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Ruby Jane wows crowd, CBS crew
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By:
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rubyjanesmith
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Mood:
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happy
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Date:
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05/11/2007 10:10:05
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Music:
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None
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Commercial Dispatch
By Steve Rogers and Kristin Mamrack
Dispatch Staff
If the annual Pilgrimage Tour of Homes in
Columbus
is supposed to start slow and build to a big finale - this year
including the annual ball and a huge air show - don't tell Ruby Jane
Smith.
Monday night, the musical prodigy - at age 11, she's
already an accomplished, poised singer and songwriter who is mastering
multiple instruments - rocked a near-capacity crowd of some 1,000
people in Rent Auditorium during
the annual musical to kick off the Pilgrimage.
And the news is spreading fast. A CBS News crew here to do a spot on
Smith may expand its coverage after just two days in town.
"I was really impressed by her," said, Amy Birnbaum, a producer with
CBS News.
"The
concert was great fun and she's really talented, has a great gift,"
Birnbaum said of the concert, which almost filled the auditorium in
Whitfield Hall on the campus of
Mississippi University for Women.
"It looks like a really beautiful town," she added of Columbus, noting
the crew, unfortunately, hasn't had much time for sight-
seeing and will be leaving today. "I wish I could see more of it."
Birnbaum
said the program will air "in a few weeks," but the network hasn't yet
decided whether the young entertainer and her friends
- the network is getting together with them before leaving today - will
air on the network's morning program or evening news.
Nancy Carpenter, director of Columbus Historic Foundation which
coordinates the annual Pilgrimage, was beaming over what many
described as one of the largest crowds in several years for the musical
kickoff.
"I was so tickled," Carpenter said after the show. "Everyone really
seemed to enjoy it and seemed to be having fun.
"I think it got everyone really excited and that's what it's all
about," Carpenter added of the crowd, which often got caught
up in Smith's hand-clapping, toe-tapping mixture of country, folk and
blues, played through her award-winning fiddle skills as
well as the guitar and other string
instruments.
Smith was accompanied by the Larry Wallace Band.
Visitors shared the excitement.
"She's
unbelievable. We'd heard about her and decided to drive over but she's
more than we expected. Makes us want to come back for more now that
we've seen
everything going on," said John Chambers, who drove to Monday night's
show from Tuscaloosa, Ala., with his wife Norma.
"We've
been to these before but tonight was energizing. You'd never know she
was just 11. If this is just the start, we want to see what else you've
got," added Sue Harris
of Starkville who has never done the Pilgrimage although she's lived in
the area for six years.
"We
love old homes and friends had told us about your Pilgrimage and
invited us down. We haven't seen any homes yet but tonight was a treat,
just a very special treat.
It's got us very excited," said Kim and Fred Adams from Indianapolis,
Ind.
By Monday afternoon, visitors had been in from 12 states, according to
Carpenter.
Tickets and information on the Pilgrimage are available at the
Tennessee Williams Welcome Center on Main Street in downtown
Columbus, by calling (800) 920-3533 or visiting
www.historic-columbus.org
In
addition to homes tours, other events today include the kickoff of the
City Blocks tour from 5-6:30 p.m. on downtown streets, a musical
presentation at 6:30 p.m. from the Jazz Caberet at Mississippi
School
for Mathematics and Science in the Trotter Convention Center courtyard
and the first candlelight tour at historic Temple Heights. Also
featured on the candlelight tour is Lincoln Home.
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