2001 is almost

over and a new year is about to begin.

It is hard

to remember some of the events that preceded Sept. 11, but the area had

a very busy and entertaining year. Our theaters were filled with comedies

and dramas, our annual festivals teemed with excitement, and people generally

had a lot of fun in 2001.

There were

a lot of concerts in and around Fayette County this year. The Frederick

Brown Jr. Amphitheater had Smokey Robinson, Paul Anka, Dionne Warwick

and Chuck Berry perform this year as well as The Drifters, America and

The Beach Boys. The Swingin' Medallions performed in between the two-concert

series and Zoot and the Swingin' Suits played at the Main Street Festival

and Art Show.

Other artists

and bands that got their groove on this summer were Shenandoah, The Allan

Goodman Band, Papparazzi, Ellen Edwards, Amber Tucker and Daddy's Money,

Corey and the Oysters, Better Off Worse, According to John and many, many

more. Not to mention the Peachtree Wind Ensemble, which performed at a

number of concerts in both Peachtree City and Fayetteville.

One can only

wonder what musical treats are in store for Fayette County in 2002. Maybe

a weekend with Weird Al Yankovic?

The theater

scene continued to grow as well. Groups like Southside Theater Guild,

Fayette Community Theatre, Newnan Communtiy Theatre and Offshoot Productions

continued to produce quality plays, while House Red Theatre Company and

Fayette-Coweta Family Theatre continued to grow.

Southside brought

us plays like "On Borrowed Time," and "The Diary of Anne

Frank," while Fayette Community Theatre presented "Annie,"

and the raucous comedy "Dearly Departed." Offshoot Productions

continued to put on workshops and coffeehouses, as well as interactive

plays for children like "Sleeping Beauty," and plays like "Twelfth

Night" for adults. Newnan Community Theatre continued to produce

some of the most challenging community theater out there with plays like

"The Food Chain" and "Lucky Stiff."

Fayette-Coweta

Family Theatre presented a number of plays for area children including

"The Wizard of Oz," "King Midas," "Hansel and

Gretel" and "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." They

also offered a number of workshops for young actors and continued to produce

plays for their professional troupe, A Company of Friends. House Red presented

a show full of Shakespearean scenes, a Cabaret show, "Crimes of the

Heart" and "A Night With The Goldstein Sisters." The troupe

continues to seek out new talent both on stage and behind the scenes and

should have an exciting year ahead.

In the first

part of 2002, Fayette Community Theatre will present "Barefoot in

the Park," while Fayette Coweta Family Theatre will present "The

Brementown Musicians."

Southside Theater

Guild will perform "Moon Over Buffalo" and Newnan Community

Theater will present "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." House Red will

continue to perform "Brighton Beach Memoirs in January, while Offshoot

will prepare "Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz" for performances

in March. Also keep your eyes peeled for the first Creatures of Habit

play, which hopes to premiere in March or April.

There were

also many performances from the local dance companies, as well as the

addition of a new dance school, the Classical Dance Theatre Company. Georgia

Youth Ballet worked with some of the premiere dancers and choreographers

in ballet, while Newnan School of Dance presented "The Wizard of

Oz" and the Georgia Academy of Dance presented its annual celebration

concert, which featured "Alice in Wonderland" and "The

City Never Sleeps."

All of the

local dance companies offer classes and have just finished performing

their holiday concerts and productions of "The Nutcracker."

Finally, there

were the assorted festivals and get togethers that continued to draw families

and their communities together. Events like the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast,

the Main Street Art Festival, July Jam, Brooks Day, the Renaissance Festival,

Tyrone Founders Day, Bark in the Park, Pack the Park, Wings Over Dixie

Air Show, Last Fling, Powers Crossroads, the Kiwanis Fair, and too many

more to be mentioned, continued to draw large crowds. Almost all of those

events will return in 2002, with more to be added to an already full calendar.

Make sure you

continue to read this section of the paper to stay in touch with what

is going on in and around the county next year.

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