April Issue A 2011

SEE PAGE 9

verge AUGUSTA & THE CSRA

FREE |MARCH 30 2011 |VOL 4 ISSUE 3 | YOUR SOURCE FOR COMMUNIT Y DRIVEN NEWS

WHAT TO DO When You Don’t Have A Masters Badge + DINING Staff’s Top Picks + STATUS Augusta Botanical Gardens + DANCE Paul Taylor + GOODBYE Gary Swint

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 3

vergestaff

publisher Matt Plocha editor Lara Plocha contributors Chris Selmek, Alison Richter, John Cannon, Dino Lull, Ben Casella, Kris Cook, Skyler Andrews, Charlotte Okie, Gabi Hutchison, Elizabeth Benson, Jennifer Maslyn, Holly Birdsong, Katie McGuire, Mariah Gardner, Susan Hutchison

vergeconnect

we want to hear from you call us: 706.951.0579 mail us: PO Box 38

Augusta GA 30903 email us: advertising and general stuff publisher@vergelive.com story tips, ideas and letters editor@vergelive.com free event listings pipeline@vergelive.com find us online: vergelive.com

vergepolicies the boring part

GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2011 by verge. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Editorial content of verge is the opinion of each contributing writer and is not necessarily the opinion of verge, its staff or its advertisers.

DISTRIBUTION: verge is published twice a month and is available free of charge at distribution locations throughout the CSRA, including Publix and Earth Fare.

RECYCLE: verge is printed on 50% recycled stock.

vergeadvertisers check out our partners

3, 34 36 42 37 34 32 14 38 18 30 19 8 18, 20 38 6 40 12 12 14 32 32 6 20, 28 38 18 27 30, 33 16 19 6 8 14 10 38 20 2, 31, 35 20 8 12 24 30 28 12 43 44 14

1102 Bar & Grill 8th Street Tobacco A.B. Beverage Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Augusta Canal Bar on Broad Book Tavern Brigans Buzz on Biz Casa Blanca Casella Eye Center Congregation Beth Shalom Copy Center Copy Center CSRA Ad Specialties Dominos Pizza Edge Salon Elduets Treasures Family Y Garlic Clove Goodwill Halo I-HOP Import Auto Exchange International Uniform Manuel’s Bread Café Metro Coffeehouse Mi Rancho Modish Salon Moon Beans/New Moon Nacho Mama’s Palmetto Curbing Peach Mac Power Serve re-fresh Rock Bottom Music Sacred Heart Sanford, Bruker and Banks Singing Hills Antiques Soy Noodle House Sundrees The Loft Urban Spinning Wild Wing Windsor Jewelers Zimmerman

WHAT’S INSIDE

SMATTERINGS

yeah, we made this

Show our Masters Guests Local Flavor April showers bring… pollen wash.

Daylight Savings Time has just begun to take full effect. Trees are starting to show signs of new life. Dogwoods, Bradford Pears and azaleas are in full bloom. It is a wonderful time to be in the south, especially in Augusta. As we prepare for the annual deluge of visitors to the area, it is a time to show the world our best. It is our time to promote what we know as fantastic local goodness to the tens of thousands of visitors that will be making their way to our community next week. I challenge those of us that are staying home during The Master’s Tournament to invite guests to get a real taste of “southern hospitality” and encourage them to check out our favorite local restaurants, attractions, sights and hangouts. We have highlighted many in this issue of verge. Although not an exhaustive list, there are many favorites among the locals listed.

On page 25, we have highlighted several great locally owned and operated restaurants for folks to try out if they want to wander away from the mainstream areas. We hope that you have been to some of them yourself. If not, please try to check them out soon. Each has their own unique style – with a specialty dish suggestion to try – and it is our wish that you share them as recommendation when someone asks “Where is a good place to eat?”

Additionally, we have highlighted some cool things to check out, not just for our guests but for the entire community. There is going to be a lot of activity in our “little” southern town over the next few weeks and we would like to show the world our little slice of heaven. So, when asked where one might find something to do in Augusta, hand them a copy of verge and tell them to enjoy our community.

The new Daily Planner has been expanded to include more great events going on throughout our entire community from Aiken to Evans, Martinez to Augusta. Speaking of great things going on in our community, I thought I would share with you the results of a recent ticket giveaway we held. Verge, through a great partnership with Coco Rubio, secured a few tickets to give away to the recent Avett Brothers concert held at the Bell Auditorium. We had many excellent responses to our contest. Unfortunately, we only had three pairs of tickets to give away. Though difficult to choose the winning responses, one decision came a little easier with an “over the top” moment. I was at home on Friday night just before midnight and received a text message to come to my window. I peered out and saw a collection of six souls standing on the sidewalk of Broad Street. As I opened the widow to say “hello,” I was serenaded with an Avett Brothers tune. This impromptu serenade was definitely over the top and earned these hardy souls a pair of tickets to the show. This is the excitement – and sense of community – that we want to continue to build on in our community – engagement.

These folks understood how to engage, have fun and be a part of their community.

Engagement, I say? Yes. As we expand our editorial coverage to include more news and events in Columbia County, Aiken County and, of course, Richmond County, our readership continues to grow. We thank those that have been reading us from the beginning and welcome those that have recently found us. This is engagement. If you have an event, a good cause that you are involved in, a support group, a fund raising event or something just down right community driven, we would love to hear from you. That is what verge is all about – engagement with our community. Think of us as your conduit between the event you are involved in and thousands upon thousands of verge readers that are seeking to connect to you. Perhaps there is an issue you are concerned about or a letter to the editor you want to write – send it in! We cannot wait to hear how we can help you!

you won’t want to miss a page

the main feature

13 Paul Taylor Dance Company 15 Who will take the Botanical Gardens?

17 Gary Swint Retires as Library Director The Augusta Ballet presents modern dance at the Imperial

Officials seem reluctant to predict — development or weeds

New headquarters library stands as testament to his drive

19 Le Chat Noir Delivers Dark Comedy 22 The Insiders’ Guide to Augusta

Glengarry Glen Ross shows the gritty side of real estate sales

What to do when you don’t have a Masters badge

25 Good Eats & Treats 29 Joan Red Takes a Winding Path

We present our favorite local eateries in an easy-to-use guide

Rock band hits Augusta with new line-up, same great sound

music | theatre | art | film 05 11 21 27 28 31 31 35 35 37 41

Festival: Changes in Westobou Staff Art: Rocio Maldonado Music: Galen Kipar Film: The Film Reel Music: Eye of Abram Music: Harlem String Quartet Music: The Core Ensemble Art: The Undercover Artist Show Film: Prodigal Sons The Profiler: Jon Berret’s LaRoxes Art: Jarek Kubicki

experience more 05 05 07 07 09 09 21 31 33 37 39 41 41

Get This: Local Flavor Around Town More Around Town Buzz on Biz Good Cause: Women in Philanthropy Urban Progress Local: The Augusta Market Opens The Daily Planner The Ink Well & Digital Jukebox Nightlife Cut the Fat XVII Sound Bites The Last Word

vergequotes

here’s what inspires us

See you out and about in the community!

Matt

“Remember to breathe.”

—ELIZABETH BENSON

ON THE COVER SPRING DINING OUTDOORS by Elizabeth Benson

More on our favorite locally-owned places to eat on pages 22 through 26.

4 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

“I say any thought that doesn’t have a shelf life beyond five seconds is best left unarticulated.”

—TED GUP, EMERSON COLLEGE/BOSTON

GET THIS: LOCAL FLAVOR

Take a Little Augusta Home With You

AROUND TOWN

WESTOBOU FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES STAFFING CHANGES Two staffers lost their jobs with the Augusta Westobou Festival Inc. on March 22, in a strategic move that Chairman W. Cameron Nixon believes will allow them to improve and increase programming at this year’s festival. Executive director Kathi Dimmock and special events assistant Virginia Atkins, both of whom had been with Westobou since its beginning four years ago, lost their positions in the budget trim the executive committee had been debating for a month and a half.

2011 GRANT RECIPIENTS

History IMAGINED

Local artist Margaret Ann Smith gives Augusta a touch of whimsy in her collection of paintings of historic Augusta. Notecards $4.95; prints and originals also available.

Gallery on the Row 1016 Broad St. | 706.724.4989

godfather of soul Grab your camera and create your own memory of Augusta. James Brown awaits a photo shoot with you. Free.

Across from the Augusta Common on Broad St. between 8th and 9th Streets

Activities Council of Thomson Augusta Ballet Augusta Symphony Orchestra Augusta State University Jessye Norman School Sacred Heart Cultural Center Garden City Jazz Augusta Richmond County Library The Riverwalk Series Artists’ Row Greater Augusta Arts Council Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art Davidson Fine Arts Pricilla Hollingsworth

$35,000 $35,000 $30,000 $22,120 $20,000 $19,000 $15,000 $7,700 $7,500 $5,000 $5,000 $3,500 $3,000 $3,000

“It was a very difficult decision to make,” said Nixon. “They had been with us a long time and done some good work and worked very hard. In the end, we felt we could run the office just as well with one person in it.”

Artistic coordinator Molly McDowell, whose position survived the cuts, says she looks forward to the increased responsibility and plans to act mainly as a liaison for the different groups involved in the festival.

“There’s definitely going to be some program changes,” she said. “I want to make everything more focused, with less programming but more quality all-around and a more strategic approach to marketing. I think this year is going to have a different look than it has before, with more of a festival feel than in years past.”

Nixon said the committee considered several options for trimming the budget, including cutting programming or marketing, but did not want to make any decisions that would make the Westobou Festival less compelling.

This will be the fourth year of the Augusta Westobou Festival, scheduled for September 29 through October 8. Recently, through the Porter Fleming Foundation, $210,820 in grants was awarded to arts groups to present various events and shows that are to supplement the festival schedule. The nine individuals on the festival’s executive committee have already divided the money between 14 scheduled events, although completed programs isn’t typically announced until July.

According to McDowell, events for this year include the ballet company Momix, which will incorporate audio and visual entertainment into a more interactive dance company and Art Rosenbaum’s banjo playing at the opening of his own art show in the Morris Museum.

“I’m confident these cuts are only going to improve the festival in the long run,” said Nixon. “Our desire is to create programming that people haven’t seen before in Augusta, and that will bring people from out of town here to see it.” WESTOBOUFESTIVAL.COM | by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

HAUNTED PILLAR

This Augusta icon has been “freaking people out for more than 130 years.” You can wear the tee-shirt; just don’t touch the pillar! $18

Augusta Visitor Center 560 Reynolds St. | 706.724.4067

Wearable ART

Georgian Elaine Coyne creates “Artware,” like this patina brass crab necklace. $89.95

The Morris Museum Store One Tenth St | 706.724.7501

CVB CONNECTS TO VISITORS THROUGH SMARTPHONES

The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a new mobile website, providing visitors a new way to access pertinent information on Augusta. The site can be accessed via smartphone by visiting the CVB website. The website recognizes when a visitor is browsing while using a smartphone and presents the information in a smart, easy to navigate format. The mobile site provides visitors with on-the-go access to dining and hotel options, special offers and a complete calendar of events, in addition to a special area for events like the Masters Tournament and Westobou Festival.

“Travelers are increasingly using mobile technology to find destination information,” said Barry White, President and CEO of the CVB. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide visitors with relevant information even when they’re not in front of a computer.” | AUGUSTAGA.ORG

TEA-TIME BACK IN PRINT

GOOD SMELLS

Indulgence with Peace of Mind is a green soap company that makes their products locally in Augusta. Try cherry vanilla, spicy brown or lemon balm. $6.95

Sacred Heart Gift Shop 1301 Greene St | 706.826.4701

OLD CANAL POTTERY Gary Dexter is the only living potter carrying on the alkaline-glazed stoneware tradition in the area of its birth, using locally-dug clay.

Small jug, $25; large jug, $31.25

Augusta Canal Store 1450 Greene St. | 706.823.0440

discovered by SUSAN HUTCHISON photos by GABI HUTCHISON

Tea-Time at the Masters represents the essence southern hospitality. I received my first copy in 1992, a wedding gift from my aunt in Kentucky, flagged with her favorite choices when hosting a ladies luncheon. It continues to be a valued part of my recipe book collection. Now, the original Tea-Time is back in print – just in time for Masters Week. Recipes in the cookbook include Crab Casserole from Mrs. Jack Nicklaus, Zucchini Bread from Mrs. Arnold Palmer and Three-Bean Casserole from Mrs. Tommy Aaron. Two-time Masters Champion Byron Nelson also contributed, with recipes for Spanish Pork Chops and a Mustard Ring.

First published in 1977, Tea-Time was a fundraiser for The Junior League of Augusta, supporting various community projects. The initial 10,000 copies of TeaTime at the Masters sold out within four weeks. The cookbook quickly became part of Masters lore, selling more than 350,000 copies and spawning two additional titles. During Masters week, the Junior League will sell copies at the Mayor’s Masters Reception on Monday, April 4, and in front of Calvert’s at Surrey Center from Wednesday through Friday. Copies are also available at local bookstores. For details: 706.736.0033 | JLAUGUSTA.ORG

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 5

6 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

LOCAL BUSINESS

Masters Week Brings Special Marketing Efforts

CLUB CAR CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF WASHINGTON ROAD VEHICLES WITH UNIQUE FUNDRAISER E-Z-GO has retained the contract on the course at the Augusta National for many years, while their pesky competitor Club Car has been relegated to parking their vehicles off-course on Washington Road in front of welcoming businesses. This pre-week and Masters week tradition is getting a bit of a makeover thanks to a local artist and the American Cancer Society.

In return for a vehicle for the week of the tournament, Club Car is asking businesses to make a donation to the American Cancer Society’s Augusta office. In turn, Club Car plans to match each donation.

“We’re hoping that through the generosity of local businesses and our matching donation that we can make a significant contribution to the American Cancer Society,” said Club Car President and CEO Gary Michel.

As an incentive, each of the 75 to 100 vehicles is getting a custom paint job prior to delivery. Club Car has commissioned local artist Raul Viera to create unique designs that relate to the specific business or to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program. The vehicle that has been designed for the Hooters restaurant on Washington Road, for example, has been painted orange with owl eyes; a leaf-patterned car has been designed for Green Thumb Nursery.

Viera, who works out of a shop in Graniteville, S.C., said his designs start with an idea from Club Car and his imagination does the rest. “They give me a basic idea and I take it from there,” said the 37-year-old Augusta resident. Viera said the cars with the American Cancer Society’s familiar pink ribbon logo are some of his favorite airbrush designs.

“Conventional fundraising has gotten very hard. We’re just not seeing a good response from programs that aren’t creative in some way,” Angel Carter, senior community manager said. “This is a great example of a unique program that should get a great response.” After the Masters tournament, the vehicles will be sold to various Club Car distributors, according to Mike Cotter, Club Car’s director of consumer sales. “Our distributors are pretty excited about the program,” Cotter said. “A number of them have already bought vehicles sight unseen.”

GARY PLAYER BECOMES A PLAYER IN THE WINE WORLD 50 years ago in April, 1961, Gary Player won his second Major – The Masters.

He has aged like fine wine, more specifically, like the Major Championship Series wine he began bottling in 2008. Each wine represents one of Player’s remarkable golfing accomplishments.

The Gary Player Major Championship Series Augusta National 1961 is a blend of 51% Syrah, 27% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Pinotage.

The different cultivars were aged separately in French oak for six months after which the final blend was assembled and aged for a further twelve months in 40% new French oak and the balance in second and third fill barrels.

Gary Player returns to the Vineyard Wine Market on Evans to Locks Road on the afternoon of Saturday, April 9, to toast the 50th Anniversary of his Masters’ victory and the release of his Master’s Label “Augusta National 1961.” He will be on site to autograph bottles of this latest release and his Muirfield 1959. The buzz is – the line was out the door last year at the store, so try and get there before the 3 p.m. start. PLAYERWINE.COM

SAVANNAH LAKES VILLAGE PARTNERS WITH HOOTERS

The McCormick, South Carolina retirement community and golf club thought it was a natural to partner with Hooters during Masters Week, since Savannah Lakes is a major sponsor of the Hooters Tour and a host of one of the tournaments. During practice round days (April 4 to 6), The Buzz on Biz marketing staff will be part of the promotion, conducting a drawing for “GolfFor-4 passes” and passing out brochures to incentivize visitors to make the 45 minute drive to play. A round of golf at either the Tara or Monticello courses costs $100 during Masters Week and includes range balls, a golf cart and lunch. Look for the tent at Hooter’s and enter to win to a free tee-time for four.

Neil Gordon owns Buzz on Biz, LLC, a company dedicated to highlighting business growth through Newspaper, Television, Radio, and Web content.

Story idea? Email neil.gordon@buzzon.biz

MORE AROUND TOWN

SEPTEMBER LOOKS BRIGHTER FOR BROAD The Greater Augusta Arts Council

announced last week that the bulk of the annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival is moving to Broad Street. This year’s three-day festival begins on September 16. The tour of international food – Global Village – will remain on the Augusta Common, while the art will move out of the parking lot on Reynolds and onto Broad Street.

“Last year our fine artists asked for shade and this move accommodates their requests for shade as well as increased visibility and abundant power,” said Grace Inman, Fine Arts and Craft Chair. The recent upgrades to the power grid along Broad Street were designed to also accommodate street festivals.

The festival will stretch down Broad Street from 7th Street to 10th Street. The Family Stage and the Community Stage will move to 8th and 9th Streets, close to Broad Street. The move bodes well for the retail and restaurants on Broad Street, providing a connector to the Artists’ Row district and the Augusta Common.

Though the move was a direct result of the disruption in festival flow that the TEE Center and new parking garage on Reynolds created last year, downtown retailers are hopeful that the move will be permanent. | AUGUSTAARTS.COM

JOIN IN THE ‘MYSTERIA’ Join the Columbia County Choral Society (CCCS) and be part

of the world premiere of the original work Incarnatio Mysteria. Written by Dr. Timothy M. Powell, artistic director of the CCCS, Incarnatio Mysteria will premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City.

CCCS will perform the work on Friday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church.

The preview concert, which is in anticipation of the June 19 World Premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City, will also feature the combined choirs of Davidson Fine Arts School and singers from around the CSRA. Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings at First Baptist Church of Evans at 7 p.m. For details, 706.650.2311 | CCCHORALSOCIETY.ORG

CREATE ART WITH AN EAMES Headquarters Library is calling artists to participate in a new fundraising event – the “eamespirational charity auction,” in honor of legendary furniture designers, Charles and Ray Eames. The concept takes its inspiration from 1960s-era chairs purchased over 50 years ago for the library originally located on Greene Street. Artists selected to participate in the benefit will be given two of the signature chairs to transform into works of art. The final works will be auctioned to the highest bidders at a gala in November.

“The idea came from the chairs themselves! Playful and functional, sophisticated and sleek, their simple design lends itself perfectly to highly individualized artistic interpretation,” said Mille Klosinski, committee chairperson. “We believe Augusta art patrons will be pleased with the results.” All proceeds from the art sale will be used to for programs, books, technology and equipment for the Augusta Public Library. The deadline to apply is April 12 by 4 p.m. For details, contact Klosinski at 706.821.2612 | ECGRL.ORG

ANOTHER SMARTPHONE APP – THE AUGUSTA CANAL DIGITRAIL

Augusta’s 19th Century historic canal is using 21st Century smartphone technology to tell its stories. The Augusta Canal DigiTrail uses QR code tags (square black and white boxes similar to UPC bar codes) to link smartphones to special mobile web pages by simply scanning the QR tag with the phone’s camera. Small 3x7 signs are in place, at about half-mile intervals along the canal’s towpath, at well-known and lesser known locations such as the Petersburg boat docks, the Butt Memorial Bridge and the Tin House gates. Some tags will bring up historical details, while others provide information on the canal’s abundant wildlife, such as slider turtles and heron. The project was the brainchild of Augusta Canal Authority member Peter Hughes, who volunteered his time to research and build each of the DigiTrail mobile webpages. | AUGUSTACANAL.COM

Corrections: We goofed Susan Nicholson, president of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, pointed out a few inaccuracies in our recent article on Phinizy Swamp and the Academy (March 2, 2011). As Nicholson commented, “Academy water quality research is complex and the issues and research efforts are not easily understood or translated to a general audience.” To clarify: (1) The Academy of Natural Sciences is in Philadelphia.

(2) Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy assisted the City of Augusta and ZEL Engineers with their constructed wetlands project. (3) The water in the constructed wetland cells has been treated and cleaned by multiple processes at the JB Messerly wastewater treatment facility before being released to the wetland cells. Phinizy Swamp does not, in any way co-existing with sewage. (4) Only some of the water being analyzed is “water that was treated at the constructed wetlands.” A disproportionate share of the water in the river being analyzed is naturally occurring from the watershed, including run-off, rain, etc. We apologize for any misunderstanding our error caused.

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 7

8 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

GOOD CAUSE: WOMEN IN PHILANTHROPY

CSRA Women Unite Their Time and Money to Help Women and Girls When Neita Mulherin talks about Women in Philanthropy (WIP), what excites her is not the opportunity to use her resources well or even the leadership role she has been afforded in the community, although both of these apply to her experience with WIP. What excites this WIP Grants Committee member is meeting people in organizations all over the CSRA who are helping women and girls and who are doing it well.

Three of those organizations were announced as recipients of the 2011 Women in Philanthropy Grant on Thursday, March 24. The Alzheimer’s Association received $27,000, the Boys and Girls Club received $24,000 and Child Enrichment received $32,000. This year, $868,000 was requested in grant proposals. $83,000 was awarded.

“The organizations that applied are doing a lot of good in the community,” said Faye Hargrove, the current WIP Grants Chair. She explained that this year’s three recipients fit into the WIP’s impact areas in caring for women and girls: Health and Safety, Self-Sufficiency and Family Issues.

The idea for Augusta’s Women in Philanthropy was born four years ago when Carolyn Maund, former director of the Red Cross of Augusta, and Beth Evans were approached by the United Way and the Community Foundation to found WIP. “We think it is time for women (in this community) to direct our energies toward helping women and girls,” affirmed Carolyn.

“As members of WIP,” reads the organization’s website, “we all recognize that there are tremendous needs in our communities. However, through our work, we have been collectively struck by the enormity of those needs.”

WIP provides a way for concerned women to learn about organizations that care for women and girls and support them financially.

This year’s recipients are right in step with this goal. The Alzheimer’s Association raises awareness of the effect that Alzheimer’s has on women who have the disease and women who care for someone who does. Boys and Girls Club of Augusta will use the funding to partner with Girls on the Run, a non-profit prevention program that encourages 2nd to 8th grade girls to develop self esteem and healthy lifestyles through running mentorship by women volunteers. Child Enrichment, Inc. provides “intervention, stabilization, advocacy and prevention in the best interests of abused, abandoned and neglected children.”

WIP currently has 134 members. Membership is open to anyone who supports the organization by paying the $1,000 annual dues. All members

WOMEN IN PHILANTHROPY MEMBERS CONGRATULATE THIS YEAR’S GRANT RECIPIENTS

are given the opportunity to vote on each year’s grant recipients. This year, 70% of WIP members voted.

“It’s the power of the purse,” declared Faye Hargrove just before announcing this year’s recipients. Individually, she continued, women may not feel they can do very much, but by pooling their funds they can impact the community.

Women in Philanthropy has given away $217,500 in the three years it has been active. Previous recipients include Christ Community Health Services Women’s Heath Program, Hope House, Inc. and Interfaith Hospitality Network of Augusta. Applications for the 2012 grant are due in the fall, after which the grants committee will meet to narrow down the applicants in time for grant committee site visits and presentations to the whole membership.

Finally, the members vote by mail-in ballot.

“We are so excited and thankful,” said Kathy Tuckey, programs director for the Augusta chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Kathy said that when representatives from WIP came to visit the Alzheimer’s Association of Augusta site, she and the rest of the staff saw it as an advocacy and awareness opportunity, not just a request for funds. It is this type of passion for helping women and girls in the CSRA that drew Women in Philanthropy: money is not an object of desire, it is a tool given by WIP into the hands of skilled practitioners of charity.

For more information on Women in Philanthropy, visit wipcsra.org.

by CHARLOTTE OKIE photo GABI HUTCHISON

URBAN PROGRESS

Stage Graces Riverwalk Bulkhead Mayor Deke Copenhaver and Steven Kendrick, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) chairman, helped to cut the ribbon unveiling the brand new stage on the Riverwalk at the 8th Street bulkhead on March 15, which will provide a venue for musical guests of the Augusta Market and others.

“The DDA took about $5,000 of SPLOST money to build this beautiful stage with electricity, acoustic awnings, plus picnic tables and swings to make the place that we go every Saturday morning a much nicer spot for people to visit,” said Kendrick.

The funds also added bike racks and places for people to sit while watching their children play in the 8th Street fountain. According to Margaret Woodard, DDA executive director, this will allow the area to once again become a gathering place for the community.

“From a city design perspective, it is all about connectivity,” said Copenhaver. “This stage adds another open green space for our visitors and residents to enjoy one of our greatest hidden treasures, the Savannah River.”

“This venue needed a facelift as it is now home to the Candlelight Jazz Series and Saturday Market on the River,” said DDA board member Mark Bowling. He first suggested the project, after attending a jazz concert in which electric cords had to be strung from nearby Café 209 down to the river, creating a tripping hazard. The new stage includes an electrical source.

The Market plans to host a Diggin’ the River concert series on the new stage, each Saturday from

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October, kicking off the first market on April 16. The line-up will feature musical guests including Jim Perkins, Old Man Crazy and Young Goodman Brown. “The Savannah River is our city’s biggest asset and now it can be a platform to help local artists,” said Augusta Market community relations director Daniél Richards.

OPTIMOD became the first band to perform live on the new stage, welcoming guests after the official ribbon cutting and performing several U2 covers.

“The acoustics up here on this stage are great,” said Scott Hudson, lead singer of OPTIMOD. “It’s a great venue because some of the older crowd doesn’t like big speakers, but from up here you can hear us from a long way off. Also, what better backdrop could you possibly ask for than the beautiful Savannah River?” article and photos by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 9

10 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

ART: Rocío Maldonado

Gertrude Herbert’s Artist-in-Residence Opens Exhibit April 16

Rocío Maldonado is not afraid of slow art. In a world obsessed with a dizzying, immediate spray of information, her pieces take a long time to see and to create.

Some of her drawings have developed over years by a creative layering process.

Rocío, who lives in Mexico City, is the Artist-in-Residence at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. She will be in Augusta until just after her show, “Resonance,” opens on April 15 at the Institute. While here, she has been teaching an 8-session course in human figure drawing and doing a new painting for the show in her studio time.

It is fitting for an artist like Rocío to spend seven weeks in Augusta, where the fastest moving event is perhaps the change of the season from winter to spring. Rocío has been incorporating the city’s pansies into her painting as the days have gotten warmer. Her face lights up when I ask her how she’s enjoyed her time in Augusta. “It is very beautiful here,” she says.

model, four with a male model. Rocío is having them use pencil, acrylics, and watercolor. “They feel it and that’s a good thing. They say it’s always a challenge.”

The students’ quick sketches are lively and clear, even the ones in watercolor. It is obvious that they are grabbing hold of the passion that Rocío has for the human figure. “It has been very special having Rocío here. The students are getting a new direction and developing their own sense of making art,” says Dorothy Eckmann, the Education Director at the Institute.

Rocío studied painting at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado (National School of Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving), or “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City. She has been a painter now for 33 years. Her advice to blossoming artists? “Work a lot and really observe.”

The coming show will highlight not only the new painting that she has been working on since her arrival in Augusta, but also a representative collection of current work. These include both her contemplative, layered ink drawings of the human figure and her more spontaneous seashellshaped twig sculptures or “Los Caracoles.”

“Vision becomes vertigo before endless images that mock the eye’s attempts to attain a unitary and comprehensive perception of the work,” says the description of the show on the Institute website.

Rocío’s art is meant to draw the viewer in and invite him or her to study it.

It is the plurality of the layers in her ink drawings that make them intriguing. “I’m very interested in human bodies and their differences.” Drawn from Greek sculptures and photos by photographers Helmut Newton, Paul Outerbridge and Antonio Lopez, the images are difficult to understand at first glance. “In some of them, you almost can’t see the figure,” Rocío says, alluding to the multiple lines of ink. The infinite shades of grey leading to black give the drawings depth and visual impact.

The work naturally evolved to include additional subjects from the natural environment, as with her three-dimensional seashell-shaped twig sculptures, “Los Caracoles.” The twigs are a more hands-on medium than India ink and the seashell theme allows her to revisit her childhood, when she loved to hunt for shells on the beach in her native state of Nayarit, Mexico.

SINTITULO by Rocío Maldonado

Rocío Maldonado: Resonance Exhibition Opening is on Friday, April 15 from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art at 506 Telfair St. The opening is free for GHIA members and $5 for non-members. The exhibit runs through May 27. GHIA.ORG

by CHARLOTTE OKIE portrait of Rocío GABI HUTCHISON

In her figure drawing class at the Institute, she is teaching nine students, two of which are from Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. There are eight sessions in all: four sessions with a female

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 11

12 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

DANCE: PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY

The Quintessence of Performance Art Comes to the Imperial

“Only a great choreographer with the mind of a great novelist could have created a work of such imaginative breadth – a category in which Taylor has no peer.”

— NEWSWEEK ABOUT “SPEAKING IN TONGUES”

Since 1954, the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company has been bringing the finest in contemporary dance to audiences worldwide. The 16-member company has performed in over 500 cities in 62 countries, receiving stellar reviews, return engagements and the highest possible recognition, including the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. Paul Taylor has choreographed 133 dances and continues to create two works per year for his group.

On April 14, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform Speaking in Tongues and Esplanade as part of the Augusta Ballet season at the Imperial Theatre.

Sean Patrick Mahoney, one of the dancers appearing in Augusta, began his career with Taylor 2 and debuted with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in January 2004.

He spoke to verge about the upcoming performance and what it is like to be part of this prestigious group.

VERGE: You began training at age 12. What made ballet so appealing?

MAHONEY: There was nothing appealing about it whatsoever.

Growing up, I had severe asthma and allergies and I could not do any outdoor sports. My parents could not think of anything active for me to do. My aunt danced, so they put me in ballet and I hated it. I was the only guy and I wanted to get out as fast as possible. My parents did not push me, but they were encouraging. My mom found out about Princeton Ballet School which had a boys’ class. I was with other boys instead of being stuck with a bunch of giggling girls, which was of no interest to me at that time, even though the ratio was in my favor.

VERGE: Aside from talent, what was the process of going from student to professional dancer to Taylor?

MAHONEY: Talent is a lot of it, of course, but also perseverance, staying the course and being where you need to be at the right time. I realized that dance was the best place for me when,

taking classes at Princeton, we had a substitute teacher who was a Taylor dancer. He taught us a segment of Esplanade and I loved it. In 1993, Paul Taylor started Taylor 2. In April, I went for an audition. There were a couple of hundred guys there, but he thought I would be a perfect candidate. I graduated on June 21 and on June 22 I left for tour with Taylor 2. It clicked for me.

I found a home. I danced for other companies, but I decided Taylor was the place for me. I auditioned a second time and Paul said, “Come on back.”

VERGE: What makes Taylor special?

MAHONEY: It is all his choreography. You become part of the work instead of dancing the work for someone to watch. Paul has an eye for people who can work together, because on the road we are the only people we know. We push each other and there is unity in it. It is a family-type situation and that sets this company apart.

VERGE: What is involved in perfecting the performance from inception to final rehearsal?

MAHONEY: For new pieces, [Paul Taylor] brings us in to listen to the music and understand the mood. He is a master at giving you a taste of what he is looking for and he pulls out your creativity and expressionism and forms it into a Taylor piece.

We work a couple of hours a day with him and then we work on repertoire to get ready for a show. We keep up to snuff on everything and we make sure we are flexible enough because every theater is different in dimensions, so you have to be able to adjust. We spend four weeks choreographing a new piece and there is always work to be done. We do seven hours a day, Monday through Friday, in the studio.

VERGE: The company was founded in 1954. How has it changed over the years that you have been involved?

MAHONEY: My personal experience is the shifting of winds in the dance world.

There is more use of multimedia, which is a sign of the times. With the MTV/iPod

generation, instead of dancing for dance sake, it is on the edge.

Although the Taylor Dance Company has been around since the 1950’s, what does modern dance mean? It is performance art and it changes based on what society needs to get away from it all.

VERGE: What is it about dance that speaks to so many people without a word?

MAHONEY: Dance is universal and that is the whole thing. If the world spoke dance, there would be no war. With Taylor 2, we performed six different concerts in Africa and I taught a couple of master classes to African dance companies. There was a huge language barrier, but with movement alone we could have conversations and understand each other.

I teach a whole bunch of classes in inner city schools in Philadelphia and New York. The times you feel you can reach one student out of 30, something sparks and that may be enough to get them away from the television or whatever they are doing or hanging out with the wrong people. Exposing children to art — no matter whether it is graphic design, movement, visual — sets them apart and above anything and everything. Because of the creative juices that person has experienced, they may become a musician, a therapist, a lawyer, a doctor — anything.

It is not exclusive to dancers and it should be inclusive to everyone.

by ALISON RICHTER photo TOM CARAVAGLIA

See the Show WHAT The Augusta Ballet presents Paul Taylor Dance Company WHERE The Imperial Theatre WHEN April 14 | 7 p.m.

TIX $10 to $75 | AUGUSTABALLET.ORG

MORE PTDC.ORG

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 13

14 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

LOCAL: THE AUGUSTA BOTANICAL GARDENS

Prime Property Untended as its Future Remains Undecided The 17-acre Augusta Botanical Gardens located across from Springfield Village Park on Reynolds Street once contained a display garden of over 800 miniature rose varieties and statues of famous golfers such as Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

In 2007, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame closed the gardens for financial reasons and many of the plants died because they were not watered. Few citizens have since viewed the small pond, brick lined trails or white latticework beyond the high stone wall, save for those who occasionally volunteer to maintain the property.

“What we can see from the road probably is not even a fifth of the total property that is back there,” said Sam Smith, operations manager and horticulturist for the Augusta-Richmond County Trees and Landscape Department. “You would think this place was Fort Knox the way they got all these fences and locked gates up all over the place, but my department has never been asked to do anything with the property. It is in state hands now.”

“You would think this place was Fort Knox the way they got all these fences and locked gates up all over the place.”

— Sam Smith, Augusta-Richmond County Trees and Landscape Department

“You look at this property and realize that it is prime realestate in the heart of downtown Augusta,” said Sean Frantom, president of Young Professionals of Augusta. “Our city is losing many people to North Augusta and we need to be making use of this river access and good positioning to draw more people into the city.”

Smith, Frantom and Augusta’s assistant director of facilities management Rick Acree toured the property, March 21, in preparation for a mass clean-up effort scheduled to commence on Saturday, March 26. Frantom said he planned to mobilize 15 to 20 concerned citizens in an outreach opportunity for both his organization and the Young Lawyers of Augusta to straighten up those parts of the gardens visible from the road.

“People from outside our community do not really know what is going on here,” said Frantom. “We need to be putting our best foot forward with all the out-of-towners and national attention Augusta is going to be getting for Masters week.”

Young Professionals and Young Lawyers are just two of many organizations who have worked to make the gardens presentable since a battle with state agencies ensued in June 2009, after which the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame allowed a group to enter the property to cut the grass. However, Frantom believes the grounds have not been touched since May 2010, when the Exchange Club performed routine maintenance.

“Tom Beck, the director of Augusta’s Recreation and Parks Department, has put some money into it, but a garden this big requires a horticulturist and somebody to maintain it,” said Acree. “Without the budget to do any of those things, there is no way to keep it open.”

The city parks department leased the property in 2008, during which time it was temporarily open for tourism, until they were forced to return it to the State Properties Commission in 2009.

For the time being, no one is allowed to use the property except to maintain it.

“It seems to me there are some different entities who want to use it, but the only people who are allowed in are the ones going to do the maintenance,” said Frantom. “Right now it is still in limbo and owned by the state.”

One proposal to redevelop the land into a downtown baseball stadium for the Augusta GreenJackets would have incorporated the gardens and their maintenance in its design. However, The Augusta Chronicle reported last year that plans had stalled amidst funding and land rights issues. GreenJackets general manger Nick Brown has been unavailable for further comment.

SEAN FRANTOM, SAM SMITH AND RICK ACREE REVIEW THE AUGUSTA BOTANICAL GARDENS

“It does seem like this land here would be ideal for a baseball stadium, which would overlook the river and could probably fit back here pretty easily,” said Smith. “On the other hand, you could build almost any big building here and have the construction stimulate the economy or draw people into town.”

Another possible option recently arose – to sell the land to the Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly known as the Medical College of Georgia) to create a BioMedical Research Park. According to GHSU President Dr. Ricardo Azziz, a new riverfront campus would expand his organization as well as beautify downtown.

“Our university examines many different opportunities that present themselves. Taking over the Augusta Botanical Gardens is one option we have looked at and are still considering, even though nothing has been formalized,” said Azziz. “We are the number two employer in Augusta and contribute two billion dollars annually to the local economy, but it could easily be three billion, and as such we have a responsibility to grow and keep ourselves competitive not just for MCG, but for the state of Georgia and the City of Augusta as well.”

There is hope the property is garnering some attention. Last

June, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame officially transferred the six golden golf statues to the Augusta Museum of History for use in their permanent golf exhibit. The parking lot behind the gardens is being used by the Marriott during the construction of the TEE Center. For now, the gate remains firmly locked and the only sets of keys are in the hands of Frantom, the state licensing department and the local police.

“We were told there might be some homeless people using the property, but we have not seen any yet,” said Frantom. “I think there might even be deer living back here, but how they got over the fence I will never understand.”

As of press time, State Senator Hardy Davis had not returned messages requesting his comments on the future of the property and no one involved in the cleanup effort was willing to hazard a guess as to what may happen to the property.

“There is probably any number of people interested in the property, but the state is going through whatever process they need to go through to be able to sell it,” said Acree. “To my knowledge they are not through it yet, and there is no telling when they might be.” article and photos by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 15

16 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

FRONT PORCH: A FAREWELL FOR GARY SWINT

Library Director Reflects on His Greatest Accomplishment

“In [today’s] libraries, people are worrying more about e-books which can be read to them ... it is as if the

entire country is slowly becoming illiterate.”

— GARY SWINT, reflecting from the roof of the new headquarters library

The path to Gary Swint’s office on the third floor of the downtown public library winds through a reception area, down a long hallway, around a corner, down another long hallway and finally ends, nestled against a bright window. The director of both East Central Georgia Regional Libraries and the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library admits “we tried to group the public areas together so we would not need to hire more staff, but some of the things about the third floor could have been worked out a little better, in my opinion.” Ironic, considering he built the place.

“We do have a new library and I am very proud of it, but I am tired of beating my head against the wall,” Swint said. “I am finally putting my own health and sanity issues ahead of the library. I will always care about the library and would like to continue to be involved if I can be.”

On March 31, Swint will step down from the director position he has held for over ten years since his promotion from head of the Audio-Visual Department and Library for the Blind in late January 2001. He may consider working for the library in a part-time capacity on specific issues.

“The current assistant director, Mashell Fashion, likes to say after board meetings that people do not really know what I do,” said Swint. “The Library Board has the legal authority and the ultimate ability to make decisions, but I give them the facts on most of those things. There has been very little micromanagement on their part and I am grateful for the amount of leeway they have given me, but sometimes I have to tell them to be the one to make a decision.”

Swint’s determination and ability to work with others served

him well in perhaps his greatest achievement as director – the construction of a brand new building, which is adjacent to the old one.

“The idea to have a new library had been on backburner for a number of years before I became director,” said Swint. “D. Hugh Connolly, a friend of mine who was on the library board many years ago, was the first to tell me we needed to get going on this new library project. I think I tried to make excuses, but he was always there to push me when I needed to be pushed.”

According to Swint, the first steps were property studies and researching different architects, most of which Swint did himself in his office. He and Connolly next chaired a selection committee of about ten concerned citizens which met frequently to decide on location.

“My first choice would have been along Walton Way near Richmond County Academy, but the [Augusta] Commission wanted it in the downtown area,” he said. “Within those guidelines we looked at about 12 different sites and I remember getting in a van in the pouring rain to drive around downtown Augusta and personally get to see each one of these sites.”

One of his greatest tools as director was a two million dollar state grant which required the library to be in operation by the end of June 2010. Swint said he often used the deadline to force a decision on a point that people would have otherwise kept arguing about.

“The location was pretty much unanimous, but acquiring the property took a lot longer than we thought,” he said. “Certain aspects sometimes seemed more difficult than they should have been or than I have seen them done in other cities, but in the end we got it done just barely on time.”

opened June 25, 2010 amid a flurry of activities inviting people into the library. Swint has spent most of his time since then making sure the public is still satisfied with the new library, staying busy and reflecting on his time in office.

“There has been a lot of change in libraries, in particular since the ‘information explosion,’” he says, making sure to point out his skepticism. “With everyone getting more technology oriented, I think it has changed society in general. In libraries, people are worrying more about e-books which can be read to them and, in a way, it is as if the entire country is slowly becoming illiterate.”

Swint does not use a Blackberry, does not even carry a cell phone and just got internet service at his house three months ago.

“A friend of mine who works up at ASU has said to me that people are more well informed now than ever before, but that because of that they need to be even more discerning about which sources they rely on,” he continued. “People say ‘instant access’, but I wonder if ten percent of their time is not taken up now leaving messages with one another and playing phone tag.”

Swint has not yet decided what to do with his retirement, responsibly ensuring that he accomplishes the job at hand before handing it off to someone else, but laments that he has not had as much time to read as he used to.

“I try to get in about twenty minutes a day, if I can,” he said.

“Now I am wondering if I should go buy a Kindle, which they say can hold over 850,000 books. Maybe that will be me learning something new.”

by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK photo ELIZABETH BENSON

The new $24 million, 95,000-square-foot facility officially

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 17

18 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

THEATRE: DARK COMEDY

Glengarry Glen Ross Opens

“In or out. You tell me, you’re out you take the consequences.”

—DAVE MOSS IN GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

Salesmen live by their wits, eat with the veracity of impending poverty and die under the pressure of something as simple as ABC – “Always Be Closing!”

In Le Chat Noir’s production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, the characters brim and spew in a language of vernacular scatology and copulation. In fact, the salesman are framed within the borders of high pressure and articulate their thoughts with the poetry of the streets — a profanation of rapid insults, vicious dialogue and the tenderness of a keister-stashed shank at a church revival. The play, which opened on Broadway on March 25, 1984, won the Laurence Olivier Award, the Pulitzer Prize and a 2005 Tony for best revival of a drama.

veteran performers Rick Davis, Mark Swanson, Ted Newton, Duane Brown, Taylor Strickland and Doug Joiner and newcomers Ray Troiano and Alex Townsend. The production is directed by Krys Bailey.

by DOUG JOINER photo DUANE BROWN

See The Show

According to Krys Bailey, the director of Mamet’s razor-edged drama, “The play examines the morality of high pressure sales and exposes goodness as failure and deception as a god to be honored.” Blake, a character who is brought into the office to motivate, drives this point home with the infamous lines, “Put that coffee down. Coffee is for closers.”

The characters derive their worth through a confrontation with an inanimate object that has the power to destroy, belittle and influence all future sales. The chalkboard, a tool for instruction and guidance, casts down judgment onto the sales force, loudly publishing each salesman’s total monthly sales. To be “on the board” means stability, sustenance and power. The hierarchy of each chalk-scribbled name is determined by money. With a simple swab of the hand, a king is disposed and a new ruler reigns.

These are the politics of Glengarry Glen Ross.

This is the story of its inhabitants—Roma, Levene, Moss, Aaronow, Williamson, Lingk and Blake—seven gladiators who carefully choose their weapons of deception so they may have the honor of writing their names in chalk on a board that has no friends.

Le Chat Noir’s production team includes

WHAT Glengarry Glen Ross WHERE Le Chat Noir | 304 8th St. WHEN April 8 & 9; April 15 & 16; April 21, 22, & 23 all shows start at 8 p.m.

TICKETS $25 BOX OFFICE 706.722.3322 WHY “One of Mamet’s best plays. Crackling tension…ferocious comedy and drama. A top American playwright in bristling form.”

– Frank Rich, The New York Times

MORE | LCNAUGUSTA.COM

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 19

20 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

MUSIC: GALEN KIPAR PROJECT

Catch their Americana Sound Masters Week on the River and at the Pub The Galen Kipar Project returns to Augusta during Masters week to perform at Stillwater Taproom and on the Augusta Canal Moonlight Music Cruise. This marks the group’s third time coming to town during the golf tournament and, as a native Augustan, Kipar looks forward to the visit. “It is a great time to be there,” he says. “Everybody’s out, there is a lot going on and we enjoy being a part of it.”

The Project consists of Galen Kipar - guitars and harmonica, Lyndsay Pruett - violin and vocals, Jeremy Young - drums, Ben Portwood - upright bass and vocals and Aaron Ballance often sitting in with dobro and lap steel. [Note: Ballance is not joining them for the Augusta dates.] Their latest album, The Scenic Route, is their fourth release in five years and has earned consistent praise from radio and media. The GKP was featured on WNCW’s 2010 Crowd Around the Mic compilation CD with artists such as Darrell Scott, Jeff Sipe and Ike Stubblefield, Muddy Waters Reunion Band, Drivin & Cryin’ and Jim Lauderdale. Their hit single “October Snow” was used in a commercial promoting the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) and the WNC Farmers Market Association and was also a finalist in the Google TV for All contest. The group gigs consistently, performing across the U.S. for club and festival dates, including bookings at the Knitting Factory in New York and the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C. The music is unique in its blend of folk, classical, jazz and blues genres. In retrospect, says Kipar, earlier works were “all over the place with a lot of instruments and musicians. You cannot take 15 or 20 people on the road, but when four or five people are playing the material night after night, there is consistency within the instrumentation. The genres shift around with those

elements. It is Americana music, which is another word for music with jazz and blues roots. We use a lot of classical and jazz techniques, and even some forms of Indian music, although a listener might not know that. To them, it just sounds like music, and the music is about imagery. At one point it was a challenge to get people or venues to understand what we were doing, but that has changed. Our target market has become apparent and we are putting more effort into that.”

The Galen Kipar Project perform on the Augusta Canal Moonlight Music Cruise on Friday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

For more information, call 706.823.0440. See them in concert at Stillwater Tap Room on Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9.

Tickets are $5.

by ALISON RICHTER photo FOLKTOGRAPHY BY JAKE

LOCAL: AUGUSTA MARKET RETURNS

Expanded Market Opens on April 16 with New Vendors and Musicians The Augusta Market begins its 2011 season on Saturday, April 16 at the 8th Street Plaza at Reynolds Street and the Riverwalk.

Last year’s market saw innovative direction through the public/ private partnership between the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and a local group of entrepreneurs, strengthening and expanding the market. “The DDA successfully incubated the idea of a privately run market, in keeping with its mission, released a self-sustaining enterprise to the private sector,” said Brooke Buxton.

Buxton took over direction of the market, while maintaining her status as a local plant grower and market vendor. Buxton’s interest in helping to build the local community (she is a member of the Canal Authority board, in the 2011 class of Leadership Augusta and partnering with the Harrisburg Honey Co-op) lends credibility to her handling of the Augusta Market.

She wants the market to be a part of “promoting life at the Riverwalk” and uses the slogan “Diggin’ the River” (which may hint at a future marketing campaign – that there is more than one way to “dig” the river).

Buxton and the 2010 market set a new standard by attracting vendors offering unique, locally grown and hand-crafted items. Vendor fees were lowered by 30% and half-booth spaces were made available. Last year’s favorite offerings included fresh gulf coast seafood, fresh-squeezed lemonade, River Runs sponsored by Fleet Feet, gallery-quality jewelry makers, local growers of tropical plants, culinary and medicinal herbs and vegetable starter plants, food vendors offering breakfast and lunch specialties like shrimp and grits, hand made authentic Mexican tamales, fresh-baked artisan breads and chocolate croissants and, of course, fresh fruit and vegetables from local growers.

Buxton added Danielle Richards to the team as a Community Relations liaison to bring in local musicians. The new River Stage at the Bulkhead is due in part to Richards inviting “shade tree” musicians to play at the market.

In addition to the new stage, park benches have been installed around the 8th Street fountain, as well as bike racks. This new season promises more new things by bringing in vendors such as Savannah River Farms who will provide locally raised chicken, beef, pork, and eggs, unique gift ideas like bird and bat houses, hand-made ceramics and organic snow cones.

Sponsorship of the market was a key to its success in the past and continues into the new season. Major sponsors like EZ Go, SRP, WJBF and WAGT along with

New Life Natural Food, Tall Pines Greenhouses, verge, Commissioner Matt Aitken and Mayor Deke Copenhaver helped make – and are helping make – the Augusta Market the place to meet interesting and talented members of our community.

To follow or inquire about the Augusta Market at the River, go to theaugustamarket.com or find the Augusta Market on Facebook. article and photo by JENN MASLYN

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 21

THE INSIDERS’ GUIDE TO AUGUSTA: What to Do We see you there. Yes, you.

There are four of you who came to Augusta to live your dream of attending The Masters. But, you could only manage two badges. It is 10 a.m., and the other two guys just left for the tournament. You and your roommate are sitting around your rented house or hotel room – wondering what to do for the day.

We see you guys at 6 p.m., too. The two with the tickets just got back and cannot shut up about how amazing everything is at The Masters. Great.

You will get to see it tomorrow. What are you going to do tonight?

Do not worry. You are with the Insiders now!

Let’s PLAY Downtown The Riverwalk area is the restored heart of Augusta.

About two decades ago, some downtown visionaries cut a few gaps in the levy along the Savannah River – the levy is no longer needed since the construction of three major dams upriver. The redesign created a beautiful series of mini-parks tied together by a scenic walkway atop the dyke.

Just as planned, the river view attracted restaurants and pubs, fine hotels and many quaint shops.

The Augusta Marriott Hotel & Suites is the western anchor of Riverwalk. It combines that Marriott elegance with downtown convenience. The pasta bar in the restaurant is a great place for lunch.

A block to the south is a little cul-du-sac at Ninth Street where you will find the Boll Weevil Café and Sweetery – a great place for lunch, filled with Southern favorites, done with real style. This locally-owned favorite is best known for their incredible, falling-over-the-plate desserts.

Reynolds Street (formerly River Street), once the hub of the second largest inland cotton market in the world, next to Memphis, is lined with converted cotton warehouses – relics of a collapsed economy, great building to be remodeled into restaurants, banks, shops and museums.

For several blocks to the east, you can walk by or stop in a dozen restaurants and shops including Café 209 with its true Southern style food and honest to goodness finger-lickin’ good fried chicken, Beamies, a fun bar with good lunches and the Cotton Patch near the river.

STROLL DOWN THE BANKS OF T

nifty and nefarious. If you are in a family fun mode, you might want to skip the joints from 5th to 7th streets, except for the landmark Luigi’s at 590 Broad, a classic Italian eatery hosted by the Ballas family since the 1950’s – more on them later.

Heading west, up the street numbers, are a dozen great restaurants and spots that will be streaming with people during Masters Week (a proper noun in Augusta). Try Nacho Mama’s, Rooster’s Beak, Mellow Mushroom, Pizza Joint, New Moon Café, Soy Noodle House, The Bee’s Knees and 1102 Downtown Bar and Grill, all on the upper end of Broad. For finer dining, you will want Frog Hollow Tavern, where the chef creates nightly specials from what is in season using locally and regionally grown ingredients. The quail and waffles is incredibly delicious. For a tasty late night treat, try Knuckle Sandwiches for the PBR-B-Q Sandwich and then drop in next door at the Firehouse Pub.

Take home a bit of Augusta from Artists’ Row, a collection of art galleries and interesting shops, centered on the 1000 block of “upper Broad.” No trip to Augusta is complete without visiting The Book Tavern – the area’s only independently owned new, used and antiquarian bookstore – whether you want a golf books for your collection or a good read for the ride home.

Walk toward the Augusta Common and you will come a life-size statue of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Snap your photo with him on the street that was James’ soul. A few blocks down, you will find Rock Bottom Music, with one of the area’s most extensive collection of rock & roll memorabilia and 8th Street Tobacco, which boasts a vast craft beer selection and fine cigars.

Nightlife teems on Broad Street with a selection of bars and clubs for every interest. Bar on Broad, downtown’s newest bar, is upscale with bartenders that serve with flair. Metro Coffeehouse and Pub – it is where the locals go to swap stories, share a cold Guinness and jumpstart the night.

Stillwater Tap Room is one of the South’s best bluegrass/Americana hangouts with a large selection of microbrews on tap. The Soul Bar is a retro hangout that gets rather crowded – if you like to dance though, it’s the place to be. Sky City already has two shows lined up for Masters week; some big names have played here including the Avett Brothers and Zac Brown.

About a mile south on Berkmans Road, which boarders Augusta National, you will find Surrey Center, a great upscale center of restaurants, bars and fine shops. This is a prime spot to hear Masters stories. Try the Polka Dot Pig, the French Market Grille, Takosushi, ultra-hip bar The Vue and, quite the opposite, Calvert’s Restaurant, an elegant fine-dining experience.

Meet the Pros CATCH UP ON MASTERS TALK IN THE COTTON PATCH’S COURTYARD

The Cotton Patch will have live entertainment nightly once the tournament starts and you can join a festive regular crowd who have been partying since St. Patrick’s Day! The Patch is a great place to talk Masters at the bar and to exchange your badges with friends as one part of your group leaves and the other goes into the hallowed grounds of Augusta National – a 20-year tradition here.

Joe’s Underground on 8th Street is around the corner and down in the ground – a kind of alternative hideout, Joe’s attracts a little younger crowd with the music turned up and its regular American menu. This is a fun place all year round and even better during Masters Week.

A block south of Riverwalk lies Augusta’s famous Broad Street, home to the city’s nightlife, both

22 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

Of course it would be great to run into one of the tournament players and that used to happen with some regularity – however, times are not like they used to be.

The Masters has grown to the point that one victory here will transform a man’s career and can make him wealthy for life. With those stakes, not many guys venture outside their rented houses or away from their private chefs, personal trainers, mental coaches and the rest of their watchful entourages – who also will have it made when their man wins.

In the 1930s there was a high-style Calcutta party at the old Bon Air Hotel on “The Hill.” In a Calcutta, which are featured at private parties all over the area, people bid on whom they think is going to win the tournament and then they have a serious interest in the outcome for the rest of the week. At some of these, the stakes can get excitingly high.

When You Are Off the Course During Masters Week In the early days, it was live – the actual players used to stand in the middle of the ballroom when the betting turned to them.

Can you imagine betting on Gene Sarazen or Byron Nelson while they watched you up the price on them?

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, guys as famous as Arnold Palmer and Ray Floyd were seen out at places like Phillipe’s and The Green Jacket, which was right across the street from Augusta National.

Top golfers used to hang out there, especially the week before the tournament and during practice rounds. Alas, both of those restaurants are now closed and gone are those opportunities.

Across from the Bon Air is Augusta’s elegant Partridge Inn, a fine hotel with a great restaurant and bar. This used to be a prime celebrity viewing spot a few decades back, before everything got to be so scripted.

Back at Luigi’s, you might get a glimpse of Ben Crenshaw or another of the players from his era. The walls of Luigi’s are crammed with members of the owners, the Ballas family, eating spaghetti with Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Lanny Wadkins, the whole Nicklaus family and even Jackie Gleason! Try the homemade Italian sausage and you might see a retired golfer on Saturday – although the week before is a better bet.

THE SAVANNAH ON THE RIVERWALK

Another celebrity hangout for years was Calvert’s back at Surrey Center. Owner Craig Calvert was a longtime friend of the legendary Frank Chirkinian, the CBS producer revolutionized television golf coverage with his work at The Masters. Chirkinian hosted an open table for sports broadcasting, entertainment celebrities and former players, before and during the tournament. Doug Sanders, who in his day wore outfits that would surprise English bon-vivant Ian Poulter, was a regular at Frank’s table at Calvert’s.

In the same level of Surrey Center, The French Market Grille is another celebrity-maybe place to eat. If you go to either, you are going to be served a great meal and you just might see Jack Nicholson, Jim Nance or Sir Nick Faldo.

Aiken is a Jewel You could almost consider yourself lucky if you are stuck without a Masters badge for a day – if you use the day to visit beautiful Aiken, South Carolina, just 15 miles east of Augusta.

THE BON AIR USED TO BE THE SITE OF THE MASTERS CALCUTTA PARTY

Locals began remodeling a blighted downtown alley section of town in the early 1980’s and it is now proudly called The Alley section, featuring restaurant/bars such as The West Side Bowery, Up Your Alley, Takosushi and The Aiken Brewing Company. There are another half-dozen restaurants and nightspots within a block, 100 Laurens, the Polo Tavern, The Pizza Joint, Prime and Malia’s.

The swarm of Masters visitors throughout The Alley during the week is a cosmopolitan parade.

Masters fans from all over the world mix as freely as old college buddies. Friends are made easily and Masters stories are the shared language of all. During the day, this area is also the center of many fine shops in this beautiful tree-sheltered center of town.

Many of the landmarks of another era still remain in Aiken, and continue to thrive. The club championship at Palmetto Golf Club, which opened in 1892, has been won by Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Henry Picard and Sam Snead.

The must stop is The Willcox hotel, a safe three-block walk from The Alley. Built in 1898, The Willcox has sheltered Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, plus Vanderbilts, Goodyears and Whitneys. Today, The Willcox is full of life and once again the center of fun in Aiken. New owners kept the elegance and ditched the high prices and now every night the incredible lobby bar is filled with polo players, sculptors, writers, thoroughbred owners and a real mix of townies, academics, travelers and swells.

Take U.S. Hwy. 1 (5th Street) or I-20 East to S.C. Hwy. 19 South, and you are less than 20 minutes away from a rare jewel of a town that cherishes its quaint 19th century charm while it leads the state in high-tech innovation.

Built as a summer resort and malaria refuge for the ante-bellum plantation owners of Charleston and the South Carolina Low Country, Aiken blossomed as a winter resort in the “Gay Nineties” for the families of the founders of America’s Industrial Revolution. (Spending Daddy’s money was not invented in Aiken, but it was the primary economy here for half-a-century.)

Vanderbilt and Whitney, Goodyear and Van Stade, Hitchcock and Knox, were just a few of the names that played equestrian games in Aiken for decades, and many of their fourth and fifth generations still train their horses here.

You will enter Aiken through its beautiful downtown, alive with commerce, color and style, where boutiques, antiques and specialty shops flourish.

A GLIMPSE OF THE EXCLUSIVE SAGE VALLEY

Golf is Everywhere On the days you do not have a badge, you could opt to play some golf. The Augusta/Aiken area is crammed tight with great golf courses. Palmetto G.C. was 42 years old when Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie completed Augusta National and trucked their tractor to Aiken to change the old course’s sand greens to grass. Jones was playing at the top-rate Augusta Country Club when he found Fruitlands Nursery next door, the land that was waiting for him to build a world class course upon. The Aiken Golf Club is a Donald Ross design that dates to 1912 and was the first course in the world to include a separate set of ladies tees. Jones’ first victory in his Grand Slam year of 1930 was at Forrest Hills here.

First class modern country clubs abound, West Lake and Jones Creek in Martinez, Gordon Lakes on the U.S. Army base, Goshen Plantation to the south of Augusta, Houndslake, Woodside, The Reserve, Cedar Creek and Midland Valley in Aiken County. North of Augusta in Edgefield County is Mount Vintage, for several years an LPGA venue. There is no other course in the world like Champions Retreat west of Augusta with nine holes each designed by The Big Three, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. In central Aiken County lies the exquisite Sage Valley. It is so private that this writer cannot describe it from a first hand experience.

Expect slow and expensive rounds during Masters Week. Most rounds are played over the same hilly and lush landscapes that are part of what make Augusta National so great, one reason why the Augusta area is such a great place for golf vacations.

So, don’t worry if you do not have a badge for a day or fret about what to do at night during Masters Week. Wherever you go in the region, you are going to have a great time and meet some fascinating people who are just as elated to be here as you are!

by Stephen Delaney Hale photos ELIZABETH BENSON & S. HALE

PARTIES BY THE WILLCOX HOTEL POOL

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 23

24 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

good eats & treats

VERGE STAFF FAVORITES from both sides of the river

Charming, locally owned restaurants dot the landscape of the Central Savannah River Area on both sides of the river and truly connect our community. This year, we asked our staff to list their top five locally owned restaurants and pulled their suggestions for great local fare into one guide to help you explore all the flavors the area offers. Whether you’re a local, a visitor or somewhere in-between, the next time you go out to eat, choose one of these instead of a cookie-cutter corporate franchise. We think you will be quite pleased by the good food, the interesting people you meet and the joy of finding a new place to share with family and friends.

AMERICAN

CONTINENTAL

BOWERY WEST SIDE

SIXTH AT WATKINS

151 Bee Lane, Aiken 803.648.2900 TRY THIS: Homemade desserts WHY THE LOCALS GO: The screened-in porch creates a lovely respite during warm spring days.

BOLL WEEVIL CAFE & SWEETERY

10 Ninth St. | 706.722.7772 TRY THIS: Perfect Chocolate Cake WHY THE LOCALS GO: A mouthwatering selection of desserts that literally drape off the plate.

THE COTTON PATCH

559 Watkins St. | 706.722.8877 TRY THIS: Chicken Ribier WHY THE LOCALS GO: This 1896 warehouse exudes casual elegance.

DELI

HILDEBRANDT’S

226 Sixth St. | 706.722.7756 TRY THIS: Stacked Reuben WHY THE LOCALS GO: A blast from the past serving up hand stacked sandwiches for 129 years.

STOPLIGHT DELI

816 Cotton Lane | 706.724.4511 TRY THIS: Charleston Chicken WHY THE LOCALS GO: Popular watering hole, cozy patio seating and live music. Good food, too.

119 Laurens St. NW, Aiken 803.642.3354 TRY THIS: Philly Steak-n-Cheese WHY THE LOCALS GO: This lovely local stop offers a broad variety of delicious sandwiches.

CRUMS ON CENTRAL

SUNSHINE BAKERY

1855 Central Ave. 706.729.6969 TRY THIS: Wood-Fired Pizzas WHY THE LOCALS GO: Comfort food, plus live jazz on the weekends.

AMERICAN GRILL

1102 DOWNTOWN

1102 Broad St. | 706.364.4075 TRY THIS: Cajun Chicken Pasta WHY THE LOCALS GO: One of the few remaining smoke & dine places with really good fare.

ASIAN

SOY NOODLE HOUSE

1032 Broad St. | 706.364.3116 TRY THIS: Vietnamese Crepe WHY THE LOCALS GO: Homemade sauces make each dish special.

CARIBBEAN

CARIBBEAN SOUL

873 Broad St. | 706.814.7841 TRY THIS: Oxtail Platter WHY THE LOCALS GO: Authentic home cooked fare from the islands. Try a flaky meat patty too.

Rae’s Coastal Café

1209 Broad St. | 706.724.2302 TRY THIS: The Daily Double WHY THE LOCALS GO: Hearty soups and thick sandwiches make this a staple stop for lunch.

ECLECTIC

CASA BLANCA CAFE

936 Broad St. | 706.504.3431 TRY THIS: Curry Chicken WHY THE LOCALS GO: Cool atmosphere and tapas in the evening with tango on Thursdays.

ECLECTIC

Riley’s Whitby Bull

801 E. Pine Log Rd., Aiken 803.641.6227 TRY THIS: Crab Cakes WHY THE LOCALS GO: Housed in an old rambling Second Empire style house, the restaurant effuses charm.

EUROPEAN

BISTRO 491

491 Highland Ave. | 706.738.6491 TRY THIS: Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding WHY THE LOCALS GO: Every bite is a delectable experience.

3208 W. Wimbledon Dr. 706.738.1313 TRY THIS: Coconut Fried Shrimp WHY THE LOCALS GO: One of Augusta’s best-kept secrets with exceptional food and ambience.

Cadwalladers Café

COFFEEHOUSE

The willcox

NEW MOON CAFE

1002 Broad St. | 706.823.2008 TRY THIS: Java Milkshake WHY THE LOCALS GO: The place to connect (in person and online) with locally roasted coffee.

106 Davis Rd. | 706.860.7444 TRY THIS: Rabbit Sausage WHY THE LOCALS GO: Romantic atmosphere and marvelous cuisine without being pretentious.

100 Colleton Ave. SE, Aiken 803.648.1898 TRY THIS: Angus Beef Steak WHY THE LOCALS GO: The best of Aiken with exquisite dining and beautiful intimate atmosphere.

[ NEAPOLITAN CUPCAKE SHOPPE ]

“It smells like heaven!” That is what the increasingly faithful are saying about Molly Meek’s Neapolitan Cupcakes, the CSRA’s only bakery exclusively dedicated to cupcakes.

“If [Molly] was selling cardboard boxes, she would be successful,” said Mrs. Pond, upon her first visit to the bakery.

Meek’s delectable cupcake creations are a far cry from cardboard.

Neopolitan features several classic flavors daily, including vanilla buttercream, chocolate, strawberry, red velvet and lemon zest. There are also specialty flavors each day, such as Mexican Chocolate, Black Forest, Banana Puddin’, Cookies and Cream and Peanut Butter Cup. Molly and her staff create new flavors almost daily, most recently Mango Tango, Key Lime Pie and Salted Caramel. A new menu is scheduled to roll out in the beginning of April. The shop also offers customized cupcakes for weddings, birthdays and special events.

Molly’s journey to opening a cupcake bakery is as varied as her cupcake flavors. “When the risk of leaving a job is less than your distaste for the job, it is time to leave,” Molly said about her decision to depart corporate America. She set out for the Big Apple, took a turn through Hoboken, New Jersey and did stints in Milwaukee, Ohio and Atlanta before returning to Augusta to strike out in a new direction.

“Just start – if you think of all the obstacles, you’ll never get it going,” Meek said. She initially opened Neapolitan Gift Shoppe in the Antique Mall located at Le Pavillion off Washington Road. Meek sold unique gift items and accessories in her 10 x 10 space and only made cupcakes on the weekends. News of her innovative and delicious cupcakes began to spread. Molly switched her emphasis to meet the growing demand. The Neapolitan Cupcake and Gift Shoppe was born and moved into its corner shop spot in the same Le Pavillion location last November.

Neapolitan Cupcake and Gift Shoppe is located at 106 Pleasant Home Rd., Suite 2A and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more details, 706.814.8959 | neapolitangifts.com FRENCH

MANUEL’S BREAD CAFE

505 Railroad Ave., North Augusta 803.380.1323 TRY THIS: Gnocchi and Shrimp WHY THE LOCALS GO: Homemade artisan bread is just the beginning of the edible delights inside.

LA MAISON ON TELFAIR

404 Telfair St. | 706.722.4805 TRY THIS: Ostrich Carpaccio WHY THE LOCALS GO: Elegant evenings out. Plus where else can you get ostrich, buffalo and antelope?

GASTRO PUB

MALIA’S

120 Laurens St. SW, Aiken 803.643.3086 TRY THIS: The Daily Special WHY THE LOCALS GO: The menu changes daily, so it’s always a surprise and never fails to delight the taste buds

FROG HOLLOW TAVERN

1282 Broad St. | 706.364.6906 TRY THIS: Ostrich Carpaccio WHY THE LOCALS GO: The chefs create the daily menu from what’s in season from local farms.

POLKA DOT PIG

399 Highland Ave. |706.496.2930 TRY THIS: Braised Pork Belly WHY THE LOCALS GO: SouthernFrench mash-up for great taste.

ICE CREAM

THE PINK DIPPER

501 Georgia Ave., North Augusta 803.279.4100 TRY THIS: A Coke Float WHY THE LOCALS GO: Handdipped ice cream with the original home town feel down to the old fashioned metal heart chairs.

TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE TASTY OPTIONS

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 25

good eats & treats

VERGE STAFF FAVORITES from both sides of the river

INDIAN

MEXICAN

Naan Kabab

MI RANCHO’S

The Taj of India

NACHO MAMA’S

3107 Washington Rd. 706.504.4220 TRY THIS: Butter Chicken WHY THE LOCALS GO: Pakistani influenced menu with panache.

502-7 Furys Ferry Rd. 706.860.6665 TRY THIS: Pindi Chana WHY THE LOCALS GO: The curry selection is spiced to taste.

INTERNATIONAL & TAPAS

THE BEE’S KNEES

212 Tenth St. | 706.828.3600 TRY THIS: Tuna Carpaccio WHY THE LOCALS GO: Tapas style dining in sultry jazz surroundings make this the cat’s meow.

Blue Horse Bistro & Jazz Club

302 6th St. | 706.955.9875 TRY THIS: Duck Empanadas WHY THE LOCALS GO: Sit back, relax and immerse yourself in the jazzy atmosphere.

ITALIAN

AUGUSTINO’S

Two Tenth Street | 706.823.6521 SIGNATURE DISH: Filet Mignon WHY THE LOCALS GO: The Sunday brunch is tops.

GARLIC CLOVE ITALIAN EATERY

4451 Washington Rd. 706.364.7377 TRY THIS: Blue Velvet Cake WHY THE LOCALS GO: Authentic Italian fare with a slight twist.

2 Eighth St. | 706.724.3366 TRY THIS: Chile Relleno WHY THE LOCALS GO: Giant portions and low prices with local musicians every night.

976 Broad St. | 706.724.0512 TRY THIS: Bomb Burrito WHY THE LOCALS GO: They really do roll them “this big.” The margaritas are big too. Great food at a great price, right in the heart of downtown.

PIZZA

MELLOW MUSHROOM

1167 Broad St. | 706.828.5578 TRY THIS: Kosmic Karma Pizza WHY THE LOCALS GO: Unusual topping choices make for fun pizza eating, as does the psychedelic decor.

PIZZA JOINT

1245 Broad St. | 706.774.0037 SIGNATURE DISH: The Big One TRY THIS: Hand tossed pizza, but it’s the stromboli that keeps us coming back.

PUB FARE

Aiken Brewing Company

140 Laurens St. SW, Aiken 803.502.0707 TRY THIS: Thoroughbred Red Microbrew WHY THE LOCALS GO: Relaxed, casual atmosphere for fantastic beer and pub fare.

[ MAI THAI ]

Fans of Thai food will enjoy this locally-owned, Columbia County eatery. The atmosphere is casual, the wait is rarely long and the menu is varied and reasonably priced. For those playing it safe, try the Pad Thai dish. This peanut flavored entree, served with shrimp or chicken, is filling and delicious. For curry options, try the spicy Panang.

A favorite dish is a beef Thai salad on the appetizer portion of the menu, Yum Nam Tok. First timers beware, “Thai Hot” is not for beginners. You can order many of their dishes in this fashion but be prepared to have the water glass refilled multiple times. Whatever is ordered from the expansive menu, which includes some great vegetarian options, make sure to order the Spring Rolls with the Thai Duck Sauce. They are “not to miss!”

PUB FARE

JOE’S UNDERGROUND CAFE

144 Eighth St. | 706.724.9457 TRY THIS: Joe’s Kitchen Sink Sub WHY THE LOCALS GO: “I goes to Joe’s” for the cool factor. It’s underground, reminiscent of Cheers.

SHEEHAN’S IRISH PUB

2571 Central Ave. 706.364.1234 TRY THIS: Mussels WHY THE LOCALS GO: In the heart of Summerville, sipping a Guinness on the porch is the perfect way to relax.

THE SPORTS CENTER

594 Broad St. | 706.724.9307 TRY THIS: The Hamburger WHY THE LOCALS GO: Hamburgers made to order, cold draft beer to wash it down.

FATMAN’S CAFE

One Seventh St. | 706.733.1740 TRY THIS: Squash Casserole WHY THE LOCALS GO: Good food, great prices and a wide variety to choose from.

SUSHI

WICKED WASABI

1048 Broad St. | 706.823.0555 TRY THIS: The Volcano Roll WHY THE LOCALS GO: The owners are straight from Japan and so is the cuisine. Authentic.

TAKOSUSHI

437 Highland Ave. | 706.736.9191 TRY THIS: The Bento Box WHY THE LOCALS GO: The fusion style of Mex-Asian sets this unique place apart from the rest.

Taqueria

ROOSTER’S BEAK

215 Tenth St. | 706.364.2260 M T W R F 8a : 2:30p TRY THIS: The Innovative Daily Desserts WHY THE LOCALS GO: Each soft shell tortilla is stuffed with fascinating top-shelf cuisine. Pure bliss in every bite.

THAI

Mai Thai

4274 Washington Rd. 706.210.9008 TRY THIS: Yum Nam Tok WHY THE LOCALS GO: Always delicious with a wide variety of dishes to choose from. edited by Ashley Plocha photos GABI HUTCHISON

SANDWICHES

KNUCKLE SANDWICHES

1149 Broad St. | 706.364.8860 TRY THIS: The PBR-B-Que WHY THE LOCALS GO: Open late for the bar crowd, the food is tasty from beginning to end.

SOUL FOOD

CAFE 209

4 Eighth St. | 706.722.9692 TRY THIS: Fried Chicken WHY THE LOCALS GO: When Cassandra starts cooking, the incredible aromas stop folks in their tracks.

NACHO MAMA’S

SOUTHERN

26 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

ROOSTER’S BEAK

THE FILM REEL

Demons to Cute Bunnies April Fools Day feels a lot like Groundhog Day when you are watching SOURCE CODE, a mainstream action thriller from director Duncan Jones. The helmer of 2009’s Moon, Jones is the son of rock icon David Bowie.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Love and Other Drugs) plays Colter Stevens, a soldier who travels back in time to take on the persona of a passenger on a doomed commuter train (a’la TV’s Quantum Leap). While in the FALLING IN LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES other man’s body, Stevens has just eight minutes to figure out the identity of the train’s bomber, thereby preventing a much larger attack that would set off a dirty bomb in Chicago. Luckily, he can travel back multiple times, picking up clues and falling for another passenger (Michelle Monaghan) in the moments before the blast.

Saw director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell teamed up for another horror film, INSIDIOUS. A young boy enters a strange coma-like state after a household accident, which also causes a creepy demonic presence to haunt his family. Oren Peli and several other producers from the Paranormal Activity franchise produced this film.

Live action and CG animation come together with the help of Alvin and the Chipmunks director Tim Hill in HOP, a kiddie comedy.

The Easter Bunny’s son, E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), is set to take over the Easter tradition of delivering candy to children, but he would rather be a famous drummer. He runs away from home and stays with a bumbling average guy (James Marsden) until a jealous Easter chick, voiced by Hank Azaria, locks up the Easter Bunny and threatens to take over his duties. Gary Cole, Kaley Cuoco, David Hasselhoff and Chelsea Handler also appear in this PG-rated dose of holiday humor.

Rainn Wilson (The Office) plays a loser who we’re taking cottontail down. turns himself into a makeshift superhero after his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a corrupt man (Kevin Bacon) in SUPER. Ellen Page (Juno) plays Wilson’s foul-mouthed wannabe superhero sidekick in this violent limited release indie, which will be available On Demand on April 13.

Sorry, f-bombs, you have been cut. The edited to PG-13 version of THE KING’S SPEECH hits theaters April 1, giving the year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture a family-friendlier vibe.

April 8 openers include a remake of the 1981 comedy ARTHUR, which featured Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. British comedian Russell Brand assumes Moore’s role as a spoiled rich playboy who avoids an arranged marriage when he falls for an average gal. Helen Mirren plays Arthur’s handler/ nanny while Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte co-star.

Atonement star Saoirse Ronan reunites with director Joe Wright to play a sheltered teenage girl trained to be an assassin by her widowed father (Eric Bana) in HANNA. Cate Blanchett portrays a government agent who ruthlessly tracks the girl in this thriller. Strong women also dominate the screen in the sports drama SOUL SURFER. Based on the true story of teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton - who got back on the board after a shark attack claimed her arm - the film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid and Carrie Underwood.

Leave it to the director of Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green) to create a medieval fantasy/comedy where a slacker prince gets high and makes crude jokes. Do not expect the witty charm of The Princess Bride, but enjoy a few laughs with the impressive cast of YOUR HIGHNESS, which features Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel.

BORN TO BE WILD, a short IMAX 3D documentary about orphaned wild animals and the humans who raised them, also opens this week.

The film was narrated by Morgan Freeman.

by MARIAH GARDNER, MOVIE GURU THEY’RE JUST LIKE OVERGROWN PUPPIES. RIGHT?

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 27

CD RELEASE: EYE OF ABRAM Debut Album for Hardcore Band

You’ve never heard of Fatal Embrace? Neither had Eye of Abram when they started their band under that name. Imagine their surprise to find that the name was already taken by a German hardcore metal band. “They looked like they could kill us, so we thought we’d better change our name!” says vocalist/guitarist Jason Dixon, who laughs now although it wasn’t quite so amusing at the time. “You think we’re heavy?

We sound like Justin Timberlake compared to that band!”

“Our songs are based around our life experiences, from joy to sorrow, and our beliefs Two years ago, they became Eye of Abram which now includes Dixon, drummer David Cooper, lead guitarist Angel Graves and guitarist-turned-bassist Mitch Doss, who has known Dixon since kindergarten. “[Mitch and I] hung out as friends, graduated high school together and played in bands together,” says Dixon. “We split up for a while, then I went to his band’s practice, sang a few songs and we realized we needed to get back together.”

The result was Fatal Embrace, now Eye of Abram, whose much-anticipated debut EP, The Fallen, is being released this month. The band recorded at the Jam Room in Columbia, S.C., with head house engineer Steve Slavich and engineer Jay Matheson. “They were extremely good to us,” says Dixon.

“They didn’t just press ‘record’ and get what we got. They sat with us and worked on harmonies.

They were very good about not only recording but also helping us produce the album.”

The Fallen will be available digitally on iTunes and as a physical CD. “iTunes is great as far as our wallets,” says Dixon. “It’s much cheaper to make music available online. But we wanted to have something that you can hold. Even though people listen to music on their iPods, we wanted old-school hard discs that you can hold in your hands and that we can sell at shows. Also, there’s something about the quality of sound of a CD that really speaks to us.”

Thanks to the Internet and social networking, Eye of Abram are connecting with fans across the U.S. and in other countries. With the release of The Fallen, they hope to ramp up their web presence and introduce more fans to their music. While they’re known for their hard and heavy flavor, the songs are shaped on acoustic guitars and built from the ground up through band input.

Music, says Dixon, is more than a passion; it’s a calling – which is why they’re willing to drive for hours to a gig, set up, play a set, load out and drive back to Augusta.

“There are a lot of negative messages in music in general,” he says, “and we feel that we bring something positive. Our songs are based around our life experiences, from joy to sorrow, and our beliefs come out in our lyrics. People might not pick up on it the first time they hear us, but hopefully, as they listen, they’ll understand.”

Eye of Abram perform their CD release show at the Playground on April 15, opening for Joan Red. See page 31 for concert details.

by ALISON RICHTER photo FILE

28 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

LIVE MUSIC: JOAN RED

Joan Red’s Vision Remains True Despite a Continual Evolution “Joan Red is always striving for the next step,” says vocalist Anthony Basurto. “The challenge is whether people can stick with touring as an unsigned band. There’s a lot involved, and you hope the right people will see you and get behind you. Circumstances change and I’m confident that we now have the best lineup and that it’s going to stay this way for a while. We need people who feel that they are a part of the team, and it hasn’t always worked out the way we wanted it to. It really takes a lot to figure out the right fit.”

Joining Basurto are guitarists Cooper Nichols and Joel Wilson, bassist Brandon Vatter and drummer Jeff Garrison. Basurto started Joan Red in Memphis in 2006. Their first EP, Spread The Red, was released in 2007; Side Effects Of You followed two years later. During all of this time, the band has toured constantly, with Basurto doggedly surviving personnel changes while staying true to his vision.

The revolving door might have felled a lesser individual, but Basurto survived a difficult childhood and adolescence that instilled a survivor’s instinct and the determination to never give up.

“I close my eyes, write what I feel and

VERGE: How did Joan Red come together?

BASURTO: I started Joan Red in 2006. My previous band had some notoriety and I was helping a buddy out with production and finding a sound. My guys fizzled out.

One was getting married, one was having a kid and I was not going to wait. The band I was working with needed a singer, we put a couple of people in and it became Joan Red. The goal since day one was to be the best at we do.

With all of the changes, I am sure it makes me look bad and hard to work with, and sometimes I’m sure I am. I push people and I strive for perfection. It is very difficult to tour for two and a half years and expect your home life to stay the same. Other people’s hearts have faded, or the talent level was not there, but my drive and focus never left. Everybody in the band now has the best mentality and talent to be able to do what we want to do.

VERGE: How do you make personnel changes without a standstill in the band, especially while touring?

BASURTO: That’s the tricky part. We did it so much that it was detrimental and we got away from our roots. The original band could go to the practice room and know how to write. You change members and you are not writing together because you are on the road. During the past six months, we stopped touring and started writing and planning for studio time to cultivate the art. We have gotten close as far as songwriting. It is hard to tour as much as we have when you are always worried about where you are going to sleep and what is going to go wrong with the van. You really need common chemistry to survive those things because you have to be prepared for the worst and you really have to love doing this.

VERGE: You have been working on a new release. Are there any details?

BASURTO: We have not decided whether it will be a full album or an EP. It will probably be an EP to get it out quickly. The industry has changed a lot as far as what is acceptable. You do not need a full album in order to chart. The digital downloading era has changed everything, and hopefully legislation will pass on peer-to-peer so that anyone on an ISP torrent is fined thousands of dollars.

VERGE: When did your passion for music begin?

vent the storyline in my head.”

Elvis and Isley Brothers songs. My parents were into Peter Gabriel, Sting, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. I was on the high school football team and the Junior Olympics table tennis team. I toured with them in Beijing and Sydney. My parents were mentally ill and they fought a lot. The cops were at my house 30 times because of domestic abuse, and the last time they came, they took me and my 2-year-old brother into state custody for a year. I was 15. I was disconnected from music and sports. I went from living in the suburbs of Memphis to a group home on the bad side. I had weekend passes and I would visit my friend and do home study. He played bass and his friends played guitar and drums. I had always been a singer; I felt it in my blood. Being with them started it. We began writing songs and I vented through my writing. What sealed the deal was going to see Incubus. I loved Incubus and I wanted to do that. I felt the energy and connection. My friend was in Saliva’s “Click Click Boom” video — he is the kid with the Saliva tattoo on his neck. I went with him to the set, and while they were waiting for the sun to go down for the next shot, he brought me onstage and I sang an Incubus song a cappella. The crowd sang along and I thought, I could do this.

VERGE: Is the video for “You Be The Hero” based on your childhood?

BASURTO: It never dawned on me, but it is similar. My dad was my hero. Having a connection to somebody, looking up to them — everybody has a hero. So subconsciously, yes, it comes out for me with that song.

The director, Sean Babas, wrote the video. He is only 19.

It works well with the song, but I could not tell you the meaning. I close my eyes, write what I feel and vent the storyline in my head.

by ALISON RICHTER photo FILE

MYERS: As a kid, I always listened to music. I would sing

See The Show WHO Joan Red with opening act Eye of Abram WHERE The Playground Bar | 978 Broad St. WHEN Friday, March 15 | 7 p.m.

TICKETS $5 WHY Catch the debut CD release from locals Eye of

Abram

MORE | See the “You Be the Hero” video at

JOANRED.COM Anthony Basurto

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 29

30 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

the

daily planner

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

March 30 TO APRIL 15

[ HARLEM STRING QUARTET ]

Comprised of all first-place Laureates of the Sphinx Competition, this ensemble made its successful Carnegie Hall debut during the Sphinx Gala Concert in October 2006 to rave reviews from The New York Times. The ensemble released their professional debut CD, Taking the A Train, with the White Pine Music label in 2007.

WHERE Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre, ASU | 2500 Walton Way WHEN Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. TICKETS $7 to $25 MORE 706.790.9274 | HJCMS.ORG The Daily Planner is our selective guide to what is going on in the city during the next two weeks. IF YOU WANT TO BE LISTED: Submit information by email (info@vergelive.com) or by mail (verge, P.O. Box 38, Augusta, GA 30903). Details of the event - date, time, venue address, telephone number and admission price - should be included. Listings included are accurate at press time, check with specific venues for further details.

WEDNESDAY

3.30

JAZZ USCA Jazz Band

Etherredge Center, USCA, 7 p.m., free, 471 University Pkwy., Aiken, 803.641.3305 USCA.EDU

HISTORY Celebrating Women of Hip Hop

McDuffie Woods Community Center, 7 p.m., $1 to $3, 3431 Old McDuffie Rd., 706.771.2656 AUGUSTAGA.GOV

THURSDAY

3.31

GOOD CAUSE Time To Care Blood Give In First

Baptist Church of Augusta, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., 3500 Walton Way

FILM My Run: A Documentary My Run

follows Terry Hitchcock who ran 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days from St. Paul to Atlanta to raise awareness for single parents and the daily struggles they go through.

Narration by Bill Bob Thornton Regal Cinemas, 7 p.m., $12.50, 1144 Agerton Lane, 706.667.9713 MYRUNMOVIE.COM

THEATRE The Core Ensemble: Ain’t I A Woman Gilbert-Lambuth

Memorial Chapel, 7:30 p.m., free, Paine College, Mulherin St., 706.396.7591 PAINE.EDU

FRIDAY

4.1 FILM The General (1926) After viewing the film,

museum director Kevin Grogan leads a discussion. Participants are invited to bring a lunch.

Morris Museum of Art, Noon, free, One 10th St., 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

FESTIVAL First Friday

Downtown Augusta celebrates the First Friday of each month.

Arts galleries display new works, performers take to the sidewalks and streets and arts and craft vendors sell their handmade goods. Family friendly, Downtown Augusta, 5 p.m., free, Broad St., 706.826.4702 AUGUSTAARTS.COM

ART Jarek Kubicki Opening See page 41 for

more of the story. Oddfellows Art Gallery, 6 p.m., free, 301 Eighth St., 706.513.0916

JAZZ Augusta Young Lions with Joel Cruz Casa Blanca Café, 6 p.m., free, 936 Broad St., 706.504.3431 CASABLANCATIME.COM MUSIC Polo Asado and Tango Featuring Asado (Argentinean Barbeque), The Art of Polo, jazz by The Mike Frost Trio and tango lessons from A & E Dance Studio’s Eduardo Diaz.

Ticket includes admission to the USCA Pacers and Polo on Sat., April 2. Powderhouse Polo Field, 6 p.m., $60, Powderhouse Rd., Aiken, 803.641.1111 AIKENCHAMBER.NET

OUTDOORS Moonlight Music Cruise: Carey Murdock Enjoy live music

while trolling the scenic Augusta Canal. Bring your own snacks and beverages. Augusta Canal, 6:30 p.m., $25, 1450 Greene St., 706.823.0440 AUGUSTACANAL.COM

COMEDY Schrodinger’s Cat: eXtreme Theatre Games For mature audiences.

Le Chat Noir, 8 p.m., $8 to $10, 304 8th St., 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

SATURDAY

4.2

FESTIVAL Aiken

Horsepower’s Annual Spring Fling Open Car Show Aiken Mall, 9 a.m. to

3 p.m., free, 1785 Whiskey Rd., Aiken, 803.270.3505

OUTDOORS Swamp Saturday 2.5 mile, 1.5 hour

guided hike. Phinizy Swamp, 9:30 a.m., free, 1858 Lock & Dam Rd., 706.828.2109

SPORTS Karate Class

A fun martial arts class covering basic kicks, punches and blocks.

Martial arts history will also be discussed. Nancy Carson Library, 11 a.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767 ABBE-LIB.ORG

Universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent. Etherredge Center, USCA, 8 p.m., $5 to $40, 471 University Pkwy., Aiken, 803.648.6851 USCA.EDU

DANCE Ailey Dance II

MONDAY

THEATRE Rumpelstiltskin

SUNDAY

SPORTS State Farm Adaptive Golf Demonstration Meet

Presented by Storyland Theatre, this original musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairly tale will delight the entire family. Meet the actors after the show. Active duty military personnel and their families are free (with valid ID). Imperial Theatre, 3 p.m., $5, 749 Broad St., 706.736.3455 STORYLANDTHEATRE.ORG

CABARET First Saturday Cabaret

4.3

ORGAN KEITH SHAFER

Celebrate Rose Sunday with this special presentation of organ works by Bach, Barber and Widor. Childcare available. A reception follows the program.

Saint Paul’s Church, 4 p.m., free, 605 Reynolds St., 706.724.2485 SAINTPAULS.ORG

Le Chat Noir, 7 p.m., $8 to $10, 304 8th St., 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

4.4

Dong Vickery, the first double amputee to become a PGA professional, and Brad Clayton, a PGA of America Master Teaching Professional for this special golf demo sponsored

by Walton Foundation for Independence. Inspiring for both the disabled and the able body.

The First Tee of Augusta, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 3165 Damascus Rd, 706.826.5809 WRH.ORG

FOR KIDS Kids Movie: Aladdin Nancy Carson

Library, 4 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767 ABBE-LIB.ORG

[ THE CORE ENSEMBLE: AIN’T I A WOMAN ] Paine College presents The Core Ensemble performing Ain’t I a Woman!, a chamber music theatre work celebrating the lives and times of four significant African American Women: ex-slave and fiery abolitionist Sojourner Truth, renowned novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, exuberant folk artist Clementine Hunter and fervant civil rights worker Fannie LouHamer. Ain’t I a Woman! features an enthralling marriage of theatrical narrative and chamber music performance. Part of the Paine College Lyceum Series.

WHERE Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel, Paine College WHEN Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. | Free MORE | 706.396.7591 PAINE.EDU

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 31

32 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

THE INK WELL

SUNDAY

4.4

Stretch Your Brain Cells It's a Numbers Game

by Myles Mellor and Sally York

Across

1

1. More than some 5. “___ Smile” (1976 hit) 9. Spray setting 13. Lou Gehrig, on the diamond 14. Donnybrook 15. Knowing about 16. Artist Bonheur 17. Be part of the cast 18. Brought into play 19. Simple addition 22. Elton John, e.g.

23. ___ souci 24. Mozart’s “L’___ del Cairo” 27. Like a bunch 29. Debonair 32. Undergrad degs.

33. Catches 36. Whole alternative 37. Ecstatic 42. Old German duchy name 43. Ready for anything 44. Wrath 45. Layers 47. It’s found in banks 49. Blonde’s secret, maybe 50. Vex, with “at” 52. Word from the decks 54. Literary homeowners 62. Shades 63. Roundish 64. Christiania, now 65. Tropical fruit 66. Rewards 67. Simpleton 68. Some beans 69. “___ quam videri” (North Carolina’s motto) 70. Chops

DOWN

1. Big do 2. “Crazy” bird 3. Yorkshire river

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

25

26

27

28 33

38

55

34

35

30

from over 40 local restaurants and hear guest speaker and honoree, Larry Mize, as he is presented with a key to the City of Augusta by Mayor Copenhaver. Augusta Common, 6 p.m., $1, 836 Reynolds St., 706.821.1754 AUGUSTAGA.GOV

31

36 40

41

43

44

46 50

54

29

39

42 45

12

23

32 37

11

21

22 24

10

47 51

56

48 52

57

49 53

58

59

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

4. Snares Across 5. Jiffs 6.

Karen than somefor one 1. MoreCarpenter, 7. Checks, with in "___ Smile" (1976 hit) 5.

8. Trojan hero 9. Greek Spraydish setting 9.

10. Acad.

13. Lou Gehrig, on the diamond 11. Potpourri 14.

12. Donnybrook Big deal 14. Knowing Gibb brother about 15.

20. Ceiling Artist Bonheur 16.

21. Occupied, as a lavatory 24. Be ___-Wan part ofKenobi the cast 17.

25. Art able to Brought into play 18.

26. Very, in music 28. Simple Australian rock band addition 19.

30. Clear 22. Elton John, e.g.

31. File material souciValley ___” 23.

34. ___ “Harper 35. Mozart's Jerk "L'___ del Cairo" 24.

60

FESTIVAL 13th Annual Mayor’s Masters Reception Sample foods

61

LITERARY Potluck Book Club Bring a dish from this month’s selected cookbook, Everyday Food, Great Food Fast. Evans Library, 6 p.m., free, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

TUESDAY

4.5

38. Textual interpretation FOR KIDS Kids Story 39. “From the Earth to theDown

Time: Lewis & Clark Moon” writer 1. Big do Headquarters Library, 10 a.m., 40. Signals free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600 "Crazy" bird 2.

41. Society page word ECGRL.ORG 46. Strauss opera 3. Yorkshire river 48. Storm part FOR KIDS 101 Dalmations 4. Snares 51. Other halves Nancy Carson Library, 4 p.m., 5. Jiffs 53. Age free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North 54. As a result Augusta, for803.279.5767 one 6. Karen Carpenter, 55. “The Hunchback of Notre Checks, with in 7.

FILM 127 Hours (R) Dame” writer 56. Bank 8. Trojan heroHeadquarters Library 6:30 p.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600 57. “Little piggies” 9. Greek dish ECGRL.ORG 58. All alternative 59. “Cast Away” setting 10. Acad.

ROCK Rock Fore 60. Worm or lamp 11. Potpourri Dough: Darius Rucker 61. Creates a lawn

It’s a Masters Week tradition.

Darius Rucker of Hootie and 14. Gibb brother the Blowfish headlines for the

by MYLES MELLOR 27. | Find the solution to this issue’s puzzle at VERGELIVE.BLOGSPOT.COM benefit concert’s seventh year.

Like a bunch 20. Ceiling First Tee of Augusta, Gates 29. Debonair 21. Occupied, as a lavatory open at 4:30 p.m., Showtime: 5:30 p.m., $25 to $35, 3165 Damascus Rd., 706.364.4653 ROCKFOREDOUGH.COM

12. Big deal

 DIGITAL JUKEBOX

The Songs that Inspired Us (This Issue)

WEDNESDAY

4.6 1 2 3 4 5

GOOD CAUSE Blood Drive Get a free movie ticket

SOMETHING GOOD CAN WORK by Two Door Cinema Club

Sonically and lyrically upbeat, from Tourist History (2010) . — Sarah Childers

IN THE NEWS by Kris Kristofferson

Listen to this tune from the 2006 album This Old Road. It’s self-explanatory. — Alison Richter

REJOICE AND LAMENT by Josh Garrels

Shows off Garrels’ rare talent for bold rhythms, delicate musicality and thoughtful lyrics — Charlotte Okie

BAD KIDS by Black Lips From Good Bad Not Evil (2007), this song has become my son’s anthem - hopefully, only oft-sung, not lived out.. — Lara Plocha BURY MY BONES by My Instant Lunch Fresh track off of their new

album Death, Destruction and Other Stories for Children. Listen to it, it will get stuck in your head to. You can take that to the bank. — Ashley Plocha

with your donation of blood to Shepeard Community Blood Center (every afternoon through Saturday April 9). Regal Cinema, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 1144 Agerton Lane, 706.737.4551 SHEPEARDBLOOD.ORG

FOR KIDS Movie: Tangled Nancy Carson

Library, 10:30 a.m. & 4 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767 abbe-lib.org

OUTDOORS Spring Time’s Lunch & A Play

An outdoor puppet show. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic lunch. Hopeland Gardens, 11 a.m., free, 1700 Whiskey Rd., Aiken, 803.642.7631

the

daily planner

FILM Teen Movie: It’s Kind of a Funny Story (PG13) Friedman Library, 3 p.m., free, 1447 Jackson Rd., 706.736.6758 ECGRL.ORG

ROCK Par 3 Party

Featuring the popular beach music of The Embers from Raleigh, North Carolina, and the South Atlantic Live Entertainment Band. Shag Contest, vintage fashion show

by Vintage Ooollee and Modish Salon, artists and food. Augusta Common, 5 p.m., $8 to $12, 836 Reynolds St., 706.826.4702 AUGUSTAARTS.COM

THURSDAY

4.7

FOR KIDS Yogi Bear Nancy Carson Library, 10:30 a.m. & 4 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767 FOR KIDS Make a Kite

For kids 8 to 11 years old. Call to register. Evans Library, 4 p.m., free, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., 706.447.7657 ECGRL.ORG

FESTIVAL A Master Mulligan on Monte Sano Family fun and

entertainment along Summerville’s signature stretch of shopping with Augusta’s native son Brandon Bower and his band. Donations benefit the Walton Foundation’s Adaptive Sports Program.

1400 Block of Monte Sano Ave., 5 p.m., $1 donation, SUMMERVILLEAUGUSTA.COM

CONCERT USCA Concert Band Etherredge Center, USCA,

FESTIVAL Mix & Mingle

Have some fun off the golf course with this evening of free wine tastings, cooking demonstration, art by Stephanie Forbes and music by Fred Williams. GoodBooks Café, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., free, 3179 Washington Rd., 706.863.3669

THEATRE Glengarry Glen Ross See the full article

on page 19. Le Chat Noir, 8 p.m., $25, 304 8th St., 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

THEATRE Crossing Delancey Isabel is a modern young woman who lives alone and works in a book shop.

When she is not pining after a handsome author, she is visiting her grandmother in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This delightfully nosey old lady and her friend the matchmaker have found a “”catch”” for Isabel – Sam, the handsome pickle vendor.

With humor, resilience, and a touch of misunderstanding, Isabel learns to adjust her narrow view. The end of the play is really a beginning, ripe with possibilities for Isabel and Sam. URS Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $17, 126 Newberry St., Aiken, 803.648.1438

SATURDAY

4.9

THEATRE Voices of the Past: A Petersburg Boat Pilot The character of

Carson Library, 10:30 a.m. & 4 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767

A Petersburg Boat Pilot, based on oral histories provided by Elberton, Georgia resident, Mr. Buck Balchin, about his grandfather, James Henry Balchin who, from the midnineteenth century until 1900, crewed and piloted cotton boats from Petersburg to Augusta. Augusta Museum of History, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m., $2 to $4, 560 Reynolds St., 706.722.8454 AUGUSTAMUSEUM.ORG

FOR KIDS Fun Friday: Barbie Doll Dress Up

FOOD CSRA Vegetarian Society Potluck Bring a

7 p.m., free, 471 University Pkwy., Aiken, 803.648.6851 USCA.EDU

FRIDAY

4.8

FOR KIDS Voyage of the Dawn Treader Nancy

Bring your Barbie dolls and uncover your imagination.

Headquarters Library, 3:30 p.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600

dish and a copy of the recipe to share. Earth Fare, 6 p.m., free, 368 Furys Ferry Rd., 706.288.3042 MEETUP.COM

OUTDOOORS Moonlight Music Cruise: Galen Kipar Project Enjoy live

THEATRE Glengarry Glen Ross See the full article

music while trolling the scenic Augusta Canal. Bring your own snacks and beverages. See page 21 for more about Galen Kipar.

Augusta Canal, 6:30 p.m., $25, 1450 Greene St., 706.823.0440 AUGUSTACANAL.COM

on page 19. Le Chat Noir, 8 p.m., $25, 304 8th St., 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

THEATRE Crossing Delancey See Friday, April 10 for full description. URS Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $17, 126 Newberry St., Aiken, 803.648.1438

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 33

34 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

the

daily planner

SUNDAY

4.10 BRUNCH Sunday Brunch Casa Blanca

Café, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 936 Broad St. 706.504.3431 CASABLANCATIME.COM

FOR KIDS Jazz for Kids Learn about jazz in this

Prodigal Sons See below for more details. Morris Museum of Art, 6 p.m., $3, One 10th St., 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG JAZZ Joel Cruz Reception Jazz musician

Joel Cruz’ artwork will be on display at Casa Blanca during the month of April. His art includes paintings of local jazz players of Augusta and surrounding areas.

Casa Blanca Café‚ 7:30 p.m., free, 936 Broad St. 706.504.3431

interactive and informative session with Garden City Jazz. For kids ages 5 to 10.

Headquarters Library, 3 p.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600 GARDENCITYJAZZ.COM

THURSDAY

TUESDAY

FOR KIDS Toddler Time: Prints for Everyone!

4.12

LITERARY Coffee Club

Evans Library, 10 a.m., free, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

HISTORY Lunch Bunch Book Discussion

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis by Stephen E. Ambrose Headquarters Library, 11:30 a.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600

FILM The Fighter (R)

Headquarters Library, 6:30 p.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600

GUITAR Portland Guitar Duo (PGD) The

music PGD performs live is beautiful, intimate, mournful and elegantly executed. The pair dig deeper than one might expect a 19th century group to go. They play music that they have personally researched and arranged specifically for their unique instruments. “Since we are using period instruments we are trying to bring the audience back to that time so they can hear what it would truly be like if they were in a salon listening to that music. The delicate tone quality of these instruments cannot be duplicated on the modern guitars,” says the group.

Nancy Carson Library, 6:30 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767

WEDNESDAY

4.13

HISTORY Brown Bag Series: Freedom Round the Bend Step back in time as Mr. Jones, a retired Deputy Police Chief from Charlotte, North Carolina, speaks about what freedom means to him, a person born into slavery.

Augusta Museum of History, 12:30 p.m., $3, 560 Reynolds St., 706.722.8454 FILM

4.14

Learn how to make a simple print inspired by the work of artist and printmaker Boyd Saunders. Morris Museum of Art, 10 a.m. or 11:15 a.m., $4, One 10th St., 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

MUSIC Midday Music

Rebecca Shalk Nagel (Oboe) First Presbyterian, Aiken, Noon, free, 224 Barnwell Ave. NW, Aiken, 803.648.2662

FOR KIDS Pajama Party

Come in your PJs and bring a favorite stuffed animal and blanket. Stories, crafts and refreshments. Nancy Carson Library, 7 p.m., free, 135 Edgefield Rd., North Augusta, 803.279.5767

ART Rocío Maldonado: Resonance Opening See the full article on page 11.

Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, 6 p.m., $5, 506 Telfair St., 706.722.5495 GHIA.ORG

ART Dorothy Fletcher Eckmann Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, 6 p.m., $5, 506 Telfair St., 706.722.5495

DANCE Paul Taylor Dance Company See the

full article on page 13. Imperial Theatre, 7 p.m., $10 to $75, 749 Broad St., 706.722.8341 AUGUSTABALLET.ORG

THEATRE You’re A Good Man, Charlie BrowN Etherredge Center, USCA, 7:30 p.m., $7 to $15, 471 University Pkwy., Aiken, 803.648.6851

FRIDAY

4.15

ART Art at Lunch: Sweet Tea, White Gloves and Alligators

[ THE UNDERCOVER ARTIST SHOW ] Who can resist giving back to the community through a celebration of local art? The Walton Rehabilitation Health System provides both through their fifth annual Undercover Artists Show. Over 100 original pieces of art created by local artists, celebrities and community leaders will be up for auction. The intrigue in this auction is the “”undercover”” aspect – the artist’s name will only be unveiled for the final 30 minutes of the auction! Alongside the art auction, Walton will be hosting a Low Country Raffle full of Charleston-themed items. Fine southern cuisine from Jennifer Shuford and music from Daddy Grace and the Henry’s will entertain guests throughout the event. Bidding begins at 7 p.m.

All proceeds benefit the hospital’s summer camp for children with traumatic brain injuries, Camp TBI.

WHERE Walton Rehabilitation Health Systems, 1355 Independence Dr. WHEN Friday, April 15 at 7 p.m. | $50 MORE 706.823.8584 | WRH.ORG THEATRE Disney Live!

Mickey’s Magic Show

Starkey Flythe, Michael Lythgoe and members of the Augusta Authors Club read their poetry.

Morris Museum of Art, Noon, $10 to $14, One 10th St., 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

A host of Disney friends come together with world-class magicians to perform magic from legendary Disney films.

USC Aiken Convocation Center, 3:30 p.m. & 6:30 p.m., $15 to $42, 375 Robert Bell Parkway, 803.643.6091 GEORGIALINATIX.COM

FOR KIDS Go, Go Power Rangers! Bring your Power

FESTIVAL Tax Day Tea Party Last year, 4,000 people

Ranger figurines to play a game where the hero could be you.

Headquarters Library, 3:30 p.m., free, 823 Telfair St., 706.821.2600 ECGRL.ORG

joined on the Augusta Common for this family friendly event.

Tea Party organizers say, “It’s time to return to the values of our Founding Fathers and the Constitution that they swore to uphold and defend.” Jessye Norman Amphitheatre, 5 p.m., free, One 9th St., 706.799.8669 POWERTOTHEPEOPLE.US

FESTIVAL Olde Towne Artisans’ Fair Meet the

artists during a preview gala with music, wine and hors d’oeuvres.

Living History Park, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., free, 299 West Spring Grove, North Augusta, 803.279.7560 COLONIALTIMES.US

[ PRODIGAL SONS ] The documentary Prodigal Sons follows three siblings, a transgender woman, a gay man and their adopted brother who discovers he’s the grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, back to their Montana hometown. As each sibling struggles to reconcile their new identity with a complex traditional past, a powerful and poignant story of an entire family’s transformation unfolds. Kimberly Reed (one of the siblings) studied cinema at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. This is her first feature-length documentary film. Perfectly put by David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Superb. No one could make this believable if it were fiction.”

WHERE Morris Museum of Art WHEN Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. | $3 MORE | 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

OUTDOORS Moonlight Music Cruise: Roger Enevoldsen Augusta Canal, 6:30 p.m., $25, 1450 Greene St., 706.823.0440

MUSIC Blues, Brews & BBQ Enjoy great blues music

from The Trunk Junkies, The Kenny George Band and Tommy OD and the Survivors and BBQ. (no coolers) Columbia County Amphitheater, 7 p.m., $5, 630 Ronald Reagan Dr., 706.312.7192 COLUMBIACOUNTYGA.GOV

ROCK AllStar Weekend Fort Gordon, 7 p.m., free, Alexander Hall, 706.791.4389 FORTGORDON.COM

THEATRE You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown Etherredge Center, USCA, 7:30 p.m., $7 to $15, 471 University Pkwy., Aiken, 803.648.6851

GUESS WHO THIS UNDERCOVER ARTIST IS?

MUSIC Harlem String Quartet Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre, ASU, 7:30 p.m., $7 to $25, 2500 Walton Way, 706.790.9274 HJCMS.ORG

SPORTS Augusta Greenjackets vs.

West Virginia Power

Lake Olmstead Stadium, 7:35 p.m., $6 to $8, 78 Milledge Rd., 706.736.7889

THEATRE Glengarry Glen Ross See the full article

on page 19. Le Chat Noir, 8 p.m., $25, 304 8th St., 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

THEATRE CROSSING DELANCEY See Friday, April 10

for full description. URS Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $17, 126 Newberry St., Aiken, 803.648.1438

ONGOING

ART ART Gallery Tour

Morris Museum of Art, Sundays, 3 p.m., free, 706.724.7501

ART The Return of the Wanderer: Boyd Saunders

Morris Museum of Art, ends April 10, $3 to $5, 706.724.7501

ART White oak baskets: the tradition continues

ART Bea Kuhkle

Sacred Heart, ends May 2, 706.826.4700

ART I Will Tell You a Place: Paintings by Brian Rutenberg

Morris Museum of Art, ends May 15, $3 to $5, 706.724.7501

ART I Will Tell You a Place: Paintings by Brian Rutenberg

Morris Museum of Art, ends May 15, $3 to $5, 706.724.7501

ART JAREK KUBICKI

Oddfellows Art Gallery, ends May 31, free, 706.513.0916

ONGOING

MORE DANCE Tango Lessons Casa Blanca Café, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. 706.504.3431

FITNESS Bicycle Ride A 30-mile fast and hilly ride with no stops. Outspokin’ Bicycles, Wednesdays, 6 p.m., 706.736.2486

FITNESS Mountain Ride A 15-mile intermediate level ride. Andy Jordan’s, Wednesdays 6:30 p.m., 706.724.6777

FOR KIDS Preschool Story Time Headquarters

McDuffie Museum, ends April 17, free, 706.595.9923

Library, Tuesdays, 10 a.m.; Friedman Library, Tuesdays, 10 a.m.; Appleby Library, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.

ART THE painting of susan watson

HISTORY Lewis & Clark: The Indian Country

Etherredge Center, ends April 29, free, 803.641.3305

Headquarters Library, ends April 15, Free, 706.821.2600

ART USCA STUDENT ART SHOW

FILM Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius

Etherredge Center, ends April 29, free, 803.641.3305

Augusta Museum of History, ongoing, $2 to $4, 706.821.2600

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 35

36 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

night

A SELECTIVE GUIDE TO NIGHTLIFE IN THE CSRA

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 30

TUESDAY, APR. 5

Cielo and Dust @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

Jeff Barnes @ Mi Rancho 7 p.m., free

Sibling String @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

Danny Haywood + Our First Birthday Celebration @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m., free

THURSDAY, MAR. 31 Oh Sleeper, Like Moths to FlamES @ Sector 7G 6 p.m., $10

Woody @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m.

Tom Petty Tribute Band @ The Playground | 10 p.m., $5 The Jazz Collective @ Tribeca | 10 p.m., $3

SATURDAY, APR. 9 Bill Tolbert & The BTU’s @ Mi Rancho | 7 p.m., free Rock-n-Rob @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m., free

Ladies’ Night @ The Vue 8 p.m. Ladies free, Guys $5 Ladies only from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., free pole dance lessons.

Acoustic Draught: Jim Perkins @ Metro Coffee House & Pub | 9:30 p.m.

Eli Young Band @ Coyotes | 8 p.m., $10

WEDNESDAY, APR. 6

Charson @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

Par 3 Party with DJ Roonie G @ The Vue | 6 p.m.

Cielo and Dust @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

FRIDAY APR. 1

Flashback @ Mi Rancho 7 p.m., free

The Joe Olds Band @ Coyotes | 8 p.m., $5 80’s Night + Art Exhibit @ Sky City | 8 p.m., $5

Electric VooDoo @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m.,

free

DJ Richie Rich @ The Vue 8 p.m.

Sibling String @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

Tony Williamson & The Blues Express @ The Loft | 9 p.m., free

Hope For A Golden summer + Pocket The Moon @ Sky City | 10 p.m., $5

Mike Green @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., $3

THURSDAY, APR. 7

Famous Last Words @ Metro Coffee House and Pub 10 p.m.

John Berret’s Laroxes @ The Playground 10 p.m.

DJ Majorca @ Tribeca 10 p.m., $2

SATURDAY, APR 2.

The Bobby Compton Band @ Coyotes | 8 p.m., $5 Richie Rich and Sarah Watson from 95 Rock @ The Vue | 8 p.m.

L.i.E. + Legato + Stillview + Facedown @ Sky City | 9 p.m., $5 DJ Bread @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

South Atlantic Band @ Joe’s Underground 9:30 p.m., $3 to $5 DJ Kris Fisher @ Metro Coffee House & Pub | 10 p.m.

Stoney’s Birthday Bash with 48 Volt + Lakes of Titan + Madigan @ The Playground | 10 p.m.

MONDAY, APR. 4 Jeff Barnes @ Mi Rancho 7 p.m., free Jenn Leek @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m., free

life

THRU APRIL 16

Cocoa Dylan @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., $3 The Love Language + Eat Lightning + Koko Beware + M. Tank @ Sky City | 9:30 p.m., $5 Eskimojitos @ Metro Coffee House & Pub | 10 p.m.

Galen Kipar @ Stillwater Tap Room | 10 p.m., $4 The Last Fall @ The Playground | 10 p.m.

MONDAY, APR. 11

THE PROFILER

John Berret’s LaRoxes MEMBERS John Berret on vocals/lead guitar + Tim Shepard on vocals/bass + Mike Dansevicus on drums

My Children My Bride + Last Call @ Sector 7G | 6:30 p.m., $12

GENRE Classic rock/Blues rock INFLUENCE Cream, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top NEXT SHOW April 1 | 10 p.m. | The Playground

WEDNESDAY, APR. 13

HISTORY Dansevicus has been playing drums since 1969. Berret grew up listening to his dad

Cielo and Dust @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

AUDIENCE “John has a younger audience. Our peak is about 20 to 30 year olds,” Dansevicus

Josh Pierce @ Metro

Sibling String @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

QUIRKS Berrett’s last name is pronounced ‘beret,’ like the French hat. He says “laroxes” is

FRIDAY, APR. 8

THURSDAY, APR. 14

French as well, but we couldn’t find it.

John Kolbeck @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

want to have a full night’s worth of material” for the album.

FRIDAY, APR. 15

WHY AUGUSTA “I used to play purely Metal and toured the southeast,” Berret says, “but I

Bill Tolbert & The BTU’s @ Mi Rancho | 7 p.m.

Rock-n-Rob @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m., free

Randy Carver @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., free

Coffee House & Pub | 9:30 p.m.

FLASHBACK @ Mi Rancho 7 p.m., free Jenn Leek @ Mi Rancho Downtown | 7 p.m., free 1st Annual Rock Now for Autism Speaks @ Coyotes | 8 p.m., $7 Featuring Dave Mercer, Brandy Douglas, Fervor, Rumor Has Wings, Last Call and Necessary Evil 80’s Night @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

Robert Ducey Band @ The Loft | 9 p.m., free Doug James @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., $3 DASH RIP ROCK @ Metro Coffee House and Pub 10 p.m. The Legendary Cowpunk-Hellbilly band from New Orleans Galen Kipar @ Stillwater Tap Room | 10 p.m., $4

PopLife @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

Fatback & the Groove @ The Loft | 9 p.m., free Randy Carver @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., $3 Mason Jars @ Metro Coffee House & Pub | 10 p.m.

Christabel and The Jons @ Stillwater Tap Room 10 p.m., $4 Joan Red + Eye of Abram CD Release @ The Playground | 10 p.m., $5 DJ Cool V @ Tribeca 10 p.m., $2 Venice Is Sinking + Modern Skirts @ Sky City | 10:30 p.m., $5

playing Zeppelin and Sabbath and playing in other local bands Paraphernalia and Knowface. says. Tim Shepard laughs and says, “Most of my groupies have walkers.”

HORIZON “We’re working on an album that should be out this mid-summer,” Berret says. “We

wanted guys who showed up for shows and weren’t drunk all the time. We don’t travel far, only about an hour away from Augusta.”

AWARDS Lokal Loudness 2011 Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Guitar Player, Favorite New Band D.I.Y. johnberretmusic.blogspot.com FRIDAY, APR. 15 Thomas Tilman @ Coyotes 8 p.m., $5

THE LOFT @ 927 Broad St. 706.828.6600

TRIBECA @ 968 Broad St., 706.828.4433

Metro Coffee House Pub @ 1054 Broad St.,

THE VUE @ 469 Highland Ave.,

AcroJam @ Soul Bar | 9 p.m.

706.722.6468

Mason Jars @ Joe’s Underground | 9:30 p.m., $3

THE PLAYGROUND @ 978

Sumple as Surgery + Miracle Year @ Sector 7G 6:30 p.m.

706.496.5900

FIND THE VENUE

Broad St., 706.724.2232

SECTOR 7G @ 631 Ellis St.,

SKY CITY @ 1157 Broad St., 706.945.1270 SOUL BAR @ 984 Broad St.,

Coyote’s @ 2512 Peach

706.724.8880

JOE’S UNDERGROUND

974 Broad St., 706.826.9857

Orchard Rd., 706.560.9245

STILLWATER TAP ROOM @

706.364.0786

THE WILLCOX @ 100 Colleton

Ave. SW, Aiken, 803.648.1898

GET LISTED: Submit information by email (info@ vergelive.com) with complete details. GET LISTED: Submit information by email (info@ vergelive.com) with complete details.

@ 144 8th St., 706.724.9457

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 37

38 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

CUT THE FAT XVII

Put Your Best Foot Forward

IN GOOD HEALTH

Green Tea May Help Dry Mouth

Drs. Stephen Hsu, Scott De Rossi and Douglas Dickinson (from left) are part of a team beginning a clinical trial using an all-natural lozenge to treat dry mouth at GHSU College of Dental Medicine.

A clinical trial using an all-natural lozenge to treat dry mouth, a condition that impacts 40 percent of American adults, is under way at Georgia Health Sciences University College (GHSU) of Dental Medicine.

“People say that losing weight is no walk in the park.

When I hear that I think, yeah, that’s the problem.”

- CHRIS ADAMS

If you have not figured it out by now, I like quotes. Sure, I could attempt to come up with my own witty sayings but, every time I try, it always seems as if someone has already come up with a better way of saying what I want to cleverly express. While it is cool that I can rely on the wisdom of others to get some of my points across, I cannot look to anyone else to cover what needs to be done for me to lose weight and be healthy.

Looking back at my participation in the Biggest Loser (the local downtown promotion, not the hit reality TV series), it is clear to me that the time I have spent walking has contributed considerably to my weightloss success. Changing my eating habits was extremely important, but walking helped burn off calories and improved my abilities in other areas such as heart strength, breathing and my emotional balance.

Initially, I thought of walking merely as a way to break a sweat. Eventually, it dawned on me that walking had many more benefits.

In today’s hectic world, it is easy to become wrapped up in all the tasks and responsibilities that come at us – firing in from all directions. Such stress can make it easy to shrug off tasks like exercising and create an additional psychological excuse not to hit the gym, ride a bike or even take a stroll around the neighborhood. Luckily, it takes just a flip in one’s personal logic to turn that around. Instead of looking at exercise as one more task on the list of many, consider the benefits of exercise as a way to flush out all that pent-up stress. The stress relief then also has the benefits of being one of the best exercises for your body.

You may be reading this and thinking “this guy has exercised himself insane.” Please allow me to explain.

The cool thing about walking is that you can do it just about anywhere – in a park, a neighborhood or apartment complex, the mall, an indoor track at a gym, up and down the sidewalks and past the stores and art galleries downtown. Not only does walking offer an exercise that you can do anywhere, you can also do it with others or with an earful of music and the best part is – it is cheap and, in most cases, free. It gets better – the benefits STILL go way beyond those.

It did not take long for me to realize the benefits of walking. I admit, when I first started walking, I was psychologically hindered by the distance that stood in front of me before each walk. The thought of it made each walk a difficult chore. In time, with discipline, my mind veered towards other thoughts and I found myself formulating ways of taking care of other tasks on my list while I was walking. Before I knew it, I would look at my lap counter or notice where I was and be amazed by how much of my walk was over.

Thinking helped the time go by easier and faster, while helping me balance myself out mentally. Through all of this, I was burning off calories, while strengthening my body and heart. Before I knew it, walking was not just something I needed to do, but a welcome outlet that I eagerly anticipated.

With slightly warmer weather and nice breezes, I am walking the Riverwalk every weekday morning. The weather is perfect, the scenery incredible, I can think, get my exercise in and, if absolutely necessary, there are plenty of places to stop and sit for a few minutes. In this weather, the Riverwalk is the perfect place for anyone looking to shed a few pounds and firm up before donning that bathing suit once the scorching Georgia heat hits. Consider that the more weight you lose now while the weather is reasonable, the more comfortable you will be during the hottest days of the year.

So, get yourself some comfy clothes and shoes and get to stepping. After all, exercise really IS just a walk in the park!

by JOHN “STONEY” CANNON John “Stoney” Cannon began chronicling his weight loss Spring 2009 and has since lost over 150 pounds. Follow his progress and get more inspiration at FATKATFITNESS.BLOGSPOT.COM as he works towards his big jump!

Through previous testing, GHSU researchers found that dry mouth involves salivary gland inflammation, fewer antioxidants and elevated markers for abnormal growth and DNA damage caused by free radicals. Powerful antioxidants in green tea, called polyphenols, reduce that damage to the salivary gland.

Dr. Stephen Hsu, Molecular and Cell Biologist, and Dr. Douglas Dickinson, Associate Professor in the Department of Oral Biology, are coinvestigators in the study. They developed an all-natural lozenge containing green tea polyphenols, xylitol and jaborandi leaf extract, a plant used in South and Central America to promote saliva production. The lozenge offers a slow, extended release only in the mouth, not the systemic effect caused by prescription dry-mouth medication, which can prompt side effects such as diarrhea and excessive sweating, said Dr. Scott De Rossi, Chairman of the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences and principal investigator.

Sixty patients will be followed during the eightweek trial, with half taking the lozenge and half taking a placebo. The four daily doses of the lozenge taken during the trial are equivalent to

drinking four or five cups of green tea, which benefits overall health, the researchers added.

The hope is that the lozenge’s effects will last for hours after it has dissolved.

Drs. De Rossi, Dickinson, Hsu, Stephen Looney and Kalu Ogbureke received one of three International Innovation in Oral Care Awards sponsored by the International Association of Dental Research and GlaxoSmithKline. The $75,000 award advances research that directly benefits the public’s oral health. The initial part of the study was funded by a $50,000 grant from the Georgia Research Alliance.

Xerostomia, or dry mouth, can be caused by autoimmune disorders such as Sjogren’s syndrome, chronic medication use, uncontrolled diabetes and cancer therapies.

It can cause bad breath, advanced periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, discomfort, trouble speaking and swallowing and a burning sensation at night.

The lozenge could be available to the public later this year, Hsu said. The team hopes this study will lead to a larger, multi-center study.

by ALISON RICHTER photo GHSU EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Hsu is the author of a new book, Green Tea and Beyond, which explains the health benefits of green tea based on his ten years of research at GHSU. Visit VERGELIVE.COM and read more about his green tea research in the March 2 issue.

DISCOVERIES: THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH

A new study lends credence to the idiom “by the skin of your teeth.” Scientist Frank Müller and his collegues report that the protective shield fluoride forms on teeth is up to 100 times thinner than previously believed. The study, published in ACS’ Langmuir journal, raises questions about how this renowned cavity-fighter really works and could lead to better ways of protecting teeth from decay.

Tooth decay is a major public health problem worldwide.

In the United States alone, consumers spend more than $50 billion each year on the treatment of cavities. The fluoride in some toothpaste, mouthwash and municipal drinking water is one of the most effective ways to prevent decay. Scientists long have known that fluoride makes enamel — the hard white substance covering the surface of teeth — more resistant to decay.

Some thought that fluoride simply changed the main mineral in enamel, hydroxyapatite, into a more-decay resistant material called fluorapatite.

The new research found that the fluorapatite layer formed in this way is only 6 nanometers thick. It would take almost 10,000 such layers to span the width of a human hair. That’s at least 10 times thinner than previous studies indicated. The scientists question whether a layer so thin, which is quickly worn away by ordinary chewing, really can shield teeth from decay, or whether fluoride has some other unrecognized effect on tooth enamel. They are launching a new study in search of an answer. provided by The American Chemical Society - Savannah River

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 39

40 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

SOUND BITES

Lokal Music Musings Before I crank up the power amps on this latest edition of Sound Bites, I want to toss a huge heavy metal hand salute to the Goodwill Store on Furys Ferry Road. I have been stopping by to check out the great rack of used CDs selling for $1.99 each in the ultra-cool coffee shop they have there and have rocked out of that place with great classic releases by The Jayhawks, Duran Duran, Social Distortion and Marvelous 3, plus some must-have lokal CDs from 48Volt, First Born, Snapdragon, Hundred Year Sun and several Haunted Pillar and 12 Bands of Christmas compilations.

I also noticed that Jim Perkins hawks his releases there. Hey Augusta bands, if Jim can do it, so can you!

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST DEPT. Last month I mentioned

that award-winning Augusta guitarist John Berret was going to be tying the knot soon and now it looks like, some time in the future, yet another area musician will be taking himself off the market.

False Flag keyboardist/bassist Chris “El Guapo” Anderson did the last thing anyone would have ever expected him to just a short while ago and proposed to gal pal Jessica Prescott. Do not worry Augusta bachelors, the area He-Man chapter has already begun searching for a new leader!

Just heard that Guns N Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed and his band have been added to the May 19 Arena Rock Series lineup also featuring 80’s Sunset Strip faves Faster Pussycat. That makes four GNR alums that have played Augusta stages. In addition to Reed, original members Slash, Duff McKagen and Steven Adler have all rocked Augusta – the first was Slash at the first James Brown Birthday Bash in the 1990’s. More at ROCKBOTTOMMUSIC. COM. What are the chances of getting Axl Rose to pop into town?

Better book him now so he’ll show by 2015.

Anyone else read that former Montrose/Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar was once abducted by aliens? Relax…that is just Sammy’s way of saying he got screwed by his former guitar player. Sheesh!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT DEPT. First Tee of Augusta

has announced that South Carolina’s own Sister Hazel and Edwin McCain, along with Augusta band Sibling String, will be joining Hootie & the Blowfish front-dude Darius Rucker to round out the lineup for this year’s Rock Fore!

SISTER HAZEL Dough concert to be held at First Tee off Damascus Road during Masters week. That sounds like a frat house party dream lineup!

FIRSTTEEAUGUSTA.ORG. Well, kiddies, it is time to shave off your goatees and pack the van, we are going back to Athens (PSYCHHH!). Until next time, check out the Daily Planner for great live shows. To get an earful of what’s happening in Augusta music, listen to me rant with my good buddy Brian “Stak” Allen each week on CONfederation of LOUDness which can be found, ironically enough, at confederationofloudness.com and, as always, Make it LOKAL, Keep it Loud!

by JOHN “STONEY” CANNON To keep up with what’s going down in Augusta music, check out Stoney’s long-running website LOKALLOUDNESS.COM.

The next issue of VERGE hits the newstands on

APRIL 13 Look for Our Outdoor Racks or Find Your Copy At Publix | EarthFare New Moon Cafe and Over 150 Locations Throughout the CSRA

THE LAST WORD

The Crazy 8s

With the rest of the world’s eyes glued to the daily dung that is the news (crises in Japan, Libya, the rising cost of oil, gas and food prices, etc.), I have found temporary shelter in observing the everyday oddities of life. You know – the idiosyncrasies that make us human, the little quirks and quibbles that, while peculiar and often entertaining, do not actually harm anyone.

To be clear, I am in no way referring to the lunatics like Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Chris Brown or their contemporaries.

I am merely appreciating everyday behaviors that would be awfully competitive if ever submitted to America’s Funniest Home Videos. Here are a few examples: Allemande Left: Think back to your square dancing days when the call was “Allemande Left.” In its most simple form, this is an “arm turn toward the left.” While I am pretty certain that “Allemande Left” is not often associated with automobile drivers turning left, some drivers sure do make a production out of the left turn! Seriously, the next time you are stopped at a four-way intersection and you are offered the chance to witness drivers turning left, watch how they put their WHOLE BODIES into it. It is as if they were carrying the entire load of the car on their left shoulder. Emotions involved, grunts and groans and strains of pain written all over their faces.

Sense of Confusion: Ever confuse the senses? I do. I will be driving down the road looking for a sign and, instead of squinting to see better, I find myself turning down the radio, as if to hear better. Likewise, if I cannot hear I have been known to put on my sunglasses or pull down the visor!

Count Calories: I always get a kick out of folks who go through hell and high water to insist on Diet Coke with their Big Mac and large fries. I guess you have to start somewhere when it comes to shaving calories.

“Sally” Orders: Speaking of fast food, orders really do not have to be so complicated, do they? I once overheard a lady order a “double hamburger, hold the meat.” Sure enough, she was handed two buns and a napkin (no ketchup!). I wonder how much she was charged?

OH No, IT’s RAINING! WHAT WILL MY stylist think of my hair?

Why Pay? Do you have any friends who have to clean their house before the cleaning lady arrives or friends who have to fix their hair real nice to go to the hair salon? Why are they throwing their money away paying for a service they will have already performed themselves? Wouldn’t it make more sense to make your home extra dirty or make your hair extra ugly and messy and assuredly get your money’s worth?

Dry Swimmers: Have you ever been reluctant to swim outside when it is raining? Are we afraid we might get wet?

Front Row Sinners: I always wonder if the folks who sit in the front row at church (when they are usually not frontrow sitters) feel they have done something extra bad the prior week and are going for extra credit from God if they show up front and center? If so, could this strategy be applied toward future behavior as well – like the “pay it forward” concept when you have hell raisin’ on the calendar?

Attention Target Shoppers If you are like me, you “spend more to save more” at these super-saver warehouses. I even buy things I neither need nor like if it’s a great price.

When the news has got you down, go find some crazy or make some of your own. Why not wash your car during the height of pollen season? See how long that lasts!

Kris Cook is a freelance writer who speaks from the heart and shoots from the hip. Clearly, she spends way too much time pondering the peculiarities of everyday life. kriscook@ymail.com

 Parting Shot

The Magic of Photo Manipulation “Every so often, there is an artist that produces something so raw and pure, that my inner critic is silenced, and I am once again six years old and at a magic show, enthralled by the disappearing bird. Jarek Kubicki is exactly this sort of artist.”

- Nicholas Collins of Nonsense Society Polish photographer Jarosław (or Jarek) Kubicki daringly mixes point-and-shoot photography and the new age of digital manipulation to create haunting, surreal images. His art graces the album covers for several Polish bands, including the gothic punk Closterkeller, the melodic death metal Elysium and blues musician Jan Skrzek.

WHAT THE ART OF JAREK KUBICKI WHERE Oddfellows Art Gallery |301 Eighth St. WHEN Through May 31 MORE |706.513.0916

60538 by jarek kubicki

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 41

42 March 30, 2011 | community driven news| vergelive.com

vergelive.com | community driven news | March 30, 2011 43