Some of Rome’s most familiar faces will trade their work shoes for dancing shoes when the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge: All Stars takes the stage Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Rome City Auditorium.

Modeled after the popular television show Dancing With the Stars, the 13th annual fundraiser will feature 11 celebrity teams performing everything from ballroom and contemporary dance to high-energy hip hop. All proceeds will benefit the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia, which provides crucial services for survivors throughout Floyd, Bartow, Polk and Chattooga counties.

This year’s All-Star cast brings back former champions, audience favorites and memorable contestants from past competitions.

The lineup includes 2025 People’s Choice runner-up Greg Abbott of Rome-Floyd Fire Department, dancing with Hannah Camacho of The Dance Centre and Baird Ballet; 2019 Judges’ Choice winner Lewis Byrne of Berry College Elementary & Middle School, dancing with Lee Morris of The Dance Centre; and 2023 contestant LaDonna Collins of Georgia CASA, dancing with her husband, Eric Collins of Georgia Highlands College.

Dr. Ryan Cox of Ryan Cox Orthodontics will dance with his wife, Amy Cox, while 2013 People’s Choice winner Ali Freeman will perform with Adolfo Chacon of Chacon Quality Paint. Dr. Dixon Freeman of the Medical College of Georgia and AdventHealth Redmond will partner with Alexis Tyson of Rome High School.

The cast also includes Dr. Kristen Leezer of Atrium Health Floyd Northwest Georgia Medical Clinic with Payton Campbell of Atlanta Cycling; 2016 People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winner Danny Price of Berry College with University of Georgia student Maggie Grace Brinson; and 2023 Judges’ Choice winner Megan Treglown of MegTreg Collective with 2024 Judges’ Choice runner-up Shaylan Johnson of Blooming Oak Photography Studios.

Rounding out the competition are Cindy Stansell Taylor of Salon Ten 17 and The Wig Chix with Chase Tolbert of Dempsey Auction Co., and Ghee Wilson of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with JoAnna Parker of The Dance Centre and Elm Street Elementary School.

Several teams are also receiving choreography assistance from local dance professionals Consuelo “NaeNae” Saxton, Hannah Camacho and Faith Im.

Competitors will vie for two major honors. The Judges’ Choice Award will be selected by a panel of judges, while the People’s Choice Award will be determined by community donations.

Supporters can vote for their favorite team by visiting GiveButter.com/RCDC or texting RCDC to 53-555. Donations may be made during the months leading up to the event and throughout the live performances.

A limited number of general admission tickets will go on sale June 1. Event sponsorships and VIP tickets purchased through contestants offer the best opportunity to guarantee a seat.

Save the date for an evening of dancing, friendly competition and community support at the Rome City Auditorium on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Some journeys are measured in miles. Others are measured in the parts of yourself you meet along the way.

This spring, two women with Rome-area ties—Katie Wimberly Smyth and Christine Swanson—laced up their shoes, shouldered their packs and stepped onto different routes of the Camino de Santiago, the centuries-old network of pilgrimage roads leading toward Santiago de Compostela.

Katie began in Porto, Portugal, following the Portuguese Way north. Her first walking day carried her from Porto to Póvoa de Varzim, beginning a journey that would unfold through coastal scenery, unfamiliar towns and the steady rhythm of placing one foot before the other. Her later reflections celebrated new friends—both human and animal—a beautiful waterfall and the deliberate choice to rest rather than simply push ahead.

That may be one of the Camino’s quiet lessons: progress is not always about moving faster. Sometimes it means pausing long enough to notice who has joined you, what surrounds you and what your body and spirit are trying to say.

Christine chose the Camino Francés and walked roughly 500 miles to Santiago before continuing toward Muxía and Finisterre, bringing her journey to approximately 560 miles. She reached Santiago on Memorial Day, writing that she had not planned the timing and believed God had orchestrated the journey—one step and one prayer at a time.

Along the route, Christine found companionship in unexpected places. She wrote that on the Camino, a person is never truly alone, even when it feels that way. There were new friends, open church doors, moments of worship, a wine fountain, borrowed kitchens and simple comforts that became small celebrations. After reaching Santiago and receiving her Compostela certificates, she continued toward Spain’s Atlantic coast, where the road seems to meet the sea.

In Muxía, standing beneath a cross overlooking the water, Christine realized that the Camino had never been merely about finishing a long hike. It was, she wrote, a deeper walk with God. She later received her Muxiana certificate and reflected upon the forks in the road—not only the marked paths between Muxía and Finisterre, but the choices that shape an ordinary life.

Christine Hai walked the Camino as an awareness for our Veterans and a fundraiser for Let’s Be Friends Community’s ( local grassroots nonprofit) “500 Miles, 500 Stories, One Mission” initiative to honor and encourage our veterans while advancing the organization’s mission of combating loneliness to likely to help reduce suicidal rate and reminding people that no one should have to walk alone. Along the way, she discovered that while she set out walking for others, God was also transforming her own heart with the extra miles . Those personal reflections have become the inspiration for the book she is now writing, Found – Walking the Camino: The Way Home.

Katie’s journey and Christine’s were not the same. They followed different routes, covered different distances and carried their own reasons for walking. Yet both discovered what generations of pilgrims have learned: the Camino gives back more than scenery and sore muscles.

It offers strangers who become companions. It turns meals, showers, churches and places to rest into gifts. It strips life down to what can be carried—and then asks what is truly worth holding onto.

Eventually, every pilgrim comes home. But home does not always receive the same person who left.

The trail ends. The walking, in another sense, does not.

Calling all bargain hunters, antique lovers and folks who cannot pass a roadside table marked “Everything Must Go.” The 127 Yard Sale returns August 6–9, 2026, offering four days of treasure hunting across six states.

Known as the World’s Longest Yard Sale, the event stretches 690 miles from just north of Addison, Michigan, to Gadsden, Alabama. Along the way, shoppers travel through Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, discovering everything from vintage furniture and collectibles to clothing, tools and household bargains.

For shoppers near Rome, some of the most accessible portions of the route run through Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, Mentone, Fort Payne, Collinsville and Gadsden. Highway 127 ends in Chattanooga, where the sale continues south along the scenic Lookout Mountain Parkway through Georgia and Alabama. Organizers recommend carrying printed directions because the route changes highway numbers and GPS service may be unreliable in rural areas.

Major Alabama stops include Akins Shady Pines near Fort Payne, Collinsville Crossroads and vendor areas near Noccalula Falls in Gadsden.

The 127 Yard Sale is more than a shopping trip. It is a backroads adventure filled with small towns, mountain scenery, friendly vendors and the possibility that somebody else’s clutter may become your next great find.

Every once in a while, a meal rises above being merely “good” and becomes something you know you will remember for years.

Our recent dinner at Charles Hellier’s Chophouse on Broad Street was one of those meals. In fact, it easily ranks among my top 10 dining experiences of all time.

I ordered the 20-ounce ribeye. Kim chose the Chicken Piccata. I came very close to ordering the Chilean sea bass, but I wanted to see how the Chophouse steak compared with several exceptional ribeyes I have enjoyed recently. Ribeyes and sea bass, after all, account for a considerable percentage of the best meals I have ever eaten.

Yes, the ribeye was pricey. It was also a freaking 20-ounce, hand-cut steak.

Most restaurants serve a 12-ounce ribeye, with an occasional 16-ounce option for those feeling particularly ambitious. This one arrived looking less like an entrée and more like a personal challenge. The last time I remember eating a steak that large was decades ago, when I traveled with the Georgia Bulldogs to the Cotton Bowl for a game against Texas.

The steak was beautifully prepared, deeply flavorful and cooked exactly as requested. It delivered the rich marbling and satisfying beef flavor that make a great ribeye difficult to beat.

Kim’s Chicken Piccata was equally successful. The two chicken breasts were tender and complemented by the bright, savory flavors you expect from a properly prepared piccata. Kim declared it spot on, and both chicken breasts disappeared before I could make much of a dent in my ribeye.

For our shareable sides, we chose the lobster macaroni and cheese and the Brussels sprouts. Calling them “shareable” may be an understatement. The portions could easily have served five or six people, and we carried most of both dishes home.

The Brussels sprouts were quite simply the best I have ever eaten. They were caramelized with honey and layered with seasonings that balanced sweetness, savoriness and the natural character of the sprouts. Even people who claim they do not like Brussels sprouts might reconsider after trying these.

The lobster macaroni and cheese was more delicate than the heavy, home-style version many diners might expect. Hints of celery seed and nutmeg added complexity without overpowering the lobster or cheese. It was rich, refined and extremely enjoyable.

But Chophouse on Broad Street is about more than large steaks and polished plates.

Charles Hellier moved to the area from Connecticut after his family fell in love with Rome while his son attended soccer camp at Darlington. An engineer who appreciates the finer things, Charles grew tired of fighting Atlanta traffic whenever he wanted a sophisticated dining experience. He decided Rome should have that level of food, hospitality and special-event dining without requiring a trip down Interstate 75.

He is now creating something that feels genuinely different for our community.

In addition to the restaurant, Charles is developing a private dining club and bringing respected culinary, wine and spirits professionals to Rome for intimate ticketed experiences. Recent guests have included Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak. Upcoming events feature Stranahan’s American Single Malt Whiskey, Caymus wines, Ketel One vodka and Elijah Craig bourbon, paired with specially designed multicourse menus.

These are not ordinary promotional dinners. They are carefully planned culinary experiences featuring premium steaks, seafood, handcrafted cocktails, fine wines and guided tastings. They give local diners access to the kind of evening they might ordinarily expect to find in Atlanta, Nashville or another major dining market.

Charles’ ambitions, however, extend well beyond the dining room.

He has been involved with Park Outreach since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry began after he encountered several homeless individuals gathered beneath a shelter at a public park on a cold Sunday morning. He wondered whether they were warm, hungry, employed or receiving the encouragement they needed.

Then he did something about it.

Charles approached the group and proposed meeting weekly. Participants would receive food, coffee and financial assistance for attending a brief faith-based personal-development program. Attendance would be documented so Park Outreach could later serve as a character reference as participants sought employment.

That first conversation grew into an ongoing effort providing food, clothing, encouragement and practical training in business, health and faith. Its goal is not merely to provide temporary relief, but to help people move from life in the park back into the broader community.

That means dining at Chophouse on Broad Street can feel indulgent without feeling empty. Guests can enjoy an exceptional meal while supporting an owner who is also investing in people who are hungry, homeless or struggling within our own community.

Chophouse on Broad Street has already received “Best of Georgia” recognition from the Georgia Business Journal and multiple OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards. Based on our experience, the attention is well deserved.

Come for the hand-cut Angus steaks, seafood, Chicken Piccata and enormous shareable sides. Consider attending one of the private pairing dinners or purchasing a membership.

And come knowing that at Chophouse on Broad Street, a memorable meal can also help place food into the hands of someone who needs it.

Something dark is stirring at Vintage Wine and Tapas Bar at LaScala…

On August 14, Rome Shakespeare Festival invites you to enter the haunting world of Edgar Allan Poe for an evening where dinner is only the beginning.

By candlelight, Poe’s most unforgettable works—including Annabel Lee, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Raven—will unfold through dramatic live readings, immersive soundscapes, gothic atmosphere, and live music by cellist Annie Camp.

As tales of love, madness, mystery, and loss come to life around you, enjoy a themed multi-course dinner featuring signature cocktails and wine inspired by Poe’s stories.

This is not simply dinner.

It is theater at your table.

It is a shadow in the corner.

It is a heartbeat beneath the floorboards.

This is the second Dinner with a Side of Drama performance following a Gatsby themed event at Beneath Broad, The performance brings together elegant dining, literary artistry, live performance, and just enough darkness to leave you wondering what might be watching from across the room.

Dinner. Drama. Darkness. Delight.

Presented by Rome Shakespeare Festival with Vintage Wine and Tapas Bar at LaScala.

Thursday, August 14
Performance begins promptly at 7 p.m.

Please arrive early. This is not a drop-in party, but a fully immersive performance that begins the moment the evening starts.

$100 per person
Reservations are required. Space is strictly limited.

Reserve your place before the raven says, “Nevermore.”

Register HERE!

Rome Little Theatre has announced its 2026/2027 Season Ticket Package, featuring an exciting lineup of shows and flexible ticket options for local theatre fans.

Current season ticket holders can renew between May 26 and June 15, 2026, while new season tickets will be available starting June 16, 2026.

This season includes Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical at Rome City Auditorium from August 28–30, 2026, bringing the beloved story of courage and self-discovery to the stage.

Other highlights are the powerful musical Come From Away and the sharp-witted comedy Always a Bridesmaid, both set for The DeSoto Theatre in 2027.

Season tickets guarantee the best value and your preferred seat for every mainstage production.

Individual show tickets go on sale July 15, 2026.

Stanley’s on North Broad stands out as Rome’s beloved spot for classic meat-and-three lunches, where soulful vegetables and savory mains draw hungry locals daily.

Pork’s southern magic shines here — not just as meat, but as the secret seasoning in every bite of beans, greens, and peas.

The fried chicken is a local legend, while the chicken fried steak remains a favorite comfort dish.

Fridays bring golden fried fish, and the cheesy mac and cheese wins over even the toughest critics.

Pair it all with jalapeño cornbread and sweet iced tea for an authentic country meal.

Homestyle desserts like cobbler and banana pudding offer a sweet finish.

More than a cafeteria, Stanley’s is where families gather after church, and regulars call in for fried gizzards or livers. Takeout options make it a go-to for everyday meals or holiday feasts.