“We had no idea it would be the success it was,” recalls Kay Garletts, who has been heavily involved with the production since its small inaugural performance in 1996, in the church’s former location on Tibet Avenue.

Picture this – 34 degrees (freezing for us Savannahians) and the sun is just starting to rise. Eli’s crew has already been staged and ready to roll for the past hour.

“This was a huge collaboration with the Community. We had representation from every possible source in Savannah. Everyone cared,” Tammie tells me while describing the endless list of donations, from practice locations to hair and make up specialists.

“The shark was a pleasant surprise after those stupid jellyfish!” Nash McIntosh tells me.

“I was devastated,” he recalls. “I thought the entire building would go.”

Admitting that the Ball may have been a bit too “stiff” to entice the younger crowd in the past, this is Jackie’s invitation to partake in “the most prestigious event in Savannah.”

The irony of it all, I’m thinking, as I photograph a TV Guide Network cameraman and reporter who are covering a Fox 28 reporter who is preparing to report the 6 p.m. news.