The Newnan-Coweta Historical Society is delighted to announce a collaboration with local Joe Chandler, more widely known as the artist Pilliard Dickle. Recognized nationally for his imaginative approach to calendar art, Pilliard Dickle has created a unique poster calendar for 2024 capturing the fun and charm of downtown Newnan. The artwork includes many of the recognizable stores of downtown Newnan even though each one represents a month of the year.
“This new calendar is a whimsical celebration of Newnan and all the things we love about our square,” says Historical Society Director Larisa Scott. “We hope that others will be as excited as we are about this piece of artwork and want to own a limited edition copy for themselves and with the holidays and the new year approaching, it’s the perfect time to grab some as gifts so that it can be enjoyed all year starting this January!” The calendar is colorful and will appeal to adults as well as children.
This signed and numbered limited edition poster calendar is available for purchase at the McRitchie-Hollis Museum, offering residents and visitors a unique opportunity to take home a piece of Newnan’s storied history! Calendars are priced at $20 NCHS Members, $25 Non-Members, and there will also be the option to purchase laminated copies. The thick, high-quality paper is perfect as is or can easily fit in a standard frame.
Pilliard Dickle has crafted an entire world of time, a cartoon fantasyland called Calendaria, which The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls “a feast for the imagination.” His chronological creations are widely regarded as the world’s most unique calendars, having won both the National and World Calendar Awards from The Calendar Marketing Association, and have been featured in such media as the Today show.
Standing on the Court Square, he fondly recalled, “It was right here that I started drawing my first calendar over 40 years ago. In fact, it was right here in the heart of downtown Newnan that I got the idea to draw these oddball calendars in the first place.”
When he started sketching his very first calendar in downtown Newnan all those years ago, Chandler decided to draw himself in as his cartoon persona Pilliard Dickle, a roving calendar artist wending his way across The Land of Calendaria in search of odd new years to draw. His journey has led him to castles and palaces, cities and pyramids, even a village of flying houses, all made of days. “And now, full circle,” he says. “Back home.”
The Newnan calendar features a reunion of Calendaria’s beloved characters, including Captain Navaron Tyme, the seafaring explorer who’s always a day late, Sonny Day and his wife Doris (no relation), and The Daybreaker, a stumpy little scofflaw who plunders through time swiping days. In the new 2024 calendar, the Daybreaker can be seen shuffling down the courthouse steps with a 31 in his hands, having just absconded with New Year’s Eve.
Dickle also drew in his granddaughter Olivia Westergreen, who helped him with the initial sketches. “It needs a big sun, right here,” she said in a moment of inspiration, drawing a huge arc across the downtown skyline. That was just what it needed—in the final version, her giant sun remains exactly where she sketched it.
For more information, please contact:
Larisa Scott
Executive Director
Newnan Coweta Historical Society
770-251-0207
larisa@ newnancowetahistoricalsociety. com
About Pilliard Dickle (Joe Chandler):
Having earned a degree in economics from West Georgia College (now The University of West Georgia), Chandler took the next logical step and “became a broke cartoonist named Pilliard Dickle.” He has designed calendars for comedian Mike Birbiglia, Springer Mountain Farms chicken and now NCHS. He collaborates on creative projects such as short films with his daughter Emily Westergreen and appears at various local venues performing his off-the-wall comedy.
About the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society:
Established to preserve and promote the rich history of the Coweta County region, the Newnan Coweta Historical Society has been a steadfast guardian of the community’s heritage. Through exhibitions, events, and educational initiatives, the organization strives to connect residents and visitors with the stories that have shaped the area’s identity.
