Atlanta History Center Opens Signature Exhibition Framing Atlanta's '96 Olympic Journey and Legacy

On Sept. 18, the 30th anniversary of Atlanta winning its bid to host the Centennial Olympic Games, the Atlanta History Center welcomed visitors to the museum's newest signature exhibition "Atlanta '96: Shaping An Olympic & Paralympic City." 

Atlanta History Center

An update in the making for multiple years since the previous Olympic section closed to accommodate the center's excellent Cyclorama installation,    I enjoyed a five-ringed sneak peek on Sept. 15. 

After additional visits on both    opening day and Sept. 19, and more than two months of percolating on observations, the new space remains at once pleasing and perplexing for this blogger. Here's a video the museum posted to describe the experience. 

What follows is a blend of the good stuff (the exhibition is definitely worth a special visit) and items I think would help improve on a solid presentation. 

New surprises and what I liked:

- Clean and classy lines of the timeline displays with the Modern Games' and Atlanta's history on parallel tracks from 1896 to 1996 and beyond

- Views of the original mock-up for Atlanta's hardbound bid publication, reminiscent of Miranda Priestley's dummy magazine copy known as "The Book" in "The Devil Wears Prada"

- First look at a rare, custom-designed Cabbage Patch Doll with pin stripe suit and leather briefcase presented to voting members of the International Olympic Committee

- The impressive hand-painted original model for architect Siah Armajiani's Olympic Bridge and Cauldron, a functional sculpture that did not reach the potential of its sister structure in Minneapolis

- Original artwork -- a massive, colorful canvas -- painted by the athletes of the XXVIth Olympiad in the athlete village at Georgia Tech

- Discovering one extremely rare "Olympic Quilter" pin given to the artisans who stitched up content for the Cultural Olympiad. An equally rare prototype or unreleased pin featuring mascot Izzy carrying a Georgia state flag (circa 1996) also took me by surprise

- First look at the set of custom miner's lamps used to transport the Olympic flame from Greece and to many points across the U.S. during the epic 1996 Olympic Torch Relay

- One of the authentic "Info '96" interactive kiosks touting IBM technology and the first official website for a host city

- Displays about important community leaders and the regional causes they championed, providing context for the against-all-odds proposal the Atlanta bid team brought to the city during the later 1980s

- Touchless interactive video players that "talk to the hand" of visitors who wave or make fists to select and play archived content (perhaps the state's first museum to use this technology)

Atlanta History Center

- New and more detailed information about the Shepherd Center and its role, along with the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee (APOC) to secure the Paralympics' parallel journey with each Olympiad since

- All of the feels from viewing footage of Olympic champions' "one moment in time"

- An oversized photo of my longtime friend and mentor cheering at Underground Atlanta moments after IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch announced the Games are awarded to the city of ... At-lan-ta!

What I miss (or hope they'll bring back over time):

- Video of the aforementioned announcement by J.A. Samaranch, a glaring omission given the local-to-global impact of that moment in the arc of Olympic and the city's history (others alive in 1990 still get goosebumps and sentimental tears watching that Tokyo moment -- am I right?). This, for me, was the biggest "duh!" oversight that could have easily appeared as it did in the previous Olympic section. Why leave out one of the city's proudest, most historic and gleeful moments captured on global news broadcast by hometown network CNN? My only guess is this has to do with exhibition planning by folks who themselves were not eyewitness to Atlanta's global debut that even included the Atlanta History Center in the official bid video

- More of the 1988 to 1990 Atlanta bid mementos (specifically the rarest of the "Circle of A's" bid pins in the form of a gold, silver or pewter women's brooch). A lot of space was used to create a map of bid cities, but the pins incorporated are 'meh' while their collection likely has other hidden gems in storage

- Any one of the Olympic Orders presented to Atlanta organizers (these are the rarest of Olympic honors, and Billy Payne's is apparently on loan, but what about Ambassador Andrew Young's?). Even the Yeltsin Presidential Center in Yekaterinburg, Russia, displays their hometown hero Boris' Olympic Order! (In that nation's language the translation of "duh" is "да" or "yes!")

- The complete (or nearly complete) collection of summer Olympic torches, another rare bragging opportunity in storage (to the Atlanta History Center's credit, they do display several summer Games torches). I learned they may not have one of the rarest summer torches, but even a "complete collection minus one" or "complete collection*" with a asterisk would be marvelous. This link includes a photo of the previous museum torch display that's now history. 

- The museum's signed version of "Summon The Heroes" sheet music autographed by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer John Williams (back in storage?)

- Touchless database of 1996 Olympians (or at least the medal winners). Bonus option would be a database of all the volunteers listed in the margins of every page of the Games' "Official Report"

- The model of the Atlanta Olympic Village that was on view for years (including many months of pre-installation of the new signature exhibition). This could easily fit inside the "glass fence" protecting the enormous athlete-painted canvas, complementing the Olympic Stadium model only steps away. By the way, athletes added to the painting in the "international zone" of the Village (the model portrays this zone).

Also missing are obvious photo opp or selfie-bait spots on which to stand atop the medals podium or hold a '96 torch. This could be easily remedied with a life-sized cutout of any torchbearer or moving a medals podium from storage to the ample corridor facing the exhibition. 

From my view, with only 2,600 square feet available, too much space is filled with anti-Games elements. I liked a look at the successful efforts of few in response to Cobb County government, but did it deserve as much square footage as a nearby Cultural Olympiad showcase? It is important to acknowledge this history, of course, but do visitors need floor-to-ceiling displays on the movements that rode the Games' coattails? (Answer: I don't think so.)

And while another rafters-to-carpet photo shows group prayers in the wake of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, visitors almost need a magnifying glass to find mention of Richard Jewell, whose image does not appear anywhere in spite of saving countless lives (this feels like another missed opportunity to reshape incorrect history). But, hey, the protesters who got the Games out of Cobb County are heroes, too. Their photo does appear.  

The bottom line is the Atlanta History Center's new signature Olympic exhibition marches to its own drum where other Games museums stick more to a traditional sports museum format. 

With that stated, in spite of a few missed beats, five-ringed fans should check it out. For those who cannot get enough of Atlanta's Olympic history, you may enjoy a trio of thorough blog posts about the Atlanta Games by Sarah Dylla, who worked hard and delivered the points to ponder in this five-ringed exhibition. Dylla also shared more in a conversation aired on WABE-FM's "City Lights with Lois Reitzes." Visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com or call 404-814-4000 for ticket and other visitor information. 

Photo credits: Atlanta History Center where noted. All other images by Nicholas Wolaver. 

New Book Inspires 'Spooky' Memories of Southern Rock Band (and Client) Atlanta Rhythm Section

Just in time for Halloween, last week I found a "Spooky" treat sans trick via my email inbox.

The P.R. team for Schiffer Publishing reached out to offer a review copy of the new book "The Atlanta Rhythm Section: The Authorized History" by Willie Moseley.

Yes, please!

I don't think the publicist knew that in 1999 ARS was one of my first clients at The Headline Group. 

Along with "Spooky" (penned by the band's longtime manager and our main contact, Buddy Buie), during that springtime project I also came to appreciate ARS' Southern rock classics including "So Into You" and "Doraville" ("a touch of country in the city") as well as "Imaginary Lover" and "Champagne Jam."

Our motto while publicizing the band's CD titled "Eufaula" -- named for the historic town near the Alabama/Georgia state line -- was "Do It Or Die." 

We nearly did just that during a severe thunderstorm with too-close-for-comfort lightning that crept up during a live and lakeside Internet event with the band.

If only the online audience had known we were chatting with them from a state park men's room while hunkered down during the cloudburst (the band's front man Ronnie Hammond was a good sport about this and many other interviews we secured). 

I found "The Authorized History" of ARS to be a quick read and it will be a fun text for longtime fans. Much of the book features the band's slow but steady rise to prominence during the early 1970s, peaking with some spectacular concerts during which the band shared top billing with Heart, Genesis, Foreigner, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Jefferson Starship.

Interesting to learn that ARS presented the first rock (or any) concert at Georgia Tech's Grant Field, a venue that most recently hosted The Rolling Stones in 2015. 

Pouring over Moseley's writing, I knew there'd be a five-ringed payoff, and sure enough there is, on page 204.

"Another memorable concert -- for the entire band -- happened [when] the Olympic Flag Jam, a grandiose event, was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on September 17, 1992, to boost the upcoming 1996 Centennial Olympic Games that were scheduled for Atlanta.

The Olympic flag was officially transferred from Barcelona, Spain, the site of the previous Olympiad. Overseen by Dick Clark and Whitney Houston, the event was attended by President George H.W. Bush and his wife."

The text goes on to describe the celebratory event as including Houston, Santana, Travis Tritt, Tricia Yearwood, Alabama, Garth Brooks, TLC and James Brown, and sports personalities including Richard Petty and Atlanta-based Olympian Edwin Moses, who autographed a set of bass strings belonging to an ARS member. 

"My most vivid memory of playing at 'flag jam' was looking in the audience and seeing Coretta Scott King dancing along to us playing 'Champagne Jam,'" said Steve Stone, ARS bass and backing vocalist, according to the Moseley text. 

The event marked ARS' second live performance for a sitting president, a follow up to their September 25, 1978, gig at The White House hosted by fellow a fellow Georgia native, President Jimmy Carter. Interesting to read about "the first rock band to play on the south lawn" at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and how the after party unfolded without much interference by Secret Service personnel.

It was gratifying to find mention of Buie's obituary in The New York Times which I personally pitched to the newspaper upon learning of Buddy's passing three years ago.

But, unfortunately, the book did not delve into much about the work our team from The Headline Group did in spring 1999, save mention of a spring picnic at which food from The Varsity was a treat and a noise complaint brought things to an early close (I was there!).

But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight.

Photos via ARS, Schiffer Publishing and SI.com featuring AP photo by Scott Applewhite

Come Celebrate Atlanta's Olympic 20th Anniversary

On the eve of Rio's Olympic adventure, Atlanta will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its 1996 Games at an evening party in Centennial Olympic Park.

The downtown gathering is free and open to the public on July 16 starting at 6 p.m.

According to a press release from the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), the entity charged with managing the park, the "Relive The Dream" event will be "star-studded" and feature food trucks, live entertainment and fireworks.

"The festivities will celebrate the glories of the Games, reuniting the athletic heroes, the organizing team and fans at the greatest lasting [1996 Olympic] legacy -- 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park," according to the release.

The event is also an "Olympic volunteer reunion," and according to Atlanta-based members of the pin collecting group Olympin, there will be tables available for trading and sharing favorite pin or Games-time stories. A spokeswoman for GWCCA said their "might" be a "Relive The Dream" pin created for the event.

Anticipated star athletes for the party include 10-time Olympic medalist and Sports Illustrated "Olympian of the Century" track and field legend Carl Lewis, Olympic swimming gold medalists Janet Evans and Amy Van Dyken, Olympic basketball gold medalist Teresa Edwards, and a reunion of the gold-medal winning "Magnificent Seven" U.S. women's gymnastics team including Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden and Dominique Moceanu. 

Earlier on July 16, Evans -- a vice chair and director of athlete relations for the Los Angeles 2024 bid committee -- will host a private "Town Hall" meeting at which many more Atlanta-based Olympians are expected. In a conversation following the Muhammad Ali Memorial Service in Louisville last month, Evans told me the town hall format was a hit with participants in Miami and Chicago during spring 2016. Since the Ali event in June, a third town hall took place during the USA Swimming Olympic Trials in Omaha last week.

Dignitaries scheduled to appear at Centennial Olympic Park include Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Ambassador Andrew Young, who with Billy Payne led the Atlanta Olympic bid and Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG). 

Payne first announced the July 16 party at last September's private "Dreamers & Believers" gathering of Atlanta Olympic bid team members. 

Scheduled entertainment includes country music artist Colby Dee, the folk and Americana duo Banks & Shane, and the gospel-influenced SEEiT Choir.

Since the 1996 Games, Centennial Olympic Park attracted $2.2 billion of new downtown development, including nine hotels, residential towers and attractions including the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The park recently launched a new "adopt-a-brick" program inspired by the 1996 brick campaign that created the footprints and park space enjoyed by tens of millions of visitors during the last 20 years.

See you July 16!

Logo and park image via GWCCA; Payne photo by Nicholas Wolaver

Atlanta In 50 Objects Includes Five Olympic Rings

As the world awaits the start to Rio 2016, many Atlanta locals are wondering how their city may commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Centennial Olympic Games.

Those inclined to reminisce about the glory days of '96 may do so at the Atlanta History Center, home of the Centennial Olympic Games Museum, which I wrote up on this blog about a year ago.

This time last year I also mentioned the Atlanta History Center's call for public suggestions to inform a now open temporary exhibition titled "Atlanta In 50 Objects." A recent three-day weekend afforded time for a peek at the final 50, and here's what I found.

Venue organizers describe "Atlanta In 50 Objects" with the following introduction:

The exhibition is filled with prized Atlanta-rooted treasures -- from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech manuscript to Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck and a 1915 Coca-Cola bottle mold to a touchable cast of Willie B's handprints -- as well as plenty of surprises."

While it did not surprise me an Atlanta Olympic Torch made it into the exhibition (several folks like me suggested a representation of the Games), there were plenty of nice surprises -- including more items with five-ringed connections -- throughout "Atlanta In 50 Objects."

The most prominent Games keepsake, as I mentioned, is a torch on view with a poster-sized photograph of Muhammad Ali as the final torchbearer of the 1996 relay. 

It surprised and delighted me this Olympic feature is displayed beside one of Hank Aaron's home run bats for a fun "sports corner" in the exhibition (the Braves also appear elsewhere as a World Series ring is on view).

Now that composer and American treasure John Williams just earned his 50th Academy Award nomination, it was super cool to find a signed copy of the trumpet players' music sheets for "Summon the Heroes" personalized from Williams to Billy Payne. 

I also enjoyed finding a rare Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) golden ticket presentation box displayed as another Centennial Games Keepsake. These were presented to the leadership of key sponsors of the Atlanta Games during the Opening Ceremony, and many of the few sets made remain in the private collections of the executives who received them.

(Sidebar: I've been trying to sell an identical, rare brass Olympic ticket presentation box on Ebay for a friend since last spring ... bids are welcome and encouraged for those who wish to own a museum quality piece of Olympic history!).

I loved seeing models of downtown Atlanta showcasing local architect hero John Portman -- several of his buildings were used by ACOG and the International Olympic Committee or national Olympic committees before and during Atlanta's Games.

Time Man of the Year and CNN/TBS founder Ted Turner also got a space among the 50 objects, which span the 1800's to modern times. 

Kids may love spotting one of the Chick-fil-A cows or the "Pink Pig" ride while readers may enjoy the first edition of "Gone With The Wind" (reportedly the most successful book in publishing history behind only the Bible). 

"Atlanta In 50 Objects" is on view through July 10.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Reflections On Twenty Years and 'Youth'

Time flies! This week marks my 20th anniversary of moving to Atlanta.

Though the exact date of arrival eludes me, it was the first few days of January 1996 when I packed the Volkswaggen Jetta in St. Louis and hauled a carload of belongings to Georgia for the first time.

Some details are still with me. A cassette of "Medusa" by Annie Lennox played on that drive into the Olympic city, and upon arriving at my initial Atlanta address -- a 1920's brownstone apartment at 198 Ponce de Leon Ave. in Midtown -- my apartment was not ready so upon my late evening arrival the panicked owners (City Councilman Vern McCarty and his business partner Ray) put me in to an occupied unit of a vacationing tenant for the first night (!!!).

Many meals at Mary Mac's Tea Room followed (the only restaurant in town that accepted checks -- in those days I had no ATM card), and the youth hostel on the corner became the social hub where I watched the news (no cable nor TV at my place) and met longtime friend Nippy Feldhake, a fellow transplant arriving for Olympic work from Arizona.

Another vivid memory: After four years of frigid Januaries in Mankato, Minn., I could hardly wait to brag to college classmates that Atlanta was a balmy 50+ degrees for the first week of the year.

Man, was it frustrating to wake up after only a couple of days in the city to find an ice storm hit Georgia, and The Weather Channel reported of warmer in Minnesota that week (Oh, the humanity!).

Not long after settling in, my unit finally opened to me in February (that first month I enjoyed a spacious, vacant two-bedroom flat), I started my grown up life at my first real job with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Not a bad start to the second half of my life, and though there were a couple of brushes with potential moves Out West or to Milwaukee, I remain proud and pleasantly at ease calling Atlanta home.

Reflecting on this milestone and the transition to the new Olympic year brought to mind several memories and as many thoughts for future possibilities. I'm really optimistic for 2016 and beyond, and so far things are going well.

This positive outlook was reinforced tonight while viewing the outstanding film "Youth" starring Oscar winners and nominees Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda. This film also features another award-worthy performance by Paul Dano, fresh from his amazing acting in "Love & Mercy."

"Youth" first piqued my interest when National Public Radio aired an "All Things Considered" feature on the original music composed by David Lang, who I learned has both a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize.

Lang's work previously made it into my CD collection via the jarring, haunting string quartet notes he composed for the "Requiem For A Dream" soundtrack.

Lang's trophy case is likely to expand soon to accommodate a Golden Globe and Oscar for "Simple Song No. 3" composed for "Youth." It is gorgeous!

Not much can be written on "Youth" without big spoilers.

Fortunately, the official trailers don't reveal major plot points, but one actress in this trailer leaves nothing to the imagination (in "Youth" there is a bit of all ages nudity with the screen flashing everything from twenty-something to septuagenarian skin).

Caine and Keitel play aging artists (a composer and filmmaker, respectively) on holiday at a famous Swiss spa and hotel. Caine is invited to perform for Queen Elizabeth II, who wishes to surprise Prince Philip with a concert of the composer's most famous work, which he has long-since stopped performing "for personal reasons."

Biggest surprises (no spoilers, I promise):

-- Amazing mud bath monologue when Weisz, cast as Caine's daughter and manager, unfurls 30 years of pent-up angst in a tearful, dizzying single take. Best mud bath scene since "The Player."

-- Spectacular vistas of the Swiss Alps; like the Scandinavian hotel in "Ex Machina," the Swiss spa setting for "Youth" has me dreaming of a European vacation.

-- Writer/director Paolo Sorrentino crafted some excellent, quotable dialogue that brought to mind the great writing in another Italian classic that gets audiences misty about age: "Cinema Paradiso."

-- Dano turns in an amazing supporting role, especially when he dons full makeup of a moustached dictator; I also learned a thing or two about futbol star Diego Maradona.

-- Four young film assistants aiding Keitel's character share repeating debates as they attempt to write the final scene to their big project. Their conversations are brilliant and sharp while building toward one of the biggest reveals in "Youth" (a fine example of filmmakers discussing film making in a film about a film maker).

Not surprisingly, Jane Fonda nailed it as Keitel's aging actress/muse-turned-financier. Keitel is excellent and delivered another thought provoking performance (for this writer and fan, his best work since "The Piano" -- glad to see him get more screen time, this time without full-frontal views).

Keitel's character actually reminded me a bit of my dad in his 70's, at times wistful for days gone by though unafraid to suggest big ideas for down the road. The actor's NPR interview reinforced this POV.

Michael Caine, of course, is on his A-game and his character's comments about his wife brought lumps to the throat a couple of times (as friends and family see this film they'll learn how a few key scenes hit close to home).

The last 10 minutes of the film brought to mind visions of attending an opera at The Met or Royal Albert Hall. Breathtaking! The last time I heard such great singing may be when Pavarotti performed at the Torino 2006 Olympic Opening Ceremony (Turin, by the way, is noted in the credits for "Youth" for some production work in the city famous for its "birthplace of Italian cinema" connections).

Whether you're in a reminiscing mood or looking to the future, you'll be doing yourself a favor when you make time to see "Youth."

Photos via Fox Searchlight