Submitted by Rita Elliott ([email protected])

With the crash of a champagne bottle over her fender, a new green bough laid upon her, the cadence of a drum roll, and the suspenseful unveiling of the tarp, Abby the ArchaeoBus was officially christened. Over 70 guests participated in the historic event during the spring Archaeology meeting in Macon on May 16, 2009. The gray skies and rain throughout the day did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm, and only served to give Abby a fresh bath prior to her debut. The showers ended just in time for the big event. As part of the ceremony, guests won door prizes and participated in a rousing kazoo rendition of “The Raiders of the Lost Ark” theme song. This was followed by an array of pink refreshments, including a cake with Abby’s likeness. Guests also had an opportunity to tour the inside of the bus and see the new exhibits and storage spaces. Thank you to all who attended!

Special thanks go to the many people who made the event successful. This includes Ellen Provenzano (wedding and special events coordinator extraordinaire); Betsy (I can get you a personalized yummy cake at a bargain rate) Shirk; champagne specialist and multi-tasker Tom Gresham; drummer Dean Wood (did I hear he played with the Stones before Slant Six?); unveiler, kazoo lead, and all around groupie Dan Elliott; official bough-layer Dennis Blanton; Abby button makers Tammy Herron, Betsy Shirk, Carolyn Rock, Jamice Meschke, Jim Langford (“HOW many buttons are we making???”); and the many photographers of the event. Stay tuned as the ArchaeoBus Committee and SGA Board review and finalize the guidelines for Abby’s work.

Posted online on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009