Summer music series continues in Dalton

DALTON, Ga. — The Downtown Dalton Summer Music Series has returned to the Courtyard at Crescent City. The series began last year. “We are hoping to exceed the success we had last year,” said Anthony Luke, the marketing manager for the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “There are several other organizations involved this year, and their help and input has been tremendous.” The Summer Music Series is a collaborative effort between the CVB, the Creative Arts Guild, the Dalton-Whitfield Community Foundation and the Downtown Dalton Development Authority. The series takes place every Friday night through Sept. 1. There will be a variety of music genres from southern rock to mariachi and more. Specifics on each band can be found at DaltonEvents.com. The series is held at the Courtyard at Crescent City (formerly Peacock Alley) and begins each Friday night at 7:30. This Friday’s act is Mariachi Adventurero de Dalton.

Marlor House hosts Valton Murray exhibit

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Allied Arts will host an exhibit featuring the art of Valton Murrary. Murray, a native of Mesena, has been creating art since he was young.  He now creates folk-art masterpieces and has been awarded wins at art shows across the United States. Murray’s works feature vivid colors, hand-mixed by Murray, and are framed in antique wooden frames.

The exhibit will run through August 11 and the John Marlor Arts Center on North Wayne Street in downtown Milledgeville. For more information call 478-452-3950. 

Let It Be to perform Saturday at SOSMP

LIVE OAK, Fla. — The famous Beatles tribute band Let It Be will present its fantastic live show at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park on Saturday. Doors open to the Music Hall at 6 p.m. for dinner and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and available now by going to the SOSMP main office, calling 386-364-1683 or emailing spirit@musicliveshere.com. Tickets are also available at the door for those who want to relive The Beatle’s musical history.

The Beatles Show will provide thrills Saturday with the music, the accent, the costumes and live performances on the Music Hall Stage. More than 2 million people around the world have seen this live show featuring more than 40 of The Beatles’ greatest hits. Go to http://letitbelive.com/ to hear some of the music and learn more. The end of The Beatles era was never thought to be in sight when The Beatles played their last show on the roof of Apple Offices in 1969. Imagine what would have been if The Beatles continued their journey. Enter a time capsule and turn back to what would have been John Lennon’s 40th birthday — Oct. 9, 1980. For one night, the Let It Be “fab four” come together again on stage after a decade apart performing hits like Back in the USSR, Live and Let Die, Got to Get you into My Life, My Sweet Lord, Hey Jude, Woman, Helter Skelter, Paperback Writer and many more.

McDonald’s awards 2017 scholarship recipients

TIFTON, Ga. – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Georgia, in conjunction with McDonald’s restaurants, recently awarded $1,000 college scholarships to five South Georgia seniors, according to a press release. Scholarship winners are Emily Beale, Rawal Cheema, Bailey Cook, Karen Rameriz Rubio and William Vega, all of which have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. Scholarship recipients were recognized at an awards luncheon on Thursday, May 18. 

Valdosta State University raises $50m in donations 

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University announced that its first-ever comprehensive capital campaign — Invest. Ignite. Inspire. The Campaign for Valdosta State University — has surpassed $50 million in gifts and pledges thanks to a major gift from the J. Donald Lee and Laurelle Lee Family Foundation. The J. Donald Lee and Laurelle Lee Family Foundation gift will be used to endow the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship at VSU. “Valdosta State University is the flagship university for South Georgia, and as such we must become a leader in the area of economic development,” Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, VSU president, said in a statement. “As our plans unfold for VSU’s role in economic development, we will work carefully to ensure that the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship is positioned within the university to maximize its benefit to future entrepreneurs in South Georgia. “Blazer Nation is grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Lee’s children, Layne Varnedoe and Eve Murray, for making the commitment to honor the Lee family’s remarkable legacy in a way that epitomizes Mr. Lee’s entrepreneurial spirit. I want to thank Hilary Gibbs, associate vice president for development and alumni relations at VSU, for stewarding a relationship between the university and the Lee family that has resulted in something that will honor Mr. Lee and benefit VSU students and the South Georgia region for decades to come.” J. Donald Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Valdosta State and spent a career with Brockway-Standard Company. In 1989, he started Lee Container in Valdosta, and in 1993, he moved the company to its current location in Homerville. Lee Container has grown to include locations in Nacogdoches, Texas, and Centerville, Iowa. The company has earned numerous awards for quality and customer service from industry leaders such as Syngenta, BASF, Chevron and Texaco. In 2003, Lee Container was named Manufacturer of the Year in Georgia. J. Donald Lee passed away in 2014, but his entrepreneurship continues through the leadership of his son-in-law, Robert Varnedoe, who succeeded him as president of the company. Invest. Ignite. Inspire. The Campaign for Valdosta State is set to run through June 30, 2019. It was initially launched on July 1, 2014, with a working goal of $43,250,000. In October 2014, the VSU Foundation Board of Trustees voted to increase the goal to $53,250,000 due to the early success of the campaign. To date, $50,396,000 in gifts and pledges has been raised, which is 94 percent of the campaign goal.