proven to be a little more challenging than the engineers and construction crews had thought.

As construction crews are entering in the final phase, which includes brick crosswalks and grinding and resurfacing the asphalt, it is requiring that our street be closed to traffic for the shoppers and workers safety.

All businesses remain OPEN and there is ample parking.  In fact, if you call ahead and let us know you are coming, we will arrange for one of our very attractive, young, fit valet’s to meet you and park your car for you.  Due to the fear of violating some city ordinances – we can not show how HOT and ATTRACTIVE these Valets are.  Some of them are former and future Chip-N-Dale dancers (not to be confused with Chippendale).  Trust me – it has created a lot of buzz downtown already!

So come on down, spend lots of money and we promise not to charge any extra for the Chip-N-Dale Parking services, allowing you to enter a construction zone without a hard hat or seeing downtown as it may have appeared over a century ago with dirt sidewalks and streets.

Also – every hour on the hour – Bob the Builder will be making special appearances.  So why are you sitting home – looking at this on your computer.  Come on down and join the fun.  Entertainment and special events like this – will not last forever!

Walking tours of downtown and ghost tours featuring business of the past are currently only operating at midnight on full moon.  We will be expanding that service soon also! (Sadly, Yard & Haus’ last day is Saturday – please bid them farewell and thank them for being an amazing anchor for all these years!)

Come downtown now and see what you are missing!

Disclaimer:  Really, we are EXCITED about the streetscape project, but now that it is entering its 10th month – it is either laugh or cry.  We choose to laugh and hope you are doing the same.  The city and the construction company have been very accommodating through the process.  They just simply continue to run into snags no one could predict. No pain – no gain, right?

It is time to win…again!

Once again, it is easy/breezy!  Just email me:  lori@lorigrice.com

We will draw during F1RST Friday, tomorrow nite, from all the emails.  Be sure to email before 5pm on Friday, March 5th.  One lucky winner will receive two BOX SEAT tickets to the concert THIS Saturday night at the Averitt Center!  You will truly enjoy her concert and her music.  (please don’t enter if you aren’t available to go…let someone that can win)

I am pretty sure that the Averitt Center is still selling tickets to the event.  Just call them to check ~ 912.212.ARTS

Speaking of F1RST Friday tomorrow night…it is the fun one where you can go from business to business tasting all of the great food the downtown district has to offer.  We are looking forward to it!  They will also be playing the movie Ratatouille for the kids on the third floor of the Arts Center.  I almost forgot…there is also a cookie event on the Courthouse square.  If you think you have the best cookies in town, don’t miss this opportunity to prove it!  Call 912.764.7227 for info.

While you are at our studio,  you can enter to win one free spring OR {live} Easter bunny express session.  Can you believe that EASTER is only one month away from today???  I can’t!  Yikes!!!  You better go shopping this weekend and pick out some clothes.  The bunnies will be here soon plus we are going to have some fun “bunny-free” spring portrait events as well.

See you tomorrow night downtown!

‘Twas December F1RST Friday and all through Downtown, everyone knew Holiday Celebration was abound!

A Bulloch County Rockin’ Christmas is this year’s theme; it will be the biggest celebration Statesboro has ever seen!

Come watch the parade if you wish, and make sure to bring your Christmas list!

Come hungry ’cause "Chili Town" is the place, where you can vote for your favorite and stuff your face!

With moonwalks, and music, and shopping galore, Holiday Celebration is a festival for all to adore!

Come one, Come all to join the fun!

Friday, December 4th! 

The parade starts at 5:30!

From "Chili Town" to a Kids "Winter Wonderland", 2 kinds of SNOW, kids activities, vendors and much more!

  Don’t miss the Downtown Statesboro “Square on the Square” starting at 6pm on Halloween Night!  There will be tons of fun for the entire family.  The best part is we will be doing quick-take portraits that night by appointment.  The packages start at $35 and if you bring in 4 cans of people food or 4 big cans of pet food you will get an additional 5×7 of the same pose FREE!  Help us get the food bank and the humane society stocked up and capture a memory of your “little monster”.

p.s.  You DO NOT have to wear costumes to participate in this event.  The background will have a fall/casual flair so you can take advantage of this to even update your family portrait!  (note:  one pose per package)

Debra sent me this today and asked me to share it with all of you.  She and her team have done an amazing job this year bringing us healthier options in such a friendly atmosphere!  If you haven’t made it yet, come this Saturday!  You’ll be glad you did!

 “Know your Neighbor and Know your Food”  Main Street Farmers Market Every Saturday in Downtown Statesboro  – Sea Island Bank Parking Lot from 9am – Noon

Dwight Brown:  one of a kind wood creations

Cissy Price:  Art from nature

Honey Dew Farm:  Sunflowers

Walker Organic Farm:  Shelled peas, pink-eye purple hull & white acre, Specialty snap beans:  purple pod, yellow wax, dragon tongue and haricots verts, Butternut squash, Cucumbers, Hakurei salad turnips, bunched Mustard Greens, Watermelon radishes

Healthy Hollow Farm:  Georgia Bulldog Pumpkins and peas

Al Clark and Sons Organics Farm: red, yellow cherry and grape tomatoes, Asian eggplant,  bell peppers, okra, pears and muscadines, radishes, Georgia Bulldog Pumpkins

Honey Dew Farm: hot peppers, eggplant, okra, bell peppers, sunflowers and zinnias, green tomatoes for delicious FRIED GREEN TOMATOES and condiments

Braswell’s: teas, condiments and gift baskets

Flat Creek Dairy: artisanal cheeses, mushrooms and fruit jams

Lee Family Farms:  herbs,  okra, peach salsa, pickled okra and pickles and Meinhardt Vineyards products (Infused olive oils, ciders and jams) boiled peanuts

Sunrise Produce/ Strickland Farms: Fresh peanuts AND boiled peanuts, sweet potatoes, turnips

Poythress Farm :  okra, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, muscadines, sweet potatoes, persimmons

Robinson’s Produce:  mustard and turnip greens, Marie’s Cakes and Pies

The Garden Table Café:  featuring Elaine Minick Stone preparing vegetable soups and sandwiches

Adcote: Eggs, Broilers are HERE!  Come and pick up your pre-ordered broiler at the market this Saturday!  We’ll have our local, delicious, pastured eggs And organic FRIENDSHIP bread is back!   Try a loaf. 

Al’s Nuts:  Albert Martorano with Al’s Nuts selling peanuts, pecans and asst. nut snacks from Southern Pecan, South Easter Peanut, Golden Peanut produced in Dover, Ga. almartorano@haulawaytampabay.com.

The Green Man:  Boiled peanuts AND GREENS.

Donna Mckenna: Fresh Herbs and recipes

Ogeechee River Coffee Company:  iced coffee and locally roasted coffee (ground and beans) and mango iced tea.

Nez Tinley: baked products including cakes, pies and breads, ASIAN Baked products including cranberry nut cakes, black and white checker cookies, and more.

Sugar Magnolia Bakery:  Assorted artisanal breads, cookies, granola and fresh seasonal fruit tarts

David Cork’s Kettle Corn: Edie Grace’s Farmer’s market favorite!!!

Rosie’s Cakes:  Cookies and pies

Cissy Price and Woody Brawner:  hand-painted china and glasses, wood crafts and original folk art, fresh cut wild flowers AND beginning this week, seasonal, natural decorations for the fall including Corn Stalks and gourds. 

E and N Designs:  Jewelry and Halloween

Patricia Randolph Designs:  Jewelry

Joan Hickman:  hand made soaps, cross stitch and painted boxes and seasonal decorations.

Barrow Woodwork

Wombfruit Wraps:  Wombfruit Wraps in stock http://wombfruits.blogspot.com/

Crafty Lady

Shimmer and Shine Jewelry

Casserole covers & aprons by Barbara

Dwight Brown Puzzles and Wind Chimes

ENTERTAINMENT : Donnie Collins joins us Saturday on the Main Stage!