By the People: Conversations Beyond 250
Episode Description
Hartwell, Georgia, has a story to tell, and on a hot day this spring, the community came together for an entire day dedicated to the stories, sounds, and traditions of this small town of 4,500 people. In this episode, the town’s economic development director and the owner of the local blues music venue, High Cotton Music Hall, come together to reflect on the themes of the Porch Songs & Public Voices Festival, what makes Hartwell special (spoiler: it’s the people), how the town came to be a destination for blues lovers, and how culture foster the sense of community that makes the town somewhere people want to live and visit.
By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is a national initiative developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 podcast was produced by the Federation.
There are 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils in the US, one for every state, territory, and DC. These nonpartisan nonprofits were established in 1971 by Congress to make outstanding public humanities programming accessible to everyday Americans.
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Episode Transcript
Host/Guests
Jen Welborn (Episode Host)
Jen Welborn is Interim President of Georgia Humanities. Jen is deeply engaged in civic and community leadership across Georgia. She currently serves on the Hands On Atlanta Changemakers Board and as a Community Advisory Group Member for Georgia Public Broadcasting. Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Elon University.
Jason Ford
Jason Ford is a native of Marietta, Georgia, and lives in Hartwell with his wife, Jodi, and their son, Jackson. He serves as the City of Hartwell’s Economic and Community Development Director. During his tenure, Hartwell was named Georgia’s Outstanding Community Transformation/Downtown of the Year in 2023 and designated a Georgia Exceptional Main Street in 2024.
Dr. Daniel Gordon
Daniel Gordon is the second-generation owner of High Cotton Music Hall, co-founded by his parents Walter and Pam Gordon. He is a family medicine doctor practicing in Hartwell. Daniel was born and raised in Hartwell, where he still lives with his family.
Show Notes/Learn More
Links:
Porch Songs and Public Voices event page
Photos:
A full house for the Blue Jam at High Cotton Music Hall at the end of Porch Songs and Public Voices.
Daniel Gordon on the drums at the Blues Jam.
Downtown Hartwell, Georgia.
Downtown Hartwell, Georgia.
What are Humanities Councils?
Our nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils are nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations established in 1971 by Congress to make outstanding public humanities programming accessible to everyday Americans. Councils are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and connected by their national membership association, the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
