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The Hogansville Hummingbird Festival committee has selected the artwork to represent this fall’s Hummingbird Festival. Andy Porter’s painting of a dapper hummingbird with a bow tie was the winning entry in a crowded field of applicants.

“We had many good entries again this year,” said Mary Stewart of the Festival committee. “It’s always a difficult decision to pick one. The committee really liked Andy’s composition and the way his hummingbird shows style and personality.”

The committee hasn’t yet announced if the festival will take place this year.

“It’s dismaying to see the Covid numbers going back up,” said Jason Stewart, Festival Chairman. “We are talking to our sponsoring partner, Piedmont Newnan Hospital as to whether the Festival should be cancelled. We understand Piedmont’s concerns, because they reflect all our concerns for staying safe and reducing the spread of Covid,” he said. “We will probably make a final decision and announcement in early July.”

If the Festival does take place, it will be the 23rd annual Hummingbird Festival.

It is held on the third weekend in October in downtown Hogansville, and often draws a crowd of 15,000 people.

“We’d love to have the festival again this year,” said Hogansville Mayor Bill Stankiewicz, “but our primary concern is for the health and safety of our community.”

Piedmont Newnan Hospital has been a generous sponsoring partner of the festival for several years. Like other healthcare facilities, the hospital and its staff are on the front lines of the pandemic.

“We are extremely grateful for their sponsorship,” Stewart said. “They are part of our community, and we’re grateful for all they do.”

Andy Porter’s whimsical hummingbird painting expresses one of the artist’s passions.

“In 2016, I started selling my handmade bow ties to raise money for a mission trip to Haiti to work with All Things New Orphanage,” Porter said. “In the Spring of 2017, I went to Haiti and fell in love with the kids and the country. Since returning home, my family has sponsored two of the kids in the orphanage and sales of my bow ties helps further their ministry.”

The covid pandemic has wreaked havoc on Haiti, much like the rest of the world.

“I painted the little bow tied hummingbird with hope that it would raise awareness for those less fortunate than us,” Porter said.

Porter and his wife have lived in downtown LaGrange since 2007. They recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary and they have two children, ages 10 and 5. He is the Custom Design Manager at Interface and loves that his job provides opportunities to serve in the community. 

“I’ve been able to lead many local projects, from trash pickups at West Point Lake, to DASH’s Paint the Town program and even the mural on the side of the LaGrange Art Museum,” Porter said.  “I love getting involved to make a difference.”

Porter’s original framed painting will join artwork from past festivals on the walls of City Hall in downtown Hogansville. As in past years, this year’s art will be used in the designs for the festival T-shirt and poster.