FAREWELL OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN

Like much of the world last week I was very sad to hear of the passing of Olivia Newton John. I was twelve years old when the iconic movie Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John was released, and my friends and I were all obsessed with it. I was a well brought up English girl in a traditional and strict all-girls school just outside London, but all of us had a crush on ‘Danny’ played by Travolta, and we all wanted to be ‘Sandy’ – Newton John’s character. It all seemed so exciting – not just the 1950s era in which it was set but what we regarded as the glamor of American high school life. Drive in movies, graduating high school, and not having to wear a boring English school uniform all seemed very cool indeed. We loved the bright, colorful dresses and pink jackets, and even today I still can’t bear to wear the murky green color from my school’s uniform color, which even extended to itchy green underwear! So my girlfriends and I thought Sandy, Frenchy, Marty, Jan and Rizzo seemed to live fantastically different and exotic lives.

This obviously resonated with a whole generation since Grease became the highest-grossing musical film ever at that time. Its soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best-selling album of the year in the USA.

Although Olivia Newton John spent much of her formative years and went to school in Melbourne, Australia, she was actually a British citizen at the time of Grease’s release, so we felt an even greater connection to her. She was born and lived in Cambridge, England and her parents named her after screen legend, Olivia de Havilland. She lived in the UK until she was five years old, when her parents decided to emigrate to Australia, although she returned to live in England in her late teens to pursue a career in singing after winning a talent contest in Melbourne. Olivia did not become an Australian citizen until she was 33 years old and remained a citizen of that country even though she spent most of her life in California after moving to the USA in the mid-1970s. It was here that she won the role of Sandy in Grease, even though at the age of 29 she was concerned that she was too old to portray a high school student alongside the then 23-year-old Travolta.

Olivia was married twice, firstly to actor Matt Lattanzi, the father of her only child, the singer and actress Chloe Rose Lattanzi. She met Matt while filming the movie Xanadu which, in my view, was nowhere near as great as Grease! Newton John also enjoyed success as a singer with her biggest hit being the song Physical, which was famously banned by a radio station in Provo, Utah for its “suggestive” lyrics.

Olivia divorced in 1995 and thirteen years later, she married John Easterling, founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company. She also spent several years with a cameraman named Patrick McDermott, who went missing after going on an overnight fishing trip on a sport fishing vessel in 2005. In 2009 there was a media frenzy as investigators claimed he was found in a Mexican beach town under an assumed name.

Olivia was very resilient as she bravely and very publicly shared her long fight against breast cancer which ultimately led to her passing away last week. This was first diagnosed and treated in 1992, which was a tough year for her as not only did she undergo surgery, but she also lost her father to liver cancer and declared bankruptcy. Her career recovered in the 1990s and 2000s, although never quite achieving those dizzying heights of the 1970s and 80s. 

Olivia has been widely honored and recognized by Australia, the USA and the UK. In the land of my and her birth she represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. She was also awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979 for her services to the performing arts and became a Dame in 2020 for her services to charity, cancer research and entertainment. In the USA, she was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Grammy Award in the “Video of the Year” category for Physical.

In Australia, she was awarded the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) in 2006 for her services to the entertainment industry as a singer and actor, and to the community for supporting breast cancer treatment, education, training and research, as well as the environment. She also appeared on an Australian commemorative postage stamp in the “Living Legends” series. Last week, monuments and buildings across Australia were lit up in pink to honor the star and her death from breast cancer. Her family have been offered a state memorial service to honor her memory and legacy. There is more information at the online entertainment database www.imdb.com.

I say goodbye this week with a quote from the star herself: “I do have high standards, but I don’t expect anything from anyone that I don’t expect from myself.”

God Bless America and Rest in Peace Olivia!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

REFLECTIONS ON LAKE OCONEE

One of the highlights of our year is spending a week with our family, including our beautiful granddaughters (now 11 and 7), on a fun summer trip. My stepson jokes that we only invite him because he brings his boat since recent years have seen us exploring the lakes of North Carolina and Georgia by renting wonderful lake houses with private docks. This type of vacation is also easy to “sell” to my husband since, after decades of travelling the world on business with over 5 million airmiles to prove it, it is now pretty difficult to persuade him to get on a plane. Therefore, a road-trip vacation complete with boating, tubing, grill-outs, bright Hawaiian shirts, firepits and s’mores with the family is much more his ‘cup of tea’ as we say in England to communicate ‘highly acceptable for my personal preferences’.

I love living in Coastal Georgia, but I do thoroughly enjoy the tranquility of a lake view as it always soothes my soul and restores my spirits. The last few months have been extremely challenging on many fronts, as it has for so many people, so I was especially looking forward to a relaxing family vacation this year.

I have written before of happy memories of trips to the British Lake District, situated in the far north-west of England about 300 miles from London where we lived. I also love the work of William Wordsworth, the famous nineteenth century English poet who spent many years living in and writing poems about England’s 16 lakes which make up the Lake District. So as much as I love our local coastal waterways and the open sea, there is a special place in my heart for the peace and tranquility that a pretty and serene lake view brings.

Anyway, back to this summer. We previously have spent a couple of great vacations at Lake Lanier in north Georgia, but we did not enjoy the Atlanta traffic and seemingly endless road construction delays we had to endure to get there. So last month we spent the July 4th week on the much closer Lake Oconee for some much-needed fun in and on the water.

Lake Oconee is in central Georgia on the Oconee River about 200 miles from our home in Richmond Hill, located about halfway between Atlanta and Augusta. It is the fourth largest man-made lake in Georgia, created in 1979 with the construction of the Wallace Dam by Georgia Power. Lake Oconee has also attracted exclusive hotels and housing and golf developments including the Ritz Carlton and the Reynolds Plantation. The lake totals almost 20,000 acres, and is around half the size of Lake Lanier, Georgia’s biggest lake. The name Oconee takes its name from a group of Creek Indians that long ago lived close to Georgia’s Oconee River basin. “Oconee” means “great waters.” 

The level of Lake Oconee is consistently managed to stay nearly full since it is used both for hydro-electric power generation and extensive recreational activities. It has three public campground areas on its shoreline along with the 7,400 acre Oconee Wildlife Management Area. It is exceedingly beautiful.

The nearby town and county seat of Greene County, Greensboro Georgia, is also a very pleasant place with real small-town charm. Full of interesting little shops, restaurants, and nooks and crannies, it is well worth taking a little time off the water and wondering around the town with the occasional drink or ice cream to beat the Georgia summer heat.

Any downsides to Lake Oconee? Only one that we could tell. When it was constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a lot of trees and bottom materials were left in place to create habitat for the fish. Maybe the fish like it, but from our perspective there were a lot of submerged trees just below the surface of the water. Most areas were properly marked with “hazard” buoys but not quite all were highly visible. A submerged tree just below the surface claimed our boat’s propeller as a prize, but fortunately the local boat supply businesses plus my very capable stepson quickly replaced it so we could get back in the boat, on the tube, and into the water. All that said, I do admit it was a little disconcerting for the boat’s depth-finder to say you are in 40-foot waters but unexpectedly find yourself standing on a slippery old tree limb just four feet from the surface! There is more information at www.nationalgeographic.org and www.lakesonline.com.

I say goodbye this week with a quote from American author Ilam Shamir: “Advice from a lake: be clear, make positive ripples, look beneath the surface, stay calm, shore up friendships, take time to reflect, be full of life.” Not exactly Wordsworth, but great advice from a lake in any event!

God Bless America!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMELIA EARHART

I think of myself as a “can-do” person, and a woman who likes to get things done. Early in my career in late 1980s and early 1990s London, I modestly thought of myself as a young woman pushing the career envelope by taking on jobs and responsibilities which some thought were too senior for me, or even “too male”. I worked in healthcare public relations, an industry in which most of the workforce were women but top management was dominated by men.

However, my own tiny contribution to the progress of women in Western society is dwarfed by many others, and right at the top of that list is the great American aviator Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Sunday is her 125th birthday.

Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Atchinson, Kansas. Her father was a railroad lawyer and her mother came from a well-to-do family. As a child in Kansas, Amelia was very independent and adventurous. Her mother encouraged this behavior, and Amelia (known well into adulthood as “Meeley”) was dutifully followed around by her younger sister Grace (known as “Pidge”). They shot rats with rifles, climbed trees and jumped off rooftops, collected insects and reptiles, and generally had a boisterous childhood full of rowdiness and “tomboy” activities.

Her father had drifted into alcoholism and had trouble finding and holding a job. After moving around, the girls eventually finished high school in Chicago. Amelia graduated in 1916, always dreaming about finding independence through a career. According to the family’s website 100 years later, she kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women in predominantly male-oriented fields, including film production, law, advertising, management, and mechanical engineering.

At the height of World War I, Earhart trained as a nurse’s aide with the Red Cross. After attending a few air shows in 1920, she paid for a short passenger flight from Emory Roger Field on Wiltshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The fare was $10 for a 10-minute flight with Frank Hawks, a pilot who became a renowned airplane racer. “By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly”. Over the next few years, she saved every penny she made as a truck driver, secretary and photographer to fund flying lessons, and on May 16, 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman in the United States to be issued a pilot’s license. Aviation history was changed forever.

Earhart continued to fly on weekends but flying still did not provide a steady source of income. In 1928 she was living in Boston where, among other jobs, she was a salesperson for the Kinner Aircraft Company. She got a call from Amy Guest, a wealthy American lady living in England. Charles Lindbergh had just completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic, and Guest wanted to fund a woman to do something similar. Was Earhart interested?

Amelia Earhart’s first Atlantic crossing was as part of a three-person crew, but it launched her celebrity status. Then on May 20, 1932, the 34-year-old Earhart set off from Newfoundland. She intended to fly solo to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega to emulate Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight five years earlier, but after a grueling flight of almost 15 hours with icy conditions, strong winds and mechanical problems, she instead landed in a field near Londonderry, Northern Ireland. When a local farmer saw the landing and asked, “Have you flown far?”, she reportedly shocked him with her answer: “From America”.

Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven women’s speed and distance aviation records in a variety of aircraft, and her fame grew. She advocated women’s rights, raced in airshows, was a spokesperson for the aviation industry, and was constantly in the newspapers, especially her meetings with Presidents. In 1931, she married publisher George Putnam, but pointedly refused to take his last name. When referred to as “Mrs. Putnam”, she laughed and called her husband “Mr. Earhart”.

In March 1937, Earhart attempted to become the first woman to fly around the world. The initial attempt ended in a crash landing due to mechanical problems, and on June 1st that year, she and navigator Fred Noonan set off from Miami to try again. After completing 22,000 of the 29,000-mile trip, they took off from Papua New Guinea on July 2, 1937, and their last radio transmissions indicated they were running low on fuel but could not find their intended destination of Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. The most expensive and exhaustive naval search up to that point in history produced nothing but a string of theories about their disappearance, some of which are still hotly debated today, 85 years later. See www.history.com for more.

I say goodbye this week with a simple quote from the great lady herself: “The most effective way to do it, is to do it”. I could not agree more!

God Bless America!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

GRILLING OUT AS A NATIONAL PASTIME

I hope you had a fabulous July 4th weekend. Like many Americans, we spent the holiday with family, eating a variety of foods which could be cooked outside. My husband loves to stand by our blazing charcoal grill, drink in hand, cooking the meat for our meal – although he does a pretty good sockeye salmon on cedar wood planks as well. It must be something primeval about meat and fire that appeals to the male of our species. Although he usually claims full credit for cooking the meal, it falls to me to prepare the sides, salads and table setting.

This all got me thinking about the passion Americans have for grilling out. Obviously, it all started in a rudimentary form around 500,000 years ago after mankind figured out how to create fire to cook food during the Stone Age. Many centuries passed before the human race got their first taste of ‘barbecue.’ It probably derived from the Arawak people of the Caribbean, who centuries ago used a wooden structure called ‘barbako’ where meat got smoked and cooked.

I need to confess to great confusion when I first arrived in America as in the UK the term “barbecue” means grilling out – that is cooking meat, fish or vegetables outdoors over open flames. Of course, in this part of the USA, true barbecuing is cooking and smoking meat slowly over indirect heat, inside a barbecuing pit. This type of barbecue began in 18th-century colonial America, specifically in the settlements along the Southeastern seaboard where pigs were abundant. Whole hogs spent up to 14 hours over coals resulting in delicious pulled pork.

Turning back to the backyard rituals enjoyed over the Independence Day weekend; did you know that until the mid- 20th century grilling food outside mainly happened at campsites and picnics? Outdoor cooking anywhere else was often seen as a sign of poverty. However, after the Second World War when people began to flock to the suburbs, backyard grilling became extremely popular.

Around this time in Chicago, George Stephens, who owned a metal working factory, had grown frustrated with the flat, open brazier-style grills common at the time. He began experimenting and invented a round grill that held in heat. Stephen made this new grill by severing a metal buoy in half and fashioning a dome-shaped base with a rounded cover, which he began selling in 1955. He called it “George’s Barbeque Kettle” and had a big winner on his hands. Later, he bought out his manufacturing partners the Weber Brothers, and renamed the company the Weber-Stephens Products Company, and re-named his creation the Weber Grill. The business was family-owned for 117 years until 2010, and became a public company just last year, worth $2 billion today.

America’s most famous 4th of July food tradition is grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has declared July as National Hot Dog Month. We know that hot dogs evolved from the German frankfurter sausage which was brought to America by immigrants. However, the reason for hot dogs rise in popularity in the 20th century is less clear. Some say it became associated with American culture and baseball parks in 1893 thanks to St. Louis bar owner and German immigrant, Chris Von der Ahe, who owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team. Others say that in 1901 when the New York Polo grounds ran out of wax paper for sausages, they started using spare French rolls. Others place the beginning of hot dogs to the Coney Island Amusement Park in the late 1800s, and some trace hot dogs back to the 1904 World’s Fair in St Louis. No matter their history, I have to confess that despite my American citizenship, I just don’t love hot dogs!

Now hamburgers are a different story – I love them and was delighted to find out that the earliest mention of the hamburger is in a 1763 English cookbook by Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy. In 1802 the Oxford English Dictionary includes a ‘Hamburg steak’ – a slab of salted, minced beef that is slightly smoked and mixed with onions and breadcrumbs. Salted and smoked food were ideal for long sea voyages and in the 18th century the ‘Hamburg steak’ made its way across the Atlantic. Ships of the Hamburg-America line brought thousands of immigrants to the New World and soon Hamburg-style beef patties were being served from street stands. They were also at the 1904 World’s Fair, and in 1916 Walter Anderson, a fry cook from Kansas, invented a bun specially for hamburgers. Five years later he co-founded White Castle and the world’s first burger chain was born. For more information see www.history.com.

I say goodbye this week with a quote from Microsoft founder Bill Gates. “Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping – they called it opportunity.”

God Bless America!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

BLOG – JUNE 2022 – SUMMER NEWS

BLOG – JUNE 2022 – SUMMER NEWS

  • Lesley Francis
  • June 30, 2022

Here is summer, which – other than the worry about hurricanes – is one of my favorite times of the year, with long evenings and the chance to go the beach or enjoy the pool at weekends. It was great fun hosting our annual LFPR pool party last weekend for our dedicated employees and family members as we celebrate our 11th year in business.

Joy and celebrations are important at LFPR because we all work hard, and the mutual support and teamwork I see every day at our company is something I really value. Team LFPR loved attending the wonderful wedding of our recently promoted account director, Kristyn Fielding, as she became Kristyn Beasley. Talking of promotions, Allie Robinson, a two-year LFPR veteran and former senior account executive, is now an account manager. We formally welcomed Emily Vonck, who served as the agency’s spring 2022 intern, to the team as our new full-time marketing assistant. We are also enjoying having Caroline Boykin working with us as our summer intern. We wish Crystal Vogel and Hollie Barnidge all the best and thank them for their hard work over the years as they leave LFPR.

One of the biggest growth areas for LFPR’s marketing services is in our online work, and to recognize her contributions to it, Shelby McKee has been promoted to digital design director. She manages the design of responsive, user-friendly websites, as well as branding, digital and print materials, while tracking and analyzing website performance metrics and user engagement to make effective and data-driven design decisions. Zack Adams also joins us as our part-time website developer, and we are thrilled to have his technical expertise on our team. Every staff member is dedicated to this company, its success, and the clients we serve, as is evidenced by the quality work they produce and their wonderful attitudes. I am proud to offer these well-deserved promotions and excited to watch their careers continue to grow.  

 Check out some recent new websites we have built for our clients:

One of the things that I really value at LFPR is the long working relationships we enjoy with our clients. As the 10th annual Savannah VOICE Festival (SVF) is approaching this August, I look back at how LFPR worked closely with SVF over the years to build the profile of this amazing celebration of the voice! Looking back at some other wonderful client events and initiatives earlier this year, we were thrilled to be the media partners for Historic Savannah Foundation’s Preservation Month in May, Savannah African Art Museum’s Juneteenth celebration and the 200 Club of the Coastal Empire’s Pooler Run for Heroes.  LFPR also partnered with the Savannah Challenger, a premiere professional tennis event presented by St. Joseph’s/Candler and hosted by the Landings Club at the Franklin Creek Tennis Center on Skidaway Island, which returned for its 12th annual year after a break due to the pandemic.  Turning to education, we wrapped up another school year supporting Savannah’s only K-12 charter school, Savannah Classical Academy, with event and marketing services.  Looking to the business world, Georgia Tech-Savannah’s first breakfast Learners and Leaders seminar was well-attended in person and online, and the panel and discussions about the hot topic of supply chain and logistics were of the highest caliber.

Until next time, take care and enjoy your summer!

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS ON THE THRONE

It has been my observation that British people who come to live in the USA fall into two distinct groups. The first group always refer to the UK as ‘home’ and plan – sometimes vaguely – to go back someday. The second group fall in love with the USA, recognize it as the world’s greatest democracy, and make a long-term commitment to being an American citizen. I fall into the latter group as I celebrate 10 years as a naturalized American citizen. America is my home. 

Of course, there will always be a piece of my heart that belongs to Great Britain, the land of my birth, and last weekend was one of those occasions. I wish I could have been in the UK to celebrate and honor the first British monarch in history for serving her country for seventy years. 

Celebrations took place over a special four-day weekend in the United Kingdom although Her Majesty actually became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee on February 6, 2022. It was not celebrated at that time because that is, of course, a very sad day for the Queen personally as she lost her beloved father, King George VI, when he was only 56 years old.

In my opinion, no nation does pomp and ceremony better than the British, and the patriotism of the British people shone through all weekend as tens of thousands of royal supporters waved flags lining the streets of London. Some had been camped out there for days. There were many public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection. Millions of people joined with their neighbors for jubilee lunches and street parties as well as watching the festivities online and on TV across the world. Flags hung from millions of homes and businesses and, in a classically British tradition, industrious knitters created and placed Union Jack “flag hats” to crown the red post boxes of the Royal Mail.

The Queen did appear at several major events in person, and took part in the ceremony to light more than 3,500 beacons across the UK and in the capitals of the 54 Commonwealth countries that evening. Her sense of humor and charm brought the house down when she appeared in a surprise video recorded with another British national treasure: Paddington Bear during Saturday evening’s concert. Unfortunately, the Queen, who recently turned 96, was in too much ‘discomfort’ to attend some of the events planned to honor her over the weekend. She has had some health and mobility challenges since the death of her beloved husband Prince Philip in April last year and has scaled down some commitments and handed others over to younger members of the royal family. Thanks to modern technology the Queen was able to watch those events she missed, including the service of thanksgiving, the Epsom Derby and the rock concert in her honor. Queen Elizabeth II skipped the Platinum Jubilee Pageant parade on Sunday – but was there in spirit as an image of her younger self appeared in hologram form on the windows of her famous gold carriage.

She sent a message out as the celebrations came to an end after her final appearance on the balcony last Sunday saying that she has “been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is officially titled ‘Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith’. However, she is ‘Mummy’ to Prince Charles, ‘Grandmother’ to Prince William, and ‘Gan Gan’ instead of ‘Great Grandmother’ to eight-year-old Prince George, respectively the first, second and third in line to the throne. The four of them stood watching tens of thousands of well-wishers cheering along the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

For me, and most British people, the Queen symbolizes stability and has been a rock for the UK over 70 years. She represents the very best British attributes such as dedication to service and God, stoicism, loyalty, a strong work ethic and maintaining a ‘stiff upper lip’ in public regardless of what is going on in one’s private life. Queen Elizabeth has weathered many royal scandals but has consistently risen above them, and she remains immensely popular in Britain.

There is a lot more information at www.royal.uk.

I will leave you with a quote from Queen Elizabeth II herself from 1947, on her 21st Birthday, five years before her accession to the throne. “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.

God Bless America and God Save The Queen!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

TRAVELS TO SANTA FE

Judging by how busy the travel industry is at the moment, many of us seem to believe that 2022 is a year to make up for lost time and schedule all the trips we had to postpone during the pandemic. So earlier this month, I went on a long delayed “girls’ trip” to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  

Although I have been to Texas and Arizona and loved them both, somehow, I had never been to New Mexico, nestled in between the two. Every time I travel within the USA, it blows my mind to be reminded once again just how very large this great nation is. The 48 contiguous states are just under 3.2 million square miles, and 3.8 million including Alaska and Hawaii… more than twice the size of the European Union. That includes almost 200,000 square miles of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. The USA is the third-largest country in the world behind Russia and Canada. Remember that the land of my birth, the United Kingdom, is just 94,000 square miles – about 75% the size of the State of New Mexico.

Coming directly from beautiful Coastal Georgia, the first and most striking thing one notices in New Mexico is the lack of humidity, rainfall and outdoor water in general. However, because the state is geothermically active there are a number of fantastic hot springs – discovered centuries ago by native Americans and later Spanish settlers who found them to be very soothing to mind and body. The extremely dry climate also contributes to a massive problem in the area – wildfires! We could see them on the horizon, smoky and raging outside Santa Fe. Luckily, they were being contained in the area around us, but it was heartbreaking to see. The state’s national parks were closed during our visit, and it was rather unnerving to be within a dozen or so miles from the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history. Coastal Georgia gets about double the rainfall of Santa Fe, so it did make me appreciate our Low Country climate, the Ogeechee River, and our proximity to the coast. Even the Georgia humidity seemed to be put into perspective for me.

New Mexico is known as the ‘Land of Enchantment’ and Santa Fe is its state capitol, famous for its extensive art galleries mostly situated on Canyon Road. Advertised as “more than a hundred galleries, boutiques and restaurants in one half mile”, we spent a lovely afternoon exploring the nooks and crannies of Canyon Road, and resisting the temptation to purchase paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry, and knick-knacks.

Santa Fe, which translates as “holy faith” in Spanish, was founded in 1607. It is the oldest capital city in United States, the oldest European community west of the Mississippi, and the second-oldest surviving US city founded by European colonists on land that later became part of the United States (St Augustine Florida is the oldest). While Santa Fe was inhabited by a few European people earlier than 1607, it became truly established as a city few years later by the Conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, a lawyer sent from Spain who was appointed Governor of New Mexico while the territory was still part of the Spanish Empire. In fact, Santa Fe had been colonized 25 years before the colonials set foot at Plymouth Rock. 

Santa Fe is the highest large city in the United States at about 7,000 feet above sea level and became an important trading post for travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries.

I was enchanted by Santa Fe’s adobe houses and the narrow winding streets, which reminded me of southern Europe, and was pleased to learn about the city’s historic preservation efforts focused on preserving the Spanish-Pueblo architectural style even in new construction.

New Mexico became the USA’s 47th state in 1912 and is an interesting place. The state bird is the roadrunner, and the state tree is the pinon pine. About a third of the residents speak Spanish as a first language.  The state’s largest city, Albuquerque (which we flew into from Atlanta) is the hot air ballooning capital of the world and is also the hometown of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The state is home to a lot of research facilities and laboratories and is also known for a disproportionately large number of reported UFO sightings. And here is my favorite little-known fact about New Mexico – it is illegal to dance while wearing your sombrero hat. We didn’t do much dancing or sombrero wearing while we were there, but it was good to know just the same!

There is a lot more information at www.santafe.org.

I will leave you with a quote by the great 19th century American author who achieved international acclaim for his travel narratives, the ever-witty Mark Twain. “Until I came to New Mexico, I never knew how much beauty water adds to a river.”

God Bless America!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

EXPERIENCING THE BRITISH THEATRE AGAIN

When I was in the UK last month, I got quite emotional a few times as I did things that, during the darkest days of the pandemic, seemed like they might never happen again. Obviously, it was fantastic seeing friends and family after so long, and great to attend my cousin’s wedding with loads of hugs, kisses, and re-bonding much missed aunts, uncles, and cousins. I also learned to once again appreciate the freedom to travel between the two countries I love. However, one thing that really underscored the return to some type of ‘normalcy’ to me was once again going to the theatre in London’s West End, which is the British equivalent of Broadway in New York.

First, let’s clear the air on a transatlantic spelling difference. The British spell ‘theatre’ differently than ‘theater’ in the American spelling tradition. Just to complicate matters further, in the UK ‘theatre’ can only be used to mean a place of live plays and entertainment, whereas in the US you can also have a ‘movie theater’ where films (movies) are shown. In the UK this would always be known as a ‘cinema’.

My husband and I wanted to see something uplifting in London, and we both love musicals. So, we chose to see (or rather I chose and he capitulated) “Tina – The Musical”. This story of Tina Turner, while not in the same league as a classic show like Les Miserables, was very enjoyable. The music was great, and her story of triumph over both poverty and her early abusive relationship with husband Ike Turner is inspiring. The singing and sets were first rate, and it was just so good to be back in an audience of over a thousand people in the city I grew up in and spent many years as a young woman.

I have always found music and the theatre provide me with a welcome release from day-to-day stress and life in general. Did you know that the ancient Greeks first noticed this process and coined the phrase ‘cathartic’ when they saw the strong impact theatre and theatrical traditions had on their audiences? The philosophers of the day noted that their art forms of tragic and comic dramas really moved audiences and alleviated their burdens of daily troubles and woes.

The history of British theater dates back to Medieval times when travelling players would perform religious mystery plays in villages and towns, portraying the lives of saints and uplifting bible stories. Community-based religious theater stopped abruptly in 1534 when King Henry VIII broke the British church away from the Pope and Catholicism in Rome so he could divorce and remarry. Overnight, actors had to be part of a royal or aristocratic household to perform. A little later during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (she was Henry VIII’s daughter), royal patents or licenses were given to actors to perform commercially and many open-air public theaters were built at this time. The Elizabethan age was very important for theatre, and this is of course when the great author and playwright, William Shakespeare, first came to prominence.

So how did London’s West End district begin? During the 17th century, the first of the 39 theaters that make up this district was built and named the ‘Theatre Royal’. We saw ‘Tina: The Musical’ nearby at the Aldwych Theatre, a more modern theatre which opened in 1905. London’s theatres tend to be magnificent and opulent buildings. The Aldwych is no exception, and it spent its first years primarily hosting musical comedies. Famous 20th century actors including Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh starred at the Aldwych and in 1960 the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company made the Aldwych its London base for 21 years. Since then the Aldwych has played host to a number of musicals including Fame, Dirty Dancing, Beautiful and after a break due to the pandemic, Tina resumed last year. There is much more information at www.BritishTheatre.com.

I will leave you with a quote by the great American/Canadian film actress, Mary Pickford; “Make them laugh, make them cry… What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that.”

God Bless America!

– ENDS –

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com  or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.

LESLEY FRANCIS PUBLIC RELATIONS APPOINTS DIGITAL DESIGN DIRECTOR

RICHMOND HILL, GA – May 2, 2022 – Lesley Francis Public Relations (LFPR) has announced the promotion of Shelby McKee to Digital Design Director.

McKee has worked with LFPR since 2021 as the marketing agency’s Website Designer and has been instrumental in the company’s recent growth. As Digital Design Director, she will manage the design of responsive, user-friendly websites, as well as branding and digital and print materials, while tracking and analyzing website performance metrics and user engagement to make effective and data-driven design decisions.

“Shelby has proven herself as an enthusiastic and extremely effective member of our team,” said Lesley Francis, CEO and Founder of LFPR. “I am really delighted that she will be joining us in this more senior, full-time role. As website design, management, and hosting becomes a bigger and more important part of our offering to clients, I’m glad to have Shelby lead our online services.”  
LFPR is a growing marketing firm established by Lesley Francis in 2011. The award-winning firm is based in Richmond Hill, GA, and currently serves more than 25 clients spanning from South Carolina to Florida. LFPR offers many services to fulfill all your marketing and PR needs including media relations, crisis management, social media and website management, and much more! For more information, please visit https://lesleyfrancispr.com/services/. 

 

– ENDS –

For media inquiries, please contact Allie Robinson at allie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-547-3100, Lesley Francis at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-429-3950, or the team at 912-417-5377.

 

 

 

LESLEY FRANCIS PUBLIC RELATIONS RAISES THE BAR BY ANNOUNCING PROMOTIONS, NEW TEAM MEMBER

RICHMOND HILL, GA – April 22, 2022 – Lesley Francis Public Relations (LFPR) has announced the promotions of three current employees and the addition of a new employee. 

Kristyn Fielding, who has been with LFPR for six years, was elevated from senior account manager to account director. Allie Robinson, a two-year LFPR veteran and former senior account executive, is now an account manager, and Crystal Vogel, a team member of four years, is now the social media and design manager. LFPR also welcomed Emily Vonck, who served as the agency’s spring 2022 intern, to the team as a marketing assistant. Fielding and Robinson graduated from Georgia Southern University, which will soon be Vonck’s alma mater as well; Vogel earned her degree at Armstrong State University.

“I am delighted to have each one of these ladies on my team and thoroughly enjoy working with them daily,” LFPR founder and CEO Lesley Francis said. “Each staffer is dedicated to this company, its success, and the clients we serve, as is evidenced by quality work they produce and their wonderful attitudes. I am proud to offer these well-deserved promotions and excited to watch their careers continue to grow.” 

LFPR is a growing PR and marketing agency established by Lesley Francis in 2011. The award-winning firm is based in Richmond Hill, Ga, and currently serves over 25 nonprofit, small-business and education clients spanning from South Carolina to Florida. LFPR offers many services to fulfill all your marketing and PR needs including media relations, graphic design, crisis management, social media management, website building and maintenance, and much more. For more information, please visit lesleyfrancispr.com and follow them on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

– ENDS –

For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651, Lesley Francis at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-429-3950, or the team at 912-417-5377.