Wednesday, December 27, 2006

More examples of art and music saving small towns

A number of small towns have turned to arts and cultural tourism as a way to survive in a era when jobs have migrated elsewhere.

Economist.com: "... tiny Colquitt (population 1,900) in southern Georgia, one of the poorest parts of America, has been revived by a storytelling festival known as 'Swamp Gravy'. In the early 1990s someone had the bright idea of performing local folk-tales as musicals. The idea grew, and now some 40,000 people come each year to the festivities, which are held in a converted cotton mill. Many new businesses have opened on the town square, and sales triple when the Swamp Gravy show is on, according to Jennifer Trawick, executive director of the local arts council."





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