JANUARY 8, 2015 metrospirit.com
Table of Contents Augusta Tek
Ruffin’ It
Page 08
Page 09
Feature
Jenny Is Wright
Page 12
Page 16
Nightlife
Kris Fisher
Page 32
Page 33
The 8
Austin Rhodes
Page 36
Page 38
Light Bulbs That Aren’t Dim
Black Bond
Here’s to You, Here’s to Me
Cornel West Is Coming
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em
Make an Example of the JeepDriving Jerk
“Inherent Vice”
Fine Whine Screwing lots of people + being on the cover of the Metro Spirit = changing your name?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Thumbs UP
DOWN
After a Christmas that felt as if it was held in the middle of the summer, we’re finally getting some cold weather. Bring it on, winter… just maybe not as much as last February.
EDIT
A 16-year-old mud bogging in a Jeep on Christmas day singlehandedly delayed the opening of Columbia County’s new BMX track by a couple of months and caused an estimated $45,000 worth of damage. Teenagers: why none of us can ever have nice things. CREATIVE
Amy Christian | Arts Editor/Production Director
Joshua Bailey | Lead Designer
amy@themetrospirit.com
Stacey Eidson | Staff Writer
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COVER DESIGN: KRUHU
Crime on the Hill Always Sparks Attention THERE WAS A LOT OF CRITICISM THIS WEEK aimed at the local media for its ongoing coverage of the apparent murder-suicide inside a historic home along Walton Way. Some people pointed out if such a tragedy occurred off Tobacco Road in south Augusta, the media wouldn’t give it the time of day. Well, when about half a dozen police cars suddenly surround a million-dollar home on the most prominent road in Augusta, it’s going to attract some attention. Then, when Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen confirmed that owners of a historic home at 3106 Walton Way were found dead of an apparent murdersuicide, it’s a story. While the deceased couple, Charles and Nola Falcone, weren’t full-time residents of Augusta, they were distinguished individuals within the community. Nola Falcone, 75, was the daughter of former North Augusta Mayor Vernon Maddox and a successful businesswoman. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE SALES
BUSINESS
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Johnny Beckworth|circulation manager johnny@themetrospirit.com Contributors Jenny Wright | Greg Baker | Sam Eifling | Austin Rhodes | Josh Ruffin | Kris Fisher | Michael Johnson Metro Spirit is a free newspaper published weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks a year. Editorial coverage includes local issues and news, arts, entertainment, people, places and events. In our paper appear views from across the political and social spectrum. The views do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Visit us at metrospirit.com.© 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. One copy per person, please.
Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 | joe@themetrospirit.com
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Her husband, 72-year-old Dr. Charles Falcone served as commissioner of the town of Jupiter Island in Martin County, Fla., since 2003, according to the city’s website. He was even the town’s mayor from 2006-2011. Can you imagine? The mayor of this small, resort community is involved in a murder-suicide in another state? That makes it more of a story because not only is Augusta impacted, but so is another extremely affluent community in southeast Florida. According to property records in Martin County, the Falcones owned a magnificent beachfront home and had lived in Jupiter Island since 1994. They were well-known throughout the community. In 1997, Dr. Falcone retired from American Electric Power, a large Midwestern electric utility company, but he was also the director of the StuartMartin County Council of the Arts and the Boys and Girls Club of Martin County. Nola Falcone was also a huge supporter of the arts. She established the Nola Maddox Falcone Charitable Foundation that “provided significant financial support to the Augusta arts community over the past 25-plus years,” according to an 2011 article in Augusta Magazine. Nola Falcone also gave funding to the Morris Museum of Art, the Augusta Symphony and Sacred Heart Cultural Center, where she was named sponsor of the garden festival’s speaker series, according to the 2011 article. “Augusta is embedded in my soul,” she told the magazine. “I love Augusta. It’s a very gracious place and very entertaining.” While there has been a great deal of speculation relating to the events surrounding the apparent
4 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
murder-suicide, as of the Metro Spirit’s press time on Tuesday evening, the shooter involved in the incident had not been officially identified. So far, there has been only rumors spread throughout Augusta. But now two communities are reacting to the tragic news. Jupiter Island’s town manager told NewsChannel 5 in south Florida that, “the entire town is grieving.” “Town commissioners, residents and staff are shocked, saddened and devastated by the loss. Dr. Falcone, a commissioner and former mayor, and Mrs. Falcone were beloved citizens of our community who made great and lasting contributions of their time and talents to the town’s quality of life,” Jupiter Island Town Manager Gene Rauth said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family in their time of need.” And what remains is the surviving members of the Falcone family left to grieve over what happened in this beautiful house along Walton Way. So, for those critics who say that the media cares too much about crime that occurs on the Hill, the truth is, when crime happens in that area, it will always make news.
As soon as many residents saw the police cars surrounding the Falcone’s home this week, they couldn’t help but remember another terrible incident back in 2010 when Superior Court Judge Carlisle Overstreet was confronted with a burglar coming down the stairs inside his Summerville home wearing a bandana on his face and socks over his hands. It was 4 a.m. and Overstreet really had no choice but to shoot and kill 20-year-old John Egland Howard Jr. in the judge’s home on Cumming Road. The thought of someone breaking into your home around 4 a.m. while your family is in the house is everyone’s worst nightmare. People living in the Hill area still vividly remember that incident. It shook them to the core. So, when police cars surround a home in the Summerville area, all eyes will be on that house. Including the media.
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So... Grady Smith is the New Mayor Pro Tem AUGUSTA COMMISSIONER and all around good ol’ boy Grady Smith was voted in this week as the city’s new mayor pro tem. The original vote for Smith to get the gig was 7-3 with commissioners Bill Fennoy, Wayne Guilfoyle and Bill Lockett opposing the nomination. All three of those commissioners had another plan in mind. Both Fennoy and Lockett wanted the position of mayor pro tem themselves, while Guilfoyle hoped that Augusta Commissioner Mary Davis would be elected. Instead, Smith got the $10,000 boost in pay and the added responsibility of stepping in for Mayor Hardie Davis when he is absent or unavailable. What a treat that is going to be for all of Augusta. Let’s recall this is the same guy who mocked Augusta Commissioner Ben Hasan after he took office following former Commissioner Joe Jackson’s resignation. “Get ready. It is here. Six to four. It’s here. Beware,” Grady Smith said in August, referring to the fact that Augusta would now have six black commissioners and four white commissioners representing the county. “I would hope that everything would be voted on as far as what is good for Richmond County and not based on color. The only color that I care about is green.” Grady Smith said he didn’t want to prejudge anyone before they took office, but he was not surprised by Hasan’s decision to support the tax increase last year. “Might as well start off on the right foot,” Smith said, sarcastically referring to Hasan’s vote to raise taxes. “I knew what the game was. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Now, we know. He is out of the closet. We know how it is going to be for a while.” So, how is it “going to be” now, Grady? For months there had been rumors about Smith deciding to play a game of “Let’s Make a Deal” with the highly controversial Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams, but, of course, Smith has always denied any such deal was ever struck. Basically, the rules of the game were that Smith would agree to vote to hire Janice Allen Jackson as the city’s new administrator last fall. Which happened. Insiders also said that Smith allegedly told Williams he would support the firing of both General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie and Information Technology Director Tameka Allen if Williams could get his colleagues to support Smith as the next mayor pro tem. Well, Smith is the new mayor pro tem and what item did Williams have on the agenda this week? A request to discuss “appointing a county attorney.” Prior to this week’s meeting, MacKenzie could be seen chatting at length with Williams about what appeared to be the city’s charter regarding a law department and legal counsel.
However, when Augusta commissioners reached Williams’ item on this week’s agenda dealing with the county attorney, Commissioner Bill Fennoy requested that the item be sent back to the administrative services committee meeting next Monday. The motion was quickly seconded and, in one of the smartest moves Mayor Hardie Davis made all day, he immediately announced that he also felt that sending it back to committees would be the proper procedure for handling such an item. While Davis was still very respectful to Williams, he encouraged the commissioners to send the item back to committees. Davis, along with Fennoy’s help, completely shut down the discussion and any controversy that could have occurred on the commission chamber’s floor. Probably in the spirit of cooperation in the New Year, Williams accepted the proposal by Fennoy and backed down. We’ll see how long that good fellowship lasts. Chances are Williams will be back to trying to steer the meetings by the end of the month, but it was an impressive first day for Mayor Davis. But the one person who should be feeling a little uncomfortable this week is the man who’s bank account just became $10,000 heavier this year. Sure, Grady Smith has become the new mayor pro tem, but at what cost? Get ready, Grady, Augusta will soon find out exactly how much you “owe” Williams down the line. Most likely, it won’t be pretty.
And Now, Here’s Your Local News CHUCK WHITAKER, long-time program director for WHHD 98.3, is no longer with
Beasley Broadcasting. While radio Insiders were adamant Whitaker had done no wrong, word is a new consultant working with the station is being tasked with bringing more “energy” to the Top 40 station. Apparently this led to Monday’s action. Whitaker has been on the air in Augusta for more than 20 years. He is well-regarded in the industry and should have no problem finding a new gig, but will it be in Augusta? Probably not. Folks on the talent side of radio are generally nomadic, moving from station to station and market to market frequently to stay in the industry. Clear Channel launched a Top 40 station a few years ago, which could be challenging the top performing HD in ways that made management look to shore up their dominance. The syndicated morning show Kidd Kraddick in the Morning won’t be going anywhere and, from what we hear, the remaining on air staff is safe. The change comes amidst the recent departure of long-time General Manager Kent Dunn and Operations Manager/Kicks 99 Program Director Tee Gentry. Mark Haddon was promoted to general manager of the local cluster of stations (New Country WKXC8JANUARY2015
FM, News Talk WGAC AM/FM, HD98.3 WHHD-FM, WDRR-FM, 95 Rock at 95.5 FM and 1480 AM, WGUS-FM the Southern Gospel Station and WRDW-AM News Talk Sports) and Chris O’Kelley was tapped to replace Gentry. Will there be more changes on the horizon for local Beasley employees? That is always a possibility, but for you conspiracy theorists out there who have been whispering WGAC talk show host and Metro Spirit columnist Austin Rhodes has lost his “protector” and will soon be shown the door, put down what you’re smokin’. Rhodes has created and maintained “destination” programming, despite the ever-encroaching boogie man of technology. He has deftly incorporated social media to enhance his program’s presence well beyond his listening audience. In other words, he doesn’t need a protector.
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Augusta Commissioners’ First Words JUST MINUTES after the newly elected Augusta commissioners were sworn in this week, the public got its first opportunity to hear from these new leaders of the Garden City. Finally. Two commissioners — Dennis Williams for District 2 and Sammie Sias for District 4 — have waited seven months since being elected this past May to speak their mind. Now, it was their turn to take center stage. Retired Army Sgt. Sammie Sias definitely set the tone for his first year in office as he loudly barked, “Team Sias” while walking towards the front of the commission chamber. His family and friends immediately sprung to their feet like soldiers, quickly following Sias to the podium to watch him being sworn into office. As a long-time community activist for the Sand Ridge Neighborhood Association, Sias pledged to continue to fight, not just for south Richmond County, but for all of Augusta. After all, neighborhoods are the “bedrock of our community,” he said. “First, I want to say, for me, this journey began back in 1987, hanging out there at the county commission, dealing with Commissioner Jesse Carroll and some of the guys back then,” Sias said, adding that, since that time, he has never stopped campaigning for what’s best for Richmond County. “My neighborhood has been a neighborhood that we have tried to cut a path to be successful.” Without the support of his wife to care for his family, Sias said he couldn’t have spent so much time “saving the world,” one neighborhood at a time. “You better believe this commission is still dedicated to the principle of preserving and increasing the value of our neighborhoods,” Sias said. “I will live forever for that principle.” Without a doubt, Sias pledged that he is ready to “go to work” and put Augusta on the right path. “As we are one Augusta, we as one team live the dream because we can’t wait,” he said. “It is time to change the channel.” Dennis William, a Veterans Administration retiree and former president of the Augusta NAACP, said he was amazed by the hundreds of people who had crowded into the commission chamber to support the new city leaders. “I greatly appreciate the trust placed in me by the people of the Second District and other members of the Augusta community by electing me as a voice,” he said. “I pledge to be a strong and meaningful voice in governing and to assure fairness for every citizen of the Augusta-Richmond County community. I also encourage all citizens to come to the commission meeting. We’ve never had this many people at one time.” Williams and Sias have attended just about every commission meeting and workshop since before May trying to prepare themselves for their new duties.
6 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
The best way to ensure a strong future is to participate in the process, Williams said. “Know what is going on in your community,” he said. “Help the police in fighting crime in our community. Develop neighborhood watches in your community. Be involved so you know what is going on. That helps the system.” A united community builds a stronger city, he said. “As all of us work together for a better community, all of us will have a much better community,” Williams said. “No promises. Just action.” Augusta Commissioner Ben Hasan, who has been in office since former commissioner Joe Jackson resigned in August, said that Augusta is at a very important place in history. “All of my life, I knew that Augusta was a very special and unique place,” he said. “Right now, when you look across the landscape of this country, this country is looking for leadership and that leadership can start right now in the city of Augusta, Ga.” Hasan insisted that relationships across Augusta are “beginning to heal.” “We are going to have some things that we disagree with, because we are talking about all of us have some egos, but at the end of the day, we can get there,” Hasan said, adding that the community needs to support the entire commission, not just individuals. “Don’t side with Ben Hasan. Don’t side with Sammie Sias. Don’t side with the mayor. Just side with what is right. And we will get there.” Augusta Commissioner Grady Smith, who was re-elected for a second term in May, thanked the audience for their support and welcomed Mayor Hardie Davis to the commission, despite being a Georgia Tech graduate. “I told him I wouldn’t mention the Bulldogs,” Smith said, laughing. Augusta Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle, who was also re-elected for a second term, told the audience that he was excited about the new commissioners coming on board. “We’ve got a lot of good things going and we’re going to have a lot of good things going in the future. But the way it is going to get done is... working together. That’s what it is going to take,” Guilfoyle said. “What’s best for Augusta, not for individuals. “And if we work together as one, we’ll make it. We’ll make it successful.”
8JANUARY2015
Restaurant Week, January 8�18
Halloween Hustle, October 30
World Beer Festival Columbia January 17
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AUGUST 15, 2015 Food Lion 3722 Mike Padgett Hwy
MARCH 21, 2015 K-Mart 1647 Gordon Hwy.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 Augusta Fire Training Center 3125 Deans Bridge Rd.
APRIL 18, 2015 Phinizy Swamp Living Green Day 1858 Lock & Dam Rd.
OCTOBER 17, 2015 Daniel Field- Wrightsboro Rd. Entrance 1775 Highland Ave.
MAY 16, 2015 Warren Road Community Center 300 Warren Rd.
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8 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Light Bulbs That Arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Dim A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, my wife and I decided that the time had come to ďŹ nally retire our old washer and dryer that had served us for the last 20 years. We originally purchased the set from a recent college graduate whose parents wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let her continue to store the machines in their garage. The set is very basic â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one machine washes the clothes and the other machine dries the clothes. Neither device contains so much as a single microprocessor. How could we believe that would be acceptable? We were so naĂŻve back then. And well, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it. The technology simply wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available. It was a dark time for household appliances. Thankfully, this generation of young married couples is spared the misery of dumb household appliances. The new batch introduced at CES 2015 arrives with technology that is fully integrated. In short, all new appliances must contain one or more of the following: ¡ An associated smart phone app that allows you to monitor and control the appliance. ¡ An alerting system that sends you text or email to notify you when the appliance has completed its function. ¡ An added function that has nothing to do with its original purpose. For example, suppose that you had an early morning meeting one day. Your alarm goes of off, but you think, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be so much easier to get up if I had a fresh pot of coffee.â&#x20AC;? You would be out of luck with a dumb appliance. Fortunately, the Smarter Coffee Machine is a smart appliance. This coffeemaker starts with a design that takes raw coffee beans, grinds them and then brews the coffee automatically. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best part â&#x20AC;&#x201D; You start the process via a smart phone app while remaining safely snuggled in your bed. Of course, home appliance command and control is not limited to coffeemakers. With the GE ProďŹ le line of appliances, a quick review of online status provides refrigerator information ranging from the amount of ice to the remaining life of the water ďŹ lter. Washer and dryer monitors communicate the amount of time left to wash the current load and send alerts when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right time to remove items. Smartphone apps also activate oven controls, allowing one to start pre-heating before they get home. For example, maybe while sitting at the red light at Bobby Jones and Washington Road. The integration of technology and home appliances likely will result in novel devices. Many appliances have maintained the same form and function for several decades. Technology encourages out-of-the-box thinking, and many out-of-the-box ideas result from combining different functions. The Sengled Light Bulbs typify this approach, and the result is potentially revolutionary. Their Pulsed Solo integrates a dual speaker, Bluetooth audio system into an LED light bulb. The light bulb ďŹ ts into any regular light socket and brings music to any part of your house. In a similar manner, a second light bulb called Boost acts as a Wi-Fi repeater, boosting your power and expanding coverage into areas with poor signal. How is everything conďŹ gured? By the Sengled app downloaded to your smartphone, of course. So, you ask about our new washer and dryer? In retrospect, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m disappointed that we stayed old school. The washer washes the clothes and the dryer dries the clothes. No smartphone app to track detergent utilization, water usage or dryer efďŹ ciency. Sadly, not even a text alert to notify when our clothes have attained perfect ďŹ&#x201A;ufďŹ ness. However, it does play a nice chime when done, and occasionally, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll hear my wife singingâ&#x20AC;Ś Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Dee-A The clothes are dry â&#x20AC;&#x201D; time to put them away! Shake out the wrinkles, then go out to play! Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Dee-A @gregory_a_baker
GREGORY BAKER PH.D. is vice president of CMA Technology and, yes, is actually a rocket scientist who used his
doctorate in aerospace engineering at Lockheed Martin. In addition to working at CMA, he also serves the community, sitting on several boards in the area. 8JANUARY2015
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Black Bond DON’T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAD HEARD, but the next James Bond is going to be a black dude. Now, if you’ve all finished instinctively clutching your purses a little bit tighter, we can explore why this is a really cool thing. Shall we? Let’s shall. Actually, first, let me just mention that Rush Limbaugh has his Lane Bryant hampanties in a twist about this. I don’t mention this to directly or indirectly give that pillpopping, mouth-breathing fart biscuit another iota of free publicity — god knows that’s the only reason he says anything he says — but just to revel in the fact that he’s worked up about something. See, Rush Limbaugh is, so far, the only Miracle Whip-based life form that scientists have discovered, and every histrionic spasm of gurgles and racism he emits brings him that much closer to arm-wrestling Jackie Gleeson for Hell’s last doughnut. Every radio show he broadcasts is based on painstakingly transcribed notes taken from George Wallace hate-f***ing a sweet potato casserole. Oh, right. Let’s shall. Look, I’m just glad that Benedict Cumberbatch is, at least for now, out of the running. He’s been Hollywood’s go-to British-as-s**t leading man for several years now, and dropping him into the Bond franchise at this point would be like casting Sarah Jessica Parker as the title character in the gritty reboot of “Seabiscuit:” just because it’s inevitable, that doesn’t mean it’s alright. Another thing: this lends credence to my favorite Bond-related fan-conspiracy theory out there: that “James Bond” is simply a code-name, much like M or Q in the franchise, and is not the real name of the character, which explains the different actors having taken up the Bond mantle over the years even as other actors have continued to play their respective characters. Though predominantly Caucasian, the fictional MI6 exhibits a multicultural, multiracial range of employees and agents, and casting an AfricanAmerican as Bond would underscore that fact. It’s almost embarrassing that it’s taken this long to cast a black Bond; England is full of qualified actors who fit the bill. Let’s look at three: 1. Idris Elba — Resume: Luther, The Wire, Pacific Rim, etc. This is the most obvious choice. Elba has already intimated that the Bond team has approached him about taking over the role once Daniel Craig’s contract is up after another film or two, and it really couldn’t make more sense. Elba might be more famous to casual filmgoers for his roles in “Pacific Rim” and as Heimdall in the “Thor” movies, but he’s proven willing and adept at latching onto meaty characters: Russell Bell on “The Wire” and Jimmy Everton on “Luther” are the two most notable examples. He’s performed Shakespeare in New York City, and appeared in a Tyler Perry movie, which is the kind of range you don’t want to have to exhibit, but whatever. So, to recap: an actor equally adept at displaying classical acting chops, gravitas, nuanced characterization, brutality and sexuality? Why is this even a question? 2. Djimon Hounsou — Resume: Blood Diamond, In America, Guardians of the Galaxy Right, right, right… Housou is not British. He was born in Benin, a West African country that borders Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. He got his start as a model in Paris,
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and continues, even at 50 years of age, to model underwear for Calvin Klein. Hounsou also appeared in music videos for Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson and Madonna, but so have lots of other people, and we have no idea who they are. After landing bit parts on shows like “90210” and “Alias,” Housoun snagged a fairly decent role in “Stargate.” Not long after, he was nominated for his first Academy Award for his supporting role in 2002’s “In America,” and for his second four years later for “Blood Diamond.” Since then, he’s stayed busy with parts in genre fare like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” but his considerable talents, physical presence and range are all evident. As to his nationality, London is an exceptionally thick melting pot, and Hounsou could easily be sold as a West African immigrant, maybe even a foundling or orphan in the same vein as Craig’s Bond, brought into the service of MI6 precisely because of lack of familial ties. The only knock against Hounsou is that he’d likely be at least 52 or 53 by the time his first Bond film were to start shooting, so who knows how much he’d have left in the tank. On the other hand, he doesn’t look a day over 40, so… never mind. 3. Colin Salmon — Resume: Exam, Resident Evil, previous Bond films This is wildest of wild cards, but trust me, there are some cool threads to explore. Salmon is a large, fit, imposing man, but carries an air of regal authority about him that has led to his being cast in administrative-type roles. In the indie film “Exam,” he played the Invigilator, a mysterious corporate higher-up that seemed to hold the fate of the other characters in his hands. It was a fairly small yet impactful role, and the one that brought him to mind when I decided to write this. Now here’s where it gets interesting: Salmon actually appeared in the final three pre-Craig Bond films as a character named Charles Robinson, M’s deputy chief of staff. When Pierce Brosnan’s Bond reported to M in those films, Robinson was more often than not right by her side, garnering almost as much respect from the normally taciturn, egocentric 007. Which might — MIGHT — be because Robinson used to carry the 007 mantle himself ! A precedent was set in “Skyfall” of agents sometimes retiring from field work to settle into desk job with the organization; see Eve Moneypenny’s character arc. There are two ways to handle this: the first is to make this a pseudo-prequel, set in an unspecified time period previous to Craig’s tenure, in which Salmon is still acting 007. The second is to re-insert his character into the role when a certain crisis pertaining to his past and experience arises. Is it unlikely? Definitely. Is it cool as hell? Oh yeah.
JOSH RUFFIN is a long way from home, having moved from Augusta to Middleton, Wisconsin, with his wife, Michelle. He is a self-described beer guru, so most of his Twitter posts are about what he’s drinking. While drinking, he enjoys writing poetry and watching MMA fights… or writing poetry about MMA fights.
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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the Whine Line WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM
Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit.com. Oh, and the whines may be edited for content but will pretty much be printed exactly as you type them.
these kids. lawd these kids. just got ‘em back in school now a freeze. you Your god belongs in your church, your home and your head. Please keep damn people better not close the schools. your god out of our government, our public schools and our lives! Thank you. I’m going to vote for Sonny Pittman. He’s been the unofficial spokesman and stand up guy for District 7 for years. It’s time we gave him the title of Because we have to many people with no hope, no bright future, no commissioner and a little pay to go along with the good job I expect he’ll opportunities, they feel society’s hatred, and they cant afford to pay for do for us. West Augusta’s old bloodhound with a badge to get in the gate. Justice. I was shocked but not surprised. I predicted this, I knew innocent That’s what I want. cops would pay the price. Now I fear for the copy-cats. How many people have a motive to commit a similar heinous crime ? My estimate is in the Thank you for your article on Accountability Court. I was in the program few hundreds of thousands. We need to stop being selfish. One way or the and it is a joke. other we are in this together. That’s a shame that the historic Cauley-Wheeler building was destroyed! Stop to Channel 12 News. Do not text and broadcast. Leads to So what happens to the historic marker for the building? Is it still there typos,ignorance, shame. Look it up, get it right, or leave it out. Thank you in advance: Augustans with Acute Word Sensitivity (AWAWS). There are more of us than you might imagine. Our readers are everywhere!
the UGA Law ft le s r e d n a The Late Gov. G.rSeat. Just what this
School $3.4 millio%n& lawyers!! e %#@ country needs-mor
at Laney-Walker? Does the high school still get to keep it there? Or the Haines Alumni since the high school property really belongs to them, right? Great piece there, Insider, and nice facts from Historic Augusta’s Erick Montgomery. In what could be considered one of the worst things about Augusta, how about leaving the Maze concert at the Bell Auditorium Friday night in time to see tow trucks loaded down with vehicles deemed to be improperly parked? Okay - they were improperly parked - but why not just give them a hefty fine? Not use this as a chance to breathalyze patrons who paid for a drink at the concession stand! Thank God I was in the lot but I felt so bad about the other people. It’s bad enough there’s nothing to do in Augusta, But when you finally find something to do, and it ends up like this? Just boot the vehicles until you can personally hand Issue a $200.00 ticket and leave these people a way to get home! To be stuck downtown with no public transportation at 11:30 at night? Wow! It just makes you want to go elsewhere and spend your dollars. 10 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Besides our mall turning into the Regency Mall in sucking in every other
category it is the only one I know of that closes at 10 the week of Christmas eve in the Columbia Mall stays open till midnight. Columbia County new zoning signs. Might want to adopt a zoning map first. For years these zoning signs didn’t even say public hearing. Nothing like violating state law the CC way... how many past rezoning were improper and could be challenged? OMG People, park your car and just walk to the doors. Because I lived in New York, driving to Manhattan, parking 6 city blocks away and then walk to where I needed to be, was normal. It keeps you slim and healthy anyway. But In Augusta Georgia, Lord have mercy for thou people refuse ! With plenty parking space available, people are going in circles, passing by all other open parking spaces, getting angry, and blocking traffic, just to get that parking spot right by the main entrance. If possible they would park inside the store. Why y’all lazy like that ? Then when you step out of your car, O MY LAWD ! In the name of fried chicken mashed potatoes gravy and pecan pie, many of y’all are in dire need of exercise. Wall Street Journal : United States Economy Posts The Strongest Growth 8JANUARY2015
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Since 2003. After reading this I’m wondering, is this country self-governed homeless men from getting day jobs and constantly call them names and or do we have a president? If we do, then why can’t we credit him for the take them to jail for disorderly conduct and they have no bond money country’s success? Something is very wrong here. so they stay in jail until court...a owner of a very respectable business even allowed the homeless to stand on his property to get day jobs..but lt A pet peeve: People who post in online forums and continually use links Blanchard lobbied this man to change his mind...judges pls take notice of to make a point, rather than make the argument or point themselves, marshal law practiced by these officers.....you will hear from me again.. especially when everyone knows you can’t believe a lot of stuff that’s put roundtree on the ‘net in the first place. All those links attached to comments don’t necessarily make the poster an intellectual, you know; it probably just Screwing lots of people + being on the cover of the Metro Spirit = means that person spends an inordinate amount of time on the computer changing your name? and they could probably use a life. Thank you for your article on the Accountability Court presided by Judge Watkins. There are major issues there. A huge RAVE for Lorna ( village deli) the animal activist who reached out to the local Media to inform those neighborhood fireworks fans how traumatic their little fun can be. From PTSD sufferers to the elderly your childish moment of fun can be harmful. The TERROR that you impose on many Dogs is not worth your selfish fun! Rock On LORNA , it is great to have people with a worthy cause And not afraid to stand up for the it!
I was so excited as I
woke and yelled through the house “H a p p y New Year !” I ran window and looked o u ts id e. I w a s so disappointed. 20to the looks just like 2014 15... .
Grady ask Andy if Marion is a man of his word. Why do police harass homeless people..they go out of there way to keep
Valentine’s Day
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AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Cornel West Is Coming
Author, social activist, educator and philosopher Dr. Cornel West is the keynote speaker at the Eighth Annual Interfaith Service of Celebration this Saturday By Stacey Eidson FOR SOME FOLKS IN AUGUSTA, when they hear the name Cornel West, their first response is, “Yeah, I’ve seen that guy on Real Time with Bill Maher, right?” That’s kind of like saying, “Oh yeah, Abe Lincoln. He’s the guy on the $5 bill, right?” Dr. Cornel West is so much more than an outrageous sound bite or public personality on a popular talk show. He is a renowned scholar, a life-long activist, a profound philosopher, a highly respected professor, a passionate author and one of the country’s leading voices on race relations. In fact, West has been described as one of the greatest prophetic voices of our era. This Saturday, Augustans will have an opportunity to experience the power of West and his words, live and in person at Paine College, during the Eighth Annual Interfaith Service of Celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and organized by the Progressive Religious Coalition of Augusta. “The woods are filled with prophetic voices of all stripes, we know that,” 12 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
said the Rev. Dr. Sid Gates, an ordained Presbyterian minister and one of the cofounders of the Progressive Religious Coalition. “But what I think makes Dr. West so compelling is he is Ivy-League educated. He has taught at Princeton and Harvard and now he is currently at Union Theological Seminary in New York. “So, Dr. West obviously has tremendous intellect and insight, but he is also a man of the people. This is a man who is not afraid to be arrested and has been jailed multiple times for his beliefs.” Just recently in October, West was arrested in Ferguson, Mo., after a scuffle with police while protesting the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old black man who was shot multiple times by a white police officer. At age 61, West became one of hundreds of protesters arrested in Ferguson, telling reporters that he didn’t travel to Missouri to “give a speech, I came here to go to jail.” But activism has always been a part of his life. From a very early age, West was surrounded by a family who was not afraid to take a stand. 8JANUARY2015
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In his memoir, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud,” West describes being born in 1953, in Tulsa, Okla., but soon moving to Kansas where his older brother was one of two black students in the first kindergarten class following the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka desegregation case. By 1958, his family relocated to Sacramento, Calif. where he lived in the all-black suburb of Glen Elder, a very nurturing neighborhood whose residents watched out for one another.
“My roommates and I, all black brothers, found ourselves in lockup, no questions asked,” Dr. Cornel West wrote in his book, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.” “You start worrying that, no matter the facts, the system is designed to hang you.” In a 2009 interview on the news program Democracy Now! with host Amy Goodman, he described being thrown out of elementary school after defying a teacher’s request to say the Pledge of Allegiance. “I was kicked out of school in the third grade because I refused to salute the flag,” West said. “I had a great uncle who was lynched, and they wrapped a flag around him, so I had bad memories of the flag. And I was not going to salute a flag that signified that for me, a young person at that time of 7 or 8 years old. And so I was expelled and no school would take me.” While his family understood his defiance, being expelled from school deeply troubled his mother, who was a schoolteacher herself. “But it was the tears in my mother’s eyes, you know, that I hated to see her so sad,” West told Goodman in 2009. “She was a schoolteacher herself, you see? And I said, ‘I have got to channel this rage that I have into a righteous indignation, rather than gangster orientation.’ And that’s been the story of my life.” Out of that struggle, good fortune came his way. Not long after being expelled from school, his mother arranged for West to take an IQ test and he scored off the charts. His test results opened the doors to Earl Warren Elementary, an “enrichment” school on the other side of town where he excelled as a student. As he grew older, he continued his success both academically and athletically. 8JANUARY2015
“I was an athlete, so I ran cross-country and set, actually, the city record at the two mile,” West said in 2009. “I was a straight-A student, student body president, concert maestro’s first violin and ended up going to Harvard.” He had never been to the East Coat and never even seen an Ivy League college, but all of a sudden he was a student at one of the top universities in the nation. West said he instantly fell in love with Harvard because it “exposed me to a much broader array of ideas.” However, he also found himself a target of police on occasions, he told Rolling Stone magazine in 2009. As a student at Harvard, the police arrested West and his two black roommates one day in his dorm after a white female told authorities that she had been raped. It was the first year Harvard dorms had turned coed, so West had reason to be concerned. “My roommates and I, all black brothers, found ourselves in lockup, no questions asked,” West wrote in his book, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.” “We were given no information except that we were suspects in a rape charge. Didn’t matter that the woman said she was raped by one man. All three of us were being held.” Even though their innocence was absolutely provable and each man could completely account for their whereabouts, West and his roommates remained waiting in a cold jail cell for days. “You start worrying that, no matter the facts, the system is designed to hang you,” West wrote. When the men finally faced the woman in a line up,
they knew her and she knew them. West recalled how frightened the woman appeared. “As terrified as I was about what could happen to me and my friends, my heart went out to her,” West wrote. The moment of truth had arrived. “Lined us up three times,” he told Rolling Stone in 2009. “Kept us in for a number of days. Had her come in, shaking, crying, and the police are saying, ‘Now, these three did it.’ She said ‘No!’” But the police officers urged her again, insisting that West and the two other black students had raped her, but the woman refused to name them. “Three times over two days. That white sister saved our lives,” West told the magazine. “She held on to the truth, man.” From that terrifying experience, West said he developed a deep respect for the power of truth, no matter what the cost. In three short years, West graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1973 and went on to obtain his master’s degree and Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton University. Over the years, West has taught at Harvard, Yale, the University of Paris and is currently a professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary and professor emeritus at Princeton University. This New York Times best-selling author has published 20 books over his career including the highly acclaimed “Race Matters” in 1994 and “Democracy Matters” in 2004. Knowing his history, hearing him speak and
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West will choose to send during the program. “Dr. West is coming for the King holiday, so perhaps some analysis of the events and the recent revelations in The New York Times regarding the prosecutor’s approach to the Ferguson case might be something that I would be interested in hearing him address,” Felder said. “I would think he would also possibly talk about the state of affairs in light of Dr. King’s legacy. For instance, where are we with regards to King’s dream?”
“Dr. West obviously has tremendous intellect and insight, but he is also a man of the people,” said the Rev. Dr. Sid Gates. “This is a man who is not afraid to be arrested and has been jailed multiple times for his beliefs.” reading many of his powerful books through the years, Gates said the Progressive Religious Coalition, or PRC, was always hopeful that West would one day agree to come to Augusta. “We had been kicking his name around for a few years and we have been building up to this kind of presentation,” Gates said. “We’ve had some worthy gadflies and firebrands for social justice before, but we talked about having Dr. West for a long time and I was charged with seeing if we might get him here to Augusta.”
“I said, ‘I have got to channel this rage that I have into a righteous indignation, rather than gangster orientation,’” Dr. Cornel West stated. “And that’s been the story of my life.” Gates said he was extremely persistent with West’s staff members and was thrilled when they finally confirmed he had agreed to be the keynote speaker for this Saturday’s Eighth Annual Interfaith Service honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. “Dr. West’s assimilation of thought is obviously very, very intellectual, but, we do like the fact that he is also about being in the trenches and being with the people,” Gates said. “There is that great expression from the African-American community that we have 14 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
all co-opted, but it really did start there that, the person talks the talk, but will they walk the walk? “And Dr. West is certainly able to do both ends of that equation. He talks the talk expertly, but he is willing to walk the walk and be an example.” After Gates confirmed that West was able to attend the event, he said the reaction from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. “In fact, some people have flatly stated, ‘How the heck did y’all get Cornel West?’” Gates said, laughing. “It kind of reminded me of the homecoming queen that nobody wants to ask her out because they are assuming that she has 101 date invitations every week. Well, I had very good dialogue with the staff from the get-go and it was just a matter of carving out a good weekend for him.” Dr. Luther Felder II, the campus pastor at Paine College, said the university was overjoyed when the PRC asked if they could use the college’s 1,200-seat Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel to host this Saturday’s event. “We recently had a philosophy conference on the campus with philosophers from around the country coming to Paine College and one of the names that they addressed was Cornel West,” Felder said. “In fact, they talked about hopes of him coming to town and, lo and behold, this opportunity came available and we were able to have him come and be a part of our community. I believe this program is going to be standing-room only.” With so many issues facing the country, including last year’s tragic events in Ferguson, Felder said there is a great deal of excitement regarding what message
However, Felder joked that he, as a preacher, learned long ago to never second guess another speaker. “Because when you do you are often either disappointed or in a place where you are ill prepared to receive what is being said,” Felder said, chuckling. “But there are so many topics on which he can address himself, I would think it would be helpful to give him room to run and speak freely.” When the PRC decided to invite West to speak in Augusta, Gates acknowledged there were some individuals in the African-American community who had a few concerns because West has been openly critical of the leadership of President Barack Obama. “Obviously, Dr. West loves the president, supports him, but again, as any good prophet will do, he has taken him to task on some places where Dr. West deems that he has undershot maybe with his administration, particularly with the poor and the marginalized,” Gates said. “To me, that is what a good prophetic voice will do. It will challenge all corners of society. Even the segment of society that looks a lot like me and sounds a lot like me. It’s about truth to power.” And speak, West certainly has, about his disappointment with some of Obama’s actions. In an interview last year with salon.com, West said that Obama “posed as if he was a kind of Lincoln,” and the country ended up with a “brown-faced Clinton.” West described Obama as a neoliberal opportunist that “played” the country. When West expressed similar concerns in Obama’s first term, he was immediately criticized. But these 8JANUARY2015
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days, West said the tide is shifting. “Everywhere I go now, it’s ‘Brother West, I see what you were saying. Brother West, you were right. Your language was harsh and it was difficult to take, but you turned out to be absolutely right,’” West told salon.com in August about his criticism of Obama. “And, of course with Ferguson, you get it reconfirmed even among the people within his own circle now, you see. It’s a sad thing. It’s like you’re looking for John Coltrane and you get Kenny G in brown skin.” But such openly expressed opinions is what makes West’s message so invaluable, Gates said. West speaks the truth in order to open lines of communication and empower the people, he said. “There are no sacred cows for Dr. West,” Gates said. “Whether it is the president, whether it is persons of color or persons of color in leadership, he is certainly willing to set his loving, but just, sights on them as well.” During this time in history, there is a great need for activist and leaders like West, Gates said. “Dr. West really has been a mouthpiece for racial tension in this country, in a healthy sense, calling attention to certainly places of injustice, but also being about remediation and being a champion of dialogue and helping people understand that we all do better when we all do better,” Gates said. “Dr. West has got a line he uses a lot in his works that I think is pretty good. He says, ‘It takes courage to interrogate yourself.’ And when we have that courage to interrogate ourselves, we quite often come up with why are we so well adjusted to injustice.” Brenda Morton, a long-time member of the PRC, said she has been a fan of West ever since she first read his book, “Hope on a Tightrope” several years ago. “I think he is an awesome speaker and I think a lot of what he says, he’s spot on,” Morton said. “I know he is going to be powerful and inspiring. He has such a way with words, I think it might even change the minds of a few people or get a few people thinking on a different level.” Rev. Sheryl Padgett, the minister at Christ Church Unity on Central Avenue and one of the original members of the PRC, said West is the kind of speaker who will open minds.
“There are no sacred cows for Dr. West,” said the Rev. Dr. Sid Gates. “Whether it is the president, whether it is persons of color or persons of color in leadership, he is certainly willing to set his loving, but just, sights on them as well.” “I love anyone who pushes the envelope,” Padgett said. “And I think he is one of those people. He makes you think. And he says things that really tend to get the process going and wake people up by saying, ‘We just need to look at this.’” One of the main missions of the PRC ever since it first began in 2004 has been to act as a catalyst to frame social justice issues in a moral and spiritual context, she said. The group has worked hard to bring different traditions together to celebrate one another’s culture and develop authentic relationships. “It is about the banding together of people with different backgrounds to take a good, honest look at some of the issues that we face here as a community and as a world,” Padgett said, adding that the group includes members such as Rabbi Robert Klensin of the Congregation Children of Israel, Imam Mohamad Jamal Daoudi of the Islamic Society of Augusta and B.N. Roy of the Hindu Temple Society of Augusta. “The dialogue that we have in the PRC, that is probably something that I treasure the most because it is an open and honest dialogue and we are not judged or put down and we can really talk about these issues and disagree about some of these issues. “It has given me the opportunity to see things from all different sides.” The choice of speakers for the interfaith worship service each year reflects that 8JANUARY2015
goal, Padgett said. Last year, the PRC invited Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, to be the keynote speaker at the MLK Interfaith Worship Service and it was an enormous success, she said. “Getting Gandhi’s grandson in here was huge last year,” she said. “The amount of people who came out, we hardly had enough room for everyone. In fact, when I got up in front of everybody last year as part of the service, I took a moment just to look out at everyone from this area that turned out and I came to the realization, this is possible.” But this Saturday’s Interfaith Service of Celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. does not only feature West as its keynote speaker. Gates said the program also includes music by the incredible jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, the Rob Foster Quartet and Davidson Fine Arts Chorale, directed by Dr. Tim Powell. “We are all excited about Dr. West coming, but the music is going to be off the chain with Wycliffe Gordon being showcased,” Gates said. “We have Dr. Rob Foster and his quartet from GRU who will be playing and of course the awardwinning Davidson Chorale. They have sung at the Vatican, Lincoln Center and they have been all around the world.” However, while much of Augusta will be fascinated with West and the music featured this Saturday, Gates stresses the purpose of the event is a worship service. “We can be about coalescing with nobody compromising their faith,” Gates said. “That is special and we don’t want ever to lose sight of that fact, even with such an incredible speaker. “But, obviously, Dr. West is a Christian and he is calling from some of the same things Dr. King did as well, such as truth and justice, love and kindness and ways we all need to get along with each other to help the world. This is going to be powerful.” WHAT: The Eighth Annual Interfaith Service of Celebration featuring Dr. Cornel West with music by Wycliffe Gordon, Rob Foster Quartet and Davidson Fine Arts Chorale WHERE: Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel at Paine College WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 10, at 5 p.m. The event is presented by the Progressive Religious Coalition of Augusta in partnership with Georgia Regents University. A reception will immediately follow the program. The collection money donated during the worship service will be gifted to Hope House, Inc. of Augusta, which is a local nonprofit agency helping women recovering from addictions, as well as music programs at both GRU and Paine College.
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Here’s to You, Here’s to Me HERE WE GO AGAIN, MMM. Another year, another resolution, right? A new exercise regime, plans to do this and that more, clean eating. The list goes on and on. They’re often empty promises, made after a rough year or a gluttonous holiday season. Okay, maybe empty is a little too harsh. Good intentions abound. Gyms are packed, and Whole Foods is overflowing with newly declared Clean Eaters. I usually make fun of such things. I’ve never been one to make any sort of New Year’s resolutions. They never last, after all. I’m not making promises I can’t keep. I won’t vow to become a runner (tried that). I’m not giving up wine (that’s dumb). I can’t cuss less (just words). What else do people usually do? As an aside, we are a part of a wellness challenge, and the winner will be determined in six weeks. It’s a little more new yearsy than I’m accustomed to, but there’s cash money involved. Not only that, it’s not about counting calories, weighing food or logging fat grams. It’s a total wellness thing, which includes devotional/meditation time, high- and low-intensity exercise, eating three meals and two snacks per day, and getting a reasonable amount of sleep. Bonus points are scored by being kind to others, writing down something positive about yourself, drinking fancy smoothies and various fitness challenges. The person with the most points wins big money. I don’t have a chance at winning, but it’s made me think about the choices I’m making each day. I should probably have more faith in myself when it comes to my daily point totals, but I’m a realist. I generally lack discipline. It’s okay, though. I’m not down about it. As hokey as it sounds, 2015 is the year of ME. That’s right, I said it. “But you’re a mom. How selfish!” “I’ll bet your husband loves that. Don’t you care about him/your marriage anymore?” How self-centered, right? Look, I’m not abandoning all responsibility — though a beachfront vacation would be nice. I’m not planning on walking away from my favorite people. I’ll still be here if you need me. I hope I’ll just be better. Better at what, you ask? I don’t know. I’m still thinking about that. I’d love more patience. I don’t know how that happens, but it’s a virtue with which I was not blessed. I have to work on it every day. If I could be in better shape, that’d be great, too. There’s no magic button, and I don’t have a fancy trainer, so I suppose I’ll have to work on that, too. I don’t even know what “better shape” means to me yet. It’s kind of like this wellness challenge we’re doing — more about the big picture, rather than just getting skinny.
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I’ve rambled on about myself for about 460 words now. That’s pretty typical. Hey, I didn’t promise overnight change. I won’t give up watching people and wondering what they’re thinking. I do like a good swear word. I won’t workout every day, and I’ll enjoy cake as much as I love a good steak. This might be a slow process, but I’ll be curious to see the slow progress. Come with me, will ya? Don’t you want to be the best you can be? Otherwise, you’re nothing but an a-hole anyway. No one likes an a-hole. One last quote, and I’ll leave you to find your wellness: “The world’s going to judge you no matter what, so live the way you [really] want.” That was edited for language. To put it simply, here’s to you. Here’s to ME. Cheers y’all!
JENNY WRIGHT’S humorous observations on marriage, motherhood and living in Augusta have earned her a devoted following, both in print and on Facebook. When she’s not spying on other parents in the carpool line at school, you’ll probably find her with either a camera, tennis racquet or wine glass in her hand.
8JANUARY2015
GET OUT! Metro Spirit Staff Picks
Stillwater Taproom
Imperial Theatre
706-722-8341 | imperialtheatre.com Sarah Jarosz is something of a prodigy. Now 22, she signed with Sugar Hill Records at 16 and has been compared to Gillian Welch and called one of acoustic music’s finest talents. See this multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar and mandolin), singer and songwriter on Friday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15-$40.
Metro Coffeehouse & Pub
706-826-9857
706-722-6468
Because why would you not want to go see a band called Skunk Ruckus… especially when they’re playing on a Friday night (January 9) at one of downtown’s favorite spots?
Tuesday nights are not the most popular of bar nights, but business has certainly picked up at Metro since they started letting the Joel Cruz Method give customers a little lesson in Jazz 101. Jazz, drinks and pool? Much better than staying home to watch NCIS.
French Market Grille West
Abel Brown Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar
706-855-5111 | frenchmarketwest.com
706-738-6491
Let’s face it: January is a bummer of a month. The Christmas and New Year’s highs are over and everyone is on a mission to become “a better person.” If you, on the other hand, are looking for an excuse to go out and have a good time, look no further than Mardi Gras. Sure, Fat Tuesday isn’t until February 17, but French Market West can help you prepare as early as you’d like to start. They have great Bloody Marys, by the way.
Now that 2015 is underway, this new venture by Bistro 491 chef Todd Schafer is open Monday-Saturday for dinner instead of just Wednesday-Saturday. And that’s a good thing for all those who have become addicted to his beechwood-smoked ribeye and Oysters Rockefeller.
North Augusta The Highlander abritishpub.com 803-278-2796 Manuel's Bread Cafe manuelsbreadcafe.com 803-380-1323 Wine World wineworldsc.com 803-279-9522
Downtown Augusta 1102 706-364-4075
Jessye Norman Amphitheater augustaga.org 706-821-1754 Joe’s Underground joesundergroundcafe.com 706-724-9457 Knuckle Sandwiches 706-828-4700 La Maison On Telfair lamaisontelfair.com 706-722-4805 Le Chat Noir lcnaugusta.com 706-722-3322
The Hill 5 O'clock Bistro 5oclockbistro.com 706-922-9560 Abel Brown 706-738-6491 Buona Caffe buonacaffe.com 706-869-4074 Calvert's Restaurant calvertsrestaurant.com 706-738-4514
The Loft 706-828-6600
Club Argos facebook.com/clubargos 706-481-8829
Luigi’s luigisinc.com 706-722-4056
French Market Grille thefrenchmarketgrille.com 706-737-4865
Beamie’s Restaurant 706-724-6593
Mellow Mushroom mellowmushroom.com 706-828-5578
Helga’s 706-736-2880
Bee’s Knees beeskneestapas.com 706-828-3600
Metro Coffee House 706-722-6468
209 Restaurant & Music Lounge 706-722-9692 Bar On Broad baronbroad.com 706-955-7954
The Bell Auditorium augustaentertainmentcomplex.com 706-724-2400 Blue Sky Kitchen blueskydowntown.com 706-821-3988 The Boll Weevil Cafe thebollweevil.com 706-722-7772 Cotton Patch eatdrinkbehappy.com 706-724-4511 Craft & Vine craftandvine.com 706-496-8442 Eagle’s Nest 706-722-5541 Farmhaus Burger farmhausburger.com 706-496-8771 Fatman's fatmans.com 706-733-1740 Firehouse 706-826-9955 Fox's Lair thefoxslair.com 706-828-5600 Frog Hollow Tavern froghollowtavern.com 706-364-6906
Indian Queen 706-303-8723
Rhineharts beyondcasual.com 706-868-6850
Shannon's shannonsbar.com 706-814-7760
Sidetrack Bar And Grill Sidetrackbarandgrill.com 706-863-8951
Sheraton sheratonaugusta.com 706-396-1000
Takosushi tako-sushi.com 706-863-0606
Somewhere In Augusta somewhereinaugusta.com 706-739-0002
T-Bonz tbonzofaugusta.com 706-814-7083
T-Bonz tbonzofaugusta.com 706-737-8325
West Augusta Allie Katz Bar & Grill 706-667-9801
Twin Peaks twinpeaksrestaurant.com 706-426-4934
Andrews Place 706-426-7904
The Snug Steak & Grill thesnug.net 706-863-1118
Bar West Augusta 706-736-0021
Wild Wing Café wildwingcafe.com 706-364-9453
Buffalo Wild Wings buffalowildwings.com 706-736-1778
South Augusta
Oliviana's 706-723-1242
Cadwalladers Café cadwalladerscafe.com 706-860-7444
Coyotes coyotesaugusta.com 706-560-9245
Mi Rancho 706-724-3366
Sheehan's Irish Pub sheehansirishpub.com 706-364-1234
Carolina Ale House carolinaalehouse.com (762) 333-0019
Road Runner Café roadrunnercafe.com 706-790-8177
Nacho Mama’s nachomamasaugusta.com 706-724-0501
Surreal at Surrey surreal-at-surrey.com 706-496-2036
Chevys chevysniteclub.com 706-250-3261
Sconyers sconyersbar-b-que.com 706-790-5411
New Moon Cafe newmoondowntown.com 706-823-2008
Surrey Tavern augustasurreytavern.com 706-736-1221
The Country Club augustacountry.com 706-364-1862
T’s Restaurant tsrestaurant.com 706-798-4145
Pizza Joint thepizzajoint.net 706-774-0037
Takosushi tako-sushi.com 706-736-9191
Cue And Brew 706-737-6008
Villa Europa villaeuropa.com 706-798-6211
Metro Market 706-261-2525
Playground 706-724-2232 Sacred Heart Cultural Center sacredheartaugusta.org 706-826-4700 Sky City skycityaugusta.com 706-945-1270 Soul Bar soulbar.com 706-724-8880 Soy Noodle House soynoodlehouse.com 706-364-3116 The Sports Center 706-724-9307 Stillwater Taproom 706-826-9857
Hildebrandt’s facebook.com/hildebrandtsaugustaga 706-722-7756
Sweet Lou’s Crabshack sweetlouscrabshack.com 706-922-1699
Imperial Theatre imperialtheatre.com 706-722-8341
Tipsey Mcstumbles tipseymcstumblespub.com 706-955-8507
James Brown Arena augustaentertainmentcomplex.com 706-722-3521
Whiskey Bar (Kitchen) whiskeybarkitchen.com 706-814-6159
Evans/Martinez Augsburg Haus augsburghaus.com 706-667-818 Bird Dog Grill birddoggrille.com 706-814-5007 Columbia County Amphitheatre 706-868-3349 Jabez S Hardin Performing Arts augustaamusements.com 706-726-0366 Lauras Backyard Tavern 706-869-8695 Lady A. Amphitheatre evanstownecenterpark.com 706-650-5005 Mai Thai 706-210-9008 Mellow Mushroom mellowmushroom.com 706-364-6756 Pizza Joint thepizzajoint.net 706-447-4992 Retreat Tapas Bar 706-250-3717
Double Tree doubletree.com 706-855-8100 Edgar’s Grille edgarsgrille.com 706-854-4700 French Market Grille West frenchmarketwest.com 706-855-5111 Hooters hooters.com 706-736-8454 Limelite Café 706-731-0220 Rack And Grill 706-855-7534 Rae's Coastal Café raescoastalcafe.com 706-738-1313 Rhineharts beyondcasual.com 706-860-2337 Road Runner roadrunnercafe.com 706-364-3525 Robbie's Sport Bar 706-738-0866
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ARTS
Sat Jan 10, 2015
10am - 1pm DIY Winter Wreath Aiken Center for the Arts A workshop for adults in which supplies are not included. $30; pre-registration required. Call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org. 10am - 1pm Williamsburg Basket Workshop: Doorknob Basket Aiken Center for the Arts A workshop for adults. $105; preregistration required. Call 803-6419094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.
Ongoing
Spring Term Classes The Kroc Center Classes in music, art and dance begin the week of January 19. Music classes include piano, guitar, ukulele and a jam session for string players. Dance classes include swing, tango, salsa for youth and adults, and salsa-size-a salsa based exercise class. Art classes include weekly classes in home school art, clay, after school art and painting for adults. Workshops include a drawing bootcamp, equine painting, basket weaving, pen and ink, folk art gourd chickens and beginning acrylic workshops. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
DANCE
Ongoing
Tango Class The Kroc Center A five-week class that meets Thursdays, January 22-February 19, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Kroc Center and teaches the skills used in the basic Argentine Tango. No previous experience necessary. $55, single; $70, couples. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
EDUCATION
Thu Jan 8, 2015
12:30pm - 4:30pm SRS Public Tour Aiken County Applied Research Center Includes a safety briefing, tour of the Savannah River Ecology Lab and general driving tour of the site. Free and open to those 18 or older who are U.S. citizens and have two forms of ID. Call 803-952-8994 or visit srs.gov/general/tour/public.htm. 1pm - 2pm Financial Planning
Bet you didn’t know that before he became known as the boy from a small town, John Mellencamp wasn’t sure whether he wanted to become a painter or a musician. Music may have won out, but he continued to use painting as a refuge from fame and, these days, his oil and mixed media work has gained notoriety. See 50 of those works as his exhibit “American Dreams: Paintings by John Mellencamp” shows at the Morris Museum of Art through April 12. A preview party will be held Saturday, January 10, from 6-8:30 p.m. and will feature music, an open bar, food and more. $125, members; $150, nonmembers. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.
Maxwell Branch Library Led by David Hardin of Wells Fargo Bank. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. 5pm - 9pm Jimmie Dyess Symposium Augusta Museum of History Rotunda This event includes remarks by Major General Perry Smith, the honoring of four individuals with the 2015 Distinguished American Award and more. Call 706722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
Augusta Museum of History Part of the Voices of the Past series of character monologues. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. 3pm - 4:30pm The Watch with Author Jack Rees Maxwell Branch Library This author and journalist will talk about the occult, the rise of Adolf Hitler and more. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.
10am - 2pm Magnet Schools and Schools with Special Programs Fair Augusta Mall Call 706-826-1000 or visit rcboe.org.
Mon Jan 12, 2015
11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm A Petersburg Boat Pilot
Tue Jan 13, 2015
6pm - 7pm IB Program Open House Academy of Richmond County Call 706-826-1000 or visit rcboe.org. 2pm - 4pm Computing for Beginners
Diamond Lakes Branch Library This two-session class continues January 20 at 2 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. 5:30pm - 6:30pm Cultural Interaction, Migration and Displacement Maxwell Branch Library A presentation on Native Americans led by GRU professor Maggie Needham. Pre- registration required. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org. 6pm - 7pm Magnet School Open House A.R. Johnson Health Science & Engineering Magnet School Call 706-826-1000 or visit rcboe.org.
Wed Jan 14, 2015
11:30am - 1:30pm Brown Bag History Series Lecture
If you have any questions, or would like to submit an event to our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com. 22 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Augusta Museum of History Featuring Reporting the News, 20th Century Style, with Bill Kirby. Participants should bring their own lunch and the museum will provide beverages. A Q&A session follows the lecture. Free, members; $3, nonmembers. Call 706722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
GED Class The Kroc Center A class for ages 15 and older that meets four days a week from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Registration is the first and third Thursday of each month from 11:30 a.m.2 p.m. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org/kroc-center/.
6pm - 7pm Magnet School Open House A. Dorothy Hains STEM Magnet School Call 706-826-1000 or visit rcboe.org.
Guided Tours 1797 Ezekiel Harris House Offered by appointment only MondayFriday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-7228454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
9:30am - 10:30am Open House Episcopal Day School An event that features school tours, Q&A sessions and more. Call 706-733-1192 or visit edsaugusta.com. 5pm - 6:30pm Marijuana: Should It Be Legal in Georgia Maxwell Branch Library A discussion presented by James Bell of the Georgia Care Project. Preregistration required. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org. 6pm - 7pm Magnet School Open House C.T. Walker Call 706-826-1000 or visit rcboe.org. 6:30pm - 7:30pm Lower School Open House Westminster Schools of Augusta Event includes a campus tour, meetings with teachers and more. Visit wsa.net.
Ongoing
Augusta Ghost Trolley History Tours Year-round interactive trolley tours are offered each Friday and Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. Group and private tours are also available. $20, adults; $15, children ages 5-11. Pre-registration required. Call 706-432-8883 or email mwolff@southstarems.com. Joy of Signing Headquarters Branch Library Meets Thursdays from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Call 706-667-9586 for more information. Tutoring GRUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Literacy Center One-on-one tutoring offered to all ages in all subjects and supervised by a certified teacher at all times. Available by appointment Monday-Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the center at 1401 Magnolia Drive. Call 706-737-1625 or visit gru.edu/lcenter/. 8JANUARY2015
North Augusta Driving Tour The Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta Offered by appointment and includes a 30-45 minute guided tour and admission to the center. Self-guided tours are also available through an iPhone downloadable audio tour or a Google Maps-based tour. Guided tours: $5, adults; $3, students K-12. Call 803-4414380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. Tours The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson Guided tours, approximately 45 minutes long, are offered Thursday-Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Group tours are available by advanced reservation. Adults, $5; seniors, $4; kids K-12, $3; under 5 years, free. Call 706-724-0436 or visit wilsonboyhoodhome.org.
Noon - 3pm Fabulous 1950s Columbia Museum of Art Part of the Passport to Art drop-in studio series for families that featuring an exhibit viewing and a hands-on art project. Call 803-799-2810 or visit columbiamuseum.org.
Historic Trolley Tours of Augusta Augusta Visitors Center (inside the Augusta Museum of History) Tours aboard the Lady Libby available at the Augusta Visitors Center with 24-hour advanced reservations. Tickets include admission to the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-724-4067 or visit visitaugusta.org.
5pm - 7pm Oil and Water Exhibit Opening Reception Sacred Heart Cultural Center This group exhibition featuring the work of Judy Avrett, Lucy Weigle and their students shows through February 27. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org.
ELSEWHERE
Fri Jan 9, 2015
Noon - 1pm Lecture and Book Signing Columbia Museum of Art Featuring Laurie Norton Moffatt, director of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Free with membership or admission. Call 803-799-2810 or visit columbiamuseum.org.
Sun Jan 11, 2015
EXHIBITIONS
The Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta This exhibit, featuring the work of Judy Adamick, Elizabeth Moretz-Britt, Greg Fitzpatrick and Bea Kuhlke, shows January 9-February 20. The reception is free and open to the public. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.
Thu Jan 8, 2015
Sat Jan 10, 2015
6pm - 7pm Lee Ann Hagler Exhibit Reception Kroc Center Featuring the art of Hagler and her students. Exhibition will hang through February 2, Reception is free and open to the public. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Ongoing
Fri Jan 9, 2015
6pm - 8pm The Winter Exhibit Opening Reception
6pm - 8:30pm American Dreams: Paintings by John Mellencamp Preview Party Morris Museum of Art Event features music, an open bar, food and more. $125, members; $150, members. The exhibit shows January 11-April 12. Call 706724-7501 or visit themorris.org. American Dreams: Paintings by John Mellencamp Morris Museum of Art Shows January 11-April 12. Call 706724-7501 or visit themorris.org. The Winter Exhibit The Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta This exhibit, featuring the work of Judy Adamick, Elizabeth Moretz-Britt, Greg AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 23
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Shows through January 5. Call 706-3645762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Doug Larson Exhibition Sacred Heart Cultural Center The Aiken artist’s exhibition of oil and acrylic paintings shows through December 31. Call 706-826-4600 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. Annual Quilt Exhibition Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History Exhibition, featuring quilts created by Atlanta’s Brown Sugar Stitchers, is on display through December. Call 706-7243576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com. Exhibits Augusta Museum of History Includes the following: “Augusta, 1864” (through January 2016); “The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown; “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf”; “Augusta’s Story”; “A Community That Heals”; “Into the Interior: A History of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company”; “Local Legends”; “One Man, Two Ships: Lessons in History and Courage”; “A Quilt Journey”; and “Canteens to Combat Boots”. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
FLIX
Thu Jan 8, 2015
6:30pm - 8:30pm “The Immortalists” Headquarters Branch Library Presented by the Progressive Religious Coalition, this event features a free film screening followed by refreshments and a discussion. Call 706-733-7939 or visit uuaugusta.org.
Sat Jan 10, 2015 “Before I Go,” a heart-wrenching novel about a young woman who wants to find her husband a new wife before she dies of breast cancer, was recently named one of People magazine’s best new books. Meet its author, Atlanta novelist Colleen Oakley, when she visits the Columbia County Library Sunday, January 11, at 3 p.m. The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Call 706-863-1946, ext. 4, or visit beforeigo.eventbrite.com.
Fitzpatrick and Bea Kuhlke, shows January 9-February 20. Call 803-4414380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. Oil and Water Sacred Heart Cultural Center This group exhibition featuring the work of Judy Avrett, Lucy Weigle and their students shows January 8-February 27. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. 24 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Lee Ann Hagler Exhibition The Kroc Center Featuring the work of Hagler and her students, this exhibit hangs through February 2. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Deck the Walls: A Holiday Art Market The Kroc Center Featuring the work of local artists in a holiday cash and carry exhibition in which all artwork is priced under $300.
2:30pm - 4pm Family Fun Movies Appleby Branch Library Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. 7:30pm - 10pm Cheap Date Free Movie Le Chat Noir Doors open at 6:30 for this event, which features free popcorn and a cash bar. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.
University Hospital Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
7:30pm - 8:30pm Childbirth Tour GRHealth Call 706-721-2273 or visit grhealth.org.
Mon Jan 12, 2015
4pm - 5pm Breast Self-Exam Class University’s Breast Health Center Pre-registration required. Call 706-7744141 or visit universityhealth.org.
Wed Jan 14, 2015
10am - noon Focus on Health Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
7pm - 8pm Breastfeeding Class Babies R Us Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
Ongoing
Weight Loss Surgery Seminars Meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Library and the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at GRU’s Alumni Center. Call 706-7212609 or visit grhealth.org/weightloss. Car Seat Classes Childbirth Preparation Classes are Mondays, January 5-26, Tuesdays, January 13-27, and Wednesdays, January 7-28, at from 7-9:30 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Safe Kids Office Held the second Thursday from 5:45-8 p.m. and fourth Wednesday of each month from 9:45 a.m.-noon. Pre-registration required. $10; car or booster seat provided to families who meet financial guidelines. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org.
HEALTH
Child Safety Seat Inspections Held on first Friday of each month at the Safe Kids Office Building and the second Wednesday of each month at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Substation on Ronald Reagan Drive. All inspections require an appointment. Call 706-7217606 (Safe Kids), 706-541-3970 (Sheriff’s Office), or visit grhealth.org.
7pm - 9:30pm Women’s Center Tour
Childbirth Tours
Tue Jan 13, 2015
6:30pm - 8:30pm Tuesday Movie Series Headquarters Branch Library Call for movie title. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Thu Jan 8, 2015
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Tours of the Labor and Delivery and Mother/ Baby units at Georgia Regents Medical Center are held the second Tuesday of the month from 7:30-8:30 p.m. and second Saturday of each month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit grhealth.org. Yoga H.O. Weeks Center, Aiken Yoga I is offered from 8:45-9:45 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; Yoga II is offered 8:45-9:45 a.m., Fridays; Evening Yoga is offered 5:30-6:30 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. $41 for 10 tickets, residents; $66, non-residents. Call 803-642-7631. Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Aquatics Class Wilson Family Y’s Katie’s Pool Members, free; non-members, $3. Call 706922-9664 or email ccollins@thefamilyy.org. Adapted Evaluation Wilson Family Y’s Katie’s Pool A 30-minute initial and annual evaluation including medical history and water assessment. $25. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Adapted Special Populations One-onOne Class Wilson Family Y’s Katie’s Pool For the physically and developmentally challenged of all ages. Members, $10; non-members, $30. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org.
HOBBIES
Thu Jan 8, 2015
6:30pm - 8pm Beginners Knitting Class Kroc Center Free, but participants will need to purchase their supplies and a $1 donation is recommended. Call 706364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Mon Jan 12, 2015
11am - noon Game Day Maxwell Branch Library Includes Bingo, cards and other games. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
5pm - 9pm Augusta Coin Club Meeting Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Ongoing
Chess Club Kroc Center 26 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
A five-week class that meets Mondays at 6 p.m. beginning January 19 that is open to those ages 16 and up. $5. Call 706-922-8338 or visit krocaugusta.org. Georgia-Carolina Toastmasters The Cotton Patch Meets Wednesdays, noon-1 p.m. Those interested are invited to learn speech and leadership skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Call 706-627-2134. University Toastmasters Club University Hospital, Education Wing, third floor, room 3 Meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 6-7 p.m. Call 706-9512970 or visit 9083.toastmastersclubs.org. Bingo Fraternal Order of Eagles 1:30 p.m. on Sundays and at 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Call 706-790-8040.
KIDS-TEENS
Thu Jan 8, 2015
10am - 11am Sail the Seas! Morris Museum of Art Part of the Mommy and Me series in which participants will learn about ships and then create a collage. Free, members; $4, nonmembers. Pre-registration required. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. 10:30am - 11:30am Mudpuppies Warren Road Community Center An arts and crafts program for ages 2-5 that is held each Thursday at 10:45 a.m. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov.
Fri Jan 9, 2015
10:30am - 11:30am Fun Time Fridays Warren Road Community Center For ages 2-5. $2 per class; no preregistration required. Call 706-8602833 or visit augustaga.gov.
Artist Bea Kuhlke may have died in December after a year-long battle with lung cancer, but her work will live on. See 15 of those works in The Winter Exhibit, a group exhibition that also features artists Judy Adamick, Elizabeth Moretz-Britt and Greg Fitzpatrick. The exhibit will be on display at the Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta from January 9-February 20 and a reception will be held Friday, January 9, from 6-8 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.
6pm - 7pm Early Literacy Workshop: Fun with Science Headquarters Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-8212623 or visit ecgrl.org.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
Warren Road Community Center A parent and child class for those ages 6 months-4 years, it is held each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday September-May from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $2 per visit; $15, 10 visits. Call 706-8602833 or visit augustaga.gov.
Ongoing
Young Makers The Clubhou.se A club for technology buffs ages 10-17 that meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Call 706-3990247 or visit theclubhou.se/events.
10:30am - 11:30am Mudpuppies Warren Road Community Center An arts and crafts program for ages 2-5 that is held each Thursday at 10:45 a.m. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov.
2pm - 3pm Lego Club Meeting Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Nature Clubs Reed Creek Park These clubs encourage children to explore and appreciate the natural world with indoor and outdoor activities. Session 1: Tuesdays, January 6 and 20, February 3 and 17 and March 3, from 1-2:30 p.m. for ages 6-8; Thursdays, January 8 and 22, February 5 and 19 and March 5, from 1-2:30 p.m. for ages 9-11. Session 2: Tuesdays, January 6 and 20, February 3 and 17 and March 3, from 4:30-6 p.m. for ages 6-8; Thursdays, January 8 and 22, February 5 and 19 and March 5, from 4:30-6 p.m. for ages 9-11. $25; preregistration required. Call 706-210-4027 or email ehobbs@columbiacountyga.gov.
Mon Jan 12, 2015
Little Friends Gym
Sat Jan 10, 2015
10:30am - 11am Family Story Time Aiken Public Library A special event for kids ages birth-5 with their parents that includes stories, songs and movement. Call 803-6422023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Creek Freaks Phinizy Center A Georgia Adopt-a-Stream team of middle-and high-school students that meets regularly to monitor the health of Butler Creek. Call 706-796-7707 or visit naturalscienceacademy.org. Loud Crowd A supervised after-school program for those ages 4-12, is Monday Friday from 3-6 p.m. at the following community centers: Warren Road, Blythe, Garrett, Diamond Lakes and McBean. The program follows the Richmond County school calendar. $85, monthly; $25, weekly; $10, drop-in. Visit augustaga.gov. 8JANUARY2015
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Moms Club of Grovetown A group that accepts any mom who stays at home with her children regardless of parenting style, religion or ethnicity. The group meets for a variety of activities and dues are $20 a year. Visit momsclubofgrovetown. weebly.com.
Headquarters Branch Library Robert A. Mullins will discuss his recently published history of Lake Olmstead, “12 Monkeys an a Green Jacket,” in the Georgia Heritage Room of the library. Free. Call 706-826-1511 or visit ecgrl.org.
writers age 18 and older who reside in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina, is now accepting submissions. The deadline is February 2. Entry guidelines and forms can be found at themorris. org/porterfleming.html.
Mothers of Advanced Maternal Age (MAMAs) A group for women with children who are age 35 years or older. Call 706-394-1293 or email hoopnhollar2@yahoo.com.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
1pm - 4pm Tacardra Rountree Book Signing Diamond Lakes Branch Library Rountree will sign copies of her book “Writings from Down Through the Years.” Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
MUSIC
Sun Jan 11, 2015
7:30pm - 9pm 4 Seasons Concert Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta Featuring Matt Shevitz playing the music of Blue Note Records. $20, general admission; $15, seniors and military; $10, students with ID. Call 706-733-7939.
Toddler Time H.O. Weeks Center, Aiken A play time for those ages 5 and under that meets Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. $3 per visit; $20, 10-visit pass. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Homeschool PE Time The Kroc Center For kids ages 5-12 and meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. Members, free; nonmembers, $2 per visit. Activity follows the Richmond County school calendar. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org/kroc-center/.
LITERARY
Thu Jan 8, 2015
2pm - 3pm Author Visit/Discussion
28 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
3pm - 4pm Colleen Oakley Visit Oakley is the author of “Before I Go,” recently named one of People magazine’s best new books. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946, ext. 4, or visit beforeigo.eventbrite.com.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
5:30pm - 8:30pm It’s Your Book Club Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-399-7474 or visit ecgrl.org.
Ongoing
Entries Accepted The 2015 Porter Fleming Literary Competition, which recognizes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays from
Fri Jan 9, 2015
Sat Jan 10, 2015
7:30pm - 9:30pm Manhattan Brass Jabez S. Hardin PAC Part of Symphony Orchestra Augusta’s Columbia County Music Series. $15.74. Call 706-826-4705 or visit soaugusta.org.
Ongoing
New Members Needed The Augusta Choral Society began rehearsals for the second half of the 2014-2015 season began Tuesday, January 6. Rehearsals are from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Woodlawn United Methodist Church, and the group is preparing for their March 28 performance
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of Mozart’s Requiem at Sacred Heart Cultural Center. For more information about joining, call 706-826-4713 or email cdolen@augustachroalsociety.org.
SENIORS
Thu Jan 8, 2015
11am - noon Medicare and You Kroc Center Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Wed Jan 14, 2015
10:30am - 1pm Classic Games for Seniors Diamond Lakes Branch Library Includes Bingo, Checkers, Chess and more. Call 706-7722432 or visit ecgrl.org.
Ongoing
Silver Sneakers Kroc Center A senior exercise class that meets each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org/kroc-center/. Senior Citizens Club Smith-Hazel Recreation Center Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-noon. Call 803-642-7634.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
Silversneakers H.O. Weeks Center Silversneakers Classic Classes offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m., while Silversneakers Yoga is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. at the Weeks Center in Aiken. $27, members; $52, nonmembers. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
1pm - 1:30pm Got 30 Minutes? Kroc Center Conducted by the Area Agency on Aging, this workshop provides an overview of services available to caregivers, the aging, and those with disabilities. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Computer Classes for Seniors Kroc Center Taught Mondays and Thursdays. Preregistration required. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org/kroc-center/.
10:30am - 11:30am Golden Games Appleby Branch Library Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org.
8JANUARY2015
Games for Seniors H.O. Weeks Center Include Rummikub each Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon, Mahjong each Thursday from 1-4 p.m., Bridge each Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Bingo each Tuesday 9-10 a.m., Pinochle each Tuesday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Canasta on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. 3 p.m. and on Fridays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 803642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
SPECIAL EVENTS Fri Jan 9, 2015
7:30pm - 8:30pm Monster X James Brown Arena $20-$42. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
5pm - 6pm Keeping the Dream Alive: Why Dr. King Still Matters Paine College’s Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel An interfaith service sponsored by the Progressive Religious Coalition that features speaker Dr. Cornel West, as well as music by Wycliffe Gordon, the Rob Foster Quartet and the Davidson Chorale. Visit uuaugusta.org. 7pm - 8pm “Mission to Mars” USC Aiken’s Dupont Planetarium Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 29
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Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1-$5.50. Call 803-641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.
yoga mat and water. Call 706-828-2109 or visit phinizycenter.org.
7:30pm - 8:30pm Monster X James Brown Arena $20-$42. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com.
9:30am - noon Homeschool Adventure: Habitats and Adaptations Mistletoe State Park Participants will participate in a variety of hands-on activities such as dressing a beaver, nature hike, treasure discovery and a nature center visit. $10. Call 706-5410321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
8pm - 9pm “Ancient Sky Lore” USC Aiken’s Dupont Planetarium Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1-$5.50. Call 803-641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
10:30am - 11:30am Special Program for Special Needs Diamond Lakes Branch Library Event includes films, crafts and other activities for adults with disabilities. Pre- registration required. Call 706-7722432 or visit ecgrl.org.
Ongoing
Wine Tastings Wine World Held the first Friday and third Thursday of each month from 5-8 p.m. $5. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com.
SPIRITUAL
Sat Jan 10, 2015
1pm - 2pm Bible Teaching Seminar Friedman Branch Library The topic will be prayer from Matthew 6:9. Participants should bring their Bibles. Call 706-691-4023 or visit donaldsao.com.
Sun Jan 11, 2015
10:30am - 11:30 am Special Service w/ Jimmie Snow Bible Fellowship Church Snow, son of Grand Ole Opry star Hank Snow, will sing and speak. Call 706-9225314 or visit thebyrdfamily.org.
SPORTS-OUTDOORS Thu Jan 8, 2015
10am - 11am First Month Hike Mistletoe State Park $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
9:30am - 11am Yoga in the Park Phinizy Swamp Nature Park For all levels. Participants should bring 30 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Wed Jan 14, 2015
10am - 11:30am Pre-K Adventure: Habitats Mistletoe State Park Participants will learn about animal home and make an animal craft. Preregistration required. $5. Call 706-5410321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Thu Jan 15, 2015
10am - 11am First Month Hike Mistletoe State Park $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Ongoing
Guided Tours Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Call to schedule custom tours of the park for organizations, kids groups or private parties. Tours included hiking, bicycle or golf cart tours and more. Call 706-8282109 or email info@phinizycenter.org. Fencing Classes Augusta Fencers Club Classes meet at the club’s 464 Greene Street location, and the next round of introductory classes for those ages six through adult begins the week of January 5. Pre-Christmas preregistration discount now offered. Call 706-722-8878. Daily Canal Tours Augusta Canal Winter season hours, through March, include Heritage Boat Tours at 10 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday and Civil War Boat Tours daily at 1:30 p.m.. All tickets include admission to the Canal Interpretive Center, admission to which is $6 for adults and $4 for seniors, students and military without a boat tour. Heritage tours: $13, adults; $10.50, seniors, students and military. Civil War tours: $12:50, adults; $10.50, seniors, students or military. Preregistration required. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com.
Marijuana: Should It Be Legal? It’s a question a lot of people are asking, and James Bell of the Georgia Care Project will lead a discussion on the subject Thursday, January 15, from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. The program is free, but pre-registration is required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.
Guided Trail Rides Hilltop Riding Stables Available Saturdays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Sundays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon; and Wednesday-Friday at 11 a.m. with reservations 24 hours in advance. All trail rides are on a first-come, firstserved basis, and participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the trail ride starting for sign in procedures. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com. South Atlantic Recreation Club Offers kickball, flag football and bowling leagues. For more information, visit sarcaugusta.com. Weekly Group Runs Include the Monday Run meeting at Stillwater Taproom at 6 p.m.; Monday Intervals meeting at the Family Y track on Wheeler Road at 7 p.m.; the Tuesday Nacho Mama’s Group Run at 5:30 and 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Hill Training Run at
the Family Y track on Wheeler Road at 7 p.m.; and Thursday’s Homer Hustle at 6 p.m. Visit augustastriders.com. The Augusta Furies Women’s Rugby Football Club Club practices 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Julian Smith Casino for players 18 and up. Email augusta.furies@ gmail.com or visit augustafuries.org. Chain Reaction Group Rides Rides include Tuesdays at 6 p.m.; Thursdays at 6 p.m.; Saturdays at 8 a.m.; and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Participants should bring their own water and helmet. Call 706-855-2024 or visit chainreactionbicycles.net. Augusta Disc Golf Association Leagues Meet Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta and Mondays at 6 p.m. at Lake Olmstead. Entry fee for each, $5; ace pool, $1. Call 803-215-8181 (North Augusta), 7068JANUARY2015
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833-4263 (Lake Olmstead) or visit augustadiscgolf.com. Andy Jordan’s Group Rides Rides include Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., road bike ride; Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., mountain bike ride; Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., road bike ride; Saturdays at 9 a.m., road bike ride. Front and rear lights, as well as a helmet, are required. Call 706724-6777 or visit andyjordans.com. Outspokin’ Bicycles Group Rides Rides include Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m., as well as Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. Water and helmet required. Call 706-736-2486 or visit outspokinaugusta.com. BlazeSports Swim team Wilson Family Y’s Katie’s Pool For all ages of physically challenged swimmers who want to train for competition. Members, $30 a month; non-members, $40 a month. Call 706922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org.
SUPPORT
Thu Jan 8, 2015
6pm - 7pm Cancer Survivor Support Group Augusta Oncology Associates Call 706-651-4567.
Mon Jan 12, 2015
6:30pm - 7:30pm Men’s Breast Cancer Support Group University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. 6:30pm - 7:30pm Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.
meets every Monday night at 7 p.m. The meetings last two hours and childcare is provided. Pre-registration suggested. Visit cr@journeycommunity.net. Overeaters Anonymous Meets at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Unity Church, and at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 706-863-9534 or email oa.augusta.recovery@gmail.com.
and get one free. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Sat Jan 10, 2015
8pm - 10pm “All My Sons” Aiken Community Playhouse $20, adults; $17, seniors; $12, students, $7, children under 12. Active duty military and veterans can buy one ticket and get one free. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Ongoing
“The Supper” Auditions Kroc Center A production of Enopion Theatre Company, this original musical dinner theater production shows in April. Auditions by appointment only will be held through January 12. Call 706-7717777 or visit thesupperlive.com.
Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support Group Provides group counseling at University Hospital for those who have experienced sexual assault, incest, rape or childhood sexual abuse. Call 706-724-5200 or visit universityhealth.org. Alcoholics Anonymous Holds several meetings locally. For a current schedule, visit augustaaa.org/ meetings.pdf. Beyond the Bars A support group for those with incarcerated loved ones. Call 706-855-8636. Families Who Have Lost a Baby Support Group For more information, call 706-7218299 or visit grhealth.org.
Face to Face IT™ means we talk to you, one-on-one, to solve your problems. You work with a person you know, not a faceless tech in another city or country. Regardless of your size, we can help you become more efficient and for many companies, our technology can actually save you money. At CMA, it’s not about being the biggest. It’s about serving one customer at a time, Face to Face.
THEATER
Fri Jan 9, 2015
8pm - 10pm “All My Sons” Aiken Community Playhouse $20, adults; $17, seniors; $12, students, $7, children under 12. Active duty military and veterans can buy one ticket
Contact us for Cloud Computing, VOIP, Enterprise Network Management and other IT Services.
(706) 860-1997 | cmaaugusta.com
MARKETPLACE
Tue Jan 13, 2015
7pm - 8pm Alzheimer’s Support Group Alzheimer Association Chapter Building Call 706-731-9060. 7pm - 8pm OB/GYN Cancer Support Group Call 706-821-2944.
Ongoing
Celebrate Recovery Journey Community Church This Christ-centered recovery program 8JANUARY2015
ALL CLASSIFIED ADS ARE
$40 PER WEEK. EMAIL JOE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM OR CALL (706)373-3636 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 31
V26|NO2 Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane
Monday, January 12 What’s Tonight?
Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Chevy’s - Military and F&B Night Joe’s Underground - Poker Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - World Tavern Poker Wild Wing - Trivia
Tuesday, January 13 Live Music
Joe’s Underground - Open Mic MAD Studios - Twosday Nite Music Club Metro Coffeehouse & Pub - Jazz 101 w/ the Joel
Cruz Method
The Willcox (Aiken) - Hal Shreck
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s - Military and F&B Night Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Limelite Cafe - Bottom’s Up Karaoke Mellow Mushroom - Trivia Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Cornhole Carolina Meeting The Playground - Twisted Trivia w/ Big Troy Roadrunner Cafe - Trivia Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia, World
Los Angeles-based metal band Kyng visits Surreal at Surrey Thursday, January 8, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and music beginning around 8 p.m. $10 in advance. Visit etix.com.
Thursday, January 8 Live Music
Edgar’s Grille - Happy Thursday w/ Live Local Music Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - AcostA Mellow Mushroom (Downtown) - Sabo Mellow Mushroom (Evans) - Ruskin Yeargan Sky City - Open Mic Night Soul Bar - Ghost Gun Summer Stillwater Taproom - Pierce Edens Surreal at Surrey - Kyng Wild Wing - Tokyo Joe Acoustic The Willcox - 4 Cats in the Doghouse
What’s Tonight?
Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic-Spoken Word Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Party Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke Pizza Joint (Downtown) - Trivia w/ Kris Fisher Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Karaoke w/ Coach DJ Villa Europa - Karaoke
Friday, January 9 Live Music
Andrew’s Place - Hello Betty Band
32 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Country Club - Michael Stacey Coyotes - Whiskey Run Doubletree - Live Jazz Imperial Theatre - Sarah Jarosz MAD Studios - Sunset Company Rose Hill Estate - Gavin Reily Shannon’s - The Unmentionables Somewhere in Augusta - Old Man Crazy Stillwater Taproom - Skunk Ruckus Wild Wing - Kenny George Band
Fraternal Order of Eagles - Live Music MAD Studios - Brooks Dixon Shannon’s - Josh Hilley Band Stillwater Taproom - The Ruby Brunettes Wild Wing - Deleveled The Willcox (Aiken) - Jon Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
a.m.-3 p.m.); Trivia, nights Joe’s Underground - World Tavern Poker Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Party Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke w/ Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Sky City - Elementz 2 Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke
Augusta Elks Lodge 205 - Karaoke Cork and Bull Pub (Aiken) - Karaoke Eagle’s Nest - Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke w/ Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke w/ Jeff Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Kuston Karaoke w/ JJ Talynn Sky City - DJ Redrum, Boost, Bassfusion Soul Bar - ‘80s Night Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest
Saturday, January 10 Live Music
The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam
Session w/ Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Country Club - Outshyne
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s - Ladies Night w/ DJ Nicky B Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Helga’s Pub & Grille - Bluegrass Brunch (11
Sunday, January 11 Live Music
5 O’Clock Bistro - Live Music Wild Wing - Jason Marcum The Willcox (Aiken) - Jon Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
Andrew’s Place - Karaoke w/ DJ Jeff Barnes Beamie’s - Industry Night Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa
Tavern Poker, Bunco Soul Bar - Soul Night w/ DJ Matto
Wednesday, January 14 Live Music
Andrew’s Place - Steve Chappell Augusta Elks Lodge 205 - Marilyn Adcock Band MAD Studios - Jordan-Morgan Lansdowne Metro Coffeehouse - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Mike & Patrick Soul Bar - Lara Hope & the Ark-Tones Wild Wing - Sabo & Dave
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s - Songs for Shots Karaoke Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke The Playground - Krazy Karaoke w/ Big Troy Polo Tavern (Aiken) - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere in Augusta - The Comedy Zone w/ Sid
Davis and Roger Keiss Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz Surrey Tavern - Trivia w/ Christian and Mickey Three Dollar Lounge - World Poker Tournament
Upcoming Maddie & Tae
- Country Club January 15 Author, Capital Arms, Celia Gary
- Sky City January 15 Willie and the Hand Factory
- Stillwater Taproom January 15 The Independents, Black Cat Attack, Sick Sick Sick
- Sky City January 16 8JANUARY2015
V26|NO2 Crying Wolf
Gregg Allman
- Stillwater Taproom January 16
- Grand Opera House, Macon January 9-10
Michael Baideme and Phillip Lee
Don Williams
- Stillwater Taproom January 17
- Symphony Hall, Atlanta January 11
The Vicky Grady Band
Martina McBride
- Stillwater Taproom January 22
- Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, Atlanta January 16-17
Earphunk
- Sky City January 23 Carlina Wray
- Stillwater Taproom January 23 Merle Haggard
- Columbia County Exhibition Center January 24
Billy Idol
- Tabernacle, Atlanta January 22 - Masquerade, Atlanta January 25
Gypsy Lord, Brian Kaye, Passage, Six Rock
Harry Connick Jr.
- Sky City January 24
- Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah February 5
The 200s
Katt Williams
- Stillwater Taproom January 24
- Philips Arena, Atlanta February 7
Charles Cronk Band, Vicky Grady Band, Vilai Harrington
Bill Maher
- Sky City January 29
Eric Benet, Johnny Gill, El Debarge
- Stillwater Taproom January 29 Sinners and Saints, The Menders
- Stillwater Taproom January 30 Tony Howard’s Motown Revue
- Imperial Theatre January 31 Underhill Rose
- Stillwater Taproom January 31
Elsewhere Sam Smith
- Fox Theatre, Atlanta January 9
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Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth January 31
Stephen Wines
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- City Auditorium, Macon February 7 - Fox Theatre, Atlanta February 8 George Clinton
- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta February 11 Shovels & Rope
- Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta February 12 Jessie J
- Center Stage, Atlanta February 12 Guster
- Tabernacle, Atlanta February 13 Big Head Todd and the Monsters
- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta February 13
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If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER. Well, for me it is. I was raised on southern football
and a southern football attitude: I LOVE football… as long as my team is doing well. So that means, even though the biggest game of the college football season is coming up, my football season is over... kinda. The CFP championship game will be played Monday, January 12, between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes, much to the dismay of southern football fans. This will be the first time in nine years that an SEC team isn’t playing for the national title. Football fans outside of the south are ecstatic. Southern football fans are all looking at Bama with our hands up saying, “Thanks a lot! You made us look bad!” I feel like I need to state this out loud: I am an Ohio State fan… by proxy. When my wife and I got together, I was excited to find out that she is a football fan. Then I learned she was an Ohio football fan. The Buckeyes and Browns are her passion. This was when I started to question whether this relationship was going to work out. I was relieved when football season came around and we scored tickets to a UGA game. She wore the red and black and screamed “GO DAWGS” like she had been doing it for years. So I figure it’s my duty as a good, supportive husband to reciprocate. But it’s just not as easy for me. For one thing, I get ridiculed when people find out. I find myself sometimes reluctant to tell people. Like I’m telling them that I’m a leper or something. I always have to follow it up with an explanation of why I’m wearing the occasional scarlet and silver T-shirt. Even after the explanation, many SEC fans just can’t for the life of them figure out why on earth I would ever defile my body so much as to wear anything with a Big 10 team on it. Hey, I get it, loyalty and all. But in the end, nobody in the SEC has birthed me any babies. So, I don’t mind yelling the occasional “O-H…” or “GO BROWNS!” I watched the Sugar Bowl with my oldest. He has the advantage of having family from different parts of the country so he has several teams for which to cheer. One of those teams being the Buckeyes, of course. He was beyond excited to see them win and 8JANUARY2015
said to me, as we watched Urban Meyer hoist that trophy above his head, “I love this feeling.” I responded with “I can only imagine.” As a fan of Georgia sports — Bulldogs, Falcons, Hawks, Braves — my teams are only good enough to give me the hope of them accomplishing greatness. Then they fall short and the all-too-familiar feeling of yet another disappointing season end sinks in. There was that one World Series won by the Braves in the ‘90s. But, by that time, I was so over the repeat failures that in my frustration I said “finally!” Then turned off my TV. In the following seasons, as we all know, the Braves would return the Georgia sports M.O.: flirting with mediocrity. It was fun to see the team I was cheering for win the big game for a change. I very rarely get that pleasure. I hope to see it again on January 12. I just know that if the Buckeyes are able to defeat the insanely fast Oregon Ducks, as I’m slapping fives with the wife and fist-bumping No. 2, I’ll have that extra feeling of, man this sure would be a lot better if it were the Dawgs! So, while I’m genuinely happy to see the wife’s team do so well, my heart will always be in Georgia. Go Dawgs!
KRIS FISHER,former HD98.3 afternoon host,
lives in Martinez and is currently DJing events as 'Life of the Party' Mobile DJ service. Reach him at djkfish.com.”. He is happily married to his wife Monica and is proud father of five: three kids and two dogs.
V26|NO2
SIGHTINGS
Michael Johnson | mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Mike and Truett Wilson with Erica Dishman and Bryant Couch at Surrey Tavern.
Carol Howard, Linda Henderson, Suzanne Wojtowicz and David Henderson at Oliviana Bar Italiano & Pizzeria.
Susan Bailie, Susan Dowdy, Elaine Myers and Jane Leonard at Oliviana Bar Italiano & Pizzeria.
Kevin Doyle, Trish Bolick and Buck Tinley at Surrey Tavern.
Kristen Busby, Lauren Ladun and Dana Rewls at Sky City.
Barbara Robinson and Aaron Brock with George and Charlotte Raley at Shannon’s.
Caby Gumus, Nick Majzer, Katie Roberson and Leanne Walker at Sky City.
Jenni Wilcox, Mike Hampton and Jennifer Platson at Andrew’s Place.
Ed Fountain, Haskell Johnson, Curtis Randall and Richard Barrett at the Edge.
34 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
8JANUARY2015
FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS By Joe Krozel / Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS 1 Where it’s lonely at, it’s said 7 Semi parts 11 Powder holder 14 It shrinks in the light 19 Pass on, as stories 20 Modern juice ingredient 22 Striped beast 23 Mrs. King on TV’s ‘‘Scarecrow and Mrs. King’’ 24 Imports 25 Host Jay and family 26 Su____ic 28 Political capital? 30 Antimalarial agent 31 Result of a burn 32 Ob____ly 35 ‘‘Game of Thrones’’ airer 37 Din 40 Italian tourist destination 41 Sultanate next to an emirate 42 ‘‘Friday the 13th’’ sequel subtitled ‘‘Jason Lives’’ 44 Bad-tempered, in Shakespeare 48 Something banned by international treaty 50 ____t 53 Sign of summer 54 Fish-and-chips fish 55 Bygone sports cars 56 Call for 57 Arrive casually, informally 59 They may be checked for checks 61 Opposite of ‘‘Brr!’’ 63 Grp. with auditors 65 Checkout headache 66 Pack, as a car 70 D-Day locale 71 Lo____y 74 Soave, e.g. 75 Last 77 Masked ‘‘bandit’’ 78 W.W. II domain: Abbr. 79 They start in middle school 80 Ransom specification 81 Soda nuts 83 Manhattan neighborhood east of N.Y.U. 85 Anne Hathaway’s persona in 2012’s ‘‘The Dark Knight Rises’’ 86 Sternward 89 ‘‘I’ve got good news and bad news’’ speaker 91 Li____nt
94 It’s often face-down in a jewelry store 97 Ibis relative 98 Messed (up) 99 Spices (up) 100 Part of town 102 Get back (to) 104 Flight-board abbr. 105 Ca____t 110 One of a Latin trio 112 It may follow you or me 113 It may be smoked in England 114 Wor____er 120 Eggs, e.g. 122 Like oysters as an appetizer, often 124 ‘‘That’s completely wrong, you idiot!’’ 125 Change, as a password 126 1976 hit for Hall & Oates 127 Curved fasteners 128 Some Deco works 129 ‘‘How pathetic’’ 130 Book of Mormon book 131 Not marry Mr. Right, say DOWN 1 Ride around some parking lots 2 Half3 H’s 4 Sawbucks 5 Song on a reunion tour, maybe 6 Virgin offering 7 Group of like-minded thinkers 8 Boat direction 9 Executive group 10 Pick up on 11 Relative of a pound 12 Energy unit 13 It’s on the right when you’re driving 14 Ends of the world 15 Luau staple 16 Plague, e.g. 17 Apple picker’s pick? 18 Didn’t just talk 21 Instrument in Vermeer’s ‘‘The Music Lesson’’ 27 Shine, in product names 29 ‘‘Modern Family’’ co-star 33 Preposition between two times 34 .biz alternative 35 Fill-in-the-blanks activity
1
36 Like some cotton 38 Jefferson Airplane genre 39 Operate 42 Exfoliation tool 43 Let it all out 45 Chafe 46 E____hen 47 Unenthusiastic 49 Birdbrain 51 Yom Kippur War politician 52 Partial translation of ‘‘Auld Lang Syne’’ 58 Ones who are never out of order? 60 Except 62 Duty 64 ‘‘Scary Movie,’’ e.g. 67 Like many toy trucks 68 Anonymous 69 Up on things 71 Mailing to a record exec, once 72 Preppy wear 73 Hot goods 76 Like talking in a theater, e.g. 79 Flap 82 Destination between LAX and Sea-Tac 84 Some computer aids 86 Modern place to buy games 87 Stew about 88 Sirloin cut 90 Negligent 92 Drop the ball 93 ‘‘So much for that’’ 95 Hit TV series set in Las Vegas 96 High-school makeup test, for short? 101 Tapered off 103 Airport shuttle, maybe 106 Rats and gnats 107 What you might get by breaking 4-Down 108 0-100, e.g. 109 Classic example of corporate malfeasance 111 Building block 115 ‘‘Hawaii Five-O’’ crimefighter, informally 116 Isn’t square, say 117 News anchor Lester 118 I.M.F. part: Abbr. 119 Ask 121 Rebel leader 123 ‘‘I knew it!’’
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IT’S NOT FOR THEM, IT’S FOR YOU
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V26|NO2
THE EIGHT
BOX TOPS Hobbits: Small but able to ward off competitors for three weeks in a row! RANK
TITLES
WEEKEND GROSS
TOTAL GROSS
WEEK #
LAST WEEK
1
THE HOBBIT: FIVE ARMIES
$21,732,090
$220,602,017
3
1
2
INTO THE WOODS
$18,728,441
$90,871,655
2
2
3
UNBROKEN
$18,169,840
$87,651,495
2
3
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THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2
$15,027,415
$15,027,415
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5
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3
$14,518,274
$89,847,179
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“Inherent Vice” IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW
that Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, “Inherent Vice,” was derived from the 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon, an author equally beloved and feared for the sprawl of his sagas, you could imagine its pitch meeting as Philip Marlowe meets the Big Lebowski, transported to early ‘70s stoner Los Angeles. At its center, we have Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), a shaggy P.I. whose quality hours are spent wearing denim and getting baked on his near-beach shack and whose nickname may derive from his maintaining a vague respectability by locating his actual office in a medical suite. Spiraling around Doc, in a series of personal crises interlocking with paid and obliged investigations, are crimes and intrigues that variously connect a real estate mogul, his wife, his lover (and Doc’s ex), counterculture informants, Nazi bikers, prostitutes, skull-conking LAPD, nose-picking feds, drug smugglers, financiers, runaways, loony dentists, sanitarium white coats and maybe a cult or two, kinda hard to say. Sausage-packed into 90 minutes, this could be a farcical nightmare; left to breathe over a full extra hour, though, Anderson’s adaptation can run as intricate, straight-faced L.A. noir. The humor — of which there is much — is allowed to arrive in its own time, often as unexpected punctuation to a scene, always as a pervasive weirdness. That ex of Doc’s, Shasta (Katherine Waterson), comes to explain she might be an accessory soon to the disappearance of her mogul boyfriend. Doc then takes a case from an ex-con (Michael Kenneth Williams, or Omar of “The Wire”) that points him toward the Aryan Brotherhood bodyguards of the same. Another case, proffered by the wife of a missing musician (Owen Wilson) points Doc deeper into some unseemly dealings. None of this is made easier with a gruff, self-described Renaissance cop nicknamed Bigfoot (a flattopped Josh Brolin) alternately browbeating Doc and shaking him down for tips. 36 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Sam Eifling A novel of such ambitious interweaving gives the reader the option to return to a dense paragraph or a pivotal chapter. A film on first viewing will make no such concessions if your attention flags momentarily. For all the deftness of Anderson’s screenplay, the names will likely soup and the events will smudge sometime before Hour Three. It is that dense, in fact, without the sort of gentle trippy breathers that the Coen Brothers used to leaven “Lebowski.” This is the difference, perhaps, between a stoner comedy and a stoner drama. The latter is far less forgiving of impaired short-term memory. To that end, though, “Inherent Vice” can’t be reduced to its constituent cogs and springs. Jonny Greenwood’s dream-fog score, playing constantly, complements the atmosphere of the image quality, color-saturated and pocked with blemishes evoking a Vietnam-era newsreel. Anderson here may have achieved a masterwork of plotting, but with a safety net. He has herded so many rabbits into the meadow that you can choose to chase as many or as few as you like. Eventually one or more are bound to bounce against your leg regardless, and amid the eddies of pleasant chaos, that may gratify as much as having actually caught the thing. How ultimately satisfying the escapade feels comes down in no small way to how we cotton to Doc. Phoenix has established himself as an actor who deals in no half-measures, consuming his roles and feeding himself to them in kind. We find him by turns in this epic weak and witty and determined and louche, tarred as a hippie, but afraid of nothing and low enough in profile to navigate almost anywhere. The Los Angeles that Pynchon and Anderson build for us is a deeply corrupt and yet curiously hopeful swamp. Doc embodies enough of the titular vice that we trust him when he shows glimmers of rectitude. He sees enough that we cannot begrudge him the occasional toke. Only a madman would head sober into such a sordid future. 8JANUARY2015
In Theaters January 9 ACTION
“Taken 3,” rated PG-13, starring Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen. Haven’t “they” already killed off everyone in Liam Neeson’s family yet? Apparently not, because now filmmakers are ripping off “The Fugitive” for their script choices. Will Liam be able to kick ass and clear his name before the credits roll? Of course he will!
(706)-854-8576 AUGUSTA | EVANS, GA (803)-787-4366 N. AUGUSTA | AIKEN, SC
V26|NO2
Make an Example of the Jeep-Driving Jerk I HAD A RELAXING CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY,
and I would wager most of you did as well. While we tore up a few turkeys, demolished four score+ wrapped boxes, and obliterated our waistlines, I can state without fear of contradiction that no one in my family vandalized over $40,000 worth of Columbia County taxpayers’ property. If the Columbia County Sheriff ’s Office is to be believed, one Columbia County family cannot make that claim. The 16-year-old high school sophomore reportedly borrowed his 18-year-old brother’s 2001 Jeep Cherokee, and used it over the holiday to lay waste to the new BMX bicycle park, currently under construction off Blanchard Woods Drive. Close to completion, investigators say the kid used the large, four-wheel-drive Cherokee to chew up sod, destroy constructed mounds and trails, and level the rest of the landscaping design and infrastructure so thoroughly that repairing the damage will delay opening the facility by at least two months at a cost of a minimum of $40,000, and very likely more. The juvenile has officially been charged with criminal damage to property in the second degree, but I am told, as the repair costs are tallied, there is a good chance he will face additional charges, which may include destroying government property. If his parents can step up and write a check for all this damage, I think I speak for most Columbia County taxpayers when I say that it would be a welcomed, pleasant surprise. But it would likely have to come straight out of their pocket. Insurance usually doesn’t cover something like this, because the destruction was the result of an intentional criminal act. If convicted, he and his parents are on the hook for this tab, no doubt. But even if they are able to compensate for the damage, that does not begin to punish the young man for one of the dumbest and most ridiculous acts of vandalism we have seen in these parts in quite a while. This reminds me of the brainless gaggle of Greenbrier senior girls from a few years ago who thought it would be “cute” to inject every exterior campus keyhole they could access with syringes full of superglue. Those gooftards were tagged for over a thousand dollars each to make repairs, and not allowed to graduate with their class until they paid up. Apparently this young man missed the fallout from that little prank; either that or he has a sociopathic streak that his parents would be wise to jump on like white on rice. When the Greenbrier girls went before juvenile court authorities, the main concern, if I recall, was restitution, not punishment. I thought at the time it was a very dangerous precedent because the message that many got out of it was if you can write a check to cover the property crimes you commit as a Columbia County teenager, then no harm done. I say it is time to make sure the right message gets sent in these cases, in a big, infamous way. Once completed, this BMX park is going to be filled every day with students from all over the area. If convicted in this case, I believe they should see this kid on site, several times a week, emptying garbage cans, scrubbing toilets, landscaping property and whatever else needs to be done around the park. Put him in a pink jumpsuit while he works at the park, so he is sure to be recognized. By the way, Juvenile Court Judge Doug Flanagan might want to consider investing 38 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
The reported “weapon of destruction” the 16-year-old is accused of using to destroy a BMX park under construction in Columbia County. The vehicle was borrowed from his 18-year-old brother. This picture was taken well before the alleged crime, the ironic presence of the police car in the background is nothing less than prophetic. in a few cases of those jumpsuits so he can issue them to other non-violent youthful offenders, who can also be put to work in high-profile locations to remind others of the high price of selfish and destructive criminal behavior. It is very important to make sure that restitution is made in these situations, but in affluent Columbia County, don’t let the schmucks off the hook just because their Mommy and Daddy can write a check. It is time to start calling these idiots out, while providing a solid deterrent to others who may be considering similar felonious escapades. And for those of you who attribute his alleged rampage as a youthful mistake, when was the last time one of your children did tens of thousands of dollars in willful
property damage while behind the wheel of a machine that could easily kill him and any poor souls stupid enough to ride shotgun? Make an example in this situation, and set the precedent. Columbia County is supposed to be smarter than this.
AUSTIN RHODES
The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
8JANUARY2015