georgia news  COMPILED BY JENNIFER J. HEWETT
LaGrange native rides ‘Hairspray’ wave Thousands turned out July 21 for the LaGrange red-carpet premiere of “Hairspray” to welcome home Elijah Kelley, the budding star who plays “Seaweed” in the summer hit movie headlined by John Travolta and Queen Latifah. Born and raised in LaGrange, the 20-year-old Troup High School graduate has been honing his performing skills most of his life, from singing with the “Coca-Cola Kids” during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta to dancing alongside Antonio Banderas in last year’s dance movie “Take the Lead.” Reviews of “Hairspray,” a musical funfest based on the original 1988 film and a subsequent Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, have been favorable, with Kelley garnering much praise. Newsweek calls him a “standout,” and The Los Angeles Times notes that “in the length of a pop song [‘Run and Tell That’], Elijah Kelley makes himself memorable in the midst of a marquee ensemble.” There will be more to remember of Kelley if “Hairspray” producers, New Line Cinema, succeed in their efforts to secure rights to the Sammy Davis Jr. autobiography. They’re counting on Kelley to act, sing and dance as the lead character. —Jackie Kennedy
World champs! 
Congratulations to the Warner Robins Little League team for winning the 2007 Little League World Series.
 ‘Hospitality Highway’ designated
Gov. Sonny Perdue recently signed a resolution naming Georgia Highway 400 as the state’s official Hospitality Highway. Beginning as a joint project to promote tourism between the Roswell and Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureaus, other convention and visitors bureaus along the highway, stretching from metro Atlanta to the North Georgia mountains, embraced the idea. Rep. Amos Amerson introduced the resolution, which was unanimously approved by both the House and Senate. For more on the tourism effort, visit www.hospitalityhighway.com.
511 for traffic  The Georgia Department of Transportation recently unveiled its latest effort to keep Georgia’s drivers in the know when it comes to traffic: dialing 511. Providing real-time traffic reports and travel information, this free call also links travelers to airports, tourism destinations, public safety information, and other forms of transit such as Amtrak and Greyhound, plus provides access to a live operator 24 hours a day. Visit www.511ga.org for more details.
Georgia glimpses • GEORGIA Magazine and Georgia Electric Membership Corp., the trade association for the 42 member-owned electric co-ops in the state, are among the sponsors of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation’s Fore-A-Cure Golf Tournament, Oct. 1 at the Standard Club in Duluth. The fund-raising tournament benefits children and adults with mitochondrial disease. Call (404) 817-0999 or visit www.foreacuremito.org for details. • Join World War II veterans Oct. 5-7 in Toccoa as they celebrate the Currahee Military Weekend and reunion at Camp Toccoa, the training grounds for Airborne and parachute infantry regiments, made famous by the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers” and the film “Saving Private Ryan.” Attendees can tour Camp Toccoa and Currahee Mountain, see World War II re-enactments, view military vehicle and memorabilia displays, and catch a glimpse of the new Currahee Military Museum. For more information on the 2007 Weekend, contact the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce at (706) 886-2132 or visit www.toccoagachamber.com.  • The Sole Sisters, a network of fun-loving women who enjoy wearing funky shoes, are collecting new and gently worn women’s and children’s shoes for their Goody2Shoes charity shoe drive. Started by a group of women friends in Marietta, Sole Sisters affiliate chapters have popped up all over the country. Donations to their shoe drive can be made throughout October at Razzle Dazzle Doggies on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta. For more information on the Sole Sisters and their charity efforts, visit www.thesolesisters.com.
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