Metro Spirit - 07.07.16 by Metro Spirit

Table of Contents

EDIT

July 7, 2016

Amy Christian

Arts Editor/Production Director

Whine Line Augusta Tek Jenny is Wright Kris Fisher

amy@themetrospirit.com

Stacey Eidson Staff Writer

stacey@themetrospirit.com

Molly Swift

4 6 7 8

Staff Writer

molly@themetrospirit.com

Insider 10 Feature 14

CREATIVE Joshua Bailey Lead Designer

joshua@themetrospirit.com

COVER DESIGN: KRUHU

SALES Jim Christian Account Executive

jim@themetrospirit.com 706-414-4059

Paige Wilhelm Account Executive

paige@themetrospirit.com 706-833-1904

THE FAILING GRADE page 14

BUSINESS

Metroweek Food Stuff What’s Up Calendar Nightlife Sightings NYT Crossword The Eight Austin Rhodes

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Joe White Publisher

joe@themetrospirit.com 706-373-3636

Johnny Beckworth circulation manager

johnny@themetrospirit.com

THIS WEEK

Contributors Jenny Wright, Greg Baker, Austin Rhodes, Josh Ruffin, Kris Fisher, Michael Johnson

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

Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 joe@themetrospirit.com

One day, The Boy and The Girl were fighting about who would empty the dishwasher. They both wanted to do it. I took the opportunity to secretly tell her how much better washing and loading were and “let” her wear my cute apron while she tested my advice. She prefers washing and loading. Lying to your kids like that isn’t really lying. page 7

The last thing downtown Augusta wanted to hear following the Fourth of July ﬁreworks was gunﬁre ring out along the Riverwalk. But that’s what happened. Many citizens were in shock after the incident, pledging to avoid downtown Augusta after dark, but others insisted the community needs to come together as one.

You’d be forgiven for believing that World of Beer is just a bar. You would, however, be wrong. Those who don’t consider themselves knowledgeable in all things hops will be happy to know that, in addition to the varied drink selection, there’s more to do at World of Beer than just sip. The food here, at least everything I had on a recent evening, is damn good.

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OPINION

The Whine Line

RAVE to the vet at the food court who shut the filthy mouthers.

Obama isn’t responsible for ISIS. He is responsible for DEALING with ISIS and he isn’t. THAT is the point.

Ever notice how quickly all the cones, sawhorses and barrels appear? Once they do, it’s a sign of six more weeks of blocked traffic and no actual work being done.

I have also experienced the horror that is Mexican restaurant karaoke in Augusta. In fact it has gotten so unbearable that I have just stopped going to local Mexican restaurants. If it’s not the nasty rap lyrics, it’s the whiney wannabe country singers. Do us all a favor and just try out for one of those TV talent(less) shows where the judges can tell you just how pathetic your singing is.

Augusta could find a temporary solution to its financial woes with a “Commuter Tax.” How many people are in Richmond County, from 8am-6pm, yet pay no taxes for the supporting infrastructure? TOLL BOOTHS on Riverwatch Parkway! There is too much watershed below the three dams on the river to eliminate the levee! The risk is not worth the benefit! We are too close to tropical systems to take it down! Are we waiting for the next terrorist attack to get mad, furious, just to go about business as usual just 14 days later? Whine Line: one or two lines. Editorial Rant: the paragraphs we are now seeing posted.

Augusta Tek Jenny is Wright Kris Fisher

Marshall Square, Marshall Square, Marshall Square, Marshall Square.... Come on, guys, you can find something else to write about, can’t you? No matter how much you write, it won’t bring the building or Ms. Carpenter back. You’re just trying to point the finger at someone. Move on... In 2012 Donald Trump raised a ruckus demanding to see President Obama’s long form birth certificate. Because he had “doubts”. The short form birth certificate we all use wasn’t good enough for the same charlatan who now refuses to release his IRS tax returns. I like those 200 new, bright lights lining River Watch Parkway. I wish they would put up the same kind of lights all over downtown Augusta so we could see the homeless, panhandlers and crooks before they sneak up on us. Why Can’t Evans GA attract better entertainment on stage @ Lady A? Must be problems under the big top. The acronym for LGBT should be expanded; O for other and U for unknown. LGBTUO should cover all gender sexual preferences!!!!

Warren, really, a heart beat, or indictment, away from the office of the president! “UNPROFESSIONAL AND OBSTRUCTIONIST:” That is the “perfect” description of Augusta’s mayor and commissioners. And they are also damn good at wasting our tax dollars. Trump says a giant wall should be built to keep out illegals at a massive cost (let’s face it. We can’t force another country to pay for it). Instead, it would be more effective to penalize employers who do not verify that employees are legal. Oops— suddenly dishwashers in dining establishments, hotel workers, lawn services, and construction is going to cost a lot more. And that’s how it should be. I’m angrier at employers who look the other way to hire illegal immigrants or those who exploit visa loopholes to hire offshore. If the Metro spirit, removed all of the PAID advertisement’s and got rid of those silly looking picture’s of the people in Augusta (especially the fat people in short’s and mini-skirt’s who look like they could be the front line for the Falcons), this paper would be about four page’s!

Am I the only one who skips over long whines, and those about local politics? As we get closer to the November Presidential Election it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference between Donald Trump’s mouth and his rectum! Your in a public place. “Put that stupid smart phone down” and pay attention to your toddler who is getting into things that may hurt him. Of course when he does get into something you hit him as if it was his job to watch you instead of you watching him. Please get sterilized so you don’t subject another poor child to your hateful parenting skills. Your a mean Momma, don’t be surprised if your kids hate you when they grow up. I already do.

WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit.com. The Metro Spirit reserves the right to edit submitted whines for content, but we will otherwise print them pretty much exactly as you type them… spelling errors and all.

4 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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This whine is in response to the Whine Line story about the two Racist REDNECKS who were harassing a woman and her child at the food court. It’s no exaggeration to say that Augusta is one of the most racist cities in Georgia. I have heard people who come from other states say the same thing, “So many prejudiced people here”. Growing up in a military family I was taught that we are the HUMAN RACE, no one is better than another. I guess it’s their lack of education that makes them so stupid. I bet those two men (and I use that term loosely) are high school drop outs without an IQ of 60 between them. I also bet they wouldn’t have dared say all those nasty things to that woman if a MAN was sitting with her. COWARDS!! Take your racist sh*t and move to Siberia where no one has to put up with your Rednecks selves. I’ll buy you the plane tickets if you both promise not to come back!

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“Global & US stock markets in turmoil after the Brexit vote, and Donald Trump’s reaction is that it is good for business for his Scottish golf resort. Really!?! Is this who we want as leader of the Free World???” Yep.

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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Algorithmic Freedom AT ONE POINT IN TIME, I made the ridiculous statement to a large gathering of my peers that I was an “algorithm engineer.” This was a long time ago when I was younger and more naïve than I am now. The statement itself is one of absurdity. An algorithm engineer? Isn’t that what all engineers do in form or another? Why would my job be special? In reality, my job wasn’t special. This was one of those silly statements that a young engineer makes when trying to justify their importance to the senior staff. Unfortunately, I lacked one very important realization. To a group of experienced engineers, many of whom joined the company before I was even born, I really wasn’t very important. Lesson learned… Fast forward 20 years or so, and the term “algorithm engineer” starts to take on a genuine meaning. In addition to web pages, online commerce and social content, the internet brings us an almost countless number of algorithms. From Google Search to Facebook’s Likes to Amazon’s “People Who Viewed This,” algorithms guide our everyday online experience. And by extrapolation, a legion of anonymous “algorithm engineers” exert tremendous influence over what we see and, more importantly, over what we perceive to be important. The recent news regarding Facebook’s trending items highlights the impact of news automation. Ex-Facebook employees revealed that Facebook routinely suppressed news stories regarding conservative topics. While denying “systematic political bias,” Facebook acknowledge the substance of the charges. To their credit, the organization is retraining their staff to be sensitive to conservative issues. Many want to characterize this as a liberal bias issue. While this might be a case of liberal bias, I don’t believe that’s the real problem. Everyone knows the mainstream news has a liberal bias. They always have and they always will. Those people that care learn to adapt. The Facebook issue illustrates a more insidious problem. Social media users are lead to believe that the various “trending topics” lists are targeted based on our viewing history. Social media touts this benefit as one of its greatest advantages. A simple, deterministic algorithm will steer us toward content that we should like. If implemented correctly, the algorithms hidden in the fabric of social media enable exposure to a broad spectrum of media that users would not find on their own. Unfortunately, Facebook substituted editorial content. Should we be surprised? Yes. Should we be angry? Yes. The social media experience, at least in part, is about connecting people with similar interests. Instead of receiving data from an impartial algorithm designed to highlight interesting items, Facebook provided content based on the opinion and likes of its editorial staff. Not cool. We trade a huge amount of personal information in exchange to access these “free” services. If groups like Facebook want continued access to our data, they need to hold up their end of the bargain — ensure that content selection comes from an apolitical, impartial, and unbiased algorithm. GREGORY BAKER PH.D.

is vice president of CMA Technology and, yes, is actually a rocket scientist who used his doctorate in aerospace engineering at Lockheed Martin. In addition to working at CMA, he also serves the community, sitting on several boards in the area.

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15 in 5 BECAUSE I LOVE A LIST. ESPECIALLY A RANDOM LIST. 1. It’s summer in Augusta. It’s hot. That’s a fact, not a complaint. However, when it hits triple digits with humidity for good measure, I might even complain. I’ll try not to. This is the south after all. It gets hot in the summer. If you ask me, that’s much better than having a terribly cold, long winter. 2. Every time the air conditioning cuts on, I envision flaming dollar bills. Like a big bonfire, filled with all of my money. 3. In case he isn’t found by the time you read this, please keep an eye out for my friend’s dog, Bug. He’s a little boston terrier, 10 years old, who was spooked by fireworks in the Hill area of Augusta. His owners, who are in Finland at the moment, are offering $500 to the person who returns him safely. If you see him walking along, scoop him up and call the number on the tag. 4. If he’s already been found by now, a big thanks to the community for looking for and returning him safely. When you see a dog, unless it seems aggressive, please stop to look for identification. It’s probably someone’s baby. 5. Although it’s been my daughter’s job for years, my son now loves emptying the dishwasher. 6. One day, The Boy and The Girl were fighting about who would empty the dishwasher. They both wanted to do it. I took the opportunity to secretly tell her how much better washing and loading were and “let” her wear my cute apron while she tested my advice. She prefers washing and loading. 7. Lying to your kids like that isn’t really lying. 8. Speaking of lying to your kids, The Girl asked me if the Tooth Fairy is real. The Boy doesn’t think she’s real, so he doesn’t put his teeth under his pillow anymore. This has baffled The Girl for months. When she asked, I replied, “Well, what do you think? Some people believe in her and some don’t.” She blinked a few times and walked away to think about it. She got $5 for her latest molar, so I’d guess she’s still team Tooth Fairy. 9. Lying to your kids like that isn’t really lying. 10. I’m terrible with names. I try to remember every time I’m taught. I can remember all sorts of useless facts, but I might not remember your name five minutes from now. 11. Did you know a hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times per minute? Slugs have four noses.

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12. Fingernails grow nearly four times faster than toenails. Most dust particles in your house are made of dead skin. 13. I spent an entire 24 hours trying to remember the name of a woman I spent a few hours with cooking dinner. I could describe her perfectly, but I couldn’t recall her name to save my life. 14. Regarding the shooting during the July 4th fireworks downtown: there’s no way we’ll have a 100 percent crime free city. Rarely do scary things happen downtown Augusta, though. All in all, it’s a pretty safe place to be with your family, enjoying the local businesses. Don’t give up! We’ve come so far. 15. Unity in the Community, y’all. Support downtown! JENNY WRIGHT’S humorous observations

on marriage, motherhood and living in Augusta have earned her a devoted following, both in print and on Facebook. When she’s not spying on other parents in the carpool line at school, you’ll probably ﬁnd her with either a camera, tennis racquet or wine glass in her hand.

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Behind the Scenes THE REAL, but too-long headline, should read “Behind the Scenes of Trying to Put on a Concert in Augusta.” And even then, it is a little deceiving, because I should specify a “non-country” concert in Augusta. Putting a country concert on in Augusta, I suspect, goes something like this: Schedule absolutely any country artist ever and it sells out. Well, at least that’s the way it seems. Country music is so big in Augusta, even other non-specific music events have become mostly country music events. Hey, I’m not hating. It’s good business: Give the people what they want. However, programming a Top 40 radio station, I often hear that people want other shows too and they want them bad. So, when I was given the reins of HD98.3, putting on a pop concert was at the top of my list of priorities. Seems easy enough. I talk to the major record labels regularly, we can support the shows and we’re passionate about it. But, as it turns out, that’s not enough. That’s not nearly enough! There have been many attempts at this concert that never came to fruition. No matter the artist that we discussed, there have been so many obstacles: Scheduling, funding, lack of interest and mostly lack of ticket sales. It’s a common phrase thrown around in Augusta concert promotion: “Augusta is a walk-up town,” meaning “citizens of Augusta all wait until the last minute to buy tickets.” It’s the weirdest trait for a town to have, in my opinion. I get towns that are known for being overly courteous or very welcoming to tourists, but our thing is to collectively wait until the last minute to buy tickets to pretty much everything. How we all as a group of 200,000 citizens (500,000 in the region) decided, “Eh, I’ll just wait until the day of the show to buy tickets” is beyond me. This is not to say everyone waits. There is a small percentage of people who get early tickets and y’all will never know just how much that is appreciated! Alas, this is the world, or town, rather, that we live in. The thing is, that’s what many promoters look at when deciding which, if any, acts to bring to any town: What is the early ticket sales average. Sadly, for Augusta, it’s not many. This is the difference between Augusta getting concerts from the likes of a Selena Gomez or a Carly Rae Jepsen. All this aside, we finally pulled the trigger on a concert that we felt would be a great start to a new genre of concert in Augusta: Daya. She’s a new artist who’s all over the place in 2016. I call her 2016’s Lorde. She’s on the current No. 1 pop radio song in America. So, we’re really excited that she’s coming and we hope you are, too. No, she ain’t T-Swizzle. But, she’s got a great start to a new career and what I hope is a great start to some more new music concerts coming to Augusta. Tickets sales are trickling in, they’re cheap, it’s a Saturday night and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I hope to see you there! I KRIS FISHER,Kris Fisher is the also hope that this is the midday host and program director for beginning of many more HD98.3 and an Augusta radio staple. shows to come. He is a husband, father of three and lover of all things adventurous, as well as activities most people would have outgrown years ago. djkfish.com.

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The Failing Grade

Insider

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NEWS

More than Fireworks at the Riverwalk

THE LAST THING downtown Augusta wanted to hear following the Fourth of July fireworks was gunfire ring out along the Riverwalk. But that’s what happened. According to the Richmond County Sheriff ’s Office, two men apparently began arguing and both individuals pulled out guns and began firing next to the Unisys building at Seventh Street and Riverwalk. One of the men, 30-year-old Clinton Lamont Coleman of Greene Street, was struck in the face during the shooting. Two bystanders reportedly tackled Coleman to the ground as many locals attending the fireworks show ran for cover. Deputies quickly arrived on the scene. Many citizens were in shock after the incident, pledging to avoid downtown Augusta after dark, but others insisted the community needs to come together as one. “People saying that they are never coming to Downtown Augusta again or moving to Columbia County is not the answer,” George Claussen IV, owner of Southbound Smokehouse, immediately posted on Facebook after the shooting at the Riverwalk. “We have to realize that bad things happen not only to Augusta but to every city...It’s awful! This is a mad world we live in and I’m not going to let some fool ruin all the work that has been put in or planned for Augusta! Downtown has come so far the last couple years and has along way to go but don’t let this stop you from supporting the future of our city!”

Not long after his Claussen’s post, Lt. Lewis Blanchard of the Richmond County Sheriff ’s Office made an extremely frank comment of his own. “Things such as this must always be kept into perspective. When you put 15,000 persons together, the chances greatly raise that a problem will occur regardless of where you are and anyone who is open and honest fully understands that,” Blanchard wrote. “People walk into churches, theaters, schools, etc. and commit acts of violence but we can’t simply stop living our lives. We should be vigilant, maintain situational awareness, etc. and of course we should take extra precautions regarding certain situations.” In reality, a bad combination is alcohol at a large, public event, Blanchard wrote. “People tend to act very differently in large crowds,” he wrote. “In this speciﬁc situation from the videos shown thus far and all it appears that two speciﬁc persons wanted to shoot at each other and frankly there is little that can be done to stop that when people are hell bent on committing an act of violence.” But Blanchard assured the public that local law enforcement officers were immediately on the scene following the shooting. “LEOs were on scene nearly instantly, running in as others were running out and did a great job of securing the scene and providing medical attention as well as in gathering evidence,” Blanchard wrote. 7JULY2016

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He asked the public not to fear attending family events in downtown Augusta. “I was raised in Columbia County and it is a great county but I love Augusta as well,” Blanchard wrote. “You must use a good common sense approach and if you see a situation developing you should leave the area, not sit there watching or pulling out a camera but LEAVE and notify a nearby officer or call 911. Augusta has many great things going for it as a city and all of us can help to make it better if we choose to do so.” Before ending his comment, Blanchard also addressed the nationwide problem of the lack of accountability among this country’s youth. “Lastly, this country had better change this enabling society mentality where individuals simply are not held accountable for their actions in their homes, when they attend school and out in society,” he wrote. “The complete lack of respect I see daily for parents, teachers, police officers and all persons of authority is completely out of control and our national media is a negative contributing factor to this.” Society’s attitudes have to change, Blanchard wrote. “We have more than enough laws but when criminals are exiting the jails before law enforcement officers are ﬁnishing their paperwork, there is a problem,” he wrote. “The same applies when repeat felons are released quickly when illegally possessing a ﬁrearm only to go out and shoot or kill someone again because the ‘system’ doesn’t put them and keep them where they belong.” Parents need to get serious about raising their children, he wrote. “Lack of responsibility, accountability, parents that are non-existent or prefer to be a friend instead of a parent are all a large part of the problem and so is all of this BS political correctness,” Blanchard posted. “Persons don’t want to hear the truth about anything and many are afraid to say if because of various labels that may be attached to them if they speak up but we really need to come together and work to problem solve in an effort to make our community, state, and country better.”

But, again, Blanchard encouraged everyone to support downtown Augusta and its many family-friendly events. “If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem,” he wrote. “Augusta, including Downtown Augusta has a lot of great activities, events, nightlife, etc. and for the CSRA if you are looking to have a great night out, you most likely will be coming to Augusta.” Within just hours of the incident, Blanchard successfully vocalized the feelings of many in the community, while several other local leaders were still reeling from the shock of the night’s events. If the Insider didn’t know any better, Blanchard seems to be preparing to run for another political office. Who knows? He deﬁnitely has a solid platform and the money to back it up. Regardless, Blanchard did an impressive job bringing the entire situation into perspective for many stunned residents. The message: Act responsibly, support downtown Augusta, use common sense and teach your children to respect authority. It’s that simple.

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Neighbor vs. Neighbor in the State Court Judicial Race A RECENT LETTER to the editor published in The Metro Courier has stirred up some hard feelings between Augusta neighbors from the Grand Boulevard area. A few weeks ago, local resident Betty Harrison wrote a critical letter denouncing Robert “Bo” Hunter III, candidate for the State Court seat vacated by Judge John Flythe. Harrison, a supporter of Hunter’s opponent in the race, Kellie Kenner McIntyre, did not approve of Hunter’s “campaign tactics,” according to the letter. “What personal characteristics should we expect someone vying for a judgeship to have?” Harrison asked. “Three characteristics that I know they should have are ethics, integrity and honesty. Bo Hunter, to my surprise, lacks all three.” Ouch. Harrison was clearly going for the jugular in her letter. “Right before the primary voting on May 26, 1016, Bo Hunter came into the black community in the Grand Blvd. area with the express intent of sullying the name and reputation of Solicitor Kellie Kenner McIntyre,” Harrison wrote. “Mr. Hunter was accompanied by at least two black males. Was he afraid to enter the neighborhood alone? Or, did Mr. Hunter think a few black faces accompanying him would give him instant credibility?” Those two words, “black faces,” in Harrison’s letter deeply upset the neighbors who stood by Hunter as he walked through the Grand Boulevard area that day. “My name is Jerry Boyd. I am one of the ‘black faces’ that Ms. Betty Harrison talked about in her letter about Bo Hunter,” Boyd recently wrote to The Metro Courier. “I am from the Avenues. When my mother died in the Avenues, Bo Hunter was one of the ﬁrst ones there. I am ashamed of Ms. Harrison. When she asked, ‘Was Mr. Hunter afraid to enter the neighborhood alone?’ she implied that it would not be safe for a white man to enter the neighborhood and that we would not be with Bo without being paid. I AM NOT A BLACK MAN FOR SALE. I CANNOT BE BOUGHT.” Boyd insisted that Hunter is a true friend who he sincerely supports in the State Court race. “Bo Hunter has been a friend of mine for over 25 years and a friend to this community for over 30 years,” Boyd wrote. “While we were in the neighborhood, Bo had people coming to speak to him who had their own story to share about how he helped them. Bo had often been the only white person at events and gatherings as color does not matter when following your heart and doing the right thing.” Another supporter of Hunter named Larry Ashley also addressed Harrison’s comments in The Metro Courier. “My family has been down on Grand Blvd. for generations and we have built a memorial park for my grandmother Rosa Barnes because she was so loved here. My grandparents owned Barnes Groceries and were pillars of this community,” Ashley wrote. “I can’t believe Ms. Harrison said I was a ‘black face’ walking with Bo Hunter. I am her neighbor but I guess she doesn’t know who her neighbors are. She also doesn’t know her 12 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

facts. I am a friend of Bo Hunter who has been down here many times not just campaigning.” The two Hunter supporters accused Harrison of the one not being honest. In Harrison’s letter, she stated that Hunter and his supporters were handing out a news story published in The Augusta Chronicle about the tremendous backlog within the Richmond County Solicitor’s Office. McIntyre, of course, is the current solicitor of Richmond County. The story written by Chronicle staff writer Sandy Hodson said that nearly $1.4 million from ﬁnes paid by thousands of residents for minor traffic tickets before Jan. 1, 2014, and some cash bonds that people put up to get others out of jail has been sitting untouched in a bank account for years. Apparently, that money has been just sitting there because of the backup in paperwork in the Richmond County Solicitor’s Office, according to the Chronicle. “Upon answering my door, Mr. Hunter shook my hand and stated that he might be wasting his time since I had a McIntyre sign in my yard,” Harrison wrote. “He offered me the article and said I should read it. Several of my neighbors had the same experience and can attest to his neighborhood visit. It is one thing to come to a neighborhood and canvass it telling constituents what you will do if elected. It is another to come to a neighborhood to trash someone else with an article whose contents is suspect in the ﬁrst place. Anyone doing such a thing is not worthy of being a judge.” But Ashley insisted he wasn’t handing out the article from the Chronicle.

“The newspaper I handed out was the Metro Spirit and not The Augusta Chronicle,” Ashley wrote. “We handed it out same as campaign cards because a newspaper has to do fact checks and it told about all three candidates.” Boyd agreed that Hunter did not do anything “unethical.” “It is not unethical to hand out a news article about all three candidates to educate people,” Boyd wrote. “If you want to talk about ethics please ask Ms. McIntyre why over a million dollars is sitting in her office unpaid to Richmond County. Why are people waiting over 4 years to see a day in court?” He also said it was not proper for Harrison to play the “race card.” “Would we even bring up this same issue if Kellie went into an all white neighborhood?” Boyd asked. “No. Let’s set the record straight. This is not the ﬁrst time Bo Hunter has been in the Avenues and it will not be the last. And, the people whom he has helped and have turned against him should be ashamed. Anybody who knows me knows I tell it like it is and Bo is a man of integrity and I support Bo Hunter.” Ashley fully agreed with Boyd. “I know Bo Hunter has been here and feels comfortable here,” he said. “I don’t know Kellie McIntyre and I have not seen her in this neighborhood before this campaign.” As early voting for the July 26 runoff begins this week, things deﬁnitely appear to be heating up in the race for State Court judge. Stay tuned. 7JULY2016

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The Failing Grade

Is there a rotten pit inside Georgia’s education plan to takeover failing public schools? 14 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

By Stacey Eidson 7JULY2016

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There is no doubT that the stigma of having almost 20 public schools labeled as “chronically failing” has hurt Richmond County. Over the past decade, new residents moving into the area with school-age children have flooded into surrounding counties rather than gambling on their child’s future with the Richmond County school system. But Augusta is far from alone in its struggles. Roughly 23 percent of schools throughout Georgia have received either a “D” or an “F,” which constitutes a failing grade, for the past three consecutive years, according to Gov. Nathan Deal’s office. As a result, Deal has proposed an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that would allow the state to create an “Opportunity School District” based on similar initiatives in states such as Louisiana and Tennessee. If Deal’s referendum is approved by voters in November, these districts would authorize the state to temporarily take control of chronically failing public schools across the state. “While Georgia boasts many schools that achieve academic excellence every year, we still have too many schools where students have little hope of attaining the skills they need to succeed in the workforce or in higher education,”

“If these education shenanigans continue, I think they are going to find it very difficult to get teachers to come into the field and want to be teachers.” — Venus Cain 7JULY2016

Deal said while announcing the proposal last year. “We have a moral duty to do everything we can to help these children. Failing schools keep the cycle of poverty spinning from one generation to the next. Education provides the only chance for breaking that cycle.” In the governor’s proposal, persistently failing schools are defined as those scoring below 60 on the Georgia Department of Education’s accountability measure, the College and Career Readiness Performance Index, for three consecutive years. The OSD would take in no more than 20 schools per year, meaning it would govern no more than 100 at any given time. Under the governor’s plan, schools would stay in the district for no less than five years but no more than 10 years, and would then return to local control. The General Assembly passed the constitutional amendment resolution and the implementing legislation during the 2015 legislative session. But it now requires a majority approval by Georgia voters in the November general election and Deal seems determined to get the referendum passed. “When we talk about helping failing schools, we’re talking about rescuing children,” Deal recently said. “I stand firm on the principle that every child can learn, and I stand equally firm in the belief that the status quo isn’t working.” The only problem is that the wording of the November referendum has been described by critics as being misleading to voters because it includes the phrase that the new legislation is “to help your child be a better student.” The plan would actually allow the state to have total authority over the failing schools in the special district and it could remove principals, teachers, completely change the curriculum and take control of the schools’ budgets.

But the governor’s office is clearly working hard to put a positive spin on the proposed referendum by describing it as a way the state can “step in to help rejuvenate failing public schools and rescue children languishing in them.” “The Opportunity School District will allow us to bring new focus by education experts, better governance and best practices to schools that have underachieved for too long,” Deal recently said. “The children trapped in these schools can’t wait.” Currently, Richmond County has 19 schools in the failing category regarding scores on the state Department of Education’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index. Those schools that fall into the failing category include Bayvale Elementary School, Butler High School, Diamond Lakes Elementary School, Glenn Hills Elementary School, Glenn Hills High School, Glenn Hills Middle School, Hains Elementary School, Jamestown Elementary School, JenkinsWhite Elementary Charter School, Josey High School, LamarMilledge Elementary School, Meadowbrook Elementary School, Murphey Middle Charter School, Sego Middle School, Spirit Creek Middle School, Terrace Manor Elementary School, W.S. Hornsby K-8 School, Wheeless Road Elementary School and Wilkinson Gardens Elementary School. Deal insists the Opportunity School District plan will help turn these local schools around. “There are many excuses that will be offered for why schools are failing — the students come from families in poverty, their parents are dysfunctional, they don’t care because they have no hope,” Deal said during his State of the State address last year. “Let’s stop making excuses — If we want to break the cycle of poverty, let’s educate those children so that they have the skills to escape poverty, if we want to interrupt the cycle of AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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“What I have come to realize is education has become a pimp.” — Venus Cain “With a constitutional amendment, it would not be easy to reverse,” Minchew said, adding that, if the referendum passes, future changes would be in the state’s hands. “There would be very limited involvement by the local board as well as parents and the community of the school as to the operation and organization of the school. A OSD superintendent would be appointed by the governor and would have the power to determine which schools come under OSD, the reorganization and replacement of staff at the school, the possible closing of the school, transfer the school to the State Charter Schools Commission or have the local school board enter into a contract with some organization to operate the school.” Minchew has seen ﬁrst-hand the issues teachers and administrators face in these Richmond County schools that are deemed “failing” by the state and she insists there is no easy solution. “We have kids in these schools who move four times in a year because of challenges they face at home,” Minchew said. “These teachers will work with them and get them to a certain point and, all of a sudden, they move again and start over in another school with a new teacher. I mean, you can’t control what goes on in their home lives. And so many of these schools that could qualify under OSD are in the poorest neighborhoods. You can’t expect these students to learn and achieve if they are hungry or if they are worried about having a place to stay that night. I just don’t know what the state could do differently.” But Minchew does believe that the thought of the state being able to take over some local failing schools will deﬁnitely hurt the morale of the local educators facing these tough challenges every day. “The teachers have to encounter quite a bit on a daily basis and, with this proposal, to think that they might be replaced at any time by the state, I think is wrong,” Minchew said. “It will get to the point that these teachers will feel like they have to move and try to go to a better performing school because they may lose their jobs.”

“They are taking local control away from us — the citizens.” — Venus Cain dysfunctional families, let’s educate the children in those homes so that their families of the future will return to normalcy; if we want our young people to have hope, let’s give them the greatest beacon of hope we can confer on them — a quality education that leads to a good job, a stable family and the stairway to the future.” However, many members of the Richmond County Board of Education have deep concerns about the governor’s proposal because they believe it provides the state too much power without any real local input. “The citizens and the people who are responsible for the education in the system locally would not have a voice in it,” said Marion Barnes, the vice president of the Richmond County School Board. “We always talk about the problems with state control and federal control. Well, they are taking local control away from us — the citizens.” Barnes believes the referendum is so vague that voters won’t understand the governor’s proposal when they head to the polls in November. “The referendum doesn’t explain to you how it is going to be done and what the real implications are with letting the state come in and make sweeping changes,” Barnes said. “I mean, if the governor has a cure for the problems in education, why doesn’t he give it to us and let us do it ourselves? What magical potion does he have that we don’t have?” School Board President Helen Minchew believes there are too many unknowns regarding the governor’s proposal and it could, in the end, do much more harm than good. 16 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Think Before You Vote When Georgia voters go to the polls in November, they’ll be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the following referendum: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance? Sounds good, right? What that doesn’t give voters is any of the details on how the state will implement the plan. Here’s what the new Paragraph VIII of Section 5 of Article VIII of the Georgia Constitution would say. It’s not on the November ballot, but it does provide a little more information. Paragraph VIII. Opportunity School District. Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph II of this section, the General Assembly may provide by general law for the creation of an Opportunity School District and authorize the state to assume the supervision, management, and operation of public elementary and secondary schools which have been determined to be failing through any governance model allowed by law. Such authorization shall include the power to receive, control, and expend state, federal, and local funds appropriated for schools under the current or prior supervision, management, or operation of the Opportunity School District, all in the manner provided by and in accordance with general law. 7JULY2016

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“We have kids in these schools who move four times in a year because of challenges they face at home. These teachers will work with them and get them to a certain point and, all of a sudden, they move again and start over in another school with a new teacher. I mean, you can’t control what goes on in their home lives.” — Helen Minchew In the end, Minchew fears that the OSD plan will simply create “more bureaucracy” and cost local taxpayers a great deal of money down the road. “There is just so much that voters don’t know,” Minchew said. “Voters need to know what is all involved in this plan because, the way the referendum is written, it wants to pull everybody in to support this.” But there are serious consequences included in Deal’s proposal if OSD chooses to take over a school, Minchew said. “If the school is closed, it cannot be used by the local board as a school for three years,” she said. “The OSD can contract out any maintenance and repairs of the school building, but the local board will continue to be responsible for major repairs. In addition to controlling the facility, acquired assets such as textbooks, technology and other instructional equipment would be under the discretion of the OSD superintendent.” Minchew insists the local school board has tried to take advantage of any form of assistance or help from the state to help improve these failing schools. “We are in the process of implementing the Strategic Waivers School System contract for this school year which grants flexibility options based on school improvement plans for each school in the district,” Minchew said. “This was a requirement of the state for each district to choose from three options, and this is just beginning to be in operation.” 18 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Richmond County has also implemented the governor’s programs to promote literacy in elementary schools and the board has extended summer school to more students to help improve their skills over the summer, she said. As a result of some of these programs, Minchew said the graduation rates are up for each high school in Richmond County. “Our graduation average now is only one point behind the state average,” she said. “Our Performance Learning Center has assisted students toward graduation and partnerships with many community organizations, such as Communities in Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as numerous businesses and companies have also assisted students in academic achievements.” Minchew is also proud of the school system’s partnership with Textron to implement the program, “Reaching Potential through Manufacturing,” that will be implemented this school year. “Many of our schools achieved improvement on the CCRPI, which is the basis of eligibility for OSD, even though I might add it has been revised several times since being implemented,” she said, adding that the local school system has made these strides over the past few years despite the budgetary funding cuts by the state. “It has only been recently that furlough days have been eliminated as the result of a decrease in the amount of austerity cuts by the state. These have occurred since 2002 for all school districts, ours totaling $184 million since then.”

School Board member Venus Cain said she has a hard time listening to the governor constantly talk about education reform without really looking at the programs currently in place. “Nobody looks at the fact that the state has changed the math curriculum just about every year I’ve been on the board. They change the curriculum with no training for teachers on how they are supposed to deliver the math that they claim they want us to teach,” Cain said. “The state also took out cursive handwriting. They took it out of the schools and now we have generations of children who cannot sign their name. To me, that’s appalling.” If the curriculum and the state’s education plan are constantly changing, schools don’t have a chance to properly improve, Cain said. “The program that they had in place before the CCRPI, they really didn’t give it a chance to work before they came up with something else that a bunch of bright-eyed people, who don’t teach in the classrooms and are so far from reality, decided we should implement,” Cain said. “The state doesn’t realize what the administrators and teachers have to deal with each day.” The state is setting teachers up to fail by constantly changing the guidelines in the classroom, she said. “Teachers are no longer able to just teach,” Cain said. “They are teachers, counselors, mothers, fathers, babysitters, cooks and nurses. And now the state is holding teachers 100 percent accountable for educating children. Teachers can’t be held 100 percent accountable on their evaluations for educating a child because the parent has a part in that as well.” The state is creating a situation that will soon drive out all the highly qualified and motivated teachers in Richmond

County, Cain said. “If these education shenanigans continue, I think they are going to find it very difficult to get teachers to come into the field and want to be teachers,” Cain said. “After all, the pay is low, the teachers are being held 100 percent accountable for a child’s education and they have to deal with disrespectful children and disrespectful parents.” It is disheartening to watch the state attempt to mandate changes without seeking local input, Cain said. “What I have come to realize is education has become a pimp,” Cain bluntly said. “It is a money-making venture, where the latest and the newest thing that is out there, someone throws it out without knowing if it really works. But it sounds good and they get the state to buy into it.” It becomes impossible for the teachers and faculty at these failing schools to meet the state standards, Cain said. “I know for a fact in Richmond County that we have some teachers and principals who are really busting their rear-ends to make it happen for these children,” she said. “They are really working hard. And for the state to constantly tell these teachers and the students, ‘You are a failure,’ is terrible. It is a systematic teardown of the public

“It will get to the point that these teachers will feel like they have to move and try to go to a better performing school because they may lose their jobs.” — Helen Minchew 7JULY2016

“For the state to constantly tell these teachers and the students, ‘You are a failure,’ is terrible.” — Venus Cain education system.” School Board member Jack Padgett and his wife, Barbara, have been working to improve Richmond County schools since the early 1980s. He fully understands the challenges these local schools face throughout Richmond County. “We’ve had a number of schools improve this past year, but the sad thing about it is there are about 15 of the schools that really haven’t,” he said. “I really don’t see how the state is going to take those same schools and vastly improve them. No matter what staff you put in them, you still have to have the parents and the kids interested in going to school. And, in all the years of being involved in the education field, I haven’t found a solution for that. It’s a tough situation.” Over the years, Padgett said he has seen outstanding principals being transferred to failing schools and, after a few years, they leave without much success. “I’ve seen some incredible principals go in who have everything going for them as far as changing the attitude of the students and they totally strike out,” Padgett said. “Really it is easy to blame the parents, but then when you see the parents are struggling to stay above board and they are having to work two or three jobs, they just don’t have the time to give the children the attention they need. They leave one job and go straight to another job, so they really don’t have the time to go to meetings with the teachers and principals.” The lack of parental support within the school system is a big issue that Padgett believes the state won’t be able to change. “Basically, how can the state operate any differently than the county does with 7JULY2016

a superintendent sitting in Atlanta with no direct contact with the schools themselves?” Padgett asked. “It just doesn’t make sense. And I believe if this referendum was put to the voters in a way that voters could understand it, I’m not so sure that voters would support it.” But the state worded the November referendum in such a way that uninformed voters will support it without researching the proposed changes, he said. “Basically, the state will take over the operations at the county’s expense, but the referendum doesn’t say that,” Padgett said. “The wording is totally incorrect as to what it actually does. But, of course, it’s not unusual when the state wants to pass something that they word it so it will sound good to everybody.” However, teachers and administrators are deeply aware of what the governor’s proposal could mean for these local failing schools. “It is really hurting the teachers and schools because I think they are looking at this and saying, ‘No matter what I do, we are going to be taken over anyway. And I don’t know if I’ll have a job or if they are going to close the school or what,’” Padgett said. “But the teachers have contracts with the school system and if the state decides to put a new staff in, they are still employees of the school system and they are still under contract. So, then the question becomes, what do we do with all those teachers? It is kind of a no-win situation.” There is no “magic button” the governor will be able to push to erase some of the serious challenges facing many Richmond County students, Padgett said. “That, to me, is very sad because I grew up very, very poor and probably got ahead in life mainly through the educational church system,” Padgett said. “I was able to turn things around. My oldest sister was actually the valedictorian in high school. I would not consider my background that different than some of these students. I mean, I had caring parents and all, but they weren’t well educated. But over the years, people made a real difference in my life. Teachers made a real difference. Principals made a real difference.”

For that reason, Padgett insists he doesn’t support the governor’s proposal because he finds it “very misleading.” “Literally, the way this proposal is actually written, the state can do anything it wants to and we have to pay all the bills,” Padgett said. “And let’s face it, I certainly wouldn’t be serving on the board if I thought we weren’t doing something that could help out the teachers and students. We are doing everything we can.”

“How can the state operate any differently than the county does with a superintendent sitting in Atlanta with no direct contact with the schools themselves? It just doesn’t make sense.” — Jack Padgett

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WHETHER YOU’RE A ROOKIE OR A PRO, the Savannah River Dart Association wants you to sign up for their upcoming 10-week season. Registration is Monday, July 11, at 7 p.m. at The Highlander and, after that, teams meet at different bars each Monday at 8 p.m. Playoffs and a players banquet will end the season in September. The good news? You don’t have to know anything about the classic pub sport, and you don’t even need to assemble a team before showing up in North Augusta Monday. Individuals are encouraged to just come, check it out and, if interested, join an existing team in one of the association’s four leagues. According to SRDA member Matt Flynn, who’s been on a team for ﬁve years now, throwing darts is good, laid-back fun. “I like it because I’m decent at it and it’s something to do with my buddies,” he said. “We get together on Monday nights to drink some beer and throw some darts.” SRDA DART LEAGUE REGISTRATION The Highlander Monday, July 11 7 p.m. 706-414-7525 facebook.com/groups/srdadarts/

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Food Stuff More Than Just Beer You’d Be forgiven for believing that World of Beer is just a bar. You would, however, be wrong. It’s an easy mistake to make. World of Beer’s nondescript location on a crowded section of Washington Road (in front of one supermarket-anchored strip center and across the street from another), its equally nondescript building (which is basically just a rectangular box) and, well, its name would all lead the average person to believe that WOB is simply a place for people who like beer to go and try a wide variety of them. Okay, so it is that. World of Beer lives up to its name in that it has 50 rotating taps and large coolers on either side of the bar containing its bottled selections. It has popular domestic brands for those who aren’t too adventurous and stuff that many have never heard of for those who are. And they offer tastes so you can check out the unknowns before you order a full glass. In addition, WOB offers a small selection of craft cocktails, shots, wines and non-alcoholic choices for those who are simply, and reluctantly, accompanying a beer snob to their mecca. Those who don’t consider themselves knowledgeable in all things hops will be happy to know that, in addition to the varied drink selection, there’s more to do at World of Beer than just sip. The food here, at least everything I had on a recent evening, is damn good. My dining companion and I walked into the restaurant shortly after 7 on a Wednesday night. The small parking lot was full, but there were plenty of tables available. The space inside is a lot larger than it appears from outside, and is outfitted in that mixture of farmhouse wood and industrial metal that’s so popular these days. It’s actually quite striking and not bar-like at all. Clubby, I guess, is how I’d describe it. The booths were all taken and it was too hot to sit on the patio, so we opted for seats at the bar. That patio, despite the Washington Road view, is going to be nice come fall and winter. The glass doors leading out to it are retractable, easily transforming the place to an indoor-outdoor space and it contains a firepit surrounded by comfortable chairs, in addition to tables. I predict people are going to be fighting over that area as the temperature mellows. I know it’s where I’ll want to be. The ladies behind the bar were hustling, and even though it’s just pouring beer (for the most part), they had a lot to keep up with. Different beers are served in different glasses and I can’t imagine having to keep up with all that in my head. Still, they were doing a good job and, though busy, our bartender greeted us with a smile and gave us menus. And, boy, there are a lot of menus. There was a paper copy of drafts with all the pertinent information of each choice: alcohol by volume, style, brewery, state/country of origin and tasting notes. She also put a tablet in front of us that showed a list of the bottled beers. And, lastly, there was the nicely bound food menu. We ignored the food menu initially, in part because we’d already checked it out online. I eventually asked for samples of the Jekyll Brewing Big Creek Pear and the Three Taverns La Peche Mode. I ended up going with the latter, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t at least partially because of the name. Once we’d ordered beers, our bartender asked about appetizers and recommended the pretzel. Funny: we’d decided to order it before we even walked in the door. When it came to the table less than 10 minutes later I was slightly embarrassed that we had ordered it. Why? You know those things you can buy for your kitchen to hang banana bunches on? (And no, not a banana hammock — that’s something completely different.) Well, WOB’s pretzels are

so big they have to hang them from something that looks very similar. Now I know why they charge $8 for it. Well, $10, since we splurged for the homemade beer cheese. That may sound expensive, but it was worth every penny. The pretzel was crusty and salty, with a sheen from where it had been brushed with butter, and the cheese was delicious. My date didn’t care for the stone-ground mustard and its slightly funky taste, but I liked it. The two were even better mixed together. Since I already had my eye on dessert (more about that later), I decided to go light in an entrée. It wasn’t an easy decision, though. The menu features many dishes that looked great and many that incorporated beer into the recipes. The street tacos can be had with beerbattered shrimp or beer-brined chicken. The bratwurst is Guinness-infused. The spring greens and kale salad was topped with a Framboise vinaigrette. It all sounded so good, especially the Chimay burger with Chimay cheese, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and Chimay sauce. I knew, however, that if I ordered that and dessert I’d regret it later, so I went with a Margherita flatbread (regular rather than full-sized) 22 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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that was topped with tomato, mozzarella, basil and pine nut pesto, balsamic glaze and arugula. It was great, nice and light, although I found myself wishing for more pesto and arugula. My date ordered the bratwurst, which I didn’t try but he loved. It certainly looked good. He ordered it with a side of apple and kale coleslaw, as opposed to tater tots or tavern fries, and I did try that. Sweet, tangy, crunchy and not the slightest bit overdressed, I kept trying to go back for more of the small portion before getting a look that told me I might not want to try that again. Somewhere during all of this we both ordered more beers, and my Southbound Transilience, a sour wheat beer brewed with mango and pomegranate, was light and tangy. It perfectly accompanied the flatbread. On to dessert. WOB offers two, Belgian waffle s’mores, which didn’t appeal to either of us, and a pretzel bread pudding which, like the appetizer before it, I had already decided I wanted before I even set foot in the restaurant. Yeah, yeah, yeah… more pretzels. So what? Don’t judge until you’ve had this dessert, which combines pretzel pieces with a cinnamon custard and salted caramel. Served in a small castiron skillet, it was sweet, but the salt from the pretzels and the caramel offset that sweetness nicely. In all honesty, I’m still dreaming about that dish. A slight warning: World of Beer is not inexpensive and you may end up spending just as much on drinks as you do on food. Normally, I would have a problem with this. But I was happy to find that this is a place that takes just as much care with the food as they do with their drinks, so I would definitely recommend it. I’d even go back at lunchtime on a work day when I couldn’t have a beer. Well, just one wouldn’t hurt, would it? World of Beer 2819 Washington Road, Augusta Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. 706-922-0146 worldofbeer.com/locations/augusta

FOR SALE $125,000 67 Stuart Drive– Modoc Shores! Waterfront Building Lot/Dock Included

Grand view of open water from dock upper deck– 10’ X 22’ covered boat slip below

.8 acre lot 165’ road frontage

Big water view upper deck

Title “67 Stuart Dr Modoc” (706) 284 - 8782 7JULY2016

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25 32

What’s Up

Climb every moUntain

if yoUr kids are Complaining of summer boredom, send them to Active Climbing. They’ll come home too tired to complain about anything. Newly opened in May, Active Climbing Indoor Rock Climbing and Ninja Warrior Center in Grovetown offers week-long summer camps through the first week in August for kids of all ages. From 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., campers will learn the basics of climbing techniques and equipment, make crafts, compete on ninja obstacles, play on the slide and more. The only problem? When you drop them off, you’ll not want to leave. As it turns out, though, that’s not a problem since Active Climbing offers day passes, gear rental, first-timer instruction and memberships for individuals and families. And yes, that is an American Ninja Warrior training center they have. You know you want to try out the warped wall and the salmon ladder.

Calendar Music Listings

For more information, call 706-922-1054 or visit activeclimbing.com.

If you have any questions, or would like to submit an event to our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com.

this Week

friday

monday

tUesday

Rising high school seniors may It’s hot outside. And we mean Beer makes any conversation soon be posing for this picture, really, really hot. Hot for even topic more palatable, even but do they have a plan for us Georgia folks used to it. history. Let the Friends of the the months and years after If you need something to do Aiken County Historical Museum that? Let HOPE help. All this indoors, we suggest reading. and Dr. Tom Mack prove that to week, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., the And the best place to stock you tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the up on reading material without Aiken Brewing Company. That’s organization will hold a College and Financial Responsibility exhausting your bank account is when History on Tap meets on Fair at the Diamond Lakes at the Columbia County Library. the second floor. Mack will talk Branch Library where they’ll From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today and about the secret history of the provide assistance with tomorrow, as well as 2-5 p.m. city, while participants listen as everything from choosing a on Sunday, the Friends of the they sip one of the restaurant’s college to filling out financial Columbia County Libraries will famous brews. We’re partial to aid forms. They’ll even offer have a foyer full of books just the Royal Cru. tutoring for those who are waiting for a good home. Plus, preparing for the GED. they have air conditioning.

Wednesday You never know what you’re going to find at the Salvation Army’s auto auction, and that’s part of the fun. The next sale is Saturday, July 16, at 10 a.m., but yesterday, today and tomorrow from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., prospective buyers can visit 1384 Greene Street and check out the inventory. Whether you need a boat, a Seadoo, a Cadillac Fleetwood limo or a 2012 Honda Accord, it looks like they have it. Hell, they even have a 1988 white Ford Bronco that looks as if it may have been involved in a slow-speed chase.

For more information on these events, see our calendar of events on page 25. 7JULY2016

from the weather and climate that affects them to what lives in them, how they move and more. $165. Call 706-723-5782, email heythere@theclubhou.se or visit theclubhou.se/camps/.

9am - 4pm Sumo Robot League Camp theClubhou.se A camp for those ages 11 and older in which participants will assemble and program a sumo robot. Participants should bring a sack lunch. $300 per person, plus $100 for the kit. Call 706-723-5782 or visit theclubhou.se/camps/.

9:30am - 11:30am Fencing Camp Augusta Fencer’s Club For those ages 7-11 and all competitive equipment is provided. $200. Call 706-7228878 or visit augustafencersclub.com.

1pm - 4pm ideaventions Junior Robotics Atlantis

Drawing Patterns From Nature Phinizy Swamp Nature Center Saturday, July 9 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by local artist Jay Jacobs and suitable for beginners. $80, members; $90, nonmembers. Registration fee includes this and follow-up class on August 13 and materials. 706-828-2109 phinizycenter.org

ARTS Sat July 9

9am - 12:30pm Drawing Patterns From Nature Phinizy Swamp Nature Center Led by local artist Jay Jacobs and suitable for beginners. $80, members; $90, nonmembers. Registration fee includes this and follow-up class on August 13 and materials. Call 706828-2109 or visit phinizycenter.org.

CAMPS Mon July 11 - Fri July 15 Running Wild With Creativity

Aiken Center for the Arts Half-day, either 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m., or full-day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., camps available for those ages 4-6, rising 1st-4th grades and middle schools in 5th grade and up. $140 a week, half days; $265 a week, full days. Pre-registration required. Call 803-6419094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.

7am - 5pm Youth Horse Camp Hilltop Riding Stables, Fort Gordon For those ages 7-13, who will learn riding, grooming, care and tack, as well as 7JULY2016

participate in other camp activities. $250, sponsored; $275, unsponsored. Call 706-7914864 or visit fortgordon.com.

8am - 5pm Summer Adventures Camp Weeks Activities Center, Aiken For those ages 5-12. Early drop off at 7:30 a.m. and late pick up until 5:30 p.m. available. $70 per week. Call 803-642-7631 or visit visitaikensc.com.

8am - 5pm Summer Fun Day Camp Smith-Hazel Recreation Center, Aiken For those ages 5-14. Early drop off at 7:45 a.m. available. $60 per week. Call 803-6427761 or visit visitaikensc.com.

8:30am - 4:30pm Augusta Sailing Club Sailing Camp Clarks Hill Reservoir For ages 8-14, this camp features on the water sailing instructions and on-shore activities. $232, members; $258, nonmembers. Call 706-910-7920 or email sailcamp@augustasailingclub.org.

8:30am - 2pm Summer Camp Active Climbing Indoor Rock Climbing and

Ninja Warrior Center Kids will learn the basics of climbing techniques and equipment, make crafts, compete on ninja obstacles, play on the slide and more. $60 a day or $200 a week. Call 706922-1054, email augusta@activeclimbing.com or visit activeclimbing.com.

9am - 4pm Camp Kroc Summer Camp Kroc Center For those ages 5-12. Extended care available. $100 a week, members; $125, non-members; $5 a day, extended care; $30 a week, swim lessons. Call 706-922-1533 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org.

9am - 3pm Culinary Camp Helms College A camp for high school students in which participants will take a hands-on approach in the planning and preparation of gourmet meals. The $325 fee covers the cost of all supplies and materials. Call 706-651-9707 or visit helms.edu.

9am - noon ideaventions Oceanography theClubhou.se A camp for rising ﬁrst-fourth graders in which participants will explore the oceans,

theClubhou.se A camp for rising ﬁrst-fourth graders in which participants will become part of a deep sea salvage crew searching for the lost city of Atlantis. $165. Call 706-723-5782, email heythere@theclubhou.se or visit theclubhou.se/camps/.

6pm - 7:30pm Youth Archery Camp Weeks Center, Gym I, Aiken For those ages 5-17. $60, residents; $80, non-residents. Call 803-642-7631 or visit visitaikensc.com.

EDUCATION Thu July 7

10am - noon Computer Help Lab Thursdays Wallace Branch Library Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.

10:30am Our Website: A Helpful Guide Appleby Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.

Sat July 9

11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm A Petersburg Boat Pilot Augusta Museum of History Part of the Voices of the Past series of character monologues. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

2pm The Many Gods We Don’t Believe In Maxwell Branch Library Led by Patrick Moorehead, this seminar will explore the exotic religions of the world. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.

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10am - 3pm College and Financial Responsibility Fair

10am - noon Computer Help Lab Thursdays

Diamond Lakes Branch Library A HOPE-sponsored week-long event for rising seniors and non-graduates that will offer options for college, assistance with college registration, financial aid forms, tutoring for the GED if needed and more. Pre-registration required. Call 706772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

Wallace Branch Library Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.

3:30pm - 5pm Intermediate Spanish

11am Identity Theft Prevention

Friedman Branch Library An adult class led by Edwin Perez of the Asociacion Cultural Hispanoamericana. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Led by a representative from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

6:30pm - 8pm History on Tap: The Secret History of Aiken

7pm Ty Cobb

Aiken Brewing Company Led by Dr. Tom Mack in an event sponsored by the Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum. Call 803-642-2015 or visit aikenmuseum.us.

Tue July 12

10am - 3pm College and Financial Responsibility Fair Diamond Lakes Branch Library A HOPE-sponsored week-long event for rising seniors and non-graduates that will offer options for college, assistance with college registration, financial aid forms, tutoring for the GED if needed and more. Pre-registration required. Call 706772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

Wed July 13

11:30am - 1:30pm Brown Bag History Series Lecture Augusta Museum of History Featuring a discussion of the Chinese in Augusta, led by Raymond Rufo, board member of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. Participants should bring their own lunch and the museum will provide beverages. A Q&A session follows the lecture. Free, members; $3, nonmembers. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Noon Brown Bag Lunch ‘N Learn TheClubhou.se An event featuring consultants and other experts who will provide information to budding entrepreneurs. Visit theclubhou.se.

6pm - 7:30pm Spanish Conversation Headquarters Branch Library For those at beginner and intermediate levels. Call 317-695-4748.

Thu July 14

10:30am Getting to Know Your PINES Account Diamond Lakes Branch Library Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Led by Don Rhodes. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Ongoing

James Brown Family Historical Tour Augusta Museum of History Available each Saturday at 11 a.m. and lasting approximately two hours, this bus tour includes Brown’s elementary school, his childhood home, his statue and more. $15 fee, includes admission to the museum, which houses the largest collection of James Brown memorabilia. Reservations 24 hours in advance required. Call 803-640-2090 or visit jamesbrownfamilyfdn.org.

Guided Tours 1797 Ezekiel Harris House Offered by appointment only Monday-Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

North Augusta Driving Tour Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta Offered by appointment and includes a 30-45-minute guided tour and admission to the center. Self-guided tours are also available through an iPhone downloadable audio tour or a Google Maps-based tour. Guided tours: $5, adults; $3, students K-12. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.

Tours Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson Guided tours, approximately 45 minutes long, are offered Thursday-Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Group tours are available by advanced reservation. Adults, $5; seniors, $4; kids K-12, $3; under 5 years, free. Call 706-7240436 or visit wilsonboyhoodhome.org.

Historic Trolley Tours of Augusta Augusta Visitors Center Tours aboard the Lady Libby available at the Augusta Visitors Center with 24-hour advanced reservations. Tickets include admission to the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-724-4067 or visit visitaugusta.org.

ELSEWHERE Thu July 14

7:30pm - 9pm Tours Elmwood Cemetery, Columbia, S.C. Participants can choose from a Secrets of the Grave Tour at 7:30 p.m. to study the symbols on the markers and headstones in this historic cemetery, or a Moonlight Cemetery Tour at either 8 or 8:30 p.m. Suitable for the entire family, participants should bring a flashlight. Members: $8,

adults, and $4, youth. Non-members: $12, adults, and $6, youth. Visit historiccolumbia.org.

EXHIBITIONS Thu July 7

5pm - 7pm Opening Reception: Vicki Greene and Joan Vanover Exhibit Sacred Heart Cultural Center The exhibit remains on display until August 26. The reception is free and open to the public. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org.

Fri July 8

5pm - 8pm Tito Perez Exhibit Opening Reception That Place Call 706-339-7011 or visit thatplacecoffee.com.

5pm - 8pm Travis Duncan Exhibit Reception 4P Studios Call 706-267-6724 or visit 4pstudioart.com.

Wed July 13

7pm Out of Africa Reception Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta A show featuring more than 80 pieces of African art from the locally owned corporate collection of Tibi Winston Ltd. Will show through August 19 in the main gallery. Call 803441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.

Thu July 14

6pm - 7:30pm Meet the Artist: Jennifer White Hire Grounds Cafe White’s photography work, mostly of animals she meets in her job and volunteer work with rescue organizations, will be on display in the cafe in the month of July. Call 706-6505760 or visit goodwillworks.org.

Ongoing

Miru: Hope Full Soul Westobou Gallery A collection of new artwork by Staci Swider. A book signing will take place September 2 for Swider’s new book “Acrylic Expressions: Painting Authentic Themes and Creating Your Visual Vocabulary.” The exhibition will show Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through September 2. Call 706-755-2878 or visit westoboufestival.com.

Exhibits Augusta Museum of History Includes the following: “The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown; “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf”; “Augusta’s Story”; “A Community That Heals”; “Into the Interior: A History of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company”; “Local Legends”; “One Man, Two Ships: Lessons in History and Courage”; “A Quilt Journey”; and “Canteens to Combat Boots”. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

FLIX Thu July 7

10:30am Retro Morning Movie Appleby Branch Library Featuring “42: The Jack Robinson Story.” Participants are invited to bring snacks. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org. 7JULY2016

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10:30am Super Awesome Sports Movie Week

Wed July 13

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Children’s sports movies will show each day on a big screen. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Part of the Family Movie Matinee Series, door open for this event at noon and the movie starts at 12:30 p.m. Free. Call 706868-3484 or visit columbiacountyga.gov.

3pm Super Awesome Sports Movie Week North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Children’s sports movies will show each day on a big screen. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Fri July 8

10:30am Super Awesome Sports Movie Week North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Children’s sports movies will show each day on a big screen. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Noon “Oklahoma!” Morris Museum of Art Part of the Films on Friday series that includes a discussion afterwards. Participants are invited to bring lunch. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.

Noon “Book of Life”

Thu July 14

11am Thursday Movie Madness Diamond Lakes Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm “The Karate Kid” Headquarters Branch Library A movie showing for young adults. Call 706821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

2:30pm Movie Time Friedman Branch Library Featuring a G-rated movie. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

Ongoing

Call for Entries Cause + Effect Georgia Progressive Film Competition The festival will accept through October 2 short film with a focus on social, political, environment or economic issues facing Georgia or a community in Georgia. Open to all Georgia filmmakers. No entry fees. Semifinalist films will screen at Cine in Athens in November. Visit causeandeffectfilm.org.

HEALTH Thu July 7

5:30pm - 8pm Cribs for Kids

Sat July 9

10am “James and the Giant Peach” Imperial Theatre Part of the Summer Family Fun Film Series. Free, but tickets required. Call 706-722-8341 or visit imperialtheatre.com.

2:30pm Family Fun Movies Appleby Branch Library Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.

Safe Kids Office This class will teach caregivers how to provide a safe sleep environment by showing what dangers to watch out for. Families who demonstrate a financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and a pacifier for a fee of $10 per registered child. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org/safekids.

7pm Center for Women Tour

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

Doctors Hospital Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

Tue July 12

Sat July 9

Appleby Branch Library Featuring “Cars.” Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.

Doctors Hospital A weekend childbirth education class that continues Sunday, July 10, from 1-5 p.m. Preregistration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

3pm “Eddie the Eagle”

2pm Retro Family Afternoon Movie

5:45pm “One More Time” Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-821-2615 or visit arcpls.org. 7JULY2016

9am - 4:30pm Short and Sweet

10:30am Childbirth Tour AUHealth Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2273 or

visit augustahealth.org.

Mon July 11

4pm Breast Self-Exam Class University’s Breast Health Center Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.

6:30pm Refit Headquarters Branch Library A free cardio dance class. Call 706-821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

Tue July 12

7pm - 9:30pm Childbirth Preparation University Hospital A four-session class that continues on Tuesdays through July 26. Free, but preregistration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.

Headquarters Branch Library Call 706-821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

1:30pm - 3:30pm Look Good Feel Better Augusta University Cancer Center An American Cancer Society program that aims to help women in cancer treatment combat the appearance-related side effects of chemo and radiation. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-0466 or visit augustahealth.org.

Thu July 14

5:45pm - 8pm Car Seat Class Safe Kids Office Pre-registration required. $10; car or booster seat provided to families who meet financial guidelines. Call 706-721-7606 or visit augustahealth.org.

7pm - 9:30pm Baby 101

AUHealth Call 706-721-2273 or visit augustahealth.org.

Doctors Hospital An infant care and development class. Preregistration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

Wed July 13

7pm - 9:30pm Women’s Center Tour

7:30pm Childbirth Tour

Child Safety Seat Inspections Columbia County Sheriff’s Substation Appointment required. Call 706-541-3970 or visit grhealth.org.

10am - noon Free Blood Pressure/Blood Sugar Checks

University Hospital Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.

HOBBIES Mon July 11

7pm - 11pm SRDA Dart League AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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Registration

10:15am - 11:30am Friday Story Times

The Highlander All skill levels are welcome to join this 10-week season (plus playoffs) in which matches — singles, doubles and team formats — are held Mondays nights. A players banquet will be held at the end of the season. Teams and individuals welcome. Call 706-414-7525 or visit facebook.com/groups/srdadarts/.

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Story time are at 10:15 for those ages 0-2 years and at 11 a.m. for those ages 3-5 years. Call 803279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Wed July 13

Noon Georgia-Carolina Toastmasters

7pm Get Pop-Cultured: Finding Dory

KIDS-TEENS

9:30am - 11am Children’s Hike with Story Time

10am Folk Art Frenzy Morris Museum of Art Part of the Mommy and Me series for children and parents in which participants will learn what it means to be a folk artist and create their own found-object piece. Free, members; $4 per participants, nonmembers. Pre-registration required. Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris.org.

10:30am Colorful Jellyﬁsh Craft Diamond Lakes Branch Library For ages 3-7. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm Go Team! Craft Headquarters Branch Library An all ages event in which participants will make their own megaphones and foam ﬁngers. Pre-registration recommended. Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls.org.

2:30pm Bunny Trail, Meet Reggie Reader Harlem Branch Library Call 706-556-9795 or visit gchrl.org.

2:30pm Get in the (Video) Game Columbia County Library A teen program featuring gaming on a big screen with surround sound. Call 706-8631946 or visit gchrl.org.

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Columbia County Library A teen program featuring popcorn and a new movie each week. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Fat Man’s Mill Cafe Those interested are invited to learn speech and leadership skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Call 706-627-2134.

Thu July 7

Out of Africa Reception Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta Wednesday, July 13 7 p.m. A show, up through August 9 in the main gallery, featuring more than 80 pieces of African art from the locally owned corporate collection of Tibi Winston Ltd. 803-441-4380 artsandheritagecenter.com

2:30pm - 5pm Friday Afternoon Movie

4pm DIY Retro Gaming Aiken Public Library A teen summer reading program in which participants in grades 6-12 will make their own mini tabletop games and play the library’s giant games. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Fri July 8

10:15am - 11:30am Friday Story Times Aiken Public Library Story time are at 10:15 for those ages 0-23 months, at 11 a.m. for those ages 2-3 years and at 11:45 a.m. for those ages 4-5 years. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.

Sat July 9

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Pre-registration required. Call 706-396-1424 or visit phinizycenter.org.

11am Daisy-Head Mayzie Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.

11am Gentlemen, Start Your Engines North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Bruce Tanehill and driver Damion Moses visit the library with their race cars. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Noon Doctor Who Comics Day North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Participants can dress up and play Guess Doctor Who and win prizes. Call 803-2795767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

2pm Lego Club Headquarters Branch Library Legos provided. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls.org.

Sun July 10

2pm - 4pm At the Races Morris Museum of Art Part of the Artrageous! Family Sunday series, this event features Sue Vetsch and her SDR Ranch Mini Equine Show, featuring horses, ponies and donkeys, stories in the gallery and creating a horseshoe. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.

Mon July 11

10am Maker Mondays Columbia County Library A teen event in which participants will work on a group project or one of their own using the library’s equipment. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

10:30am - 11:30am Music & Me Headquarters Branch Library A class for children ages 0-4 in which 7JULY2016

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participants will learn how to chant, sing, play instruments and move to the music. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706821-2623 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm Movie Monday Headquarters Branch Library A G- or PG-rated movie will be shown in the children’s department. Call 706-821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

7pm Young Adult Lip Sync Battle North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Tue July 12

10:15am Big Kids Story Time Headquarters Branch Library Stories and songs for those ages 3-5. Preregistration recommended. Call 706-8212623 or visit arcpls.org.

10am - 11:30am Puddle Ducks: Kids & Caregivers Club

10:30am Paws to Read Aiken Public Library A program for those in grades K-5 who can read to a therapy dog for 15 minutes. Preregistration required. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

10:30am Sand Art Appleby Branch Library A 4-H led program for those ages 3-12. Preregistration required. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.

Lab. Pre-registration required. Call 706-7366244 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm Paper Plate Ping Pong Headquarters Branch Library Participants will make paddles out of paper plates and then play ping pong. Preregistration recommended. Call 706-8212623 or visit arcpls.org.

2:30pm Get in the (Video) Game

10:30am Savannah River Ecology Lab Animal Visit

Columbia County Library A teen program featuring gaming on a big screen with surround sound. Call 706-8631946 or visit gchrl.org.

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

4pm Teen Book Club

10:30am Story Time for Tots

Harlem Branch Library Call 706-556-9795 or visit gchrl.org.

Headquarters Branch Library Stories and songs for those ages 0-3. Preregistration recommended. Call 706-8212623 or visit arcpls.org.

6pm Young Adult Summer Prom Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Stories and hands-on fun. Free, members; $5, nonmembers. Call 706-396-1424 or email info@phinizycenter.org.

11:30am Savannah River Ecology Lab Animal Visit

LITERARY

North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

6pm Book Talk and Signing

10:30am Animals of the CSRA

2pm Guided Story Walk

Diamond Lakes Branch Library Led by Sean Poppy for the Savannah River Ecology Lab. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm Oobleck

10:30am Fort Gordon Fish and Wildlife Nature Talk Harlem Branch Library Call 706-556-9795 or visit gchrl.org.

10:30am Therapy Dogs Friedman Branch Library A program led by Ann Sprinkle and her therapy dogs. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

2:30pm Self-Defense for Children Euchee Creek Branch Library Led by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department. Call 706-556-0594 or visit gchrl.org.

Wed July 13

10am Puppet Show Wallace Branch Library With Tara Brunson. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.

10am Story Time Maxwell Branch Library For those ages 3-5. Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.

10am Wacky Wednesday Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com. 7JULY2016

Columbia County Library Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Thu July 7

Headquarters Branch Library Featuring Lillian Powell Benson, author of “Savannah River Meanderings.” Call 706821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

Fri July 8

10am - 5pm Big Book Sale Columbia County Library Both fiction and non-fiction books will be available in the foyer during this Friends of the Columbia County Libraries event. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Sat July 9

11am - 1pm The 2016 Novel Writers Series Headquarters Branch Library A five-session lunch and learn series that began in June. July’s session will deal with characters and settings and participants should bring a lunch. Free. Call 706-8212600 or visit augustaliteraryfestival.org.

Sun July 10

2pm - 5pm Big Book Sale Columbia County Library Both fiction and non-fiction books will be available in the foyer during this Friends of

Headquarters Branch Library A 4-H led program in which participants will make slime. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls.org.

2pm Puppet Show: Kat Kong Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

3pm Puppet Show: Kat Kong Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

4:30pm Alley Cats Strikehouse Bowl, Aiken Part of the Aiken Recreation Department’s Buddy Sports program for those with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, this class is for those of all bowling abilities. $12 a month; pre-registration required. Call 803426-1284 or visit therecingcrew.com.

Thu July 14

10am Puppet Show and Workshop Wallace Branch Library With Tara Brunson. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.

10:30am Creatures of the CSRA Appleby Branch Library A program for those ages 6-12 led by Sean Poppy from the Savannah River Ecology AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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and more. Call 706-733-1788.

Fri July 8

10am - 2pm Summer Produce Market Medical Associates Plus A market selling fresh, locally grown and organic fruits and vegetables that will also feature a kids fun zone. WIC and Snap EBT accepted. Call 877-205-5006 or email info@mapbt.com.

Sat July 9

8am - 2pm Augusta Market at the River 8th Street Plaza, Reynolds Street The event features vendors of all kinds, activities, live entertainment and more. Visit theaugustamarket.com.

10am - 2pm Dog Wash SPCA Albrecht Center, Aiken The public is invited to bring their dogs to the center for baths, ear cleanings and nail trims. Prices depend on the size of the dog and all proceeds beneﬁt the center and its homeless pets. Call 803-648-6863 or visit letlovelive.org.

8pm “Engineering the International Space Station”

The 2016 Novel Writers Series Headquarters Branch Library Saturday, July 9 11 a.m.-1 p.m. A ﬁve-session lunch and learn series that began in June. July’s session will deal with characters and settings. Future classes include August 13 (themes and conﬂict), September 17 (story structure) and October 8 (outlining for clarity). Participants should bring a lunch. Free. 706-821-2600 augustaliteraryfestival.org the Columbia County Libraries event. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Mon July 11

7pm Pub Fiction Book Club

821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov.

Mon July 11

7pm Hopelands Summer Concert Series

Pizza Central Hosted by Columbia County Library staff. July’s selection is “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” by Brian Kilmeade. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Hopelands Gardens, Aiken Featuring the Parris Island Marine Band. Attendees can bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnics and well-behaved pets on leashes, but no alcohol. Free. Call 803-642-7631 or visit facebook.com/ experienceaiken. The rain-out hotline is 803-643-4661.

MUSIC

Thu July 14

Sat July 9

11am - 2pm Saturday Morning Swing Eighth Street Plaza Live music from local jazz artists and performing arts groups during the Augusta Market. Call 706-627-0128 or visit theaugustamarket.com.

7pm Summer Concert Series 8th Street River Stage Free. Call 706-821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov.

Sun July 10

7:30pm Candlelight Jazz Augusta Common Attendees are invited to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for this live jazz concert. $6. Call 70630 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

7pm Music in the Park Maude Edenﬁeld Park, North Augusta Featuring Palmetto Blue. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the community center. Free. Visit naartscouncil.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Dupont Planetarium, Aiken Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1$5.50. Call 803-641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.

9pm “Digistar Laser Fantasy” Dupont Planetarium, Aiken Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1$5.50. Call 803-641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.

Tue July 12

8am - 6pm Auto Auction Preview Days Salvation Army, 1384 Greene Street Customers can view the inventory for the auction, which will be held Saturday, July 16, as well as look under the hood and start the vehicles. There is a $5 fee to register for the auction. Call 706-434-3178 or visit salvationarmycars.com.

Wed July 13

8am - 9am Only in America Dressage Stableview Farms, Aiken A USEF/USDF Recognized Level Two Championship Qualiﬁer Dressage show. Call 803-648-1222 or visit stableviewfarm.com.

Thu July 7

Thu July 14

Downtown Aiken This weekly event includes fresh goods, food vendors, artisans, ﬂowers and live music. Call 803-293-2214.

5pm - 8pm First Thursday

Salvation Army, 1384 Greene Street Customers can view the inventory for the auction, which will be held Saturday, July 16, as well as look under the hood and start the vehicles. There is a $5 fee to register for the auction. Call 706-434-3178 or visit salvationarmycars.com.

Shops of Midtown, Kings Way at Central Avenue This event features discounts in the shops, hors d’oeuvres

5pm - 7:30pm Farmers Market in the Alley

8am - 6pm Auto Auction Preview Days

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Downtown Aiken This weekly event includes fresh goods, food vendors, artisans, flowers and live music. Call 803-293-2214.

SPIRITUAL Thu July 7

7pm Lifting the Veil on Islam: About Islam Islamic Society of Augusta Part of a monthly program to enlighten newcomers about Islam. This series, held the first Thursday of each month, is open to the public and refreshments will be served. Visit openhouse.isaugusta.com.

SPORTS-OUTDOORS Thu July 7

7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Columbia Fireflies Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.

Fri July 8

Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2681 or visit augusta.org/classes.

Sun July 10

11am Meditation Moments

THEATER

Ronald McDonald House An open support group for those in crisis or experiencing loss. Call 706-721-2929 or visit augusta.edu.

8pm “Merrily We Roll Along”

Mon July 11

6pm Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.

6:30pm Men’s Breast Cancer Support Group University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.

Tue July 12

10:20am Moms Connection

Mistletoe State Park Kid-friendly activities in the park led by a Naturalist. $5 plus $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.

Augusta University Medical Center This free weekly support group for new mothers meets in the Terrace Dining Dogwood Room on the second floor. Call 706-721-8283 or visit augustahealth.org.

7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Columbia Fireflies

7pm Alzheimer’s Support Group

10am - noon Friday Summer Fun

Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.

Alzheimer’s Association Chapter Building Call 706-731-9060.

Sat July 9

7pm OB/GYN Cancer Support Group

6:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Columbia Fireflies

Call 706-821-2944.

Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.

Thu July 14

Sun July 10

AU Cancer Center Call 706-721-1560 or visit augusta.edu.

Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.

Ongoing

5:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Columbia Fireflies

SUPPORT Fri July 8

11am - 2pm ALS Support Lunch and Learn Augusta University Medical Office Building This support group gives individuals an opportunity to share their personal experiences and learn more about strategies for preserving the independence and quality of life for ALS patients and their loved ones. Lunch is provided.

7JULY2016

those who have experienced sexual assault, incest, rape or childhood sexual abuse. Call 706-724-5200 or visit universityhealth.org.

12:30pm Breast Cancer Support Group

Write to Heal Creative Writing Program Children’s Hospital of Georgia family resource library For patients, family members and caregivers, this program meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-5160 or email nawilliams@gru.edu.

Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support Group Provides group counseling at University Hospital for

Fri July 8

Le Chat Noir A Les Chatons Noir youth collective production. $20. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.

Sat July 9

8pm “Merrily We Roll Along” Le Chat Noir A Les Chatons Noir youth collective production. $20. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.

Sun July 10

3pm “Merrily We Roll Along” Le Chat Noir A Les Chatons Noir youth collective production. $20. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.

Ongoing

“Creation” Auditions Enopion Theatre Company Casting by appointment those 18 and older for this musical that will show October 28-29 and November 3-5 at the Kroc Center. Rehearsals begin in June. Call 706-771-7777 or visit enopion.com.

VOLUNTEER Ongoing

CASA Volunteer Training Child Enrichment Inc. Those wishing to be an advocate for abused children by becoming a CASA volunteer can attend training that runs July 18-28. For more information, call 706-737-4631 or visit childenrichment.org.

Senior Companions Needed Senior Citizens Council The council is seeking those ages 55 and older who can serve 20 hours a week with a special needs adult. Benefits include stipend, travel reimbursement and annual physical. For more information, call 706-868-0120.

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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Daya, with Symon Bell Auditorium Saturday, July 9 7 p.m. $25 877-4AUGTIX georgialinatix.com

Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Live Music on the Patio That Place - John Stoney Cannon Wild Wing - Brendan Roberts The Willcox (Aiken) - Thursday Night Jazz w/ 4 Cats in the Dog House

Somewhere in Augusta - Chris Ndeti The Stables Restaurant (Aiken) - Keith Gregory Stillwater Taproom - The Josh Daniel and Mark Schimick Project Surrey Tavern - The Groove Orient Whole Foods - Music @ the Turn Wild Wing - Interstate Exiles The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

What’s Tonight?

Thursday, July 7 Live Music

Bar West - Open Mic Night w/ Jonathon Flowers Carolina Ale House - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper (9 p.m.) Chevy’s - Karaoke Cotton Patch - Old School Thursday w/ DJ Groove Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic, Spoken Word Pizza Joint (Downtown) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper (7 p.m.) Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Poker for Fun

Friday, July 8 Live Music

Back Yard Tavern - Charlie/Janet & TDC Bar West - Live Music Bird Dog Grille - Donna Jo Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Radio Romance Joe’s Underground - Primo Noctis, Apex Pulse Shannon’s - The Unmentionables Sky City - Kelen Heller, Burnsom

32 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Chevy’s - DJ Nicky B Soul Bar - Pop Life Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke

The Highlander - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - Ladies Night, Singles Night Somewhere in Augusta - UFC 200 Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke

Sunday, July 10 Live Music

Aiken Speakeasy and Eats (Aiken) - Live Jazz Augusta Common - Candlelight Jazz Concert Series Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Brunch w/ Mike Frost and Lauren Meccia Wild Wing - Mike Reid Duo

The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

What’s Tonight?

Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane

Monday, July 11 Live Music

Hopelands Gardens (Aiken) - Hopelands Summer Concert Series w/ Parris Island Marine Band Metro Coffeehouse & Pub - Blues Monday w/ Famous Last Words Soul Bar - Nihilist Cheerleader, Methwax

Saturday, July 9 Live Music

8th Street River Stage - Summer Concert Series Bell Auditorium - Daya, Symon Bird Dog Grille - Jay Johnson Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Outshyne Coyotes - Departure (Journey Tribute Band) Eighth Street Plaza - Saturday Morning Swing at the Augusta Market on the River Iron Heights - Awake at Last Shannon’s - Terence Lonon and the Untouchables Sky City - False Flag, Lost Boy Wild Wing - Spider Spoke Hillbillies The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

What’s Tonight?

The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - DJ Fugi Chevy’s - DJ Nicky B Helga’s Pub & Grille - Bluegrass Brunch (11 a.m.3 p.m.); Trivia, nights

Nihilist Cheerleader, with Methwax Soul Bar Monday, July 11 9 p.m. soulbar.com 7JULY2016

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What’s Tonight?

Joe’s Underground - Poker Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - World Tavern Poker Wild Wing - Trivia Wing Place (Aiken) - Trivia

Tuesday, July 12 Live Music

Joe’s Underground - Open Mic The Willcox (Aiken) - Hal Shreck

What’s Tonight?

Bar West - Trivia The Cotton Patch - Trivia Limelite Cafe - Bottom’s Up Trivia Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Trivia Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Big Prize Trivia Soul Bar - Soul Night w/ DJ Matto Twisted Burrito - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper

Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Pizza Joint (Evans) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper The Playground - Krazy Karaoke w/ Big Troy Polo Tavern (Aiken) - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Sky City - Wednesday Night Conspiracy w/ DJ Knightmare Somewhere in Augusta - The Comedy Zone w/ Herb McCanndless, Hypnnotist Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz Surrey Tavern - Trivia w/ Christian and Mickey

The Highlander - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Mike and Walter Wild Wing - Jason Marcum

What’s Tonight?

The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - Karaoke Chevy’s - Karaoke Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke

- Bell Auditorium July 24 Crunk Witch, Gloom Cocoon

- Soul Bar July 25 Dead Neighbors

- Soul Bar July 27 Chris Ndeti and Company

- Stillwater Taproom July 29 Hound of Goshen, The Will McCranie Band

- Stillwater Taproom July 30 Maxwell, Ro James

Upcoming

- Bell Auditorium August 6

The Young Step

Boston

- Soul Bar July 14 Hound of Goshen, Stink Bamboo, Vicky Grady Band

- Sky City July 15 Laura Blackley and the Wildﬂowers

- Stillwater Taproom July 15 David Lee, The Ultimate Elvis

- Jabez S. Hardin PAC July 16 Jacob Beltz

Wednesday, July 13 Live Music

The Monkees

- Stillwater Taproom July 16 The Hoy Polloy

- Bell Auditorium August 7 I Love the ‘90s Tour w/ Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Kid N Play, Rob Base, Tone Loc, Color Me Badd

- Bell Auditorium October 6 ZZ Top

- Bell Auditorium October 26

Elsewhere Leon Russell

- City Winery, Atlanta July 7-8 Doug E Fresh, Juvenile, Bog Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Whodini, Rob Base

- Soul Bar July 18 Steve Miller Band

- Bell Auditorium July 19 Dollar Signs, Gloom Cocoon

- Soul Bar July 19

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.

- Wolf Crrek Amphitheater, Atlanta July 9 Modest Mouse, Brand New

Try FREE: 706-434-0108 More Local Numbers: 1-800-926-6000

- Chastain Park, Atlanta July 10

Ahora español Livelinks.com 18+

Flight of the Conchords

Dip, Twinki

- Chastain Park, Atlanta July 12

- Soul Bar July 21 Chris Robinson Brotherhood

- Sky City July 22 Kenny George Band CD Release Party

- Stillwater Taproom July 23

Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Melissa Etheridge

- Chastain Park, Atlanta July 16 Indigo Girls

- Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville July 16

Meet sexy new friends

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706-434-0112

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7JULY2016

| cmaaugusta.com

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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SIGHTINGS

Michael Johnson | mejphoto.photoreflect.com

Will and Brooke Jackson with Lauren and Daniel Eubanks at Craft & Vine.

Luke Cornelson, Elizabeth Canas and Gary Joye at the Augusta Pride President’s Soiree at Sacred Heart.

Julie Deriso and Katie Pope with Mandy and Drew Nelson at the Hive Growler Bar.

United States Attorney Ed Tarver, Krystal Holman, Akesha Tarver and Shawn Tarver at the Augusta Pride President’s Soiree at Sacred Heart.

Augusta Pride President Takya Browning, Lonzo Smith and Pride Parade Grand Marshall Leonard Porkchop Zimmerman at the President’s Soiree at Sacred Heart.

Adam Wadding, Gabriel Smith, Chris Stephens and Robert Smith at the Augusta Pride President’s Soiree at Sacred Heart.

Joyce Ducker, Patty Marter and Roslyn Cooke at Classic Rock Meets the Classic South concert at Evans Towne Center Park.

JP Claeys and Melinda Claeys with Tina and Dewayne Richardson at Classic Rock Meets the Classic South concert at Evans Towne Center Park.

Michelle Wright, Amy Padgett and Peggy Maddox at Classic Rock Meets the Classic South concert at Evans Towne Center Park.

34 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

7JULY2016

SPORTS-PAGE HEADLINES By Priscilla Clark and Jeff Chen /Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS 1 Foyer fixture 9 Paratroopers’ gear 15 Building material for an 80-Across (in two different ways?) 20 Unsympathetic response to a complainer 21 Warhol’s “Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box,” e.g. 22 Italian vessel? 23 Conflict at sea 26 Asia’s ____ Sea 27 Geological flat top 28 Staple at a luau 29 Orange Pixar character 30 Main character in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” 32 River ____ (tributary of the Thames) 34 Balls or fire preceder 37 Way off 40 Decides, in a way 44 Dura ____ (brain membrane) 46 “That’s more than I want to know!” 47 Parenting problem at a zoo 52 Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, e.g. 53 Spill one’s secrets 54 “The Governator” 55 Focus of study for Niels Bohr 56 Lead-in to dealer or dialer 59 Winter Palace resident 61 Particulars, in slang 62 Logician’s word 63 Show weariness 65 Eight days after the nones 67 Choice word? 69 Cold War synopsis 74 Rimes with rhymes 75 Othello, for one 76 “Kewl!” 77 Catch 80 See 15-Across 83 It may be recounted 85 Be highly esteemed 87 Not mad 88 Roger Bannister, notably 89 Word repeated in James Brown’s “It’s a ____ ____ ____ World” 91 “Please show some compassion!” 94 Show of respect at the Vatican 99 Wood in Lucius Malfoy’s wand 100 Dear one? 101 Rapt 102 Twosome

104 Incapacitate, in a way 105 “Inside the N.B.A.” airer 106 Yemen, once 111 Subj. for a radio astronomer 113 One in a gray suit, for short 115 Most-applied-to sch. in the U.S. 119 Split pair 120 Overthrow of a monarchy 126 Smart ____ 127 Only guest host in the 21 years of Leno’s “The Tonight Show” 128 It requires a balancing act 129 City of Light, informally 130 Gives the old heave-ho 131 Faulty connections?

48 Bathroom bar 49 The Pink Panther, in “The Pink Panther” 50 Takes the place of, in batting 51 Seventh film in the “Rocky” series 52 ____ characters (basic means of writing Chinese) 57 “____ the season …” 58 Leftover 60 Hardly original works 63 Curled one’s lip 64 Police-blotter letters 66 Fair-hiring inits. 68 Org. with the Eddie Eagle safety program 70 Tree with catkins DOWN 71 Charms 1 Food ____ (feelings after big meals) 72 Long stretch 2 John who wrote “Appointment in 73 Delicacy usually eaten as an Samarra” appetizer 3 Hussein : Obama :: ____ : Garfield 78 Marching band? 4 “Through many dangers, ____ 79 Queen ____ (pop music nickname) and snares I have already come” 80 Stoked (“Amazing Grace” lyric) 81 Deli roll 5 Burgundy of “Anchorman” 82 Rubens or Raphael 6 “Pardon …” 84 Gets fitted for a suit? 7 Heart 86 Drive-____ 8 Big name in headphones 87 Pool site 9 Number cruncher, for short 90 Leave runny on the inside, say 10 Short shorts 92 Compete 11 Until 93 Leftovers 12 The Seal of Solomon and others 95 Once-common campus event 13 Before, poetically 96 Welcome to the fold? 14 Letters on many a racecar 97 Downside 15 Part of a plot 98 Go haywire 16 ____ queen 103 Clear for takeoff? 17 Pitched poorly 107 OutKast chart-topper 18 Queen ____ 108 On the button 19 SAT org. 109 Southern beauty 24 Raft material 110 Low mounts? 25 Pentium creator 112 Take a hit 31 Profess 114 Sein : German :: ____ : French 33 Long stretch 116 Cotton or country follower 35 Supercontinent of 200 million years 117 Siberian river ago 118 Dry 36 “____ be my pleasure” 120 Time out? 38 Scope 121 ____ russe 39 Climbs 122 A card? 41 World of Warcraft beast 123 Deli offering 42 Waver of a wand 124 Alternatives to Macs 43 Bathroom tile shade 125 What a constant hand-washer 45 Prepped probably has, for short 47 Cowardly Lion harasser

20 23

31 40 47

32 41

36 45

63 69

103 111

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74 81

50 53 56

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THE EIGHT

BOX TOPS Seems like nothing can stop that little blue ﬁsh. RANK TITLES

WEEKEND GROSS TOTAL GROSS WEEK # LAST WEEK

FINDING DORY

$41,817,176

$372,166,778

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

$38,527,856

THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR

$31,515,110

THE BFG

$18,775,350

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2

$16,718,966

$72,876,039

In Theaters July 8

FAMILY

“The Secret Life of Pets,” rated PG, starring Jenny Slate, Albert Brooks, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Hannibal Buress, Louis C.K., Dana Carvey. While their owners are away, a group of adorable pets tour NYC getting into trouble. Sounds like the animal equivalent of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Who knows if it’ll be any good, but the death-metal-loving, head-banging poodle never fails to make us laugh.

36 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

COMEDY

“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” rated R, starring Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubry Plaza. Brothers Dave and Mike Stangle ruin every family gathering they attend, so their parents force them to bring dates to their sister’s destination wedding in Hawaii. So they do what anyone looking for dates would: they go on television, attracting the attention of two slightly less than classy girls who pretend to be respectable AF (their words, not ours). With four very likeable leads — Anna and Adam are reunited from the Pitch Perfect movies — we can’t wait to see how this trainwreck unfolds. 7JULY2016

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The Left Doesn’t Want Us to Fight Back NoT maNy peopLe remember the official policy of the FAA pertaining to highjackers prior to September 11, 2001, so allow me to remind you: Quiet cooperation and complete submission to the criminals. Back in the days before we were consciously aware of the intent of radical Islamic terrorists, the international flying community had a pretty simple policy regarding people who commandeered jets in mid flight, “let them have their way.” Thank God the heroic passengers of Flight 91 had just enough information that fateful morning to save countless thousands on the ground in Washington D.C. by daring to fight back, and taking their own plane down, in a rural field in the heart of Western Pennsylvania. I have stood at that site, and consider it one of the greatest “battlegrounds” in American history. Even though they all died, you best damn believe the good guys won the Battle of Flight 91. Eventually America and the rest of the civilized world devised new response plans for those attempting to highjack airplanes, and yes, most responsible citizens have come to understand they may personally need to aggressively fight an oppressor in such a situation, rather than cower and wait for uniformed help to arrive. Well, most conservative, responsible citizens, anyway. In this week’s shocking shootout following the fireworks show at Augusta’s Riverwalk, thank goodness we had at least two men nearby that were ready, willing, and able to intercede as two criminals put dozens of lives in immediate danger by indiscriminately opening fire at each other in the midst of a crowd. 26 year old Joshua Austin spends most of his time helping customers with computer questions at Best Buy, where he has worked for 3 years. I did not notice him 20 feet away when my wife and I were picked up FitBit wristbands the other day, but he was there. I am pretty sure Clinton “SlumBoi” Coleman (his chosen nickname on Facebook) didn’t notice Joshua 20 feet from him, when he fired multiple rounds at another man in the midst of a terse argument. Joshua was on him as quick as his sturdy legs could get him there, tackling Coleman as he fired, and disarming him despite the punk’s frantic efforts to recover his weapon, even after he was seriously wounded. Had it not been for Joshua, Coleman would have continued to fire, and given the fact that he was seriously affected by his wounds, God knows where his bullets would have gone. “My girlfriend screamed that he was going for his (dropped) gun even though I had taken him down, so I had to continue to fight him and keep the gun away until he passed out about a minute later...”, he told me. 44 year old Brian Sikes, also a bystander for the gunfight, got involved on the other end of the battle. He produced his own legally carried handgun and managed to get a few shots off at the (still unknown at press time) other assailant, apparently running him off in the process. Authorities have told me Sikes responded in a 100% appropriate and justified manner, and did not put others at risk with his gunfire. Joshua Austin and Brian Sikes deserve the Key to the City, and Carnegie Medals. So did Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree agree when he gave his statement to Augusta Chronicle reporter Bianca Cain Johnson the next day? He was mildly thankful, but seemed to cast a shadow on their heroics... “Roundtree said that although he applauded the two residents for their courageous acts Monday evening, he doesn’t recommend getting involved in a shooting. “Anytime you engage in a dangerous situation, there are consequences. Fortunately in this particular case, no one else was injured, and that is great,” Roundtree said. “But given the circumstances, it could have gone terribly wrong.” Roundtree pointed out possible mistakes, such as deputies taking the armed resident for a criminal when arriving on the scene.” Gee whiz Sheriff, invite the guys to lunch and hug their neck. Why would anyone discourage or downplay two obviously fit and prepared individuals who want to fight back? As I have come to understand in recent years, this is not an unusual stand for liberals to take. In a personal exchange with my old friend (and well known local radio veteran) Ron Roberts, I learned he also frowns on folks fighting back in such situations. When I complained that there were few headlines about a recent hero who “shot back” at a nightclub shooter in Lyman, SC, taking the criminal out in the process, my well known Lefty friend spelled it out plain as day, and even credited local “journalists” for downplaying it as well: “It deserved front page? Yeah, no thanks. Department of Sanity doesn’t wanna encourage swagger-laden Dirty Harry wannabes out at the club packing’, fearful he’s more Don Knotts 38 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

than Clint Eastwood. GGWG (Good guys with guns) don’t usually bode well in a dark bar setting. Especially when cops in similar settings have a mere 18% success rate themselves. Exceptions to statistical certainties happen. Good for that one. If you think editors don’t conclude, A. No one died so folks won’t be drawn to the story, and, B. “we don’t air stories of “Jackass-like” stunts for fear some moron will try and replicate it so why go hog wild over this?”, then keep talking. It’s a “Jackass like stunt” to try and get into a bar packing. Sorry Austin, but outside “ammosexual fantasy land” the truth is the country’s FULL of people who are irresponsible gunnies - like it or not - and until we stop hearing of toddlers shooting and killing more people than ISIS does in this country or idiots in clubs sneaking in pistols and shooting themselves (thank heavens usually just themselves) you’re going to have to deal with the FACT that the majority of this country thinks it’s IDIOTIC to want to encourage swollen-sacked gunnies going to the watering hole surrounded by drunks with the potential for having one or two themselves. It’s a toxic situation for weapons to be available for someone other than security and law enforcement. You won’t change the data: cops have an 18% success rate. Joe Packin’ would fare worse. And then he’s likely gunned down when cops arrive.” Ron REALLY doesn’t like that the law in South Carolina allows you to carry a concealed weapon into a bar, as it does in Georgia now too, and has for some time. There are virtually no reports of legally carried weapons being misused, or accidentally fired, while a CWP holder has been at a bar or restaurant. It really doesn’t matter what opinion polls say in the matter, the Constitution is clear, you have a right to own a gun, and I believe you have the right to carry it almost anywhere you go in America. Here is my point: If you are ready, willing, and able to assert yourself and prevent an armed nut from doing more damage, then go for it. Here’s to hoping the Government has not prevented you from carrying the tools to assist you in such an endeavor. Two men independently took out two very dangerous criminals Monday night in Augusta. Coleman is a well known felon who was breaking the law by even possessing a gun in the first place. He was brought down in part, by the brave actions of two local men using their brains, brawn, and yes, firearms, to stop further bloodshed.

aUSTIN RHoDeS

A long-time radio talk show host who can be heard weekdays on WGAC from 3-6 p.m. The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

7JULY2016