SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Whether it’s Effingham County, E-Ham, or just The ‘Ham, for one reason or another, we’ve all decided to call it home.

I was born and raised here, so my childhood through early adolescence was chock-full of Friday night football games, Saturdays bopping around the parks (rest in peace, the purple dinosaur at Rincon Memorial), and Sundays in and out of the Ogeechee River. I spent many summers with money in my pocket meant for Monte’s Pizza and trying not to get caught walking barefoot through the OG Swamp Fox.

Even though I moved away after high school to see what the world had to offer, I never went too long without checking in at home. I watched in awe as Rincon finally opened its first Chick-fil-A — a prospect that, for most of my life, seemed incredibly far-fetched — and even drove more than four hours one time just to cry my eyes out for almost the entirety of the first CURE banquet held after Clarence Morgan opened.

Simply put, I’ve been Effin’hamming it up for over two-thirds of my life. And now, I want to pass the mic to the creative side of Effingham that makes our hometown buzz. Each month, I hope to use this column to spotlight the performances, exhibits, and events that make our county buzz with creativity.

A county in motion

A lot has changed for our little community over the years. For one, we’re not exactly little anymore. I left town for UGA in 2015, and by the time I got back in 2023, Effingham’s population had grown more than 20%. While that growth fueled conditions for some of my favorite small businesses to thrive, it also sowed a fair amount of discontent among residents and has been the subject of many impassioned discussions.

But we’re not here to talk about that. This isn’t one of y’all’s little Facebook groups (you know the ones I’m talking about!). I want to talk about the things in Effingham that haven’t changed — our core values, who we are as people, and the soul of where we live.

Because we could’ve lived anywhere else, but we still find ourselves here. Here, I can name nearly two handfuls of my favorite local restaurants before I can even think of a chain where I’d want to eat. Here, where your local gas station clerk probably knows your name and the snacks your kids like. And here, where you don’t have to sacrifice a breath of fresh air and a great view for life’s small luxuries.

Celebrating local culture

Even though I have my own thoughts and opinions on industrialization, local government, and Effingham’s politics, that’s not what this is about. I’m here to ‘Ham it up with and alongside you. I want us to giggle about any of the hilarious performances The Hive Rep puts on and gush about the cute pair of earrings you found while wandering up and down Laurel Street.

I want to jump with joy together because Effingham Artists just hosted a packed house for their portraiture exhibit reception. When I was a young(er) artist looking for resources to further my studies, I never dreamed Effingham would have its own local cooperative — much less that it would actually be cool.

Why it matters

So, if you’ll have me, I’d like to spend my time sharing in any of the thousands of things that make us—and by extension, our hometown—special. Because if we can’t grin about all this together, what is even the point?

Love y’all. Mean it.