Metro Spirit 06202013 by Metro Spirit

04 06 07

METRONEWS AUGUSTA TEK FEATURE CROSSWORD

08 11 12 15

EVENTS CALENDAR CUISINE SCENE JENNY IS WRIGHT ART 45

31 37 38 39

SLAB SIGHTINGS THE 8

40 43 44 46

WHINE LINE

EricJohnson|news editor eric@themetrospirit.com

GabrielVega|lead designer gabe@themetrospirit.com

BrendaCarter|senior account executive brenda@themetrospirit.com

AmyChristian|arts editor/production director amy@themetrospirit.com

JoeWhite|publisher joe@themetrospirit.com

JohnnyBeckworth|circulation manager johnny@themetrospirit.com

Michael-RKQVRQ_VLJKWLQJV Valerie(PHULFN_ZULWHU Amy3HUNLQV_HGLWRULDO LQWHUQ Laura3HUU\_YROXQWHHU KristinHawkins|editorial intern

WHINELINE I love the smell of hot, week-old garbage in the morning. NOT! Well, it took Augusta 2 years but you have finally managed to show the world exactly the real mentality of your fair city, between the sensational 30 person brawl on Broad and the racist

comments of your firefighter against an 11 year old child no less, I no longer have to explain what this city is really like to all my out of town friends...I know Delta is ready when I am but how could I possibly look away from the parade of idiots this town displays on a daily basis even for 1 second? KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND KEEP THE HITS

Augusta Chronicle printed a letter to the editor (America is a godless nation) that compared homosexuals to You failed to mention that Hitler, Nazi’s, and mules! Sleeper is the host of 3 weekly trivia contest at local Really? 1.) Are you, the watering holes. What a great Augusta Chronicle, proud of yourself? 2.) Are you, father he must be. the letter writer, proud of yourself? 3.) Are you, the Do yuppie zombies read Martha Stewart Living Dead? Christians of the C.S.R.A., proud of your fellow brother? This letter shows people On Saturday, June 15, the COMING. I am not laughing with I am laughing at you.

o r t e m IRIT SP why I’m “anti religion.” Yet the religious want to tell you we need “more religion.” If religion does this to people, we need NO religion at all. Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

o r t e m IR P S

INSIDER RUFFIN’ IT AUSTIN RHODES

12 13 08 10

Metro Spirit is a free newspaper published weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks a year. Editorial coverage includes local issues and news, arts, entertainment, people, places and events. In our paper appear views from across the political and social spectrum. The views do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Visit us at metrospirit.com.© 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. One copy per person, please.

CONTENTS

3D — No Glasses Required: NASA technology allows Columbia County to map with intelligence Camera Ready: 3D mapping in a Prius has its ups and downs

Realigned Government: Columbia County administrator shakes things up Campus Politics: Students at a Mills Campus by the fall of next year? It’s aggressive, but doable.

Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? 706.496.2535 or 706.373.3636

(continued on page 46)

COVER DESIGN: KRUHU

Pharmacy Technician - 8/27 Personal Trainer certification - 7/13 Register now for Golf, Photography Classes & Workshops Register today | 706.721.2329| www.gru.edu/pace

P R O F E S S I O N A L & C O M M U N I T Y E D U C AT I O N BUSINESS CERTIFICATES | PROFESSIONAL TRAINING | CAREER TRAINING | PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

V24|NO25

INSIDER@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Insider is an anonymous, opinion-based examination of the hidden details of Augusta politics and personalities.

SIDER

Getting In Is Easy. Getting Out Is the Hard Part. The curious trial and conviction of former Harlem mayor and Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean is now reaching its third act. His primary accuser, his adopted daughter, has supposedly recanted her testimony in a letter to her adoptive mother and now lives with her.

adopted daughter, told her Dean touched her inappropriately and she didn’t like it. Although Marlene was only 15 years old at the time and new to this country, the confidante who testified never reported the conversation to the authorities. From the stand, Marlene denied she was speaking of Dean, instead her natural father in Guatemala. Time The accuser’s then 14-year-old sister The time Dean was indicted (February 2, 2011) on testified Dean would enter their bedroom two counts of child molestation until his hearing seemed (more than 20 times) and crawl into bed with like an eternity. His trial in December of 2012 seemed Marline and the accuser and kiss Marlene like the blink of an eye. Held in just over three days in “like a husband would kiss his wife.” Yet a Columbia County courtroom, Dean was convicted. A Marlene had her own bedroom attached and little more than a month later, he was sentenced to 20 slept by herself often. years in prison followed by 20 more of probation. He is Towards the close of the trial, Ben Harbin eligible for parole consideration after serving 18 years of was called as a character witness to testify on his sentence. Dean’s behalf, a curious move if ever there Legal insiders say a trial of this import, with multiple was one. In cross-examining all of Dean’s expert witnesses, not to mention accusers seemingly character witnesses, the prosecuting attorney coming out of the woodwork, would usually last painted him as a bullying adulterer. From the “weeks, if not months.” transcripts one gains a sense that the defense Inmate number 1000738485 currently resides in the attorney was swatting at attacking bees from notorious former death row penitentiary, Georgia State the get go. Prison in Reidsville. Then Trial Now that Dean’s request for a new trial From the beginning, it didn’t look good for the has been denied by Judge Blanchard, who defendant as the DA was allowed to introduce as oversaw the first trial and allowed all the witnesses a pair of twins who hadn’t seen Dean in evidence that the appeal was based on, almost 30 years. They testified to the jury that, as Dean is hopeful this latest development will 12-year-old girls (he was 14), Dean had touched them be grounds for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, inappropriately at a slumber party held at their home. basically a get out of jail and receive a The incident was never reported to authorities. Reading new trial card. Insiders speculate the newly the transcripts, the alleged incidents have a foggy feel, adopted evidentiary code 24-4-404B could but the damage done was sharp. possibly keep the twins out of the picture. Another witness testified that Marlene, the eldest That could go either way depending on the

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

trial judge’s interpretation. Still, a new trial is a long ways off and a long shot. Many believe his smarmy personality appears to have prejudiced the jury before they were ever seated. This causes great concern to everyone with a smarmy personality. Loved or loathed, justice is supposed to be blind. To frosted hair and all.

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

While We Wait The announcement that Mayor Deke Copenhaver’s leggy right hand, Karyn Nixon, is leaving the Marble Palace to become a “government and community specialist” at Georgia Regents University only solidifies what seems to be a strong and growing relationship between the city and GRU. Once a tense and occasionally testy partnership, commissioners have begun to see beyond the public backlash against President Ricardo Azziz and his insensitivity, choosing instead to embrace his vision of an Augusta powered by America’s next great university. If GRU is America’s next great university, could Augusta become America’s next great city? With GRU looking toward downtown, many commissioners seem to be willing to at least consider the possibility. This isn’t to ignore Augusta’s problems — they are vast and entrenched. But there’s no crime in looking toward the future, and if some are seeing a future lit at least partially by a new academic star, then maybe we ought to at least give it some consideration, too. At least until the next YouTube video.

If a Tree Falls in a Forest but There’s No One There to Hear… Insiders have their eye on Commissioner Bill Lockett. It’s not that the former lion has lost his roar, it’s that because of his longwinded colleagues and the impatient world of the media, no one sticks around for his Administrative Services committee meetings to hear anything he has to say. His attempts to rectify his situation and claw his way back into the limelight — a shuffle of the committee meeting schedule — wasn’t all that popular, suggesting that those he’s ticked off haven’t forgotten and those who were his allies were allies out of convenience and are in no rush to return to the old days. Even his recent teasing of Paul Simon, whose Patch proposal he supported after bitterly opposing just about everything else the businessman has ever tried to do, fell flat, almost as if the once influential Lockett had been pushed off into irrelevance.

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT

V24|NO25

Back Pew Hero Worship Part six: The difficulty of neutrality

When Josh Thompson knocked out Nate Diaz with a gorgeous head kick some weeks back at UFC on Fox 7, it was a sweet moment, personally, for a couple of reasons. No. 1: Nate Diaz, and, to an even greater extent, his older brother Nick, is an a**hole. I tune into every one of his fights because I know there’s a greater chance of one of my bowel movements winning an Oscar than there is for a Diaz brother to be in a boring fight — they taunt, mock and hypnotically slap-box their ways to a dizzying collection of dominant victories, and when that doesn’t work, they just break out their otherworldly jiu-jitsu skills. But as people, they’re near-caricatures of the thuggish-ignoramus image of which the UFC is trying to rid itself in its pursuit of 100 percent mainstream acceptance. No. 2: Josh Thompson, career-wise, is an old scruffy dog. His body isn’t dilapidated to nearly the extent of, say, a Riddick Bowe or Ken Shamrock, but his career has been plagued by knee injuries and a frustrating inability to register a dominant, signature win; even his Strikeforce title victory over Gilbert Melendez (himself a training partner of the Diaz brothers) was, more than anything, a showcase of his ability to simply out-hustle. The fact that Melendez has taken the other two victories in their very entertaining trilogy all but quashes memory of Thompson’s lone triumph in the series. So it was great, for at least one night, to see him turn back the clock and not just win, but to KO a fighter who had never before been finished by strikes. In the ensuing weeks, only one of those sentiments has been even more, retroactively, justified. A short time after Nate’s loss, fellow Strikeforce crossover Pat Healy was initially awarded $130,000 in disclosed bonus money — for Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night — at UFC 159 for his rear naked choke win over Jim Miller. But when the post-fight drug tests (which screen for everything from Class A controlled substances and steroids to banned diuretics and elevated testosterone), Healy was popped for marijuana metabolites. Subsequently, he not only had the greatest win of his career (Miller is a perennial Top 10 lightweight) overturned to a No Contest, but his bonus winnings were revoked, $65,000 of which re-gifted to Bryan Caraway, who had finished Johnny Bedford by guillotine choke at the same event. Criminalization of marijuana is a stupid, stupid law, but that’s not what this is about.

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Shortly afterward, Nate Diaz took to Twitter, calling Caraway “the biggest Fag in the world” for accepting the bonus money. Diaz had also insulted the manhood of Josh Thompson after having his head kicked into orbit, so we’re not talking about someone who has an even-keeled way of expressing his disappointment. As a result, Diaz was fined $20,000 and suspended for 90 days by the UFC. I thought, “Good on ya, Josh Thompson’s right foot.” I thought wrong. Last week, for no readily apparent reason other than the full effects of his knockout loss to Yves Edwards more than 10 years ago finally manifesting themselves, Thompson tweeted the following: “Should you be allowed to marry whoever you want? Before you answer that, should u be allowed to have more than 1 wife?” Then, as if prove both the validity of Twitter’s security settings and his own idiocy, Thompson continued on Facebook: “My next question is, should siblings be allowed to marry siblings? My point is, where do you draw the line? I personally don’t care who you marry but I also am smart enough to know that it opens a gateway to men/women trying to marry young kids, siblings marrying eachother and people having multiple husbands an wives. You have to think all of these things are okay otherwise your stopping them from being happy as well which is hypocrisy. Equality doesn’t stop with gay marriage, it just starts with it. “Blacks an whites getting married is nothing like this. So your okay with R. Kelly trying To marry lil girls? People trying to marry their brother or sister? Animals? Etc? Those people want the same exact thing, to be happy. Are you gonna tell them no?” I’ve left the typos and grammatical errors in, because I’m not about to bother copyediting a homophobic waste. I’m also not about to bother listing all the reasons why Thompson’s tirade is, to put it gently, wildly ignorant, or why Diaz’ “fag” comment should be lambasted to the heavens. If you don’t know those reasons, then I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading this column during a “Buckwild” commercial break. What bothers me is this: I like the UFC, and mixed martial arts in general. It’s the closest to a real fight that combat sports can safely get, and that, for some reason, intrigues me. I’m a fan of all kinds of fighters: the uber-

athletes (Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones), the ethereally talented (Anderson Silva, Ronda Rousey) and the all-heart grinders (Matt Brown, Forrest Griffin). The coalescing, the mish-mashing, the downright collision of disparate fighting styles, personalities and intangibles is endlessly fascinating. But it’s getting harder and harder to know who to root for, because… well, there are fewer and fewer fighters worth devoting that kind of time and energy to. Social media shoulders maybe some minutiae of the blame, but that’s hardly the root problem. Outlets like Twitter and Facebook only serve as a conduit, a means by which people like Diaz, Thompson, Matt Mitrione (who recently referred to a transgendered fighter as “sick” and “psychopathic”) can lay bare, at a whim, the worst aspects of themselves. For once, I’m not going to try and draw direct parallels to politics at large, because part of being a politician — or following politics, for that matter — means that the major players are defined by their core beliefs, and how eloquently — or not — they express them. But it gets more difficult when we begin to deal with pop culture figures, personal heroes and icons. I’ve long been an advocate for separating the artist from the art: Ezra Pound, one of the world’s great poets, had anti-Semitic tendencies, but you can read and marvel at his “Cantos”; Roman Polanski is a statutory rapist, but oh my God, “Chinatown”; Ty Cobb was, by all accounts, just an all-around terrible person, but his baseball legacy is rock-solid, and for good reason. But it is getting more difficult. The truth, if it doesn’t hurt, at least nags and pangs. It paws diligently at you while you try to snag a little peaceful sleep. I probably won’t stop watching the UFC. I probably won’t even stop watching Thompson and Diaz fight, though I’ll justify my decision by rooting for whoever is fighting against them. And I will forget how that turns out.

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.

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

Time to Kill the “Final Solution” Much of this column appeared three years ago, about a week after the death of Judge John “Jack” Ruffin. This week, we will likely see the death of the most important federal court order in the history of local government, and it is a measure that is forever tied to the great work of this legendary judge. Friday, most expect Richmond County’s Federal Public School Desegregation Order to be lifted. Here is a little perspective on how it came to be all those years ago... In his private time, alone with his thoughts, I will always wonder if the brilliant and complex legal intellectual Judge Jack Ruffin ever asked himself, “My Lord in heaven, what have we wrought...?” The pioneer black attorney, civil rights champion and eventual Georgia state appeals court chief first secured his place in local history books as the man who guided the case against the Richmond County education system that forever changed the way the schools in Augusta were run and, many say, it was the ruination of the public schools here as we once knew them. As we mark the passing last week of Judge Ruffin, and remember all the good he did in his vast career as an attorney and jurist, it is only fair and appropriate to consider also laying to rest the unintentional disaster that came on the heels of his greatest victory, the federal desegregation case that he won against the Richmond County school board. While the fight was righteous, and the goals admirable and lofty, the resulting “final solution” remains hanging around the neck of local taxpayers like a rotting, stinking albatross. Much like the national debt will choke generations of taxpayers who were not born when the politicians of yesteryear decided to become a debtor nation, the property owners of Richmond County are paying the tab for sins they didn’t commit for medicine to cure a disease that has long since been eradicated. The short story that tells the tale is simply this: Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ruffin was able to convince the federal courts that long after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools should be completely desegregated, officials with the Richmond County school board kept their system separate and unequal through a rigid and premeditated school zoning plan that drew sharp lines between black and white neighborhoods. Some say it was subtle, but the result was obvious. In Augusta-Richmond County, there was almost no race mixing in the public schools. In 2010, no one (except the most ignorant Neanderthals) sees racial segregation as anything other than an anachronistic throwback of an unenlightened age. But in 1972, the local folks fighting Jack Ruffin and his case against their school system were far more concerned about the possible remedies than any misbegotten allegiance to racial purity. I can say that with 100 percent confidence, because my family, specifically my mother, father and a number of aunts and uncles, were on the front lines fighting for the other side. I saw and heard their concerns in my own living room, and over hundreds of evening meals, for weeks and months and years on end.

20JUNE2013

Some 40 years later, after many, many hours of research, discussion and study on the issue, I can tell you without hesitation: both sides were right. Ruffin and his plaintiffs were right to question the system plans and agendas that kept the schools almost solidly segregated long after the Supreme Court ruled such policy verboten. My family and their allies were right when they feared the “final solution,” in which they rightly feared a hideous “busing plan” that did nothing to alleviate poor conditions in minority dominated schools, but rather tried to “equalize” the system by subjecting suburban kids to the conditions of the inner city. Ruffin and his team won the local battle to be sure. Decades later we see that they sadly lost the war that was the more important struggle for quality education for all. To say the court-constructed final solution didn’t work would be the understatement of the century. Virtually overnight Augusta’s few private schools were filled to capacity by the children of those with the means to pay their way out of the court-ordered busing nightmare, and new private schools popped up like dandelions. The resulting exodus of talent, intellect, community service and financial support was a blow to the system that was almost fatal. Many years later, thanks to the advent of the magnet schools, a return to sensible neighborhood zoning plans for most schools, and the leadership of Superintendent Dana Bedden, the Richmond County School System is inching closer to performing at levels that most would call acceptable and respectable. Current board members Jimmy Atkins, Frank Dolan and Alex Howard have expressed a strong desire to get out from under the federal court order that resulted from Ruffin’s case, and the millions in legal fees that continue to add up every year as compliance is monitored by any number of rotating local attorneys. In 2010 the system shows no signs of operating in anything other than a completely enlightened environment and, ironically, several mandated directives in the order have had to be adjusted because the system has performed so well. For instance, the order provided that the racial makeup of school employees reflect the makeup of the county population. If they followed the letter of the law, the system would have to replace a good number of black employees with white ones, because, by the letter of the law, whites are now underrepresented in the ranks. Judge Jack Ruffin will be buried this week with much-deserved honor and acclaim. It is also time to bury the unrighteous court order that was the unintended result of his greatest victory.

AUSTINRHODES

The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT

V24|NO25

ERICJOHNSON

Realigned Government Columbia County administrator shakes things up

According to Administrator Scott Johnson, Columbia County’s recent approval of the extensive reorganization that significantly dismantled the mammoth Development Services Division should increase efficiency while also saving the county some money. “It’s something that’s really been in the works ever since I started as county administrator,” said Johnson, who will have been on the job for two years this August. “I took the first eight months to assess what was going on and really take a look at where we needed some additional help and what we could do to be a little more efficient.” The move, which Johnson said was more spurred on by the desire for efficiency than to save money, ended up saving three of the five funds money while the two funds it ended up costing — water utility and storm water — are two funds that have healthy balances. The revised budget, which will take effect July 1, saves the SPLOST fund a little over $22,000, the building standards fund $40,000 and the general fund almost $5,500 in salaries. The water utility is an enterprise fund and the storm water is a standalone fund. One of the keys to making the realignment work involved the water utility and the storm water department. “We had a situation where we had one employee who was serving as the storm water manager who wore a couple of different hats,” Johnson said. “While she 8

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

was primarily doing storm water management, in my conversations with Utilities Director Bill Clayton, he really needed her expertise in water quality, so he was able to pick her salary up fully with water utility funds, and that freed up storm water funds to help realign.” The reorganization is a substantial change in direction for the Development Services division, which had systematically grown into a “one stop shop” for developers. In spite of the direction and the history, Johnson felt it was time for a change. “People were very pleased to have the one stop shop where you could go in and do all your development in one division, but it had gotten to be too large,” he said. “It got to the point where you had all the planning, all the code enforcement, all the inspectors and all the plan review in one division, and with the amount of building permits we continue to get in Columbia County, it was just a daunting task for one director to keep up with.” So, to deal with that, all engineering and planning was removed from the division, leaving Director Richard Harmon with what Johnson calls vertical construction: building standards, code enforcement, the fire marshal and licensing and permits. The planning department was transferred to the deputy administrator. So-called horizontal construction will fall under division director Matt Schlachter, whose Construction and Maintenance division was broken up into Engineering, which he’ll head up, and Facilities and Maintenance, which will be provisionally under the direction of Paul Scarbary. Johnson said the emphasis on horizontal construction will have a long-term benefit to the county by ensuring

that the roads and storm water developers install meet county guidelines. “We thought it would be best to have that in a division by itself, where really all the engineering people would be looking at all these plans and they would be overseeing the installation of the product,” he said. “We want to start taking a closer look at the installation of the product to make sure the county is getting exactly what’s approved by the plans.” It’s a departure, Johnson admitted, but a welcome one. “It’s not like we’re trying to provide additional oversight — we’re just trying to make it more efficient,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I think we have a responsibility to the taxpayers to make sure the products we accept in the county from developers are up to county standards, and we’ve got to make sure everything works the way it’s designed to work so we don’t have problems down the road that the county ends up having to face a large bill with.” In spite of all the movement, the county is not considering merit raises at this time, despite the fact that the proposed $56 million budget carries a contingency that’s slightly over the two percent it strives to keep. “Merit raises are something we’re interested in looking at, but before I make any sort of presentations to the commission about that, I’d like to take a look and make sure that the revenues are coming in the way they’re supposed to be coming in,” Johnson said. “I’d rather have a little cushion now and see where the revenues fall and then we’ll make a decision at the first of the year.” 20JUNE2013

COME HUNGRY

IF YOU LOVE THE FOOD AT EDGAR’S WHY NOT SHARE WITH A FEW

LEAVE FULFILLED

Monday—Friday | Lunch 11:00-3:00 Monday—Saturday | Dinner 4:30-10:00 Sunday | Brunch 10:30-3:00

Book the Snelling Center, adjacent to Edgar’s Grille, for your next party, reception or corporate meeting. Snelling Center, a conference center that helps the community. 3165 Washington Rd | 706.854.4728 | EdgarsGrille.com

3165 Washington Rd, Augusta GA. 706-854-4700 edgarsgrille.com

A CONFERENCE VENUE AT EDGAR’S

V24|NO25

ERICJOHNSON

Campus Politics

Students at a Mills Campus by the fall of next year? Copenhaver says it’s aggressive, but doable

A lot has been made in recent weeks about the idea of a “Mills Campus” that would give the newly consolidated GRU a downtown presence by bringing students to a 50-acre campus formed by the historic Sibley and King Mills. Mayor Deke Copenhaver, the catalyst for a plan that has received support and funding from the usually divided commission, has declared this his top priority for his remaining time in office, and he’s obviously excited about the degree to which it has already moved forward. “For a city to be sustainable, you’ve got to be able to recruit and retain the best and the brightest young minds,” he said. “A more successful university leads to a more successful Augusta.” Movement began at the end of 2011 when Copenhaver came up with the concept he called the Augusta Regional Collaboration Project. With the expansion of Plant Vogtle, the new NSA facility at Fort Gordon, the consolidation of the university, the passage of the TSPLOST and the introduction of the new Starbucks

We W e specialize in tree cutting and and limbing, landscaping, lot clearing, clearing, stump grinding, and much more!

Ask A sk to see our License and Insurance.

Michael M ichael Murray : 706.691.8832 Thomas T homas Prince : 912.531.7079

AUGUSTA A UGUSTA TREE PROFESSIONALS

10 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

facility, Copenhaver thought there needed to be an organization focusing on collaboration to maximize the economic impact. The commission set aside $100,000 for the Mayor’s Economic Development Initiative. Later, Copenhaver secured a $100,000 match from a local philanthropist. According to Copenhaver, the missing piece was Matthew Kwatinetz, a Starbucks consultant with a degree in philosophy and a background in arts and real estate. “After meeting him, I thought this is the person who really needs to be building the project,” Copenhaver said. “Subsequently, Starbucks came in and put in $200,000, which allowed us to bring Matt on to run the project.” Copenhaver and Kwatinetz laid out two potential campus scenarios in the urban core. The first would be a cultural campus that would incorporate the potential of university uses with the Imperial and Miller theaters while looking toward a performing arts center at the old Depot property. Such a plan would focus on a clustering of the arts infrastructure. Artspace, the nation’s largest affordable live/work developers for artists, came to town and seemed to like what it saw. “With regards to the Mills Campus, it’s almost as if we planned it when we didn’t,” he said.

With 1.6 million useable square feet spread between the two mills, both of which produce hydroelectric power, Copenhaver said they could form the first carbon-negative campus in the world. Other pieces seem to be in place as well, including its proximity to the existing health sciences campus and the Kroger property on 15th Street, which is owned by a foundation connected to the medical college. Together, it could all provide true consolidation of the two urban campuses. The fact that the recently passed TSPLOST allocates $30 million for improvements to make Broad Street more pedestrian friendly and $31 million for similar improvements along 15th Street certainly doesn’t hurt, nor does the fact that the two campuses would touch two historically low-income neighborhoods. That, he said, would help decrease the city’s poverty rate. “To my mind, when you’re competing with great universities around the nation, there’s got to be something that sets you apart,” he said. “The quality of education is one thing, but to have a campus that backs up to 2,000 acres of permanently protected greenspace and the Savannah River and fronts on the Augusta Canal and you’re literally a five-minute bike ride and a 10-minute walk from Broad Street — that, to me, for any kid with a mountain bike and a kayak, would be a university they’d want to attend.” He also thinks preserving the historic mills speaks to the values of the Augusta community. “I believe Augusta was built on the history of innovation, and those mills are symbols of our city’s rich history of innovation,” Copenhaver said. “I believe if we can do this, it just really puts innovation in the DNA of the newly consolidated university.” Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done, he said. “It makes sense,” he said. “What that would do for downtown Augusta and our urban core would be amazing, and you don’t often find projects that are this aspirational that are also this doable.” Though the Board of Regents has an outside group evaluating the plan, which is complicated and still in the process of being defined, he said he felt confident in the way it was moving forward. “An aggressive timeline would be to have students living in those mills by the fall of next year,” he said.

MONEY

DOESN’T

GROW ON TREES (Although some local tree services must 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 est stim imat im ates at ess!)) believe

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D

SAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spying Eyes

Tyranny is not the pedigree of Americans When the NSA domestic surveillance collections came to light a few weeks ago, I knew that I would have to write about it. After all, several times before Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve warned against congressional and executive actions regarding cyber security and data collection. As I sit here, though, trying to put thoughts on paper, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m struck by how these and related revelations strike at the most fundamental values of our country. Namely, the concept of liberty, and how we seem to have forgotten what it means. While its very difficult to find a concise definition for liberty, I think it is fair to define it this way: The right and power to act, believe or express oneself in a manner of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own choosing. Liberty is the principal value upon which America was founded. Although it reads somewhat like a clichĂŠ nowadays, Patrick Henry very concisely summed up the relationship between life, slavery and liberty: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!â&#x20AC;? Thomas Jefferson also provides a key insight regarding liberty with respect to the relationship between a government and its people: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.â&#x20AC;? Of course, all this is philosophical. Who really cares? The data collection is occurring behind the scenes with no impact on anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daily activities. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common knowledge that Google already has all our data anyway. If Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not doing anything wrong, why not use the data to track terrorist? Miss Alabama Mary Margaret McCord probably summed up the feelings of most of America last weekend: â&#x20AC;&#x153;So I would rather someone track my telephone messages and felt safe wherever I go than feel like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re encroaching on my privacy.â&#x20AC;? Really? So the next time you call your gynecologist, speak for 15 minutes, and then call a couple of friends and finally call Planned Parenthood later that day, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re okay with all this being in a government database? Well, I guess since they are only recording metadata and not call content, no one will ever know what you were talking about. Or maybe you have a phone conversation with an HIV testing service, then your doctor and then your insurance company, all within a couple of hours. Again, no call content was recorded. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure your privacy will be safe. Or how about the phone call you received from the local NRA office? Within a half hour, calls were placed from your phone to your representative and senators. The IRS audit notice you received the next week was surely just a coincidence. In reality, we will all behave differently given the knowledge that the NSA is recording our electronic communications. We will self-censor and not exercise our right to act, believe and express ourselves in a manner that we choose. We will lose a portion of our liberty. For what have we traded our liberty? We are told that these programs are needed to capture terrorists. However, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve received very few details of who or when. In addition, we are told this unbounded surveillance programs is the only way to secure our country and protect our livelihoods. I find this assertion doubtful. We are told that a secret court administers this program and protects our privacy, but we are told nothing of the actions of this court. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all classified. To quote Patrick Henry, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.â&#x20AC;? To this, I will have to say thanks but no thanks. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Americans. Tyranny is not our pedigree. Liberty is the better way. The NSA domestic spy programs must stop now. Until next time, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m off the grid @gregory_a_baker.

Get Associated with a great Auto Loan

Â&#x2039; 5V 7H`TLU[Z MVY +H`Z Â&#x2039; Rates as low as 1.90% Â&#x2039; 9LĂ&#x201E;UHUJLZ 5L^ 7\YJOHZLZ APR

Call 706.868.2200 or visit acuonline.org/90 to learn more.

Better than a Bank Offer may be withdrawn. Must qualify for loan. The rate you qualify to receive may vary depending on individual credit history. The rate of 1.90% APR applies to new or used 2013 vehicles only. This program does not apply to existing CSRA Credit Union or Associated Credit Union auto loans. Interest accrues from date of loan disbursement. Offer good on 2005-2013 models. Minimum loan amount for this offer is $5,000.00. Payment example: $26,500 loan at 5.50% APR for 60 months, monthly WH`TLU[Z PUJS\KLK Ă&#x201E;YZ[ WH`TLU[ HM[LY KH`Z VM HWWYV_PTH[LS` LHJO -LKLYHSS` PUZ\YLK I` 5*<(

GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D, is vice president and chief rocket scientist for CMA, which provides information technology services to CSRA businesses and nonprofits.

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 11

V24|NO25

ERICJOHNSON

3D — No Glasses Required

NASA technology allows Columbia County to map with intelligence

Chances are, you’ve seen a goofy-looking white Prius driving around Columbia County. With the big camera pole sticking up from its roof, it’s tough to miss. In fact, it looks a little like the Mars Rover, and for good reason — the technology it’s using to document and map the county’s roads is the same technology NASA is using to map the surface of the red planet. The company is called Earthmine, and it’s providing Columbia County with street-level 3D imagery it can use for a variety of different purposes. “It’s like Street View for Google, but it’s got intelligence to it,” says Mary Howard, Columbia County’s Geographic Information Services manager. “Every single pixel that’s in the picture has an xyz data point, so it’s got an elevation and it’s got a distance away from the camera.” That means that with one photograph you can measure depth and distance and height. Combined with GPS features and the other data collected by GIS, you can plot and evaluate just about every physical asset the county possesses, from light poles to 12 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

manholes to street signs to addresses. “That was the primary reason I was interested in it when I saw it,” Howard says. “I thought this would be awesome for addressing, because we can read any type of posted numbers.” Numbers yes, faces and license plates, no. That addressing information can help in emergencies by providing responders with more accurate information, and it can help county crews more precisely and efficiently react to problems. When the first data collection was administered in 2011, the Earthmine program had a cost of $75,000, but wrapped up in that cost was a one-time $10,000 software fee. The county managed to negotiate a perpetual software license, so this year’s update — Howard wants one done every two years — is $65,000, which she considers a steal. In fact, the program has more than paid for itself by finding discrepancies in billing and by holding contractors to their agreements. Though the county didn’t have the program available during the planning of its broadband utility project, it did have use of it during construction, where county staff was able to hold contractors accountable for the cost of their work. So when a contractor asked for a $1.5 million change order to cover the cost of more expensive boring — a process that lays the cable

under an existing roadway or obstruction — the county was able to check after the request and determine that $750,000 of it was erroneous, thereby avoiding overpaying and potential litigation. Better yet, one county employee working for 10 days with the Earthmine program was able to do the work of six people working for 45 days, at a rough savings of $48,000. Over the course of a month or so, driver Spencer 20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

Camera Ready 3D mapping in a Prius has its ups and downs

Pocock will drive the camera vehicle down each one of Columbia County’s 2,500 roads. Every 10 meters, each of the eight cameras snaps a picture, whether he’s driving 20 miles and hour or 70. The four cameras 20JUNE2013

The people Spencer Pocock works with in Columbia County credit him with ending the drought. Ever since he’s started driving his camera car — a Prius, no less — it’s been raining. “It’s pretty frustrating,” Pocock says of the rain. “The week of rain, we didn’t get much testing done at all, but last week I think I got 53 hours in. That was a good week.” When you’ve driven here from Colorado and you’re planning to be here for close to a month, you really want to knock out as much as you can in the shortest time possible. “Since we have upcoming projects, we don’t want to delay them too long,” he says diplomatically. “So as long as we’re getting them done moderately fast, as long as I’m not losing an entire week, it’s okay.” Besides that, the rain makes things kind of boring. You’re constantly doing things like taking out the cameras and wiping them off, but you’re not really getting anywhere. On days when it really rains, he stays in his hotel room or goes to the movies. The fact that it’s summer, he says, helps, since that’s when all the blockbusters come out. But still, he’s got a job to do and the more it rains, the longer it takes. Rain isn’t the only thing that he has to watch out for, however. Dust can be just as frustrating, and Columbia County has its fair share of dirt roads that dust up pretty quickly, even after it rains. “When you go down a dirt road, it kicks up all the dust and we usually hit a dead end and then have to go back through it,” he says. “Then, we have to get out and look at all the cameras.” He says we, but really it’s just him. Alone for hours. Driving. Or waiting to drive. Given all the dirt roads — all the driving, period — his car looks amazing clean, both inside and out. Though the Prius has raised a lot of eyebrows — the already ridiculous-looking camera looks absurd lashed to the roof of the tiny little car — Pocock says it has turned out to be a surprisingly good vehicle. “The only thing I’ve really noticed that it’s bad about is the low clearance,” he says. “Everything else is great. Especially the mileage. We do a whole bunch of city driving, and I get gas maybe twice a week. And that’s when I’m driving eight or 10 hours a day. And when you get it, it’s only like $30.” Because the camera doesn’t like darkness, he tries to take advantage of all the daylight he can, which means sometimes he works from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. When he finishes this project, he’ll probably go home for a couple of weeks, do some maintenance

Art & Guitar

Lessons

Hours: Monday-Friday 10-6 Saturday 10-5 EMBERS GRILLE now open| 11am - 2pm

1254 Augusta West Parkway | 706.723.1658

Like us on Facebook

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 13

V24|NO25

on top provide the general 360-degree panoramic view. The bottom ones, when processed together, add the 3D element. Using a windshield-mounted Garmin GPS, Pocock can monitor his progress down the county’s 1,200 miles of roads, while the laptop secured to the passenger seat provides more detailed information. “It’s a fancier version than the Garmin, and it’s more accurate,” he says. “The program itself will lay down a line, so it’s a lot closer to what we’re actually doing. I can use that one to have a better idea what we’ve done, so if I do a really large subdivision, I can look over at the laptop after I’ve pulled over and it shows everything.” When you’ve driven all the way from Colorado just to drive around Columbia County, it’s important not to miss a road. But hitting every single road in the county can be frustrating, Pocock says, though a little forethought can make things easier. Like avoiding left turns. If he’s got a long road with roads branching off left and right, he’ll do all the stuff on the right, then go back and do all the stuff on the left. The big complicating factor, though, is rain. Rain is the deal breaker, slowing everything down to a halt. Not only do the cameras not handle darkness well, they don’t like getting wet, which means Pocock spends a lot of time studying the weather forecast. “The bottomfacing cameras sort of collect water in the lens itself, while the others will get moisture, but it won’t get in the lens,” he says. “The bottom ones we have to be careful about.” Though Howard may have first considered using the program for addressing, the information it assembles has allowed several other departments to work more effectively. Because existing data can be overlaid on top of the Earthmine images, a lot of fieldwork for a lot of different departments can be done without 14 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

on the cameras and get some office work done before going back on the road. Most of his projects have been in California. This is the first time he’s been to the Southeast. “It’s nice that I get to travel and everything’s paid for,” he says. “Travel’s not really a passion of mine, but I knew I’d probably enjoy some of it. It’s had its ups and downs, though. I still have to drive all day, every day.” As you might imagine, one of the unexpected payoffs — or downfalls — is the odd questions he gets asked as he moves throughout the community. When the camera is down and it’s wrapped up in its tarp, it looks a little like he’s carrying around a body on the roof of his Prius. “I actually stopped at a gas station near Fort Gordon a while ago, and a few Army guys were like “Is that a weapon? And why is it on a Prius?” Despite the car’s low profile and low clearance, one of his biggest obstacles is trees. Not so much in town, but out in the country, on some of those dirt roads that are already giving him a headache, untrimmed trees arch across the road, threatening to smack and damage the sensitive cameras or snag the wires. And field maintenance on a piece of NASA technology is something everyone tries to avoid. Pocock says he’s had to take a camera apart once and they’re “very, very touchy.” To open them up you have to wear white gloves and keep them as dray as possible, which isn’t all that easy here in the South. Perhaps the hardest thing to get used to is the disappointment he sees in people’s faces when they ask who he is and they find out he’s not with Google. “But, I can tell them it’s all based on the technology used on the Mars Rover,” he says. “If only there was water on Mars, maybe we could have better waterproofed cameras.”

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

FAST ONE

By Elizabeth C. Gorski / Edited by Will Shortz 80 82 83 85 86 88

Third base coach’s urging, maybe “Ben-Hur,” for one “Catch you later” Jazz trumpeter Baker Lack “Regrets, ___ had a few” (“My Way” lyric) 89 Tit for tat? 93 Bridge feature 94 Set pieces? 95 Time and Newsweek’s cover description of 64-Across 98 Bold Ruler, to 64-Across 99 Those, to Jorge 100 Mort who said “My life needs editing” 101 Most peeved 102 Out of this world? 104 Morale-boosting mil. event 107 Bull or Celtic 108 Units of force 109 “Marry ___ Little” (Sondheim song) 110 Actress Thurman 111 “Same here” 112 “Like it ___ …” 113 Prominent part of Mickey Mouse 114 Hardly a knockout 115 Bonn exclamations Down 1 Dumbwaiter part 2 Fit to be tilled 3 Less industrious 4 Alternative 5 Name that’s Hebrew for “lion” 6 Key employee? 7 Lowdown joint? 8 Drs. may order them 9 Many a doctor’s office wait, seemingly 10 Expert with locks? 11 Yellowfin tuna, on menus 12 Wearied 13 What 64-Across holds in the three legs of 46-Down 14 One on the chopping block 15 Hybrid musical instrument with a shoulder strap 16 Quickly 19 “___ wish” 20 Smoke detector sounds when the battery runs low

23 26 29 32 33 37 39 40 43 44 45 46

Was winning Taco sauce brand Declares Puzzle solvers’ cries Backtrack? Straightaway for 64-Across Giants of the sky, in myth Turns this way and that A pastel Embroidery loops Italian or Irish What 64-Across won on June 9, 1973 47 “Daybreakers” actor Willem 49 Not post52 Really wallop 53 Dumbwaiter item 54 On point 56 “No sweat!” 57 Rap stars often have them 59 “Jeopardy!” creator Griffin 60 Richard of Rambo movies 61 Teleprompters, for speakers 62 It needs refinement 64 Sorry 65 Commercial prefix with postale 68 Cleaner 70 Some dictators’ proclamations 73 Moves like a moth 74 Beaus 76 Until now 77 Words from a Latin lover 78 “Supposedly” 79 Baloney 80 Certain templegoer 81 Enter stealthily 84 Academic paper? 85 Game involving matching cards on the table 87 Some bridge players 89 ___ acid (food preservative) 90 Victory wear for 64-Across 91 They’re worth something 92 ___-Canada (northern gas station chain) 95 Flier to Bergen 96 “Yep” 97 Passport producer 100 Rise rapidly 103 Ending with spam 105 Briny 106 Jokester

31 35

11 19

23 28

49 53 60

72 75

88 95

100

101

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

S A M C O O L E A N T A L K E I D E A O R B/R I N T P E R H S E A B/R A M E B A A M B/R P E R I H O P O N O N I N T E C B/R R A S T A Y S H I R E A O S E B B/R A N G E U N D O E P E T I T

79 83

104

70 74

103

102

43 50

39 44

PREVIOUSPUZZLEANSWERS

Across 1 Insect’s feeler 5 Double-platinum Steely Dan album 8 Kitten’s sound 11 Sharp as ___ 16 Like some stimuli 17 Participated in a derby 18 One of several Louises 19 ___ Lauro (hijacked ship of 1985) 21 Fountain site 22 Slightest idea 24 Temple in Hollywood 25 Colorless sort 27 Parts of un archipel 28 Polite helper’s question 30 Coup d’___ 31 Like 64-Across, in sports annals 33 Keep thinking about, as a victory 34 Bette Midler, e.g. 35 Assessor 36 Nevertheless, briefly 37 Lift 38 Biblical dry measure 39 Rises up on two legs 41 Frankfurt’s river 42 Like some Braten 44 Lassie and Marmaduke, e.g. 48 Circus employees 50 Super Bowl div. 51 Home of Odysseus 52 Star in the Swan constellation 53 ___ neutrino 55 Parapsychological subj. 58 Pan handlers 59 Crosses 60 Raw meat dish 63 Not duped by 64 95-Across who made the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated in the same week 66 CD-___ 67 They may be left by the side of the road 69 Like marshes 70 Pats on the back, maybe 71 Grade school subj. 72 Now or never: Abbr. 73 Some woods greenery 74 Move like a penguin 75 The Eagles, on a scoreboard 77 Charlene who played Lucy on “Dallas” 79 Stereotypical neighbors

O K E D E R D A B/R S E R S G H E F A O R A S U V S M O O P B/R B O D S T O S C E B E A R U S T L A T E B L E U B T L T H S A A G R

O S T R I C H

L O R E L E I

N O C A N D O

D O R M A

S H A K I E R

A S P E C T S

T O E L O O P

A C E L A

E L E C T

T A O S A K T C L O M Y B/R O R E I F N C E D P S A N I O S B/R B O L U M E T A H L L O R S A A N

G U M S H O E

B U M S T E E R

R E U R B O O Y M P H I A T B P U I L A L

E A D S S S E T P I R E M I V L O V E A V E N D I S M E L H I S S B/R S P A S S A N E B C A M I B/R A G O N G B/R E A A S R P L E B O A T Y S T S

FROM MOZART TO METALLICA Elliott Sons Funeral Homes ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 15

V24|NO25

leaving the office. For road widening projects, for example, county staff can look at the side of the road and see where the county assets are located — the manholes and waterlines and signs — and they can see which signs they would need to relocate or see if there is a better side of the road to do property acquisition. All things that would have required site visits. “Property Acquisition uses this a lot,” Howard says. “They’ll look at the aerial photography first to look at

could hold up your iPad and use the GPS that’s in it with the Earthmine and you can see where the hydrants and poles and valves are,” she says. “Valves are the one thing we really have a difficult time finding because of the sod. We have to use a metal detector and a prayer to try to find them, where with this, we would just hold up the iPad, and there it is.” According to Traffic Engineer Glen Bollinger, Earthmine is also a help when it comes to the federal requirement to inventory all road signs.

Georgia Power’s information against its own to find out if the proper funds were paying for the proper lighting by using Earthmine to overlay that data on top of their own. “Right off the bat, we were able to see that a gas station’s lighting had been charged to the county, so we’ll get credit back for paying that for the last five years,” Howard says. The latest complementing aerial photography, which is also done every two years at a cost of about

the property outlines and who owns it, then they’ll use that in accompaniment with this to be able to look at what things look like on the ground.” She pulls up the address of a house and, using her mouse, she puts the cursor on the lawn, drawing a line. From there she can measure distance as well as the percentage of slope: 3.95 percent. She picks out a ditch and measures it from the top to the bottom. We’ve come to expect to see this kind of stuff on NASA TV, but not from houses in subdivisions in Columbia County. The water departments use the program for cleaning out detention ponds, Howard says. Not only can they measure between a fence and a house to know if they have to squeeze through, they know exactly what to expect from the job. In other words, no surprises. You don’t get many surprises when each picture is accurate to a centimeter. Howard is especially excited about this second round of data collection, because now she’ll be able to compare how things are with how they were two years ago. After that, the next phase is called augmented reality, which helps bring Earthmine’s remote access into the field. “We have the ability and the software where you

“By law you’re supposed to have some sort of maintenance program to where you can show you’re monitoring your inventory,” he says. “Recently, the federal government has kind of tightened that up and they’ve set some real clear guidelines on the reflectivity of a sign.” That means Bollinger’s people have to take a special piece of equipment to each sign to make sure it’s bright enough at night. “You need to show where your maintenance program is, showing you’re checking the reflectivity and that you have some kind of scheme for the signs you’ve got to replace,” he says. You can’t maintain the signs if you don’t have a handle on where they are, Bollinger says, and the county has thousands of signs. While Earthmine can’t do all the legwork for them, for an extra fee it’s providing a complete inventory of all the street signs currently in the county. “So now, from this drive, we’ll have the initial look, so every time they go and replace a sign, they’ll just GPS it, so we’ll just be doing maintenance.” Another concrete benefit has come from comparing the streetlight audit of all the power poles that have streetlights on them. The county checked

$80,000, was done in February and will be available at the county’s Maps Online website within the month, and while it will only take a few weeks for the county to get the information from the Earthmine data collection — about 20 million directories of files — the Earthmine data won’t be available at Maps Online. “We have the ability to put it on there, but just not the programmer person to make sure it all works,” Howard says. “Of course, anyone can come in here if they want and we can do exports directly from the program.” She says many commercial developers have learned to come in and measure the crest of a hill or the distance from a curve to see where to best position a subdivision road or whether they’ll need to put a deceleration lane in, and though it seems as if all this information is putting manual surveyors out of business, Howard says they like the data she’s able to provide, including the elevation data that she gets from the aerial photography. “It’s kind of a win-win,” she says. “We’re getting higher quality data back by providing them with data, too.”

16 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

Augusta’s

POWDERCOAT& METAL R E S T O R A T I O N

If it’s metal, we can sandblast, powdercoat and make it last!

1965 chevy

wheels

after

before

510 Skyview Drive/Augusta

706.831.1986

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 17

V24|NO25

18 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA PRIDE GUIDE 2013

969

.6 729

. 706 | e l Av a r t Cen 5 5 18

ta s u g u A g e n i h t n e t v a e Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll boen this Friday y! Comm l day Saturda and al FOR OUR FULL MENU PLEASE VISIT

Crumsoncentral.com

WELCOME TO

AUGUSTA 2013 PRIDE “For more than two centuries, our Nation has struggled to transform the ideals of liberty and equality from founding promise into lasting reality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and their allies have been hard at work on the next great chapter of that history — from the patrons of The Stonewall Inn who sparked a movement to service members who can finally be honest about who they love to brave young people who come out and speak out every day. This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of great hope and progress, recognizing that more needs to be done. We have a long way to go, but if we continue on this path together, I am confident that one day soon, from coast to coast, all of our young people will look to the future with the same sense of promise and possibility. I am confident because I have seen the talent, passion, and commitment of LGBT advocates and their allies, and I know that when voices are joined in common purpose, they cannot be stopped. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2013 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.”

Support for LGBT equality is growing, led by a generation which understands that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Barack Obama, President of the United States of America

PRESIDENT’S LETTER WOW! The past two years have absolutely flown by. My two-year term as president of Augusta Pride, Inc. is rapidly coming to an end. It has been such an honor to represent our community. Over the past two years we have made incredible strides, not just as an organization, but also as a community. Any remaining resistance from the city to host Augusta Pride has ended. Conversely, we have received three grants from city-based organizations, two from the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and one this year from the CSRA Community Foundation. Additionally, in the past two years, four Gay Straight Alliances (GSA) have been started in local high schools. We were also the first community organization to place banners on the new streetlights along Broad Street. Augusta Pride, Inc. has doubled the size of its Board of Directors, and we have been able to double the size of the festival by starting on a Friday night. I am most excited about Friday night. “Beats on Broad: Augusta’s Largest Outdoor Dance Party” with DJ KAOS is going to be the best event Augusta Pride has hosted thus far. Just imagine the entire Augusta Common as a dance floor! Through Augusta Pride’s membership with Interpride (a global pride networking organization), we have had the opportunity to meet with pride organizers from around the globe. I have been able to chat with some of the people who started the first pride festivals celebrating the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, credited with beginning the modern LGBT civil rights movement. The ability to meet with these individuals has opened tremendous networking opportunities for Augusta Pride. We have also been able to learn from the best, most experienced pride organizers and bring their experience back to Augusta. I am very proud of my local community. Eleven years ago, I moved to Augusta from a very rural area of Georgia, and I was a huge closet case. Having always been taught that being gay was a sin, I had never even met another gay person until I moved to Augusta in 2002. Our local community showed me that it was okay to be myself, and taught me how to be myself, and, boy, have I made some changes in the past 11 years. I hope you consider my current and any future roles with Augusta Pride as my personal thank you to this community. As I step down as president, I will not be leaving Augusta Pride. I will immediately become the presidential advisor to whomever the board votes to take my place. From there I will continue to support Augusta Pride in some fashion yet to be determined. It is time for a new face with an energized spirit to lead Augusta Pride into its fifth year. Look for an announcement of the new president in the coming months. Happy Pride! Travis Jenkins, President, Augusta Pride, Inc.

FRIDAY, JUNE 21ST AT AUGUSTA COMMON 6PM - 11PM $5 COVER

featuring Club One Savannah’s resident DJ,

OPEN TO ALL AGES. Parents required for kids under 13, no coverr for kids under 13 with paying parent.

VICE PRESIDENT’S LETTER It’s taken me a minute to ﬁnd my words. It has been difficult to say what this past year has meant to me. While sitting here, deep in thought, my children got up out of their beds and climbed into mine... under me. I started to remember why I became involved in this grassroots, community effort called Augusta Pride. The reason is quite clear and simple. It’s LOVE. Love binds us. It is one of the emotions in life that makes the world go round. I thought about self-love, family love and the love of friends. I also thought about the love of my community. There is so much love in the CSRA. Some of this love is under wraps. Some of it is out and loud. Some of the love is just waiting for its turn to show itself. This year I have had many conversations about our community with members of the community. I have discussed race issues, both good and bad. I’ve also discussed gender issues throughout the LGBT community, again, the good and the bad. One thing that is evident is the love that people in our community have for one another. The only issue is how to make everyone’s voice heard and heard fairly. This should be an objective of everyone in our many circles. The LGBT community is a small part of the CSRA, yet we have a growing voice. We have been heard through many proud moments such as the Broad Street banner campaign. Our community is out and proud, every day. Many individuals are happy and willing to stand beside us as we strive to provide our community with a sounding board. I love the constructive conversations that are being had. I am overjoyed with the many different voices that are contributing to the conversation. It lets me know that there is a yearning to create a better sense of community. Always remember that it takes many voices to carry a message. Just because you don’t sit at the head of the table doesn’t mean that all are not welcome. I look forward to continuing with the community and creating new memories while preserving those from the past. I will leave you with a verse that carries me through life. Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. In Prideful Love, Takya Browning, Vice President, Augusta Pride, Inc.

What’s Stonewall? On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, found itself the center of a series of violent demonstrations focused on a police raid. Police raids on bars catering to homosexuals were frequent. During a typical raid, according to Martin Duberman’s Book “STONEWALL,” the lights would be turned on, the customers would be lined up and their identification cards would be checked. Those without identification or dressed in full drag were arrested; others were allowed to leave. Some of the men, including those in drag, used their draft cards as identification. Women were required to wear three pieces of feminine clothing, and would be arrested if found not wearing them. Employees and management of the bars were also typically arrested. David Carter, in his book, “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution,” compares the legal situation of gays in the United States as being worse than some Warsaw Pact countries, with severe punishments, including fines and jail time, for anyone arrested for being a homosexual. That summer night, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn decided that they had taken enough abuse from the police who had come to raid the bar. Mobs formed and overturned cars, set the arrested loose and chased the police and their backup units out of the neighborhood. It was an intense evening that was to be repeated at different levels of intensity for the next five days and nights as gays, lesbians and transgendered people worked together in refusing to be

victimized any longer. In the months to come, the Stonewall riots ignited the modern fight for equal rights for same-sex and transgendered people all over America. While it is wrong to assume that gay history begins with Stonewall, it was not until this brave group of people stood up against persecution that we could even begin to imagine a world where all Americans are considered free and equal under the eyes of the law. June 28, 1970, marked the first year anniversary of the events at the Stonewall Inn, and the beginning of the first Gay Pride march in American history through the streets of New York City. There were marches in Los Angeles and Chicago as well. By 1972, there were marches in 12 major U.S. cities, as well as in England, France, Germany and Sweden. Today there are Gay Pride marches in locations across the globe: South Africa, Australia, India, Israel, the Philippines, Taiwan and throughout Europe, including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain and Turkey. Canada, where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2005, not only hosts a wide range of Gay Pride events across their territory, it will also be hosting “WORLD PRIDE” in 2014. In America there is a seemingly endless list of big-city and smalltown Gay Pride events that stretch from coast to coast and extend to Hawaii and Alaska. Now all these cities and all these people with their rich histories welcome Augusta, Georgia, to the ranks of those who remember Stonewall and march together for a brighter future. Stonewall Riots, New York City 1969

Schedule HIGHLIGHTS 10:00 Parade on Broad Street 11:30 DJ at Augusta Common 12:00 Stage Kick Off 12:10 Stonewall & HIV Today 12:25 Mama Says 1:00 Thea Austin 1:35 Ms. Augusta Pride 1:50 Mr. Augusta Pride 2:05 Chad Michaels 2:25 Nicole Roberts 2:55 Samantha Hunter 3:00 Frenchie Davis 4:00 Denis Russell 4:15 Coti Collins Also included on stage will be a number of local entertainers and guest speakers, including host and MC Samantha Hunter.

Chad Michaels

Thea Austin

Frenchie Davis

Celebrity impersonators and drag queens love Cher, and no one in the business loves or knows the diva as Chad Michaels does. Chad, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” in 2012 and the ﬁrst person to be inducted into the Drag Queen Hall of Fame, has dedicated 20 years of his life to the art of celebrity impersonation. During those years, his spot-on imitation of Cher has caught the eye of everyone from Elton John and Cyndi Lauper to Christian Aguilera and Gwen Stefani. Cher herself is even impressed with Chad’s skill, and that skill has landed him parts in the Las Vegas production of “An Evening at La Cage” and numerous television appearances. Despite being in high demand, Chad still loves to perform and can’t wait for his headlining appearance at Augusta Pride 2013.

When Thea Austin ﬁrst came to Los Angeles, performing in bars and working as a background vocalist in studios, she probably never imagined that she’d one day become the frontwoman for Snap or open for Michael Jackson. But that’s exactly what happened to this powerful singer and accomplished songwriter, who led Snap to several hit singles and opened for Michael Jackson on his Dangerous Tour and HBO special. Thea, who has also had dance hits under the names Soulsearcher and Pusaka, is passionate about music. That’s not all she cares about, however. Her tireless charity work and her ﬁght against AIDS led the city of West Hollywood to proclaim Thursday, September 28, 2000, as Thea Austin Day. Performing remains her passion, though, and she’s just as comfortable in a club — or headlining Augusta Pride 2013 at the Augusta Common — as she is when co-headlining Prince Charles’ Prince’s Trust Party in the Park with Culture Club and BoyZone to over 170,000 people. Her high-energy performance is one you won’t want to miss.

Franchell “Frenchie” Davis is probably best known from her appearances on “American Idol” and “The Voice.” But there’s a whole lot more to Frenchie Davis than “reality show contestant” can cover. Frenchie, who also headlined Augusta Pride 2010, started singing at a young age and, after “American Idol,” went to Broadway, where she has performed in shows like “Rent” and “Dream Girls.” Frenchie was even nominated for a Grammy for her work on the 30th anniversary revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” These days, Frenchie has her own music label and, in 2012, her single “Love’s Got a Hold on Me” peaked at No. 12 on Billboard’s Dance Chart. It was during that same year that she came out, hoping that her honesty would encourage others. “I want to live my life to inspire people to be brave and courageous,” she says. “To believe in themselves and never take no for an answer.”

Parade Route Reynolds Street

Broad Street

6th Street

Broad Street

7th Street

Broad Street

AUGUSTA PRIDE FESTIVAL 2013

Reynolds Street Reynolds Street

Reynolds Street

8th Street

Broad Street

9th Street

Jones Street

10th Street

11th Street

12th Street

Jones Street

Reynolds Street

Broad Street

Corporal Rita Miller Frances Williams Community Grand Marshal Community Grand Marshal The Augusta Pride Community Grand Marshal, Corporal Frances Williams, and her spouse, Master Corporal Sandra Rogers, shared a life together for 27 years. They began dating at a time when same-sex relationships were still considered greatly taboo and being a biracial couple only complicated matters. Even with all of the adversity they experienced from family members or other people, they remained unshaken in their commitment to one another. Sandra and Frances were working in law enforcement for over two decades when Sandra was shot in the line of duty on January 28, 2012. Since Sandra’s death, her life partner, Frances, has been going through legal proceedings to protect what she and Sandra built over the years. Cpl. Williams hopes that by sharing their story, she can help even one person to be better prepared to deal with partner beneﬁts, wills and the probate system. “My life will never be the same without her in it, but my life was forever changed because she was a part of it. Our song did not end the day Sandra passed away; instead it is still being written with each step in the direction of equality.” — Cpl. Frances Williams, May 2013

The Augusta Pride Community Grand Marshal, Rita Miller, immigrated to the U.S. from Germany at the age of 21. While working at J.B. White, her son, Casey, was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 3. He received life-saving treatment at the Medical College of Georgia. This event inspired Rita to pursue employment at MCG so that she might help people in the way she was helped in her own time of need. The activity that has drawn Rita to the attention of the Augusta Pride community is her role in assisting with outpatient HIV/AIDS medical bills for uninsured patients. If any of these patients have a problem with any of their HIV/AIDS related medical bills, Rita is contacted and she promptly investigates the problem until a reasonable solution is found. Rita was cited not only for the work she does, but the dedication she brings to her job. Long hours, tireless efforts to ﬁnd avenues of care and her personal commitment to see that every patient gets the help they need are what deﬁne the role Rita plays in our community. There are those who literally feel they are alive today because of Rita’s efforts.

Sam Wilson

David Hensley

Youth Grand Marshal

Celebrity Grand Marshal

This year’s Augusta Pride Youth Grand Marshal, Samuel Bryce Wilson, was born and raised in the Augusta area. At the age of 15, Sam realized that he identified as gay and, after experiencing discrimination and bullying firsthand, resolved to create an environment where anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression, could feel safe and welcome. As a junior at Greenbrier High School, Sam started a “Gay-Straight Alliance,” the first in the Evans School District. Their initial meeting was held in 2011 with 22 attendees. The group has remained active and grown to 30 members over the last two years. Sam will join the Augusta Pride Board of Directors for the 2014 festival as a youth ambassador, and we expect great things from Sam.

The Augusta Pride Celebrity Grand Marshal, David Hensley, was raised in the CSRA with southern tradition and blue collar values. David comes from a family of hair stylists and artists. He credits his success to hard work, viral positivity and always staying true to himself. David’s 15+ years in the hair care industry have taken him from the posh salons of Beverly Hills to his quaint South Florida boutique, where his impressive client list ranges from high-proﬁle celebrities to glamorous models to discerning housewives. David has worked with them all. His artistic pedigree and diverse experience keeps him authentic, an original — a RENEGADE. His energy is intoxicating.

Augusta Pride’s 2013

Grand Marshals

Thank you, SPONSORS Diamond

Ruby

Community Foundation of the CSRA Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau Club Argos Parliament Resort Filling Station Gabriel Smith David Stepp

LAID LLC Danual Lewis and Roger Gower Brian Riha Ann Willbrand Garden City Jazz Clan of the Rising Phoenix Dennis Winkle

Emerald Opal Atlanta Pride Barefoot Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer Matt Duncan, Attorney at Law Gordon Chevrolet Terence Leegan and Richard Justice WOW X-Mart SRS-GLOBE CSRA Leathers Bears

Ruby Memory of Dann Ritzman T&A

Brian Nevius and Chris Wurzinger Eric Macomson Carmen Smith The Armorettes Isaac Kelly Lonzo Smith

Garnet - Pearl TRAXX Girls Functional, Fashionable YTD Downloader Lara Stepleman Tim Wilson Sydney Tucker Eric Jungbauer James Mintz

GET YOUR AUGUSTA PRIDE GEAR

SHOP.PRIDEAUGUSTA.ORG

V24|NO25

It may not star Neil Patrick Harris, but members of Le Chat Noir will pay homage to Joss Whedon’s 2008 tragicomic web series when they perform “MWAHAHAHAHA! Dr. Horrible’s sing Along (but don’t really sing along) Show” ThursdaySaturday, June 20-22, at 8 p.m. at Le Chat Noir. Tickets for the one-hour musical are $20. Call 706-722-7723 or visit lcnaugusta.com.

ENTERTAIN

Arts

Annual Arts Awards and Meeting, presented by the Greater Augusta Arts Council, is Thursday, June 20, at 6 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cultural Center. $20 per person; $150 for a table of eight. Dinner is provided and preregistration is required. Call 706-826-4702 or visit augustaarts.com. Day of Art, hosted by the North Augusta Artists Guild, is each Tuesday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta and includes a group of artists painting in the center who will answer questions or allow visitors to join in. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.

Exhibitions

“Local Legends” is a permanent exhibit highlighting Augusta notables on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. “Protect and Serve,” an exhibit highlighting the stories of CSRA law enforcement officers, is on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. “Delightful Decanters” is a temporary exhibit on display at the Augusta Museum of History featuring colorful bottles used to sell products as late as the 1970s. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Music

Sidewalk Chalk Installation and Viewing is Thursday, June 20, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on the sidewalks surrounding Sacred Heart Cultural Center. Call 706-826-4702 or visit augustaarts.com.

Music in the Park will be held Thursday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at The Verandah at Maude Edenfield Park, Brookside Drive, North Augusta. Savannah River Brass Works will perform. Free. Call 803-442-7588.

Child’s World opens Thursday, June 20, at the Augusta Museum of History. The exhibition is a special display of children’s clothing and accessories dating from the 1840s to the 1970s and is a glimpse at how children’s clothing styles in America have changed over the years. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Concert to benefit the GRU Cancer Center will be held Thursday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Theatre on GRU’s Summerville campus. Vocalists Lauren Snouffer and Mark Diamond will perform opera and musical theater selections. $5 or free with a GRU student ID. VIP tickets are $10 and include access to a backstage reception with the performers. Visit gru.edu.

Openings will be held Thursday, June 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art for two exhibitions: North Carolina Pottery from the Collection of Dr. Nancy Farmer and Dr. A. Everette James and Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art. A reception will follow a talk by Dr. Everette James and Scott Power, regional supervisor/ preservation specialist at the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Dead Musicians Show, in which more than 20 local and regional artists have created works to honor dead musicians, will show throughout the month of June at Sky City. Visit skycityaugusta.com.

The Dubber will perform for the Moonlight Music Canal Cruise, 7-8:30 p.m., Friday, June 21. $25 per person; passengers may bring aboard snacks and beverages. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com. Music in the Park will be held Thursday, June 27, at 7 p.m. at The Verandah at Maude Edenfield Park, Brookside Drive, North Augusta. Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold will perform. Free. Call 803-442-7588.

Marianna Williams Exhibit will be at Sacred Heart Cultural Center through June 28. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org.

James Fortune performs Thursday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bell Auditorium. The Grammy Award winning gospel artist will headline with special guest and gospel legend Vickie Winans. Also performing are Shellae Wade, Missy Billups, Michael St. Bernard and more. $39.75. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit augustaentertainmentcomplex.com.

The Godfather of Soul James Brown exhibit is on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Thursday Night Jazz at the Willcox takes place every Thursday at the Willcox in Aiken. Visit thewillcox.com.

“Blast From the Past” is on display at Augusta Museum of History to celebrate the museum’s 75th anniversary. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

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.

20JUNE2013

Literary

Book Talk and Author Signing featuring Paul Harvey will be held Thursday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at the Headquarters Library. Harvey, a professor of history at the University of Colorado, is the author of “Moses, Jesus and the Trickster in the Evangelical South” and “The Color of Christ: the Son of God and the Saga of Race in America.” Free. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Saturday Special: Poetry Slam is Saturday, June 22, from 6-8 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Enjoy a diverse range of spoken-word performances as Anthony Page presents a poetry slam featuring 2012 S.P.A.R.K. competition winner Sassette West and finalists Andrew Champion and Shaquilla Jackson, among others. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. J. Lee Graham will appear at the Headquarters Branch Library on Sunday, June 23, from 2-4 p.m. He will speak about his book, “The Promise of Living.” Free. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.

It’s Your Book Club meets Monday, June 24, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. The book “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” by Ayana Mathis will be discussed. Free. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Talk the Talk Ladies Book Club meets Tuesday, June 25, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. The group will Skype with author Nakia R. Laushaul about her book, “The Truth as I See It.” Free. Call 706821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Maxwell Morning Book Club meets Thursday, June 27, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Maxwell Branch Library. “Defending Jacob” by William Landay will be discussed. Free. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.

Dance

Augusta Christian Singles holds dances every Saturday night, beginning at 8 p.m., with free dance lessons at 7 p.m. Dances are held at Ballroom Dance Center, 525 Grand Slam Drive (off Evans to Locks Road) in Evans. $10. Admission includes light meal or heavy refreshments, desserts, soft drinks and coffee in an alcohol/smoke free environment, and music includes country, shag, oldies and more. Dress is casual (jeans are fine). All singles 18 years old and up are welcome. Visit christiandances.org. Belly Dance Class is held every Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Euchee Creek and Wallace libraries. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-0594 (Euchee Creek), 706-722- 6275 (Wallace) or visit ecgrl.org. Augusta International Folk Dance Club meets Tuesday nights from 7:30AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 31

V24|NO25

9:30 p.m. at the Augusta Ballet Studio on 2941 Walton Way. No partners needed. First visit free. Call 706-399-2477. 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. 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

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MWAHAHAHAHA! Dr. Horribleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sing Along (but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really sing along) Showâ&#x20AC;? will be presented Thursday-Saturday, June 20-22, at 8 p.m. at Le Chat Noir. Some of Le Chatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resident artists/fanfolks are putting on a live performance of this web sensation created by Joss Whedon, adapted into a one-hour musical. $20. Call 706-722-7723 or visit lcnaugusta.com. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twelve Angry Menâ&#x20AC;? will be presented Friday-Saturday, June 21-22, at 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday, June 28-29, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 30, at 3 p.m. at the Aiken Community Playhouse. $7-$20. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.info.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hedwig and the Angry Inchâ&#x20AC;? will be presented Friday, June 21, at 9 p.m. at Sky City. $5. Call 803-439-7723 or visit facebook.com/augustahedwig. Auditions for â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Match Girl,â&#x20AC;? a musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Match Girl,â&#x20AC;? are Thursdays between June 27-July 18 (excluding July 4) by appointment at the Kroc Center. Parts are available for men, women and children, ages 9 and up. Call 706-7717777 or visit enopion.com.

Flix

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Davidâ&#x20AC;? shows Monday, June 24, at 7 p.m. at Le Chat Noir as part of the Second Annual Augusta Jewish Film Festival. A reception will follow. For tickets, call 706-2283636 or visit augustajcc.org. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brothersâ&#x20AC;? shows Thursday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jabez Sanford Hardin Performing Arts Center as part of the Second Annual Augusta Jewish Film Festival. A reception will follow. For tickets, call 706-228-3636 or visit augustajcc.org.

Special Events

CSRA Humane Society will be at the Book Tavern in downtown Augusta for Adopt a Shelter Cat Month on Friday, June 21, from 3 p.m. until close. Call 706-6217387 or visit csrahumanesociety.org. Beer Tasting will be held Friday, June 21, from 5-8 p.m. at Wine World in North Augusta. $5. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com. Aikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Beach Blast is Friday-Saturday, June 21-22, on Newberry St. The festival kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. with a beach dance party hosted by celebrity DJ â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fessa John Hook. It continues Saturday at 10 a.m. with a full day of beach fun that ends with the big Beach Dance with Palmetto Groove at 7 p.m. Free. Call 803-6492221or visit downtownaiken.com/events.

32 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Augusta Pride Parade and Festival is Saturday, June 22, at 10 a.m. in downtown Augusta. The parade starts at 10 a.m. on Broad St. and the festival continues at 11 a.m. at the Augusta Commons. Free. Visit prideaugusta.org. Game of Thrones discussion group meets Thursday, June 27, from 5-8:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. June is Adopt-a-Cat Month. The CSRA Humane Society is sponsoring this event to raise awareness of its no-kill shelter by Lake Olmstead. Call 706261-7387 or visit csrahumanesociety.org. Evans Towne Farmers Market is held on the grounds of the Columbia County Public Library each Thursday through June from 4:30-7 p.m. All meats, eggs, dairy and produce will be from local and sustainable farms.

Fridays, and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays. Call 706-922-9463 or visit vine11.com. Saturday Market at the River is each Saturday through November 23 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 8th Street Bulkhead downtown and features vendors, food, drinks, entertainment and a group run that begins at 8 a.m. Visit theaugustamarket.com. Pet adoptions are held by CSRA Happy Tails Rescue at the Mullins Crossing Petco in Evans from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. each Sunday and from 1-4 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday at the Tractor Supply Company. Visit csrahappytails.com.

Health

Mobile Mammography Screenings will be on the following dates and locations, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.: Monday, June 24, at University Hospital, Flowing Wells Rd.; Tuesday, June 25, at Belle Terrace Community Clinic; Wednesday, June 26, at SRS Area H; and Thursday, June 27, at Fievet Pharmacy in Washington. Free through ÂŠ 2013 SketchCrowd, LLC / www.sketchcrowd.com Medicare. Appointment required. Call 706-774-4149 or visit universityhealth.org.

Â´, GRQÂˇW NQRZ DQ\ WKLQJ DERXW >LQVHUW JURXS@ EXW , KDWH DOO RI WKHP Âľ

Â´7KH\ÂˇUH RND\ 7KH ÂśEDG RQHVÂˇ MXVW JLYH ÂśHP D EDG QDPH Âľ

Â´2I FRXUVH , OLNH WKHP ,ÂˇP MXVW , WLQ\ ELW DIUDLG RI ÂśHP Âľ

Â´, GRQÂˇW KDWH WKHP , MXVW GRQÂˇW ZDQW WR EH QHDU WKHP Âľ

Â´, OLNH WKH ÂśJRRG RQHVÂˇ Âľ

Â´, KDWH HYHU\ RQH EXW , KDWH WKHP HTXDOO\ Âľ

The evolution of the narrow mind.

Health and Wellness Fair will be held Monday, June 24, from noon-6 p.m. at the Kroc Center banquet hall. A variety of community wellness and health agencies will be available to provide information and resources. There will also be free HIV screening and counseling. Call 706-3645762 or visit krocaugusta.org. On Being a Girl will be presented Tuesday, June 25, from 6-9 p.m. at Trinity Hospital. This class is designed for girls ages 9 to 12 accompanied by their mother, a female friend or relative. Discussion is focused on physical and emotional changes of puberty. $10. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar meets Tuesday, June 25, at 6:30 p.m. at GRUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Murphey Building, Room BF 103 to discuss surgical options for weight loss at Georgia Regents Medical Center, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustably gastric banding and body contouring. Call 706721-2609 or visit grhealth.org/weightloss. American Red Cross Babysitter Training is Thursday, June 27, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Aiken Regional. Students ages 11 to 15 learn about leadership, safety, basic care and first aid in order to provide safe, responsible care. Drinks provided. $30, includes babysitting text and certificate. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com. Yoga Class is offered by the Kroc Center every Saturday at The Augusta Market downtown, 10-11 a.m. Free. Bring your own mat. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. 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.

There will also be cooking demos and education, local artisans with handcrafted goods, live music, local food vendors and weekly events. Visit evanstownefarmersmarket.com.

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.

Weekly Wine Tastings at Vineyard Wine Market in Evans are held 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Stress Management Classes are held at the University Hospital Heart &

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

Vascular Institute at 8:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. each Wednesday. Call 706-774-3278 or visit universityhealth.org.

Medical Centers’ Aurora Pavilion, and includes an open discussion. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com.

of the Summerville Professional Building adjacent to the Hospital. Visit trinityofaugusta.com.

Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Aquatics Class meets every Monday and Friday at noon at the Wilson Family Y. Members, free; nonmembers, $5. Pre-registration required. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org.

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.

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 706-774-5548 or visit universityhealth.org.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a support group for those who wish to stop drinking. Call 706-860-8331.

The Chatterbox Club of Augusta, a support group for individuals and their families who have experienced a laryngectomy, meets the second Sunday of each month (except June and July) at 3 p.m. at Trinity Hospital in the Sister Mary Louise Conference Room. Call 706-481-7359 or visit trinityofaugusta.com.

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. 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 Special Populations classes offered at the Wilson Family Y. Members $11; non-members $22. 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; nonmembers, $20. Call 706-922-9662 or visit thefamilyy.org.

Support

Weight Loss Support Group meets Tuesday, June 25, at 5:30 p.m. at GRU’s Murphey Building, Room BF 103. Free. Call 706-721-2609 or visit grhealth.org/weightloss. CSRA Parkinson Support group meets Tuesday, June 25, at 6 p.m. at St. John Tower. Free. Call 706-364-1662. Overeaters Anonymous meets at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays and at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1:30 p.m., Saturdays. Call 907-854-1509. AA meets every Sunday and Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Aiken Regional

20JUNE2013

Beyond the Bars is a support group for those with incarcerated loved ones. Call 706-855-8636. Alcoholics Anonymous open discussion meeting takes place every Sunday and Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. at Aurora Pavilion in Aiken. Call 806-641-5000 or visit aikenregional.com/hospital-services/behavioral-health-services. 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 706-6516660 or visit doctors- hospital.net. 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 706-868-3241 or visit universityhealth.org. Families Who Have Lost a Baby Support Group is offered by GRU. Call 706721- 8299 or visit gru.edu. Gamblers Anonymous is a support group for those who wish to stop gambling. Call 800-313-0170. Living With Diabetes, a program designed to teach skills needed to manage diabetes, is offered at Trinity Hospital. Physician referral required. Call 706-481-7535 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Celiac Disease Support Group. Open to anyone who has celiac disease, is gluten intolerant or on a gluten free diet. Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital in Room 120

Lupus Support Group meets at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-394-6484 or 706-821-2600, or visit ecgrl.org. Narcotics Anonymous meets Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Visit na.org. Natural Family Planning Support Group meets locally. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Overeaters Support Group meets locally. Call 706-785-0006 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. Recovery Support Group meets 7:30 p.m. Sundays and Fridays. Call 706855- 2419. Bereavement Grief Support for Adults meets the first Wednesday of each month from noon-1 p.m. At Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ cafeteria dining room A. Registration is required. Call 803-641-5389. Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m.-noon at the Cumberland Village Library in Aiken. Visit aikenregional.com.

Education

“Voices of the Past: The Other Tubmans” will be shown Saturday, June 22, at noon, 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 33

V24|NO25

and make a dinosaur mask. Ages 5-11. Call 706-7366244 or visit ecgrl.org. YA Book Swap and AE Session will be held Thursday, June 27, from 3-4 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Bring books to trade and AE (Alternate Endings) to favorite teen-young adult books. Snacks will be provided. Call 706-722-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. On Stage for Teens is Thursday, June 27, at 4 p.m. at the Aiken Branch Library. The Aiken Community Playhouse will introduce basic theater terms, stage positioning and easy improv through fun theater games and exercises. No experience necessary. Open to rising 6-12 graders. Free. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board needs members. Looking for high-school students to spend one evening a month learning about historic preservation, grants and philanthropy. Call 706595-7777, email mzupan@hickory-hill.org or visit hickory-hill.org. DuPont Planetarium shows for Saturdays in June are “Solar System Adventure Tour” at 8 p.m. and “Blown Away: Wild World of Weather” at 9 p.m. Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. General admission $4.50; seniors $3.50; 4K-12 $2.50; valid college or military I.D. gets you a 50-percent discount; USCA faculty, staff and students $1. Kids under 4 not permitted in public viewings. Reservations encouraged. Call 803-641-3654. Georgia Connections Academy, a free virtual public charter school has spots for 1,000 K-12 students in Georgia. Call 800-382-6010 or visit connectionsacademy.com/georgiaschool/enrollment/home.aspx. Tae Kwon Do is offered for all skill levels age 5 and up at the Family Y of Aiken County, North Augusta,

Retreat THE

TAPAS BAR

Great Food! No Tie Required!

TUESDAY-SATURDAY 5:00 - UNTIL FULL BAR & WINE LIST

706-250-3717

4446 Washington Road | Suite 20 Evans (across from Wal-Mart)

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 35

V24|NO25

Augusta South and the Wilson Family Y. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. 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. 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.

Dinner Specials JJune une a nd JJuly uly and Lobster Lob bster Tail Tail | $21.95 $21 95

served with Baked Potato, Grilled Squash & Asparagus

Nightly drink specials Live entertainment

Friday and Saturday nights

706-737-8888, 2110 Walton Way, Augusta, Ga. 30904

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. Homeschool Playgroup meets each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Creighton Park in North Augusta. Call 803613-0484. 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.

Hobbies

Columbia County Amateur Radio Club holds its Field Day Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23, from 1 p.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Sunday. Free. Call 706-840-0164.

Story Time is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harlem Branch Library. Call 706- 556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org.

Tangled Threads Quilters Guild is held the second Sunday of every month, from 1-4 p.m., at the Augusta Museum of History. Free. Visit augustamuseum.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.

Bingo is held every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and every Monday and Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Post 1197 on Scott Road. Free. Call 706-495-3219.

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.

Crafters Night is each Monday from 6-8 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364- 5762 or visit krocaugusta.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. Wacky Wednesday Story Time is each Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the children’s department of Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com. 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. 36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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 Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

The Garden City Chorus, the area’s leading men’s singing group and a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, is seeking new members. Those interested are welcome to attend Tuesday night rehearsals, held at 7 p.m. at North Augusta Church of Christ on W. Martintown Road. Visit gardencitychorus.org. Bingo is held every Saturday at 1 p.m. at American Legion Post 205 on Highland Avenue. Call 706-495-3219.

If you would like to see your organization’s events listed in our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com. The deadline for each Thursday’s issue is the previous Friday at noon. 20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

AMYCHRISTIAN

Happy Birthday!

Bird Dog Grille celebrates first year while looking forward to many more

To celebrate the recent one-year anniversary of the opening of Bird Dog Grille, owner Brett Hilton threw a party on the patio for his customers complete with a lowcountry boil, live music and drink specials. “You know, I wasn’t really trying to make money; it was more of a thank you,” Hilton said. “I tried to do most things at cost, so it wasn’t a profit day. But it was a really good day. I think it may have even been a record day.” Hilton has been having his fair share of really good days since he opened Bird Dog Grille in May of 2012 in the Villages of Fury’s Ferry. The 2002 Lakeside High graduate, who has a culinary degree from Augusta Tech and worked at DiChickO’s Peri-Peri Cafe, has built a steady following of loyal customers. He credits his evergrowing business to offering great food at reasonable prices, but says one unique touch keeps people coming back. 20JUNE2013

“The dog pictures,” he laughed. “Whenever I post pictures up there, people really start responding and we pick up more customers. They come in to see their dogs.” Customers are invited to, by Facebook or email, send Hilton pictures of their dogs, which he then uploads to a USB card and plugs into the restaurant’s televisions. The pictures rotate on the screens while customers dine. So many people send in pictures, in fact, that Hilton had to apologize via Facebook recently for not being able to keep up. “There are just so many coming in,” he said, “but I went through them the other night and I think I got every single one.” The dog pictures are one of the reasons for the restaurant’s name, but they’re not the only one. The name also plays on the love-hate relationship between Georgia Bulldog and South Carolina Gamecock fans, and it’s also a nod to the original concept of Bird Dog. When Hilton opened the restaurant, he envisioned it as a place where customers could get great chicken dishes, as well as a variety of hot dogs. They still can, since Bird Dog offers everything from a Peri Peri Chicken Bowl and a Grilled Chicken Panini to a Cattle Dog (with bacon, chili, onions, barbecue sauce and coleslaw) or a German Sheppard (with sauerkraut, mustard and grilled onions). Over the past year, however, Bird Dog has evolved into something a little bit different: a casual fine dining spot with inventive entrée choices and a full bar. The key, according to Hilton, is keeping it affordable. The 8-ounce flat iron steak is the most expensive item on the menu, and it’s still only $12.99. Almost nightly specials are another way that customers save: kids eat for free on Monday, wings are .50 each on Tuesdays, wines are $3 off of bottles and $1 off of glasses on Wednesday and the list goes on. And now that summer is here, Hilton and his staff are working to update their drink menu for those who want to listen to live music on the patio each Friday and Saturday night. “All summer, we’re going to do $5 Bahama Mamas, Strawberry Daiquiris and Strawberry Margaritas,” he said. “We’ll keep those going all summer for $5. And we’re coming up with a new menu for the summer; more fruity drinks to keep you cool. We also have a pretty good beer selection and we’ve actually expanded on the bottles, the crafts and stuff. The taps, we flip them around. We have Lazy Magnolia, Terrapin, Red Hare Long Day Lager and we kept the Shock Top. We also have Bud Light and Michelob Ultra.” While the drink specials are undeniably good, it’s the food that draws most people to Bird Dog Grille, and Hilton shares that most of it is homemade. And that includes one of the most basic, yet most asked for, items on the menu. “The ranch dressing,” he explained. “The kitchen staff was talking about that last week. People ask me to bottle it, but, literally, we will go through maybe 15 gallons, 20 gallons of ranch a week. It’s homemade. I don’t use any packets, and it’s made with buttermilk and my own ingredients. It’s just a ranch, but I guess it does taste different. It’s not a traditional ranch, but it’s very popular.” Fresh, homemade and inventive foods are just one reason those who haven’t made a trip to Bird Dog Grille should definitely do so. “People should come for the good food, good selection, great staff and good atmosphere,” he said. “Some people may think it’s going to be expensive, but once they see the menu it’s pretty… I won’t say cheap, but the prices are cheaper. And it’s a good date night place.” Bird Dog Grille 3851 Evans to Locks Road Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 706-814-5007 | birddoggrille.com AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 37

V24|NO25

15 in 5

Because I love a list. Especially a random list. Â&#x2021; , MXVW VDZ ZKHUH SLSH FOHDQHUV DUH QRZ FDOOHG IX]]\ VWLFNV /HWÂ·V EH KRQHVW KHUH 0LJKW Â´IX]]\ VWLFNÂµ VRXQG D OLWWOH PRUH LQDSSURSULDWH WKDQ Â´SLSH FOHDQHU"Âµ Â&#x2021; 6SHDNLQJ RI LQDSSURSULDWH FDQ \RX JLUOV JHW \RXU MHDQ VKRUWV DQ\ VKRUWHU" , GRQÂ·W PHDQ WR VRXQG SUXGLVK EXW LI , ZDQWHG WR VHH ZKDW ZDV LQ \RXU SRFNHWV ,Â·G DVN \RX WR HPSW\ WKHP Â&#x2021; $V PXFK DV , ORYH YLVLWLQJ &KLFDJR , FDQÂ·W LPDJLQH KDYLQJ WZR WRGGOHUV WKHUH ,WÂ·V JUHDW RQ D QLFH GD\ EXW WKH WKRXJKW RI KDYLQJ WR WURG WKURXJK WKH VQRZ ZLWK WZR ZKLQHUV LV HQRXJK WR SXW 0DPD RYHU WKH HGJH Â&#x2021; $V PXFK DV , DSSUHFLDWH WKH VPDOO WRZQ LQ ZKLFK , OLYH , GR ZLVK 7KH .LGV FRXOG JHW XS WKHUH PRUH 7KH UHVRXUFHV DUH SOHQWLIXO Â&#x2021; 7KHUHÂ·V D ]RR WKH /LQFROQ 3DUN =RR WKDWÂ·V IUHH ,WÂ·V DV HTXLSSHG DV WKH ]RR LQ &ROXPELD 7KHUHÂ·V D IRXQWDLQ GRZQ DW 0LOOHQQLXP 3DUN ILOOHG ZLWK NLGV DQG SDUHQWV ,WÂ·V IUHH 7KH PXVHXPV DUHQÂ·W H[SHQVLYH 7KH SHRSOH ZDWFKLQJ LV SULFHOHVV Â&#x2021; ,Q D QLFH LVK UHVWDXUDQW LQ &KLFDJR D ZRPDQ VDW WU\LQJ WR LJQRUH WKH WDQWUXP KHU XQGHU WZR \HDU ROG ZDV KDYLQJ ,Â·P JODG VKH ZDV VWDQGLQJ KHU JURXQG WU\LQJ WR WHDFK D OHVVRQ DERXW WKDW VRUW RI EHKDYLRU EXW HQRXJK ZDV HQRXJK 7KH QDVW\ VWDUHV ZHUH ZDUUDQWHG 5HPRYH WKH FKLOG Â&#x2021; , RQO\ VD\ WKH UHVWDXUDQW ZDV QLFH LVK EHFDXVH , ZRUH QLFH VKRUWV WR OXQFK ,I ,Â·P SD\LQJ IRU D EXUJHU DQG LI WKDW EXUJHU LV P\ IDYRULWH EXUJHU LQ DOO RI &KLFDJR , GRQÂ·W ZDQW WR KHDU \RXU NLG $W DOO Â&#x2021; , UHPHPEHU WKH IHZ WLPHV ZH KDG D VFUHDPLQJ EDE\ LQ SXEOLF 2QH WLPH ZH ZHUH VLWWLQJ RXWVLGH DW 0HOORZ 0XVKURRP GRZQWRZQ (YHQ WKRXJK ZH ZHUH RXWVLGH LW PDGH PH VZHDW PRUH WKDQ D KRRNHU LQ FKXUFK 0\ ILUVW LQVWLQFW ZDV WR EROW *HW WKH KHFN RXW Â&#x2021; 'DG DQG , KDG D JUHDW ZHHNHQG , ZDV UHDG\ WR EH KRPH EXW VR WKDQNIXO WR KDYH WKH WLPH ZLWK KLP 2XU ZHOO SODQQHG ZHHNHQG FRXOGQÂ·W KDYH EHHQ DQ\ EHWWHU Â&#x2021; )RU DOO GDGV RXW WKHUH SD\ DWWHQWLRQ 3URWHFW \RXU GDXJKWHU EXW JLYH KHU VSDFH WRR ,I VKH NQRZV VKH KDV LW EXW DOVR XQGHUVWDQGV KRZ QRW WR DEXVH LW \RXÂ·OO EH IULHQGV VRPHGD\ , GLGQÂ·W KDYH D FXUIHZ LQ KLJK VFKRRO Â&#x2021; , ZDV D ELW RI D QHUG

Â&#x2021; :KHQ 'DG WROG PH WKDW KH ZDVQÂ·W JLYLQJ PH D FXUIHZ KH DOVR JDYH PH WKLV ZDUQLQJ Â´, NQRZ \RX ZRQÂ·W DEXVH LW RU GLVDSSRLQW PH Âµ ,W ZRUNHG +H WUDYHOHG TXLWH D ELW GXULQJ WKH ZHHN ZKHQ , OLYHG ZLWK KLP OHDYLQJ PH KRPH DORQH DW DJH %HIRUH \RX FDOO ')$&6 FDOP GRZQ 2XU VHFXULW\ V\VWHP ZDV PRQLWRUHG DQG , KDG RWKHU SODFHV WR JR , FKRVH WR OLYH ZLWK P\ GDG Â&#x2021; , FRXOGÂ·YH KDG SDUWLHV EXW , GLGQÂ·W +H GLG FDWFK XV SRVW QLJKW RXW RQFH ,W ZDV LQ FROOHJH GXULQJ RXU ZKLWH ]LQIDQGHO GD\V +H IRXQG WKH OHIWRYHU ERWWOH RI 6XWWHU +RPH LQ WKH FDELQHW :H ZHUH LW ZDV YLUJLQ ZKLWH ]LQ" +H RQO\ KDG RQH LVVXH :KR WKH KHFN GULQNV ZKLWH ]LQ IURP D ELJ ERWWOH" 0\ DQVZHU" /L] &HUWDLQO\ QRW 0DQGL /DXUD RU PH 6KH VWLOO KDV WR GHDO ZLWK WKH FRQVHTXHQFHV Â&#x2021; $V PXFK DV , ORYH P\ NLGV ,Â·G JR EDFN WR FROOHJH LQ D KHDUWEHDW ,Â·G RQO\ GR LW LI OLIH ZRXOG HQG XS ORRNLQJ H[DFWO\ WKH ZD\ LW GRHV QRZ EXW PD\EH ZHÂ·G KDYH HYHQ PRUH IXQ 0D\EH ZHÂ·G KDYH PRUH ZKLWH ]LQ 2U SHDFK %RRQHÂ·V )DUP 2U PD\EH QRW Â&#x2021; :KDWHYHU \RX FKRRVH ZKHWKHU LWÂ·V WHD &RNH ZDWHU RU D PDJQXP RI 9HXYH \HV SOHDVH FHOHEUDWH RIWHQ /LIH LV JRRG \Â·DOO &KHHUV

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.

Are you so frustrated with your computer youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve considered tossing it out the window? Is it so slow you can barely use it? Are you having trouble getting to your favorite web page... or facebood? Are you even tempted to teake it to one of those Big Box Stores for service? Think again! Do you really want the place that sells you envelopes or flat screen TVs working on your computer? Bring it to ComputerOne today... and our real computer guys will make it all better at a price you can afford. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the opposite of a Big Box Store. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the little store in Fairway Square and although we have our own of computer experts, we dont really call them geeks (at least to their faces). Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just competent, skilled computer technicians with the know-how to clean up your computer at a reasonable price and get you back on the internet fast. And although weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not keeping score, given the fact weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, it is very likely weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sold and repaired more computers than any other company in Augusta... and we have thousands of satisfied customers to prove it.

THINK. NOT A BIG BOX... NOT EVEN CLOSE

38 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

NOTABIGBOX.COM

Professional Virus & Spyware Removal Services $69.95 Call us today at 706.667.9009

About Us | Services | Virus and Spyware Removal | Custom Built Computers | Point of Sale Systems | Driving Directions | Contact Us Copyright 2011 ComputerOne Technology, Inc., All Rights Reserved - Website developed, hosted and maintained by Southfire, Inc. 2825 Washington Rd., Fairway Square Shopping Center, Augusta, GA 30909 - 706.667.9009

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

AMYCHRISTIAN

Love and Acceptance

Local groups present musical in honor of Augusta Pride

Ziggy Lives and Misfit Theatre will present John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at Sky City this Friday in celebration of Augusta Pride. The off-Broadway musical, which was later adapted to film, has generated a cult-like following over the years and uses an unconventional character to convey a universal message: the search for love and acceptance. Hedwig, portrayed by Robert Seawell, was born Hansel — the only son of a broken family in Communist East Germany. The story follows the life of Hedwig and her search to find the true meaning of love by almost any means possible, including a botched sex-change operation (hence the angry inch) to marry an American soldier. Eventually, Hedwig winds up in Kansas, divorced, broke and living in a trailer park. From there, Hedwig transforms herself from housewife to rock star. “It’s very hard to describe the show in one breath, that’s for sure,” said Melanie Rivera, the show’s director. “When people ask what kind of a show it is, I don’t really like to say it’s a play; I like to say it’s more of a rock show. I’ve always thought that it feels a lot like a mixture of stand-up, poetry reading, monologues, as well as a rock show at the same time. And I just fell in love with the show in this format.”

Given the subject matter, and the huge following that “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” has generated within the LGBT community, it seems only natural that the play would be a part of the Augusta Pride weekend, but her reasoning is a little more personal than that, Rivera said. “I did the show for Pride in 2010, and that was the year I moved back to Augusta,” Rivera explained. “I was so impressed with how the gay community has grown here and has gotten a lot of support. I never had imagined in my life that it would be that way in Augusta.” Fast-forward to now and Rivera still feels moved to present the story to the Augusta audience. “What really made me feel like now is the time, now more than ever, is just all of these amazing changes that have happened in our society lately,” Rivera said. “With a president that is fine saying, ‘Eh, gay marriage, who cares? That’s fine with me…’ and having that change and the repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell, and all those kind of things really did move me to say that now more than ever is it time for people to this kind of message of acceptance and personal wholeness.” The Hedwig production is a collaboration between Ziggy Lives Productions and the Misfit Theatre Group.

“It’s a really cool working combination,” Rivera said. Seawell, a founding member of the Misfit Theatre Group, is just as pleased with the blending of talent as Rivera. “It’s been a very fun experience,” said Seawell. “It’s been a lot of work and we’ve all worked really hard to make this happen. It’s been a really awesome group collaboration. I’m excited about it. I think all our work is going to pay off. I think the crowd will really like it.” Tickets for the show are only $5 but Rivera encourages everyone to bring extra money for T-shirts. Can’t make it to Sky City on Friday but still want to see the show? You’re in luck. Since the venue is 21 and up and some folks might not be able to make it on the 21st, they are having an open full dress rehearsal at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta hosted by the church’s Limbo Crowd group on Thursday, June 20, at 8 p.m. The church will be accepting donations, but admission is free. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Sky City | Friday, June 21 Doors, 8 p.m.; show, 9 p.m. | $5 skycityaugusta.com | facebook.com/augustahedwig

WOW 25 COLOR COPIES ¢

706.855.7004 20JUNE2013

1000

Black & White Copies only $25.00 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 39

V24|NO25

40 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

20JUNE2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 41

V24|NO25

FEATURED

June 20 20Thursday, Live Music

Maude Edenfield Park, North Augusta - Savannah River Brass Works Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local Rose Hill Estate - Preston Weston & Sandra Sidetrack Bar & Grille - Songwriters at Sidetrack w/ Aaron Bailey, Emma Jordan, Kyle Smith, Jake Guinn, Celia Gary, Adam Joseph Sams, Frank Brittingham, Ippie Music Clan Sky City - Drgn King Somewhere in Augusta - County Line Stillwater Taproom - Will McCranie Tavern at the Bean - Irish Music The Willcox - Live Jazz Wild Wing - Storm Branch Band

“American Idol” and “The Voice” contestant Frenchie Davis shares Augusta Pride 2013 headlining duties with Chad Michaels and Thea Austin Saturday, June 22, at the Augusta Common. The festivities begin with the Augusta Pride Parade on Broad Street at 10 a.m., followed by the festival from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The headlining acts will take the stage from 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit prideaugusta.org.

What’s Tonight?

Bar on Broad - Liddle Ugleez Chevy’s Nite Club - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic w/ Oak Morse Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - DJ Rana Shannon’s - Karaoke Surreal at Surrey - College and F&B Night Tavern at the Bean - Ladies Night Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke

June 21 21Friday, Live Music

Augusta Canal Moonlight Music Cruise - The Dubber Country Club - Jessta James Coyote’s - Dave Firmin, Rhes Reeves & the Coyote Band Doubletree - Classic Jazz Fox’s Lair - She N She Joe’s Underground - Bone Chilly MAD Studios - Josh Pierce Malibu Jack’s - KE-JU PI Bar & Grille - Live Jazz Polo Tavern - Turning Point Sky City - Hedwig and the Angry Inch w/ DJ Kaos Somewhere In Augusta - Connor Pledger The Stables at Rose Hill Estate - Bluegrass w/ Oliver West & 39 Express Stillwater Taproom - The Mason Jars Surrey Tavern - Playback Wild Wing - Shinebox

What’s Tonight?

Augusta Common - Beats on Broad w/ DJ Kaos Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Chevy’s - DJ Dougie Club Argos - Friday Night House Party 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 42 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim The Playground - DJ Rana Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel Soul Bar - Pop Life Tavern at the Bean - Artist Showcase Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest

Saturday, June 22 Live Music

100 Laurens - John Kolbeck The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold The Augusta Common - Augusta Pride 2013 w/ Frenchie Davis, Chad Michaels, Thea Austin The Cotton Patch - John Berret’s LaRoxes Country Club - Ross Coppley Joe’s Underground - Grizzly Harris MAD Studios - Chris Hardy and his 4-Stringed Little Friend, Paisley Marie, Celia Gary P.I. Bar and Grill - Smooth/Vocal Jazz Polo Tavern - Southern Meltdown Band Rub It In Lounge - The Jeremy Graham Band, Sykyn Sky City - The Ramblin’ Fevers, Back City Woods Stillwater Taproom - The Darnell Boys Surrey Tavern - Simplified Wild Wing - Robin Dixon & The Midnight Moon Band

What’s Tonight?

Chevy’s - DJ Dougie Club Argos - Saturday Night Dance Party and Show Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Helga’s Pub & Grille - Karaoke 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 The Playground - DJ Rana Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Soul Bar - DJ Ender & Fugi Tavern at the Bean - Karaoke w/ DJ Kenny Curtis Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke

June 23 23Sunday, Live Music

5 O’Clock Bistro - The Henrys Candlelight Jazz - Piano Jazz Malibu Jack’s - Playback The Band w/ Tutu Dy’Vine Partridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not Gaddy Jazz Trio Wild Wing - Sabo & Dave The Willcox - Live Jazz

What’s Tonight?

Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa Dancing Polo Tavern - Bingo Night Shannon’s - Karaoke with Peggy Gardner

June 24 24Monday, Live Music

Hopelands Gardens (Aiken) - Glor na Daire Academy of Irish Dance Shannon’s - Open Mic Night

What’s Tonight?

Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Chevy’s - Trivia Club Argos - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - Poker Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia The Playground - DJ Rana Robolli’s - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere in Augusta - Poker Wild Wing - Trivia

June 25 25Tuesday, Live Music

Appleby Concert Series - Harcourt Waller The Highlander - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Karaoke Contest The Willcox - Piano jazz

What’s Tonight?

Chevy’s Nite Club - Shag Night w/ Free Lessons Club Argos - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Joe’s Underground - Karaoke Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane Limelight Cafe - Bottom’s Up Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Poker

Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia Mi Rancho - Cornhole Carolina Meeting 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

June 26 26Wednesday, Live Music Joe’s Underground - John Kolbeck Malibu Jack’s - Marilyn Adcock

What’s Tonight?

Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Chevy’s - Karaoke 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 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 - The Comedy Zone w/ James Gregory Surrey Tavern - Trivia with Christian and Mickey

Upcoming

Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold - Maude Edenfield Park, North Augusta June 27 John Kolbeck - Polo Tavern June 27 Billie Vacation, Mechanical River, Concord America, & Boring Portals - Sky City June 27 Panic Manor - Somewhere In Augusta June 27 Lo Fidelty - Wild Wing June 27 Angela Easterling - Augusta Canal Moonlight Music Cruise June 28 Billy Creason & The Dam-Fi-No Band - Country Club June 28 Billie Vacation and Ganges Philangese - Joe’s Underground June 28 Radiolucent, Thomas Wynn and the Believers - Sky City June 28 Kenny George - The Stables at Rose Hill Estate June 28 Jackaroe - Stillwater Taproom June 28 Interstate Exiles - Wild Wing June 28 American Gonzo’s - Surrey Tavern June 28-29 20JUNE2013

V24|NO25

SIGHTINGS

Michael Johnson

mejphoto.photoreflect.com

LeDan Peace with Faith and Codey Eddy at the Augusta Tattoo Convention at the TEE Center.

Brandy Rollins, Deborah Harper and Haley Pittman at the Music & Menus Festival at Evans Towne Center Park.

Amanda Cassinger, Corey Coursey and Reina Paoli at the Augusta Tattoo Convention at the TEE Center.

SIGHTINGS

The Mason Jarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Andy Colbert with Marshall Tuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Doug Gray and Cam Griffin at the Music & Menus Festival at Evans Towne Center Park.

Mandy Morris, NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton and Beth Norton at the Better Way Back event at Doctors Hospital.

SIGHTINGS

Janna Hyde, Julie Zimmerman, Abby Lefkove and Jordan Theis at the Music & Menus Festival at Evans Towne Center Park.

Heather Henderson, Kristen Fields and Dawn Johnson at Wild Wing.

Elizabeth Lamb, UFCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nateâ&#x20AC;? Rockâ&#x20AC;? Quarry and Sondra Smith at the Better Way Back event at Doctors Hospital.

Michael Johnson

mejphoto.photoreflect.com

Allison Matthews, Cassidy Story, Lacey Valliant and Angela Taylor at the Country Club.

&DOO 8V RU *R 2QOLQH IRU <RXU FREE (VWLPDWH SEE WHAT FISH HAS TO OFFER: Âť ([SHUW :LQGRZ &OHDQLQJ ,QFOXGLQJ 6LOOV 6FUHHQV Âť *XWWHUV &KDQGHOLHUV 6N\OLJKWV 0LUURUV 0RUH Âť 8QLIRUPHG %RQGHG ,QVXUHG 3URIHVVLRQDO &OHDQHUV Âť& RPPHUFLDO 5HVLGHQWLDO 6HUYLFH Âť 6DWLVIDFWLRQ *XDUDQWHHG

(706) 305-3900

Ă&#x20AC;VKZLQGRZFOHDQLQJ FRP Locally Owned & Operated 20JUNE2013

AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 43

THE

V24|NO25

BOX TOPS

Superman soars to a June box-office record.

EIGHT

RANK

TITLES

WEEKEND GROSS

TOTAL GROSS

WEEK #

LAST WEEK

MAN OF STEEL

$116,725,000

$128,725,000

THIS IS THE END

$20,500,000

$32,800,000

NOW YOU SEE ME

$10,320,000

$80,009,000

FAST & FURIOUS 6

$9,433,000

$219,574,000

THE PURGE

$8,201,000

$51,845,000

“This Is the End”

SAMEIFLING

A stoner comedy that evangelical Christians might love… or at least not hate The most peculiar aspect of many about “This Is the End,” the new ensemble Apocalypse romp, is that it may wind up being evangelical Christians’ favorite stoner-buddy comedy. That’s not to ding it for topping a nonexistent list: It may well be the funniest movie that comes out in 2013 — so good, in fact, it’ll make you weep for every timid, tepid bigbudget comedy that derps its way into theaters (q.v., “Grown Ups 2,” in previews now). Far from insulting your intelligence, “This Is the End” feels completely in control of its boundless stupidity, creating the cinematic equivalent of a functional pothead. Consider it a 107-minute answer to two guys getting stratospherically high at a party and asking, “Dude, what if the world ended, like, right now?” Surely such a question spawned the 2007 short “Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse,” by stars Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, that grew into “This Is the End.” Happily, the feature retains a punk-edged indie sensibility despite now employing a long cast of A- and B-list performers: Rogen, Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson star as themselves, as do the next 11 names on the credits. Basic setup is this: During a party at James Franco’s house in L.A., the world suddenly collapses in a fiery, sinkholey fashion straight out of Revelation. So a bunch of squabbling, sissypants actors are left to

split the remaining candy, pot, beer and bottled water while, outside, all hell is literally breaking loose. High Times meets the End Times, with only Hollywood jerks taking the fall. The worldwide meltdown strains Seth’s and Jay’s already-fraying friendship. Jay has flown to L.A., a city he claims to hate, to hang with Seth, and yet they wind up at James Franco’s show biz brat bash. Drag. With apologies to ax-swinging Emma Watson, slow-dying Aziz Ansari and crooning Rihanna, coke-fiend bathroomthreewaying Michael Cera steals the scene because of sheepish anxiety-swallowing “Juno” and “Arrested Development” Michael Cera. Let it not be said that “This Is the End” doesn’t flatter its audience: If you get the jokes, you get a kick merely because you’re getting the jokes. Rogen shares directing and writing credits with Evan Goldberg, who wrote “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express.” Appropriately, at the party, Seth and James Franco (he’s always referred to by his full name) wistfully discuss their hopes for a “Pineapple Express” sequel. Later, with end-of-civilization cabin-fever closing in, they bust out the camcorder and shoot their updated version on a budget of nothing, like a

few bored teenagers with only time and flammable narcotics on their hands. This is the nifty pirouette that’s going to put “This Is the End” in the stoner comedy hall of fame: Instead of actors playing losers who like to get blazed, it rolls out actors playing actors who like to get blazed and act like losers. (Celebrities are just like us, y’all.) They’re also completely unequipped to survive a post-Apocalyptic hellscape — which is sort of the point, I guess, of Doomsday. The two ways off this mortal coil are to die a horrible death or to get lifted. Whether you take that in the Christian sense or as stoner slang won’t really matter as long as you’re going sky-high in a hazy blue column.

JUNE 21 ACTION

“World War Z,” rated PG-13, starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos. Brad Pitt’s hair and the fact that this movie’s release has been held up for so long don’t bode well for this zombie apocalypse film. You never know, however; the zombie genre, much like zombies themselves, seems to be hanging on for dear “life.”

44 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

FAMILY

“Monsters University,” rated G, starring the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren. Mike and Sulley weren’t always best friends? Say it ain’t so!

DRAMA

“The Bling Ring,” rated R, starring Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga. This based-on-a-true-story flick about a group of teenagers who robbed celebrity homes seems like an odd choice, both for director Sofia Coppola and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson. If anyone can make a Lifetime movie a bigscreen event, however, it’s these two. 20JUNE2013

E K OUT TH C E H C E COM

s d n a est b

! a t s u in aug

THURSDAY STORM BRANCH BAND FRIDAY NIGHT ROCKS SHINEBOX SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ROBIN DIXON & THE MIDNIGHT MOON BAND SUNDAY SABO & DAVE MONDAY TRIVIA NIGHT 2FER TUESDAY BUY 8 WINGS. GET 8 FREE!

W H E R E G R E AT F O O D R O C K S . AUGUSTA 706-364-WILD

3035 WASHINGTON ROAD

| W W W. W I L D W I N G C A F E . C O M

WHINE

V24|NO25

WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM

LINE up What’s up with you thin skinned Americans. As soon as you hear an opinion you don’t like you get defensive and start with the name call calling. Does the truth hurt you that bad? A fact is a fact, like it or not. Bet this one won’t print, will it sweetheart? How much do you charge Josh Fife or Barney Ruffin or whatever you call that clown is who drones on and on and on? Is he trying to set a world record on use of former and latter in an article. I just don’t get it. I try to read his dribble which always has undertones of boxing and beer. it is obvious that he has an inferiority complex and tries the beer drinking / boxing, red diaper baby rap to compensate . Does anybody fall for it? I pick up a copy of the “Spirit” every week hoping that Josh Ruffin has contributed a column. How very encouraging and refreshing to read the thoughts of someone who does not want the world to be shaped in his image. “Write on Josh,write on!” You are a sparkle of hope in the midst of the repressive and oppressive atmosphere that is Augusta.

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.

The ’80s, including dayglo-colored and mullet dresses, as well as bare midriffs in a semi-formal setting, are back… at least if you take the collective word of the Miss USA Pageant contestants.

To the person who has already convicted Zimmerman for pursuing and murdering the unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin. You’re a “dyed in the wool” racist and you really should be ashamed of yourself. You are a major reason this city and this country cannot move forward because you carry deep seeded hatred for anyone who doesn’t look, act, or think like you. Get over yourself and let’s hope justice is served in this very important upcoming trial. Peace. Don’t riot when the court doesn’t see things your way. Austin Rhodes, you had the opportunity to interview a talented author from Washington who wrote about our very Own Paul brown. what was that about Down syndrome persons having babies. Very inappropriate. And by the way I Q Scores continue to be on the rise.

down

Of course, given Miss Utah’s answer to the question about job-pay discrepancies between the sexes, maybe we shouldn’t take their word for anything.

THUMBS Things just are not the same there anymore. If you notice the civilians are leaving as quickly as they can and so is the quality, attitude, and customer service! Therefore; I give the entire post a big thumbs down! WOW. So Google, Facebook and other data mining giants are worried about government data mining. Just who are they kidding? I for one have read their terms of use have you? If the violence and mayhem that has recently plauged Augusta’s riverfront weren’t bad enough , this past Monday the “ city leaders” paraded down the river walk in some sudden fake attempt to correct all that is wrong! If iThat is enough to send the crips, bloods and all other gang bangers running for safety , I don’t know what would!

Fort Gordon has really gone downhill since the current and previous Commanding General has taken over.

INJURED? 1-855-91-INJURED AugustaAutoAccidents.com 46 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

20JUNE2013