Town marks 10th anniversary of historical local play

COLQUITT - A local play that has made its reputation on the real-life stories of its rural residents has been nothing but gravy for Miller County. <br> <br> ``Swamp Gravy&#39;&#39; has been both economic boon and social phenomenon to the area. <br> <br> Friday&#39;s opening curtain marks the 10th anniversary of ``Swamp Gravy&#39;&#39; named for the local fish stew made from whatever&#39;s at hand. <br> <br> ``Swamp Gravy&#39;&#39; named Georgia&#39;s folklife play by the state Legislature has generated more than a dozen arts-related spinoff projects in Colquitt, including an antiques mall, a Victorian bed and breakfast inn, a storytelling museum and a mural project. <br> <br> The Colquitt-Miller County Arts Council is the sixth-largest employer, with 40 workers. The agency&#39;s budget has swelled from $2,000 to $1.6 million annually, and ``Swamp Gravy&#39;&#39; brings in more than $1 million in tourism revenues annually. <br> <br> The four weekends in October and five in March and April the dates the play runs are already sold out this season. To accommodate the demand for ``Swamp Gravy,&#39;&#39; the arts council plans to build a larger auditorium to augment Cotton Hall, the town&#39;s theater. <br> <br> Over the years, residents say the play has changed the people as well as the town. <br> <br> ``I remember 10 years ago, I looked down Main Street and thought, &#39;This is ridiculous. Things are never going to change here,&#39;&#39;&#39; Karen Kimbrell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kimbrell is the executive director of the arts council and a member of the core cast. <br> <br> ``Now, I look down that same street, and I see change everywhere. But the thing that&#39;s changed the most is me.&#39;&#39;