Gainesville's Longstreet Society to host open house with music, drama

GAINESVILLE - The Longstreet Society is hosting an open house later this month at the renovated Piedmont Hotel, and featuring University of North Georgia (UNG) and Brenau theatre students, all part of the Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA) training program. They will be performing selected music and a scene from an original musical play.

"The Holler," is a story of love set against the backdrop of the Civil War. The play and music were written by UNG students Caleb Barfield and Rob Brooksher who are in the GTA program.

The Piedmont Hotel, which houses the Longstreet Society office and a Longstreet Museum, was once a bustling three-story edifice that took up a whole city block and attracted many high-profile visitors. Its main drawing card was its owner, Gen. James Longstreet, a key Civil War figure who settled in Gainesville during the last quarter of the 19th century. The hotel was renovated several years ago and a dedication ceremony was held in September 2008. (See first link below.)

The open house and performance will be held Oct. 26 and are free; museum admission is $3 with docent tours by Longstreet Society members. There is free street parking and limited parking on the Piedmont property. For more information, contact the Longstreet Society at 770-539-9005.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Jerry Gunn contributed to this story.)