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METRONEWS AUGUSTA TEK FEATURE CROSSWORD
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EVENTS CALENDAR JENNY IS WRIGHT
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THE8
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WHINE LINE
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Contributors Jamess Allen|Greg Baker|Rob Baker| Brezsny|Sam Eifling |Matt Matt Lane|Austin Rhodes|Josh Ruffin|Andy Ruffin Andy Stokes|Matt Stone|Jenny W Ruff Wright
o r t e m IR P S
INSIDER RUFFIN’ IT AUSTIN RHODES
SLAB SIGHTINGS MATT’S MUSIC PET PAGE
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Shame on that Donnie Smith for trying to throw his weight around to get his buddies unarrested! He should be thrown out of the District 7 race for that. This city gets more and more ghetto by the day.
Good article about the cops taking down the burly guy. But when you do a similar story, don’t put the mug in the middle and make my eyes keep jumping across said picture to find the rest of the words in the sentences!! I felt like I was getting drunk myself for a second or two there! I saw Hulk Hogan on television the other day promoting a product called Ageless Male
(a supposed testosterone booster). I mean, if anybody knows about boosting testosterone levels (wink-wink), it’s Hulk Hogan - right? What cha’ gonna’ do brother, what cha’ gonna’ do?
Planning Ahead: Master plan inches forward My Randy Potter Story: A reflection on an Augusta original
Michael-RKQVRQ_VLJKWLQJV ‡ Valerie(PHULFN_ZULWHU ‡ Amy3HUNLQV_HGLWRULDO LQWHUQ ‡ LauraPerry|volunteer
WHINELINE
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Will stick to Living Social from now on
Oh Boy. Another self-deluded, self-satisfied twit spews forth poop droppings for the Metro Spirit. Apparently you feel that Jenny Wright isn’t sufficient Did the local paper “Daily Deal� enough torture for your for a monthly pizza discount. readers. Now you are wasting Tho it clearly stated my Evans even more paper and ink on pizzeria was included, now, after Ryan Burkholder. At least I didn’t spending my money, it isn’t. waste time reading the article. “The Boy� in the first sentence
was a red flag, warning me off and reminding me that I have far better things to do. These people should keep the comfort zones of their bland, Elinor Rigby-like little lives to themselves, and attempt to write something that people might actually want to read.
Shhhhhhh: Columbia County Library to break away and establish its own library system
(continued on page 46)
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One at a Time: City funds widespread demolition, but it still takes time
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Independence
Recovery
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INSIDER@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Insider is an anonymous, opinion-based examination of the hidden details of Augusta politics and personalities.
More Confusion
THUMBS
SIDER up
Congrats, “Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure”: You had the worst movie opening ever!
down
The grandson of the creator of Red Bull appears to have run over and killed a police officer and Bangkok, Thailand, with his Ferrari, dragging the officer and his motorcycle several dozen feet before fleeing the scene. We would make a joke about how he needed those wings Red Bull supposedly gives you, but that would just be wrong.
Not long after the Spirit broke the story about Georgia State Patrol Lieutenant and District 7 Commission Candidate Donnie Smith’s involvement with those involved in an incident at Wild Wing that resulted in the arrest of one Jay Blackburn, word got out that Smith was being investigated by the State Patrol, which doesn’t like its members to make news the way that Smith was making news. Tuesday afternoon on the Austin Rhodes radio show, Smith confirmed that he’d been told by superiors not to comment on the incident until they had a chance to look into it. By airtime, the case was closed, and he was free to tell his side of the story. At least that’s what he told Rhodes. Thing is, his side of the story doesn’t really hold up. For one thing, if Smith’s statement on the Austin Rhodes show is true and he didn’t do anything but collect friend Charles, help the cops on the scene get information out of Blackburn, who was uncooperative, and drive away, how did Will Scholer know that Smith knew the owner of the Wild Wing in Macon, who by the way just happens to be a retired Richmond County law enforcement officer? Smith’s statement was that he did not talk to anyone with Wild Wing, only assisted the officers after they requested his help, and was there just to give Charles a ride home. And what about all that? Friend Charles, a drunk and disorderly 20-something year old, just got kicked out of Wild Wing. His running buddy is sitting in the back of a patrol car. He needs a lift home. So… who to call… who to call… I know! I’ll call a 20-year veteran of the Georgia State Patrol, one who is running for Richmond County Commission and who dates the local District Attorney. He doesn’t have anything better to do than come and pick me up and drive me home. That makes perfect sense. Said no one ever. Jay Blackburn was calling for his friends to call Donnie Smith as soon as the officers had him on the ground. If what Donnie Smith said on the Austin Rhodes program is true, how did Will Scholer, the Wild Wing employee who had his job threatened by Smith — and whose parents own the Wild Wing — how would he know Smith knew who owned Wild Wing in Macon and Augusta? The only plausible explanation, since he had never met nor did he know Smith, is that Smith told him. In casual conversation? No. Smith told him as a threat. None of Smith’s denials ring true. In fact, on the radio the tentative Smith didn’t sound like he believed himself in his own denials. Why? Maybe because there were too many witnesses. Too many people who know the people involved. The only thing that Insiders question is what is he thinking? As Groucho Marx put it, Are you going to believe me, or what you see with your own eyes?
Donnie Smith
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What’s a Vote Worth? Isn’t it funny how the echoes have gotten softer and softer when it comes to the sheriff’s race? Back when the general primary was drawing to a close, Augusta was tormented with a play by play of every slight suffered by every supporter. Our heads rang like some cartoon character who had stuck his head into a ringing church bell. Then came the shock and wonder following the runoff, in which, for many, the unthinkable happened — Richard Roundtree beat Scott Peebles. Instead of remaining consistent with the fear expressed earlier in the campaign, much of the community just shrugged, scratched its head and wondered whether or not they should shoulder any of the blame. By the time the real bombshell dropped — the very political and very unnecessary endorsement of Roundtree by Peebles — people had simply moved
on. Rather than consider the implications of the act, everyone just cruised on to the Labor Day cookout. Everybody, that is, except those who believed that Peebles was the innocent idealist whose purity was incorruptible. For them, the endorsement — smacking of selfpreservation and reeking of calculation — tainted the whole political process. The real losers, however, were those Richmond County Republicans who gave their votes to Peebles, thinking they meant something. For them, the endorsement was an unforgivable snub. Next time, no matter how dire people say the stakes are, you can bet these guys will keep to themselves.
Forced Landing Last week it was report that 19-year Georgia State Patrol veteran Herbert Craven, a helicopter pilot with the GSP stationed in Thomson, was on administrative leave while under investigation for an undisclosed matter. Friday he quietly resigned his position. Informed insiders say he was caught having an affair with a married McDuffie County woman, ending a long and successful career flying one of only 15 State Patrol helicopters. His experience flying search and rescue missions, assisting in aerial surveillance and manhunts, and participating in fire suppression will be difficult to replace, but the State Patrol isn’t known for cutting slack, especially when its officers aren’t able to fly below the radar.
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WTF, RNC?
A Recap in Abbreviations
This past week, the Republican National Convention wrapped up in Tampa, Florida, and it was by all accounts an epic clusterf***k of “Waterworld” proportions. Only instead of a gilled Kevin Costner and snaggle-eyed, steampunk Dennis Hopper — which is going to be the name of my new band — those of us who cared to watch more than five minutes at a time were treated to legitimate, unironic insanity. What’s really tragic is that for the next few months, all of Cigar City’s beer is going to taste like old gunpowder and septuagenarian flop-sweat. The RNC is kind of like a furry convention: everyone dresses up like a cartoon, with easy access panels installed for the purposes of backroom sex with the Koch brothers (in lieu of an admission fee). So many egos were stroked during the three-day event, Romney’s tour rider included six cases of anti-chafing cream. I wasn’t able to watch the whole thing as it unfolded, but I caught what I could, and watched the rest in replays and on tape delay. It was a surreal, infuriating experience, as we saw many things we already knew about the GOP reinforced, and learned a few new ones. Here, then, are three takeaways from the convention: 1. They’ve Got Nothing Politicians of any stripe make careers out of stretching, bending and knotting truths. If the facts are on their side, they’ll embellish them even more to make their case. If the facts are against them, they’ll simply lie about it, and this is the tactic that the Republicans have been using for the entire campaign. Take the infamous $716 billion that Romney/Ryan say President Obama unceremoniously yanked out of Medicare. The way they talk about this, you’d think Obama and his crew of jackbooted hipsters systematically stalked every senior citizen in the country, one by one, before kneecapping them and stealing their oatmeal money. Or “Matlock” tapes. I’m not old yet, so I’m not sure. What the Obama administration actually did was this: reduce amounts paid to hospitals and insurance providers (though not physicians, a facet of the plan that has been misrepresented by media outlets for months) so that the “draw” out of the Medicare fund is reduced by $716 billion between fiscal years 2013 and 2022. Before the Affordable Care Act was passed, the amount was only $449 billion. Translated to human-speak, that means that Medicare is guaranteed about eight more years of function and solvency than if the ACA had not been passed. Boston.com’s John McDonough sums it up eloquently: “It’s the difference between eating into your savings account (what Romney charges) versus reducing your spending so that you don’t have to (what the ACA does).” Medicare stays put, doing what it’s always done — providing guaranteed medical care for seniors — only it’s going to cost less from here on out. Who can be against that? Republicans. Not because they’re idiots, but because they’re greedy, power-hungry s***s, and they’ve let that obstruct anything resembling consideration for the wellbeing of this country that they may have once harbored. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan can get up in front of a stadium’sworth of people, proclaim that they’re going to turn Medicare into a voucher system — which, by the way, would privatize the fund and guarantee squat — and presume to get away with it, because they’re white, rich, well-groomed and non-threatening. It’s impressive and depressing all at the same time. 2. “We Built It” Is a Crock You’ve heard the sound-bytes by this point: President Obama, in a speech a few months ago, said the following: “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was
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just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.” See that sentence, fourth from the end? The one that begins “If you’ve got a business?” That’s where he and his speechwriters boned it. In less than 10 words, they handed the Republicans a catchphrase, a rallying point on a silver platter. And boy, have they run with it. Every other speech during the convention was punctuated with it, and an entire day was built around the statement. Hell, some guy named Lane Turner — most famous, I recently discovered, for losing on a season of “The Next GAC Star” — even sang a song bearing the name of the phrase. “I’m Rick James, bitch!” was less milked. Granted, the line was either poorly written or poorly executed; Obama and his speechwriters had to know that Republicans would swarm on it like flies to a turd. But really, that only underscores the corner into which conservatives have painted themselves: they can’t run on facts and issues, because any human with a functioning brain would vote against them, so the best they can do is latch onto a momentary lapse in eloquence and limp with it through November. 3. They Take the Phrase “Kill Your Idols” Way Too Seriously Clint Eastwood has already taken enough of a beating in the media, so I’m not going to add to it. Okay, maybe a little bit: he looked like he couldn’t figure out whether he was in a boardroom, a sauna or an experimental theater piece. It was like a Dadaist open mic. He looked like he borrowed his hairstyle from Will Ferrell’s impression of Harry Carrey. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I like Eastwood. Jesus, of course I do. Every one of his westerns is at least the best one ever made, and my happy place is being an innocent bystander who gets winged during a firefight between James Bond and The Man With No Name. He was a great actor, a great director and seems for the most part like a genuinely stand-up guy. So it pained me to see the doddering, frail, borderline senile version of him that took the stage on the convention’s final night. I don’t know where the man’s head is at; I’m pretty sure he barely knows. Eastwood is 84 years old, and he looks it. Romney’s team gave him carte blanche, didn’t check his material and let him ramble for as long as he felt led by the spirit (i.e. 10 minutes past his allotted time). To put this in perspective, Romney directly followed Eastwood. It was the worst hype job since Flava Flav pre-empted Nelson Mandela. The best part, though? Remember that joke making the media rounds that the GOP might just beam down a hologram of Ronald Reagan? That almost happened, but was nixed at the last moment. If it wasn’t, Zombie Reagan would have clawed his way out of the earth and started shuffling towards the 2016 convention to eat the entire party’s face. To recap: desperate liars who harbor no qualms about the shameless exploitation of our most well-respected figures for their own petty gains. Forty percent of the voting populace supports this party. Let that sink in. I’m done.
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.
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AUSTIN RHODES
Roundtree and Peebles: Batman and Robin or Oscar and Felix? Regular readers of this column were not shocked last week when Scott Peebles announced he was “voting” for Richard Roundtree for sheriff in November. Surprised at the timing, maybe, but not shocked by the statement. I certainly was not, and this was what I posted on my work side Facebook page the instant the news hit: Peebles endorses Roundtree. I don’t agree, but I understand the mindset. This is probably a move to set Tree up as “Charlie Webster, Jr.”... with the leadership and investigative heart and soul of the dept. sticking around to work, and Tree doing the politicking, baby kissing, and press interviews. That is one thing Richard has over Webster, he is well spoken on camera. Webster was a leader in title only... Strength, Hatfield, Autrey, Powell, etc. did all the heavy lifting. This could work for RC if Tree accepts the premise. While I think the above observation is about as straightforward as it can be, there are some Peebles supporters who feel like Scott betrayed them in some way. While I cannot speak for what may or may not existed as far as a “bond of trust” between Captain Peebles and individual supporters, I understand why he is apparently choosing to stick around, and his reluctance to take what would likely be a futile stand against his friend and former colleague. Augusta is Scott’s home. His wife and children are here, and he has extended family here and close by. He knows the town like the back of his hand, and he has made a career on his home turf working to lock up the worst human elements known to man. He has served with honor, distinction and success. Among the many individuals who joined the department around the same time he did, there are few still moving up the ladder, and only one comes to mind that has been even close when it comes to keeping up. (For those of you playing along at home, that would be Captain Scott Gay.) When the RC Sheriff’s Department consolidated with the Augusta Police Department in the mid ‘90s, Tree and Peebles were both thought by many to be young stars on the rise, and they were. Working together during serious investigations, it is said by those who know them well that they were at their best when they teamed up; because they had such different styles and perspectives, it appeared all bases seemed to be covered. The accolades and anecdotes that follow such questions about their time together almost sound like a season’s worth of scripts for a TV cop show, but there was a genuine camaraderie
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AUSTINRHODES
The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. there, and call it what you want, but it seemed to work. Peebles’ work ethic and respect for detail and the rulebook meant that he was promoted faster, and taken more seriously than Roundtree. But that is not a dig at Roundtree; truth be told, Peebles was the overachiever among his peers. Every group has one. In all of the concerns and questions that have arisen over Tree’s lack of management skills and maturity in duty, virtually no one has ever accused him of being dumb. As a matter of fact, his (former) fellow officers were always quite impressed with his common sense and street smarts. It comes as no surprise that Roundtree and Peebles consider themselves friends and not enemies, so why is it unnatural to think that the two have figured out a way to make it work if Tree is in fact elected boss in November? Unless he completely trashes the rank system that is in place (and he says privately he won’t), Roundtree will only have two upper management positions that he can fill of his own personal choosing, chief deputy, and department colonel. (Gary Powell is the current colonel, and he tells me he has no desire to retire immediately; current Chief Deputy Sid Hatfield is planning on hitting the door with retiring Sheriff Ronnie Strength at the end of the year.) Virtually all other high-ranking positions will be filled by those that must come up through the ranks, and unless there is wholesale tomfoolery afoot, Tree will likely have the team that Peebles would have had (minus the requisite chief deputy) had the election gone his way. As I pointed out last week, what we may end up with is Tree taking the caretaker role that Charlie Webster had when he was sheriff, which actually fits him better than it did Webster. For those of you saying Peebles has been bought off with the promise of a job, all I can tell you is that you don’t know Scott Peebles. Augusta is his home, and he does not want to leave the community he knows and loves. Besides, he is making 70k this year as a captain. In Atlanta, a sergeant makes 75k a year. With his record and connections, he could secure a similar job with better pay almost anywhere. If I were living in Richmond County, I would vote for Tree’s opponent Freddie Sanders. He is a brilliant man, and a real hard ass when it comes to the criminal element. He has the advantage over Roundtree in maturity, management experience and toughness. Funny thing though; with either guy, you are going to get Peebles as well. Looks like a win either way.
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Planning Ahead Master plan inches forward
Camille Price
Not long after work was completed on St. Sebastian Way, the road looked abandoned. Weeds were waist high and there was no sense of beauty to the road, which was supposed to be the preferred entry point to the medical district. That’s one of the problems with road projects. As far as the Department of Transportation (DOT) was concerned, the project was finished because the DOT is only involved with the road itself, not the way it looks. They took their equipment, threw down some grass seed and called it good. That left upkeep and beautification to the city, but the city didn’t have the funds to keep it up or mow it, which meant this important new route to one of Augusta’s major destinations was destined to a life of perpetual shabbiness. “It looked awful,” says Camille Price, executive director of Augusta Tomorrow (pictured above). “And it was a brand new road.” That’s when Augusta Tomorrow’s Gateways and Corridors implementation team got involved. “They said, ‘This is our gateway into the Medical District — it needs to look good,” Price says. Working with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is also concerned with the look of the city’s gateways, they put together a fund called the Garden City Improvement Fund that allows any individual or business to contribute either to the large-scale beautification or to target a specific gateway. First used 8
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on Wheeler Road, the fund is administered by the Community Foundation, which means any contribution is tax deductible. “It’s a wonderful way to help businesses to recoup a little bit of money through less taxes that will help improve their frontage,” Price says. The fund pays for a private landscaping company to keep the gateways and corridors mowed and tended. On Wheeler, the improvements extend from I-20 to I-520. On St. Sebastian Way, the improvements start at Riverwatch and extend beyond Enterprise Mill to the bridge. Next, the implementation team would like to focus on Riverwatch, which would combine the two projects into one, which is how the small pieces grow into a completed master plan. Gateways and corridors is just one of the projects outlined by Augusta Tomorrow’s master plan, an ambitious $275,000 plan that took over where the original master plan left off. Since its February 2009 unveiling, it has largely faded from the headlines, causing many Augustans to question the plan’s worth. Price insists that while understandable, the skepticism is unfounded. “The problem is, there are so many meetings and there’s so much going on, but really nothing to report,” she says. “I think that is a lot of the frustration the community has with the master plan. How do you say, ‘Well, we’ve had meetings and we’re working on it’ without it sounding like a lot of BS?” Another problem is the scope of the plan, which is a long-range vision for the two communities. “You have to remember it’s a 20-25 year plan, and anything you do takes a while,” she says. “There are so many layers of due diligence that you have to do, including often times acquiring property, that it just takes a long time.” 6SEPTEMBER2012
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Something else complicating the plan’s acceptance is the fact that Augusta Tomorrow doesn’t really have a lot of power when it comes to the plan’s implementation. While it can help coordinate, it doesn’t have the funding to push the projects forward.
part of the recently passed TSPLOST, and now the implementation team is compiling a developer’s packet, which would encourage developers to look at that area, called Westobou Crossing by the master plan, as a unified whole. Other progress includes work on the 15th Street
to the performing arts center, but Price says it merely made Augusta Tomorrow more aware of the complications and pitfalls of fundraising. “There are a lot of artistic opportunities here in Augusta that, if they’re all doing their own fundraising and we go in and add another whole
corridor from the river to Gordon Highway as well as the Sand Bar Ferry area, where separate phases of remediation have worked to help contain the area’s flooding issues. Also, Augusta Tomorrow has worked closely with the Walton Oaks development that is replacing the former Underwood Homes public housing apartments. The master plan envisioned the whole district as single area, and Price was able to get the developers to plan for eventually opening up the Walton Oaks project when Marion Homes is renovated. “The city really wants to do something with Marion Homes, Walton Oaks would love to see Marion Homes fixed and the people who live there want to see something done,” Price says. Though the combined university’s acquisition of the Golf and Gardens property has temporarily stalled one of the plan’s biggest and most controversial projects, the downtown ballpark, Price says the other centerpiece project, a performing arts center, is still very much alive. Many thought that Symphony Orchestra Augusta’s acceptance of the Miller Theater signaled an end
layer of fundraising for a performing arts center, what’s that going to do to them?” Price said. Conversations with city administration about creating a funding mechanism that would contribute toward a performing arts center while protecting the individual arts groups from losing their funding have been fruitful, Price says, and while the master plan had the performing arts center located across Reynolds Street from the Common, that’s no longer the location, which is all part of the plan’s flexibility. “The same thing happened with the original master plan,” Price says. “The original elements all ended up coming together, but not always in the place they were originally planned to go. That’s the thing about the plan — it’s a plan. Nothing is set in stone.”
St. Sebastian Way
“We are sort of the keepers of the vision, because the community has looked to us for the last 25 years to make sure the master plan was completed,” Price says. “But it’s not really Augusta Tomorrow’s master plan. It’s a public-private partnership with the city and private developers.” Unlike the original master plan, the current plan includes North Augusta, which has been an active participant, acquiring land across the Fifth Street Bridge and working toward a Town Center built around the Municipal Center. Because of the way it connects the two cities, the Fifth Street Bridge has always been a key part of the new plan, and in spite of some difficulties, it still shows promise as a point of growth. Since traffic flow patterns would not be fully established until the completion of St. Sebastian Way and I-520, the implementation team faced early delays. Some wanted to turn the Fifth Street Bridge, which is badly in need of repairs, into a pedestrian bridge, while others worried about the impact that would have on Augusta, since limiting vehicular access to downtown Augusta would inhibit Augusta’s ability to capitalize economically off of the residential area planned for the other side of the bridge. However, the repair of the Fifth Street Bridge was 6SEPTEMBER2012
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ERICJOHNSON
My Randy Potter Story A reflection on an Augusta original
Randy Potter
When word broke that former Metro Spirit contributor Randy Potter had died — he was found dead on Monday, August 27 — we here at the Spirit were taken aback. Though he hadn’t written anything for us for a long time, the core here at the new Spirit certainly remembered him, and if we remembered one thing, it was his resilience. While it’s certainly true that resilience is one of those qualities too easily taken for granted, the guy had fought back cancer more than once, all while remaining a civically active member of the community, so we can probably all be forgiven for thinking he’d find a way to pull himself through once more. Talk to just about anyone with an affinity for Augusta and you’ll hear a Randy Potter story. People will be trading these stories for years to come, but right now, with his presence still so close, they’re especially valuable. My Randy Potter story occurred in October of 2009, when Potter called me wanting to know if I’d seen the big pile of dirt at the “Harrisburg Country Club.” It had been there too long, he said. Something needed to be done. I asked him some questions, but it quickly became clear that I wouldn’t understand the true scope of what was going on — or, more accurately, what was not going on, since it was a clean-up effort that was obviously needed — unless I saw it myself. So Potter showed up at the Spirit offices on Broad Street about an hour later with a couple of bikes in the back of his truck. No reason not to enjoy ourselves while we got to the bottom of things. Though I wasn’t exactly dressed for a bike ride down the towpath, what was I going to do? He was there, the bikes were there and the story was there. So off we went. While what I remember most about the ride was the heat — it may have been October, but the day was sunny and hot — I have the distinct impression that we stopped several times along the way so he could show me this thing or that. I
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recall he was full of historical knowledge about Augusta in general and the canal area in particular. When we reached the spot, there was indeed a big pile of dirt. It was one of those piles that was so big and so overgrown, nine out of 10 people would have looked at it and not even processed that something might be done about it or that someone might actually be held accountable for it. Potter, however, could never be accused of being one of the nine out of 10. I paced it off, took some pictures and then I was ready to head back — it was hot, I was sweaty and uncomfortable and there was a desk full of work waiting for me back at the office — but Potter, I discovered as he started to strip down, was instead ready for a swim. I didn’t know him well enough to know whether he’d always been prone to that kind of spontaneity or whether that live-for-the-moment zeal for life came from his frequent bouts with death, but it was obvious he lived with a profound respect for the now. After his swim and the ride back to the office, I promised to look into the dirt pile and started to go in. Potter, however, wasn’t quite ready to part. We had spent time together, and when you’re as conscious of its passing as he was, such things are significant and worth acknowledging. For me, though, healthy and rushed, I was already moving on to the next thing. I extended my hand for a quick handshake while Potter went for a fist bump, and in that moment of extreme awkwardness as I adjusted to him and he adjusted to me, we shared something that is still somehow significant to me. The dirt pile, it turned out, was part of the $63 million upgrade to the city’s drinking water system. The city, apparently, was waiting for the Corps of Engineers to give the okay for a final drainage system before the pile could be cleaned up. I wrote the story and Potter went on to the next thing, and though I lost touch after that, I have no doubt that whatever the next thing was, he gave just as much of himself to it as he gave to that October day.
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ERICJOHNSON
One at a Time
City funds widespread demolition, but it still takes time
Recently, the Augusta Commission allocated $500,000 for the demolition of 188 dilapidated properties across the city, and though the money helps the city remove dangerous and unsightly properties, it doesn’t ensure that the removal will be speedy. Like anything else involving government agencies, there is a lot of bureaucracy involved. Before the court can issue a demolition order, for example, the city has to order a title search, which it can’t always afford. According to Development Manager Rob Sherman, the city budgets $150 per property for the title search. The search can take two or three weeks, depending on how many they send out, though Sherman says they never send more than 30 at one time. The city also has to request an asbestos survey for each property it wants to demolish, which comes with its own cost in money and time. “That’s where we are right now,� Sherman says of the properties on the commission’s list. “We’ve sent them all over to get the survey done, and then we should be getting the 28 or 29 that we asked them to do first.� Most of the properties slated for demolition are in Districts 1 and 2. Sherman says that a portion of the $500,000 will pay for the surveys and the rest will go toward the demolitions themselves, which average about $5,000 per property. After the surveys are completed, the properties slated for demolition will be put out for bid. Once the city gives the notice to proceed, the successful bidder then has to notify the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) that they’re going to
be doing a demolition, and if the building has asbestos in it, they’ve got to file an application with EPD for the asbestos abatement. Only after the asbestos is finally removed can the demolition crews knock the building down and haul it off. The properties on the commission’s list were all approved by the courts for demolition, meaning they were clearly beyond rehabilitation “Generally, the owners have back taxes that are due because generally the property owners have abandoned the property,� Sherman says. “It’s just not serving any purpose and it can’t be occupied or rented. There’s no value.� Even if someone wanted to get in compliance with the code so a property could be occupied again, they’d probably be spending more money than the house would be worth, which is why so many are left to deteriorate. With the demolition complete, the city sends the property owner a bill and records a lien against the property. If the property happens to be in an area experiencing redevelopment, an interested buyer can purchase the property through the Land Bank, which Sherman says is much more efficient than buying it on the courthouse steps, where the buyer has to wait a full year in order to give the property owner the chance to come in and pay the back taxes and liens. “Even then, the buyer still has to foreclose on the lien,� Sherman says. Going through the Land Bank, an interested buyer simply fills out an application asking the Land Bank to consider foreclosing on the liens. Then, they put down a deposit, show their plan for the property and wait for the Land Bank to foreclose. By going through the Land Bank, they get a clear title in roughly 60 days or so, Sherman says.
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AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D
Charged Up
Please Connect Your Charger How many of you have this experience with your phone? Every day at about 2:30 p.m., I check the power on my phone. Eighty percent. Awesome… I’ll be able to make it to the end of the day. But by 3 p.m, my Droid X is beeping at me to be plugged in. Of course, I’ve checked all the normal stuff. Social media updates… pull only. Weather Bug… unistalled. Random background processes… removed. Screen brightness… very dim. Automatic downloads… Just Say No! I’m sure that there is some technical issue going on. But let’s be honest; sometimes you want to know how the clock is built. Most of the time, you just want to know what time it is. When it comes to battery life, we just want the darn thing to work. So it was with hopeful optimism that I read a CNET article this week about the improvements in smartphone battery life. Let’s start with the obvious. Currently, if you need more battery life, get a bigger battery. For example, Apple devices are able to get a greater yield because they use an embedded (i.e., nonremovable) design. The batteries can be designed around the phone “guts” and require less packaging. Both characteristics provide more options to increase the battery size. A fundamental change of the battery structure is required to produce significant improvements, however. Unfortunately, a battery is a relatively simple construct, and assuming you don’t want the battery to spontaneously erupt, there are only so many chemicals you can use to build one. Incremental improvements will occur by changing the stuff inside the battery. Many researchers champion the use of silicon as an anode material. The team at Stanford University claim that their prototypes last for 6,000 charging cycles before replacement is needed (as compared to 350-500 charging cycles for conventional lithium ion batteries). Of course, the silicon anode tends to expand and crack while in use. Don’t worry… they are working on that. A more fundamental change is to ditch the conventional design altogether. One method promoted by startup Prieto Battery eliminates the liquid electrolyte and uses an electroplating process to coat nanowires with a layering of materials to serve as the anode, cathode and electrolyte. The greater surface area and shorter distance between components allow for astonishing charge times, as little as five minutes for a full charge. The battery should last for about 10 hours on a full charge. Very cool, indeed. We’re probably 2-3 years before any of these ideas hit the market. In the meantime, don’t forget your charger. Will Work for Capital — This past week, a group of Augusta entrepreneurs completed their participation in CapVenture. CapVenture is a six-week training series sponsored by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) to help startup business leaders identify and raise the capital needed to get their enterprise off the ground. As part of the series, participants actively participate in the venture capital process by building term sheets and pitching to a set of experienced entrepreneurs. The top pitches are selected to present at the September 12 finale. Sadly, no Augusta participant was selected; however, the finale is open to all to attend. Register at tagonline.org. We all need to give a big thanks to Carolyn Newsome of CMA Technology for stepping up and making this happen for the TAG-Augusta chapter. Augusta could not have participated in this event without her efforts. And, yes, the countdown to the iPhone 5 continues. More next week. Until next time, I’m off the grid @gregory_a_baker. GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D, is vice president and chief rocket scientist for CMA, which provides information technology services to CSRA businesses and nonprofits.
12 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Shhhhhhh
Columbia County Library to break away and establish its own library system
Columbia County’s desire to break away from the Augusta-based East Central Georgia Regional Library System and anchor a new regional library system is further evidence of the county’s growth, both in population and independence. “It’s basically a stage of progression,” says Barry Smith, director of Community and Leisure Services. “We started our own Convention and Visitors Bureau here, a Chamber of Commerce here and a Development Authority here in Columbia County. I guess this is just the next step.” Smith says the idea was actually recommended by the State Public Library Office. “We just followed their lead, and they said why don’t you team up with Lincoln and Warren Counties?” So Smith made presentations to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners and the Library Board, which resulted in Lincoln County’s unanimous vote to leave the East Central regional system. Smith did the same thing in Warren County, and the Warren County Board of Commissioners, thought to be favoring the change, will vote on Thursday. In order to officially take effect, the breakaway counties will have to give notice to East Central Georgia Regional Library System by December 31. The new library system would then begin on July 1, 2013. According to Smith, it’s a move in the right direction. “We would be receiving state money directly at the Headquarters Library in Evans and then we would redistribute the money appropriately to those two counties,” he says. “Currently, the monies that are bestowed on the main hub library in Richmond County are not distributed the way we would do it.” As hub of the current five-county system, which includes Columbia, Burke, Lincoln and Warren counties, Richmond County gets 10 state-paid positions, all of which are
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in downtown Augusta, Smith says. Under the proposed system, Columbia County would receive four state-paid positions with only Lincoln as part of the system or five if Warren County chooses to join. While Columbia County gains five state-paid positions, Richmond County loses four as well as additional funding, which could be detrimental to the Augusta library, which is struggling to attract visitors in spite of the community’s generally favorable reaction to the new building. Columbia County’s Evans library has higher circulation numbers than the downtown Augusta headquarters. In fact, circulation numbers from May indicate that Columbia County’s three libraries nearly equaled the circulation of Richmond County’s six libraries. In spite of the loss in funding and paid positions, Richmond County is unable to object to the change. “There’s really no stopping it,” Smith says. “It’s an option we have.” Being a hub will be a big change for the Columbia County library, which will see more work under the new plan. “It’s a lot more work because all the books would be coming straight from Atlanta to the hub,” Smith says. “Here in Columbia County, we’d have to catalog all our own books. Our workload would increase, circulation would increase and responsibilities would increase.” Smith feels that the opportunities and state funding outweigh the burdens of additional work, however. The personnel budget will be augmented by $275,000 with state-paid positions, plus the county will get a $90,000 grant. “And we don’t have to pay the dues and associated costs,” Smith says. “We are almost a half million dollars to the good.”
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AMYCHRISTIAN
Fish Rubbings?
Fred Fisher finds his calling and brings it to Arts in the Heart While many visitors to downtown Augusta this weekend for Arts in the Heart of Augusta will park their blankets and chairs in the Common to watch performers, dancers, musicians and more on the stages, many more will stroll through the Fine Arts and Crafts area on Broad Street. Of those wanderers, many will seek out Fred Fisher’s Aquatic Impressions booth to see some of the most unusual artwork at the show. Fisher practices fish rubbing, or gyokatu, a method the Japanese discovered and practiced to help them record their catches. “The Japanese did this a hundred years ago using ink and rice paper,” Fisher said. “It was a way they’d record how big the fish was. They’d have tournaments in Japan and when someone would catch a fish they’d put ink all over it and press the paper down on the fish, which created a mirror image. At the end of the period of time of the tournament, they’d get all the pieces of paper out and compare them to see who had the biggest fish.”
The Japanese didn’t much care about how the images looked; they just needed a record of the fish itself. Fisher, however, has been perfecting his acrylic and mixed media works for the last 10 years. He says he tries to capture the colors of each particular fish. “I like the art aspect of it,” he said. “I want it to look lifelike and be colorful.” Fisher will have a variety of fish rubbings, both originals and prints, available in his booth, from largemouth bass and brim to redfish, trout, grouper, snapper, snook, walleye and wahoo. What he sells at different shows depends on the area he visits; people can sometimes be territorial and stick to the fish that come out of the waters in their area. Then there are those who go in the opposite direction. “A lot of people don’t even know or really care what the fish is,” he said. “They just like the way it looks.” In the past few years, Fisher has branched out into mixed media pieces using dried aquatic plants to make his creation
look like an underwater scene. He also carries cutting boards, notecards, mugs and more. Out of the more than 100 different fish he’s made prints of, Fisher has a few favorites, including the wahoo, the red snapper and the mackerel. But there is one that’s his particular favorite. “The mahi mahi is spectacular,” he said. “You pull them out of the water and they’re this vivid chartreuse and green, but as soon as the air hits them they start to fade. That has to be one of the prettiest fish that swims, I think.” And yes, to answer the second-most asked question Fisher gets (besides the one about his name), he has caught most of the fish he makes rubbings of. “I’ve caught most of them… me or my friends. I bet I’ve caught 80 percent of them,” he said. “And I’ve eaten a lot of them, too. I’m not going to let a grouper go.” To see more of Fisher’s work, visit aquatic-impressions. com.
Arts in the Heart of Augusta|Broad Street and the Augusta Common Friday, September 14, 5-9 p.m.|Saturday, September 15, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, September 16, noon-7 p.m. | $5, advance; $7, at the gate|artsintheheart.com
Friday, September 14 5-5:45 Dayz to Come 5-5:45 Kane and Company 5-6 Channelheimer Ooompa Band 6-6:30 Jerod Gay 6-7 Envey Dance Troupe-Augusta 6-8 Parade of Nations (Opening Ceremonies) 6:30-7 Spencer Shadden 7-7:45 Michael Santangelo 7-8 Phillip American Asso of CSRA 8:30-9 Pyroteque (fire performing group) 8-9 Billy S 6SEPTEMBER2012
Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage
Saturday, September 15 11-11:45 Company of Job 11-11:45 Channelheimer Ooompa Band 11-11:50 Khamsin Fierce Fusion & Friends (belly dance/ tribal) 11:45-12:15 CSRA Zumba Instructor Performance Group 12-1 Suzuki Strings (violin performance) 12-12:45 JAMP (live band) 12:15-12:45 Dance Extreme 12:45-1:45 Augusta Youth School of Dance 1-1:30 Chinese Singers and Dancers 1-1:45 JAMP (music) 1:45-2:45 Ballroom dance
Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Global Stage
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Saturday, September 15 2-2:45 Celtic Rhythm Irish Dancer 2-2:45 She-n-She 3-3:45 Ippie Music 3-3:50 Channelheim Ooompa Band 3-4 Musical Theater Workshop 4-4:45 Double D 4-4:45 Rhythm and Class Cloggers 4-4:45 Indian Pavillion-Hindu Temple Soc 4:45-5 Food & Art Awards 5-6 Channelheimer Ooompa Band 5-6 Hip2Hip Studio 5-7:45 Amped Music Contest 6-6:45 CSRA Belly Dancers 6:15-7:15 Artemia 7-7:45 Eastern Star Dance (belly dancing) 7:30-9 Camouflage Spaceship 8-9 The Islanders (Tahitian dance w/ fire knife) 8-Until Living Room Legends (Rock Band)
Family Stage Community Stage Community Stage Global Stage Family Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Family Stage Community Stage Family Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage
Sunday, September 16 12-12:45 Mexico 12-1 Desiree 12-1 Channelheimer Oompa Band 1-2 Christine Mangelly Belly Danzers 1-2 Christine Mangelly Belly Danzers 1-2 Suzuki Strings of Augusta 2-3 Chanellheimer Ooompa Band 2-3 Island Rhythm (Hawaiian & Tahitian dance) 2-3 Augusta Chorale 3-3:30 Pulse Dance Center (ballet/jazz/tap/hiphop) 3-4 ABATSU African Dance 3-4 Undone 3:45-4:45 Cutno Dance (ballet) 4-5 Breaking News 12-1 Suzuki Strings of Augusta (string performance) 4:45-5:45 Saidi and Friends (Salsa/Asian/middle east dance) 5-5:45 Garden City Jazz 5:30-7 Von Grey 6-7 Appling Road Band 6-7 Footloose and Fancy Free Cloggers
Fresh Ideas
Columbia County Choral Society has new artistic director in Dr. Don Cleary
Dr. Don Cleary has had a variety of experience in music, including leading youth and adult church choirs. But it is his experience as the founder and director of the drama depar tment at Paine College that he hopes to bring to his new position as ar tistic director of the Columbia County Choral Society. “When I moved to Augusta I focused on theatrical works 16 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
and stage plays, so it was kind of fun to branch out and do that,” he said. “I directed 10 to 15 Broadway type shows and I’m going to introduce perhaps a little more of a theatrical environment to the choral society and broaden their reper toire just a little bit.” Though the Columbia County Choral Society’s season doesn’t begin until December 7 with Bach to Broadway,
Family Stage Community Stage Global Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage Community Stage Global Stage Family Stage Community Stage Global Stage Community Stage Family Stage
AMYCHRISTIAN
and their March and June concer ts haven’t been finalized yet, Cleary is full of ideas. He talks of a pops concer t in June that may feature spirituals, Americana “or maybe even a Beatles night.” He also has plans to create smaller ensembles. “I want to formalize some smaller groups from the large body so they can represent us in venues when it’s just 6SEPTEMBER2012
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not practical for everyone to go,” he explained. And teenagers who love “Glee” will be happy to hear that Cleary is kicking around the idea of creating a youth show choir. “We’re putting feelers out to see what kind of interest there might be,” he admitted. In the meantime, those interested in joining the Columbia County Choral Society are welcome to attend a reception on Tuesday, September 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Evans First Baptist Church, where the group practices. The visit is strictly no strings attached. “They can just show up,” Cleary said. “Membership is dependent upon three things: you have to attend three rehearsals, you have to audition and you have to pay a membership fee. So we’re kind of feeling them out, and they’re kind of feeling us out because it really is a commitment.” The group practices Tuesday nights from 7-9 p.m. “I like to say that we take our music very seriously but we don’t take ourselves quite so seriously,” Cleary said.
EN ES PAÑ OL Aiken Performing Arts Group 100 Berrie Road, Aiken 803-643-4774 (office) 803-648-1438 (box office) apagonline.org
Aiken Performing Arts Group begins season in style Cathy Traver, arts administrator for the Aiken Performing Arts Group, can’t wait for the new season to begin. “We think there’s something for everyone this season,” she says. “We’ve got a great variety, and our audience loves having great variety. They love the different things.” Starting off the season will be Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater, a colorful group of Spanish dancers and singers, which Traver calls a very big way to start the season. Another show she’s particularly excited about is Spencers Theatre of Illusion. “We’ve been kind of looking at him for several years and we were finally able to bring him to town,” Traver says. “It’s a sophisticated show, but it’s a show you can bring young people to. They’ll really enjoy it.” The Aiken Performing Arts Group was established in 2005 and has quickly become a major player in the local performing arts community, in part because of the caliber of performers and also because all performers do some kind of community outreach. Past shows include Celtic Fire, Danish vocalist Stig Rossen, classical crossover group Il Voce and internationally known mezzo soprano Frederica von Stade. The Aiken Performing Arts Group was also the group that first brought the Juilliard programs to Aiken, something that later spun off into Juilliard in Aiken, a weeklong independent event. Most performances take place in the URS Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Aiken, though Frederica von Stade performed at the Etherredge Center and the National Symphony appeared at the Convocation Center. This year, the four main shows will be at the URS Center as well as the Carolina Brass Christmas show, which Traver says will make a perfect Christmas present. “They’re funny and extremely talented,” she says. “It’s going to be a really great time and a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas and get into the Christmas spirit.”
Tickets to all performances are $40. Ensemble Espanol URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday-Friday, October 11-12 8 p.m.
Columbia County Choral Society Evans First Baptist Church 706-650-2311 706-233-7793 (ticket office) ccchroalsociety.org Concerts held at the First Baptist Church of Evans. Bach to Broadway Friday, December 7 7:30 p.m. March concert TBA June concert TBA
Spencer’s Theatre of Illusion URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday-Friday, November 1-2 8 p.m. All Hands on Deck URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday-Friday, February 14-15 8 p.m. Broadway’s Next Hit Musical URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday-Friday, March 14-15 8 p.m. Portfolio Series Christmas with the Carolina Brass URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday, December 13 8 p.m. Spring Fling URS Center for Performing Arts Thursday, April 11 8 p.m.
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Back by Popular Demand
Players open their 2012-2013 season with an encore of “Hairspray”
When the Augusta Players open their 2012-2013 season later this month, there will be little worry about filling the seats in the Imperial Theatre. “After we did ‘Hairspray’ in the spring of 2011, we received an overwhelmingly positive response to the show,” said Players Executive Director Debi Ballas. “Actually, we had people in their emails saying that they wished it had been held over because they would have seen it again or that it had played longer because they were out of town. We just decided that with all these rave reviews and excitement over this production to open our season with an encore production of ‘Hairspray.’” It’s no wonder the musical was so popular; it is a feel-good production that nevertheless doesn’t pull any punches on tough subjects like racism. And though it’s been a year and a half since they last performed it, much of the cast is still the same.
Film Fanatics
After “Hairspray” and “A Christmas Carol The Musical,” a mainstay of the Players’ season each year, February finds something a little more scandalous for Augusta audiences: “La Cage Aux Folles.” “I believe this is the premiere for this area,” Ballas said. “When you’re trying to put together a season, you try to have the right blend of productions; something for everyone. I always try to bring some classic Broadway, something family friendly and then more contemporary theater as well. And, when possible, we try to include something new and different, and this really fits the bill. And, of course, if people love the movie ‘The Birdcage’ they will love ‘La Cage.’ It is outrageously funny.” The season will close with “The King and I.” “It’s probably among the most beloved Rogers and Hammerstein musicals,” she said. “It’s lush, lavish and it’s a spectacular production. ‘The King and I’ pleases all the VALERIEEMERICK
Everything from shorts to silents will shows during ASU’s fall film series The Augusta State University Film Series has been a part of the community for over 40 years, and this year the series kicks off on September 17 with a screening of the Oscarwinning film “The Artist.” “We’re really excited about opening with ‘The Artist,’” says Dr. Gaye Ortiz, an ASU professor and one of the film series organizers, “even though it was a winner of five Academy Awards, not everyone has seen it, so we just thought it would be nice to screen it as our opening film, so that’s exciting.” The Manhattan Short Film Festival will be returning this year, and is unique because it gives the viewers a chance to vote for their favorite short. “In the same week that we’re showing those short films, 250 cities across six continents are also having the screenings,” explains Ortiz, “so there is a massive audience all over the world for the short films and the winner of the festival is going to be announced on October 2 in Manhattan. So everyone who comes to our screening will receive a ballot and after seeing all the films can vote for their favorite.” In addition to film screenings, as a part of the Lyceum series, director Doug Wilson will be on hand before the film for a reception hosted by the Communications and Professional Writing Department and will be around after the viewing of his documentary, “Linotype: The Film,” to talk about the film and to answer questions. The movie is a feature-length documentary centered around the Linotype type-casting 18 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
machine. Another event that is in conjunction with Westobou is the screening of “Man on Wire.” That film will be shown on Friday, October 5, at 3 p.m. Following the screening, at 7 p.m., Philippe Petit will talk about the film with attendees. Other films being shown include “Louder than a Bomb,” a documentary about the world’s largest poetry slam; “The Lady,” which tells the story of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the academic and writer Michael Aris; “Pariah,” which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; and “Melancholia,” directed by Lars von Trier and starring Kirsten Dunst.
senses. It’s visually stunning, the music is beautiful and the characters are iconic.” The recently renamed Junior Players are also gearing up for a big year and Ballas says that those interested in the next generation of Augusta’s actors should check out the organization’s website for more information on their productions. And, of course, Artreach Theatre presents weekday matinees of most of the group’s Mainstage productions to schoolchildren throughout the CSRA. “And when we have a production that may not be kid friendly or suitable, we will present something else,” Ballas explained. “During ‘Hairspray,’ for instance, we’ll present Schoolhouse Rock. Every time we’re in the theater, we do present matinees to students throughout the CSRA and we have had 12,000 children attend.” The Augusta Players 1301 Greene Street, Suite 304, Augusta 706-722-8341 (Imperial Theatre box office) augustaplayers.org All shows performed at the Imperial Theater, with Friday and Saturday shows beginning at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20-$43. “Hairspray” September 21-23 “A Christmas Carol, The Musical” December 8 -9 “La Cage Aux Folles” February 22-24 “The King And I” May 10-12
Augusta State University Fall Film Series University Hall, Room 170 | 706-729-2416 | aug.edu General public, $3; free for ASU student with a valid JagCard. September 17 – The Artist September 24 – Linotype: The Film October 1 – Manhattan Short Film Festival October 8 – Louder Than a Bomb October 15 – The Lady
October 29 – The Skin I Live In November 5 – Pariah November 12 – We Have a Pope November 19 - Melancholia 6SEPTEMBER2012
Come in for a tour TODAY!
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What’s In a Name?
Columbia County Orchestra settles on a name, adds to its season schedule Since its inception in February of 2008, the orchestra located in Columbia County has had a hard time knowing what to call itself, given the fact that under the umbrella of the Columbia County Orchestra Association there was a civic orchestra, a youth orchestra and a chamber orchestra. Now, according to Music Director Rob Nordan (pictured at right), they’ve simplified “We decided to just settle on Columbia County Orchestra,” he says. This year, the orchestra is adding significantly to its schedule. “In addition to the four concerts that we were already doing, we’re adding the October, the January, the March and the May concerts,” Nordan says. “They will be featuring either a local soloist on a concerto or someone from the United States that is kind of a rising start in the way of classical music.” According to Nordan, bringing in soloists is exciting to the audience and challenging to the players.
“It’s fulfilling from the orchestra’s standpoint to find a beginning-to-be-nationally-recognized soloist so that you’re kind of in on the ground floor where they’re getting started with their career,” he says. And from a balance standpoint, spacing the nationallyrecognized with the locally-recognized provides an interesting balance that fits in with the core values of the organization. “One of the things that we have really strived for from the beginning – something that’s becoming part of our identity – is trying to locate professional musicians who are local musicians and utilizing them,” he says. “Other groups will outsource by hiring people from over 100 miles away because they think that’s better.” Out of the 100 musicians involved in the organization, Nordan says about 35 are professionals, most of whom are local. All of the Columbia County Orchestra’s performances except for the November “Messiah” concert will be at the Hardin
Performing Arts Center at the Columbia County Library. “It’s comfortable for the audience,” Nordan says. “For our sized orchestra, because the largest orchestra we’ll put on stage is 40 musicians, that stage is very adequate. If you tried to do more than that, though, it would be difficult. But there’s really not a bad seat in the house.”
Columbia County Orchestra visit columbiacco.org Peformances held at the Hardin Performing Arts Center unless otherwise noted. Masterworks Series Classics: Light & Heavy Saturday, September 22 | 6 p.m. Featuring Andrew Sords.
Handel’s Messiah West Acres Baptist Church Sunday, November 25 | 6 p.m.
Musical Bridges I Saturday, October 27 | 6 p.m.
Beethoven Saturday, January 26 | 6 p.m. Beethoven Symphony 4 & Beethoven Piano Concerto 4 featuring Lili Bogdanova
Musical Bridges II Saturday, March 16 | 6 p.m. Musical Bridges III Saturday, April 20 | 6 p.m. Vocal/Choral Music with Orchestra Friday, May 3 | 7:30 p.m.
featuring Columbia Voices, Rebekkah Teboe, Director Columbia County Youth Orchestra Genesis Church, Fury’s Ferry Road Tuesday, September 25 | 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 27 | 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 22 | 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 | 7 p.m.
ERICJOHNSON
Another New Face SOA hires new executive director
Not only is Symphony Orchestra Augusta’s music director, the charismatic Z, still winning fans with his youthful exuberance, the organization has just hired a new executive director who is herself young and full of energy. Mieko Di Sano comes to Augusta from a fellowship with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and she’s thoroughly excited about the upcoming season, especially the first performance. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” she says. “It’s mostly a Latin theme, although we are doing Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien. It’s very festive, which is why Z, our music director, has called it an evening of festivities. Everybody will be tapping their foot.” No longer content with mere concerts, SOA is partnering with other arts groups and turning its Beethoven concert into a weeklong festival. “This festival concept of celebrating a single major composer in the classical repertoire is going to be a blast,” she says. “We’re getting tons of arts organizations in the area to participate to add to this festival.” The festival will run from February 19-24, with the closing concert being on February 23. “Who doesn’t know and love Beethoven?” asks Di Sano, who says the festival idea is something they’d like to continue every year. “It’ll be a great opportunity for people to learn more about that composer in really engaging ways.” 20 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Other programs include Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz and a trombone soloist. “The entire season is going to be really neat,” she says. “It’s all staple music, but from what I understand, a lot of it is new to Augusta.” Something she is personally looking forward to is the Sibelius Symphony No. 5. “For me, I really feel that Sibelius is one of those composers who can change how you see the world,” she says. Di Sano, who has a doctorate in music, enjoys bringing symphonic music to new audiences, which is something she shares with Z. The two of them are planning to conduct listener appreciation lectures in preparation for the particular concerts. “I’m excited to help educate people before hand so they can anticipate the sounds they’re going to be hearing,” she says. “I have a huge interest in helping all age ranges and people from all walks of life to find their place with symphonic music.” Symphonic music, she says, has something for everyone. “To me, the doors to the concert hall are the only barrier between a symphony and an audience.”
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Symphony Orchestra Augusta 706-826-4705 soaugusta.org Georgia Health Sciences Symphony Series First Baptist Church of Augusta 7:30 p.m. Evening of Festivities Saturday, September 29 Passion’s Voice Saturday, November 3 Love’s Farewell Saturday, January 19 Deliberately Beethoven Saturday, February 23 Suite Spring Saturday, March 16 Enduring Harmony Saturday, April 27 University Health Care System Pops! at the Bell Bell Auditorium 7:30 p.m. The Four Tops Thursday, October 25 Holiday Pops! Friday, December 14 Ronnie Milsap (at left) Thursday, February 14 Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles Thursday, March 7
The ASU Lyceum Series Maxwell Performing Arts Center 706-667-4100 aug.edu An Evening with CSI’s Hill Harper (at left): Building a Foundation for Your Life Saturday, September 15 7:30 p.m. free The ASU Lyceum Series and the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society present: Cantus Friday, November 9 7:30 p.m. $25; $7 for children up to 17; free, ASU students; $12, ASU/CHSU faculty and staff ASU Lyceum Series and the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society present: The Venice Baroque Orchestra Friday, January 25 7:30 p.m. Ticket information TBA. New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players in: The Pirates of Penzance Monday, March 4 7:30 p.m. Ticket information TBA. The Golden Dragon Acrobats Saturday, March 30 3 and 7:30 p.m. Ticket information TBA.
Southern Soul & Song Series Imperial Theatre 706-724-7501 southernsoulandsong.org Tickets range in price from $13-$37 a show or from $65-$185 for the series. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder (bottom) Friday, September 14 7:30 p.m. Dailey & Vincent Friday, October 19 7:30 p.m. Steep Canyon Rangers Friday, November 16 7:30 p.m. Suzy Bogguss Friday, December 14 7:30 p.m. Sam Bush (below left) Friday, January 18 7:30 p.m. Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue (below right) Friday, February 15 7:30 p.m.
Bank of America Columbia County Music Series Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse Saturday, January 12 The Perlman, Quint, Bailey Trio Tuesday, February 19 The Harlem Quartet Saturday, March 9 Bits of Beethoven ASU’s Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Sunday, February 24 3 p.m.
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PUT A LID IN IT
By Amanda Yesnowitz and Doug Peterson / Edited by Will Shortz 92 A couple of 95 Adobe shade 96 Reactor safety org. 97 Judge’s issuance 98 Bolt from Jamaica 100 Kid’s repeated rejoinder 101 Ecologists’ study 104 Kanga’s offspring 106 Fort Sill’s home: Abbr. 107 Source of the line “They say miracles are past” 112 “Sing a Song of Watergate” comic 115 Former General Motors vehicles 116 Toddler’s wear 117 Where to park a parka? 118 Others: Sp. 119 No-goodnik 120 Planted 121 Announcer Hall 122 Former Mercury 123 Up Down 1 “I really should be going” 2 Lazybones, maybe 3 Preambles 4 Sounded like an ass 5 “South Park” boy 6 Look through some blinds, say 7 Take an ax to 8 Place to find a crawdad 9 “Bye” 10 Bomb 11 Behave 12 Shout to a diva 13 “The Kite Runner” protagonist 14 Mauna ___ 15 Spike, once 16 Verbal groans 18 Nirvana achievers 19 Cooked (up) 21 Any of the French Antilles 26 Russian royal 27 ___ Tzu (dog) 31 Class action? 32 Nose out 33 The “M” of MB 35 It may be said with the wave of a hand 37 Alley ___ 38 One of the Canterbury pilgrims 40 “Cat on ___ Tin Roof”
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Not worthy of Swiss watch brand 1962 John Wayne film Main $$$ overseer F.D.R. program Some online reading Starbucks size Talking doll that debuted in 1960 “___ You” (1955 Platters hit) Org. for vehicle financing, once It’s relatively easy to find a parking spot for 61 Title 63 Spoken 65 Charlotte and others 66 ___ Romeo 69 Leaves 70 “Solid Gold” host Marilyn 71 Mock response to a friend who pulls a practical joke 73 Blown away 74 Radio host John 75 Speedy subatomic particle 77 Voice quality 78 Paul Anka’s “___ Beso” 80 Series of bars, for short 83 “Don’t have ___, man!” 84 Hut cover 86 Lush 89 Warned someone off, in a way 90 This above all? 91 Loving feeling? 92 Starts liking 93 Acute uneasiness, with “the” 94 Watchful 99 Johannesburg area 101 Be on high? 102 La estrella mas brillante 103 Bluish-gray 105 What the nose knows 107 Start of a memo heading 108 D-Day transport: Abbr. 109 Mountain lake 110 Storage item … or one of six in this puzzle? 111 Uppity sort 112 Mike holders 113 Hugs, in a love letter 114 Unedited
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Across 1 Common exclamation after “Well” 6 Some G.I.’s 10 Like the Beatles 13 Norah Jones or Cher 17 Land in South America 19 Big employer in Moline, Ill. 20 Bitterness 22 It’s salty 23 Storied C.S.A. commander 24 Onetime Ethiopia colonizers 25 Banned book of 1928 28 “___ Baby” (song from “Hair”) 29 Group that’s got your no.? 30 Hawaiian priest 31 Gender abbr. 34 Leans 36 Bad way to run 39 It’s madness 40 Put up with 42 Mag. wheels 43 Source material for Broadway’s “Seussical” 48 “___ dreaming?” 49 Oscar-winning role for Cotillard 50 “Anne of Green Gables” town 51 End of the line? 54 Paradoxical one 56 Seaman’s swig 58 Like some communities 59 Time’s 1930 Man of the Year 62 Slap-happy sort? 64 Razor handle? 67 Japanese model 68 Bad service result? 69 Away’s partner 70 Kind of heart valve 72 English author Elinor 73 Word that keeps the same meaning if you move its first letter to the end 74 1955 Grant/Kelly thriller 76 References 79 Western climax 81 Spike 82 Smokey the Bear spot, e.g., in brief 83 With repercussions 85 Sorority letters 87 Like one saying “Who, little old me?” 88 World’s first certified gold record, 1942
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H A S A N T W A Y M A U P E O F T H L O A T A P E D I N S E E T O N S L E R A M E R I M N O A T I O V L I M E E R A N T A X O N I
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AT THE END, YOU’RE JUST Elliott Sons Funeral Homes BEGINNING ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM
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MARKETING & DESIGN
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Arts
Adult Photoshop Workshop, for those ages 16 and up, is Saturday, September 8, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Kroc Center. $95, members; $105, non-members. Lunch is included. Pre-registration required. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. 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 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
Elizabeth Moretz-Britt and Beth H. Jones Exhibit is on display through October 26 at Sacred Heart Cultural Center. An opening reception is Thursday, September 6, from 5-7 p.m. Call 706-826-4701 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. September Exhibitions at the Aiken Center for the Arts include Jane Popiel and the Atlanta Collage Society in the main gallery, the ACA Summer Camp Show in the Brooks Gallery and Raymond Kent in the Aiken Artists Guild Gallery. An opening reception for all shows is Thursday, September 6, from 6-8 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org. Number 2 and Number 3, an exhibition by Philip Morsberger and Tom Nakashima, shows through September 13 in the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art at ASU. Call 706-667-4888 or visit aug.edu. Social ARTifacts: A World Vision Through Art, shows through September 29 at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Call 706724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com. The Art of Alfred Hutty: Woodstock to Charleston, including 60 oil and watercolor paintings, pastel drawings, etchings, drypoints and lithographs, shows through October 28 at the Morris Museum of Art. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Strange Fruit: Lithographs by Joseph Norman is on display at the Morris Museum of Art through September 16. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Tying the Knot, a display of wedding dresses and accessories from the late 1800s to the 1960s, now shows at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Music
Wayne Capps performs Friday, September 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Augusta Canal’s Moonlight Music Cruise. Participants are invited to bring snacks and beverages on the hour and a half canal cruise. $25. Call 706-8230440 or visit augustacanal.com. Cellist, composer and conductor Paul Brantley will open the 2012-2013 Covenant Concert Series at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 7, at 7:30 p.m. A reception will follow. Free, but an offering in support of the series will be taken. Call 706733-0513 or visit covenantaugusta.org. Cellist, composer and conductor Paul Brantley and pianist Bernard Rose will present a master class for local students on Saturday, September 8, at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Music from Music will feature compositions by Bach, Bartok, Beethoven, Brantley, Janacek and Arvot Part. Pre-registration required. Call 706733-0513 or email lpatterson@covenantaugusta.org.
Is chrome dome a compliment to you? You want to find out? You can at the Four th Annual Bald for a Cause on Thursday, September 6, from 3:306:30 p.m. at Walgreens on Furys Ferry Road in Mar tinez. Those who raise or donate $50 can have their heads shaved to suppor t the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Those who don’t want to go completely Bald for a Cause can par ticipate in Mohawk for the Mission. Call 803-640-9068 or visit lls.org. 6SEPTEMBER2012
The Vega String Quartet performs Sunday, September 9, at 3 p.m. in ASU’s Maxwell Theatre, presented by the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society as part of the Lyceum Series. $25, general admission; $7, children under 17; free for ASU and GHSU students, faculty and staff with valid ID. Call 706-667-4100 or visit aug.edu.
Literary
Charmain Zimmerman Brackett, author of “The Key of Elyon,” will sign copies of her book at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library on Monday, September 10, at 7 p.m. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. Nook tutorials at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall are each Saturday beginning at noon, followed by a Nookcolor tutorial at 12:30 p.m. Free. Call 706-7370012 or visit bn.com.
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Dance
Tango Night is every Thursday, 7-9:30 p.m., at Casa Blanca Cafe, 936 Broad Street. Call 706-504-3431 or visit casablancatime.com. Belly Dance Class is every Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Euchee Creek Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. Augusta International Folk Dance Club meets Tuesday nights from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Augusta Ballet Studio on 2941 Walton Way. No partners needed. First visit free. Call 706-399-2477.
Theater
eXtreme Theatre Games, an improv show by Schodingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cat, is Friday, September 7, at 8 p.m. at Le Chat Noir. $8, advance; $10 at the door. Call 706722-3322 or visit schrodingerscataug.com. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,â&#x20AC;? a production of the Aiken Community Playhouse, shows Friday-Saturday, September 7-8, at 8 p.m. at the URS Center for the Performing Arts. $20, adults; $17, seniors; $12, students; $7, children under 12. Call 803-648-1438 or visit acp1011.com. Auditions for Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aladdin Jr.,â&#x20AC;? a production of the Augusta Junior Players, are by appointment on Thursday, September 13, and are open to those ages 6-13. Call 706-826-4707 or visit augustaplayers.org. Auditions for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bethlehem Inn,â&#x20AC;? a production of the Enopion Theatre Company, are going on now for performances of the musical dinner theater production, which will show November 29-30 and December 1, 6 and 7. Parts are available for men, women and youth 15 and older. Auditions are by appointment only and will be held at the Kroc Center. Call 706-771-7777 or visit enopion.com.
Flix
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gabriel Over the White Houseâ&#x20AC;? shows Friday, September 7, at noon at the Morris Museum of Art as part of the Films on Friday series. After the viewing museum Director Kevin Grogan leads a discussion. Participants are invited to bring lunch. Free. Call 706724-7501 or visit themorris.org. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Loraxâ&#x20AC;? shows Saturday, September 8, at 2 p.m. at the Aiken Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fridaâ&#x20AC;? shows Tuesday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Free. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Special Events
First Thursday at Midtown Market is Thursday, September 6, from 5-8 p.m. at the shops at Kings Way. Donna Whaley will be the featured artist, the Greater Augusta Arts Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arts in the Heart will be the featured cup charity and the event will feature food, drink, entertainment and more. Call 706-364-8479. Aikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Makinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 2012 is Friday, September 7-Saturday, September 8, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on the streets of downtown Aiken. The free festival includes arts and crafts from local and regional artisans, family entertainment, music, food and more. Visit aikensmakin.com. First Friday is Friday, September 7, from 5-9 p.m. on Broad Street downtown between the 800-1100 blocks. The event includes arts exhibitions, a fashion show, food, music and more. Visit augustaarts.com.
with a $3 rebate upon purchase of one bottle of the eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six featured wines. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com. First Friday Belly Dance is Friday, September 7, at 7 p.m. at Brigans Land of Enchantment downtown. Call 706-828-4999 or visit briganslandofenchantment.info. Family Day at Georgia Health Sciences University is Saturday, September 8, beginning with a reception for the colleges of allied health sciences, dental medicine, graduate studies and nursing at 9 a.m. and one for MCG at 11 a.m., both in the student center. Other activities are scheduled throughout the day. Call 706721-3356 or visit georgiahealth.org. Grandparents Day at the Augusta Museum of History is Sunday, September 9, with a special performance by the Mangelly Accordion Band in the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rotunda at 2 p.m. Free. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony, featuring the tolling of bells and messages from local community members, is Tuesday, September 11, from 9-11 a.m. at the Augusta Common. Call 706-821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov. Army Strong, the 2012 U.S. Army Soldier Show is Tuesday, September 11, at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Fort Gordonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alexander Hall in shows that are open to the public. The 90-minute production will include all genres of music, as well as soldiers who will sing and dance. Free. Visit fortgordon.com. Weekly Wine Tastings at Vineyard Wine Market in Evans are each Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and each Saturday from 1-6 p.m. Call 706-922-9463 or visit vine11.com. Apres Market walking tour of downtown art galleries meets Saturdays at 2 p.m. at the Augusta Market at the River. The tour, which lasts until 5 p.m., includes live painting, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reading hours, demonstrations and discounts. Visit artistsrowaugusta.com. The Augusta Market at the River is every Saturday through October 27 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 8th Street Bulkhead and features produce, arts and crafts and more for sale, as well as live music and entertainment. Call 706-627-0128 or visit theaugustamarket.com.
Health
Mobile Mammography Screenings, offered by appointment, are available September 6 at Dillardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Aiken, September 7 at University Hospital, September 10 at Edgefield Medical Center, September 11, at Sears in Augusta, September 12 at EZ-GO and September 13 at the Lincoln County Health Department. Appointments can be made from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. Call 706-774-4145 or visit universityhealth.org. You Can Climb Mountains with Joint Replacement, a special free event that will include gifts, refreshments, tours, giveaways, a Q&A session and more, is Thursday, September 6, from 5-7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net/HMI. Cribs for Kids, an infant safe sleeping class, is Thursday, September 6, from 5:45-8 p.m. at Safe Kids East Centralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office on Walton Way. Families who can demonstrate a financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and pacifier for $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-76060 or visit georgiahealth.org/safekids.
First Friday Inshop Tasting is Friday, September 7, from 5-8 p.m. at Wine World in North Augusta. $5, 30 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Cellist, composer and conductor Paul Brantley will open the 2012-2013 Covenant Concert Series at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 7, at 7:30 p.m. A reception will follow. On Saturday, September 8, at 10 a.m. in the church’s sanctuary, he’ll follow it up with a master class. Both events are free (an offering in support of the series will be taken at the concert), but those wishing to sit in on the class will need to preregister. Call 706-733-0513 or email lpatterson@covenantaugusta.org. Center for Women Tour is Thursday, September 6, from 7-8 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctorshospital.net. Standard First Aid, CPR and AED Class is Saturday, September 8, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. $45, with pre-registration required. Call 800-882-7445 or visit aikenregional.com. Free Prostate Cancer Screenings are Saturday, September 8, from 9 a.m.noon at the Cancer Care Institute of Carolina in Aiken. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenreigonal.com. Childbirth Unit Tours are Saturday, September 8, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and Tuesday, September 11, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Center. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org. AngioScreen Vascular Screenings are Monday, September 10, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Family Focused Childbirth Tours are Monday, September 10, from 2-3 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Pre-registration required. Call 706-4817727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Look Good, Feel Better, a class for female cancer patients who want to maintain their appearance and self-image during treatment, is Monday, August 10, from 3-5 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Breast Self-Exam Class is Monday, September 10, at 4 p.m. at University Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. Total Joint Replacement Education Talk is Tuesday, September 11, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Spine Education Class is Tuesday, September 11, at 3:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
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Childbirth Education 101 is Tuesday, September 11, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Pre-registration required. Call 706-481-7727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Childbirth Preparation Class meets Tuesdays, September 11-October 4, from 6-9 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. $25, with pre-registration required. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com. Breastfeeding Class is Tuesday, September 11, from 7-9 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Center. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org. Infant CPR is Wednesday, September 12, from 6:30-8 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Center. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org. Car Seat Class is Thursday, September 13, from 5:45-8 p.m. at GHSU’s Safe Kids East Central office on Walton Way. $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-7606 or visit georgiahealth.org. Bariatric Seminar is Thursday, September 13, from 6-7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Women’s Center Tour is Thursday, September 13, from 7-9:30 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar is Thursday, September 13, at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Library in Evans. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2609 or visit georgiahealth.org. Child Safety Seat Inspections and Car Seat Classes, sponsored by Safe Kids East Central, are offered by appointment at either the Safe Kids Office or Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue. Call 706-721-7606 or visit georgiahealth. org/safekids. Joint Efforts, presented by Trinity Hospital of Augusta, meets every Thursday from 11-11:45 a.m. at Augusta Bone and Joint, and features a free seminar about knee and hip pain, treatments, medication, food and exercise. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Infant CPR Anytime Learning Program will be held Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the first floor information desk (west entrance) of Georgia Health Sciences University. Visit georgiahealth.edu.
Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson Disease Aquatics Class meets every Monday and Friday at noon at the Wilson Family Y. Free for members; $3 for non-members. Pre-registration required. Call Claudia Collins at 706922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Orientation is every Monday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m. at University Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute (Classroom 3). Call 706-774-5548 or visit universityhealth.org. Adapted Wii Special Populations available by appointment at the Wilson Family Y, and feature individual ½-hour classes for physically and developmentally challenged individuals of all ages. $10, members; $20, non-members. Call Claudia Collins at 706-922-9662 or visit thefamilyy.org.
Support
Amputee Support Group meets Thursday, September 6, from noon-1 p.m. at Walton Rehabilitation Hospital. A clinic will be help from 1-2 p.m. Call 706-823-8504 or visit wrh.org. Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group meets Monday, September 10, at 6:30 p.m. at University Hospital. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. Aiken Cares Alzheimer’s Support Group meets Tuesday, September 11, from 11 a.m.-noon at Cumberland Village Library. Visit aikenregional.com. Caregiver Support Group meets Tuesday, September 11, from 3-4 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Call 706-651-2283 or visit doctors-hospital.net. OB/GYN Support Group meets Tuesday, September 11, at 7 p.m. Call 706821-2944 or visit universityhealth.org. Bariatric Support Group meets Wednesday, September 12, from 6-7 p.m. at ARMC Bariatric Services. Pre-registration required. Call 803-641-5751 or visit aikenregional.com. ALS Support Lunch and Learn is Thursday, September 13, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Office Building. Lunch is provided. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2681 or visit georgiahealth.org. Breast Cancer Support Group meets Thursday, September 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Cancer Center. Call 706-721-4109 or visit georgiahealth.org.
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Brain Injury Support Group meets Thursday, September 13, from 6-7:30 p.m. at NeuroRestorative Georgia. Call 706-829-0370 or visit wrh.org. Cancer Survivor Support Group meets Thursday, September 13, from 6-7 p.m. at Augusta Oncology Associates. Call 706-651-2283 or visit doctorshospital.net. PFLAG Augusta, which offers support to parents, family, friends and allies of LGBT people, as well as LGBT people themselves, meets Thursday, September 13, at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta. Call 803-645-1436 or visit pflag.org. Diabetes Youth Support Group meets quarterly. For more information, call 706-868-3241 or visit universityhealth.org. Cardiac Support Group meets three times a year. For more information on meetings, as well as for pre-registration, call 706-774-5864 or visit universityhealth.org. Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support meets for group counseling. For more information, call 706-7245200 or visit universityhealth.org. Narcotics Anonymous, sponsored by Trinity Hospital of Augusta, meets Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Call 706-855-2419 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. AA meets every Sunday and Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Center (Aurora Pavilion), and features an open discussion. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com. Burn Support Group meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Doctors Hospital (Lori Rogers Nursing Library, JMS Building). All burn survivors, and their families and friends are welcome. Call Tim Dorn at 706-651-6660 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Moms Connection, a free support group for new mothers and their babies, meets Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. at Georgia Health Sciences Building 1010C. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org.
Education
Behind the Scenes at Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site is Saturday, September 8, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. $18. Call 803-827-1473 or visit southcarolinaparks.com. Behind the Scenes at the Augusta Museum of History with Registrar Amanda Klaus is Saturday, September 8, at 1 and 3 p.m. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. West Augusta Alliance meets Monday, September 10, at 7 p.m. in the Warren Road gym and includes a forum of commission candidates from districts 1, 3 and 7, as well as Richmond County school board candidates. Free and open to the public. Call 706-736-1284. Young Professionals of Augusta’s monthly meeting is Tuesday, September 11, at Paine College, with networking and check-in at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker is Chester Wheeler, director of the Augusta Housing and Community Development Department. Visit ypaugusta.com. Beginner’s Typing Class meets Tuesday, September 11, and Thursday, September 13, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org.
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Computer Basics Class is Wednesday, September 12, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Headquarters Branch Library. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706821-2604 or visit ecgrl.org. Introduction to Facebook, a two-session class, is Wednesdays, September 12 and 19, at 6 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Free, but preregistration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Computer Hardware Basics, a two-session class, meets Thursdays, September 13 and 20, at 10 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Beginning Sign Language Class meets Thursdays, September 13-November 13, from 7-8:30 p.m. at University Hospital. $40, with $40 for the book. Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-8559 or visit universityhealth.org. GED Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Free Tutoring for all ages, offered by ASU’s Literacy Center, is available by appointment Mondays-Thursday, from 4-8 p.m., at the center at 1401 Magnolia Drive. Appointments required. Call 706-737-1625 or visit aug.edu. Work Networking Group is held each Monday from 8:30-10 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in North Augusta. A networking and informational meeting for anyone looking for a job, the group meets in room 206 of the Asbury Building and is facilitated by career and business professionals. Call 803-279-7525 or email doctor@pritchardgroup.com. Computer classes are offered every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. ESL classes are offered every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Headquarters Branch Library (Third Floor Writing Lab). Pre-registration required. Call Charles Garrick at 803-279-3363 or visit ecgrl.org. Intermediate Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 2:30-4 p.m. at Friedman Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Beginner’s Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 4-5 p.m. at Friedman Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
Benefits
Fourth Annual Bald for a Cause is Thursday, September 6, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Walgreens on Furys Ferry Road in Martinez. Those who raise or donate $50 can have their heads shaved to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Those who don’t want to go completely Bald for a Cause can participate in Mohawk for the Mission. Call 803-640-9068 or visit lls.org. Summer Dog Wash is Saturday, September 8, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Cold Creek Nursery in Aiken. Washes start at $15. Ear clean and nail trim available. Proceeds benefit the Aiken SPCA. Call 803-648-6863 or visit aikenspca.org. Karma Yoga is offered at Just Breathe Studio, downtown Aiken, each Friday at 10 a.m. and is free if participants bring a donation of a personal item, which will be given to the Cumbee Center to 6SEPTEMBER2012
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Assist Abused Persons. Call 803-648-8048 or visit justbreathestudio.com.
Sports-Outdoors
Never Forget 9/11 Patriot Day 5K/10K Run is Saturday, September 8, at 8 a.m. at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion. Pre-registration, which closes September 7, is $30 for the 5K and $35 for the 10K. Race-day registration beginning at 6:30 a.m. Visit active.com. Race for Recovery 5K and Disc Golf Tournament is Saturday, September 8, at North Augusta Parks and Recreation. Race begins at 8 a.m. and the tournament begins at 10 a.m. Each is $15. Visit active.com. Adaptive Golf Clinic meets Tuesday, September 11, from 10 a.m.-noon at First Tee of Augusta. Preregistration required. Call 706-826-5809 or email alsalley@wrh.org. ASU’s volleyball team plays Erskine on Tuesday, September 11, at 7 p.m. at Christenberry Field House. Call 706-731-7925 or visit aug.edu. Golf 9/12 is Wednesday, September 12, at Forest Hills Golf Course, with tee off at 8:30 a.m. Proceeds will be used to create a scholarship fund for first responders and their family members to attend local colleges. $65 per player or $260 for a foursome. Pre-registration required. Call 706-733-0001 or email bparker@ theforesthillsgolfcourse.com. Registration is now open for a 10-week class in beginning foil fencing at the Augusta Fencers Club. The class is designed for adults, but mature students as young as 14 may apply. The class meets Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. beginning September 20. $150. Call 706-722-8878. The Augusta Rugby Club holds weekly practice sessions at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Larry Bray Memorial Pitch, 100 Wood Street in Augusta, adjacent to the Augusta GreenJackets’ stadium at Lake Olmstead. Experienced rugby players and newbies ages 18 and up alike are welcome, and those interested should bring a pair of cleats (cross trainers will work) a mouthguard, gym shorts and a T-shirt. Visit augustarugby.org or Facebook under the Augusta Rugby Club heading. BlazeSports Swim Team, for all ages of physically challenged swimmers who want to train for competition, meets at the Wilson Family Y. $35 a month, members; $50 a month, non-members. Preregistration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Zumba Sentao and Zumba classes meet every Monday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Aiken County Recreation Center on Jefferson Davis Highway in Graniteville, S.C. $6 per class, with coupons available. Call 706-627-1767. Wheelchair Tennis is each Monday at 6 p.m., weather permitting, at the Club at Rae’s Creek. Free and open to the public. Call 706-826-5809 or visit alsalley@ wrh.org. Augusta Canal Boat Tours lasting one hour are offered Monday-Saturday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m. All tours include admission to the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center. Call 706-823-0440 or visit augustacanal.com. The Augusta Fencers Club is open five nights a week from 5:30-9 p.m. and most Saturday mornings from 10 a.m.-noon. Visitors always welcome. Call 706722-8878. 6SEPTEMBER2012
Thursday Night Chain Reaction Ride begins at 6 p.m. each Thursday at Patriots Park in Grovetown. For intermediate to fast-paced cyclists, who average 25-32 miles. Participants should bring their own water and helmet. Call 706-855-2024 or visit chainreactionbicycles.net. Riverview Disc Golf League meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta. $5 entry fee and $1 ace pool. Call 803-215-8181 or visit augustadiscgolf.com. Road Bike Ride meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse downtown for an approximately 25-mile ride at a moderate to fast pace. Front and rear lights, as well as a helmet, are required. Call 706-724-6777 or visit andyjordans.com. Guided Trail Rides at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are available Saturdays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Sundays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon; and Wednesday-Friday at 11 a.m. with reservations 24 hours in advance. All trail rides are on a first-come, first-served basis, and participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the trail ride starting for sign in procedures. $23-$30. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com. Zumba with Sohailla is every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the Ballroom Dance Center in Evans. Call 706-4216168 or visit zumbawithsohailla.blogspot.com. Saturday Historic Trolley Tours are Saturdays from 1:30-3:15 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Reservations required 24 hours in advance. $12. Call 706-724-4067 or visit augustamuseum.org. Lakeside Rideouts at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are each Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The ride, which begins at 2 p.m., is a two-hour guided ride to Wilkerson Lake. $45-$50. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com. Weekly Group Runs include the Monday Metro Run meeting at Metro Coffeehouse at 6 p.m.; Monday Intervals meeting at the Family Y track on Wheeler Road at 7 p.m.; the Tuesday Nacho Mama’s Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Blanchard Woods Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday Stay in Shape Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Post Office Hill Training Run at 7 p.m.; Thursday’s Homer Hustle at 6 p.m.; and Saturday’s Stay in Shape Run at 8 a.m. For more information, visit augustastriders.com. Hott Shott Disc Golf is each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Killer B Disc Golf, 863 Broad Street, and features games and prizes for all ages and skill levels. $2. Call 706-814-7514 or visit killerbdiscgolf.blogspot.com/p/ hott-shott.
Kids
What’s in the Box: 20 Birds Party, a kids program in which participants examine the exhibit The Morris at 20 and create bird paintings, is Thursday, September 6, from 10-11 a.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Members, free; non-members, $4 per participants. Pre-registration required. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Honey Bees program, a celebration of National Honey Month for those ages 6-11, is Thursday, September 6, at 5 p.m. and features honey tasting. Call 706-8631946 or visit ecgrl.org. Back to School Tennis Play Day is Friday, September 7, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Fleming Tennis Center, 1850 Chester Avenue, and includes games, drills, match play, info about Quickstart Tennis, and tours of
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the MACH Academy facility. Refreshments provided. Call 706-796-5046 or visit machacademy.com. Free Beginners Chess Club drop-in class, for those ages 7 and up, as well as adults and teens, is Saturday, September 8, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Happy Birthday Morris Museum, part of the Artrageous! Family Sunday series, is Sunday, September 9, at 2 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art and includes projects, scavenger hunts, birthday cake and more. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Grandparent’s Day Story Time is Tuesday, September 11, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Sing Along Story Time is Wednesday, September 12, at 10 a.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Study Hall for those ages 11-17 is Wednesdays, September 12 and 26, from 3-5 p.m. in the YA room of the Headquarters Branch Library. Library staff will assist with papers and projects. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Karaoke Party for Teens is Thursday, September 13, at 4 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org. Kids Saturdays, featuring local celebrity readers, is each Saturday in September at 10:30 a.m. at the Columbia County Library. Call 706-8631946 or visit ecgrl.org. Girls on the Run, a 10-week running and healthy lifestyle program for girls in third-eighth grades, is now registering for the fall season, which begins the first week of September. $150, with financial assistance available. Visit girlsontherunofthecsra.org. YA@AL, a new young adult group at the library, is accepted slogans and logos for the new group during the month of September. Entry forms are available online and in libraries and the deadline for entry is September 30. Winners will be announced October 14. Visit ecgrl.org.
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Hickory Hill at the Watson-Brown Foundation are looking for high schoolers to server on its Junior Board, which makes grants to assist with historic preservation projects in the CSRA. Applicants must be in high school in Columbia, Richmond, Lincoln, Elbert, Wilkes, Warren, McDuffie, Jefferson, Taliaferro, Glascock, Burk, Aiken or McCormick counties and must be able to attend board meetings once or twice a month on weekdays evenings throughout the school year. Applications, available online, are due September 14. Call 706-595-7777 or visit hickory-hill.org/junior-board/ about-hh-junior-board.html. Mission to Mars shows Saturdays in September at 7 and 8 p.m. at the DuPont Planetarium in Aiken. $4.50, adults; $3.50, seniors; $2.50, 4K-12th grade students; and $1, USC-A students, faculty and staff. Call 803-641-3654 or visit http://rpsec.usca.edu/planetarium. Preschool Story Time (ages 2 and under) is every Wednesday at Headquarters Branch Library at 10 a.m. KinderCare Story Time (ages 3-6) is every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Group registration required. Call 706821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Story Time at the Euchee Creek Branch Library, for all ages, is each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and each Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Call 706-5560594 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.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 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Toddler Time, free play 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. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. 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 706737-0012 or visit bn.com.
Story Time is every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Groups of six or more must pre-register. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
Story Time is every Wednesday at Appleby Branch Library from 10:0510:20 a.m. for toddlers 18 months-35 months, and from 10:30-11:15 a.m. for preschoolers ages 3 and up. Parent must stay with child. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org.
Story Time is 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 at 10:15 a.m. for Pre-K, and either 11 or 11:30 a.m. for preschoolers at Aiken County Public Library. Call 803-6422023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Story Time is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Wallace Branch Library. Preregistration required. Call 706-722-6275 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 is each Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time at the Columbia County Library is each Tuesday at 10:15 and 11 a.m. for those under 2; Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10:15 a.m. for 2-year-olds; Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. for preschoolers; and Wednesdays for families with kids of all ages. Call 706863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.
Seniors
Academy for Lifelong Learning at USC-Aiken is now accepting registration for fall classes, which begin on September 6. Participants may attend as many classes as they like for $70 per semester or $140 a year. Call 803641-3563 or visit aikenlearning.org.
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Senior Luncheon is Wednesday, September 12, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Attorney J. Randolph Frails will discuss estate planning. $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706-7243576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com. Blythe Senior Center Adult Field Day is Thursday, September 13, from 9-11 a.m. Call 706-592-6668. Savvy Caregiver, a class for seniors, meets Tuesdays through October 9 from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, a class for seniors, meets Wednesdays, September 12-October 17, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Games for Seniors at the Weeks Center in Aiken include Rummikub each Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon, Mahjong each Thursday from 1-4 p.m., Bridge each Friday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Bingo each Tuesday at 9 a.m., Pinochle each Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Canasta on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Silversneakers I is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m., while Silversneakers Yogastretch is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. at the Weeks Center in Aiken. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Ceramics Class is offered at 9 a.m. on Mondays or Wednesdays and 6 p.m. on Mondays or Tuesdays at the Weeks Center. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Fit 4 Ever is offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10-11 a.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Line Dancing is each Tuesday at the Weeks Center in Aiken at 10 a.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc. gov. Yoga I and II are offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:45-9:45 a.m. and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
Hobbies
Reconstruction’s Daughter: Lily Gooding Wilson of Hampton and Augusta is the theme of the Augusta Genealogical Society meeting on Thursday, September 6, at 3 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Free and open to the public. Call 706-854-8685. Genealogy Course is Thursday, September 13, at 1 p.m. at the Euchee Creek Branch Library. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. Belly Dancing Classes are held Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl. org.
Spiritual
Decorus: Augusta’s Premier Youth Choir performs Sing Me to Heaven Sunday, September 9, at 6 p.m. at Woodlawn United Methodist Church. Free, but tickets required. Call 706-738-2546. Sunday activities at the Kroc Center include an adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m., youth Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., and a worship service at 11 a.m. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.
Volunteers
DECLASSIFIED ALL DECLASSIFIED ADS ARE CASH IN ADVANCE (CREDIT CARD PAYMENT REQUIRED) AND ARE $40 PER WEEK. VISIT METROSPIRIT.COM TO PLACE YOUR AD IN MINUTES.
Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services is seeking volunteer advocates for Richmond, Burke, Jefferson and McDuffie counties. Advocates answer crisis calls and respond to hospitals in their area within 30 minutes. Call 706-774-2746 or email volunteerrcsas@uh.org. MACH Academy is looking for volunteers to provide tutoring, academic support and mentoring services during fall after-school sessions held Monday-Thursday from 3:30-6 p.m. Call 706-796-5046, email mparks37@comcast.net or visit machacademy.com.
1.5” X 1.9” (ACTUAL SIZE) $40 PER WEEK
Rape Crisis & Sexual Assault Services
Seeking Volunteer Advocates Seeking volunteers for Richmond, Burke, Jefferson, and McDuffie counties. Advocates answer crisis calls and respond to hospitals in their area within 30 minutes. Please contact 706.774.2746 or email volunteerrcsas@uh.org for more information.
Hospice Care of America’s Augusta office needs administrative and patient care volunteers. No experience necessary; training will be provided. Call Rich Boland at 706-447-2626 or email rboland@msacorp.com.
Elsewhere
Thursday Nights at the High, a special event at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, offers half price tickets from 4-8 p.m. each Thursday. A guided tour is offered at 6:30 p.m. Call 404-733-4200 or visit high.org.
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. 6SEPTEMBER2012
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706.294.2776 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 35
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Travel Stories
Driving back from DC would’ve been quicker than this plane ride
Everyone has a travel story. It usually includes delays, sitting on runways, screaming children and bland airplane food. Her story isn’t nearly as traumatic as his story, and I had to wait longer than you did. Regardless, all such days feel epic, right? That’s how Monday was for me. Now, I can’t say it was all that terrible. It was just a long, exhausting day, after a long, fun, exhausting weekend. I’ve had travel days that were miserable, with hours spent stuck on a non-airconditioned plane. You should consider yourself lucky if you’ve never been on a flight with a barfer. Airplane ventilation isn’t exactly efficient. Back to yesterday. We left my cousin’s house in the DC area at about 10:30, so we could be on the Metro by 11. My flight wasn’t until 2:05, but I wanted to do a little shopping at the Smithsonian store, and Dad and I wanted to have lunch. About 15 minutes after getting on the train, I got a call from the airline. They followed up with an email. My flight was delayed by an hour. Oh well. It’s just an hour. I had a good book to read, and I didn’t mind an extra hour on my own. Fifteen minutes later, another call came in. They added another hour to the delay. Well, okay. This is starting to suck a little. I’ve waited longer for a flight before, but I was really ready to see my family. Getting home two hours later wasn’t that big of a deal, but I was flying into Columbia and also had to drive an hour before getting home. A big margarita later, and it didn’t matter as much. It was a pretty uneventful wait, really. I bought The Boy a lollipop with a real scorpion in it and some Space ice cream, and I found the perfect shirt for him. Across the front, it says “Future President.” Once I was done shopping, I headed to the gate. Of course, I had the dreaded security line to deal with first. It wasn’t that bad, but I did marvel at the adults who seemed hassled by the extra measures. We all have to take the 3-1-1 bag of liquids out, and we all have to take our shoes off. No one really wants to do it, but we must, so we do. Get over it. When it was time to board, and because it was a small plane, we walked outside and caught a bus that would drop us off on the tarmac. I had the good fortune of sitting next to a very, very chatty woman. “I have a sister in Oklahoma who loves me” was stitched on her hat. She carried a large shopping bag with a teddy bear and a pillow in it, her purse and a carry-on tote bag. I’m sure she was very nice, but I don’t chat with people when I’m on buses or planes. She narrated the bus’s every move. “Oh, we’re going to go there now.” “Oh, the bus driver is going to take us right to the plane.” “Oh, the bus driver is going to open the door now.” Boy, I’m sure glad you were there to help us, lady. I can see why your sister loves you so. Right as we were about to get off the bus, everyone’s cell phones started ringing. It was the airline, letting us know there’d be another delay. We could see the plane, but we weren’t allowed off the bus. Oklahoman’s sister kept talking until the doors finally opened. I boarded to find someone in my seat. Because I can read a diagram, I was 100 percent sure that seat F (my seat) was supposed to be a window seat.
36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Because I didn’t want to chit chat, I gladly sat in the aisle seat. Believe it or not, I do know when to keep my mouth shut. The flight, although a little bumpy, was quick and easy. I slept most of the way. When we finally landed in Columbia, they instructed us to retrieve our gate-checked bags at the top of the jet way. Together still, we waited. I heard the gate agent call for a wheelchair, and then more conversation including, “No, I think she already got it and is walking up the jet way.” And wouldn’t you know it? Oklahoma sister lady (OKSL) comes up with the wheelchair. Before you tell me that I should feel guilty for talking about her as I have, just know this: she wasn’t riding in the wheelchair. She was using it to cart her junk around. She actually said, “I don’t need to ride in it. I just need it to put my stuff in!” My car wouldn’t start at first, I’d left coffee with now sour milk in the cup holder and I passed four serious accidents on the hour-long drive from the airport. I could’ve driven from DC and been home sooner, but whatever. I was home. And OKSL was, too.
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.
6SEPTEMBER2012
MONDAY - WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
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open for lunch & dinner | 706.821.3988 | 990 Broad street | downtown augusta
V23|NO36
THE
BOX TOPS
Labor Day gives us the most uninspired box office weekend in a long time.
EIGHT
RANK
TITLE
WEEKEND GROSS
TOTAL GROSS
WEEK #
LAST WEEK
1
THE POSSESSION
$17,732,480
$17,732,480
1
-
2
LAWLESS
$10,001,982
$10,001,982
1
-
3
THE EXPENDABLES 2
$9,030,381
$66,389,286
3
1
4
THE BOURNE LEGACY
$7,232,610
$96,231,050
4
2
5
PARANORMAN
$6,572,820
$38,052,006
3
3
“Lawless”
SAMEIFLING
One of the best movies of the summer is also one of the quietest Metacritic sees things differently, but go ahead and read it here that “Lawless” is the best major-studio movie of the summer. You have to allow that what could’ve been a transcendent Prohibition flick to indulge in action-movie tropes — bang, bang, pow — but in plotting, performances and, yes, its high-quality violence, you get what you came for. It’s the early 1930s, and rural Virginia is overrun with bootleggers who get along just fine selling hooch to the local sheriffs and pedaling jars and crates out of the backs of rickety trucks. The boys with the best wares are the Bondurants — Howard, Forrest and young Jack — and life for them is rough but lucrative until the bootlegging gangs and law enforcement with Chicago begin encroaching. A Palme D’or nominee at Cannes, “Lawless” rings most authentic in its characterizations. Tom Hardy does more with monosyllabic grunts than should be possible. The ringleader of the bootlegging family, he’s rumored to be indestructible, having dodged death on a sinking ship and during an epidemic. But far from the hulking, loquacious Bane that Hardy crafted for “The Dark Knight Rises,” his Forrest shuffles and mutters, in part because he finds few reasons to rush and in part because brass knuckles rocketing out from a quiet man’s cardigan pocket carry a pronounced element of surprise. Shia LeBeouf’s name tops the movie poster, and as the younger, more callow brother, he’s a proper guide for the audience on our way into this shaggy, brutal subculture. But Hardy’s the pole star — principled, dark and ferocious. Guy Pearce serves as his foil, an equally dark and ferocious but deliciously unscrupulous Chicago lawman named Charlie Rakes. Perfumed, clean-shaven and nattily dressed, Rakes makes enemies of the Bondurants when he spearheads a crackdown on the booze-running. Forrest won’t play ball, so when Rakes finds Jack he works the little brother over with a shotgun barrel and his elegantly gloved fists. After that, you know someone isn’t leaving this movie alive, but since the Bondurant boys believe themselves to be indestructible, it could be hard biscuits for Rakes. Hollywood loves to imagine country folk as fidgety, fast-jabbering yokels, auctioneers in waiting. Mercifully, between screenwriter Nick Cave and the familyhistorical novel by Matt Bondurant, the film has a beautiful ear for the woods. No one in “Lawless” gets over-talky, and at every junction where some hack might try to evoke MacArthur and speechify, the Bondurant boys almost always say
less. Even the score, a mostly delicate compilation of bluegrass and folk, shows a refreshing restraint. Aside from a short montage that escalates the second act into the third, at no point does “Lawless” devolve into a redneck music video. Director John Hillcoat (“The Road”) is content to err on the side of bleak. The cast contains precisely zero weak links. With all of 10 on-screen minutes, tops, Gary Oldman shines as a Tommy-gun-toting Chicago gangster. Mia Wasikowski, as a preacher’s daughter and the object of Jack’s affections, balances her filial piety against her fascination with this brash young bootlegger. Howard drinks constantly — and in Jason Clarke’s sleepy-wet eyes, rather than some put-on swaying or slurring, he appears genuinely sauced. In fact, practically everyone actually looks like 1930s Appalachia swished ’em and spat ’em out — dirty, drawn, sunken-eyed and ragged. The only character you might crack your tooth on is Jessica Chastain’s mysterious redheaded bombshell who arrives in the moonshiningest county in Virginia looking for peace and quiet. Overlook the absurdity of this baffling decision by an otherwise canny lady and you’ll get through “Lawless” in better shape than most everyone in it.
THE8ERS Movie times are subject to change.
The Big Mo
Gates open at 7 p.m.; shows begin at 8:30 p.m. September 7-8 Field 1: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) and ParaNorman (PG-); Field 2: The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13) and Lawless R); Field 3: The Bourne Legacy (PG-13) and The Expendables 2 (R).
Masters 7 Cinemas
September 7 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) 5:15, 7:30, 9:40; The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13) 4, 7, 9:50; Magic Mike (R) 4:15, 9:40; Ted (R) 5, 7:30, 10:10; Madea’s Witness Protection (PG-13) 4:30, 7:15, 10; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) 5:30, 7:45, 10; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 6:45; Men in Black III (PG-13) 4:45, 7:15, 9:50
38 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
September 8 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40; The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13) 12:45, 4, 7, 9:50; Magic Mike (R) 4:15, 9:40; Ted (R) 1:45, 5, 7:30, 10:10; Madea’s Witness Protection (PG-13) 1:15, 4:30, 7:15, 10; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 1:30, 6:45; Men in Black III (PG-13) 1:30, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50
Evans Cinemas
September 7-8 The Cold Light of Day (PG-13) 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10; The Words (PG-13) 2:55, 5:15, 7:35, 9:55; The Possession (PG-13) 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10; Lawless (R) 4:10, 7:05, 9:55; The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (G) 2:55; Premium Rush (PG-13) 5:10, 7:25, 9:40; The Expendables 2 (R) 4:40, 7:10,
10; ParaNorman (PG) 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50; Sparkle (PG-13) 3:50, 9:55; The Odd Life of Timothy Green (PG) 4:20, 7, 9:35; The Bourne Legacy (PG-13) 4, 6:50, 9:40; The Campaign (R) 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50; Hope Springs (PG-13) 4:50, 7:20, 9:45; The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13) 4:30, 8; 2016 Obama’s America (PG) 2:45, 5, 7:15, 9:30; The Avengers (PG-13) 6:40
Regal Exchange 20
September 7-8 Raiders of the Lost Ark: The IMAX Experience (PG) 1, 4, 7, 9:45, 12:30; The Cold Light of Day (PG-13) 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:05, 12:25; The Words (PG-13) 12:20, 2:40, 5:05, 7:30, 9:55, 12:20; The Possession (PG-13) 12:35, 2:55, 5:15, 7:35, 10, 12:25; Lawless (R) 1:35, 4:25, 7:25, 10:15, 11:55; The Apparition (PG-13) 1:15,
3:20, 5:30, 7:55, 10:10, 12:15; Premium Rush (PG-13) 12:15, 2:35, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50, 12:10; Hit and Run (R) noon, 2:25, 4:50, 7:40, 10:05, 12:30; The Expendables 2 (R) 1:30, 4:05, 7:15, 9:40, 12:05; ParaNorman (PG) 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:05, 9:30; Sparkle (PG-13) 1:35, 4:15, 7:50, 10:30; The Odd Life of Timothy Green (PG) 12:35, 2:55, 5:20, 7:50, 10:25; The Bourne Legacy (PG-13) 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:20; The Campaign (R) 12:30, 2:40, 5, 7:10, 9:25, 12:05; Hope Springs (PG-13) 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:45, 10:15; Celeste and Jesse Forever (R) 5, 9:25, 11:45; The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13) 1, 4:25, 7, 10:25, 11:45; 2016 Obama’s America (PG) 12:40, 2:50, 5:15, 7:45, 9:55, 12:05; The Avengers (PG-13) 7, 10:10; Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG) 12:05, 2:20, 4:40, 7:15, 9:30; Beasts of the Southern Wild (PG13) 12:25, 2:45, 7:15; Brave (PG) 1:40, 4:30
6SEPTEMBER2012
SEPTEMBER 7
V23|NO36
DRAMA
“The Words,” rated PG-13, starring Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons. A struggling writer who takes a big shortcut finds his past comes back to haunt him after he finds success. Will he do the right thing, even if it costs him everything? Eh… he’s Bradley Cooper. He can pretty much get away with anything.
ACTION
“The Cold Light of Day,” rated PG-13, starring Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver. A Wall Street businessman finds he’s in over his head after his family is kidnapped in Spain. The CIA does tend to have that effect on people.
COMEDY
“Bachelorette,” rated R, starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan. Sounds like a less cutesy version of “Bridesmaids,” with three former high school meanies asked to be bridesmaids for a girl they used to target. This is not going to end well, mark my words.
WERECOMMEND
So it’s another British show on PBS that sounds more than a little stuffy. But “Downton Abbey” has become the most successful British costume drama in more than 30 years, and here in America, Time Magazine even included “Downton Abbey” on their list of top 50 TV dramas of all time. Many pundits predict that “Mad Men” will pull in a Best Drama Series Emmy for a recordbreaking fifth time, but “Downton Abbey” got Best Miniseries last year, so watch out — the British are coming! The British are coming! There could be a revolution. The show first premiered for Americans on PBS in January 2011, and Season Two — or Series Two as the Brits say – aired this past January, which means until the Series Three premieres in January, it’s reruns, Netflix or nothing. Even Sesame Street’s getting some “Downton Abbey” action in their 43rd season, which premieres September 24. The PBS children’s program will feature a chaotic manor house with gravity doing a flip-flop in a new “Upside Downton Abbey” segment. In spite of all that stuffiness, it seems “Downton Abbey” is turning out to be more than just a fab British fad. — Laura Perry
6SEPTEMBER2012
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 39
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40 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
6SEPTEMBER2012
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6SEPTEMBER2012
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AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 41
September 6 06Thursday, Live Music
Coyote’s - Rhes Reeves & The Coyotes Band French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Smooth Jazz Joe’s Underground - 3rd Hand Smoke Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local Polo Tavern - Josh Hilley Sky City - Rachel Goodrich, Modern Man, Mechanical River, Eat Lightning Somewhere in Augusta - County Line Surrey Tavern - Rock Out Karaoke w/ Tony Williams and David Heath The Willcox - Classic Jazz Wild Wing - Sibling String
What’s Tonight?
Casa Blanca - Thursday Tango Club Argos - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Soup, Suds & the Simpletons Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia The Loft - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic with Brandy Shannon’s - Karaoke Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke
September 7 07Friday, Live Music
1102 - Southern Conduct Augusta Moonlight Music Cruise - Wayne Capps Blue Sky Kitchen - Chris Hardy Carolina Ale House - Jim Perkins Cotton Patch - Old Man Crazy Country Club - Natalie Stovall Coyote’s - Rhes Reeves & The Coyotes Band Doubletree - Classic Jazz French Market Grille West - Doc Easton The Jazz Lounge - Third Rail Joe’s Underground - 3rd Hand Smoke MAD Studios - Celia, Jenny Jones PI Bar & Grill - Jazz Duo Playoffs - The Southern Meltdown Band Polo Tavern - Robbie Ducey Band Sky City - ‘80s Night w/ The B-53s Somewhere in Augusta - The Unmentionables Surrey Tavern - Playback The Band Wild Wing - Chick Flix
What’s Tonight?
Cocktails Lounge - Grown-Up Fridays with DJ Columbia County Amphitheater - Karaoke Contest Cork and Bull Pub - Karaoke Eagle’s Nest - Free Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Jeff Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim The Playground - Heartless DJs 42 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
FEATURED
V23|NO36
Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel Soul Bar - DJ Mix Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest
September 8 08Saturday, Live Music
100 Laurens - John Kolbeck 1102 - Betsy Kingston & the Crowns The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Cotton Patch - Ray Piazolla Country Club - Holman Autry Band Coyote’s - Rhes Reeves & The Coyotes Band Joe’s Underground - Mama Says P.I. Bar and Grill - Not Gaddy Jazz with Pam Bowman Playoffs - Rezon8 Polo Tavern - Jim Fisher Band Sky City - Rock N Rap for Teestea w/Sibling String, Acid Wash, Flame, Dredneck Soul Bar - The Bizz Surrey Tavern - Playback the Band Wild Wing - DOVE
After a brief summer hiatus, the Augusta Canal’s Moonlight Music Cruise is Back this Friday, September 7, at 6:30 p.m. with Wayne Capps performing. Participants are invited to bring snacks and beverages on the hour and a half canal cruise. $25. Call 706-823-0440 or visit augustacanal.com.
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Variety Show Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Karaoke with Beth Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Loft - DJ Richie Rich Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Rockin Rob Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke with Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Wheels - Live DJ Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke
September 9 09Sunday, Live Music
5 O’Clock Bistro - Buzz and Candice (brunch) Cotton Patch - Keith Gregory (brunch) Patridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not Gaddy Jazz Trio The Willcox - Jazz Jam Session Wild Wing - Sabo & Dave
What’s Tonight?
Caribbean Soul - Love Jones Sundays Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa Dancing Shannon’s - Karaoke with Peggy Gardner
10
Monday, September 10 Live Music
Shannon’s - Open Mic Night Wild Wing - Tony Williams Band
What’s Tonight?
Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Club Argos - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere In Augusta - Poker Tournaments Wild Wing - Trivia
September 11 11Tuesday, Live Music The Highlander - Open Mic Night The Willcox - Piano Jazz Wild Wing - TJ Mimbs Duo
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia The Playground - Truly Twisted Trivia with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke Shannon’s - Karaoke with Mike Johnson Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia
September 12 12Wednesday, Live Music
Club 706 - Angel Brown, ATL DreamVision Joe’s Underground - Kathleen Turner Overdrive Manuel’s - Christopher Bell Wild Wing - Chris & Chris
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Santoni’s Satin Dolls Cocktails Lounge - Augusta’s Got Talent Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes Hotel Aiken - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane The Loft - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - DJ Mike Swift
Midtown Lounge - Karaoke w/ Charles O’Byrne Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Rockin’ Rob The Playground - Krazy Karaoke with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere in Augusta - Comedy Zone w/ Tim Kidd and “Suicide” Jimmy Surrey Tavern - Trivia with Christian and Mickey
Upcoming
Weaving The Fate - The Playground September 13 Dr. Rob Foster - Augusta Moonlight Music Cruise September 14 John Kolbeck - Cotton Patch September 14 Jared Ashley - Country Club September 14 Rhes Reeves & The Coyotes Band - Coyote’s September 13-15 Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder - Imperial Theatre September 14 Joe Stevenson Duo - Somewhere In Augusta September 14 Will Erikson - Wild Wing September 14 Pujol, Turf War, the Henry Clay People - Sky City September 19 Brian Regan - Bell Auditorium September 20 Moon Taxi - Sky City September 20 Shameless Dave & The Miracle Whips - Laura’s Backyard Tavern September 21 The Packway Handle Band - Stillwater Tap Room September 21 Blair Crimmins and the Hookers - Stillwater Tap Room September 22
6SEPTEMBER2012
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Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Vicky Childs, Megan Bohlander and Ursula Conley at Somewhere in Augusta.
SIGHTINGS
Kelly Fitzgerald, Pam Usher and Abbey Holley at the Country Club.
Allen Quackenbush, Holly Amans and Matt Quackenbush at the Roll Tide Augusta Club at Somewhere in Augusta.
SIGHTINGS
Nicole Braunsberg, Brandy James, Lisa Dill and Eric Andrews in downtown Augusta.
Ashley Willis, singer/songwriter Dustin Lynch, Ciera Newman and Melissa Walker at the Country Club.
SIGHTINGS
Dennis and Amy Vanlorzen with Sheila and Billy Ray Morris at Limelite Cafe.
6SEPTEMBER2012
Zach Slone, Brittany Lampron, Cate Bley and Wes Elijah at Carolina Ale House.
Jessica Tanner, Nancy Walker, Jennifer Douglas and Denis Hayes at Wild Wing Cafe.
Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Mike and Hope Broome, Leigh Jackson and Paul Broome at Wild Wing Cafe.
AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 43
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W H E R E F O O T B A L L R O C K S
Booze and Radio
GAME ON. PLUS TEAM TRIVIA
PLUS TEAM TR
IVIA
28 X
9.7 - CHIK FLI
URDAYS SAT
S AT U R D AY N I G H T L I V E
with Dove
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At least I can still count on one of them
If there is one thing that I’m passionate about it is alcohol. Another thing I’m passionate about is radio. Not just because it’s what I do for a living, but it’s one of my first loves. When I was growing up, there always seemed to be this amazing power of radio. This is where you found new music, heard interviews and laughed. As I got older and actually started working in radio, a lot of that glamour has gone away. Don’t get me wrong, I have one of the best jobs out there. I’m not digging ditches or working at The Gap, anymore at least. I get to have fun for the most part of my day, and do what I love. Just like many other businesses, we do live in the corporate world. And unfortunately, some of the leaders said “corporate world” have no idea how radio could be great again. This point was proven last week in Atlanta when the radio devil, Clear Channel, flipped formats on the active rock radio station Project 96-1. They thought we needed more pop music to pollute the airwaves. But that’s not the dumb decision I’m referring to. I’m referring to Cumulus counteracting that by flipping 99X to an active rock radio station called The Bone. I understand the flipping of Project 96-1; it’s about money, I get it. But the move of Cumulus flipping 99X boggles my mind. This probably pisses me off more because I love 99X. Let me explain. I have two dream stations I want to work for, and no, neither have anything to do with Seacrest. First off is The World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles, and second is 99X in Atlanta. Or should I say was. I used to listen to this station religiously. So seeing its demise is no bueno. Maybe I’m just living in a dream world where radio means something. Has radio officially be replaced by Pandora or the iPod? Maybe I’m naive, but I think the future of radio is still prosperous as long as it’s being lead in the right direction. I have a dream. I have a dream that one day we will educate the listener and give them good music and entertainment without slapping them in the face with corporate BS. I have a dream that you will turn on the radio and not hear bands like Nickelback, Creed or Ke$ha. A boy can dream right? And for the safety of my current employment: I love my job, I like talking on the radio and I couldn’t work for a better company than Beasley Broadcasting. Can I have a raise? Now let’s get in a couple headlines from around the world. Oh Dookie. Looks like Green Day has to cancel a show in Bologna, Italy, this past weekend when singer Billie Joe Armstrong was rushed to the hospital. No word has come out to exactly why. But if they use the term “exhaustion,” let’s go ahead and assume cocaine. Be on the lookout for the first of three new albums coming from Green Day, ¡Uno!, on the 25th. I think the Republican party should officially be worried; they just received an endorsement from Nicki Minaj. The singer name-drops in a new release, stating “I’m a Republican voting for Mitt Romney/You lazy bitches is f***ing up the economy.” I would rather listen to Clint Eastwood talk to a chair than listen to Nicki Minaj. What shows are coming to Augusta? Where should I go to not hear music by Nicki Minaj? Are you a fan of Bologna, the food? Email me at matt@themetrospirit.com.
MATTSTONE can be heard weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 95 Rock. 6SEPTEMBER2012
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METRO SPIRITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S amber@themetrospirit.com PET PAGE! TNR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A Valid Solution By Lorna Barrett
It's our fault that there is a pet overpopulation crisis. We, collectively, have allowed cats and dogs to continue to breed, having litter after litter, without considering that there are not enough homes or families to care for all of their offspring. There are thousands in our local shelter euthanized annually simply because there are too many of them. When left unchecked, it becomes such a huge problem that some believe that the only answer is to catch and kill them. However, when polled, the majority of people really don't like that answer. Our core values include mercy and decency and opposition to cruelty. But even with that said, most people don't realize that the problem is as out of control as it is. They don't understand that when they are kind enough to feed one or two stray animals, that it doesn't take long to have a large colony, with kittens being born, and more adult cats coming around for the readily available food source. Then, before you know it, there are so many that it becomes overwhelming, and this person went from enjoying the â&#x20AC;&#x153;feel goodâ&#x20AC;? of feeding a cat or two to fretting over what to do. Then comes the call for help, which usually ends in death for these creatures that are only there because of a person's kindness. It just doesn't seem right to me. Being kind enough to feed them is commendable and thoughtful, but please consider being kind enough to provide spay/neuter and vaccines. There are several low-cost spay/neuter clinics and many veterinarians throughout the CSRA. There truly is help available. Some people feel that cats are a nuisance, and they don't want them on their property. It is really simple: Don't feed them and just shoo them away. There is no need to be cruel or violent; they are just seeking food, shelter and kindness. If they don't find it with you, they will continue searching. It really is possible to have more of a do no harm attitude. The only time cats leave scratches on a car is when they are frightened and forced into a frantic scramble and frenzied exit. Even muddy cat prints can be washed off easier than bird poo. Trap Neuter Return, or TNR as it is commonly known, is the practice of trapping stray or feral cats, having them spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and ear tipped, then they are returned to their home colony. (Ear tipping is a way of visually knowing that a particular cat has been vetted already, with the above procedures being done.) TNR programs are working in many communities all across our country. The benefits include fewer litters being born, reducing the population explosion, healthier cats that don't spread diseases because they are vaccinated, and fewer cat fights because they are less likely to fight over mates and territories. The truth is, it's being done right here already, a few at a time, and it's working. These colonies are healthier, they are being fed regularly and they are not growing. People who care about animals know that this is a much more humane way of handling the problem. Its success is very well documented. If we can get the support of our local county administration and the health department, we can be a bigger part of the solution to this problem of pet overpopulation and the senseless deaths of adoptable animals. If you worked or volunteered in an animal shelter, and you were told to pick five animals to be killed, could you do it? It's that heartbreaking for the staff at our animal services department to make those decisions, but, again, we force them to do it, because we don't control the population before it gets unmanageable. Rescue organizations have volunteer caregivers that are willing to register colonies, trap, neuter, vaccinate, tip ears and re-release these cats back into their familiar surroundings. They will feed them and monitor their numbers. TNR is just one part of the overall solution, but it is a very important part. It is controversial, but definitely needs to be discussed, not ignored. Citizens in our communities are obviously concerned about the overpopulation crisis, the numbers of animals neglected, abused and killed, stray animals, etc. This is evidenced by the amount of money donated to ours and other animal rescue organizations, as well as the number of volunteers willing to help. We are a community of very kind, gentle and compassionate people, but we can do better. Think about it. Most of us have pets. Children should have pets, for several reasons. The responsibility of caring for a pet is good education and the companionship is priceless, especially for an only child or latchkey children that spend extended periods of time alone. Pets keep children active, and out from in front of the television. If you are not doing it already, it's time to start teaching your children and grandchildren not to be frightened by cats, and that they are (or can be) a friendly domestic animal, a great companion that will only scratch or bite when they feel threatened. An adult's fears from childhood should not be perpetuated to the next generation. Remember that by teaching kindness and humane pet care, you are teaching the wonderful virtue of Pawprints Event | Taylor BMW kindness, thereby avoiding the Saturday, October 20 | 7-10 p.m. direction of For more information, visit pawprintsfoundation.org mean-spirited bullying that always leads to violent Augusta Humane Society offers obedience classes twice behavior towards HDFK \HDU ÂŹ)RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ FDOO people. This is a cycle we can stop.
Special Events
Ongoing Adoption Events PETCO 4209 Washington Road, Evans Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sundays, 1-4 p.m. PetSmart 225 Robert C. Daniel Parkway, Augusta Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tractor Supply %REE\ -RQHV ([SUHVVZD\ QH[W WR 6DP¡V &OXE Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m.
WHINE
WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM
Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit. com. If you do so by noon on Friday, you might just see it in the next Thursday’s issue. Oh, and whines may be edited for content but will pretty much be printed exactly as you type them.
LINE They keep building Subdivisions throughout Rural Columbia County! Who will purchase these New Homes? I mean, “The Wetback Laborers” are the Only Beneficiaries of This Housing boom! I’m certain these New Homes will have “City Water”! However! Where are the Sewer Lines? Somebody Please Investigate this! We, “Old Time Rural Columbia County Residents”, We Proved that “Life Could Exist West of Belair Road! Now! Since you Insist on Polluting our Well-Water with the Byproducts of Increased Population, Columbia County can At Least run their Water Lines throughout these Formerly Rural Areas! I just saw a TV commercial with Marie Osmond touting one of those weight
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loss programs, and right now your first month is 50% off. I want to know how in the world you get 50 pounds overweight? Don’t you know you are gaining weight when your panties no longer fit? That’s when you KNOW you are doing something wrong! Come on people... Austin Rhodes has again shown by his over-the-top ravings during the democraic primary sheriff race that he, as with his good buddy and soumate former Chronicle editor Phil Kent, lacks the intellect and judgment along wth common decency to handle the influential position he is in. And the Augusta area is the poorer for it. And as long as his advertisers are patronized he will continue to get away with it. Do the Ft. Gordon commuter, I have wanted to post that exact same thing for a while now. No one comes close to obeying the limit and will try to run
you right over if you come anywhere close to it. That’s a very dangerous commute. Where are the police you ask? They are sitting in a parking lot talking to each other. Is there nothing that can be done to prevent someone from asking me for money every time I visit the Daniel Village shopping center? And I just got asked flat out if I could buy someone some food and diapers in Kroger on 15th. WTF? Someday, someone’s gonna handle this appropriately, but be the one that ends up in jail, with the begee’s relatives. A pox on the Republicans for all their recent lies at the convention. We KNOW Paul Ryan falsely blamed Obama for Medicare and an auto bailout that took place BEFORE Obama became president. I’ll not listen to a team that hides their monies in other countries to avoid paying a fair tax.
So the governor said he *only* got some hundreds of contact against the GRUsome name? He wants more to convince him there are plenty of people who don’t want that name that does NOT have Augusta in it? Here comes more grusome contact then! Poor, poor Donnie Smith. Just tryin’ to help a brother out....what good is having a badge if you can’t use it to get people “un-arrested” from time to time... Smooth move Exlax. When your image is that of a squeaky clean law and order man, you don’t show up at a bar and inject yourself in a situation you know nothing about. AND threaten an employees job? Really?
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706-724-2445 46 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
6SEPTEMBER2012
FORT GORDON DINNER THEATRE PRESENTS
September 21, 22, 28 & 29 October 4, 5 & 6 Only Agatha Christie could have conceived such a suspenseful thriller. A young married man spends many evenings with a rich old woman. When she is found murdered, the naive young man is the chief suspect. The audience will be on the edge of their seats as Dame Agatha takes them on a journey through what has been called her “best ever mystery play.” “Packs plenty of surprise in its cargo of suspense.” – Daily Mirror
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