The Hall in the mall

With the opening of Discover Mills in Lawrenceville came promising signs on I-85 and Highway 316 proclaiming the arrival of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Many music fans know that the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (GMHF) is in Macon. (We'll leave the Sports Hall discussion to the talk radio types.) So what's happening at the mall, regarding GMHF?

Not that much, at least not at the moment. Discover Mills is a sprawling new facility with plenty to offer: You can scale a daunting rock wall at the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. You can skate at the ESPN X Games Skatepark. You can buy your very own safe at the Safe Warehouse. You can buy Tazmanian Devil bedroom slippers for your 2-year-old, if you can keep him or her out of the Lego store. You can eat until you spontaneously combust on the usual mall offerings of fast food and Americanized ethnic fare. You can visit a music venue, Mills Music Cafe.

However, if you are inspired by the roadside signs to make a special visit to the mall to see GMHF at Discover Mills, you may be disappointed, because it's not a particularly substantial offering. It's what GMHF calls an "annex," its first, in fact. It's more of a pleasant-but-brief diversion in the shopping experience than a self-contained destination. What shoppers will find are a half-dozen or more clear display cases featuring clothes, costumes and (in some cases) instruments from such Georgia artists as Ray Charles (nice tux!), Little Richard, singer Connie Haines, Alan Jackson (an outfit and a guitar), Travis Tritt, Tricia Yearwood and B-52's singer/keyboardist Kate Pierson.

The displays, which will change occasionally, are adjacent to a GMHF store, a small kiosk in the main aisle or walkway of the mall. At the store, shoppers can buy music, mementos and other GMHF items related to the Georgia artists mentioned above, and others such as Otis Redding. The aisles in that area of the mall, dubbed the "Walk of Fame," feature stars on the floor commemorating Georgia artists. Around the bend, away from these displays, shoppers will see overhead displays of information about GMHF inductees. Did you know Travis Tritt was born Feb. 9, 1963? Now you do.

The annex location is a cost-effective way for GMHF to reach the Atlanta market, explains GMHF director Liz Garcia, and give people a sampling of what's available at the Macon facility, a 43,000-square-foot museum featuring memorabilia from more than 450 musicians. Discover Mills, which opened Nov. 2, should draw 15 million customers a year, she says, and she hopes the annex will entice many of them to make the trip to Macon. "It's good for the mall, good for the museum and good for Georgia's rich musical heritage," she says.

GMHF also plans to offer entertainment and educational programs at Discover Mills, with the latter possibly taking place in association with the public school system, Garcia says. Talks between GMHF and Discover Mills' marketing reps are ongoing regarding these events. Garcia notes that her organization does plan to have a musical performance and an exhibit in place at the annex location in February to coincide with Black History Month.

GMHF also will release a CD compilation featuring works of Georgia folk and blues artists. The release will be in conjunction with the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aids elderly Southern folk artists in need. It will feature works from such local artists as pianist Eddie Tigner and vocalist Cora Mae Bryant, among others. Proceeds from the CD will benefit both GMHF and Music Maker, Garcia says.

Discover Mills is located at 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. For more information, call 678-847-5201 or visit www.discovermills.com. For more on the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, located at 2OO Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Macon, visit www.gamusichall.com or call 1-888-GA-ROCKS, or call the local GMHF annex store at 678-847-6096. For information on the Music Maker Relief Foundation, visit musicmaker.org or contact them at 4052 Summer Lane, Hillborough, NC 27278, 919-643-2456, e-mail mmrf1@aol.com.

This column is a weekly feature covering music outside the Perimeter. E-mail or mail "outside" music news to Bryan Powell, 830 Josh Lane, Lawrenceville, GA 30045.??