Oliver Hardy's fan club re-opens in his hometown

HARLEM - Oliver Hardy&#39;s image can be seen all over this small east Georgia town where he was born. The 1930s movie star is displayed on water towers and fire hydrants, and a local festival celebrates his memory. <br> <br> And this week the Columbia County town rekindled its Hardy fan club, which dwindled to only about six members a few years ago. <br> <br> A small group of Hardy fans gathered at the Harlem Library to reinstate the chapter the Berth Marks Tent 89 of the Sons of the Desert International Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society. <br> <br> The group, which took its name from a 1929 Laurel and Hardy movie, was first organized in 1989. Former Harlem Mayor James Lewis said membership reached as high as 22 the first couple of years but dwindled in the 1990s. <br> <br> ``We decided the best thing to do is let it go,&#39;&#39; Lewis said. ``I&#39;m just glad this new group is taking it back up.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> On July 15, city officials plan to open a museum honoring the comic duo. Members of the Oliver Hardy Committee have more than 100 donated items to display, including figurines, comic books, posters and movies. <br> <br> Hardy was born in Harlem on Jan. 18, 1892. <br> <br> The Berth Marks also is working with the Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring either the 2004 or 2006 Sons of the Desert convention to the area. It is held in the United States every two years and is scheduled to be in Nashville, Tenn., this year. <br> <br> ``They won&#39;t consider bringing the convention here unless you have a local chapter,&#39;&#39; said Julie Brakenbury, the director of sales for the Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. ``They need to see local support.&#34;