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Music
and sports halls of fame
to be featured at Discover Mills
By Dennis Connolly
Vice president and senior development officer
Discover Mills
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: Dennis Connolly is the vice
president, senior development director for Discover Mills. Connolly
joined The Mills Corporation in 1998, and was most recently responsible
for development activities at Arundel Mills in Baltimore, which
he opened last November. With more than 20 years experience in all
aspects of commercial real estate development, Connolly has worked
on a number of notable projects across the country, including Underground
Atlanta.)
LAWRENCEVILLE, Aug. 24, 2001 - - Sports, music and shopping have
always been favorite pastimes for Gwinnett County residents. With
the opening of Discover Mills, a 1.2 million-square-foot retail,
dining and entertainment destination in Lawrenceville this November,
local residents will be treated to the best of each.
Thanks to a unique licensing agreement between Discover Mills and
the Georgia Music and Sports Halls of Fame in Macon, Ga., Gwinnett
County will house the first-ever annexes for either museum. The
Discover Mills annexes will promote awareness of the Macon facilities,
as well as provide further recognition of Georgia's rich music and
sports heritage.
For decades, Georgia has built a solid reputation for diversity
in both sports and music, providing a depth few states can match
in both fields. Georgia is one of just a handful of states that
can brag of having hosted the Olympic Games. As for music, we can
take credit for everyone from the B-52's and Trisha Yearwood to
Otis Redding and Amy Grant. Come November, all will be showcased
through displays at Discover Mills.
With no admission price, the sports and music annex areas will
be located in the "Georgia Walk of Fame"SM neighborhood
of the shopping center. Each will feature rotating exhibits filled
with memorabilia, photographs and video or audio footage on loan
from the larger museums located in Macon.
Not only will the exhibits help to educate and entertain visitors
through this tribute, but will further raise awareness of the main
Halls of Fame just south in Macon. Both the sports and music museums
were erected to preserve, honor and celebrate Georgia's rich sports
and musical heritage, with the goal of exposing as many people as
possible to that tradition. The annexes in Discover Mills will help
to forward that mission.
In the Music Hall of Fame at Discover Mills, visitors might see
items from Georgia natives such as Ray Charles, Travis Tritt, Trisha
Yearwood, Hovie Lister, Amy Grant, Otis Redding, Johnny Mercer,
Ray Stevens, Brenda Lee and Gladys Knight, as well as the Atlanta
Symphony. Guitars, well-worn shoes, suede jackets, hats, harmonicas
and sheet music will be on display.
Down the corridor at the Sports Hall of Fame at Discover Mills,
prized uniforms from the Falcons, Hawks, Braves and Thrashers will
be on display, along with items celebrating NASCAR, the Olympics,
Georgia college basketball and football, boxing, golf, sailing and
swimming. Visitors might see items from Heavyweight boxing champ
Evander Holyfield, Falcons' coach Dan Reeves or Braves' great Phil
Niekro. As in the music annex, historic photographs will be exhibited,
and video and audio clips will provide an interactive component.
The Halls of Fame annexes are just one part of a major push to
create a complete family experience at Discover Mills. This experience
also includes 200 retail stores, one-of-a-kind theme restaurants,
casual dining and cutting-edge entertainment venues, aimed at the
entire family.
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