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Table of Contents September 7, 2017 Insider 4 Jenny is Wright 8 Kris Fisher 11 Whine Line 13 Feature 16 Spirit’s Anniversary! 22 Cuisine Scene 26 Arts in the Heart 30 Metro Week 34 What’s Up 35 Calendar 36 Nightlife 42 The Eight 44 Sightings 45 Austin Rhodes 46

A KALEIDOSCOPE OF CULTURE Page 30 EDIT

CREATIVE

Amanda Main

Joshua Bailey

Joe White

amanda@themetrospirit.com

joshua@themetrospirit.com

joe@themetrospirit.com 706-373-3636

Arts Editor/Production Director

Lead Designer

Stacey Eidson

Publisher

Johnny Beckworth

Staff Writer

stacey@themetrospirit.com

BUSINESS

SALES

circulation manager

jdbeckworth@gmail.com

Joe White Publisher

joe@themetrospirit.com 706-373-3636

Contributors Jenny Wright, Austin Rhodes, Kris Fisher, Michael Johnson

COVER DESIGN: KRUHU

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.

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Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 joe@themetrospirit.com

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The Mayor Makes one Big Mess During a news conference last week at the Marble Palace with about a dozen south Augusta supporters standing behind him, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis attempted to make his case for constructing a new $120 million James Brown Arena on the former abandoned Regency Mall site.

“There will be future generations of Augustans who will look at this day, at this moment in time and say, ‘Someone was willing to be courageous. Someone was willing to be visionary,’” Davis announced.

Talk about sporting some rose-colored glasses.

Despite what Davis is trying to sell to voters in front of the cameras, many Augustans feel that this new proposal to build a $120 million arena on property out in south Augusta (on land the city doesn’t even own) is beyond a bad idea.

Not only is it unwise, but many Augustans feel like the debate is dividing this community.

However, despite these obvious concerns, Davis didn’t back down. Instead, he returned to his old campaign slogan of “One Augusta.”

“I must tell you, this is not an us versus them,” Davis said during the press conference. “This is not a south Augusta versus a west Augusta. This is not downtown versus other parts of the county. I continue to keep saying it. We are one Augusta. Not two Augustas. Not 10 Augustas.

Not a black versus white Augusta. We are Augusta.”

Well, mayor. We, as Augustans, aren’t happy.

And we are not alone.

Both the chairman and vice chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority, Cedric Johnson and Brad Usry, are outraged over the Regency Mall site.

They were blindsided by the fact that the majority of their fellow coliseum authority members voted in support of the former Regency Mall location on Gordon Highway only after Mayor Davis, himself, pushed the idea.

Everyone in Augusta knows that Davis was behind this plan, but he is still attempting to pass the buck.

“I submit the overall handling of this process to the degree that I know little pieces of it, there are things that should have been handled differently,” Davis said during the press conference. “I lay that at the feet of the chairman and vice chairman. They’re the ones in control of this process.”

Really? You are going there, Mr. Mayor?

Usry and Johnson did everything right.

Over the past three years, the two men have dedicated countless hours reviewing and considering all of the city’s options regarding a new 10,000-plus seat arena for the Augusta area. They supported the findings of the $142,000 arena plan developed by the Denver-based consultants, Sink Combs Dethlefs, that stated the arena should remain downtown.

But you, Mr. Mayor, were the one who wanted to reintroduce the Regency Mall site into the discussion.

You were the one who asked for more time to keep the owners of the mall property in the loop.

Mr. Mayor, you were the one who said you would not “strong arm” the coliseum authority into

4 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

choosing the Regency Mall location.

And look what happened.

Johnson and Usry were completely unaware of the proposal from the mall’s owner, Alan Cardinale of Cardinal Management, which offered a $1 a year land lease for 35 years for approximately 39 acres on the Regency Mall site to be used for a new arena.

Guess who the Aug. 21 letter was addressed to?

You, Mr. Mayor, that’s who.

Also, during the Aug. 22 vote on the Regency Mall site, coliseum authority member Darren Smith even refused to show the other authority members the letter from Cardinale after he introduced it to the body.

The majority of the coliseum authority members voted on the motion to support the Regency Mall site without even reading the details of Cardinale’s proposal.

Is that wise with $120 million of taxpayer money at stake?

So, mayor, it’s time to take some ownership in your role in this mess.

Should things have been “handled differently” as you have suggested? Absolutely.

It should have been handled very differently by one person: You.

7SEPTEMBER2017

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Will nikki haley run for president in 2020?

Over the past several mOnths, there have been a number of articles in the national press, including The New York Times and Newsweek, speculating whether former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley might consider a presidential run in 2020.

While everybody knows that President Donald Trump hasn’t even finished his first term in office yet, some politicos are already jumping to the conclusion that he will have some Republican challengers in 2020.

Everyone from Vice President Mike Pence to Ohio Gov. John Kasich to Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse to Haley have all been mentioned as possible contenders.

Only time will tell, but Haley, now the ambassador to the United Nations, reportedly put her longtime pollster on the payroll and has gotten better acquainted with some of New York’s financiers, according to The New York Times.

With her current role as ambassador to the United Nations, Haley is definitely solidifying her foreign-policy resume and is earning a reputation as a tough ambassador.

Newsweek even pointed out that Haley has had a higher profile than even Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, especially earlier in the administration.

But does that mean she is willing to go up against Trump in 2020?

Well, many people won’t soon forget that Haley spoke out against Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign after endorsing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for the Republican primary election.

After Rubio dropped out, Haley threw her support behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — Trump’s final rival before he became the Republican party’s nominee.

During last year’s presidential campaign while addressing the nation, Haley made pointed remarks which appeared to openly criticize Trump.

“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said. “We must resist that temptation.”

Haley even went as far as to say Trump represents “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president.”

And yet, Trump still decided to appoint her as the ambassador to the United Nations.

So, why do some people believe Haley would be a strong candidate for president?

First, Haley has worked very hard to get where she is today.

She was the first minority and female governor of South Carolina and only the second Indian-American to serve as governor of any state.

But more important are some of the difficult issues she faced as governor of South Carolina and the manner in which she handled them.

The nation remembers when 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof walked into a Bible study meeting at the historic Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015, and viciously murdered nine of its African-American members.

Roof, who proudly posed for several photos of him holding the Confederate flag, told friends that he wanted to start a “race war.”

Instead, Haley demanded the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State House, where it had flown since 1962.

“Today we are here in a moment of unity in our state without ill will to say it is time to remove the flag from our capitol grounds,” Haley said in 2015. “This flag, while an integral part of our past, does not represent the future of our great state. One-hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come.”

Of course, many people are quick to point out that Trump has taken a different approach when it comes to this country’s debate over whether monuments to the Civil War and its icons should remain standing in public centers following the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month.

But another recent national tragedy is also making some politicos take an even closer look

at Haley and her credentials: Hurricane Harvey.

Harvey has severely devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana over the past week, dumping 27 trillion gallons of rain on the two states and forcing more than 72,000 people to be rescued from their flooded homes. Tragically, at least 60 people have lost their lives in the storm.

Many people have questioned why Houston and the surrounding coastal cities in Texas didn’t have a mandatory evacuation.

Well, Haley has been there and done that.

Back in October of 2016, Hurricane Matthew barreled up the East Coast and Haley’s steadfast warnings earned her serious praise throughout the Palmetto State.

“Observers have hailed Haley’s early decision to evacuate residents along the South Carolina coast and for repeatedly keeping the public updated as the situation developed, usually twice a day,” wrote The Post and Courier in 2016. “The storm is the third time in as many years that Haley has made decisions from the state’s command center in West Columbia during a crisis.

She was credited for deftly overseeing ice storms in 2014 and record flooding last year.”

Critics praised Haley as doing a “great job executing the disaster plan and listening to her advisors while sending a clear and consistent message of voicing the dangers of the hurricane.”

Three days before Matthew struck, Haley announced staggered evacuations for coastal counties while calling for the reversal of the eastbound lanes on Interstate 26 to avoid clogging the highway with residents leaving the Charleston area, the newspaper reported.

The governor urged residents to travel at least 100 miles inland to be safe from the storm.

Of the estimated 1.1 million people asked to evacuate, about one-third left their homes, the paper reported.

While Hurricane Matthew did not have near the devastating impact on the East Coast that many feared, the South Carolina coast still suffered severe damage from flooding.

Bob McAlister, who served as chief of staff for former S.C. Gov. Carroll Campbell when Hurricane Hugo hit in 1989, told The Post and Courier that Haley’s early calls for evacuations were extremely wise.

“I dare say, with their pro-action on this and the way she’s handled it, lives have indeed been saved,” he said.

Haley is an impressive potential presidential candidate if she wants it.

Some say her efforts and clear leadership as governor and ambassador to the United Nations have put her in a strong position to possibly become this nation’s first female president.

Stay tuned.

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15 in 5 Jenny is Wright Because I love a lIst, especIally a random lIst. 1. What’d y’all think about the eclipse? I was in Atlanta, and it was still pretty neat.

I was impressed.

2. I’ve heard plenty of people say they were not impressed by what they saw. Is that because you weren’t in the Zone of Totality? Or maybe you didn’t have glasses?

Or maybe you just need to loosen up? Science is cool. Sorry it didn’t “last long enough” or “get dark enough.”

3. I’ve had some crazy customer service run-ins lately. I don’t typically get visibly upset in such situations, because we never really know who’s to blame. It’s not typically the person in front of you during the issue. They’re just the messenger.

4. To the lady at the big bank with the red, white and blue logo: you helped your bank live up to its horrible reputation. When I walked in, after being hastily greeted, and showed you the document with the word “deceased” at the top, that would’ve been a great time for compassion. It goes a long way. Your staff could use a lesson, too.

9. Fortunately, my brothers and I get along really well. Peace be with y’all who’ve navigated a will and Probate Court with disjointed families.

10. Every night, I ask my kids if they’ve done their homework, packed up their book bags, and laid out their clothes for school. I don’t really care what they wear to school, as long as there isn’t any “I don’t have socks!” or “My jeans are dirty!” at 6:30 a.m. There’s not enough coffee in the world for that.

11. Do you pack your kids’ lunches? I don’t. He doesn’t take his. She takes hers every day. I make sure she has everything she needs and easy things to pack, but it’s all her. I don’t feel like a mean mom.

12. I felt like a mean mom this morning, when The Girl realized she’d lost a big homework assignment and I told her I was sorry. That’s all I did. She looked and looked, and it was nowhere to be found. I hugged her and told her I loved her. Then I told her she should’ve packed up her book bag the night before like I asked.

13. I’m playing in a tennis match on Friday. Lord help me. I haven’t played in a few years. We shall see how this goes. Stay tuned.

5. In the spirit of full disclosure, the next day I went to a different branch of the same big bank with the red, white and blue logo, and Cara was incredibly helpful and sincere. She answered all of my questions and made sure I left there comfortable with the situation.

14. Blessings to everyone affected by the storms in Texas. Blessings to those dropping everything to help. Blessings to those sending water and relief funds.

Humans treating other humans with kindness. It’s nice.

6. I’m incredibly thankful for my small, local bank. Crystal at Queensborough gets a big shoutout for her patience, sense of humor and diligence. And she’s always that way. When I walk in there, it’s like they want me to bank there. Imagine that.

15. The cooler weather makes for easier mornings. The (very) slight chill puts most everyone in a good mood. Lay out your clothes the night before and check your book bags!

7. Managing an estate, while it’s in Probate, is no small task. It’s a full-time job.

8. Get your will updated. Even if it’s notarized, a will circa 1987 causes a migrainesized headache. Don’t do it to your family members. It’s relatively cheap and easy to obtain a current will. Your people will thank you.

8 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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.

7SEPTEMBER2017

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Rise up Kris Fisher This pasT sunday, I had to make it through the night with no “Game of Thrones” and no football. I had no idea how I was going to get through it, which was weird. Weird because seven weeks ago, I was living without my Westeros connection just fine, and we’ve been without professional football for 30 Sundays, not that I’m counting.

I’ve been waiting for football since that fateful Super Bowl Sunday of which we don’t speak.

Well, if you’re a Falcons fan, we don’t speak of it. Other football fans love to bring it up. It makes me wonder where all the Falcon hate comes from. I completely understand when it comes to the direct rivals: It gave me great pleasure to watch the Carolina Panthers get embarrassed in Super Bowl 51. But fans from all over seem to take a lot of enjoyment in the epic SB51 collapse.

Falcons fans are ready and have been trying to move on, following suit from our beloved team in question. That was last year, and we’re focused on now. But who are we kidding? The sting from that game will stay with us until a Falcons Super Bowl victory is a reality. Even then, it would really need to be a victory over the Patriots. Both scenarios are highly unlikely.

I may sound like a naysayer, a negative Nancy, call me what you will. I’m just realizing our place in the sports lore. Much like my wife, a Cleveland Browns fan, knows her place. It’s the Browns, they never win. They even find a way to lose when they have the top pick in the draft, always somehow coming out of the draft with no good players. The Falcons, however, occasionally seem like they can win. It’s been happening more and more. I’m not sure which is worse: knowing that your team will likely lose every game of the season, or knowing that your team will have a fantastic season only to blow it when it counts.

It’s the Atlanta way. The Hawks have become a perennial playoff team — even making it to the Eastern Conference Finals just a few years back, only to fold when it counts. Even Atlanta’s WNBA team, the Dream, has made it twice to the WNBA Finals. I’ll let you guess what happened when they got there.

At least we have the Atlanta Braves: We’re left to hang on that one World Series win from their five attempts. And here’s the beauty of it: their one win comes from the season that most baseball fans say doesn’t matter because it was shortened by a strike. So, even Atlanta’s one championship is tainted. Who cares, I’ll take it.

Atlanta United, we’ll expect your heartbreaking disappointment in December. Until then, we have another Falcons season and another promising Falcons team. I may sound jaded and negative, but I’m a product of my favorite teams, much like every other sports fan.

“Game of Thrones” may be gone but, we got football back! Brace yourselves, 28-3 memes are coming.

KRIS FISHER is the midday host and program director for HD98.3 and an Augusta radio staple. 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.

V28|NO36

If the James Brown Arena being built at the Old Regency Mall site is going to be such a boon to South Augusta’s economy, why wasn’t Regency Mall???

What really has the downtown crowd and land barons worried sick is that they can count the votes on the Augusta Commission and it looks like the JBA is headed to Regency Mall. “But, we don’t own the land.” Good luck explaining that to some of the Augusta commissioners.

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.

I wish newspapers, or whatever the Metro Spirit is considered, would not publish cartoons of our President in ridiculous appearance making foolish statements. The cartoon about the faucet being left running was a ridiculous representation of a terrible disaster, not a human issue where two sides disagree and act abhorrently. Here is an idea, why dont you focus that energy into supporting our President instead of making excuses to bash him.

In the end, I hated Obama for what he did to our country, racially and economically, but I wanted him to be a good President. At least give President Trump the opportunity to fail before you accuse him of it.

“There is ONLY ONE GOD, and if you do not believe in Him, your newspaper would not be here.” I don’t think you understand how newspapers work. They aren’t religious institutions. And as far as I can tell, religious institutions don’t necessarily believe in god as much as they believe in money.

Does anyone else find it ludicrous that all Richmond County Property Tax Bills say MAKE CHECK PAYABLE AND REMIT TO: Steven B. Kendrick, Tax Commissioner?!? Why on earth would you include the name of the Tax Commissioner? Am I missing something?

The commissioners of all professional sports, should get rid of ALL players, who do not stand, take a knee, or whatever, when the Star Spaniel Banner is being played. (Are the commissioners afraid of a lawsuit)? These dumb asses are a embarrassment to the USA, and show their stupid imagine to the young kids today. I WILL NOT be watching any professionals games anymore. If the College teams start doing this, they need to be kicked off of their team, and I won’t be watching them either.

Let’s put the augusta arena in Evans town center — Scott Johnson will hook them up

Black people today were never slaves, but they still suffer from the aftermath today. White people today never owned slaves, but they still own the land today. Maybe its time to give it back to the rightfull owners, the natives. But who am I. Looks like God has started that process allready. Why did he put that snake in the whitehouse? Because the cure for a snake bite, is made with the very venom of the snake.

If the Confederacy had not rebelled against the Northern oppressors, who were saddling the South with the burden of providing 90% of the federal budget with their tarriffs and had the whole of the South enslaved, not just the blacks, there would have been slavery for many more years! Black Americans should look at these monuments as liberation milestones! God brings good out of bad!

To sum up Mr. Rhodes’ partisan hackery...he’s not for removing Confederate symbols/monuments, but he’s not against it either. He’s essentially against whatever his enemies are against because they are his enemies. Nice! What part of limited government conservatism prevents a locality from removing moments if they choose to do so?

To the person who wrote this, “Me thinks the great state of Texas has a few more believers in climate change.” Hurricane Harvey has absolutely nothing to do with climate change, President Trump made it happen just like former President Bush conjured up Hurricane Katrina...come on get with the program!

Oh and I will see you out by the statue later when we tear it down...climate change...yea right.

What happened to the crossword puzzle? Some of us enjoyed it! Bring it back please?

The confusion, unjustified pride, supremacy, inferioracy, lack of respect for the flag, lack of pride for the nation, and the fresh pot of hatred, are all because the nation’s history was written by the losers of all major events in the nation’s history.

Even our history books are full of fake news. The Yankees must have been a humble breed. We dont see them riding around with flags, hats, stickers, and t-shirts. We dont even have their statues all over the place. But the looser, they are all over the place.

To the PowerBall winner: can’t we all just get a loan?

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The Reality of Richmond County Schools Augusta leaders face the challenges of having approximately 20

By Stacey Eidson “chronically failing” schools in Richmond County When GeoRGiA Gov. nAThAn DeAl came to Augusta earlier this year to celebrate the future development of the $50 million Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center on Reynolds Street, he was all smiles.

That is, until he began to discuss the current state of the Richmond County School System.

That’s when the gloves came off.

“They have too many chronically failing schools,” Deal bluntly said about Richmond County during the public ceremony in February. “And in order to have the pipeline for workers and students who will be able to take advantage of this (cyber facility), if you want those to be local students, they have to have an underlying good education.”

There is no doubt that the stigma of having about 20 public schools labeled as “chronically failing” has hurt Richmond County.

Over the past decade, many new residents moving into the area with school-age children have flooded into surrounding counties rather than gambling on their child’s future in Richmond County schools.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement is quick to point out that Richmond County received an “F” grade in 2016 based on its schools’ scores on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which is calculated by the Georgia Department of Education.

Richmond County School District’s performance was worse than 96 percent of the state’s other school districts in 2016, according to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.

The state’s data also indicates that only 34.1 percent of Richmond County’s third grade students are reading “at or above” the grade level target.

By eighth grade, about 57.6 percent of Richmond County students are reading at or above grade level.

Once students graduate from Richmond County schools, only 45.6 percent of the graduates are “college ready,” according to the governor’s office.

However, when it comes to Augusta’s neighbors in Columbia County, it is like a tale of two counties.

The Columbia County School System received an overall “B” grade in 2016, which is 16 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

higher than 91 percent of all of the state’s other districts.

For third-graders in Columbia County, about 64.3 percent of the students are reading at or above the grade level target.

In eighth grade, approximately 83.2 percent of students are reading at or above the grade level.

And by the time seniors are walking across the stage to receive their diplomas in Columbia County, about 72.1 percent of graduates are college ready, according to the governor’s office.

New residents moving into area can’t ignore those statistics, the governor said.

“Because people do notice,” Deal said in February. “The military takes note of that.

And I would point out to you that as we had our meeting with them several weeks ago, they pointed out that they have more of the children of those who are working in their facility that go to Columbia County to go to school than go to Richmond County.”

That is absolutely true, according to Col. Todd Turner, the garrison commander for Fort Gordon.

“Thirty-one percent of our military children attend schools in Richmond County,” Turner told the audience at the Augusta Education Summit on Aug. 24. “About 64 percent go to Columbia County and 5 percent go to North Augusta. We have seen

“So many of our children come to school ill; their teeth are aching because they don’t have good health care.”

— Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Superintendent of Schools 7SEPTEMBER2017

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“We have seen a trend over the last five years of about a 19 percent reduction of military children attending Richmond County schools.

We have seen a 25 percent increase in military children attending schools in Columbia County.”

— Col. Todd Turner

a trend over the last five years of about a 19 percent reduction of military children attending Richmond County schools. We have seen a 25 percent increase in military children attending schools in Columbia County.”

However, Turner said it is vital, now that Fort Gordon is being transformed into the Army Cyber Command Center, for soldiers to help mentor and support all of the local school systems to ensure a brighter future for the entire area.

“You look back to 1994, there was only 50 NSA (National Security Agency) personnel on Fort Gordon.

Today, there’s 6,000,” Turner said. “Around 2012, the decision was made to move Army Cyber Headquarters from six separate installations in the National Capital Region to Fort Gordon with a date of about 2020.”

Turner said Fort Gordon has less than 36 months before that transformation is complete.

“The future is here,” Turner said. “It is at our door. We are already building those facilities.”

While Fort Gordon is growing at a tremendously rapid pace, Turner said the Army is also committed to helping the Augusta area thrive.

“Fort Gordon wants to attract and retain a worldclass cyber workforce,” he said, adding that there are currently about 1,400 military children who attend schools in Richmond County.

Therefore, Fort Gordon has developed an Adopt-ASchool Program where a battalion or brigade becomes the partner organization to a public high school district.

That unit is also responsible for all of the feeder schools 7SEPTEMBER2017

“We didn’t say we were going to the best schools. We said we were going to every school because every school deserves to have some kind of mentorship.”

— Col. Todd Turner in the district, both public and private.

“Honestly, the first thing that I get asked by our folks moving to this area is, frankly, about the schools here,” Turner said. “That’s typically the number one concern for parents. They want quality education for their children.”

As a result, it is important for military personnel to help support the local school systems by tutoring, volunteering, coaching or mentoring to students, he said.

Only when soldiers are inside the schools do they begin to understand the challenges faced by the school districts, Turner said.

“You can say whatever you want if you are on the outside, but it is a different perspective when you get on inside,” he said. “So that’s where we want to be. We want

to be inside the schools.”

And when Turner says he wants to support the area schools, he means all of the schools.

“We didn’t say we were going to the best schools,” Turner said. “We said we were going to every school because every school deserves to have some kind of mentorship.”

That’s the kind of commitment to schools and students that is needed from businesses and local organizations throughout community, said Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Superintendent of Schools.

“When I first arrived, the narrative was the magnet schools were the performing schools in Richmond County and if you didn’t get into the magnet schools, God help you,” Pringle said. “That simply is not true.”

While magnet schools in Richmond County are AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 17

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“We have children, right now, that we feed dinner to every school day. Even in the summer. Because food is a problem for our children.”

— Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Superintendent of Schools performing extremely well, such as Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School which was ranked fifth in the state by U.S. News & World Report of the best high schools in 2017, Pringle pointed out that many of the other Richmond County schools are also excelling.

“Some of our highest performing schools are actually Blythe and McBean. Those are two of our highest performing, non-magnet schools,” Pringle said. “So the reality is, we have good work going on everywhere, including schools such as Warren Road Elementary. A lot of the schools are doing really well in the west end of the county and the south end of the county, but we have a challenge right at that Deans Bridge Road corridor. Right on down past Josey High School all the way up to the Jamestown area.”

Ever since Pringle was hired as superintendent in 2014, she has been studying the issues in those areas of the county.

“I think I have identified it over and over and over,” Pringle said. “There is the same curriculum. We pretty much use the same hiring process for teachers and staff and we use the same assessments. But the difference is when you really look at the children, the support that they need to reach and access that curriculum varies from school to school.”

Some of the students in the lower performing schools simply don’t have a strong support system at home, she said.

“The children at Jenkins-White, the children at Wilkinson Gardens, the children at Meadowbrook have a totally different set of support systems than the children at some of higher performing schools,” Pringle said. “It is just amazing to me.”

Currently, about 25 percent of the family households in Richmond County are living in poverty. That means many school children in Richmond County are facing serious issues such as hunger and poor health care, Pringle said.

“We knew that our children were hungry, so we really had to work to get all of our children at the breakfast table,” Pringle said, adding that Richmond County provides students with free breakfast and lunches each day. “But now we have them at the dinner table. That’s where we are, folks. We have children, right now, that we feed dinner to every school day. Even in the summer. Because food is a problem for our children.”

The reality is serious and cannot be ignored, Pringle said.

“Oftentimes, students are coming home, we have about 300 homeless children, and they go home without food,” she said. “So we feed them dinner, and we will increase that program because it is really a federally funded program.”

Pringle said Richmond County schools are also focused on providing students with a quality education, but it is challenging at times.

“There were 7,000 children in summer school this summer. That is not funded,” Pringle said. “We had to really find the money for that. That keeps us from paying those teachers that we need to be high performing.”

The health of the students across the county is also a constant concern, she said.

“So many of our children come to school ill; their teeth are aching because they don’t have good health care,” Pringle said. “All of these things are what we refer to as wraparound services that are not funded through the schools.”

Richmond County has several community groups and local organizations trying to help address some of these health issues facing children, but they are not working in a “consolidated or cohesive fashion,” Pringle said.

7SEPTEMBER2017

“They are all kind of working on their own,” she said. “It can still work, but the reality is they aren’t moving in the same direction.”

In order to properly educate and steer a child towards graduation, Pringle said support needs to start before a student even enters an elementary school.

“When children come to school in kindergarten and they arrive at school from highpoverty families, typically they are already behind,” she said. “Believe it or not, we have children who arrive at kindergarten, they barely know their names. And they certainly don’t have those early literacy skills that they need.”

In many cases, children from middle-income families who are struggling with schoolwork will get extra parental support or even tutorial services if needed, Pringle said.

“A child in poverty sits home,” she said. “By middle school, basically those children never, ever catch up. They never catch up.”

So, it has become the school system’s new mission to reach out to children even before kindergarten, Pringle said.

“Public school starts at kindergarten, but really you have to think about what happens from the time the child is born until they arrive at school,” she said, adding that for many years, Richmond County had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state. “We haven’t recovered from that. Those children are now in elementary school.”

While some Richmond County residents who don’t have any children might not care about the current state of the public school system, City Administrator Janice Allen Jackson insisted that they should be concerned because schools can greatly impact the value of a housing market.

In fact, a school district with a poor reputation can drop the value of a home by about 22 percent, and it can hurt a home’s value more than the close proximity of a strip club, homeless shelter or a cemetery, she said.

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“When children come to school in kindergarten and they arrive at school from high-poverty families, typically they are already behind.

Believe it or not, we have children who arrive at kindergarten, they barely know their names.”

— Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Superintendent of Schools “A bad school district can drop your home by almost a quarter of the value of that home,” Jackson said. “That’s quite an impact.”

Over the past 15 years, the perception that Richmond County has a poor school system and suffers from high crime has also negatively affected its population, she said.

“From 1980 to 1990, Richmond County had a population growth of about 8,000 people,” Jackson said. “From 1990 to 2000, it was about 10,000.”

But from 2000 to 2010, Richmond County had an increase in population of less than a 1,000 people. Then, from 2010 to 2015, Richmond County picked up about 3,000 people, she said.

By 2030, Jackson estimated that the population of Richmond County would be about 210,000 people.

In contrast, Columbia County’s population has exploded over the past several decades.

“From 1980 to 1990, Columbia County picked up about 26,000 residents,” Jackson said. “From 1990 to 2000, about 23,000 residents and from 2000 to 2010, about 34,000 residents.”

By 2030, Columbia County’s population is estimated to be at least 201,000 people, Jackson said.

“So we would have a difference of about 9,000 people,” she said. “That’s all.”

One major problem is, many local Realtors are encouraging those moving into the area to just look at homes in Columbia County because of the perception of high crime and poor schools in Richmond County, Jackson said.

“Unfortunately, with perception comes reality,” she said. “From the moment those new residents walk into the area, that’s what they are told and that impacts their decisions.”

In order to strengthen Richmond County schools, Pringle said the Board of Education is trying to help break the cycle of poverty by instilling the importance of a good work ethic. “We have to be concerned about how we really engage them in the world of work,” she said of students. “How do we help a child who doesn’t see a parent working or who doesn’t see a family member working?”

One of the programs that has already enjoyed an extremely successful first full year is the RPM (Reaching Potential Through Manufacturing) program.

It is a partnership between the Richmond County School System and Textron Specialized Vehicles (E-Z-GO) that is designed to provide students with classroom instruction, on-the-job training, life skills, mentoring and employment opportunities.

But more importantly, the RPM program helps students stay in school, graduate and go on to become successful, productive members of the workforce, Pringle said.

“When we started this program, Textron said, ‘We want your dropouts, we want your kids who could potentially drop out, we want your kids who have children and we want your kids in high poverty,’” Pringle said. “Textron didn’t come to us and say, ‘We want your A/B students. We want your students who are successful.’ They came 20 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

“We have to be concerned about how we really engage them in the world of work. How do we help a child who doesn’t see a parent working or who doesn’t see a family member working?”

— Dr. Angela Pringle, Richmond County Superintendent of Schools

to us and said, ‘We want your students who are really having challenges.’ And (Deputy Superintendent) Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw asked, ‘Now, are you sure? Are you really sure?’ And they said, ‘Yes. We are really sure.’”

The program is literally changing these students’ lives, Pringle said.

“The reality is these are important opportunities for children to experience the world of work,” she said. “Because when children are in poverty and they can’t see how to get out of poverty legally, they tend to find other ways to do things they shouldn’t, which causes Sheriff (Richard) Roundtree some problems. These children now understand, there is a connection between work, making money and education. So many of our children don’t see those connections. This program offers us an opportunity to make that connection.”

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Happy Anniversary, Metro Spirit!

EvEr SincE the Metro Spirit began back in 1989, the newspaper has been committed to covering the issues that are shaking this region.

Whether it’s the constant feuding inside the Marble Palace, the corruption of state legislators or the scandals in Columbia County, the Metro Spirit has spent the past 28 years making sure that readers get both sides of the story.

One issue that is making headlines today, much like it made headlines over the past three decades, is the James Brown Arena.

Previously known as the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, the James Brown Arena has always been a source of major news in this town.

Over the years, its leadership has frequently changed with various general managers asked to steer the ship. Those have included Pat Cumiskey, Reggie Williams, Larry Rogers, Robert “Flash” Gordon, Monty Jones and current general manager, Chris Bird.

There also has been a long line of several extremely strong-minded members of the AugustaRichmond County Coliseum Authority that have caused some meetings to resemble more of a soap opera or a WWE championship match than a gathering of a local board.

Who will ever forget the brawl between former coliseum authority member, and now Augusta commissioner, Bill Fennoy and community activist Woody Merry?

The two grown men actually faced off in a bumping, pushing and kicking spat just minutes before a 2008 coliseum authority meeting.

When asked about the tussle during his campaign for commission, Fennoy insisted he didn’t initiate the encounter with Merry.

“Three times I walked away from Woody Merry. He kept following me and following me,” Fennoy told the Metro Spirit in 2010. “It wasn’t until he put his hands on me did I decide I was going to defend myself.”

Encounters like that don’t happen at most ordinary government meetings.

These days, another battle is brewing among coliseum authority members, but this fight is over the future location of the new $120 million arena.

The majority of the coliseum authority wants to relocate the James Brown Arena to the former Regency Mall site in south Augusta, while the chairman and vice chairman of the authority, Cedric Johnson and Brad Usry, insist the new arena needs to be downtown.

This is where having a little history regarding this particular subject comes in handy because Augusta has been here before.

Way back in October 2001, then-Augusta Mayor Bob Young held a press conference to inform the public that he had been involved in discussions with private businessmen for more than a year about building a new, 12,000-seat arena that would be designed to accommodate horse shows, arena football, hockey and other activities.

The price tag for the new arena, Young estimated at the time, was about $65 million.

An example of existing public-private partnerships that Young said the CSRA could look to as model for its proposal was the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C. 22 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

By Metro Spirit Staff

“These are public-private partnerships where the government has an equity stake in the facility and the private sector has an equity stake in it as well,” Young said. “So, this is an entirely different concept from what Augusta-Richmond County has now.”

By January 2002, two tenants of the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center — William S. Morris III, chairman of the Augusta Futurity and the National Barrel Horse Association, and Frank Lawrence, then-owner of Augusta’s now defunct arena football team — commissioned a $200,000 feasibility study on whether Augusta could support a new, 12,000-seat multipurpose arena for the CSRA. “The study is going to look at potential ownership arrangements, financing, the size and scope of the project and potential locations for it,” Young said in 2002. “We also had representatives from Aiken County, North Augusta, Columbia County and Augusta-Richmond County meet with the private partners to discuss their involvement.”

Both Lawrence and Morris said that it was time for the area to build a new arena.

“For our football team, I think we need a better arena. I think there needs to be better perks for our ticket holders,” Lawrence, owner of the local arenafootball2 team, told the Metro Spirit in 2002. “I mean, we need newer bathroom facilities. The bathrooms are atrocious. The place is not clean. The parking is limited. I mean, there are 1,100 parking spaces for a place that seats 6,000. I could go on and on.”

However, not all the tenants at the civic center at the time felt that way.

Peter Gillespie, then-principal owner of the Augusta Lynx hockey team, said the existing civic center was a perfect hockey arena.

“Every seat is a good seat,” Gillespie said. “In most areas, the arenas are too big.”

But Mayor Young told the public that Augusta was ready for a new arena.

“All the feedback I’ve gotten on the subject of a new civic center has been extremely positive,” Young said in 2002. “On the surface, people are ready for a new, modern civic arena.”

Two main issues were pushing the idea of a new civic center to the forefront. The existing facility has only about 8,000 seats, which is 2,000 less than what many feel is the minimum in order to get the attention of booking agents.

And the existing facility, which opened its doors in December of 1979, was looking rundown ... even back in 2002.

“It’s showing its age; there’s no doubt about that,” Young said. “You see that every time you go over there.”

By late 2002, details of the proposed new arena began to emerge.

Basically, the feasibility study proposed that Augusta needed a $89.7 million arena funded primarily by sales tax dollars.

The study’s research team, led by ScheerGame Sports Development, LLC. from Jacksonville, Florida, found that the existing civic center had become the Achilles’ heel of Augusta.

“The existing building is undersized; it’s not competitive; it’s losing events; it’s losing teams; and it now has a very negative image,” said Steven Stern, chief executive officer of ScheerGame 7SEPTEMBER2017

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Sports Development, LLC. “As a result of all that, it’s experiencing significant operating losses, and it hasn’t contributed to the economic redevelopment or revitalization of downtown.”

During a 2002 press conference to announce the results of the feasibility study, Stern said that the current civic center has actually acted as a wall, dividing Augusta’s neighborhoods from the downtown commercial district along the Savannah River.

“It is an arena in a sea of parking,” Stern said. “It’s the kind of building we tend to find out on an interstate or out on a suburban site, rather than the center of downtown. In a sense, it has created a barrier of a kind between the neighborhoods and the rest of downtown and the river.”

Initially, Stern recommended that the city tear down the existing arena and build a new $89.7 million entertainment and sports complex along the River Watch Parkway and Interstate 20.

The proposed 12,000-seat arena would have included 20 suites, 500 club seats, a press box, a club lounge and a privately funded equestrian facility with 600 permanent horse stalls, a covered outdoor arena and cattle-holding pens.

“The new location needs to be where the people are,” said John Shreve of HOK Sport +Venue +Event, a Kansas City-based sports development company, said back in 2002. “It needs to be near the population center. It also needs to be accessible to the entire region.”

Stern also said that the new arena needed to be a comfortable facility.

“The experience of the spectator is what drives the building,” he said. “It has to be a building that people want to come back to.”

Stern suggested the the city fund the majority of the $89.7 million civic arena by asking the citizens the following year to vote to extend the then 1-cent sales tax at least 10 years.

But, as most things in Augusta, politics began to play a major role in the proposed development.

Over the next two years, the entire plan was turned upside down and a new site was introduced.

Can anyone guess where?

That’s right. The former Regency Mall location.

Voters were asked in 2004 to support the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST V list, that included $81.4 million for a new sports arena at Regency Mall.

Locals began jokingly calling the proposed $89 million sports arena, the “Billy Barn,” after William S. Morris III. But the proposed arena didn’t have a chance. It was a disastrous year for SPLOST. Augusta commissioners turned their SPLOST “need” list into their “want” list, and it exploded into an enormous $486 million SPLOST issue.

In the end, even Morris himself couldn’t vote for the SPLOST list. He had no choice but to vote against the proposed “Billy Barn.”

“Even with the funding for these projects, the irrational array of other projects included, the irresponsible manner in which they were put together and the sheer magnitude of the total price tag — and the years necessary to pay for it — make the SPLOST initiative impossible to support,” Morris wrote in a 2004 editorial. “This city can’t afford the financial burden or the incomprehensible waste offered to taxpayers.”

Needless to say, the SPLOST list, along with the proposed arena, was shot down by voters.

Since that time, the Regency Mall site has remained vacant and completely untouched.

But now,13 years later, the idea of a new multi-million dollar arena at Regency Mall once again has reared its head.

Isn’t history fascinating?

Thank goodness the Metro Spirit has been around to cover it all.

7SEPTEMBER2017

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Heating up the CSRA

Diablo’s Southwest Grill continues growth THREE GUYS WHO GREW UP in Columbia County have become a success story in the restaurant business after they opened their first southwest-style Mexican restaurant in Augusta four years ago.

Diablo’s Southwest Grill is the creation of brothers Brandon Wall and Brad Wall and their longtime friend Carl Wallace. Carl and Brad already worked together and have owned Augusta Granite Company in Grovetown since before they decided to branch out into the restaurant business several years ago. When Carl and Brad pitched Brandon the idea to open a restaurant, he was all in — even though they didn’t have a whole lot of previous experience in restaurants.

“We went to all the trade shows learning about the restaurant industry,” Brandon said. “Carl and I had previously both worked in the restaurant industry, but it was only for brief periods of time.”

The three opened Diablo’s with the plans of eventually franchising, and franchising they have. Their flagship store on Wheeler Road opened not even five years ago, and the chain already is opening its ninth location, this week in Columbia, South Carolina. Plans are in the works for more locations.

What makes the fast-casual Mexican food taste so special is what Brandon calls the “heat,” or spices infused in the food — spices that have origins in Texas.

But not to worry — it’s not an overpowering heat.

“I think we’re so popular because we’re able to cater to a very broad audience from the people who like overthe-top heat with our ghost pepper cheese and spicy sour cream and peach habanero sauce,” said co-owner Brandon Wall, who is head of operations. “But then the grandmothers that come in that just want a groundbeef taco salad, the ground beef is not so over-thetop spiciness. So we are able to serve a wide array of customers, from every heat level tolerance.”

26 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Co-owner Carl Wallace is responsible for most of the recipes at Diablo’s. He spent some time in Texas learning as much as he could about the Mexican food out there.

“Really (the recipes) came from spending time in Dallas learning the regional flavors,” Carl said. “Learning what was the consistent menu items, what was the flavor profile that we should develop? And I read cookbook after cookbook of true southwest flavors, and the ingredients in true southwest food.”

By Amanda Main

One point of pride for the co-owners is that everything is made fresh in house, right in front of the customer.

“We locally source our chicken and use certified Angus beef,” Wallace said. “All our hot sauces, we make in house. All our produce is cut fresh daily. We cook our chicken and steak over apple wood, so we’re cooking it with a flame and cooking it with smoked wood.”

Brandon’s brother, Brad Wall, oversees the construction and interior of the restaurants — and is a self-described taste-tester. The rustic décor of the restaurants is reminiscent of restaurants in Texas.

“We put a lot of emphasis on the interior of the store,” Brad said. “We want the store to be a comfortable and fun atmosphere. It’s not just a place to sit down and eat great food, but it’s an environment that you actually want to be in.”

For anyone who’s used to food in Texas, Diablo’s is a welcome treat. And not to worry if extremely spicy isn’t your thing — it’s more that the spices equal flavor, rather than a burning mouth. The burritos are so big that they don’t look possible to finish in one sitting, but the flavors make it possible to eat every bite. Customers can add things like pinto or black beans, spicy (or regular) sour cream, corn salsa, cilantro lime or Spanish rice, housemade guacamole and pico de gallo. The guacamole tastes so fresh, it’s like it had been made just before ordering.

The entrees are served with chips, and Diablo’s has a salsa bar with hot, mild and salsa verde.

Besides burritos, Diablo’s also serves burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads and kids meals. Meat choices include chicken, beef, steak or pork. Any of the 7SEPTEMBER2017

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entrees are customizable for vegetarians, with the option of getting tofu or veggies instead of meat.

When asked what menu item he’s most proud of, Brandon said, “That’s like asking somebody to pick their favorite child.

They’re all our recipes; it took us a long time to dial them in.

At one point, we had so much heat in our ingredients that it was just lighting people’s mouths on fire, so we had to dial it back a touch. But we’re always listening to our customers, and we appreciate the feedback to only make us better. Because what we may like or what we think somebody may enjoy isn’t always reality when you’re serving a large customer base. So we’ve always tweaked our recipe based on conversations, and the end result is what you have. And we pride ourselves on keeping our product consistent, from store to store.”

The co-owners have branched out their brand through franchises, but they have more corporate stores planned for the Augusta area, looking to eventually open one in south Augusta and at Washington Road/I-20. Their plans for now are to focus on growing their brand in the southeast of the U.S., with some stores already planned in Alabama.

Diablo’s also offers catering, and they’ve catered events spanning from 30 or 40 people all the way up to 3,500.

The three guys are happy that what they’ve created seems to keep getting more popular.

“I’m proud of being able to create a brand from the bottom up,” Brad said. “The dream that started just as one store has grown into multiple stores. It was definitely a shot in the dark.”

Visit diablossouthwestgrill.com to see their menu, catering and locations information, and follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/diablossouthwestgrill.

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A kAleidoscope of culture

Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival coming back for 37th year if you’ve lived in AugustA any length of time, you’re probably aware of the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival that takes place every fall.

In its 37th year, the festival will be downtown next week, from Sept. 15-17, and if you’ve never been, you don’t realize what you’re missing out on.

One of the most popular aspects of the festival is the international cuisine booths — more than 20 nations are represented, with new booths including Korea, Sudan, Vietnam and Cambodia. Five stages will be packed with nonstop performances all weekend, and more than 130 juried fine arts and crafts booths will be available to peruse.

New to the festival this year are the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series show on Sunday featuring Otis Redding III (yes, Otis Redding’s son), Greg Hester, Keith Jenkins and Lola Gulley. Friday night features a new, Latin-fusion party with DJ Andrew Serrano. Also new to the festival is Authors Alley in the JB White Building, which puts the spotlight on area writers.

Read on to find out more about what will be available at this year’s festival, to be located at Broad Street and the Augusta Common at 836 Reynolds St. 30 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Art As always, Arts in the Heart features artists from near and far. The festival will feature at least 150 artists, with 53 from Georgia and 25 from the CSRA. One local artist — a first-timer to the festival — is Grovetown resident and Indonesia native Nico Gozal, of Nico G Silk Art (view his work at nicogsilkart.wordpress.com). He does handpainted silk pieces using fabric dyes, but it’s not wearable art — his pieces are showcased behind glass in shadowboxes. He said he got into the art form under a professor, who he ended up working for before feeling comfortable branching out on his own.

He said he draws inspiration from music and language.

“I’m really interested in music from whichever country, even though I don’t understand what they say — just the music itself and the language fascinates me,” Gozal said, “and that kind of inspires me with my artwork also because I originally came from Indonesia, so a lot of the Indonesian textile design or sculpture or traditional dances influence me.”

Gozal moved from Indonesia to go to school in Tampa, Florida, in 1990 at the International Academy of Merchandising and Design. After living there for about a decade, he moved to Chicago in 2002 to be with his partner. They then moved

By Amanda Main

to the Augusta area after his partner got a job at Fort Gordon in 2012.

Gozal is excited to be a part of Arts in the Heart, gaining respect for the festival as a visitor for the past few years. He said his booth will feature “a various selection of silk painting, a lot of whimsical, nature, nautical-related painting.” He said he hopes when people see his art, it will bring them a sense of joy.

Cindy Pearce will be displaying her wire-woven stone jewelry at the festival for the first time. As a longtime Aiken resident, she has attended and loves Arts in the Heart. Her jewelry consists of polished stones wrapped in woven copper wire. The time she spends on a piece can range from one hour to two days.

“Just like in basket weaving, you’re weaving several wires together, usually between two and six to eight wires,” Pearce said. “And you’re actually creating a weaving pattern, so some of my pieces actually have six different patterns. … I look at the stone, and it almost kind of tells me what it wants me to do.”

She started out as a graphic designer and did it for about 30 years, after getting a degree from the University of South Carolina.

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“Thirty-something years ago, we didn’t have computers to do artwork,” she said. “We used to do it all by hand, and I missed it. So that’s why I got into jewelry. I just enjoy doing things by hand.”

Pearce sells jewelry under the name UnderWraps Jewelry. Visit underwrapsjewelry.com or facebook.com/ underwrapsjewelry.

Some longstanding favorites from the CSRA will be at the festival, including the Grunge Goddess (Juliet King), who does live demonstrations on the pottery wheel throughout the festival. Local artist Sergio Ruano’s Spoke-n-For jewelry is created from bicycle spokes, and he custom creates it for people on site. Jennifer Ellison, creator of by Jen Ell clothing line, has a new line of clothing this year. And Kendra Runnels, owner of Kendra’s Studios Inc. and an Arts in the Heart award winner from 2016, will be back with her paintings. Nora Cooks is rejoining the festival after some years away, with her handmade dolls. And Chris Goodman, a highly skilled woodworker specializing in musical instruments, will be there.

The festival draws artists from beyond the CSRA, as well.

Hallie Bertling of Greenville, South Carolina, pours her talents into illustrative paintings depicting the feet of fairy tale characters — she calls her collection Faerie Tale Feet.

“It’s all inspired by favorite books, plays and fairy tales,” she said. “And I take the original telling — whether it’s hundreds of years old or a more recent book — and I hide details from the original story in the background pattern, and then I paint the characters’ feet and their shoes to kind of give you an idea of the character, based on their posture or their action to let people step into the story for themselves.”

Bertling, who studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, has been to Augusta before, but it will be her first time experiencing the Arts in the Heart festival. She draws her inspiration from traveling and from reading plenty of books (she read 13 just last month). Visit facebook.com/halthegal or find her shop on Etsy by searching Halthegal.

Artists and married couple Amy and Mark Thompson will be coming down from Englewood, Ohio. The two work together to create unique, cut stained-glass pieces that are set in wood and meant to be hung up as wall art — not in front of a window.

Amy designs, cuts and lays all of the stained glass, and Mark does the woodworking aspect of it.

Amy said if someone had told her six or seven years ago she’d be doing the art for a living, she would have thought they were crazy.

“I trained as an executive chef; I have no formal training in 7SEPTEMBER2017

the arts, although I’ve dabbled in just about every medium since childhood, so I’ve always been very creative, but I never thought that I could do this for a living,” Amy Thompson said.

“And I lost my job, and my husband said, ‘While you’ve got some free time, why don’t you try stained glass?’ I hadn’t tried stained glass, and I knew nothing about it. And I thought ‘You know what, I’ll do that.’ So I went out and I just bought some supplies — never read a book, never saw a video, and I get home and I just started learning. And I just honestly just doing it, so everything I’ve learned up to this point has truly been self taught. A lot of trial and error in there, the first things we made were hideous. … My strength as a sketch artist really helps me in what I do. And Mark had worked in wood already, he had made furniture and other things through the years, so he had a depth of knowledge in woodworking.”

Amy’s pieces are heavily inspired by nature. Though the Thompsons have been to Georgia before, this will be their first time visiting Augusta. They’ll be offering new pieces, original wine racks, a decorative wall shelf and larger-scale pieces that they don’t carry a lot of. See their work at glassandwoodworks. com.

Robin Rodgers, who lives in Tallahassee, Florida, will bring his nature-themed pottery to Arts in the Heart for the first time. Growing up near a river in Florida, he would find pieces of American Indian pottery there, which influenced him to become interested in the art form and archaeology. He’s been doing pottery himself since he took a pottery class in 1981, and has a Master’s degree in ceramics and now teaches.

“My work is wheel-thrown, which means it’s turned on a potter’s wheel from a lump of clay. I decorate the pottery by carving into it or etching patterns into it, and sometimes I sculpt freehand various kinds of little animals, like frogs, birds and turtles,” Rodgers said. “It’s kind of nature-related art. And it’s more decorative pottery than cups and bowls and mugs and things like that.”

He said his work is “raku-fired,” which is “an ancient Japanese technique of firing that involves pulling the pottery out of the kiln while the glass (glaze) is still hot, and that makes the crackled patterns form in the glass.” Find him on Facebook by searching Robin Rodgers Pottery.

included with Arts in the Heart badge). Performers include Keith Jenkins and Greg Hester, Lola Gulley and Otis Redding III. Keith Jenkins is an Augusta native who joined James Brown’s band, The Soul Generals, as a guitarist when he was barely 18 years old. He spent 12 years touring with the Godfather of Soul until Brown passed away in 2006. Jenkins, who serves as music director at the James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils in Augusta, collaborated with another soulful Georgia singer, Greg Hester, to release the tribute album “Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?” in 2015. Hester has released solo albums that reflect his love of soul, funk and country-rock and showcases his powerful voice in Street Choir, a tribute to the great Northern Irish musician Van Morrison.

Every week at Northside Tavern, the legendary Atlanta blues club, Lola Gulley leads the Monday Night Jam. A dynamic singer, Gulley has been compared to Candi Staton and Mavis Staples and earned “Best Vocal Performance — Female” honors by the Blues Critics’ poll in 2014. Two of her albums, “Give Her What She Wants” and “Cleanin’ House,” were produced by soul legend William Bell and released on his Wilbe Records label.

It’s a heavy burden to carry the name of one of the world’s most beloved artists, but Otis Redding III has carved his own path in music over the past three decades. He had several charting hits in the ’80s with R&B, soul and disco group The Reddings, which included his brother, Dexter, and singer Mark Lockett. Since then, Otis III, a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer, has recorded and toured extensively in America and Europe and continues to write and release bluesy, soulful music while honoring and paying tribute to his father, Otis Redding, by always performing some of his songs in his sets.

Other artists to appear on the Community Stage include Augusta hip-hop/pop artist and DJ Moses; Augusta-based female-fronted alternative rock group BullMoose; Augustabased heavy rock band A Future Now Past; North Augustabased alternative/indie guitar pop group Hound of Goshen; North Augusta-based power pop duo Brighter Light; Augustabased Vicky Grady Band; and Augusta-based hip-hop artist Selah Jetlound Guru.

MUSIC The ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series is taking place in six cities across the state from August to November. Its stop in Augusta is part of Arts in the Heart, on the Community Stage starting at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 (admission is AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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The Global Stage will feature Augusta-based punk-pop fusion band False Flag; King Cat and the Elders, who resurrect the roots of rock ’n’ roll and update the arrangements; Aiken-based piano, bass and drum trio Stink Bamboo; dance group Dance 2 Inspire; and girl-rock band SnapDragon, whose singer is based in Augusta.

The Jazz Stage will showcase Atlanta-based Gospel recording artist Funmilayo Ngozi; Augusta-based solo pop/jazz/rock artist Chris Hardy World; Augusta-based alternative country/bluesy rock artists the Adam Harris Thompson Band; and Augusta-based Christian performing artist Tony Aaron Hambrick.

The Troubadour Stage will feature Atlanta-based acoustic duo Linnie & Amy Joy; Maconbased folk/pop/rock singer and songwriter Louise Warren; Nashville, Tennessee,-based songwriter/visual artist Wild Enemy; Atlanta-based neo soul funk singer Nubia Soul Goddess; and Georgia-based spoken word artist Sa Jules.

On the Family Stage will be Zazzua Productions’ “World Fusion,” full of dancing and theatrics; Augusta-based competitive dance team Dance Xtreme; CSRA-based magician Ben the Illusionist; and Victory Productions’ “A Woman’s Worth,” a story of three sisters on different walks of life as they endure the trials and tribulations of their individual romantic relationships.

See next week’s Metro Spirit for more information about the performances.

FOOD Last, but definitely not least, is the food, one of the most enduringly popular aspects of Arts in the Heart.

Back for its fourth year is the African-American booth, which benefits Concerned Women Inc. The nonprofit organization based in Grovetown has been around for almost 15 years and helps the community in various ways, including providing food and clothing to people who need it.

The nonprofit group’s executive director, Bea Sanders, said they enjoy working with the festival.

“It was eye-opening for us, a very good fundraiser, and we got to meet a lot of people. It’s just exciting,” Sanders said. “Everybody’s just nice, from the Arts in the Heart community on down; everything’s just been nice.”

The booth will feature different items on the menu each day of the festival, including hot wings, fish, ribs, barbecue pig’s feet, collard greens, chicken, corn bread, macaroni and cheese and more. Desserts include red velvet cake, sweet potato pie and pound cake.

The much-loved India booth also will be back this year. The booth, called the Indian Pavilion, is put on by the Hindu Temple Society of Augusta. One of the booth’s organizers, Sheila

Kamath, said they have been part of the festival since 1995.

“When we’re trying to represent India, we take foods from different parts of India … we want people to get a nice variety,” Kamath said. “People have been coming to us for years, and they know exactly what to order. Our tent is split into two sides, the northern side and the southern side, because the food is very different. On the southern side, we have the Indian crepes called the dosa, which is a very famous south Indian dish. It is like a very thin pancake with potato filling, and it comes with a very spicy sauce like a soup and coconut chutney. That is the big item on that side. On the north Indian side, we have the sampler platter (which comes with Indian bread, rice, mixed vegetable curry, chickpeas in curry, vegetable fritters and dessert).”

The booth serves no meat, as it is aiming to promote vegetarianism. Some items may be made vegan upon request.

The Hindu Temple Society of Augusta does what it can to help the community, such as supporting the soup kitchen and other outreach efforts like making hats and scarves for students. The booth also will have several henna artists for people to get henna art done on their skin.

Other nations represented include Germany, serving items like schnitzel, bratwursts, potato salad and sauerkraut; China, serving items like ham fried rice, eggrolls and vegetable lo mein; Jamaica, serving items like curry chicken, jerk chicken, jerk pork, ox tail and curry goat; Turkey, serving items like gyro wraps, chicken wraps and baklava; and Trinidad, serving items like geera pork (cooked with spicy cumin and garlic), curry chicken dinner and curry goat dinner.

Many other food booths will be at the festival.

The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16; and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17. Badges cost $7 in advance or $12 at the gate, and kids 10 and younger get in free. Advance badges may be purchased online or at State Bank and Trust, Vintage Ooollee in Downtown Augusta and New Moon in Aiken. Arts in the Heart sees more than 88,000 visitors every year. For information, call 706-826-4702, visit artsintheheartofaugusta.com or email info@artsintheheart.com. See next week’s Metro Spirit for a full guide to the festival.

Metro Week This year marks the 16th anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, which left thousands dead.

If you want to gather where people will be remembering what happened on that day and honoring the people who died, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners is having their annual 9/11 Day of Remembrance Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11. Retired Lt. Serge Burack, Eng 234 FDNY, will be the guest speaker.

The event will take place at Columbia County’s Military Memorial Wall, behind the Columbia County Library in Evans.

If you can’t attend, watch it online at facebook.com/ColumbiaCtyGA. Visit columbiacountyga.gov for more information.

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WHAT’S UP

Calendar: 36 | Music Listings: 42 If you have any questions, or would like to submit an event to our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com.

GETTING ARTSY IN AIKEN THE SEASoN for arts festivals is here, and if you just can’t wait to get started, head on up to Aiken for Aiken’s Makin’ this weekend. The twoday craft show features a variety of exhibitors with works for sale, as well as food vendors, entertainment and more. Arts and crafts available include but are not limited to fine arts, glass works, wood pieces, ceramics and fabric pieces.

Food vendors will serve treats such as sausage dogs, gyros, kettle corn, funnel cakes, lemonade and more.

Aiken’s Makin’ started 41 years ago when the vice president of trade development for the Aiken Chamber of Commerce decided Aiken needed an event to attract people to the downtown area, according to the history page on aikensmakin.net. The show is meant to be a showcase for items made by local residents. With the first show in 1976, the vendor list has grown from 50 to about 300 in recent years.

AIKEN’S MAKIN’ Downtown Aiken 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri Sep 8 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat Sep 9 803-645-0169 aikensmakin.net

SATURDAY, SEP 9

SUNDAY, SEP 10

WEDNESDAY, SEP 13

THURSDAY, SEP 14

Hey, animal lovers! The Cattyshack Cat Club Cat Show (sanctioned by the International Cat Association) returns to North Augusta this weekend. Along with cats being judged, vendors will be selling products for cat owners. The show runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Riverview Park Activities Center. Cost is $5 for adults, with discounted tickets for military, seniors and children. Pets that aren’t registered for the show are not allowed.

Feeling like you need to get your zen on?

A free yoga event at Pendleton King Park Pavilion will be taking place from 10 a.m.11:30 a.m. Sunday. Participants in Yoga in the Park are encouraged to bring their own mats.

Donations will be accepted to support the park’s maintenance and projects. Call 706294-9472 or email cindy@theyogacenter.net.

Georgia history lovers are invited to check out a talk about the town of Waynesboro, led by Jesse Stone and Ben Palmer. The lecture will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History.

It’s free for museum members and $3 for nonmembers. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches, but the museum will provide drinks. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Can you tell me how to get … to see Maria from “Sesame Street”? She’ll be right here in Augusta, for the Addressing the ABCs of Diversity conference at Augusta Marriott and Convention Center. The Diversity and Inclusion Summit runs from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Thursday and features keynote speaker and actress Sonia Manzano. Cost is $65, general; $35, students; or $40 for the morning session keynote without lunch. Visit augusta.edu/ diversity/summit or call 706-721-6890.

7SEPTEMBER2017

For more information on these events, see our calendar of events on page 36.

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Tue Sep 12

2pm - 4pm Computing for Beginners Diamond Lakes Branch Library A two session-class that continues at the same time on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

Wed Sep 13

All day Strategies to Boost Your Life and Career DoubleTree Hotel A conference hosted by the Southeast Region of Federally Employed Women that includes sessions, networking opportunities, vendors and exhibitors, refreshments and luncheon. Continues through Saturday, Sept. 16.

Pre-registration through Aug. 31: $175, non-FEW members; $150, FEW members; $125, military or retired FEW members. Late registration fee is an addition $25. Email few.srchapter@gmail.com.

10am Google School

An Evening with Clint Black Evans Towne Center Park 8 p.m. Thu Sep 14; $25-$55 Josh Thompson opens at 7 p.m.

Purchase tickets at freshtix.com or at Security Federal Bank locations

ARTS Thu Sep 7

10:30am - 12:30pm Pottery Class Harlem Arts Council Pottery with Angelika Bondar. Continues Thursdays through Sept. 28. $80 for all four classes; includes material fee. Make reservations at least 24 hours in advance. Call 706-394-4682.

DANCE Thu Sep 7

9:30am Music & Movement Wallace Branch Library Interactive music, fun and dance. All ages welcome; groups of four or more. Preregistration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.

EDUCATION Thu Sep 7

10am Computer Boot Camp: Part I Columbia County Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

11:30am - 1:30pm Open Job Lab Diamond Lakes Branch Library Participants can complete job applications, resumes or conduct job searches with staff available for one-on-one help if needed. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

36 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

7:30pm Islam, Jihad and 9/11 Program by the Islamic Society of Augusta answers questions in its Lifting the Veil series.

Visit isaugusta.com or email outreach@ isaugusta.com.

Sat Sep 9

9am Financial Education Class Kroc Center An EmpowerU class from Fifth Third Bank that includes information on budgeting, saving for a house, building your credit and more. Held the second Saturday of each month. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org/kroc-center/.

Columbia County Library Participants will learn about Google’s many services, including books, maps and shopping.

Pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

11:30am - 1:30pm Brown Bag History Series Lecture Augusta Museum of History Featuring Waynesboro, led by Jesse Stone and Ben Palmer. Participants should bring their own lunch and the museum will provide beverages. A Q&A session follows the lecture at 12:30 p.m. Free, members; $3, nonmembers. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

5:30pm Camera Part 2 Columbia County Library Learn how to import, edit, print, organize and back up digital photos. Pre- registration required. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

6pm Tertulia: Spanish Conversation Group Headquarters Branch Library A group for beginner to intermediate Spanish speakers. Call 317-695-4748.

Thu Sep 14

Mon Sep 11

8am - 4:30pm Addressing the ABCs of Diversity

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

Augusta Marriott and Convention Center A Diversity and Inclusion Summit featuring keynote speaker Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on “Sesame Street.” $65, general, or $35 for students. $40 for the morning session keynote, without lunch. Visit augusta. edu/diversity/summit.

3:30pm - 5pm Intermediate Spanish Class

5:30pm Beginner Spanish Class Friedman Branch Library An adult class led by Edwin Perez of the Asociacion Cultural Hispanoamericana. Preregistration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

EXHIBITIONS Thu Sep 7

5pm - 7pm Exhibit Opening Reception Sacred Heart Cultural Center Featuring works by Randy Akers. The exhibition will remain on display through

Oct. 27. Reception is free and open to the public.

Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta. org.

5pm - 7pm Photo Walk Finds Opening North Augusta Municipal Building Exhibition shows photos taken during Augusta Photography Festival’s photo walks. Cash prizes and ribbons will be awarded for photos during reception. Exhibit runs through Sept. 27. Call 706-834-9742 or visit augustaphotofestival.org.

Fri Sep 8

6pm A Sense of Place Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art This juried art competition was open to all U.S. residents ages 18 and older. It shows at the gallery until Oct. 13. Visit ghia.org.

Thu Sep 14

6pm - 8pm Gallery Opening Reception Aiken Center for the Arts Featuring the American Academy of Equine Art and Luiza Somodi. Call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.

FLIX Thu Sep 7

6:30pm “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Fri Sep 8

2pm - 4pm Movie Time for Adults Maxwell Branch Library Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.

Sat Sep 9

11am - 1pm Movie Time for Kids Maxwell Branch Library A rated G or PG kid-friendly movie will show.

Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.

3pm “The Great Wall” Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Sun Sep 10

3pm “The Book Thief” Columbia County Library Free movie screening. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

Tue Sep 12

5:30pm Free Movie Tuesdays Headquarters Branch Library Movies begin at 5:45 p.m. Call 706-821-2600 for weekly selections. Visit arcpls. org.

6:30pm “The Case for Christ” North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Thu Sep 14

11am - 1pm Movie for Special Needs 7SEPTEMBER2017

Diamond Lakes Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

1pm “Pete’s Dragon” (2016 film) AU’s Maxwell Theatre Free screening as part of the Cinema Series at Augusta University. Screenwriter/Producer Toby Halbrooks will take part in a Q&A session.

Call 706-667-4100 or visit augusta.edu/ maxwelltheatre/schedule.

6:30pm “Pray for Rain” North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.

7pm “A Ghost Story” AU’s Maxwell Theatre Free screening as part of the Cinema Series at Augusta University. Screenwriter/Producer Toby Halbrooks will take part in a Q&A session.

Call 706-667-4100 or visit augusta.edu/ maxwelltheatre/schedule.

HEALTH

2825 or visit universityhealth.org.

Thu Sep 14

6:30pm - 9:30pm Breastfeeding Class Doctors Hospital Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

6:30pm - 9pm Your Amazing Baby Augusta University Medical Center Pre-registration is required for this baby care class. Call 706-721-8283 or visit augusta.edu.

7pm Women’s Center Tour University Hospital Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-7742825 or visit universityhealth.org.

HOBBIES Thu Sep 7

2pm Fall Gardening Friedman Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

Thu Sep 7

5:30pm Fiber Arts Craft and Chat

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

Columbia County Library Open to those of all abilities who crochet, knit, loom and cross stitch. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.

7pm Center for Women Tour

Sat Sep 9

6:30pm - 8:30pm PWN AUG Chess Club Meeting

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

The Book Tavern A club open to all ages and skill levels that meets the first and third Thursdays of each month. Participants are encouraged to bring their own chess sets. Call 706-826-1940 or visit booktavern.com.

9am - 4:30pm Short and Sweet

Mon Sep 11 6:30pm Refit

Headquarters Branch Library A free cardio dance class. Call 706-821-2600 or visit arcpls.org.

7pm - 9:30pm Weekday Childbirth Education Class University Hospital Three-week class meets 7 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays on Sept. 11, 18 and 25. Pre- registration required.

Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.

Tue Sep 12

4:30pm - 6pm Women’s Center Tour University Hospital Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-7742825 or visit universityhealth.org.

7pm - 9pm Breastfeeding Class Augusta University Medical Center Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-7219351 or visit augusta.edu.

Wed Sep 13

5pm Breastfeeding Class University Hospital Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-7747SEPTEMBER2017

Sat Sep 9

Mon Sep 11

3pm - 4pm Genealogy Club Columbia County Library A group for those of all abilities. Call 706-8631946 or visit gchrl.org.

Wed Sep 13

11am - 12:30pm Rock Painting Aiken Public Library The library will supply rocks and painting supplies to participants ages 12 and up. Preregistration required. Call 803-642-2020, ext.

1131, or visit abbe-lib.org.

1pm Adult Color Explosion Diamond Lakes Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

Ongoing

KIDS-TEENS Thu Sep 7

10:30am Create with Me: Fall Harvest Morris Museum of Art Part of the Mommy and Me series for children and parents in which participants will view the exhibition “The Agrarian South” and assemble their own barn. Free, members and parents; $4 per participant, non-members. Pre-registration required. Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris. org.

1pm - 3pm Homeschool Adventure: Life Cycles

9am - 4pm The Tie That Binds Genealogists

5pm - 6:30pm Royal Bees Girls Club registration

10am Genealogy 101 Columbia County Library Learn the genealogy basics of research and organization. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl. org.

10:30am Chess for Beginners The Book Tavern A free event in which chess sets will be provided. Visit facebook. com/augustachess or augustachess.com.

Jessye Norman School of the Arts Participants will read, sing, play musical instruments and explore movement designed to help them develop both literary and cognitive skills. Parents or caregivers participate in the class through age 3. Preschool & kindergarten children may attend with, or without, a parent or caregiver. $10; pre-registration required. Call 706828-7768 or visit jessyenormanschool.org.

Sat Sep 9

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

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Story time and nature hike designed for kids from Headquarters Branch Library’s Georgia toddlers to age 8. Pre-registration required. Free, Heritage Room members; $2, nonmembers. Call 706-396-1428 or Free sessions offered by appointment. Call 706- email info@phinizycenter.org.

826-1511 or visit arcpls.org.

Odell Weeks Center, Aiken Free appraisals and free gifts for kids at this coin show. Email sjcsracoinclub@gmail.com.

Wesley United Methodist Church The Augusta Genealogical Society’s 2017 Homecoming Seminar. Fee includes syllabus and lunch. $40, AGS members; $45, non-members. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-4073 or visit augustagensociety.org.

12:30pm - 2pm Mr. Kenny’s Wondrous Stories, Songs and Play

Basic Genealogy Tutorials

Mistletoe State Park For homeschool students ages 5 and up. $5 per child, plus $5 parking. Pre-registration required.

Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/ mistletoe.

9am Stephen James Coin Show

The Book Tavern Juice and cookies provided by New Moon Cafe. Call 706-826-1940 or email superawesomestorytime@booktavern.com.

Sand Hills Community Center Register for mentoring program for girls ages 4-16. Next registration is from 5-6 p. m. Sept.

14. Meets weekly Thursdays from 5-7:30 p.m. starting Sept. 14.

Fri Sep 8

10am - 12:30pm Story Time Fridays Aiken Public Library Stories, songs and interactive activities.

Story time for babies (0-23 months) begins at 10:15 a.m., toddlers (2-3 years) at 11 a.m. and preschoolers (4-5 years) at 11:45 a.m.

Participants and caregivers are encouraged to participate. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib. org.

10:30am - 12pm Super Awesome Story Time

11am “How to Catch a Monster” Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.

11am What Makes a Wetland a Wetland?

Reed Creek Park Outdoor event for kids ages 5 and up might get muddy, so wear appropriate clothing and rain boots. Free, members; $2 per child, nonmembers.

Pre-registration required. Call 706-210-4027 or email reedcreekpark@columbiacountyga.gov.

2pm Lego Club Headquarters Branch Library Legos provided. Pre-registration recommended.

Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls. org.

4pm Turtle Research Methods Reed Creek Park Kids ages 8 and up join in hands-on research experience studying the turtle population.

Children will be wearing chest waders and getting into the wetland. Free, members; $2 per child, nonmembers. Pre-registration required.

Call 706-210-4027 or email reedcreekpark@ columbiacountyga.gov.

Sun Sep 10

2pm Colonial Tales and Trade Morris Museum of Art Living Historian Bobby Blackwell shares his experiences as a Colonial Indian trader in the Carolinas. Afterward, participants will create their own Native American instruments. Free event.

Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris.org.

Mon Sep 11

10:30am Jr. Lego Club Headquarters Branch Library For kids ages 2-4. Legos provided. Preregistration required. Call 706-821-2623 or visit AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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arcpls.org.

Tue Sep 12

9:30am Tiny Tot Story Time Reed Creek Park “Eating the Alphabet” story time for kids ages 2-4. Participants will sample fruits and vegetables. Free, members; $2 per child, nonmembers. Pre-registration required. Call 706-210-4027 or email reedcreekpark@ columbiacountyga.gov.

10am Big Kid Story Time Headquarters Branch Library For kids ages 3-6. Pre-registration recommended. Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls. org.

10am Children’s Story Time Friedman Branch Library Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.

10am Preschool Story Time Diamond Lakes Branch Library A program for kids ages 3-5 that includes stories, songs, games, short movies and crafts.

Pre-registration required for groups of 6 or more. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls. org.

10am - 11:30am Puddle Ducks: Kids & Caregivers Club Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Stories and hands-on fun. Free, members; $5, nonmembers. Call 706-396-1424 or email info@ phinizycenter.org.

10:30am Young Children’s Story Time

Swamp Bike Saturday Phinizy Swamp Nature Park 9:30 a.m.-noon Sat Sep 9 Free, members; $2, nonmembers Helmets and pre-registration required for guided bike ride through about 7 miles of wetland trails.

Call 706-396-1426 or visit phinizycenter.org.

Maxwell Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.

10am Story Time for Tots

Diamond Lakes Branch Library A program for kids ages 0-3 that includes songs, finger plays and readings. Preregistration required for groups of 6 or more.

Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.

Headquarters Branch Library For those ages 0-3. Pre-registration recommended. Call 706-821-2623 or visit arcpls. org.

4pm Beginner’s Guitar Class

Appleby Branch Library Beginning at 10:05, this is a program best for children ages 18 months-3 years. Call 706-7366244 or visit arcpls.org.

Columbia County Library A class for those ages 11-18 in which space is limited to eight students. Pre-registration required. Call 706-863-1946, ext. 4, or visit gchrl. org.

4pm Storytime in the Gardens Hopelands Gardens For families with children ages 8 and younger. Blankets, chairs, drinks and snacks are welcome. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

10am Toddler Story Time

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

10:30am Preschool Story Time

4:30pm Arts & Crafts Buffet

Appleby Branch Library Songs, finger plays and stories for kids ages 18 months to 3 years. Pre-registration required for groups of six or more. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.

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

Thu Sep 14

4pm Lego Club

Wed Sep 13

10am “Three Little Pigs” AU’s Maxwell Theatre A free children’s play. Pre-registration required.

Call 706-737-1625 or email literacycenter1401@ gmail.com.

10am Story Time

Aiken Public Library For kids ages 5-11. Legos provided. Call 803642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

5pm Royal Bees Girls Club registration Sand Hills Community Center Register for mentoring program for girls ages 4-16. Meets weekly Thursdays from 5-7:30 p.m.

starting Sept. 14.

Ongoing

Fabulous Friday Homeschool Jessye Norman School of the Arts Two eight-week sessions are available for homeschool children ages 6 through teens.

Each Friday begins with fitness at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch and then art classes from noon-2 p.m. Participants are organized into two groups according to age. The first session is Aug. 18-Oct. 6; the second is October 13-December 8. $100, each session; preregistration required. Call 706-828-7768 or visit jessyenormanschool.org.

LITERARY Sat Sep 9

12:30pm - 2:30pm Book Signing Aiken Public Library Featuring author Charmain Zimmerman Brackett, whose hometown is Augusta. Brackett has written several novels and illustrated children’s books including “The Key of Elyon” and “Little Pearl’s Circus World.” Call 803-6422020 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Thu Sep 14

7pm - 10pm An Evening with Markus Zusak Columbia County Library Author Markus Zusak will speak, answer questions and sign autographs. Free event. Preregister at gchrl.org or call 706-863-1946.

MUSIC

Fri Sep 8

6:30pm - 8pm Music Cruise Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Featuring Chris Hardy. Participants are invited to bring snacks and beverages. $25; $23, seniors, military and students. Pre-registration required. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com.

7:30pm 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Eagles tribute band. $39.50, reserved seat tickets. Call 706-726-0366 or visit augustaamusements.com.

7:30pm - 10:30pm Jazz concert Partridge Inn A Step Up jazz band performs for dinner crowd.

Free. Call 706-737-8888 or visit astepupjazz. com.

7:30pm Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Imperial Theatre Fifteen-time Grammy Award winner and country and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder kick off the 2017-18 concert series at the Imperial Theatre. $15-$40. Call 706-722-8341 or visit imperialtheatre.com.

7:30pm Telegraph String Quartet AU’s Maxwell Theatre Award-winning chamber ensemble performs. $40 general admission, $5 with student ID, and free for Augusta University

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students, faculty and staff with ID. Reserve tickets at 706-667-4100, or purchase at the door (advance tickets seated first).

Sat Sep 9

8am - 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.

4:30pm - 6pm Elvis impersonator Imperial Theatre Through music and stories, this show brought

by Cody Ray Slaughter will take viewers back to Elvis’ breakout year of 1956. Tickets range from $19-$79. Meet and greet for VIP ($79). Light snacks will be provided.

6pm - 9pm Diggin’ It Music Festival Columbia County Amphitheater Trust in Traitors opens for I Am Spartacus and Brooke McBride. Proceeds benefit the Augusta Christian girl’s volleyball team. $10. Visit freshtix. com/events/diggin-it-music- festival.

Thu Sep 14

8pm An Evening with Clint Black Evans Towne Center Park Country superstar Clint Black performs, with Josh Thompson at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25-$55. Tickets may be purchased at freshtix.com or at Security Federal Bank locations throughout the CSRA.

Shops of Midtown, Kings Way at Central Avenue This event features discounts in the shops, hors d’oeuvres and more. Call 706-733-1788.

Behind the Columbia County Library Join the Columbia County Board of Commissioners at the Military Memorial Wall behind Columbia County Library. Retired Lt. Serge Burack, Eng 234 FDNY, will be the guest speaker. Visit facebook.com/columbiactyga or columbiacountyga.gov.

Fri Sep 8

Tue Sep 12

SPECIAL EVENTS Thu Sep 7

5pm - 8pm First Thursday

9am Aiken’s Makin’ Downtown Aiken Two-day arts and crafts event features handmade craft exhibits, food and performing artists. Continues Saturday, Sept. 9. Visit aikensmakin.net or call 803-645-0169.

Sat Sep 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 - 4pm Cattyshack Cat Club Cat Show Riverview Park Activities Center $5, adults; discounted tickets for military, seniors and children. Continues 10 a.m.4 p.m. Sunday. Call 803-278-0201 or visit cattyshackcats.com.

Mon Sep 11

8:30am 9/11 Day of Remembrance

3pm - 4:30pm Canal Trail Talk: Mother Trinity: Mortar or Memory?

Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Learn the history and relationship between Mother Trinity CME Church and Atlanta Natural Gas. Free. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 2, or visit augustacanal.com.

10:30am - 1pm Aiken Newcomers’ Club Luncheon

Wed Sep 13

Newberry Hall, Aiken Registration begins at 10:45 a.m., with a business meeting following at 11:15 a.m. and then lunch at 11:30 a.m. $15; preregistration required. Call 757-593-9013, email newcomers29803@gmail.com or visit aikennewcomers.com.

Stableview Farms, Aiken Spectators welcome. Call 803-648-1222 or visit stableviewfarm.com.

4:30pm - 7pm Veggie Park Farmers Market Mill Village Trailhead, 109 Eve Street This weekly event in the park behind the Kroc Center features all local farmers and doubles EBT/SNAP benefits. Visit http:// augustalocallygrown.org/veggie-park-farmersmarket/.

Wed Sep 13

3pm - 4:30pm Walk with Wallace Wallace Branch Library An all-ages program in which residents of the Laney-Walker neighborhood are invited to bring pictures and mementos to share. Call 706-7226275 or visit arcpls.org.

Ongoing

Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival Badges for Arts in the Heart, held Sept. 15-17 at the Augusta Common and on Broad Street, are on sale now. Badges, good for the entire weekend, are $7 in advance and $12 at the gate.

Visit artsintheheartofaugusta.com.

SPORTS-OUTDOORS Sat Sep 9

9:30am - 12pm Swamp Bike Saturday Phinizy Swamp Nature Park A guided bike ride through approximately 7 miles of wetland trails. Helmets and preregistration required. Free, members; $2, nonmembers. Call 706-396-1426 or visit phinizycenter.org.

Noon Schooling Dressage Show

Thu Sep 14

5:30pm Fall Classic Tennis Tournament Petersburg Racquet Club Four-day tournament supports the Georgia Cancer Center Image Boutique and Music Therapy Programs. Registration open through Sunday, Sept. 10. Tournament runs through Sunday, Sept. 17. Call 706-231-4477 or visit tennislink.usta.com to register.

SUPPORT Thu Sep 7

10am - 11:30am Alzheimer’s Association Support Group Kroc Center For those dealing with Alzheimer’s and/or caregivers. Pre-registration required. Call 706860-5233.

Mon Sep 11

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

Tue Sep 12

10am - 11:30am Moms Connection Augusta University Medical Center This free weekly support group for new mothers meets in the Terrace DiningDogwood Room on the second floor beginning at 10:20 a.m. All new moms and their babies are welcome, and an international board certified lactation consultant/educator/perinatal nurse will answer questions and offer resources. Call 706-721-8283 or visit augustahealth.org.

Thu Sep 14

7pm - 9pm Twilight Kayak Paddle

6pm Cancer Survivor Support Group

Mistletoe State Park $10, plus $5, parking. Pre-registration required.

Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/ mistletoe.

THEATER

Sun Sep 10

10am - 11:30am Yoga in the Park Pendleton King Park Pavilion Free yoga event outdoors; bring your own mat.

Donations will be accepted for the Pendleton King Park Foundation, which maintains and supports park projects. Call 706-294-9472 or email cindy@theyogacenter.net.

Augusta Oncology Associates Call 706-651-4567.

Ongoing

“Peter Pan” Aiken Community Playhouse $25, adults; $20, seniors and active military; $15, students; $10, children. Shows are at 7:30 Thursday, Sept 7; Friday, Sept. 8; Saturday, Sept.

9; Thursday, Sept. 14; Friday, Sept. 15; and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.

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Saturday, September 9 Live Music

8th Street Plaza - Saturday Morning Swing at the Augusta Market on the River The Backyard Tavern - Brooke/Lundy Duo Columbia County Amphitheater - Diggin’ It Music Festival w/ I Am Spartacus, Brooke McBride, Trust in Traitors Country Club- Lewis Brice Fox’s Lair - Snapdragon Metro Coffeehouse & Pub - Celia Gary Shannon’s - Shinebox Stillwater Taproom - Mike Martin and the Beautiful Mess Wild Wing - Big Scene Trio The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

Upcoming

What’s Tonight?

- James Brown Arena September 16

Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Karaoke Sky City - UGA vs. Notre Dame game

Sunday, September 10 Live Music

T.I. The Country Club Dance Hall & Saloon 7 p.m. Wed Sep 13; $35-$55; 21+ 706-364-1862 or augustacountry.com

Augusta Common - Candlelight Jazz Capri Lounge - Vivian Valium & the Lounge Lizard Divas Wild Wing - Bethany & friends The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

What’s Tonight?

Fox’s Lair - Open Mic w/ Thomas Langley Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Pizza Joint (Downtown) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Sky City - ’80s Night

42 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Country Club - Justin Lee Partin Fox’s Lair - Jeff Johnson (a tribute to Pink Floyd) The Highlander - Brandy Douglas Imperial Theatre - Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder Joe’s Underground - Alphatier w/ Trust in Traitors Shannon’s - Unmentionables Sky City - Rebel Lion & Happy Bones Southbound Smokehouse - Travers Brothership Stillwater Taproom - Circus No. 9 Wild Wing - Under the Sun The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn

Joe Stevenson

- Wild Wing September 14 Whole Lotta Soul

- The Highlander September 15 Atomic Road

- Shannon’s September 15 Hello Betty Band

- Shannon’s September 16 Mary J. Blige Keith Gregory

- The Backyard Tavern September 16 Tank

- Sky City September 19 Shovels and Rope

- Jessye Norman Amphitheater September 22 Arkaik, Alterbeast, Inanimate Existence

- The Iron Heights September 23 Bullmoose, Gloom Cocoon, and Hound of Goshen

- Sky City September 28 - Sky City September 29 Old Dominion

Tuesday, September 12 Live Music

Friday, September 8 Live Music

- Evans Towne Center Park September 14

Monday, September 11 Live Music

Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Wild Wing - Trivia World of Beer - Open Mic Night

Fox’s Lair - Open Mic Jam w/ Thomas Langley Soul Bar - Junkyard Dogs Wild Wing - Jeff Lucero Duo The Willcox (Aiken) - Thursday Night Jazz w/ 4 Cats in the Dog House

Clint Black

An Evening with Chris Robinson Brotherhood

What’s Tonight?

That Place Coffee - Open Mic w/ J. Martin-Moses

- Southbound Smokehouse September 14

Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ Mike Johnson

The Highlander - Acoustic Mondays Metro Coffeehouse & Pub - Blues Monday w/ Famous Last Words

Thursday, September 7 Live Music

Magic City Hippies

Michelle Malone & Drag the River, Silvertown

What’s Tonight?

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Imperial Theatre 7:30 p.m. Fri Sep 8; $15-$40 706-722-8341 or imperialtheatre.com

Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz World of Beer - Trivia

Fox’s Lair - Irish Music w/ Dr. John Fisher and the Undefeated Army The Iron Heights - Gary Lazer Eyes Joe’s Underground - Open Mic The Willcox (Aiken) - Hal Shreck

- Sky City October 3 - Bell Auditorium October 5 Kevin Hart

- Bell Auditorium October 7-8 Chris Janson

- Bell Auditorium October 21 Kansas

- Bell Auditorium October 25 Chicago

- Bell Auditorium November 1 Symphony Orchestra Augusta

- Bell Auditorium November 9 Chris Tomlin

- James Brown Arena November 10 Rick Springfield, Richard Marx

- Bell Auditorium December 6

Elsewhere The Afghan Whigs

What’s Tonight?

The Highlander - Game Night Soul Bar - Soul Night w/ DJ Matto World of Beer - Karaoke

- Terminal West, Atlanta September 7 SNL’s Colin Jost

- Koger Center for the Arts, Columbia September 7 Lady Antebellum, Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini

Wednesday, September 13 Live Music Country Club - T.I. Soul Bar - A Step Up Wild Wing - Sabo and Dave

- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta September 8 TLC, Snap!, Naughty by Nature, Montell Jordan, Color Me Badd

- Infinite Energy Center, Atlanta September 9 Modest Mouse

What’s Tonight?

The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - Karaoke Capri Lounge - Game Night Chevy’s - DJ Richie Rich Pizza Joint (Evans) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper Polo Tavern (Aiken) - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Southbound Smokehouse - Trivia

- The Roxy Theatre, Atlanta September 10 Toto, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo

- Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheatre, Peachtree City September 10 The Cranberries

- The Tabernacle, Atlanta September 13 B-52s w/ the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

- Symphony Hall, Atlanta September 14-15 7SEPTEMBER2017

V28|NO36 Music Midtown w/ Bruno Mars, Mumford & Sons, Wiz Khalifa, Weezer, Haim, Collective Soul, the Strumbellas, Oh Wonder

- Piedmont Park, Atlanta September 16-17 Hanson

- The Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta September 20 Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade

- Infinite Energy Center, Atlanta September 21 Broken Social Scene, Frightened Rabbit, The Belle Game

- The Tabernacle, Atlanta September 22 Adam Ant, Glam Skanks

- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta September 23 Tracy Morgan

- Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta September 23 Cold War Kids, Joywave

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.

- Georgia Theatre, Athens September 25 Father John Misty, Weyes Blood

- The Tabernacle, Atlanta September 27 Indigo Girls, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

- Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta September 27 Pinback, The Messthetics

- Hell at the Masquerade, Atlanta September 28

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

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Ahora español Livelinks.com 18+

- Center Stage Theater, Atlanta September 29 Drive-By Truckers, Strand of Oaks

- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta September 29 and 30 Kesha

- The Roxy Theatre, Atlanta September 29 Jack Johnson, Bahamas

- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta September 30

Meet sexy new friends

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706-434-0112

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THE EIGHT

BOX TOPS RANK TITLES

WEEKEND GROSS TOTAL GROSS WEEK # LAST WEEK

1

THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD

$10,536,010

$55,230,224

3

1

2

ANNABELLE: CREATION

$7,506,234

$89,181,832

4

2

3

WIND RIVER

$6,237,517

$18,659,954

5

4

4

LEAP!

$4,845,793

$11,340,596

2

3

5

LOGAN LUCKY

$4,410,186

$21,440,672

3

5

In Theaters September 8

HORROR COMEDY “It,” rated R, starring Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, “Home Again,” rated PG-13, starring Reese Witherspoon, Nat Wolff, Sophia Lillis and Finn Wolfhard. When children start disappearing in a small Maine town, a group of outcast preteens face off against an evil clown named Pennywise. This is the second adaptation of Stephen King’s popular novel, and it’s proving to be the most anticipated horror film of the year. But if your fear of clowns is too crippling, you might want to skip this one. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

44 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Jon Rudnitsky, Pico Alexander, Michael Sheen and Candice Bergen. A recently separated single mom moves back to her hometown. But after meeting a trio of younger men, she agrees to let them temporarily stay at her guesthouse. Things get even more complicated when her exhusband shows up. Well, it’s 2017 and Reese Witherspoon rom-coms are apparently still a thing. Who knew?

7SEPTEMBER2017

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SIGHTINGS

Michael Johnson | mejphoto.photoreflect.com

Brian Brittingham, Chrystal Murphy, Daniel Brittingham and Kyle Hicks at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Bonnie Price, Becca Hamilton, Kate Dais and Lindsay Casella at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Audrey Lown, Maria Gentile, Lisa Fick and Mandy Nelson at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Shauna Reeder with Paul Wright (of Tall Heights) and Geri Lowoy at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Lindsey Painter with Paul Dumas (of Tall Heights) and Christena Painter at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Amanda Fachler with Tim Harrington (of Tall Heights) and Summer Peters at the Ben Folds concert at the Imperial Theatre

Ashlyn Towner, Nicole Worm, Heather Dodger at First Friday

Ashley Willis, McKenna Hydrick and Joanne Martin at the Bee’s Knees

Chris Venable with Ben and Chloe James at First Friday

7SEPTEMBER2017

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 45

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Follow the Money to Regency Mall Austin Rhodes SO WE HAVE HAD over a week to get to the bottom of the inexplicable “end around” that four members of the Augusta Richmond County Coliseum Authority pulled in their “out-ofnowhere” vote to change established course and locate a new performance arena on the site of what was once Regency Mall. The new plan is a complete reversal of an earlier vote to locate the new facility within the general current footprint of the 40-year-old James Brown Arena in downtown Augusta.

You have seen the details — and complaints about the lack of reasoned debate and information involving this move — all over traditional and social media. Now, let me tell you a few things you probably did not know.

Mayor Hardie Davis is said to be the cheerleader who got this ball rolling, apparently somehow getting word to four members of the Coliseum Authority that he had a great offer on the table to move the whole project to the Regency site. I say that, because the remaining members of the group, Chairman Cedric Johnson, and members Brad Usry and John Kelly, say they had no idea the offer existed.

This all came about reportedly because of a letter sent to the mayor.

I am told pro-Regency Authority member Darren Smith read portions of the rather crude letter, which appeared to be pecked out on an antique typewriter, purportedly from the owner of the property, vaguely outlining terms for an agreement to use his property. That owner, Alan Cardinale, is said to be recovering from open heart surgery from three weeks ago. I wonder how he managed to crank out the letter you see here dated August 21st, if he was too frail to respond to reporters’ inquiries last week?

Johnson and Usry told me they were astonished at the speed with which Smith and three other Authority members managed to agree to pursue the deal, especially with such sketchy information in hand.

They estimated it was two minutes from the time Smith stopped reading, until the motion was made, seconded and approved, 4-2, to reverse previous commitments and move the $120 million project to the Regency property at the intersection of Deans Bridge Road and Gordon Highway. (Usry and Kelly voting no, Johnson only votes to break ties.)

At last week’s press conference where the mayor attempted to defend the decision, there was an interesting collection of folks lined up behind Davis to support the Regency move that I recognized as either former members of, or good buddies with, the notorious (and long believed dead) “South Augusta Mafia.” There were even two guys I once considered “new Republicans,” or as Lowell Greenbaum likes to call them “neo-cons,” Ulmer Bridges and Roy Stampley. Ulmer of course was once an Augusta City Commissioner, and Roy served with me on the Coliseum Authority 14 years ago, both representing the southside.

It occurred to me as I counted heads and took note of demographics, that we may have seen at Mayor Davis’ press conference the rebirth of the political alliance that once ruled unincorporated Richmond County, and most of the state legislative seats from this area, with an iron fist. Old line South Augusta whites, and a mix of urban and southsidebased minorities.

That once-solid coalition started fading about 15 years ago, when black leaders and voters realized they didn’t need white votes to win citywide and countywide seats. As soon as they discovered most positions could be won in the Democratic primaries, the southside white folks were about as useful to them as tits on a bull.

In recent years, there has been virtually zero cooperation or fraternity between the two factions.

But this arena project is going to require a good cross section of voters if it comes to down to securing bond approval at the ballot box. Voter turnout is still enough of an issue in Augusta that if conservatives on the west side challenge the vote hard enough, and believe me, they will, the new/old coalition, featuring the revived South Augusta Mafia, will need all pistons firing to get the measure through.

Watch for other old names and faces to emerge as connected to this transaction, 46 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

The mysterious letter from (allegedly) recuperating heart surgery patient Alan Cardinale. even if they try their best to hide their influence. I thought I sensed some familiar greasy fingerprints on this deal, and low and behold, check out who owns 4 pieces of real estate almost immediately adjacent to the old Regency property, now on the verge of a multi-million dollar government facelift: J.B. Powell!

Another odd smell? The fact that Coliseum Authority attorney Ed Enoch is and has been the longtime campaign chairman for Mayor Hardie Davis. How did Davis know who to get that letter to on the Authority, who would have the ability to line up four votes on such a major project, on such scant notice, and with so few details? If Enoch worked on that connection and any deals between Davis and Darren Smith, behinds the backs of Chairman Johnson, Brad Usry and John Kelly, he is going to be in for a world of professional and legal hurt.

As Coliseum Authority attorney, Enoch will make a percentage of any deal to move the facility, and the bonds that would finance the move. The more expensive or complicated the deal, the more money he stands to make. If Enoch assisted in engineering a deal that he stands to make a pretty penny from, and he did it without the full knowledge of all members of the Authority, that could be a sticky wicket indeed.

By the way, did you know that Enoch recently teamed with former State Senator, and local U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver, as a law partner? Imagine what a small world it really must be for me to be told that Tarver was seen enjoying lunch in Aiken County just last week with J.B. Powell.

Stay tuned, folks ... and follow the money!

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.

7SEPTEMBER2017

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