Live music is not something new to Milledgeville, but it can be difficult for families to find live performances outside a noisy downtown bar.
New City Church at the Mill holds Music at the Mill on the last Friday of each month to fix that problem and act as a meeting point for local musicians and music enjoyers alike.
“The best thing is the participation of everyone, I love to sit back and watch the faces of the musicians… and then look at the people who are just listening… and they’re smiling and they’re having fun,” said Vicky Swinger, event director at New City Church.
Swinger has been responsible for coordinating this event along with others in the past. She encourages everyone to bring their instruments to join the fun or to simply enjoy the music. Any genre of music is welcome, so long as things stay family-friendly.
“We do all kinds of music, you know, occasionally someone will play a Christian song, but it’s all kinds of music. It's whatever people want to play," Swinger said.
Swinger says Music at the Mill was inspired by a similar event held at a hardware store in Gordon, called the Jelly Elephant. The ambiance the event created to encourage people to sing, dance, and “jam” was what Swinger wanted to bring into Music at the Mill.
“It’s a jam, and that’s what I’ve explained to people over and over… we wanted to showcase some different artists that maybe need some more notice,” Gary Swinger said.
This formula of collaboration and inclusion is what she used to create the event and the talent of the musicians it brings in continues to amaze her, including her husband Gary Swinger.
“My husband can play with anybody. He’ll say, ‘What key are you in?’ So, he can just fill in and he doesn’t even have to know the song,” Swinger said.
Although music is a heavy focus for the event, the events also act as a catalyst toward New City’s main goal of serving the community and bringing people together.
“We asked the pastor (Patrick McConnell) if we could crank that up and he said, ‘Absolutely.’ His vision for this church is that it would become a place that the community could utilize, and that fit right in for what his vision was,” Gary Swinger said.
Players and audience members alike have shown their gratitude and love for the event since it began in June of 2023, including Craig Callender, who is a regular attendee.
“I like hearing other people’s original music and I also just really like playing with other musicians, whether it’s people in my own band or it’s people I get to come and jam with,” Callender said. “It’s a great way for people to connect, just by playing music.”
New City Church utilizes events like Music at the Mill to build upon their community and allow others to join in and build connections. Considering the success of the latest Music at the Mill, Vicky Swinger hopes to continue improving the event and see the New City family grow.
“The sky's the limit, and I’ll try to be available every last Friday as much as I can… and I hope other people will do that too,” she said.