METRONEWS AUGUSTA TEK CROSSWORD FEATURE
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EVENTS CALENDAR JENNY IS WRIGHT
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SLAB MATT’S MUSIC
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WHINELINE
people at the GRU Augusta Half Marathon this weekend. Interesting that King Azziz Jimmie Johnson wins the didn’t run ...or is it? Mayor Daytona 500 - nice! Danica Deke was all in. Maybe Azziz Patrick finishes 8th and becomes the first female to can make that change next year and lead from the front. lead a lap in the Daytona 500 - nice! FOX reporter Erin Probably not. Andrews “cold shoulders” Above Matt Stone’s column 50-Cent as he tries to kiss on drinking in moderation on her - freekin’ priceless! Feb. 21 is a photo of actor Nick Nolte after one of his Enjoyed watching all of the
well-documented arrests for DUI. Except there is no photo cutline or mention in the piece. Does the Spirit copy editor think that every reader is able to identify a bedraggled Nolte? Can anyone say Journalism 101? Please do NOT consider discontinuing the New York Times crossword puzzle!!! It is a primary reason I pick
up Metro Spirit, although I read and enjoy all of it. And yes, I do complete 99% of the puzzle 99% of the time, so don’t sell readers short! Boy Scout Troop #615 does not want the boys’ fathers to go on campouts with the troops!! Hmmmmmmm............??? Well what do you know?
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Contributors Greg Baker|Sam Eifling |Kristin Hawkins |Rhonda Jones nes |Austin Rhodes|Josh Ruffin|M Ruffin|Mat Ruffin|Matt Stone|Adam Wadding|Jenny Wrig Wright
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WHINE LINE
EricJohnson|news editor eric@themetrospirit.com
o r t e m IR P S
INSIDER RUFFIN’ IT AUSTIN RHODES
ART45 CUISINE SCENE SIGHTINGS
Metro Spirit is a freee newspaper published publis weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks eks a year. Editorial coverage includes local ocal al issues and news, arts, arts entertainment, entert people, places and pectrum. The he views do not necessarily represent present the views of the th publisher. publish Visit us at metrospirit.com. m.© events. In our paperr appear views from across the political and social spectrum. ner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permissio p person, perso please. 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: permission is prohibited. One copy per
CONTENTS
Guy Stuff: Changes at Friedman’s Jewelers will bring smiles to guys’ faces
o r t e m IRIT SP J.J.Jr. got popped right here in the middle of Black History Month (Or have they changed it to African American History Month?) for misuse of campaign funds. While his dad has spent his life defending human rights and trying to bring equality to the Black population, Jr. has become a thief, a liar and a cheat.
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Healing Stories: Program helps those recovering from mental illness through sharing stories Suspicions Continue: Committee meetings do nothing to answer ethics questions while raising new ones
Breathe Easy: Coalition again attempts to make Augusta smoke free, starting with GRU’s Summerville campus
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IN
INSIDER@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Insider is an anonymous, opinion-based examination of the hidden details of Augusta politics and personalities.
SIDER
The Big Bite Solid Waste Director Mark Johnson faced some resistance from commissioners regarding a request to outsource lawn services rather than continue to rely on free inmate labor. The argument he made, that inmates aren’t efficient and that they aren’t really free by the time you factor in transportation costs and the equipment for them to use, was a difficult one to make with everyone so focused on financial matters, especially since everyone has been conditioned to think of inmate labor as one big, untapped free resource. While understanding that inmate labor might not be the way to continue to go, Commissioner Marion Williams challenged his colleagues to save money in ways other than outsourcing. “We’ve got to get creative,” he said. “We can get aggressive. We can get proactive. We can get open minded and do some things that will help us without outsourcing.” His solution to cleaning up the overgrown lots and abandoned parcels? Goats. Goats, he said, are the only animal you don’t have to feed because, well… they’re goats, and they’ll eat anything. He’s seen it done, he said. In Atlanta. If shopping center owners have a retention pond that needs trimming around, they just put up some temporary electric fences and bring in the goats. It’s that simple. Later in the meeting, a fellow commissioner wondered aloud if goats might be an effective way to handle the demolition of the dilapidated houses that have become such a problem.
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The Art of Give Me More “When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory, cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery.” “The Art of War” Sun Tzu The raise the new sheriff sought for himself has had the media and citizens abuzz. Most discussed are the politics behind the decision. Who is to blame? Why was it done? Has Grady lost his mind? But more than a political whydunit, Insiders are saying it is, at its heart, the mother of all management blunders. You’d think he might have gotten a little more out of that Troy University master’s degree. If he had, he would have combined politics and management and stood before the Richmond County Commission and demanded pay raises not for himself, but for his overworked and underpaid staff. He would have demanded it loud, in front of every camera and voice recorder. Pay raises for the men and women on the street. Being pragmatic, he would have known it wasn’t going to happen, but that wouldn’t have been the point. In doing that, in speaking up for his people at the expense of himself, he would have immediately earned respect from a group of men and women wanting to believe in him more than he could ever imagine. Instead, he chose to look out for himself. He got the raise, all right. But he lost a lot of respect along with way, and that comes at a cost that’s tough to estimate, but will be easy — very easy — to measure.
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Rolling Chuckle We’ve heard from numerous officers that orders have come down from the top to no longer write citations for vehicle safety issues. You know, smoked license plate covers, non-operating brake lights — the basic equipment car owners are expected to maintain to keep their vehicles safe for them and the drivers they share the road with. In addition, driving on a suspended license in Richmond County just became much less of a hassle. First, the word was that if you pulled someone over for driving on a suspended license, you wouldn’t arrest them unless they had a failure to appear on their record — unless they were convicted on one of the few state charges that mandate the arrest. Then it came down not to arrest them unless they had multiple failures to appear. To officers on the street, this re-evaluation appears to be a forced pandering to a particular base that is none too happy with the tickets being issued. Sadly, the directive takes the well-meaning operation and makes it the PR stunt people suspected it to be at the beginning. When a situation stinks this bad, there are bodies buried somewhere.
Another Missed Opportunity On paper, the state of the arts in Augusta is strong. So strong, in fact, that the whole idea of a grand performing arts center is one again being tossed about, both by editorial pages and by those who could actually do something to make such a thing happen. At the same time, things are moving along pretty well at the venues we do have. We have intelligent, savvy managers booking the Bell and the James Brown Arena, a wise reset of oversight over at the Lady A Amphitheatre, an aggressive push by Symphony Orchestra Augusta to resurrect the Miller and at least the appearance of good things ahead at the Imperial (with them, appearance is all you can expect). Which is makes last Wednesday’s Beethoven Lunch and Learn so disappointing. Here, you had a free — free — talk given not by some stuffy, no-name music historian, but by the young, dynamic executive director of our own orchestra, and she was speaking about the most widely recognized and easily appreciated composer in the history of orchestral music. The week-long Beethoven Festival it was a part of had been well advertised, well promoted and thoroughly covered by area media, with a cover story here, write ups in the daily and spots on local television. Frankly, no one could ask for better execution, either from themselves or from their friends in the media. Not only that, the festival hit the right tone, neither stuffy nor dismissively condescending. However, attendance at Mieko Di Sano’s Wednesday talk at the library topped out at five — the next two speakers, Di Sano’s assistant, the executive director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council and a member of the media who was there out of his own curiosity. That makes one person — or zero, depending on how much you want to quibble over the term “general public� — who was interested enough or engaged enough in their community to go. Maybe it’s not Augusta that’s lame. Maybe it’s Augustans.
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&DOO .HOOLH 3XJK DW WR VFKHGXOH \RXU SHUVRQDO WRXU WRGD\ 353 N. Belair Rd | Evans M O R N I N G S I D E O F E V A N S . C O M 28FEBRUARY2013
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2013 Academy Awards Best, Worst and FLLRRRGGHHARPPH
If you’re like me, you watched the Oscars this past Sunday night. Also, if you’re like me, you’re just home from work, fiercely downing a pint of Hopalicious to try and erase the image of a middle-aged couple you served drinks to over an hour before making out like back-acne’d teenagers in a parked 2008 Audi behind the Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt shop. You are probably not like me. But back to the Oscars. If you watched them and are still alive enough to read this, then congratulations: you managed to override the auto-destruct sequence designed to kick in whenever Seth MacFarlane acts like an impossible f***ing moron. If he were any more of a douchebag, he’d be zipped up in a surreptitious, tasteful little satchel, attached to Christopher Plummer’s hip. I’ve got lots of these, but I’m saving them for later. Stupid, offensive people do stupid, offensive things every year at the Oscars, but — and I don’t know if my Bulls**t-o-Meter is growing more sensitive with age or what — this year seemed particularly egregious, forced. The most depressing part is that there were some truly great moments here, but that’s kind of like sprinkling diamond dust over fecal matter. Or hell, paprika over fecal matter. The second-most depressing part is that people like Bruce Villanche are already writing the patter for the 2014 ceremony, and this is still the best they’ll be able to come up with. The Good Christoph Waltz Wins His Second Best Supporting Actor Oscar. I love Christoph Waltz so much, I don’t even care that this category pretty much cost me the win in our family Oscar pool. The winner gets to pick the annual Christmas Eve movie for next year, and I was going to make everyone go see whatever a Wayans was doing at that point. No wonder I was banished to the North. Not only did he beat out frontrunners Tommy Lee Jones and Alan Arkin (from this year’s two most Oscar-winning productions), but he did it in probably the most controversial, uncomfortable and, let’s face it, downright exploitative mainstream film this year. In the span of a few short years, he’s won two Academy Awards for playing a somehow-likable Nazi officer, and a man who helps Jamie Foxx explode some slavers. That’s range you can’t luck into. He’ll soon be playing Nietzsche, which, along with Tom Waits as Satan, had to have been pre-ordained before the beginning of recorded time. Jennifer Lawrence Trips. Don’t misunderstand; this is not out of malice. Jennifer Lawrence is an immensely talented young actress, and she’s so charming that I don’t even hold harbor the resentment I normally would against someone who won her first Oscar at an age when I was still sporting a neck-beard made mostly of Brillo pads and alfalfa. I can’t help it; she keeps on being in my favorite films. Yes, even “The Hunger Games.” Yes, I’m 13 years old. Yes, that answers a lot of your questions. Going into the ceremony, everyone knew good and damn well that she and Anne Hathaway were going to take home their respective awards. But whereas Anne only had an awkward, supernippled gown to offset the exhaustion of inevitability, Jennifer Lawrence went and freaking tripped on her way up the stairs to receive the statue. There is no better way to endear yourself to an audience than by personal, physical embarrassment. That’s why all those parents signed molestation waivers for Michael Jackson after his head caught on fire. Everyone in attendance knew Lawrence was going to win, but that standing ovation was for the stumble, not the accolade. And good on her. Daniel Day-Lewis’ Acceptance Speech. This one was so much of a shoe-in, all other nominees were preemptively ignored once this movie was even announced. It’s a classic play on the traditional Oscar formula: historical biopic plus marquee director plus legendary method actor. “Lincoln” was nominated for a whopping
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dozen Oscars, and while it didn’t take home many, it was nothing if not a tailor-made vehicle for Day-Lewis’ chameleonic talents. It’s that intensely insular way about him, that reputation for complete immersion, that made his acceptance speech so charming and refreshing. Gracious, self-aware and with a simultaneous nod to and jab at Hollywood’s tendency to stunt-cast in pursuit of fame, it was by far the most poetic, most human moment of a lackluster ceremony. Shirley Bassey. Bowing down. Enough said. The Bad “We Saw Your Boobs.” A lot has already been said about this — and more eloquently than in these pages — by the New York Times and Vulture, but it bears repeating as often as we can stand it. Yeah, the song and dance number was “meant” to be offensive as part of a meta-joke in the supremely boring opening exchange between MacFarlane and Shatner. But there are two things in particular that stand out as tasteless and/or lazy: 1) mentioning Jodie Foster in “The Accused.” I’m sorry, but reducing a film that deals so viscerally with the horrors of freaking gang rape to “tits” is terrifyingly bad judgment. 2) The Los Angeles Gay Men’s Choir. “Hey look! Guys that wear tuxes and sing pretty; they must be queer, right? Because Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Jerry Orbach, Andrea Bocelli and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are all figments of our stupid, misogynistic imaginations.”
Seth MacFarlane. Jesus Christ, where to start with this dips**t? The best thing you can possibly say about MacFarlane’s performance as Oscar host is that he didn’t do the Stewie voice, a show of restraint that I’m sure made him physically ill. He was attention-whoring, smarmy, unfunny and exuded all the integrity and class of a clown stuck in a meat grinder. Seth MacFarlane is proof that God either does not exist or He was stuck on the john with food poisoning for four hours on Sunday night. Look, I know it’s a thankless gig. To anyone with a mote of self-respect, taking this job must make them feel like Lewis Black did at that Bush-era correspondence dinner. And it wasn’t just MacFarlane, objectively terrible and entitled as he is. Everyone involved with the planning and execution of that broadcast thought, Okay, Seth MacFarlane is a punchable, grating douchebag — let’s do everything we can to enhance that. FLLRRRGGHHARPPH Ben Affleck’s Best Picture Acceptance Speech. Truthfully, I’m glad “Argo” won, and I have immense respect for Ben Affleck as a filmmaker after seeing “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town.” But that speech was a sticky s**t-salad. It was so rambling, uncomfortable and unintentionally revealing (regarding his marriage to Jennifer Garner), it was like Mitt Romney discussing his tax returns and Mel Gibson watching “Schindler’s List” all at once. You knew I was going there at least once, right?
JOSHRUFFIN, a Metro Spirit alum, is a published
journalist and poet who just received his MFA from Georgia College & State University. He was once the most un-intimidating bouncer at Soul Bar.
MONEY
DOESN’T
GROW ON TREES (Although some local tree services must believe belililiev be evee it does ev ddoe oess according oe acco ac cord co rdin rd ingg to their in tthe heir he ir estimates!) est estim sttim imat ates at ess!))
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Crafty Attorney Uses Jail Report to Make a Case I don’t believe I have ever met Tanya Jeffords. But when I do, I gotta shake the lady’s hand. As one of the hired defense attorneys for Augusta Judicial Circuit Assistant Public Defender Alexia (Lexi) Davis, she has deployed one of the most ingenious plans I have ever seen as she fights felony charges that Davis improperly kept a $10,000 ring she found in a Columbia County restaurant’s parking lot. Jeffords used the Jail Report to launch a pre-emptive strike, clearly attempting to cast doubt on the guilt of her client, and the motives of the Magistrate judge issuing the warrant, the DA’s office and Columbia County Sheriff’s investigators, even before Davis was formally arrested and booked on the charges Tuesday morning. Coincidentally, Jeffords had been working on another, completely separate case with Jail Report owner and publisher Greg Rickabaugh. Through that work, Jeffords must have decided that she liked the former Augusta Chronicle reporter-turned mini media-magnate, because early Monday night she was calling him back concerning the Davis case. Before she was able to get too deep into the history of the case, Rickabaugh admitted he knew about the charges and the fact that Davis’s arrest was imminent. Acknowledging her client’s job in the criminal justice system was going to immediately turn the matter into a cause celebre, Jeffords asked if the JR would run a statement explaining their side of the case that would accompany the facts as the authorities intend to lay them out. Rickabaugh readily agreed, and this was the unedited statement Jeffords submitted on behalf of her client: “At this time warrants have been issued by the associate magistrate who is not a lawyer in Columbia County for Ms. Davis for the crime of theft of lost or mislaid property. ‘A person commits the offense of theft of lost or mislaid property when he comes into control of property that he knows or learns to have been lost or mislaid and appropriates the property to his own use without first taking reasonable measures to restore the property to the owner.’ No matter what shadow the Sheriff and the District Attorney’s office tries to cast upon Ms. Davis’ impeccable reputation and her motives, the legal fact is that she did not appropriate the ring for her own use, which is the crime this statute is intending to cover. When she learned who the owner was through the postings online from the Sheriff’s Office, she promptly turned it in. She knew it was valuable but she had neither sold it nor wore the ring as if it was hers. I trust that Columbia County will do the right thing. They will likely wonder why their tax dollars are being spent to prosecute a person when the lady
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who lost the ring got her ring back. Ms. Davis should not have to present a defense as to whether she took reasonable measures to restore the property to the owner, because the lady did get her ring back as soon as Ms. Davis knew who she was. Mere possession of the property for a length of time does not constitute a crime. As her lawyers and as her friends, we will all prepare for trial and pray that the right thing will be done. Ms. Davis is represented by Tanya Jeffords, Charles Lyons, Jacque Hawk, and Jack Long.” The statement was published in its entirety on the Jail Report’s social media pages, and was set to appear in print this week as well. Somewhere, Perry Mason has to be laughing his ass off. The Jail Report has been described by any number of media snobs, community leaders and accused criminals (and their families) as the scurge of the Fourth Estate. They say that its success and popularity is proof positive that Western civilization as we know it is about to implode. Critics have derided the publication, which lists as many arrest mug shots from area jails as space will allow, as a voyeuristic visit to the gutter, which leaves everyone looking guilty before they have had their day in court. Yeah, well bollocks to the critics! The JR is doing the same thing the rest of us in the media business have been doing since time immemorial: reporting arrests and interesting police blotter fodder. They simply do it with more pictures, better packaging and fewer stock market reports. The CSRA’s standard bearer in daily journalism, the aforementioned former professional home of the JR’s owner, the Augusta Chronicle, has recently taken to providing links to its own set of mug shots every week, clearly yielding to the popularity of the material and demand of the marketplace. This unprecedented pre-emptive defense move on Davis’ behalf appears to me to be the criminal bar’s own admission that the tabloid, and its place in the local market, is a force to be reckoned with. Maybe Davis will tell her story to the TV reporters, or perhaps even the Austin Rhodes Show, before she has to tell it to the judge. But no matter what, all of us, including the judge, will be finishing behind Rickabaugh’s tabloid. Based on the support Davis seems to be getting from the AUSTINRHODES The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes JR’s almost 70,000 Facebook and do not necessarily represent the views of the fans, it appears the move is publisher. paying off.
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ERICJOHNSON
Healing Stories
Program helps those recovering from mental illness through sharing stories
Joel Slack addresses RESPECT Institute graduates
When Joel Slack addressed the graduates of the RESPECT Institute at East Central Regional Hospital on Friday, February 22, his message was simple — telling the stories of mental health illness helps reverse the stigma that is widely associated with it by revealing the humanity of those suffering from it. “I believe that it’s not until we see a glimpse of the humanity in someone that we are able to truly respect them,” he said. “If you don’t see the humanity, the easier it is to disrespect them.” The three and a half day RESPECT Institute program Slack developed teaches individuals recovering from mental illness to articulate and share their stories throughout the community. Started in Missouri about 12 years ago, RESPECT 8
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Institute graduates have participated in over 750 events. Slack, a former basketball player who suffered a breakdown after his first year playing basketball in college, spent almost 10 years in a mental health hospital before recovering from his mental illness, and now he’s spoken to over 400,000 people in nearly 30 different countries. “I realized there was a therapeutic benefit to telling my story, and the more I told it, the more I was able to make sense of my story,” he said. “It was less mysterious.” The RESPECT Institute of Georgia is funded by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and is a collaboration between the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network and Mental Health America of Georgia. Currently in the middle of its inaugural year in Georgia, the RESPECT Institute goes to different
mental health hospitals and agencies throughout the state and works with clients to, as Slack puts it, help them make sense of things that never made any sense before. “We kind of help them articulate their life experiences with mental illness as well as what they had to do in order to recover,” said Alfred Brooks, the RESPECT Institute outreach coordinator. “Then, we take them throughout the community — to different colleges and universities and grade schools and legislative offices — to share their stories.” The program operates on the premise that the more the general public hears honest, unflinching tales of recovery, the more informed and understanding they’ll be. According to Slack, that kind of candor goes much further than simply telling people they have nothing to fear. “When you go out into the community and tell 28FEBRUARY2013
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people not to worry about us, that we’re just like everyone else and we’re not any more dangerous, people actually get more suspicious,” Slack explained. Even those in the mental health community sometimes need that reassurance, Brooks said, remembering a speaking engagement at a university with a behavioral health nursing program where the students were disillusioned because during their clinical hours they never saw people getting any better. “After seeing our presentation, they were like, ‘Oh — I can really see doing this for a living. We see that recovery is possible,’” Brooks said. “A lot of people don’t know about mental illness and they believe that once you get sick, you’re just that way — it’s almost a death sentence, so what our program does is to help shed light that recovery does happen and that people can recover, even from the worst circumstances.” That resiliency was evident at Friday’s graduation ceremony, where four of the dozen or so participants shared their stories. “I finally learned how to love me unconditionally,” said Harvey Barksdale, Jr., who is now in school maintaining a 3.5 grade point average while seeking to become a substance abuse counselor. “I have learned how to feel emotions rather than to act out on them.” Like most of those who spoke, Barksdale abused drugs and had to overcome a difficult childhood. In his presentation, he spoke of channeling the energy he had used so destructively toward a greater, positive purpose.
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“I used the drugs whether it was raining, sleeting or snowing, so I began speaking out for mental illness with the same energy and drive, trying to change the stigma associated with mental illness and addiction,” he said. On the first day of the program, participants told their stories to each other in a roundtable format. That night, they went home and wrote a formal version of their story, which they then presented to the class from behind a podium. For many, the extremely personal public speaking was the most challenging part of the program. After constructive critiques, they revised their presentations and then gave them again the next day. Participants voted on the best stories, and those were given again as part of the graduation day program. At East Central Regional Hospital, over 60 people gathered in the auditorium to experience the graduation, including Congressman John Barrow, who spoke of how important it was for people to hear from the perspective of those who are dealing with, or have dealt with, mental illness. “To have the experts and the people who are actually responsible for saving people’s lives talk — that’s important,” he said. “But having the lives that are saved out there as examples to show what can be done, I think, is a far more vivid testimony than you can get from any number of PhDs.” Barrow said that when it comes to illness, the differences between the mind and the body are negligible, though the world at large has been slow to recognize it. “We don’t think twice about treating a broken
bone and using the institution of insurance to pay for it,” he said. “But it’s awful hard for some people to treat things that we traditionally thought of as character flaws. We, though, know better than that.” According to Brooks, a lot of that stigma comes from the media, which gives society a lot of its cues, both through the way it tells stories and from the stories it chooses to tell. “A tragedy happens, and if it wasn’t a terrorist, we automatically think it must have been someone who was sick in the head,” he said. “It’s automatic. So it really takes the media to be brave enough to cover this angle of the story to really change how we think about things.” The program has a two-year commitment from the state, and, according to Brooks, a former legislative aide whose uncle was bipolar, it has received a lot of positive feedback and seems to be well positioned as the mental health community moves to more of a recovery model. And seeing recovery first hand, Brooks said, gives people a much better understanding of the strength and determination the participants use to get better. “When you see the hope and the drive and the perseverance and the resilience of these people — it makes you take a look at your own life and say, you know what… I’ve got nothing to complain about,” he said.
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GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D
Our Big Frakking Brother Outlandish? Not as much as you might think.
It’s getting late as our hero sits at his terminal. C-Bucks lost again, and another thousand cubits lost betting on Pyrimid. “Frak! How could they possibly lose to the Panthers?” our hero thinks. Of course, it’s not so much the money. Let’s face it… the way things are going, cubits are going to be pretty frakking useless anyway. No, it’s the incessant trash talk that comes with another loss to Picon. “Looks like we’ll spend tomorrow listening to them run their frakking mouths.” Our hero finds another stream on his terminal. Looks like the new Holly Legrand movie has finally made it to stream. With a click of the control, the opening scene appears on the terminal. “What the frak!” The stream freezes, and a window appears. “This is a notice from the Center for Copyright Information. Our monitoring system has detected that your account may have been misused for online content theft. Further misuse will result in the reduction of services. If you believe you have received this alert in error, please contact the Center for Copyright Information. One of our arbitrators will be happy to judge your claims. You must acknowledge the receipt of this alert. Please acknowledge this alert by clicking here.” ---Seems a bit outlandish, doesn’t it? The continuous monitoring of video channels in an effort to detect undesired activity. Fortunately, U. S. citizens are protected from such surveillance by the Fourth Amendment. You remember it from your civics class; that’s the one that protects you from unreasonable searches and seizures. Basically, it says that a government organization must have probable cause and a warrant before a search may be conducted and private property seized. There’s just one small problem. It doesn’t apply to us. At least in terms of monitoring Internet usage. You see, the Center for Copyright Information is a real organization that was formed by the recording industry and internet service providers for the sole purpose of policing online copyright infringement. This surveillance program, known as the Copyright Alert System, requires internet providers to monitor all peer-to-peer connections, and provide alerts if suspected copyright infringement is detected. Alerts from the Internet provider may range from email notifications, redirection to landing pages for educational purposes or temporary reduction of internet bandwidth. A board of recording industry and ISP representatives governs the organization and maintains significant control over the arbitrators in the event that an alert is challenged. No appeal of the center’s final decision is permitted. Now one may argue that the Center for Copyright Information is a private organization, and the Copyright Alert System is created through the mutual contract between private organizations. While technically true, it’s not difficult to argue that the communication industry is so heavily regulated that no program like this would ever be able to move forward without at least the tacit approval of the regulatory bodies. Indeed, many political organizations, including the White House, have lined up behind this program. Also, the nature of the collusion between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the major internet service providers — Comcast, AT&T, Cablevision, Time Warner and Verizon, representing 75 percent of broadband internet customers — would seem to raise concern regarding cronyism and possible antitrust infringements. But I’m not holding my breath that anyone is going to care too much about that. The Copyright Alert System formally launched this past week. For more information on this program and copyright law as it relates to electronic media, please see the Electronic Frontier Foundation at eff.org. Until next time, I’m off the grid @gregory_a_baker. GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D, is vice president and chief rocket scientist for CMA, which provides information technology services to CSRA businesses and nonprofits.
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MARK MY WORDS
By Ian Livengood and J.A.S.A. Crossword Class / Edited by Will Shortz 92 Pince-___ 94 Tony-nominated play made into an Oscar-nominated movie 97 Paper size: Abbr. 98 Dance in 3/4 time 100 China and environs 101 It might come out in the wash 103 Lacking scruples 105 B&O and others 106 Silent interval 110 1945 Pacific battle site, informally 111 Catch 112 Abe 114 Relatively inexpensive wrap 116 Had a senior moment 119 Work from a folder 122 Island SW of Majorca 123 Some paneling 124 Old North State native 125 Piece of the past 126 Co-founder of Death Row Records 127 Some ocean debris 128 Pastime for Barack Obama at Camp David Down 1 English division 2 Coastal Anatolian region 3 Barbecue annoyances 4 Miss at the movies? 5 Region 6 Twaddle 7 Tax law subj. 8 Big do 9 There’s no escaping this 10 Request that one attend 11 Certain joint 12 Apple core, briefly 13 Unruffled 14 Prefix with red 15 One of the usual suspects? 16 Org. with an eagle in its logo 17 Piehole 20 “Blues in the Night” composer Harold 21 Certain sultan’s subjects 26 Country with a supreme leader 29 Petroleum distillate 33 Source of the line “What’s done is done” 35 Ginger feature 37 Drunkard 39 Angry cat’s sound
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1/24 of un giorno “___ Miz” Better suited Careered Split part of a reindeer Rank below group captain Car radio button Top ’90s-’00s Britcom Month after Av Microsoft Surface competitor Uncertain Tom Cruise’s character in “Mission: Impossible” 63 Hägar’s wife in the funnies 66 Round up 67 ___ Laënnec, inventor of the stethoscope 68 Pursue 69 Certain bid, informally 70 Kind of court or cross 71 Bridge dividing the San Marco and San Polo districts 72 Early 20th century, in British history 73 Pink-slips 76 Answer man? 77 Old West casino game 78 Oceans 79 Pump option: Abbr. 82 Itch cause 83 It brightens up a performance 85 Yom Kippur War weaponry 87 Record producer Brian 89 Gray shade 93 Twisty-horned creatures 95 “Halloween,” e.g. 96 Opportunity creator 98 Go-between 99 Sci-fi staple 102 Partner of operated 104 Blazing 107 Submit an online return 108 “___ Q” (Creedence Clearwater Revival hit) 109 Plot 113 Dundee denials 115 Cocktails with crème de cassis 116 Letters on briefs 117 Celtic water deity 118 Poet’s “before” 120 Post-1858 rule 121 “Give ___ break!”
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Across 1 Summation symbol in math 6 Baseball team’s leading hitter 12 Gotham police procedural 18 “Your ___ …” 19 Body of water on the Uzbek border 21 Post-1968 tennis 22 Silly 23 Magic, once 24 Rear guard? 25 CVS competitor 27 What a faker may put on 28 Gotham-bound luggage letters 30 Estuary, e.g. 31 Like a walk in the park 32 Group with the monster 1994 album “Monster” 34 Like the dish kimchi 36 Followers of 1-Acrosses 38 “Aida” figure 41 Preserve, as fodder 43 It’s good for what ails you 45 Cool people 48 Sugar suffix 49 What a raised hand may signal 50 Nuts 51 Show tune with the lyric “Here am I, your special island” 53 Cosine reciprocal 55 1960s-’70s drama set in San Francisco 58 Allow 60 Egg choice 61 Go up against 62 Heart 64 Bitmap image 65 Thor’s domain 67 1968 movie directed by Paul Newman 70 Forerun 74 Chaney of “Of Mice and Men” 75 Beast that killed Adonis 76 Way off 80 Actor Quinn 81 “Heavens to Betsy!” 84 What many op-art designs appear to do 86 Fictional Indiana town where “Parks and Recreation” is set 88 Upside-down container 90 Space effect, for short 91 Word from Hamlet while holding a skull
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P O E M E N V Y G R E E N E L A N G R Y H T E I N S E N O E X T R A L O W P I E E W I L D A R N S T I C S H O R S T H E O G I N F B R O A I I I L A D M A D E L M O N Y C
G N U E L L S W O R T H
G R A N D P A
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B A T A B E A S S O O T T G R Y H E B E A B R R G E E L L B O O E L D W E I E G S H O R T B O A H E E S A Y S H N E D M A D E A P L O P
J U S T I N T E F H O M A M P I P P O S P O I L E E A V E R B E D S N S T E R U P L I C E S T O R E N D H N U O W T H O S W O R L A S C I R E A M
L E S S R E E L T R Y S T
D I S
FROM BEETHOVEN TO THE BEASTIE BOYS Elliott Sons Funeral Homes ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM
28FEBRUARY2013
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 13
V24|NO09
ERICJOHNSON
Suspicions Continue
Committee meetings do nothing to answer ethics questions while raising new ones
An agenda item intended to discuss rebidding large contracts and the possible use of a contract specialist ended up antagonizing commissioners already on edge about allegations that three of their own have engaged in improper working relationships with the city. Commissioner Bill Lockett’s Administrative Services Committee was prepared to act on Commissioner Grady Smith’s motion to update code provisions relating to employees and public officials participating as subcontractors on city projects, an item that was referred from the February 11 Administrative Services Committee meeting, but Lockett led a vote to delete that from the agenda, adding in its place a discussion about the allegations that three city commissioners have done business with the city. After the February 11 committee meeting, which resulted in a closed door legal session following Procurement Director Geri Sams’ reluctance to publically answer questions about whether there was any evidence that commissioners were
working for the city, it was learned that Commissioners Grady Smith, Joe Jackson and Wayne Guilfoyle had all done work for the city. Smith owns a plumbing company with his brother, Jackson is a locksmith and Guilfoyle owns a flooring company. All have since admitted their businesses have performed work for the city since taking office. The discussion was set to occur at the end of the long series of committee meetings, though instead of launching into the expected discussion, Lockett chose to put the issue into Mayor Deke Copenhaver’s lap by moving it to the full commission, citing Copenhaver’s censure of Commissioner Calvin Holland in 2007 as precedence for the mayor to become involved. The move surprised many commissioners, who had remained for the expected discussion after their own committee meetings had finished. Both Lockett and Commissioner Marion Williams expressed displeasure with the law department for not providing what they considered the important, relevant information that was requested about the topic. Lockett called the information he received “deplorable”
and Williams demanded facts and figures so that he didn’t have to make assumptions from media accounts. The motion to move it forward to the full commission failed after a substitute motion made by Commissioner Donnie Smith to hold a special public meeting failed because he was not a voting member of the committee. No one else picked up his motion, though Williams said he would make sure the issue would be placed on an upcoming agenda. Further adding to the suspicions of wrongdoing engulfing city government was the discovery that the city is operating with contracts that have not gone through the procurement process. Again, this information came from Sams, who was again reluctant to speak fully about the issue. After failing to give an example of a type of contract that would not go through the procurement department, a frustrated Donnie Smith pressed unsuccessfully for an answer. “That’s a lot of words that got us nowhere,’ he said of her rambling response. “I know,” she replied. Donnie Smith said he would follow up at another time, but Williams, who reminded her of the old adage that there are no courthouse secrets, refused to let it go. “I can’t wait,” he said. “This is too much for me to wait on — I need to know why, I need to know how much money and I need to know when.” Lockett, however, was unwilling to allow the questioning, and against Williams’ objections, asked Sams if she was prepared to answer the question, to which Williams protested. “Commissioner Williams, I am chair of this committee and I asked the question and I wish you would respect that.” “You are the chair,” Williams admitted, “but I had the floor.” “And I’m taking it back,” Lockett snapped. The heated exchange left only questions in its wake at a time when there is considerable speculation about the ethics surrounding the administration of government contracts.
KRISTINHAWKINS
Breathe Easy
Coalition again attempts to make Augusta smoke free, starting with GRU’s Summerville campus An Augusta group is attempting to spread the word about the health hazards of smoking and the effects of second-hand smoke. Again. A year ago, the Breathe Easy Coalition went before the Richmond County Commission to propose a county wide smoke ordinance. Although the ordinance did not pass, members of the coalition are continuing to spread the message before bringing the ordinance before the committee again. Jennifer Anderson, the director of respiratory therapy at Georgia Regents University, is the chair of the Breathe Easy Coalition and an advocate for healthy living for the community. May marks Anderson’s 40th year in respiratory care. That, 14 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
28FEBRUARY2013
V24|NO09
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along with her own health issues, is fueling her latest push for healthier living conditions for people in all work environments. “We have a number of people in our community who may not have the opportunity to work anywhere but a bar, and they end up smoking a cigarette for the entire time they are at work,� Anderson said. “A lot of these people have families and they have to work and put food on the table and they have to work in that environment. We would like for everyone to have the opportunity to work in a smoke-free environment.� Right now, the coalition’s goal is to educate the community on the harms of secondhand smoke and to try to influence the community in a way that steers it from the unhealthy lifestyles of smoking, Anderson said. “There are a lot of communities across the country that are going smoke-free and some entire cities,� she said. “Savannah just recently went smoke-free, and there are a lot of communities that go smoke-free and it really does improve businesses in a lot of ways.� One event that the group is standing behind is the ban of tobacco use on the Georgia Regents’ Summerville campus. “That is where it’s starting,� Anderson said. “We are working toward that for our community, and our group is a part of trying to help the campus at Summerville.� Walt Alexanderson, the interim director of Human Resources at GRU, not only supports a tobacco-free campus, but he also supports the goals and teachings of the Breathe Easy Coalition. “The goal really is not to move the use of tobacco off campus,� Alexanderson said. “It’s to educate people to stop using tobacco because the use of tobacco, mainly smoking, results in long-term negative health consequences, and that just raises the cost of our society when we have to take care of people who have developed disease because of their use of tobacco.�
621 NW FRONTAGE ROAD | AUGUSTA, GA 30907
Although the goal is not necessarily to make people quit smoking, Anderson and Alexanderson both agreed that having restrictions on where people are allowed to smoke will be beneficial to the entire community. One smoker voiced his opposition to the plan. “We are all adults,� said Dennis Myers, a junior at GRU. “We should be able to do what we want. We shouldn’t have the school tell us what to do with our lives. (They could) set up a smoking area further from the doors, but don’t take away someone’s right.� Even though there are a number of people vocally against the campus tobacco ban, Alexanderson said that, for the most part, there has been an even split of people on both sides. “The medical community, of course, is saying the use of tobacco is detrimental to your health, and as a medical university we want to encourage people to be healthy,� he added. “Those are the issues we are dealing with.� The ban of tobacco products on the Summerville campus will begin on August 1, and Anderson said she believes that this will impact the Breathe Easy campaign in a positive way, especially when they present their ordinance again before the county commission. “I think what happened is that it kind of got muddied a little bit because it went for a vote, but it was unclear exactly what the ordinance was attempting to do,� Anderson said. “I think that’s what happens when those meetings move forward pretty quickly. There’s not a clear understanding of exactly what you are voting for.� 28FEBRUARY2013
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 15
V24|NO09
ERICJOHNSON
Guy Stuff
Changes at Friedman’s Jewelers will bring smiles to guys’ faces
Donnie Thompson & Tina Hawes
There’s no denying it — guys like stuff — and right now, some of the stuff guys like is getting tough to get. Like guns and ammunition. That stuff is seriously almost impossible to find these days. Other stuff, like custom made knives and holsters, are tough to find simply because good craftsmanship is always at a premium and those things attract such a specific audience that it’s tough for many businesses to devote the money and the shelf space to something with such a limited potential to bring in a quick return. And then there’s food. Obviously, guys love food, and while you can find passable food just about anywhere, finding high quality survival food is hard. Soon, however, you’ll be able to find all that stuff and a whole lot more — classic watches, historic artifacts, classic men’s accessories and a few exotic animal mounts thrown in for good measure — in one location. It’s part of the next phase of the constantly evolving Friedman’s Jewelers, Donnie Thompson’s Washington Road companion to Windsor Jewelers. “The overall concept will be things for men,” Thompson said as workers prepared the back corner space for his new venture. “Some women will like them, too, but the whole idea is, if you’ve got a man in 16 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
your family, this is going to be a store for him to find something in.” To make this exclusive venture happen — he promises it will be the only place of its type anywhere — the firearms that are currently at the rear of the main room will move into the new space, clearing the way for an expansion of the popular estate jewelry section. And then there’s the existing jewelry store, which will continue selling the same popular jewelry it’s been selling since opening. That’s three separate businesses under the same roof. “There’s something here for everybody,” Thompson said. With only a couple of weeks to the opening of the socalled man cave, however, it’s that masculine territory that’s demanding most of his attention. “I’m going to bring over a diary item that belonged to Alexander Stevens, the vice president of the Confederacy,” he said, standing next to a display case filled with part of his own private gun collection. “We’re going to bring over some real historic things and put them in here. And we’re going to put some of them for sale.” He spoke excitedly of a new collection of German Lugers that had come in. With stuff like that coming in all the time, it’s like a toy store for men, and when it’s open, Thompson said there will be a constantly changing inventory as well as artisans showing their
craft. “We’re gong to bring in a lot of people that make things, so there will always be something new,” he said. The guy who makes custom ankle holsters, he said, was formerly in the medical products industry and found a way to utilize some of that technology for his own devices. The custom knife maker produces one of a kind knives that are legitimate art pieces. There will be plenty of others, too, because Thompson is always on the lookout for the next must have. And then there’s the food, which can be a must have depending on the situation. He’s got a full wall of neatly packaged survival food in various amounts and styles. Call it survival food, emergency food or camping food — however you want to think about it, the stuff is good enough to eat even if you’ve got electricity and a fully functioning kitchen. Made by Wise Food Supply, a Utah-based company considered one of the highest quality long term food producers in the nation, these meals provide essential nutritional value in lightweight, re-sealable Mylar pouches that serve as both food storage and as a cooking mechanism. The ready-made meals come in a variety of popular dishes, including Chili Mac with Beef, Pasta Alfredo with Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken with Rice. 28FEBRUARY2013
V24|NO09
“It’s good if you’ve got a cabin in the mountains,� Thompson said. “No elements can affect it. With canned goods, if they freeze, they’re gone — even temperature change is not good for canned goods. But this is unaffected by conditions.� According to Wise Food Supply, the ready-made meals have a 25-year shelf life, though even after 25 years the food will continue to provide nourishment, only with a slightly decreased nutritional value. And while they work best with boiling water — the food is freeze dried and dehydrated — if boiling water is unavailable, like when
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the Spirit staffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned survival experiment was brought inside on the account of rain, they can be produced with cold water, though the process might take a little longer. (In truth, the experiment forged on in spite of the rain, using a microwave oven to boil the water instead of a fire in the fire pit, and though the move severely defeated the whole Man versus the World dynamic, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t defeat it as much as the food itself â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how can you feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re surviving anything if the bag of chunky sawdust you started with becomes delicious lasagna nearly as lasagna-like as the picture on the package)? Admittedly the food is meant for a high-end customer, and though it might be fairly easy to put a price on convenience, survival is another matter entirely, and given a seeming uptick in debilitating storms like Super Storm Sandy, many buyers appreciate the particular confidence that comes from having one of the basic necessities of life covered so easily. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A friend of mine sells several preparedness products, and he says they stay sold out all of the time,â&#x20AC;? Thompson said. And in spite of the economic pressures that are squeezing gun sales and making ammunition nearly impossible to find, Thompson said he actively going out and buying guns and ammunition so heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to stock it. It was two years ago â&#x20AC;&#x201D; long before the current, historic shortages â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that Thompson first mentioned to the Spirit that he was planning the store. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know this shortage was going to come,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This store was planned before the shortage. We just got caught in the trap, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to do our best to have all of it. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a challenge.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a challenge, but one Thompson is uniquely prepared to meet. By opening a gun and ammunition store when other gun and ammunition stores are struggling â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and by having the purchasing power to buy up whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already at a premium â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he can dominate the difficult, declining market. Thompson considers this the last phase of Friedmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction, although he plans to open a pawn and loan business sometime in the fall. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kind of phasing it in, because if you tried to do all of this at the same time you could bite off more than you could chew,â&#x20AC;? he said. Once that phase opens up, you can expect the merchandise to really start changing, as he starts purchasing the unusual and seeking that rare find. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need it,â&#x20AC;? Thompson said excitedly about the merchandise. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want it.â&#x20AC;? Given the exposure the business will receive by being open in time for Masters, not to mention its prime placement on Washington Road and the newly designed Alexander Drive, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see how Friedmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s could become a regional draw. 28FEBRUARY2013
AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 17
V24|NO09
ENTERTAIN
ME “The Pirates of Penzance” will be performed at the GRU Maxwell PAT by GRU and the New York Gilber t and Sullivan Players, 7:3010 p.m., Monday, March 4. General admission $20; 17 and under, and GRU faculty and staff $10; GRU students free. Call 706667-4100 or visit gru.edu.
Exhibitions Art exhibit featuring Cyndy Epps will take place at Gallery on the Row as part of downtown Augusta’s First Friday events, March 1. Call 706-724-4989. Young Masters, works by CSRA high school students, will be on display at the Morris Museum through Sunday, March 10. Free on Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. “Restoration,” an exhibit of work by GRU adjunct instructor Mahera Khaleque, will be on display at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, through May 17. Opening reception and gallery talk will take place 6-8 p.m., Friday, March 1. Members free; non-members $5. Call 706-7225495 or visit ghia.org.
Pianist Mark Valenti will perform at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as part of the Tuesday’s Music Live series, noon, Tuesday, March 5. Lunch follows at 12:30 p.m. Concert is free; lunch is $10 and requires a reservation. Call 706-722-3463 or visit tuesdaysmusiclive.com. “Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles” will be presented by Augusta Symphony as part of their University Health Care System Pops! At the Bell, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Call 706-826-4705 or visit augustaentertainmentcomplex.com. The Salvation Army School of the Performing Arts holds classes each Tuesday. Included is instruction in piano, drums, guitar, voice and brass. Call 706-364-4069 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Ensemble Galilei First Person: Seeing America will be held at the Etherredge Center at USCA, 8 p.m., Saturday, March 2. There will be narrations, photography and poetry. Call 803-641-3305.
Irish music will be performed live at the Bean Baskette coffee shop in Evans 7:30 p.m., every Thursday night. Featuring Lillie Morris, and Mike and Joanne Hay. Call 706-447-2006.
“Alterations: Fashioning a Black Identity” exhibit will be presented by Nancy Wellington Bookhart at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History March 1-April 30. Opening reception will take place 3-5 p.m., Sunday, March 3. Email cbetts@lucycraftlaneymuseum.com, call 706-724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com.
Literary Morning Book Club will meet at Euchee Creek Library, 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.
34th Annual Agnes Markwalter Youth Art Competition and Exhibition will be held at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art March 6-28. Awards ceremony will be held 4:30-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Free. Exhibit will be on view beginning March 1. Email crice@ghia.org or call 706-722-5495. Millie Gosch art exhibit opening reception at Sacred Heart Cultural Center 5-7 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Runs through April 30. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. “Aiken Horse Through the Lens,” an exhibit of equestrian artwork, will be held at the Aiken Center for the Arts through March 15. Call 803-6419094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org. “Romantic Spirits” exhibit, featuring paintings of the South from the Johnson collection, will open during the Morris Museum of Art Gala. Exhibit will be on display through May 26. Call 706-828-3825, email lauren.land@ themorris.org or visit themorris.org. Music Jefferson Ross will perform his “Grooves, Grits and Great Stories” acoustic show at the Vineyard Cafe, 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 1. Doors open 6:45 p.m. Adults $5. Visit vineyardaugusta.org or jeffersonross.com. Third Annual ACP Youth Wing Fundraiser will be held 3-5 p.m., Saturday, March 2. Enjoy a concert with Aiken musical performers and help send students to a Broadway Student Summit in New York. $20. Shows are 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Call 803-648-1438 or visit acp1011.com. The Artie Shaw Orchestra will perform at the Jabez S. Hardin PAT in Evans, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 3. Reservations required. $25 and $30. Visit augustaamusements.com. 18 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Publishing Roundtable Discussion, featuring poets and literary journal editors Terry Kennedy and Dan Albergotti, is Friday, March 1, at 1 p.m. in room 201 of USC-Aiken’s Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Free and open to the public, but pre-registration required. Call 803-226-0245 or email roys@usca.edu. Augusta Literary Festival will be held at the Headquarters Library Saturday, March 2. Features 100 authors from all over the country. Free. Authors will be on hand to sell and autograph books. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Southern literature lecture will be given at the Augusta Museum of History by Mary Lin Maner, Columbia County Library manager, as part of the Brown Bag history lecture series. Bring a lunch; beverages provided at 11:30 a.m. Lecture runs from 12:30-1 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Members free; non-members $3. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Open Mic Poetry Night will be held at M.A.D. Studios, 7 p.m., Thursday, March 7. $5. Visit madstudiosaugusta.com.
Augusta International Folk Dance Club meets Tuesday nights from 7:309:30 p.m. at the Augusta Ballet Studio on 2941 Walton Way. No partners needed. First visit free. Call 706-399-2477. Karaoke is held every Friday night at the American Legion Post 205 on Highland Road. Call 706-495-3219. Zumba with Sohailla is held every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the Ballroom Dance Center in Evans. Call 706-421-6168 or visit zumbawithsohailla.blogspot.com. Christian Singles Dance, a smoke-, alcohol- and drug-free event for those ages 40 and over, is each Saturday night at the Ballroom Dance Center in Evans. Dance lessons start at 7 p.m., and the dance begins at 8 p.m. No partners needed. Members $8, guests $10. Call 706-854-8888 or visit christiandances.org. Saturday Night Dance with live music is each Saturday night at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Post 1197 from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $5. Call 706-495-3219. Theater “Broadway Bound” gala and show will be held at the Aiken Community Playhouse, 6:30-10 p.m., Friday, March 1 as part of the annual ACP Youth Wing fundraiser. $45 includes reception and show. Show starts at 8 p.m. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com. eXtreme Theatre Games will be held at Le Chat Noir, 8 p.m., Friday, March 1. $10. Call 706-722-3322. “Unavailable” will be presented at the Imperial Theatre by Raisin AJ Productions, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2. $15-$28. Call 706-722-8341 or visit imperialtheatre.com. “Tales From the Box,” a long-form improv from Schrodinger’s Cat, will be performed at Le Chat Noir, 10-11 p.m., Saturday, March 2. $5. Call 706-722-3322. “Fiddler on the Roof” will be performed at the Bell Auditorium, 3 p.m., Sunday, March 3. $45, $40, $35. Doors open 2 p.m. Call 706-262-4573 or visit augustaentertainmentcomplex.com.
Nook tutorials at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall are each Saturday beginning at noon, followed by a Nookcolor tutorial at 12:30 p.m. Free. Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
“The Pirates of Penzance” will be performed at the GRU Maxwell PAT by GRU and the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, 7:30-10 p.m., Monday, March 4. General admission $20; 17 and under, and GRU faculty and staff $10; GRU students free. Call 706-667-4100 or visit gru.edu.
Poetry Matters is accepting entries through March 23 for their annual poetry contest. Cash prizes will be given out. Categories are middle and high school, adults, and seniors. Visit poetrymatterscelebration.com.
“Seussical” will be performed at the Bell Auditorium 9:45 and 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5. Email plays@classicproductions.org, call 800-2728874 or visit augustaentertainmentcomplex.com.
Dance Belly Dance Class is held every Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Euchee Creek Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.
“Legally Blonde: The Musical” will be performed by The Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre, Thursday, March 7. (The rest of the performances are sold out, except for March 14.) Call 706-791-4389 or visit fortgordon.com/ live_theatre.php.
Belly Dancing Classes are held Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org.
Set crew needed for Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre production of “Legally 28FEBRUARY2013
RAISIN’Kane Local anchor supports causes through running
WJBF’s Chris Kane is a huge golf fan and was a sports reporter and director for many years. But he’s the first to admit that he was never the most athletic guy. “I’m not the fittest guy in the world, by any means,” he laughed. “But in December of 2008, right after I got back from the Gator Bowl, I got on the scale and saw that I weighed over 200 pounds. So the very next day I went to Gold’s Gym, got a membership, got on the treadmill and couldn’t stay on it for 60 seconds. I went home very discouraged.” Kane didn’t quit, however. In fact, he set an ambitious goal. “I decided to run the 2009 Augusta Half Marathon which, at that time, was held in October, so I had 10 months to prepare for it,” he explained. “All my training was at Gold’s. It was strictly treadmill running.”
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Meet Graydon McNair The new GM at Gold’s Gym, North Augusta Graydon McNair says he is proof positive that having a Gold’s Gym membership can do a lot more for someone than helping them get into shape and drop a few pounds. “I’m getting married this weekend and I met her here at the gym,” he said. “So lots of positive things have happened to me here at Gold’s. I definitely love what I do.” McNair has worked at the North Augusta Gold’s Gym location for a Kane, who in April of 2012 was promoted from sports director to co-anchor of little more than a year, starting out in sales and quickly moving up to the morning news and anchor of the noon news at WJBF, survived his training by assistant manager. He became general manager of the location at the setting small, incremental goals. One of his first bigger goals was to finish a 5K, which beginning of the year. he set shortly after joining Gold’s. A North Augusta native and University of South Carolina grad “I remember the very first 5K I ran was the Alleluia 5K. It was in March, so I had a good with a degree in public health, McNair says he’s always been active, two and a half months to train for it,” he said. playing multiple sports while in school in his hometown. He also Kane said he finished the race, although it wasn’t easy. said he found that working in a fitness club was a creative use of his “I thought I was going to die, but there was also this great feeling of accomplishment,” he said. “I degree. thought 3.1 miles was the longest distance in the world. I felt like I was running from Augusta to Los “My degree was healthcare-related and I didn’t really know what Angeles. Now it’s nothing. I just laugh.” kind of avenue I wanted to go in,” he said. “But I really enjoyed Kane can laugh because, since then, he’s completed a lot more races, including his Augusta Halfit once I started working here at Gold’s. I love the idea of taking Marathon goal race. And he’s done every Augusta Half since then, including this past one on February someone from the beginning and helping them progressively 24. He credits that race, as well as joining the Augusta Striders running organization, for fostering his get the results they’re looking for, whether it be weight loss or newfound love. increasing fitness.” “Joining the Striders was the best thing that ever happened to me, because running with a group And though he says that sales is in his blood, he sees the job of inspires you to keep up and the other people help you do well,” he said. “And honestly, when I finished general manager as much more than increasing membership and that first Augusta Half, I thought it was the greatest thing I ever accomplished.” ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly. For him, it’s about Kane continues to run, but he said that doesn’t protect him from the trap a lot of people fall into during people. the fall and winter months. “I’m wired for sales, pretty much, and making sure the “I didn’t do anything in November or December of 2012 and easily gained 15 to 20 pounds,” he said, business and the club is running the way it should be is adding that upping his gym visits and joining a weight-loss program helped him get back on track. “Since important,” he explained. “But I want to make sure our January 1 I’ve lost 19 pounds. I’ve never gotten in this shape this quickly. I have not had a soda or fast members have an overall positive experience while they’re here food since January 1, and it’s difficult in my line of work. Eating regular food is difficult. But with this new with us.” job, I’m done at one o’clock every day and I’ve cooked more meals for myself since January 1 that I did After all, the club may be called Gold’s Gym, but it’s located in the entire year of 2012.” in a small, close community. As soon as he gets down to his goal weight, Kane said the next item on his to-do list is to hire a personal “I’m a people person. I like to talk and I’m pretty social. trainer and tone up. I’ve always wanted to help people out in any way that I can, “When I’m running at the gym on Walton Way, I watch those guys and gals in the yellow shirts that say whether it be by setting them up with a gym membership or ‘Trainer’ and they’re going from machine to machine and I look at them and say, ‘One day…’” he said. making sure their gym experience is the best it can be,” he Until that day, he’s focused on running and the causes he supports through it. For the 2013 Augusta said. “We’re a nice, tight-knit community. We might have the Half-Marathon, Kane became a member of 65 Roses of Augusta, an organization that benefits Cystic name Gold’s, but we’re definitely a small business and we want Fibrosis started by Stephanie Brantley, whose three kids all have the disease. to make sure everyone enjoys themselves here. That’s my No. “Cystic Fibrosis is, in a way, kind of a forgotten disease,” Kane said. “Thirty thousand people in the 1 goal.”
country are affected by it and I’ve learned a lot about it over these past couple of months. And I’m lucky, in that I can talk to a large group of people about it on television, and people have picked up on it and donated, so it’s been very nice.” Kane wore his 65 Roses shirt on race day, but his wristband went to another cause near and dear to his heart: Sean’s Soldiers. “We got a call at our station one day and there’s a little boy in town named Sean Powell. He’s a 10-year-old boy from Augusta who has brain cancer and he took a really bad turn about a month ago,” he said. “I talked to his grandmother and he has a Facebook page called Sean’s Soldiers and you like the page and you become one of Sean’s Soldiers. All Sean wanted was 10,000 likes.” The Sean’s Soldiers page is up to more than 16,000 likes, thanks in part to Kane and WJBF. The organization is also selling green wristbands, the proceeds of which goes to help Sean’s family with medical bills. Kane said Sean’s story, and the wristband he wore during the race and in training, inspired him. “The week that I got that green bracelet that says Sean’s Soldiers on it, we had an eight-mile training run downtown and it was 35 degrees and raining, the coldest rain I’ve ever encountered on a run,” he said. “Honestly, looking at that bracelet got me out of bed, because I didn’t want to do it. But I figured if I can’t go out and run three miles a day and train for this half marathon, I have a real problem when I look at Sean Powell. I really think it’ll help push me to my best time ever.” His half marathon personal record currently stands at 2:07:30; he finished Sunday’s race in 1:55:58. And after the Augusta Half, Kane says he has a couple more goals. “I want to run a full marathon, and it doesn’t matter where,” he said. “And I want to place in the top three in my age group in any race. I don’t even care if they give me anything. In terms of running, those are my two big goals.”
FIGHTING BACK Deputy’s daily Gold’s visits help him recover from car accident ccident
Last June, Richmond County Deputy Eugene Brantley was minding his own business, driving his ’93 Mustang with his 7-year-old daughter in tow to a rally with other car enthusiasts at the mall. “It was a Wednesday. I had just washed my car up and was going to the mall to meet other guys who owned Mustangs,” Brantley said. “I was just cruising and I had my radio on and then it was just like the radio went off and the lights went out.” Another driver, it turns out, hit Brantley and his daughter. “A lady didn’t yield right of way and pretty much T-boned me on Peach Orchard Road at Phinizy Road. Flipped me three times, I think,” he said. “I didn’t lose consciousness, I just didn’t know what was going on. Luckily, I had a roll cage in my car, because I used to take it to the track, and a five-point seat harness and that pretty much kept me in the seat. And the cage kept the car from crushing when it rolled over.” His daughter escaped the crash with just a fracture on the bridge of her nose, but Brantley wasn’t so lucky. He broke his left foot in several places as well as his hip, spending six days in the hospital and undergoing three surgeries while there. Brantley said he was lucky that he was a weightlifting enthusiast who, through regular Gold’s Gym visits, was already in good shape. “This is my 13th year with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, so I’ve always pretty much stayed in shaped and worked out,” he said. “Actually, the doctor who did my surgery told me if I had not been in as good a shape, I may not have made it.”
Despite his good physical condition, Brantley said that the road to recovery has been a long and difficult one. He spent the first three months in bed, a difficult task for a man who, through both his job and being the father of two girls, was used to taking care of others. “It was hard,” he admitted. “You get used to doing for yourself and then, all of sudden, you can’t do much of anything. Just to get out of bed you have to have someone… to pretty much help you do anything.” After three months, he graduated to a wheelchair. And though he spent two months in it, he didn’t let that stop him from working out. It helped that he had someone who was willing to drive him and, coincidentally, also wanted to get in shape. “I had a close friend who would come pick me up and he wanted to start working out, so it actually was something that happened at the right time,” Brantley explained. “He was wanting to work out, I was needing to work out, and we just got together. He had a van and he’d come pick me up in the morning and bring me here.” Limited by what he could do, Brantley said that, during those two months, he mainly focused on upper body weights and building back the muscle mass that he had lost. Pre-accident, the bodybuilder weighed 250 pounds; post-accident, he was down to about 217. And after being in a wheelchair for two months, he graduated again to a walker, which allowed him more freedom in his workouts as well as the ability to get used to walking again. Things were progressing well until December, when Brantley said he suffered another setback.
uldn’t really bend, “I woke up one morning and I couldn’t couldn’t do much at all,” he said. “I went to the doctor, he took an X-ray and we found out that the screws in my hip had broken in half.” Brantley needed hip replacement surgery, which he had on January 9. After recuperating ting for another three weeks, his doctor cleared him to work out. Since then, Brantley estimates, and Gold’s Gym employees confirm, that he’s been there here almost every day. The deputy still has a way to go, but hopes to be back at work full-time in April.. In the meantime, he credits Gold’s Gym forr much of n the last what he’s been able to accomplish in eight months. “A lot of my recovery is due to myy partner, who came and picked me up every day and brought me to the gym,” m,” o Brantley said. “You need people who ut really know what they’re talking about and someone who’s really motivatingg to keep you going.” And that’s exactly what Brantley has found in the people at Gold’s Gym.
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SPRINGBREAK One month and counting Slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and build fitness. Sometimes, however, there are events on the calendar that you just have to look good for: a class reunion, a girls weekend… or spring break, which rolls around in a little more than a month. Premier Fitness PT Owner and Trainer Tony Dempsey completely understands where you’re coming from. “I’m getting married April 20, and it’s a destination wedding,” he said. “It’s going to be on the beach and my bride-to-be is in phenomenal shape. I’m human and I don’t want to stand next to her in wedding photos and not feel good about myself.” Yes, even professional personal trainers need a little nudge sometimes, and Tony says there is a way to look your best in a short amount of time. “Through going on the diet and following a plan, I’m getting closer to my goal,” he explained. For those with a short-term goal like losing weight by spring break so they look better in a bikini, Tony says paying attention to diet is the No. 1 priority. “It all comes down to diet,” he stressed. “Seventy percent of weight loss is directly related to nutrition. When people get three or four weeks out from a spring break trip, they’re going to have to go on the diet. It is by far the most crucial piece and where they’re going to get that immediate impact.”
Getting started, he said, is easy, especially with the dotFIT program at Gold’s Gym. “They can come up to the front desk and get a complimentary appointment to meet with someone and talk about nutrition and be introduced to dotFIT, which is the weight management and meal planning program, in which they can actually log their food, track what they’re eating and also track how many calories they burn and be empowered with the knowledge to be able to make a difference and be proactive,” he said. “They’ll get a user ID and access to that program and that’s provided with their gym membership.” And the same person who helps them set up a diet with the dotFIT program can also help them with Step 2, which is exercise. Those with a specific goal like looking great for spring break need the diet-exercise combination to not only shed pounds, but look more toned. “Like I tell everybody, you can lose 50 pounds but you can be skinny fat, and nobody wants that,” he laughed. “So when you lose the 50 pounds you also want to build the lean muscle. You’re accomplishing the goal in looking the way you want to look not just, ‘Hey, I’m 50 pounds lighter.’” Tony suggests six days of cardio a week, as well as strength training. “They need to get 45 minutes worth of cardio and
a 15-minute cool-down,” he explained. “That’s what they have to do to get those type of rapid results. And then, obviously, you want to have the proper strength training in there 3-4 days a week also.” If it sounds like a lot of work, it is. But Tony says that Gold’s Gym will give the goal-oriented dieter all the tools she need to get her where she wants to be. And members will also have someone helping them who has been in their shoes. “Somebody can say, ‘Oh, he’s more advanced physically, he can do exercises than I can’t do.’ That’s true, but when it comes to nutrition, I’m not more advanced at putting a fork in my mouth than someone else,” he said. “I just empowered myself with the knowledge that they have access to as well. Like I’ve said for years, somebody has to be sick and tired of being sick and tired and ready to make a change and that’s where I was.” For more information about dotFIT, visit the front desk at any Gold’s Gym location. To talk to Tony Dempsey or any of the trainers at Premier Fitness PT, call 706396-4653.
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Blonde: The Musical,” 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday, until March 1. Tools will be provided. Email steven.r.walpert.naf@mail.mil. Flix “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” (PG-13), the final movie in the “Twilight” saga, will be shown at the Aiken Library, 3-5 p.m., Saturday, March 2. Call 803642-2020 or visit abbe-lib.org. Special Events Friends of the Augusta Public Library annual meeting and membership drive will take place at the Headquarters Library, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Brad Cunningham will speak. Free and open to the public. Refreshments served. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Investiture ceremony will be held for Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center, 11 a.m., Friday, March 1. There will be a luncheon immediately following. Free and open to the public. RSVP required. Email advancementatusca.edu or call 803-641-3630. First Friday festival takes place in downtown Augusta, 5-9 p.m., Friday, March 1. Visit augustaarts.com. Wine Tasting will be held at Wine World in North Augusta, 5-8 p.m., Friday, March 1. $5. Six featured wines: three whites, three reds. Call 803-279-9833. 20th Annual Art Gala will be held at the Morris Museum of Art, 7 p.m., Friday, March 1. Members $175; $125 guests 35 and under; nonmembers $200. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Attic sale will be held by Junior League of Augusta at the Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds, starting at 7 a.m., Saturday, March 2. Free to enter. There will be a preview party 7-10 p.m., Friday, March 1. Visit jlaugusta.org. Aiken Women Magazine Expo will be held at Newberry Hall in Aiken, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, March 2. Call 803-785-4475. Evans Towne Farmers Market will be held on the grounds of the Columbia County Public Library, beginning 4:30-7 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Will be held each Thursday through June. All meats, eggs, dairy and produce will be from local and sustainable farms. There will also be cooking demos and education, local artisans with handcrafted goods, live music, local food vendors and weekly events. Visit evanstownefarmersmarket.com.
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First Thursday at Midtown Market, featuring shopping, snacks, drinks, sales and more, takes place 5-8 p.m., March 7 at the shops on Kings Way. Call 706-922-5000. Health Bariatric seminar will be held at Doctors Hospital 6-7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Airavata Yoga Therapy is offered 6:30-7:45 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. $15/ class, $75/month. Reservations required. Email airavatayogatherapy@ gmail.com. Breastfeeding class will be held at Doctors Hospital, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Introduction to Infant CPR class will meet in the University Hospital lobby, 7-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar will be held at the Georgia Health Sciences Alumni Center, 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Free. Registration required. Call 706-721-2609 or visit gru.edu. Child Safety Seat Inspections and Car Seat Classes, sponsored by Safe Kids East Central, will be offered by appointment Friday, March 1, at either the Safe Kids Office or Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue. Call 706-721-7606 or visit gru.edu/safekids. Your BIRTHday Party OB Tour will take place at Trinity Hospital Monday, March 4, noon-1:30. Call 706-481-7000 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Look Good, Feel Better Workshop, designed to help female cancer patients cope with appearance-related side effects of therapy, will be held at Doctors Hospital, 3-5 p.m., Monday, March 4. Each participant will receive a gift of cosmetics for use during and after the workshop. Registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Class will be held in the University Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute, 6 p.m., Monday, March 4. Free. Registration required. Call 706-774-5548 or visit universityhealth.org.
Parents Healing Together is for families and friends who have lost infants through miscarriage, death, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth. Meets at University Hospital, 7 p.m., Monday, March 4. Call 706-774-2751 or 706774-5802 or visit universityhealth.org. Ready and Able labor and delivery class will be held at Doctors Hospital, starting 7-9:30 p.m., Monday, March 4. Another class starts same time, Tuesday, March 5. Recommended for late pregnancy; intended to be taken with Showing and Glowing. This is a five-session class. Registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Childbirth Preparation classes will be given at the University Hospital Women’s Center in four-week series, from 7-9:30 p.m. Monday class meets March 4, 11, 18 and 25; Tuesday class meets March 5, 12, 19 and 26; Wednesday class meets March 6, 13, 20 and 27. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Adult Boot Camp high intensity exercise class will be held at the Wilson Family Y March 4-April 19. Class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. Members $35 per session; non-members $65 per session. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Lymphedema Education will be held in the University Hospital Breast Health Center, noon, Tuesday, March 5. Call 706-722-9011 or visit universityhealth.org. Total Joint Replacement Class will be held at the University Hospital, 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, March 5. Call 706-774-2760 or visit universityhealth.org. Weight Loss Surgery and You will be held at the University Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute 6-7 p.m., Tuesday, March 5. Free. Call 706-774-8931 or visit universityhealth.org. Childbirth Education Class is a four-week class that will meet at the Georgia Regents Medical Center, 6:30 p.m., on Wednesdays starting March 6. Free. Registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit gru.edu/classes. Babies, Bumps and Bruises will be held at Doctors Hospital, 7-9 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Class will teach safety and first aid, including infant CPR. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Center for Women Tour will be given at Doctors Hospital, 7-8 p.m.,
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Thursday, March 7. Designed for both partners to get acquainted with the hospital and have any labor and delivery questions answered. Registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Child Safety Seat Inspections offered by appointment at the Safe Kids office (call 706-721-7606), Martinez/ Columbia Fire Rescue Engine Co. 3 (call 706-8607763) and Columbia County Sheriff’s Substation in Evans (call 706-541-3970). Visit gru.edu. Car Seat Classes are offered by appointment only at the Safe Kids Office in Augusta and at the Martinez Columbia Fire Rescue Headquarters. $10. Call 706721-7606 or visit gru.edu. Yoga I offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken 8:45-9:45 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; Yoga II is offered 8:459:45 a.m., Fridays; Evening Yoga is offered 5:30-6:30 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. $41 for 10 tickets. Call 803-642-7631. Tai Chi for Boomers is held at 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Call 706-394-0590, email sbeasley@ augustameditation.com or visit augustameditation. com/taichi.html. Stress Management Classes are held at the University Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute at 8:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. each Wednesday. Call 706-7743278 or visit universityhealth.org. Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Aquatics Class meets every Monday and Friday at noon at the Wilson Family Y. Members, free; non-members, $5. Pre-registration required. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Orientation is held every Tuesday at 2 p.m. at University Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute (Classroom 3). Free. Call 706-7745548 or visit universityhealth.org. Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program covers topics such as coronary artery disease, heart attack and CHF at the University Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute. Program is held each Wednesday at 8:15 and 9:15 a.m., and 1:45 p.m. Call 706-774-3278 or visit universityhealth.org. Joint Efforts, presented by Trinity Hospital of Augusta, meets from 11-11:45 a.m. every Thursday at Augusta Bone and Joint, and features a free seminar about knee and hip pain, treatments, medication, food and exercise. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Adapted Evaluation, a 30-minute initial and annual evaluation including medical history and water assessment, is offered at the Wilson Family Y. $25. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Adapted Wii Special Populations available by appointment at the Wilson Family Y, and feature individual half-hour classes for physically and developmentally challenged individuals of all ages. Members, $10; non-members, $20. Call 706-922-9662 or visit thefamilyy.org. Support CSRA Dream Catchers, a brain injury and disability support group, meets 6-7 p.m. March 4 at Walton Options for Independent Living. Call 803-279-9611 or visit csradreamcatchers.com. Discovery, a grief support group for those dealing with personal loss, meets at Trinity Hospice Community Bereavement Center 6-7 p.m., Monday, March 4 and 11 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, March 6. Call 706-7296021 or 800-533-3949. Parents Healing Together will meet in the University Hospital Dining Room 2, to provide support for parents, families and friends who have lost infants through miscarriage, death, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth. Meets 7 p.m., Monday, March 4. Call 706774-2751 or visit universityhealth.org. 28FEBRUARY2013
A-Team, an autism spectrum disorder support and resource group meets 6-7 p.m.,Tuesday, March 5 at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia Family Resource Library, Room 1801. Anyone affected by autism spectrum disorders invited to attend. Call 706-7215160 or visit gru.edu. Huntington’s Disease Support Group meets at the GRU Movement Disorders Clinic Conference Room 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, March 5. Call 706-271-2798 or 706231-2775 or visit universityhealth.org. The Lunch Bunch Bereavement Support Group for adults meets noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, March 6 in the first floor cafeteria of Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Registration required. Call 803-641-5389 or visit aikenregional.com. Spine Education and Support Group will be held at the University Hospital Levi Hill III Auditorium 1-2:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Free. Call 706-774-2760 or visit universityhealth.org. Cancer Support Group meets in the First Baptist Church parlor, 3-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Call 803641-5000 or visit aikenregional.com. Alzheimer’s Support Group will be held at the Kroc Center 10 a.m., Thursday, March 7. Call 706-7319060 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Amputee Support Group meets at Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, noon-1 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Amputee clinic held from 1-2 p.m., immediately after the support group meeting. For info call 706-823-8504. Cribs for Kids will be held at the Georgia Health Sciences Building, 5:45-8 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Instructors will teach caregivers how to provide a safe sleep environment and what to watch out for. Those who demonstrate financial need will receive a Pack-n-Play, fitted sheet, sleep sac and a pacifier. Preregistration required. $10 per child. Call 706-7217606 or visit gru.edu/safekids.
706-868-3241 or visit universityhealth.org.
on your own at 6:30 p.m. Call 706-863-7964.
Families Who Have Lost a Baby Support Group is offered by GRU. Call 706-721-8299 or visit gru.edu.
Introduction to Floral Designs, the last of a four-part series, will be offered at the Highgrove Club House in Evans, beginning 7:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 2. $20 per session includes cost of textbook. Preregistration required. Refreshments provided. Call 706-556-3417 or visit gardenclub.org.
Gamblers Anonymous is a support group for those who wish to stop gambling. Call 800-313-0170. Living Well With Diabetes Adult Support Group, designed to teach members how to eat healthy meals while going out, meets in the University Hospital Cafeteria and area restaurants. Call 706-868-3241 or visit universityhealth.org. Living With Diabetes, a program designed to teach skills needed to manage diabetes, is offered at Trinity Hospital. Physician referral required. Call 706-4817535 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Lupus Support Group meets at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-394-6484 or 706-821-2600, or visit ecgrl.org. Natural Family Planning support group meets locally. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Overeaters Support Group meets locally. Call 706-7850006 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Parents of Hearing-Impaired Children meets locally. Call 706-481-7396 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Reach for Recovery is presented locally by the American Cancer Society. Call 706-731-9900 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Education Augusta Archaeological Society will meet at T-Bonz Steakhouse at 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Dr. Christopher Moore of the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program will speak on the possibility of connections between the European Solutrean culture and Eastern North America. Dinner
“Voices of the Past: The Other Tubmans” will be shown at the Augusta Museum of History, Saturday, March 2, at noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Stargazing at the Boyd Observatory will be offered 5-7, Saturday, March 2. Visit boydobservatory.org. Tips for successful Resume Writing, Interviews and Job Hunting is Monday, March 4, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Introduction to Computers Class is Tuesday, March 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Computer Boot Camp Part I is Wednesday, March 6, from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org. Let’s Talk Self-Esteem, a free seminar for women led by Tara Tanksley Stallings, is Wednesday, March 6, at 6 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Pickens-Salley Symposium on Southern Women, featuring guest speaker Dr. Marjorie J. Spruill and the topic South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times, will be held at USC-Aiken’s Etherredge Center 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Free. Call 803-641-3448 or email deidrem@usca.edu.
Weight Loss Support Group, for anyone suffering ailments due to obesity, will meet in the Sister Mary Louise Conference Room at Trinity Hospital, 7 p.m., Thursday, March 7. Call 706-481-7298 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Recovery Support Group meets 7:30 p.m. Sundays and Fridays. Call 706-855-2419. Burn Support Group meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Doctors Hospital’s Lori Rogers Nursing Library, JMS Building. All burn survivors, and their families and friends are welcome. Call Tim Dorn at 706-651-6660 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Narcotics Anonymous meets Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Visit na.org. AA meets every Sunday and Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ Aurora Pavilion, and includes an open discussion. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.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 is a support group for those who wish to stop drinking. Call 706-860-8331. Beyond the Bars is a support group for those with incarcerated loved ones. Call 706-855-8636. Cardiac Support Group meets three times a year. Free. Pre-registration requested. Call 706-774-5864 or visit universityhealth.org. Diabetes Youth Support Group meets quarterly. Call AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Master Naturalist Program, an adult environmental education program, will be held at Phinizy Swamp beginning Thursday, March 7. Visit naturalsciencesacademy.org. Operating Systems and Software Computer Class, a two-session class, is Thursdays, March 7 and 14, at 10 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Intermediate Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 2:30-4 p.m. at Friedman Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Introduction to the Internet Class is Thursday, March 7, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-7226275 or visit ecgrl.org.
brinsley@augustasportscouncil.org or call 706-722-8326, ext. 237. Adult swim lessons are offered at the Family Y of Downtown Augusta for ages 13 and up. Days and times vary by branch. Members $55 per month; non-members $85 per month. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Olympic-style Tae Kwon Do, taught by Master Michael L. Weintraub, is each Tuesday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.com. Tae Kwon Do is offered at the Wilson Family Y, Family Y of Augusta South and Family Y of North Augusta. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Swim Team offered at the Wilson Family Y through March 1 with specific training in endurance and stroke. Visit thefamilyy.org.
Free Tax Help is available at the following library locations: Headquarters Branch, every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. through April 12; Maxwell Branch, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through April 13; Columbia County, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. through April 11; Euchee Creek Branch, every Monday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. through April 15. Visit ecgrl.org.
Kickball League registration is available for a new adult co-ed league that starts April 7 at Riverview Park. Call 941-716-3163 or visit augustakickball.com.
Beginner’s Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 4-5 p.m. at Friedman Library. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
Wheelchair Tennis Clinic, presented by the Walton Foundation for Independence, meets each Monday at 6 p.m. (weather permitting) at The Club at Rae’s Creek. Free and open to the public. Call 706-826-5809 or email alsalley@wrh.org.
Free Tutoring for all ages, offered by GRU’s Literacy Center, is available by appointment Monday-Thursday, from 4-8 p.m., at the center at 1401 Magnolia Drive. Appointments required. Call 706-737-1625 or visit gru.edu. Guided tours of 1797 Ezekiel Harris House offered by appointment only Tuesday-Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Miracle League Baseball registration will be held by The Family Y through March 10. $40. Call 706-922-9597 or visit thefamilyy.org.
Yoga Class at Euchee Creek Library meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.
Augusta Canal Interpretive Center and Petersburg boat tours winter schedule runs through March 31 and is as follows: The center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hour-long Petersburg boat canal tours depart at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3 p.m. Admission to center is $6, or free with $12.50 boat tour ticket. Seniors 65 and older, active military/dependent and students (age 4-grade 12 or with valid college I.D.) are $2. One child under 3 per ticketed adult may get in free. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 4. Groups call ext. 7. Visit augustacanal.com. The Augusta Fencers Club is open five nights a week from 5:30-9 p.m. and most Saturday mornings from 10 a.m.-noon. Visitors always welcome. Call 706-722-8878. BlazeSports Swim Team, for all ages of physically challenged swimmers who want to train for competition, meets at the Wilson Family Y. Members, $35 a month; non-members, $50 a month. Pre-registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Civil War 150th Canal Tour, “Food, Fabric and Firepower,” is offered by the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center at 1:30 daily through 2013. Call 706823-0440 or visit augustacanal.com. Men’s Basketball Registration is at the Wilson Family Y through March 6 for ages 18 and up. Members, $40; non-members, $60. $20 team entry fee due by March 6. Season begins March 18. Visit thefamilyy.org. Kids-Teens “Celebrate African-American History” will be held for kids at the Diamond Lakes Library, 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Registration required for groups of six or more. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
GED Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Weekly Group Runs include the Monday Metro Run meeting at Metro Coffeehouse 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 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Blanchard Woods Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday Stay in Shape Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Post Office Hill Training Run at 7 p.m.; Thursday’s Homer Hustle at 6 p.m.; and Saturday’s Stay in Shape Run at 8 a.m. Visit augustastriders.com.
“Jazz for Kids” will be held for kids preschool age and up at the Friedman Library as part of their Black History Month celebration, 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 28. Registration required for groups of six or more. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are offered every Tuesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
The Augusta Furies Women’s Rugby Football 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.
Fort Gordon Toastmasters meets 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday in the Organizational Conference Room (Fish Bowl) on Fort Gordon Army base. Open to public. Visit fortgordon.toastmastersclubs.org.
The Augusta Rugby Club holds weekly practice sessions at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Larry Bray Memorial Pitch in Augusta. Experienced players and newbies ages 18 and up are welcome. Bring a pair of cleats or cross trainers, a mouthguard, gym shorts and a T-shirt. Visit augustarugby.org or Facebook under the Augusta Rugby Club heading.
Book Talk First Friday Book Club for 4-6th graders will meet at the North Augusta Library, 4-5 p.m., Friday, March 1. They will discuss “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum and make a fun craft. Refreshments served. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Adult Hebrew Class is taught at Congregation Children of Israel at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday. Email office@cciaugusta.org or visit cciaugusta.org. Computer classes are offered every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Free Tutoring for all ages, is offered at GRUA’s Literacy Center, by appointment Monday-Thursday, from 4-8 p.m. Call 706-737-1625 or visit gru.edu. Guided tours of 1797 Ezekiel Harris House offered by appointment only Tuesday-Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Historic Trolley Tour of Augusta boards at the Augusta Museum of History at 1:30 p.m., Saturdays. See historic sites and hear spooky legends. $12, including admission to the museum. Reservations required 24 hours in advance. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustaga.org. Tours of the Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson are held regularly. Adults $5; seniors $4; kids K-12 $3; under 5 years free. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. Call 706-722-9828. Sports-Outdoors Aiken Hickory Classic canoeing workshop will be held at Aiken State Park, 10 a.m., Friday, March 1. $25 per couple. Call 803-649-2857. UGA Regatta will be held at Langley Pond off Hwy. 1 in S.C., Saturday, March 2. Visit regattacentral.com. 7th Annual Heart and Sole 5K Run/Walk starts at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, 9 a.m., Saturday, March 2. Registration is 7-8:30 a.m. at the Children’s Hospital. $25. There will be a celebration at the Marbury Center at 7 p.m. $50. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Hospital. Registration required. Email castewart@gru.edu or call 706-721-4004. Quidditch Regional Championship will be held in Riverview Park in North Augusta, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3. Email 30 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Hott Shott Disc Golf is held each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Killer B Disc Golf in downtown Augusta, and features games and prizes for all ages and skill levels. $2. Call 706-814-7514 or visit killerbdiscgolf.blogspot.com/p/ hott-shott. Thursday Night Chain Reaction Ride begins at 6 p.m. each Thursday at Patriots Park in Grovetown. For intermediate to fast-paced cyclists, who average 25-32 miles. Participants should bring their own water and helmet. Call 706-855-2024 or visit chainreactionbicycles.net. Riverview Disc Golf League meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta. Entry fee, $5; ace pool, $1. Call 803-215-8181 or visit augustadiscgolf.com. Road Bike Ride meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse downtown for an approximately 25-mile ride at a moderate to fast pace. Front and rear lights, as well as a helmet, are required. Call 706-724-6777 or visit andyjordans.com. Guided Trail Rides at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are 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. $23-$30. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com. Lakeside Rideouts at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are each Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The ride, which begins at 2 p.m., is a two-hour guided ride to Wilkerson Lake. $45-$50. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com. Adapted Aquatics for Special Populations offered at the Wilson Family Y by appointment. Members, $11 per session; non-members, $22 per session. Discount for additional siblings. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org.
Fun Time Friday will be held at Warren Road Community Center, 10:45-11:30 a.m., Friday, March 1, for kids 2-5 years old. $2. Call 706-860-2833.
Youth Challenge Academy will be held at the Bell Auditorium, 10 a.m., Saturday, March 2. Doors open 9 a.m. Call 706-722-3521. Kids workshop will be held at all Home Depot locations 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, March 2. For ages 5-12. Free. Registration required. Call 706650-7662 or 706-854-7832. Swamp Saturday will be held at Phinizy Swamp, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, March 2. Excursions feature free hikes of 1 ½ hour, 2 ½ miles through the park’s wetlands and over scenic hills. Call 706-828-2109 or visit naturalsciencesacademy.org. Childcare and Babysitting Safety is offered at Trinity Hospital for students 11-14 years old, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 2. $30. Lunch provided. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. “Kidditch,” an event that teaches kids 11-18 how to play Quidditch, will be held at Riverview Park in North Augusta, noon-2 p.m., Saturday, March 2 as part of the Quidditch Regional Championship events. Email brinsley@ augustasportscouncil.org or call 706-722-8326, ext. 237. READ Across America is Saturday, March 2, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Dr. Suess’ 109th Birthday Celebration is Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Chess Club meets Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. The Color Green Story Time is Tuesday, March 5, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Starting Your Own Business, a teen activity led by the owners of 2 Moms Cookies, is Tuesday, March 5, at 11 a.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Refreshments will be served. Pre-registration required. Call 706-7366244 or visit ecgrl.org. “The Lorax” shows at part of the Dr. Seuss Tuesday Movie Madness on Tuesday, March 5, at 4 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org. 28FEBRUARY2013
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Manga Club meeting for those in grades 6-12 is Tuesday, March 5, at 4 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.
FORT GORDON DINNER THEATRE PRESENTS
Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Party, for all ages, is Wednesday, March 6, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. All About Farms Story Time is Wednesday, March 6, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Dr. Seuss Craft Time is Wednesday, March 6, at 4 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. French language class will be held for grades 1-5 at the Aiken Library, 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Call 803-642-2020 or visit abbe-lib.org. “Thumbelina” will be shown at the North Augusta Library, 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, March 6. Call 803-2795767 or visit abbe-lib.org. Spring Coloring Contest is going on March 1-15 at the Appleby Branch Library. Participants ages 3-8 should pick up their coloring sheet at the circulation desk. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Celebrate Women’s History Month Contest is going on through the month of March at the Headquarters Branch Library. Participants should pick up a contest form at the children’s department desk. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org. “Larry Cat in Space” will be presented at the DuPont Planetarium, 7 p.m., Saturdays in March. “To the Moon and Beyond” will be shown at 8 p.m. General admission $4.50; seniors $3.50; students 4K-12 $2.50. Reservations encouraged. Call 803-641-3654. Youth swim lessons will be offered at the Wilson Family Y for ages 6 months-12 years, March 4-28. Registration required. Discount for additional siblings. Financial assistance for all Family Y programs. Visit thefamilyy.org. Youth Boot Camp high-intensity exercise class begins March 5-April 13 at the Family Y of North Augusta for ages 10-14. Meets twice a week for six weeks. Members $20 per session; non-members $40 per session. Visit thefamilyy.org. Swim Lessons are offered at the Wilson Family Y and the Family Y of Downtown Augusta for all skill levels from 6 months to adult beginners. Held in four-week sessions with twice-weekly classes through March 28. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Tae Kwon Do is offered for all skill levels age 5 and up at the Family Y of Aiken County, North Augusta, Augusta South and the Wilson Family Y. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org.
March 10, 2013 Matinee 3:00 p.m. Book by Heather Hach Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture Harvard’s beloved blonde takes the stage by pink storm in this fun, upbeat musical about self-discovery. Based on the adored movie, LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL stays true to form with a peppy score and playful book. This musical is ridiculously enjoyable from start to finish. “Very funny. Zips by in an explosion of witty musical numbers and dance routines. Even the most dour character must surely leave the theatre secretly humming the catchy soundtrack.” – Daily Post “A modern fairytale. An enormous treat, not to be missed.” – Evening Chronicle
REFERSHMENTS
Winter Basketball is held through March at the Family Y of North Jefferson for ages 7-18 years. Members, $30; non-members, $50. Call 706-547-2653 or visit thefamilyy.org.
Light snacks, desserts, soda, beer and wine for purchase.
Ceramics Class, for ages 14 and up, meets Mondays at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m., Tuesdays at 6 p.m., and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. in the Weeks Ceramics Center. Call 803-6427631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
Show only: $30
TICKETS
Creative Arts offered at the Family Y of North Augusta for ages 5-12 years. Members, $35 per month; nonmembers, $55 per month. Visit thefamilyy.org. Toddler Time, playtime for children ages 5 and under, is each Monday and Wednesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken. $2 per visit; $16 per 10-visit pass. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
For reservations, call 706-793-8552
Mother’s Morning Out is offered at the Family Y of 28FEBRUARY2013
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North Augusta for ages 2-4 years, 9 a.m.-noon, either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. Members, $70 a month; non-members, $90 a month. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Drop and Shop is offered Monday-Friday at The Family Y of Augusta South for kids age 8 weeks-4 years, 8:30 a.m.-noon. Members, $5 a child per day; nonmembers, $7 a child per day. Also offered at North Augusta branch, 9 a.m.-noon. Members $9 a day; nonmembers $15 a day. Visit thefamilyy.org. Little Friends Gym, a parent and child class for those ages 6 months-4 years, is held each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. Story Time is held at the Columbia County Library at 10:15 and 11 a.m. Tuesdays, for kids under 2 years old; at 10:15 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for 2-year-olds; at 11 a.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for preschoolers; and at 4 p.m. Wednesdays for all ages. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org. Loud Crowd, a supervised after-school program for those ages 4-12, is Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-8602833 or visit augustaga.gov. Homeschool PE Time, for elementary school aged kids, meets Monday-Friday, from 9-11 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Members free. Call 706-364-5762 for nonmember prices. Visit krocaugusta.org. Mother’s Morning Out is every Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Wilson Family Y for children ages 3-4. The schedule follows the Richmond County school calendar. $90 per month for members; $110 per month for non-members. Register at any Family Y or visit thefamilyy.org. Story Time is held at the Diamond Lakes Branch library 10 a.m. each Tuesday. Registration required for groups of six or more. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Tai Chi Panda, a Chinese martial arts program for kids ages 5-13, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ages 5-7 meet at 4 p.m.; ages 8-10 meet at 5 p.m.; ages 11-13 meet at 6 p.m. Call 706-394-0590 or visit augustameditation.com/taichi.html.
Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. Story Time is every Wednesday from 10:30-11 a.m. for toddlers and 11:15-11:45 a.m. for preschoolers at North Augusta Branch Library. Call 803-279-5767 or abbe-lib.org. Story Time at the Euchee Creek Branch Library, for all ages, is held each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and each Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. Study Hall for teens meets Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org/teens. Homeschool Playgroup meets each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Creighton Park in North Augusta. Call 803-613-0484. Mudpuppies, an arts and crafts program for ages 2-5, is held each Thursday at 10:45 a.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. The Augusta Arsenal Soccer Club Junior Academy, for boys and girls ages 5-8, meets each Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Augusta Soccer Park. Call 706-854-0149 or visit augustasoccer.com. Fairy Tale Ballet is held at the Family Y of Aiken County. Offered once a week for one month for a total of four classes. Members, $25 a month; non-members, $35 a month. Visit thefamilyy.org. Boy and Girl Scout troops are hosted by Augusta Jewish Community Center. For Boy Scouts, visit troop119bsa.com or email geoffstew@gmail.com. For Girl Scouts, email sbehrend@bellsouth.net. For Daisy/ Brownie Troop, email bdmrev@yahoo.com. Creek Freaks, a Georgia Adopt-a-Stream team of middle- and high-school students, meets regularly at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park to monitor the health of Butler Creek. Call 706-796-7707 or visit naturalscienceacademy.org. Fun-Time Fridays, for ages 2-5, is held each Friday at 10:45-11:30 a.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. Gesher, a teen program for post b’nai mitzvah youngsters (7th-12th grade), meets every other Sunday at Adas Yeshurun Synagogue. Call 706-733-9491. Seniors Line dancing will be held at Trinity Hospital as part of their Senior Circle events, 11 a.m., Friday, March 1. Call 706-481-7000 or visit trinityofaugusta.com.
Story Time is held every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Friedman Branch Library. Groups of six or more must pre-register. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
BINGO will be held at the SMLCR as part of the Trinity Hospital Senior Circle events, 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 7. Call 706-481-7000 or visit trinityofaugusta.com.
Story Time is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org.
Free tax preparation will be provided through April 12 at the Aiken Library (803-642-2020) and the Nancy Carson Library in North Augusta (803-279-5767). Visit abbe-lib.org.
Story Time is held every Wednesday from 10-11:15 a.m. at Wallace Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is held each Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Pre-registration required for groups. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is held each Wednesday at the Appleby Branch Library from 10:05-10:20 a.m. for toddlers age 18-35 months, and from 10:30-11:15 a.m. for preschool kids age 3 and up. An adult must remain with the child. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is every Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. for pre-K, and either 11 or 11:30 a.m. for preschoolers at Aiken County 32 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Preschool Story Time is every Tuesday at Headquarters Branch Library at 10 a.m. Toddler Story Time is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Group registration required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Kroc Trotters Running Group, for those ages 16 and older, meets at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday at the Kroc Center to run the trails of the Augusta Canal. $15. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
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Now It’s Official
Who is this person who signed up to do a 5K? I think I made a big mistake. It’s not epic, but it’s definitely life-changing. I feel regret, but I rarely do. I’m nervous, though. It’s stupid, really. I’m a wimp. Y’all are gonna make fun of me when I tell you. I don’t want to admit it out loud, because once I say it, it’s real. I’ve committed to running a race. I haven’t actually paid my fee or registered or anything crazy like that yet, but it’s pretty much a done deal. I feel like I should. It’s only a 5K. I have over six months to train. I know that one doesn’t need six months to prepare. As a matter of fact, The Man only spent about two months training for a half marathon for Pete’s sake. He’s done the Half Ironman (70.3 miles). My little 5K is a walk in the park compared to that. He’s always so happy when it’s almost race time. I hope I feel the same. I know this all sounds ridiculous. All people, including everyone everywhere, have told me that I really don’t need to train all that much for this. Those same folks laugh when I express my fear and concern. I’ve bragged about the little jogs I take here and there. In the spirit of open books, let’s be honest. They are little jogs. I walk a lot in between the little jogs. I know, I know. There will be a lot of people walking in a 5K. This particular race is especially family friendly. New moms with strollers will be there. I’ve been told I don’t have to run the whole thing. But I will. I must. If I’m going to take the time and effort to sign up for a running race, I’m going to run. Now that I’ve said it, am I locked in? I don’t mean to be so dramatic. Well, I guess I do, but I can’t really help it. I don’t like running. I love cheering for runners in races. I’ll gladly stand on the sidewalk, in the rain, beer in hand, with homemade poster board signs, and yell like crazy. I hope some of you will do the same for me. Eek. Am I gonna die? You might be wondering why I’m even bothering if it’s such a big hassle. Even
28FEBRUARY2013
if you’re not, I’ll give you the short and the long of it. For one, it’s time. My husband encourages me to try. He swears he’ll run with me, though I know he will lap me. Like, all around Augusta and back before I make it halfway to nowhere. I can do this, though. It will require patience. Secondly, and more importantly, I’m helping coordinate events surrounding this race. Who in their right mind coordinates an event and doesn’t attend? Seriously, name someone. I’ll wait. That might be my out. The craziest part of it is that this race talk is making me gutsy. The other night, under the influence of wine, I’m fairly certain I agreed to run a half marathon next spring. What. The. Hell. I don’t know who this person is, and what she has done with the real JiW, but she needs to quit drinking. If you’d like to join me, I’m running The Color Run in Augusta on October 5, 2013. If you haven’t heard of the Color Run, Google it. It’s not your average 5K. It’s more of a paint party. While you run, sprays of color shoot out, tie dyeing the required white T-shirt. After the run, there’s beer, music and more paint. I can’t wait for that. This is all part of a wonderful collaboration between the Augusta Sports Council and the Westobou Festival (westoboufestival.com). Thousands of people will come to our town to run a happy race and get covered in bright colors, right in the middle of our huge and impressive multidisciplinary arts festival. It will be a big colorful party filled with athletes. Arts and sports. Very cool. Now that I told y’all, that makes it official, right? I’m hoping for a big, scary thing to chase me all the way to the finish line. Speaking of the finish line, who’s volunteering to wait there with my beer?
JENNYWRIGHT lives in Summerville with her husband, who she calls The Man, and two kids, who she affectionately calls The Boy and The Girl. She enjoys taking photos, cooking and playing tennis.
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34 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 35
V24|NO09
Better Off Dead
No Kurt means less Courtney, so there’s that
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Last week I saw a lot of people recognizing the birthday of former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Of course, I say former because he decided to blow his head off with a 12-gauge shotgun back in 1994. Or at least that’s what they want us to believe. Kurt would have been 47 this year, but now he is a part of the “27 Club,” the long list of musicians who died when they were 27 years old. Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Robert Johnson are all part of the club. Not exactly a club I’d like to join, but still a stellar list of talented musicians. Back in 1993 and 1994, I was a huge fan of Nirvana. I had hair past my shoulders, butt-cut of course, I wore Vans and flannel, and I wanted to be Kurt Cobain. Hell, even after he died I had a shirt with his death certificate on it; “self inflicted gunshot wound” is what it read. But I’m here in 2013 to tell you that it is probably a good thing that Kurt Cobain is dead. Here are my top three reasons why. First off, if Kurt was still alive, more than likely he would be sober by now. For music, being sober is not always a good thing. My best example is Metallica. Put on “St. Anger” and try not to shoot yourself in the face. Not good enough? Play one of Scott Weiland’s, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, solo albums. Sometimes booze and drugs are what fuels your creativity, and I think for Kurt, it did. Moving on, No. 2 on the list of reasons that it is a good thing that Kurt Cobain is dead: Courtney Love would still be relevant. Sure it was great to have Kurt alive, but his wife, Courtney Love, made it painful. By now the two would have made a duets album, or, even worse, there would be more Hole albums, the band Courtney Love fronted. For all my Christian readers, my only question: why didn’t God take Courtney instead? Finally, the last reason that it’s a good thing Kurt Cobain is dead: there would be no Foo Fighters. I’m not saying Dave Grohl wouldn’t have formed another band, but there’s no way he would have put in the time to make the Foo Fighters what they are today if Nirvana was still around. Even if Nirvana broke up, we’d be tortured with rumors of reunion tours and false hope. I am not saying I don’t miss Nirvana or Kurt Cobain, one of the best songwriters of all time. I’m just saying that it’s probably good that he’s dead. That came off a whole lot meaner than I thought. Let’s turn this thing positive. Giving a little bit of love to the locals here, Augusta’s own Stillview has been added to the bill with P.O.D at the Country Club on March 13. The line-up now is P.O.D., Nonpoint, Within Reason and Stillview. Check out all the bands for only $18 in advance. It’s always cool to see one of the local bands get on a bill with bands that have toured the world; our next challenge is getting a band on with Alice in Chains. I may be outshooting the goal on that one. This week check out Cameras, Guns & Radios at Sky City with The Hermit Kings. That’s tonight, February 28. The Hermit Kings are from Asheville and bring a dose of Beatles-inspired rock to town. With a new month, we get a new First Friday. Check out Mann Ray and Deevolutionaries live at MAD Studios. Steve Hall Productions is bringing another band to Augusta called The Last Bison. The band will be at Sky City on Saturday, March 2, and I was told, “I have to go to this show.” So I’ll see you guys there. If you are looking for the ultimate ‘80s night, you can see Acid Wash at Surreal on Saturday night as well. I promise they have the licenses now. You can tell the weather is getting better because it’s about to be beer festival season! The Metro Spirit’s Second Annual ETCP Spring Festival is coming on March 9. Live music from Tara Scheyer and the Robbie Ducey Band… AND BEER! The proceeds go to a great cause and I’m super excited to be a part of it. Side note: did I mention that they would have beer? What shows are coming to Augusta? Who do you want to see? Why can’t Taylor Swift die? Email me at matt@themetrospirit.com.
MATTSTONE can be heard weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 95 Rock.
36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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FEATURED
February 28 28Thursday, Live Music French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Smooth Jazz Joe’s Underground - Mason Jars Malibu Jack’s - Marilyn Adcock Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local Playoffs Sports Bar - James McNair Rose Hill Estate - Preston Weston & Sandra Sky City - The Hermit Kings, Cameras, Guns * Radios Joe’s Underground - Jerod Gay Surrey Tavern - Open Jam Session The Willcox - Four Cats in a Doghouse Wild Wing - Lo Fidelty
Skilyr Hicks is a 14-year-old singersongwriter from North Augusta who has the local music scene buzzing about her talent. A multiple Lokal Loundness Awards nominee, she plays Tavern at the Bean Friday, March 1. Visit skilyrhicks.com.
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s Nite Club - Karaoke, wine tasting Club Argos - Valentine’s Sweetheart Party Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Coyote’s - DJ Richie Rich & Chad Mac Music Video Mixx Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia w/ Jacob & Wendell The Loft - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic with Brandy Shannon’s - Karaoke Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke
March 1 01Friday, Live Music
100 Laurens - Brent Lundy Chevy’s Nite Club - Picture Perfect Country Club - Phil Vaught Coyote’s - Dave Firmin, Rhes Reeves & the Coyote Band Doubletree - Classic Jazz French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Joe’s Underground - AcostA MAD Studios - Mann Ray, De-Evolutionaries Malibu Jack’s - Tony Williams PI Bar & Grill - Jazz Duo Polo Tavern - Josh Hilley Band Somewhere In Augusta - Joe Stevenson Tavern at the Bean - Skilyr Hicks Wild Wing - Jay Edwards Band
What’s Tonight?
Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Cocktails Lounge - Grown-Up Fridays with DJ Cork and Bull Pub - Karaoke Eagle’s Nest - Free Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Jeff Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim The Playground - DJ Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel Sky City - First Friday 80’s Night 28FEBRUARY2013
Soul Bar - Disco Hell Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest
Dancing Shannon’s - Karaoke with Peggy Gardner
March 2 02Saturday, Live Music
March 4 04Monday, Live Music
The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Chevy’s Nite Club - Live Music Country Club - Thomas Tillman Coyote’s - Dave Firmin, Rhes Reeves & the Coyote Band Hoze’s Bar - Bad Habits Joe’s Underground - Swyrv Malibu Jack’s - South Atlantic P.I. Bar and Grill - Not Gaddy Jazz with Pam Bowman Polo Tavern - Jim Fisher Band Sky City - The Last Bison, Swear and Shake, The Ramblin’ Fevers Somewhere in Augusta - The Unmentionables Wild Wing - Cover Story
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Variety Show Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Loft - DJ Richie Rich Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke with Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke
March 3 03Sunday, Live Music
Cotton Patch - Keith Gregory (brunch) Malibu Jack’s - Playback The Band w/ Tutu Dy’Vine Patridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not Gaddy Jazz Trio Wild Wing - Hooker & Riley The Willcox - Jon Vaughn, brunch; Preston & Weston, night
What’s Tonight?
Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa
Shannon’s - Open Mic Night Soul Bar - Arboles Libres
What’s Tonight?
Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Club Argos - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia Robolli’s - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere in Augusta - Poker Wild Wing - Trivia
March 5 05Tuesday, Live Music The Highlander - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Karaoke Contest The Willcox - Piano jazz
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s Nite Club - Shag Night Club Argos - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Joe’s Underground - Poker Night Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane Limelight Cafe - Bottom’s Up Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Poker Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia The Playground - Truly Twisted Trivia with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke Shannon’s - Karaoke with Mike Johnson Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia Surrey Tavern - Tubeday Tuesday Movie Night
March 6 06Wednesday, Live Music
Chevy’s Nite Club - Steve Chappel Joe’s Underground - Whiskey Wednesday w/ Sibling String Malibu Jack’s - Marilyn Adcock
What’s Tonight?
Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Club Argos - Santoni’s Satin Dolls Cocktails Lounge - Augusta’s Got Talent Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes
Hotel Aiken - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane The Loft - Karaoke Midtown Lounge - Karaoke w/ Charles O’Byrne Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke The Playground - Krazy Karaoke with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere In Augusta - Comedy Zone w/ the Tennessee Tramp and Corey Forrester Surrey Tavern - Trivia with Christian and Mickey Wild Wing - Trivia
Upcoming
Roadkill Ghost Choir w/ Mercies and River Whyless - Sky City March 7 Eli Montgomery - 100 Laurens March 8 Classical Mystery Tour - Bell Auditorium March 8 Scarletta - Country Club March 8 Cameras, Guns, & Radios - MAD Studios March 8 Music for Lovers w/ Matthew Whittington Partridge Inn March 8 The Hollerers - Polo Tavern March 8 Little Tybee CD Release Show w/ Colorfeels - Sky City March 8 Paleface - Stillwater Taproom March 8 Bloodkin - Surrey Tavern March 8 Keith Gregory - 100 Laurens March 9 Black Jack Billy - Country Club March 9 JAR - Polo Tavern March 9 Gaslight Street - Surrey Tavern March 9 Jared Ashley - Country Club March 15 The Derelict String Band - Tavern at the Bean March 15 Amanda Daughtry - Country Club March 16 Joe Stevenson - Country Club March 22 Lindsay Lou and the Flat Bellys - Stillwater Taproom March 29 Jason White - Laura’s Backyard Tavern April 5 The Broadcast - Surrey Tavern April 11 Carrie Underwood - James Brown Arena April 19 Alice in Chains - Bell Auditorium May 1
Elsewhere
Solange - The Masquerade, Atlanta February 28 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - Symphony Hall, Atlana February 28 Pink - Philips Arena, Atlanta March 1 Lee Tyler Pose - Beach Break Grill, Savannah March 1 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 37
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VALERIEEMERICK
Survival Instinct
Artist finds strength, hope and inspiration from attack victims
In conjunction with the 2013 Georgia Regents University Women’s Studies Symposium “Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Voices: Health and Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century,” the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art will be showing works of art by Mahera Khaleque in its Creel-Harison Community Art Gallery beginning March 1. Khaleque, native of Bangladesh, began her formal education in art at the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, in Bangladesh in 1989, where she received an associate’s degree in fine arts in 1994 before moving to the United States in 1995. If it seems like four years is a long time to get a two-year degree, Khaleque has a valid reason for that. “You’ll see that I went there in ‘89,” explains Khaleque, “but it took me a long time to get a two-year degree associate degree because I went to university in a time when Bangladesh was going through a very politically unstable time. There was a dictator and people wanted to get rid of him, so there was a big revolution. Because of that, the university had to be closed from time-to-time.” After coming to the States, Khaleque received a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from York College of
38 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Pennsylvania and two master’s of fine arts degrees from Purdue University; one in painting and one in visual communications. It was while at Purdue that she was inspired to create the works that will be exhibited at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. The works featured in the exhibition focus on the issue of gender violence and are specifically inspired by survivors of the acid attacks perpetrated against women in Asia and the Middle East. “Truly, I started thinking about this issue in 1999 when I went to Purdue University for my first graduate studies — MA in painting,” says Khaleque. “I was pretty lost at the time. I didn’t know what to do during the first semester, going from very traditional, realistic training to abstraction. One day my professor comes to me with a newspaper, it was the New York Times from the day before, and he asked me, ‘Did you see this piece of news, an acid attack on women in Bangladesh?’” Khaleque had not seen the article but she was aware of the issue. “I kind-of know about this issue,” she says, “because when I was home it happened and I read it in the papers there… I thought to myself that when I was at home I never thought about these things and in that way it really affected me. I started researching and when I went home after the semester I met with some of the acid attack survivors in the burn unit, I went to women’s rights organizations where more experienced acid survivors counseled newcomers, teaching them about their own life experiences and telling them stories about how to survive.” “I felt really connected… and while it is a sad story, I also saw a lot of strength and hope in the survivors. It was at that point that I thought maybe I could use this body of work to create awareness, but also to somehow connect my art to myself.” In addition to spreading awareness through her painting, in 2011 Khaleque contributed a book chapter called “Acid Attacks in Bangladesh” to Crimes Against Women (Nova Publishers). Her artwork has been seen in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Bangladesh and Iran. Mahera Khaleque: Restoration Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art’s Creel-Harison Community Art Gallery March 1-April 25 | Free | 706-722-5495 | ghia.org
28FEBRUARY2013
V24|NO09
Delightfully Good
Diablo’s Southwest Grill is a familiar concept with a few twists
The owners of Diablo’s Southwest Grill think their fast-casual concept is delightfully good. After all, what other reasonably priced, quick serve restaurant will offer items like bison, filet mignon and duck? “We won’t have it in the beginning, but we will more than likely roll out a specialty item that will rotate monthly,” said co-owner Carl Wallace. “So it may be bison, it may be filet mignon, it may be duck. Duck tacos are really good. Nobody else does that. If you want a prime rib salad in a fast-casual concept, you can forget it.” Wallace and his co-owners, brothers Brad and Brandon Wall, are set to open Diablo’s in early March, but the idea has been in the works for three years. Wallace and Brad Wall, who also own Augusta Granite Company in Grovetown, say they’ve wanted to branch out into the restaurant business for a long time and, through research, discovered that fast-casual is the best performing restaurant concept. “We looked at data after data after data and your sitdown restaurants, they’re not performing all that well and, within that segment, the worst performing is the
28FEBRUARY2013
local effort with no big name,” Wallace explained. “So then we looked at fast food, which is performing at a four- or two-percent growth. It’s doing okay; surviving day in and day out. Then you get to this middle segment, this new segment, and it’s the hottest thing, and that’s the fast-casual concept. It’s growing at like and 18 percent. Chipotle has opened 1,400 stores in 10 years and Moe’s has opened 700 stores in 10 years.” The concept — order on the left, pay on the right — and the food — southwest and Tex-Mex favorites such as burritos and tacos — will be familiar to most customers. The execution of that concept is what the three owners believe will set them apart from the competition. The décor has a personal feel, with one wall covered in reclaimed wood and local artist Brian Stewart adding his unique touch. The kitchen is equipped for some serious cooking, with a dual-stage grill that uses gas heat as well as smoke from apple wood marinated in a pepper bath. “The apple wood is soaked for 24 hours in a pepper bath,” Wallace said. “So you’ve got the heat from the gas and then you’ve got that smoke coming off. It only
impacts the flavor profile 10-15 percent, so we’re not talking an amazing difference, but it’s one of those things that when you taste it, you know.” The kitchen is laid out for ease of cooking, with space between the servers and cooks so that customers getting the freshest products possible. They don’t even have a freezer. “We’ll constantly be cooking all day long,” co-owner Brad Wall said. “There’s always going to be meat on the grill.” And like every other aspect of their new venture, the trio has put a lot of thought into their recipes. They’ll make two salad dressings, a southwest vinaigrette and a chipotle ranch, in house and began putting their salsa recipes through blind taste tests about a year and a half ago, continuing until they got them right. The concept is designed to give diners who want greattasting food value for their money while respecting the fact that most don’t have a whole lot of time to eat. It’s something that all three of the owners are well familiar with, since they live in Appling, own a business in Grovetown and are opening Diablo’s across from Doctors Hospital. “A lot of us who are out on the road every day, we get tired of eating the same fast food,” Brad Wall said. “We don’t mind spending a little bit more money on food, we just don’t necessarily have a lot more time for it.” At Diablo’s, they can get good food quickly and, as a bonus, can take advantage of the Quickboost phone charging stations at each booth. It seems the owners of Diablo’s have thought of everything, from what kind of tea they’ll serve to the music they’ll play. They’re hoping their first Diablo’s location will be the beginning of their own franchise, and are betting on the great food, including their upcoming specials, will set them apart from the rest. “I mean, where else will you be able to get a duck taco? Nobody in fast-casual has true, premium products like that,” Wallace said. “We think it’s cool.” Diablo’s Southwest Grill Wheeler Road 11 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week 706-364-2259 | diablossouthwestgrill.com
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Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Brittany Cannon, Bryce Cartledge and Sam Hartley at the Pizza Joint in Evans.
SIGHTINGS
Ricky McMurtrey, Katherine York, Matt Hutchison and Katie Sykes at the Pizza Joint in Evans.
Della McElveen, Ashley Morgan and Brigitte Summe at Chevy’s Night Club.
SIGHTINGS
Larry Hogue, Kiersten Umber and Ian Selby at Somewhere in Augusta.
Michael Culverhouse, Amanda Collins, Courtney Cake and Ian Coffey at the Country Club.
SIGHTINGS
John Weeks, Kayla Jacobs and Grayson Wood at Somewhere in Augusta.
Spence Jackson, Amanda Lowe, Mary Alice Pulliam at the Country Club.
Alexis Belanger, Kim Crow and Amber Jimenez at Bar West.
Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Ashley Denany, Courtney Davis and Martha Hopkins at Bar West.
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21FEBRUARY2013
The 2nd Annual Metro Spirit Evans Towne Center Park Spring Fest at the Lady A Amphitheater in Evans
2 N A NN
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SPR ING FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY
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Noon-7:00 Live Music | Great Food | Over 15 Craft Beers Free Admission | Family Friendly For more info, visit our ETCP Springfest Facebook page or go to metrospirit.com
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Austin Rhodes has a personal ax to grind with Sheriff Roundtree. He is now the self appointed merit board to oversee hiring and promotions in the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Rhodes will expose and reject all flunkies, misfits, and fools. It takes a flunky, misfit, and fool to recognize the same. No matter how bad the Spirit gets - and it is near a historic low only saved by Eric Johnson and Austin Rhodes - it will always rest above the gutter of Augusta media, Verge. Say what you want about them but the Plocha’s has a pretty cool little rag. This sophomoric bird cage liner should be renamed to Buzz Off. By the time you read this, the 2013 Daytona 500 will be history (it’s Friday night - 8:30 p.m.). Danica Patrick has two chances to win the Daytona 500 - slim and none. And if she does win, I will personally come to the Metro Spirit offices and clean their restrooms! So nice to be guided through the plane crash by aviation expert Austin Rhodes. I don’t know about polyester, but Bonnie Ruben’s downtown store sells some bitchin’ pork pie hats. I have 3 of them and most people would consider me pretty hip. Great news about a new Holiday Express hotel coming to downtown! Now hopefully it will make the other hotel a couple of blocks down Broad Street to clean up its act. I see that Augusta’s favorite Yankee liberal herbal enthusiast was busy at her laptop the past week cranking out more of her tiresome Austin Rhodes bashing diatribes. Why doesn’t she just get her own radio talk show? Oh that’s right, liberal talk radio always flops. Air America anyone? Anybody who charges $22 for a pork chop can take said chop and make a sandwich out of it with the cheeks of their glueteus maximus. To whomever complained about the NYT crossword: I do it every week and have for years. You need to get out of the house more often... Augusta has a lot of smart people!
WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM
Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit. com. If you do so by noon on Friday, you might just see it in the next Thursday’s issue. Oh, and whines may be edited for content but will pretty much be printed exactly as you type them.
Get them and wear and use the items! ASU will not die out. Why on earth do so many blind people drive into the Olive Road bridge? What else besides bright flashing lights, large lettered signs and hanging sticks can get your fool eyes to see that bridge? Today I learned that Coco Rubio translates to “blond coconut”. My recent experience at Ruben’s Department Store was excellent. The suit and shoes purchased were a perfect fit. The customer service was stellar and I look forward to my next visit. It is nice to know there are still small department stores around Augusta so I do not have to go to the mall. Keep up the good work Ruben’s and see you soon. Quote from Whineline (with grammatical corrections): “What happened to the weekly freewill astrology section? For years that was the main reason my mom and I got the Spirit”. People in the twenty-first century still read astrology and horoscope columns??? ROFL The stupid goyim on the Augusta commission wouldn’t know their tuchas from a hole in the ground. This city is doomed by the idiots in charge. Civic activism is more than just making a lot of noise and constant complaining like Brad Owens and Lori Davis does. It’s about offering up solutions and bringing people together to move the city forward instead of dividing it. Some people think if they shout loud enough they are making a difference when actually they are just being annoying. The shiksas like to make fun of Bonnie Ruben’s store only because they don’t know good fashion. They are probably still wearing stoned washed jeans and denim jackets from the Merry Go Round. Most of what the chain stores in the mall sell is overpriced crap made by slave labor in China or Bangladesh. If her clothes were so unfashionable, then why has she been in business for so long? 95 rock, you suck. You wont shut up about alice in chains but Red comes to town and you dont mention it once on your station. They’re a much better band. I’d like to add to the post by the person commenting on “W” wars. The fact is, Osama Bin Laden had one goal in the terrorist attacks on this country: bankruptcy! He was fully aware that taken on this nation by force was impossible; his whole aim was
financial ruin and surprise, he nearly made it happen! We’re still suffering from the effects of two wars; the massive airport security administration (that has BTW, accomplished little) and reorganization of the federal government. We took the bait hook, line and sinker! The commenter was fully correct in those comments except for the real reason behind the faltering economy; Bin Laden’s objective of financial ruin was the catalyst for our ruin and unfortunately we took the tack that he knew we would! Now, we’re drowning in debt for 2 wars that were totally unnecessary (look at the lost of life, not only our brave young men & women but those of the nation attacked) AND from OVER sizing a government that was already too big! Matt stone you must be pretty upset. Several big shows coming to augusta and not a single one if em is a gay indie band. Stomach Belt : A End user Perspective Belly Belt -- A special Physical exercise System Utilizing an Ab Belt For Sculpting Muscle groups The potency of Belly Belts -- Complete That they Work flex belt Exercises For Decrease Ab Firming The ab Workout desire a Health and well-being Program The value regarding Weighted Abs Routines The particular 3 superlative abdominal training exercises together with the goal of are certainly not your current standard abdominal routines
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THUMBS
WHINE
V24|NO08
Awards season is over, which means beer festival season is just about to begin.
down
If you need a pet, now’s the time to contact Happy Tails in Appling. The rescue group lost their state license and need to place between 25-30 pets before they close in mid-March.
hey folks, last of ASU items on sale for 50% off at the JagStore.
42 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
21FEBRUARY2013