Metro Spirit 10.10.2013 by Metro Spirit

V24|NO41

CONTENTS October 10, 2013 18

OPINON/NEWS 04

INSIDER

RUFFIN IT’

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF SCOTT DEAN HOW MANY LIVES DOES FRED RUSSELL HAVE? THIS IS NOT A GAME

AUSTIN RHODES

WELCOME TO THE GOP, DR. ROBERSON!

NEWS

AUGUSTA MAY BE ABLE TO AVOID USING “SLUM”

AUGUSTA TEK NOTHING BUT TIME

FEATURE

CHILD MOLESTER OR INNOCENT MAN?

WHINE LINE

LOCAL 18

CUISINE SCENE BURGERS AND MORE

NIGHTLIFE JENNY IS WRIGHT

CALENDAR

ONLY IN AUGUSTA

ENTERTAINMENT 19 34 36

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD THE EIGHT SIGHTINGS

A few years ago I was looking for some church pews for one reason or another. I found a listing for them in Gibson, about a one-hour drive from Augusta. I met William Rivers there and he showed me his pews, stored in an old canning factory that had been shuttered \HDUV DJR &RPH WR ¿QG RXW KH KDG ROG VWXII VWRUHG DOO RYHU WKH WLQ\ town. Since my initial trip, I have headed to Gibson many times. William would sell me an old door or some old pine to mess around with. Over time I began going to Gibson more to see William than to buy anything. This past year when I was having a bad day, I’d call him up and ask if he was around. Then I’d head on over and spend time talking with him. When I left I always felt better. I called him this past Saturday to see if he was around and got no answer. I received a text a few hours later from a friend of his letting me know he had passed away Thursday. William was a very smart, witty and an incredibly interesting man. But what I will remember most about him is his love of Nancy Kent. He was never clear with me what their relationship was, but it was her wood he was showing me. He talked about her in near reverential tones, clearly and dearly in love with her. So Nancy, I hope to see you soon. William, I am so glad I was able to introduce you to my dad and son. Horse trading will never be the same without William. Joe

William Rivers

V24|NO41

INSIDER@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM

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

The trials and tribulations of Scott Dean There has never been so much sympathy for a convicted child molester than there has been the past few weeks in Columbia County. But the main reason for all the sympathy is apparent: Is former Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean actually guilty of molesting his adopted daughter from Guatemala? Or is he an innocent man wrongly sitting behind bars? In January 2012, Scott Dean was sentenced to 20 years in prison and received an additional 20 years of probation after being convicted on two counts of child molestation. During the 2012 sentencing hearing, Superior Court Judge James Blanchard Jr. announced that the former mayor of Harlem would not receive any special treatment in his courtroom. “In my mind, he should be treated no differently than anyone else convicted of a similar crime,” Blanchard was quoted as saying in The Augusta Chronicle in 2012. The two counts of child molestation carry a state-‐mandated sentence of five to 20 years each, so the judge had the option of giving Dean between 10 and 40 years in prison. Blanchard settled on 20 years behind bars. According to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, Scott Dean must serve at least 18 years of sentence before he is eligible for parole. That’s why the pending decision by Judge Blanchard is so crucial for Dean. He is out of options. Late last week, Dean’s attorney Pete Theodocion went before Blanchard petitioning for a new trial based on the fact that Dean’s 19-‐year-‐old adopted daughter, Silda, has now admitted that she lied during her testimony in 2011. Silda, who was adopted from Guatemala in 2008 by Scott Dean and his wife, Renee, along with her other four siblings, alleged in 2010 that the former mayor of Harlem had inappropriately touched her when she was 15. She also accused Dean of exposing himself to her while propositioning her for sex on a separate occasion in 2010. But last week, Silda, now 19, testified in court that she made up the entire story. “It was a lie,” Silda told Blanchard on the stand. This will likely be Dean’s last chance to escape his 20-‐year sentence at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, Ga. In May, the Georgia Court of Appeals upheld Dean’s conviction and denied that he had been unfairly tried in his child molestation conviction. In fact, the court found that Blanchard was correct in allowing the prosecution to present evidence that Dean had committed similar acts in 1984 against 12-‐year-‐old twin girls in West Virginia when he was 14 years old. Blanchard’s decision in the upcoming weeks will be crucial for Dean. And some insiders say that the likelihood of Dean getting a new trial is slim, even though his adopted daughter has admitted that she lied throughout his 2011 trial. Facing the possibility of returning to Reidsville to serve out his remaining time in prison probably makes Dean long for the days when his only worry was a scandal over texting. A few years back, all eyes were on Dean after allegations surfaced that he allegedly had inappropriate text exchanges with a married female county employee. Despite the reports of inappropriate text messages, Dean still proved his popularity in Columbia County by winning his District 4 commission seat with 53 percent of the votes in 2010. He later had to resign from his seat after he was indicted on child molestation charges. But, for whatever reason, some folks in Columbia County love Dean and many

Amy Christian | Arts Editor/Production Director amy@themetrospirit.com

Brittany Kolar | Graphic Designer brittany@themetrospirit.com

Pictured: Scott Dean

still insist that he is innocent. That’s why so many people are anxiously awaiting Blanchard’s ruling regarding Dean’s request for a new trial. After all, Dean was once the owner of Superman T-‐shirt that he was rumored to have flashed during a public appearance not long after his world began to fall apart. Dean will need all the super strength he can muster to get through the next few weeks because it has been a very long time since he even remotely resembled the Man of Steel.

Stacey Eidson | Staff Writer

Joe White | Publisher/Editor

Gayle Bryan|Senior Account Executive

Isabella Metz

stacey@themetrospirit.com gayle@themetrospirit.com

joe@themetrospirit.com isabella@themetrospirit.com

Johnny Beckworth|circulation manager johnny@themetrospirit.com

COVER DESIGN: KRUHU

Michael Johnson|Sightings Valerie Emerick|Writer

Contributors 1LUU` >YPNO[ c .YLN )HRLY c :HT ,PÅPUN c 2YPZ[PU /H^RPUZ c (\Z[PU 9OVKLZ c 1VZO 9\MÄU c (KHT >HKKPUN 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.

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 | joe@themetrospirit.com 10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

How many lives does Fred Russell have? Several Augusta commissioners this

week found it impossible to believe that after more than 10 years of working in Augusta-‐Richmond County, City Administrator Fred Russell has never had a formal performance evaluation. This is particularly surprising considering that Russell has been dangerously close to losing his job on a few occasions. Back in the summer of 2011, several of his “bosses,” including commissioners Bill Lockett and Alvin Mason, sought to send Russell packing after he secretly gave more than 40 employees raises while everyone else around the county government were given furlough days and a reduction in pay. But Lockett and Mason didn’t have the six votes needed to fire Russell. Only then-‐commissioners J.R. Hatney and Matt Aitken joined Lockett and Mason in their quest to rid the Garden City of Russell. This time around, it may be a different story if the commission decides they aren’t pleased with Russell’s evaluation. The tide appears to be turning and several commissioners, both white and black, are openly discussing some concerns they have about Russell’s leadership. And Russell seems to be feeling the pressure. At a recent meeting this week to discuss the city’s proposal to designate a 594-‐acre area in the downtown district as a “slum” and establish an Urban Redevelopment Area that would allow the city to borrow $26.5 million in tax-‐exempt bonds, Russell got downright feisty. Several commissioners told Russell they thought the commission was ill-‐ prepared to handle the public outcry over the city’s proposal to designate an area a “slum” in order to save approximately $2 million renovating the Municipal Building on Greene Street. Russell took the criticism for more than 20 minutes until he finally couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “This group as a body makes the decision,” Russell told the commissioners. “I didn’t do this on my own. I was told to go put this (plan) together. You might not have agreed with that, I understand that fully, but this is not something that Fred decided would be a good thing to do. “This commission voted to adopt a plan that I recommended that is based on saving dollars for the taxpayer in the long run. Y’all didn’t have to vote for that.” Augusta Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle responded, “I understand that...” 10OCTOBER2013

But Russell wasn’t done. “Then, don’t blame me for doing what I was told to do,” Russell bluntly said. When Russell gets backed into a corner, he usually will take the abuse with a smile. He generally likes to play both sides of the commission and then laughs at all of them behind their backs. But every once in a while, he comes out fighting. In fact, a few years ago when he first proposed a major overhaul of the city government by suggesting the elimination of 26 positions, Russell presented the plan in a way that forced the commission to listen to what he was saying. During the three-‐hour work session, Russell talked for more than two and a half hours. He left less than 30 minutes for commissioners to discuss the plan that proposed combining certain departments, cutting some city positions and changing the city’s 15-‐year-‐old charter. This approach definitely caught the commission’s attention. But not in a good way. About an hour into the administrator’s presentation, Augusta Commissioner Alvin Mason raised his hand to ask a question, but he was cut short. “Is it possible to save the questions until the end?” Russell asked Mason during the 2011 discussion. Mason said he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to ask questions because Russell hadn’t established a protocol when starting the presentation. “I would prefer to wait until the end,” Russell told him. “We have a lot of time to talk about this, but let’s get it all on the table and come back and talk about it.” Mason accepted Russell’s request only to wait another hour and a half before he got a chance to speak again. Following the conclusion of Russell’s lengthy and often repetitive speech, Mason voiced his disappointment in the lack of dialogue during the meeting. “Mr. Russell, I will say that you did a fantastic job of utilizing the bulk of the time that was set aside for this,” Mason said, clearly annoyed. “But the point is, in all seriousness, obviously there are some tough decisions that need to be made over time. And obviously today must not have been the timeframe to have that discussion. I am sitting here with about 22 questions on my paper. Obviously we will not get to those today.” Over the next few months, Mason’s dissatisfaction with Russell continued to grow. So, if Russell is wise, he will tread very carefully. Having survived being both the city administrator and deputy administrator for more than a decade is a miracle in Augusta because this town can be brutal.

Pictured: Fred Russell

And when there is a target on your back, you may not want to get too cocky. There is a long line of extremely qualified former Augusta department heads that can testify that if you’re too vocal, you’ll soon find yourself in the unemployment line. Of course, then you can always file a lawsuit and stick it to the county. Don’t you love Augusta?

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT

V24|NO41

THIS IS NOT A GAME Typically, writing about something like the current government shutdown would be the sort of monstrously predictable thing I’d try to avoid in this column. See, I kinda-‐sorta learned my lesson about a year ago after I published that “However Many Stupid Things Mitt Romney has Said Up to this Point” article. Oh, don’t get me wrong — I didn’t actually receive or actively search out any feedback the piece may or may not have generated, but sobering was the moment in which I realized I had stooped so far as to be suckered by such low-‐hanging fruit. It’s the same feeling I get after I respond to another one of Austin’s sticky word-‐salads, without the sense of accomplishment. For real, though: this is getting old. On the one hand, it’s difficult to deal with, because there really isn’t a whole hell of a lot that we can do about it. The Republican party is, essentially, holding this nation hostage because they’re all butt-‐ hurt about the 2012 election; if we can take him at his word, GOP Rep. Peter King has said that there are about “30 to 40” congressional Republicans who don’t believe that President Obama legitimately won the presidency; Tea Party Express Chair (which is the most depressing job title this side of Glory-‐Hole Squeegee Technician) Amy Kremer says she’s sick of hearing about how Obama was “re-‐elected,” a word she utters with downright audible quotation marks or, for those of you not cursed with synesthesia, as if every syllable is a parasitic host having second thoughts. No, I’d say just about all we can do at this point is watch all the links in this freak chain bump ideological uglies until they come to their collective senses. Hey, speaking of seamless segues: THE GOOD: THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUS, AND UNANIMOUS Well, maybe not unanimous — but still, when pretty much every political, religious, civil and agricultural issue in this nation is usually parsed according to Democrat-‐ Republican apathy ratios, we can consider this statistic firmly ensconced in the “really freaking close” category: according to a recent poll conducted by The Fix, about 70 percent of Americans hold Republicans largely to blame for the shutdown. Statistically, that includes a large number of real-‐world conservatives who are beginning to see, process and understand just what the consequences are of such a situation; conservatives who know that upholding God and country don’t mean diddly-‐squat if a nation — citizens and leaders alike — can’t look out for its own. Hell, a prominent Utah newspaper recently ran a similar poll that, by its results, took congressional Republicans to task over the shutdown, essentially saying that taking the fight to Obama over healthcare legislation — that was already voted on by the Supreme Court and the American people — isn’t worth the consequences. And man, if the crimson is growing faint even in Utah, GOPers are not gonna come out of this looking very good. Which brings me to…

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

THE NEUGE: BAUER, THAT IS There is a video that’s been making the blogosphere rounds recently, and it would be this era’s most scathing indictment of social apathy if only Mitt Romney hadn’t been caught on camera by Mother Jones last year, and if “Little Fockers” hadn’t been greenlit. In it, Texas congressman Joe Neugebauer (which sounds like a word that Jerry Lewis would fart), berates a park ranger preventing all of the public — with the exception of World War II veterans — from entering the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C. First, this exchange takes place: “How do you look at them and... deny them access?” said Neugebauer. “It’s difficult,” responded the Park Service employee. “Well, it should be difficult,” replied the congressman, who was carrying a small American flag in his breast pocket. “It is difficult,” responded the Park Service employee. “I’m sorry, sir.” “The Park Service should be ashamed of themselves,” the congressman said. “I’m not ashamed,” replied the ranger. Watching Joe Neugebauer berate a federal employee for enforcing the very conditions that he himself helped to execute and exacerbate is like watching a dog chew through its own leg when it’s not even caught in a bear trap. He’ll never full comprehend the irony of his actions because he’s too much of a dimwit, and he’ll never be self-‐aware because his human creators programmed him to not feel love. Undoubtedly, Neugebauer was simply there to try and wrangle a few public opinion points out of the whole situation; stand up for the troops and all that. Instead, he found himself face to face with a pissed-‐off, knowledgeable crowd of onlookers: “Ask those questions of the people who aren’t passing the budget,” shouted a voice from the crowd. “That’s who you need to ask these questions to.” “This woman is doing her job, just like me,” shouted another. “I’m a 30-‐year federal veteran — I’m out of work.” “Well, the reason you are is because Mr. Reid decided to shut down the government,” responded Neugebauer, referring to the top Senate Democrat. “No, it’s because the government won’t do its job and pass a budget,” the bicyclist responded. “The House did its job; it passed appropriations. The Senate hasn’t,” said another voice from the crowd. Neugebauer walked away at that point. Watching this video is like bearing witness to a microcosm of the immediate future: pretty soon, congressional conservatives are going to come face to face with pissed-‐off citizens asking real, pertinent, difficult questions. Because they are cowards, they will try to disappear. And because they are morons, they will try to do it in broad daylight. THE RAND: AKA, NOT THIS JACKASS AGAIN I’ve already run down the general talking points of Rand Paul’s extensive awfulness: his Tea Party kowtowing, his sometimes-‐latent, sometimes-‐outright racism, the epic pettiness of his filibuster. A new sound-‐bite, however, as incidental as it may sound, effectively sums up why this scheme, like all the others before, is destined to fail. In it, Paul is captured — via a hot mic — in conversation with Mitch McConnell, saying, “We’re going to win this, I think.” First of all: no. Second, and more importantly, this exchange is illustrative of the crucial flaw in the GOP’s socio-‐political outlook: to them, this is a game. This is something that is for winning or for losing, and nothing in between. There are no nuances, there are no consequences, there are no beating hearts.

JOSH RUFFIN is a long way from home, having moved from

Augusta to Middleton, Wisconsin, with his wife, Michelle. He is a self-described beer guru, so most of his Twitter posts are about what he’s drinking. While drinking, he enjoys writing poetry and watching MMA fights… or writing poetry about MMA fights.

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

WELCOME TO THE GOP, DR. ROBERSON!

hat do you think the left wingers who run the American public education bureaucracy would think if they heard what Richmond County School Superintendent Dr. Frank Roberson had to say last week about the need for the church community to be more involved in the lives of at-‐risk minority male students? They would likely suggest he needs to consider retirement. Personally, I want to hug the man around the neck, and thank him for acknowledging in one seemingly innocent Friday morning confab with concerned parents, administrators and community leaders that his teachers cannot undo at public school the damage that a lack of parental and neighborhood support is doing to many of Augusta’s “urban orphans.” That term is mine, not his, and I have used it for years to describe generations of inner city children who have been forced to enter the public school system with a very small percentage of the intellectual influence and cultural advantage that parents in the suburbs seem to effortlessly pass along to their offspring through environmental osmosis. And I use the term “effortlessly” with tongue firmly in cheek. It takes a lot of effort; it just seems like it really doesn’t. Ironically, as I sit in my home office this very minute knocking out this masterpiece (LOL), I can hear my wife going over my four-‐year-‐old son’s homework with him. His pre-‐k homework. She is patiently spelling and sounding out U-‐M-‐B-‐R-‐E-‐ L-‐L-‐A, and I will be darned if the little boogerhead isn’t picking it up. She says it, spells it and he knocks it right

back to her. At this very moment I think I am as taken with her as I was when she held my hand on the beach in Jamaica this past summer. Her devotion to our boy is love in its purest form. She sends him and his worksheet in to me, so I can see what he has done. I remember umbrella as a spelling word in Mrs. Odom’s second grade class at National Hills Elementary School in 1972. I was 7. Once again, my son Beau is 4. This homework review comes at just before 9 p.m., about two and a half hours removed from his Mom and I standing in the cold drizzling rain at ZiZi Zapata Field, where the Martinez-‐Evans Little League TeeBall Marlins just tied the Cardinals in an awesome game that ended all knotted at 36-‐36. (Everybody scores, nobody makes an out. I know, I know, I feel like a damn Vermont soccer mom... but we are just teaching fundamentals, and they are only 4 and 5 years old. May Al Bundy forgive me.) His mom was in the dugout enthusiastically calling out the names of all the batters as they come up in a rousing cheer, “Here we go BE-‐AU... here we go...,” and I stand at second base quizzing the players on where they have been (first base), and where they are going (third base, then HOME!)... all the while begging them to keep their eye on the ball. Rex Edmunds is getting rained on in business clothes, keeping the kids straight at first base, all while Beau’s Uncle (Coach) Steve teaches the batters how to make solid contact, and his Aunt Leah is keeping the batting order straight while constantly reminding her daughter Virginia not to swing her pink bat in the dugout while she waits her turn.

Parents do this stuff. I did it for my older daughter Christine on the soccer field 18 years ago. True love equals standing through 40 minutes of toddler soccer, twice a week. And lots of other stuff. All the TV we watched together, the Steelers games, the movies, the amusement park visits, time throwing the ball, time in the pool, singing with the radio in the car... just like I did with my parents, just like my wife did with her parents, and on and on and on. My 23-‐year-‐old daughter just called, thrilled that she got to meet Dr. Ben Carson tonight and, after hearing him speak, she is convinced he should be the next President of the United States. Can’t talk right now sweetheart. I am on deadline for the Spirit. We will catch up tomorrow. And we will. Meanwhile, back in Richmond County’s reality, Dr. Roberson’s at-‐risk students rarely come from the ranks of a secure two-‐parent household, or even split households with equally enthusiastic and aggressively supportive parents. Tracey McManus’ Augusta Chronicle article described the superintendent’s “come to Jesus meeting” like this: “...yes...he is asking church leaders to join with the school system to raise the achievement of young, black males. “Yes, he invited pastors and deacons to sit beside teachers and principals in his board room Friday to talk strategy. “But the intention is not to ignore the separation of church and state, he said. It is to encourage churches to provide the spiritual piece for students, to shake up the dead-‐beat dads and inspire apathetic families the way schools cannot — because they have an access point the schools do not. “‘That is the purpose of the church

and the schools to do stuff together on purpose to help our children become productive young people and grow into results-‐orientated adults,’ Roberson said. ‘We owe them that.’” Actually Dr. Roberson, as conservatives have been trying to tell the education bureaucracy for decades, it is their parents that owe them that. The proper role of the public education system is to offer technical instruction that is beyond the expertise of most average moms and dads and, locally, we are blessed with fine teachers and facilities that do just that. But what the public education system is wholly incapable of offering is what parents are uniquely and specifically qualified to teach, and that is first-‐hand instruction on how to be a conscientious human being and a productive person. Thank God there are men like Frank Roberson who do seem to understand that. May he be blessed in his attempts to convince the folks who run his industry just how important parents and homelife really are in the success of his students. In fact, they are the most important things of all.

AUSTIN RHODES

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

BUSINESS CERTIFICATES | PROFESSIONAL TRAINING | CAREER TRAINING | PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Photography Certificate courses & workshops Online 'short' courses begin Oct. 16 Office 2010 courses | NEW Computer Science courses Study Abroad to Rome/Sicily - May 2014 - We also teach Italian! The Pastoral Leadership Conference of 2013 - Oct. 19 PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY EDUCATION Register today | 706.721.2329| www.gru.edu/pace

10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT

V24|NO41

AUGUSTA MAY BE ABLE TO AVOID USING “SLUM”

Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver

By Stacey Eidson “So you check a block on a form,” Russell said. “It’s a horrible word. Nobody ever said it wasn’t. It’s pathetic. It’s 1950-‐something legislation. And, yes, we need to call it something better than a slum. Call it an enhancement zone or whatever. But that’s not what the law says. The law says to call it a slum.” With the establishment of this Urban Redevelopment Area, Russell said the city could potentially see 400 jobs created in the downtown area. Russell also said it was his understanding that the commission could create an Urban Redevelopment Area that consisted of only one block around the Municipal Building. “From what I understand, that’s an option, too,” Russell said. “That’s all I do is make recommendations. I have a pretty good history and I think we’ve done a pretty good job with those recommendations. But at the end of the day, for the last 12 years, I’ve been told to save money, save money, save money. And my recommendation would be to do it this way.” Augusta Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle said that while it is ultimately the commission’s decision to accept or reject a proposal, it is the city administrator’s job to make a good recommendation. “And 90 percent of the time this body accepts that recommendation hoping that you’ll be fiscally responsible,” Guilfoyle said. “And I have a history of doing that,” Russell quickly responded. But, clearly, this proposal has some serious flaws because, not only would the city have to designate an area a “slum,” but the plan relies on Special Purpose Sales Tax funding that hasn’t been approved yet, Guilfoyle said. “We are in a position now where we have to bond for money that we don’t have, but we are hoping to get in the next SPLOST,” Guilfoyle said. “That’s where I have a problem. We are spending beyond our needs. “ Russell disagreed, saying that there were other funding sources available if the SPLOST does not pass. “But we have a pretty good history of SPLOST,” Russell said. “Our citizens know that sometimes it is better to spend a little money upfront than to wait. So, we’ve been able to put together SPLOST projects that the citizens have supported somewhat overwhelming. “But we weren’t looking at money we didn’t have. We have other funding sources to cover that debt, if necessary.” Jim Plunkett, the city’s special bond counsel, said Augusta could possibly get around actually using the word “slum” in its designation. Instead, the city could simply list the section number in the legislation referring to a “slum” and indicate that the designation exists within the proposed area. Mayor Deke Copenhaver said he felt that was the best approach in resolving some of the concerns regarding the “slum” designation. “I know it is semantics,” Copenhaver said. “But that way we are not using that term in what we pass locally. It is our choice.” Now that they have more information about the Urban Redevelopment Area, the commissioners agreed to continue to review and discuss the proposal.

“I KNOW IT IS SEMANTICS,” AUGUSTA MAYOR DEKE COPENHAVER SAID. “BUT THAT WAY WE ARE NOT USING THAT TERM IN WHAT WE PASS LOCALLY. IT IS OUR CHOICE.” THE AUGUSTA COMMISSION IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN TO AVOID OFFICIALLY NAMING a portion of the downtown area a “slum,” but still legally establishing an Urban Redevelopment Area that would allow the city to borrow $26.5 million in tax-‐ exempt bonds to renovate the Municipal Building on Greene Street. The end result might be a simple game of semantics, according to Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver. A few weeks ago, City Administrator Fred Russell introduced a proposal that would define a 594-‐acre area in the downtown district as an Urban Redevelopment Area under the Department of Community Affairs. This designation would allow the city to receive the tax-‐exempt bonds and save approximately $2 million in the renovation of the Municipal Building. But the Augusta Commission quickly learned the proposal was too good to be true. In order to receive the tax-‐exempt bonds, the city would have to accept a proposed “slum” designation according to the Urban Redevelopment Law, which was initially adopted by the Georgia General Assembly in 1955. For weeks, many downtown residents and business owners slammed the commission for even considering the “slum” designation. Several commissioners told Russell they thought the commission was ill-‐prepared to handle the public outcry over the city’s proposed designation. But Russell insisted that it was ultimately up to the commission to decide whether or not they wanted to create the Urban Redevelopment Area. “I’m doing what I was told to do,” Russell said, explaining this plan could save the city up to $3 million over the cost of the loan if the commission simply agrees to designate the area around the Municipal Building a “slum.” 8

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

10OCTOBER2013

o h W d ijacke ? H Fairy Tale y M Saturday, November 2 9am-1pm First Baptist Church of Augusta (Fellowship Hall), 3500 Walton Way

. Bring your friends to our FREE COMMUNITY EVENT . Kelly Swanson, an award-winning

storyteller and comedian, will share her take on life!

. Delicious cooking demos, information

booths and a physician panel discussing topics specific to women’s health.

. The first 150 attendees will receive a special gift!

For more information, call 706-651-4343 or visit www.doctors-hospital.net

V24|NO41

GIVE IT UP FOR

NOTHING BUT TIME

GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D

HAND OVER THE WHEEL Goodwill takes your donations and helps people launch meaningful careers right here in our own community. All that stuff you don’t want anymore has a lot of living left to do. So get in gear and give others a chance to succeed. Check out goodwillworks.org for a donation center near you. Like us! on Facebook & Twitter @GoodwillWorks

Book your Holiday Party at the PI Variety of function spaces to fit any size. Delectable menu options to satisfy any appetite. Special rates to take The Elevator Home and stay at the PI after your event Mention this AD and receive 50% off Sun-Thu. function space rental.

706-737-8888, 2110 Walton Way, Augusta, Ga. 30904 10 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

IT IS A DARK AND STORMY OCTOBER EVENING as I race east down the parkway. As usual, I’m running late, my last appointment having difficulty grasping the difference between Group Policy and Active Directory. It’s the second time this month that I had to cancel dinner. If I let myself, I would probably feel a little guilty. She’s a great lady and deserves someone better than me. But she knew going in what kind of man I was, and that in my business you never know what’s going to happen. At any rate, before I left she texted that she would meet me at the theater. The rain is still coming down as I drive up Broad Street. I circle the block a few times before I find a spot on Sixth Street to park. It’s only a couple of blocks walk, but in this weather it might as well be forever. Stepping into the downpour, I dash for the theater, the rain falling around me like the torrent of big data filling the NSA data center just a few miles away. I shake off the rain as I enter the Miller, and that’s when I see her. Just by the way she stands and looks at me, I could tell something was wrong. “I saved it. Where did it go?” That’s what she asks as she walks up to me just before the performance was about to begin. It was a serious question. I could tell that from her piercing gaze and the urgency of her words as they leap from her lips. “That’s a difficult question,” I respond back. Her face shows nothing but a firm determination to get to the truth. “Some things aren’t as simple as we would like for them to be. This could take some time to explain.” A momentary burst of anger shows in her eyes that she quickly suppresses. It’s replaced with a sly smile as she turns toward her seat. Pausing for moment, she looks back, her profile in silhouette against the darkness. “Time? My dear, you have nothing but time.” By the time the performance was over, the hard rain yields to a quiet mist, and silence fills the car as we drove out of the city. Her question still hangs in the air unanswered. I want to explain to her how it worked, NTFS, WebDAV, cloud storage with auto-‐sync… but that isn’t going to cut it tonight. No, she needs to hear the truth, no matter how painful it is. “Sweetheart, the spreadsheet we made together is gone. You need to start with something new. I’ll always keep a copy of what we have, but you’ll be so much happier if you maintain your own system.” The harsh realization causes a tear to drop from her eye, but deep down inside, I could tell that she knew I was right. I reach for her hand and grip it firmly. She looks over at me and smiles. Until next time, I’m off the grid @gregory_a_baker.

GREGORY BAKER PH.D. is vice president of CMA Technology and, yes, is actually a rocket scientist who used his doctorate in aerospace engineering at Lockheed Martin. In addition to working at CMA, he also serves the community, sitting on several boards in the area. 10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

AJCC CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS

CC Concert Series Presents

AS SEEN ON OPRAH AND LENO

Saturday, October 19, 2013 | 7:00 p.m. Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Georgia Regents University Augusta 2500 Walton Way, Augsta, GA 30904 Tickets: $50 Adults/ $25 Children 12 and under Special Apperance by the Augusta Children’s Chorale Order tickets at www.gru.edu/maxwelltheatre/ For more information call Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theater at 706.667.4100 WATCH ETHAN BORTNICK PERFORM AT WWW.ETHANBORTNICK.COM

10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 11

V24|NO41

CHILD MOLESTER OR INNOCENT MAN?

By Stacey Eidson and Joe White

Former Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean is hoping for a new trial after his 19-year-old adopted daughter admitted she lied in court

Scott Dean is sitting in a Columbia County jail just waiting.

Waiting to find out whether he will be sent back to his cell in a Georgia State Prison in rural Reidsville. Waiting to see if he will be forced to serve out the rest of his 20-‐year sentence for allegedly molesting his adoptive daughter. Waiting to learn if he will be given a second chance to clear his name. The former Columbia County commissioner, represented by his attorney Pete Theodocion, went before Superior Court Judge James Blanchard Jr. late last week petitioning for a new trial based on the fact that his 19-‐year-‐old adopted daughter, Silda, has now admitted that she lied during her testimony in 2011. Silda, who was adopted from Guatemala in 2008 by Scott Dean and his wife, Renee, along with her other four siblings, alleged in 2010 that the former mayor of Harlem had inappropriately touched her “between the legs” when she was 15. She also accused Dean of exposing himself to her while propositioning her for sex on a separate occasion in 2010. But last week, Silda, now 19, testified in court that she made up the entire story. “It was a lie,” Silda plainly told Judge Blanchard on the stand. “Did Scott Dean ever touch you between your legs?” Theodocion asked Silda on Friday. “No, he didn’t,” she quickly replied. “Did he ever expose himself to you?” Dean’s attorney asked. Again, Silda said, “No, he didn’t.” “Did Scott Dean ever do anything inappropriate toward you?” Theodocion asked. “No, he didn’t,” she calmly replied. Silda told the court that she made up the molestation stories because she did not want to stay in the Dean household. She felt unwanted by Scott Dean’s wife, Renee. Once the lies started, Silda said she felt pressure “from everybody” to stick to her story. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it was hard for me to say something that wasn’t true,” Silda said in court, adding that she was confused about what to do. “I was scared, too.” Finally, she sat down with her foster mother and decided to tell the truth. “I told her that everything that I did say in court was a lie,” Silda said, adding she also informed the state Department of Family and Children Services in July 2012 that she had made up the accusations against Scott Dean. But to the Dean family’s surprise, DFCS allegedly never acted on the information Silda provided to the department. “How do you feel about the fact that Scott Dean is in prison?” Theodocion asked Silda on Friday. “I feel sad,” Silda said. “Sometimes I feel bad, too, because he is innocent.” Silda added that she feels very guilty about the 20-‐year prison sentence that Scott Dean is currently serving. “Would you like him released?” Theodocion asked. “Yes, I would,” Silda replied. After Silda’s testimony on Friday, Theodocion pleaded with the court to allow a new trial to reconsider the allegations against Scott Dean. Clearly, Silda is a completely different young woman than the 17-‐year-‐old who insisted Scott Dean with his family being sworn in as District 4 Columbia County Commisioner (2010). He later had to step down.

12 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 13

she had been molested during the 2011 trial, Theodocion said. “Her demeanor. Her seriousness in court today. The energy behind her testimony. This is a much different Silda Dean than we saw in December 2011,” Theodocion said. “Obviously, she is older now and she is clearly more comfortable with her English, but her testimony today has the kind of zeal to it that we didn’t see before. “This is Silda Dean saying, ‘I lied. My entire allegations and the entire case against Mr. Dean was a fraud.’” Scott Dean deserves another trial in order to seek the truth, Theodocion said. “We’ve got the lone accuser coming forward and saying, ‘It didn’t happen. I feel guilty that I lied. I want this man out,’” Theodocion said, adding that Dean’s request for a new trial meets the six requirements needed for such a request before the court. “This is a wrong that needs to be righted.” However, Assistant District Attorney Madonna Little insisted that simply because Silda recanted her testimony does not mean that Scott Dean should automatically be granted a new trial. Blanchard agreed, but insisted that he would consider the request and make a ruling within the next few weeks. After the hearing, Renee Dean watched her husband shuffle out of court and return to jail. She could barely contain her emotions. “I think the judge said he would take a week to 10 days to think about it. But it’s hope,” Renee Dean said, as tears streamed down her face. “That’s all we have now is to hold onto hope.” As difficult as these past few years have been on the entire Dean family, Renee Dean said she was extremely proud of Silda for telling the truth. “I think she did a great job,” Renee Dean said. “She did something very difficult today and I’m very proud of her for holding her head high and admitting what she’s done and trying to make it right.” She paused as she tried to collect herself. “I’m her mom,” Renee Dean said. “I understand. It is difficult. It is very difficult. She is a troubled girl and I’m her mother. And I love her and I know what she is going through, too.” While supporters of Dean realize seeking a new trial is an uphill battle, there is no doubt that the original case against the former Columbia County commissioner has changed drastically since 2010. Prior to Dean’s original trial in 2011, his oldest adopted daughter, Marlin, allegedly told investigators in the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office that Scott Dean also tried to have sex with her. These accusations emerged after Marlin, then 17, ran away to Mexico with her boyfriend, who happened to be an illegal immigrant. But during the 2011 trial, Marlin recanted those allegations, insisting that she lied to investigators in order to make people feel sorry for her, so they would feel pressure to send her money in Mexico.

Columbia County Commisioners circa 2009 Ron Thigpen, Trey Allen , Chairman Ron Cross, Charles Allen, and Scott Dean

“I left (the Dean home) because I wanted to be with my boyfriend,” Marlin told the court in the original 2011 trial. “My letter said I leave because two reasons: my mom and my boyfriend.” Marlin testified that there had been a lot of tension at home between her adopted mother, Renee, and herself. It wasn’t until representatives from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office continued to try and reach Marlin that she decided to tell them that Dean had allegedly molested her. “I was tired of them calling me all the time,” Marlin, then 18, testified in 2011. “I didn’t want to talk to nobody... When somebody asks you many questions all the time and keeps pushing, you’re going to say what they want to hear.” But on the stand, much like Silda’s testimony this week, Marlin said her entire story was a lie. “Marlin, do you know the difference between mother and daddy kisses and boyfriend and girlfriend kisses?” Theodocion asked in the 2011 trial. “And do you know what sex is?” “Yes, sir, I do,” Marlin responded. “Has Mr. Dean ever given you an improper hug?” Theodocion asked. “No, sir. Never,” Marlin replied. “Has he ever touched your breasts?” Theodocion asked. “Has he ever touched you in between your legs?” Again, Marlin said Dean had never touched her inappropriately. “Has he ever crawled in bed with you?” Theodocion asked. “And kissed you?” “Never,” Marlin said in 2011, adding that he never attempted to have any kind of sexual relationship with her. Despite her older sister’s insistence that Dean had not acted inappropriately, Silda was firm in her testimony in

“WE’RE GOING ON THREE YEARS OF A NIGHTMARE, BUT WE ARE HOLDING ON,” RENEE DEAN SAID. “WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A PLAN SOMEWHERE. AND WE ARE JUST DOING OUR BEST TO HOLD OUR HEADS HIGH.”

14 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

2011 that the former mayor of Harlem had made sexual advances towards her and Marlin. “Now, before Marlin left, did Mr. Dean ever come into your room at night?” Assistant District Attorney Parks White asked Silda in 2011. “Do you recall an incident where Mr. Dean touched you in the night?” Silda told the court that she remembered Dean came into her room one night when everyone was sleeping. “He came into my room, lied down next to me and starting touching me,” she said, adding that he was touching her with his hands under her clothes. “Between my legs and my genitals.” She also testified that on a separate occasion Dean came into her bathroom wearing only a towel and exposed himself to her. At the time, Silda said there was no one else in the house. “I was in my room looking for clothes and then he came in,” Silda testified in 2011, adding that she was shocked by Dean’s behavior. “He told me that he want to have sex with me... I told him that it was not right and I left running.” Silda also testified in 2011 that she had concerns about the way Scott Dean regularly behaved around Marlin, explaining that he would treat her “like she was a his girlfriend or his wife.” In fact, Silda stated that she had seen Scott Dean kiss Marlin on the mouth like a “wife and a husband.” Silda’s younger sister, Sindy, who was also adopted by the Dean family, also testified in the 2011 hearing that she witnessed Scott Dean entering the girls’ room at night and climbing into bed with Marlin. Sindy, who was 14 at the time of the 2011 trial, said Scott Dean would kiss Marlin on the mouth. “Was it a long kiss or a short kiss?” White asked Sindy. “A long kiss,” Sindy replied, adding that she would pretend to be asleep while Scott Dean was in the room. During the 2011 trial, Theodocion attempted to bring to light allegations that Silda had 10OCTOBER2013

Georgia State Prison outside of Reidsville, Georgia. allegedly lied to a Guatemalan judge in a previous attempt to help the family get out of their abusive home. Theodocion claimed that Silda told the judge that her biological father had killed her twin brother. However, Judge Blanchard didn’t not allow the testimony because her statements before the Guatemalan judge did not deal with an alleged sex crime. But according to Theodocion’s request before the judge, Silda’s biological father was apparently physically abusive to the family and also sexually abused Marlin. “Your life there was miserable, wasn’t it?” Theodocion asked Silda of her life in Guatemala. Silda agreed that it was horrible and she and her siblings were attempting to get away from their parents. As a result, she was asked to testify before a judge in Guatemala. “And you went before a judge and told that judge in Guatemala that your father, Osvaldo, had murdered your twin brother, Danny, didn’t you?” Theodocion asked. “I don’t remember that,” Silda answered. White objected to Theodocion’s line of questioning. But Theodocion asked Blanchard to allow the jury to hear about Silda’s prior testimony in the Guatemala court. “Judge, we’ve got a girl who we think the evidence is going to show — and we’ve got a lot of witnesses to back it up — that when she was in the process of trying to move to a different location in Guatemala, that she made false accusations against her natural father,” Theodocion said. “Marlin Dean will be prepared to testify that they were going in before a judge down there and she had a discussion with Silda about where they wanted to live, and then Silda knowingly told the judge, ‘My father killed my brother.’ In fact, the brother had died in his sleep.” Theodocion insisted that Silda was repeating the past by lying about Scott Dean’s behavior in order to be placed somewhere else since she was having problems getting along with Renee Dean. But Blanchard denied Theodocion’s request. “Well, the court’s not going to permit it and the reason is, is this is a specific bad act,” Blanchard said, adding that Theodocion couldn’t simply present evidence that Silda may have a history of lying. “Now, were it a sexual molestation (case), the court would seriously consider that. But who are you going to get next, the elementary school teacher said the dog ate the homework and bring them in?”

were sleeping. “During the night at some point in time, I was asleep on a mattress in our basement on the floor and I woke up during the night feeling like I was in a struggle and feeling that my hands were being pulled behind me,” one sister told the jury. “And then I remember feeling that in my hands, I couldn’t understand what I was feeling because I didn’t understand what soft, warm, squishy material I was feeling.” The woman testified that Scott Dean had placed her hand on his genitals and was attempting to get her to “massage” that area. “I felt panic take over and I didn’t know what to do,” the one sister said, explaining that she attempted to get her hands back down by her side. “I finally got my hands back and I thought, ‘Well, if I just ask him what he’s doing, maybe he won’t hurt me.’ So I just simply said, ‘Scott, what are you doing?’ And I tried to say it very quietly so I didn’t wake anybody else up. And he just said, ‘I must have fallen off the couch.’” She explained that Scott Dean had been sleeping on a sofa next to the mattress on the floor. “He snapped his underpants back up,” the woman testified. “I still can, to this day, hear a snap of elastic.” The woman explained that she stayed still on the mattress for a short amount of time because she was afraid to move. Her sister and a friend were allegedly sleeping next to her on the mattress. “I didn’t know if he would try to follow me or try to do more or anything like that,” she said, explaining that she eventually rushed upstairs and hid in a chair with her father’s coat thrown over her head until morning. “I was scared for my life.” During the trial, her twin sister also testified that Scott approached her during then night and touched her without her consent. “I was sleeping in my basement and I felt my nightgown being pushed up and I wasn’t really sure what was happening,” she told the jury in 2011. “I know there were hands on me and I was not familiar with that feeling. I opened my eyes just a little and Scott was beside me and I kept feeling a pinching feeling at my breasts and I was scared.” The sister claimed that Scott Dean also put her hands on his genitals. “That continued for a short while and then I felt a liquid or gel — at the time I remember thinking syrup— land on me,” the twin sister testified. “It was warm. I didn’t like the smell. I didn’t know what it was.” She later learned that Scott Dean had allegedly ejaculated on her. The twin testified that she used a nightgown and a blanket to wipe herself off. Her first impulse was to run into her parents’ room, but she was afraid she would get in trouble, even though she knew that she didn’t consent to Scott Dean’s advances. After the twins’ testimony, Theodocion insisted what allegedly occurred in West Virginia almost 30 years ago had no bearing on the child molestation charges against Scott Dean involving Silda in 2011. “You know, the activity of a 14-‐year-‐old and a 12-‐year-‐old as compared to a 40-‐year-‐old and a 15-‐year-‐old, you know, that’s night and day,” Theodocion said. “It’s just not the same.” However, the judge disagreed and allowed the jury to hear the twin’s testimony. When Scott Dean took the stand in his defense in 2011, he denied all the allegations against him. He insisted that he never inappropriately touched his adopted children or the twins from West Virginia. “We played show and tell,” Scott Dean told the jury in 2011, referring to the slumber party in 1984. “You know, I was 14 and a half, they were 12 and a half, but they were a promiscuous 12 and a half.” Scott Dean told the court that his encounter with the West Virginia twins was his first sexual experience of that nature. “One of them did touch me on the penis,” he said. “But it was consensual. It was completely consensual.”

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT, BUT IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO SAY SOMETHING THAT WASN’T TRUE,” SILDA DEAN SAID.

The crushing blow to the 2011 case, according to many of Dean’s supporters, was the judge’s decision to allow the testimony of two twin sisters from West Virginia who were childhood friends with Scott Dean. Both women told the jury that Scott Dean had been invited to an overnight birthday party in 1984 at their house when the girls were 12 and Scott Dean was 14. The twin sister testified in court that Scott Dean inappropriately touched them while they 10OCTOBER2013

As far as Scott Dean’s feeling about his five adopted children from Guatemala, he told the jury that he was “changed” the minute the members of his mission trip walked into an orphanage in Zacapa, Guatemala in 2004. “I actually met Marlin that (first) week. She was 11 years old,” Scott Dean testified in 2011. “I was changed. It broke me a lot. It made me a lot more humble just to see that kind of experience of the abject poverty and the situation there. The heart wrenching thing is the next year, 2005, we flew back.” The members of the church returned to the same orphanage. “When we pulled up to the private orphanage, I was one of the first ones in our group to get out of the van. When I got out of the van, Marlin came flying up,” Scott Dean said. “It’s been a year since she had seen this, what they call Gringo, this white guy. She jumped into my arms.” Scott Dean testified that Marlin couldn’t believe he had returned. “And it broke me,” he said. “I mean, it was the most emotional thing I had ever seen in my life. And I called my wife that night and I said, ‘Hey, I think I found you a daughter.’ And she said, ‘Well, if it’s Guatemalan, she’ll fit in your suitcase. Pack her up and bring AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 15

THIS Â WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Â FREE Â TICKET Â STOP Â LOCATIONS 10/10 Thu 4p-6p Shepeard Blood Center - 353 Fabian Dr, Aiken, SC

20 Pair

10/11 Fri 12n-1:40p Jiffy Lube - 216 Bobby Jones Expy, Augusta, GA

10 Pair

10/11 Fri 5p-7p Milton Ruben Chevy - 3514 Washington Rd, Augusta, GA

20 Pair

10/11 Fri 10p-12a The Country Club - 2834 Washington Rd Augusta, GA

2 Pair

10/12 Sat 11a-1p Master Chevy Cadillac - 3625 Richland Ave W Aiken, SC

20 Pair

10/12 Sat 1p-3p Halloween Express - 975 Old Plantation Road, N Augusta, SC 20 Pair 10/12 Sat 4p-6p Just Beds - 228 Robert C Daniel Jr Pkwy, Augusta, GA 30909

NOV Â 19th Â 2013 Â -Â Â JAMES Â BROWN Â ARENA

20 Pair

LISTEN Â TO Â KICKS Â WEEKDAYS TO Â FIND Â OUT Â MORE Â WAYS Â TO Â WIN! Visit Â www.Kicks99.com Â for Â info Â and Â updates!

Get Associated with a great Auto Loan

Â&#x2039; No Payments for 90 Days Â&#x2039; Rates as low as 1.75% Â&#x2039; 9LĂ&#x201E;UHUJLZ 5L^ 7\YJOHZLZ APR

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

Better than a Bank Offer may be withdrawn. Must qualify for loan. The rate you qualify to receive may vary depending on individual credit history, model year, and length of term. The rate of 1.75% APR applies to new or used 2013 vehicles with terms up to 48 months only. This program does not apply to existing CSRA Credit Union or Associated Credit Union auto loans. Interest accrues from date of loan disbursement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Payments For 90 Daysâ&#x20AC;? offer good on 2005-2013 models. Minimum loan amount for this offer is 7H`TLU[ L_HTWSL! SVHU H[ (79 MVY TVU[OZ TVU[OS` WH`TLU[Z PUJS\KLK Ă&#x201E;YZ[ WH`TLU[ HM[LY days) of approximately $510.87 each. APR=Annual Percentage Rate. Federally insured by NCUA.

16 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Â INDEPENDENT Â VOICE Â SINCE Â 1989

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

“I TOLD HER THAT EVERYTHING THAT I DID SAY IN COURT WAS A LIE,” SILDA DEAN SAID. her home.’” In the days that followed, Scott Dean said that he met Silda, Sindy and their baby siblings Byron and Mimi. He told his wife, Renee, that he wanted to adopt all five of the children. “She said, ‘I don’t think your suitcase is that big,’” Scott Dean said. But Scott Dean said he felt extremely passionate about adopting the children “I felt it was a calling to adopt these five because nobody was crazy enough to adopt five children,” Scott Dean testified in 2011. “But the process was grueling. It took us three years. It took us the better part of $100,000. It took us renovating our house.” Scott Dean traveled to Guatemala more than a dozen times before the adoption was finalized and the couple was able to bring the children home in 2008. “It was a blessing from God to bring them home,” Scott Dean said in 2011. “But it was overwhelming on us.” There was a great deal of tension between the girls and Renee Dean, he said. “The girls tended to get along with me better,” he said. “I spent a lot more time in Guatemala than Renee did, so I built their relationship with me a lot of time there.” There was a power struggle between Renee Dean and both Marlin and Silda, Scott Dean said. “It was frictional,” he said. “They fought a lot. They argued a lot. There was one instance where Silda and Renee got into a serious altercation on the stairs of our house. Silda screamed at Renee that, ‘You will never be my mother.’” As far as the allegations that he ever inappropriately touched his adopted daughters, Scott Dean denied ever doing anything romantic or sexual with them. “Was it common for you to crawl into bed with any or all of your children?” Theodocion asked Scott Dean during the 2011 trial. Scott Dean replied that is was very common. “When we first got the children home, the girls, the three big girls, had adjustment

Scott Dean

issues,” he said. “I would lay down. We would talk. That’s when I was learning Spanish because I was very, very pitiful in my Spanish.” In particular, Scott Dean testified that Silda suffered from extremely bad dreams at night. “For the first six months, she had night terrors and she would basically have to be held down or she would hurt herself,” Scott Dean said, adding that he would put his arms around her and hold her, but he never touched her in a sexual manner. “The only misinterpretation I would ever say that happened is, yes, I did wear a towel occasionally when I went from my bedroom, which was in the front of the house, to the laundry room,” Dean said. “Because I’m a typical man. I wake up and go take a shower. I don’t think about getting my clothes. I just take the shower.” Previously, when the Deans only had their two biological sons in the house, Scott Dean said he didn’t think twice about walking from the shower to the laundry room in a towel. But Scott Dean said he never took off his towel in front of Silda and never indicated that he wanted to have sex with her. “If I got out and there was no clean clothes, I’d have to go back to the laundry room,” he said. “And this was part of the adjustment of learning to go from boys who it didn’t bother to the girls. I didn’t know it bothered Silda.” Following last week’s hearing and request for a new trial, now all that is left for the Dean family is to wait for Judge Blanchard’s ruling. But the wait is excruciating, according to Renee Dean. “We’re going on three years of a nightmare, but we are holding on,” Renee Dean said after the hearing. “We know that there is a plan somewhere. And we are just doing our best to hold our heads high. “We know Scott is innocent. We’ve always known that he is innocent. There is no question. There has never been a question.”

“THIS IS SILDA DEAN SAYING, ‘I LIED. MY ENTIRE ALLEGATIONS AND THE ENTIRE CASE AGAINST MR. DEAN WAS A FRAUD,’” SAID DEAN’S ATTORNEY PETE THEODOCION. 10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 17

BURGERS AND MORE Farmhaus isn’t your average hamburger restaurant

When Chef Sean Wight began thinking of opening a second restaurant in downtown

Augusta, he decided to focus on something that seems like it’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from his fine-‐dining establishment: a counter-‐service burger restaurant. Farmhaus isn’t just any old burger restaurant, though. And despite how different it and Frog Hollow Tavern may appear to be, they are actually more alike than it seems upon first glance. “Restaurants like this are popping up all over the southeast,” Wight, who owns Frog Hollow and Farmhaus with his wife Krista, explained. “I wanted something that featured local ingredients like we like to do here at Frog Hollow and I wanted to create a healthier style of burger.” Frog Hollow, which just celebrated its third anniversary, was one of the first fine-‐dining restaurants in Augusta to embrace the locavore food movement. Chef Sean and his staff soon made a name for themselves there by offering dishes prepared with ingredients obtained in season and from local sources. That thinking carried over to Farmhaus when it opened last February. So much so that their slogan is “Beef Up Your Local Economy.” Wight said there are many reasons to try and buy local whenever possible. “We do it to support our local area, for one,” he said. “And then, two, you’re getting a fresher product if it doesn’t have to travel from California or South America or someplace like that. We don’t get anything imported from out of the country.” At Farmhaus, the beef they use in burgers was carefully chosen after a four-‐month search of small, family farms. Buns come from bakeries in Atlanta. The ice cream is High Road organic and the milk is Hickory Hill. There are some exceptions, of course. The Point Reyes blue cheese comes from California and the Green Hatch Chilies are from New Mexico. The chilies, Wight said, are too good not to include. “I went out to New Mexico and had my first green chili cheeseburger and I was like, ‘Man, if I ever do something, I want to put that on the menu,’” he explained. “We use real chilies that I get from New Mexico. They come one of those farms out there and we get them direct. I wanted the real deal.” Those chilies now grace the New Mexico Burger, #2 on the “Haus” Burgers menu. It’s a customer favorite, but nothing can compare to how much everyone, including Wight, loves the #6. The Farmstyle includes a patty (your choice of beef, turkey or veggie) topped with a sunny side up egg, bacon, gouda and Duke’s mayo. “Probably the Farmstyle, the one with the fried egg. It’s pretty darn good,” Wight said when asked which burger was his favorite. “It was something that we do here at Frog Hollow when the chefs are at lunch prepping.”

By Amy Christian

Farmhaus patrons don’t have to order one of the seven Haus burgers, though. They can also build their own by choosing from free goods and sauces (try the FHT Housemade Woo Sauce, a Worcestershire sauce made at Frog Hollow); $1 goods such as homemade pimento cheese and other cheeses, chili, slaw, onion rings and sautéed mushrooms; or $2 good such as homemade bacon jam and pork belly confit. The menu also includes fries and sides (try the sweet potato tots), salads and hot dogs. The most intriguing thing about Farmhaus’ menu, however, has got to be its drinks. Of course, it offers the usual array of fountain drinks, non-‐alcoholic choices and shakes. Farmhaus also offers a full bar, craft cocktails and boozy shakes. “Our niche is the boozy shake and probably the bestseller is the Gorilla Milk, which is Kahlua, vodka and tequila and organic vanilla ice cream,” said Farmhaus General Manager Darby Carpenter. “It tastes like a White Russian.” The restaurant also has a great selection of beers… in cans. “We don’t have any beers offered in bottles because Richmond County does not recycle glass,” Carpenter explained. “Every beer that we have that is not on draft is in a can and the reason for that is that we can recycle aluminum but we can’t recycle glass.” Craft cocktails, including two new ones for fall, are popular at Farmhaus, as are their boozy floats. Right now, they’re offering Terrapin Pumpkin Fest with vanilla ice cream and a dash of nutmeg. In the seven months they’ve been open, Farmhaus has developed a devoted following. And with all the options they offer, from homemade turkey and veggie burgers to gluten-‐ free hamburger buns and beer, it’s not hard to see why. Wight says that now that Farmhaus has settled into a comfortable rhythm, he can now focus on expanding the burger restaurant into another market and opening Craft & Vine next door. Craft & Vine, scheduled to open after the first of the year, will focus on modern takes of Prohibition-‐style cocktails and tapas. “That’s going be kind of our playground where we can do fun stuff and everything will be served family style, small plates,” Wight explained. “It’ll be totally designed to eat together and it’ll just come out when it’s ready and everybody will share.” Until then, Chef Sean is just happy to have a spot that serves two of his favorites. “I want to be able to get a good burger,” he said, “and I always like a good beer with my burger.” At Farmhaus, customers can get both and a whole lot more. FARMHAUS BURGER 1204 Broad Street, Downtown Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. 706-496-8771 farmhausburger.com

ILLUSTRATION BY BRITTANY KOLAR 18 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

10OCTOBER2013

ACROSS 1 Boxes up 8 Hidden 14 Astronomer Halley 20 Sheer, informally 21 Individually 22 Not get gratis 23 Clan garb 24 A “Star Trek” officer and a physician are going to board a plane? 26 Attack, as ramparts 27 Cracker topper 29 German Dadaist Hannah 30 Makes stronger? 31 Kind of court 34 Without ___ in the world 36 Atlantic fishery auditors? 39 “Galatea of the Spheres” and others 41 Comcast media holding 44 Ones giving their addresses 45 Hedge shrub 47 Dog command 48 Non-‐Eur. U.S. ally 49 Baseball features 53 French article 54 To boot 56 Minute 59 Work agreeably in a greenhouse? 62 It’s opposite julio on a calendario 63 “No challenge at all” 64 “Dat ___” (classic jazz song) 65 Called the shots 67 Dead¬-‐doornail connection 68 Delicate first-‐date topic 72 Moon feature 73 Aristocratic practice 75 Bacteriologist Julius 76 “Happy Birthday” on a cake, e.g.? 80 Naysayer 81 Reproductive parts of flowers 82 Folk rocker DiFranco 83 Ball game 85 Québec place name starter 86 Buster Brown’s dog, in old comics 87 Verizon competitor 90 Positions oneself to hear better, say 93 Wood-‐shaping tool 94 Reagan attorney general 95 Sexy operators? 99 Cell part 101 Femmes fatales 102 Bank heist, e.g.

104 107 108 112 115 117 118 119 120 121 122

Lion portrayer Word with sea or seasoned Bar, legally Where frogs shop? Religious recluse Consternation O.K. to serve Medication for a narcoleptic Cabernet Sauvignon alternative Ran out Immediately

DOWN 1 They’re probably close: Abbr. 2 Undiluted 3 Large sport fish 4 Draw 5 Hotel amenity 6 Directional suffix 7 Hitchcock genre 8 Common aquarium feature 9 Show up 10 Grp. in a 1955 merger 11 “Wag the Dog” actress 12 Fashion designer Marc 13 Family tree listing: Abbr. 14 Prefix with dermis 15 Longtime home of the Cotton Bowl 16 Reflective material 17 Unbalanced 18 Florida State player, casually 19 Prohibitionists 25 Oil source 28 Model Carol 32 Clutch, e.g. 33 Recipe amt. 35 Stronghold 36 Tortile 37 Italian princely family name 38 Sand ___ (perchlike fish) 39 Drab-‐looking 40 Bygone Chevrolet 42 Salve 43 Engine specification: Abbr. 46 Drinks now, pays later 47 Make more enticing 50 Footless creature 51 Barnyard sound 52 Enters furtively 55 Chevron 57 Exhibit fear, in a way 58 Quarter 60 Green spot 61 1960s-‐’70s pitcher Blue Moon 63 Ticked (off) 66 Locked? 68 One 60-‐trillionth of a min. 69 “True”

70 Dimwit 71 Charmers 73 Start of a choosing rhyme 74 “Can ___ now?” 76 “___ light?” 77 “Metamorphoses” poet 78 Sight at many a barbecue 79 Setting of the 2012 film “John Carter” 80 Combine name 84 Hoarders’ problems 88 Rinds 89 Fourth Arabic letter 91 Go along with 92 “WKRP in Cincinnati” news director Les ___ 94 To a greater extent 96 Reduced 97 Got emotional, with “up” 98 Baseball’s Bando 100 Mountainous land 101 Postal symbol, once 102 Bud 103 Super-‐duper 105 Uncle of Enoch 106 “I ___ thought” 109 Part of a space shuttle’s exterior 110 ___ & Carla (1960s duo) 111 Cooped (up) 113 No longer playing: Abbr. 114 They may improve in crunch time 116 Birthplace of the bossa nova

OVERHEARD IN ENGLAND By: Norm Guggenbiller / Edited by Will Shortz

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWERS

THEY’RE FINE WHERE THEY ARE, HOW ARE YOU? Elliott Sons Funeral Homes ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM

10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 19

North Augusta Bucksnort’s

bucksnortscigars.com 215 Edgefield Road (866) 561-85 33

Manuel's Bread Cafe

The Highlander

manuelsbreadcafe.com 505 Railroad Ave (803) 380-1323

abritishpub.com 133 Georgia Ave (803) 278-2796

EYfm]d k :j]Y\ ;Y^] Try the grilled chicken on pretzel roll with pineapple-habanero sauce… if they still have it!

Wine World

wineworldsc.com 133 Georgia Ave (803) 279-9522

Taste

eatattaste.com 465 Railroad Ave (803) 341-9881

Downtown Augusta First Round Bizzo Beats Thursday, October 10

Mellow Mushroom Live & Local Thursday, October 10

Fatman's

fatmans.com 1450 Greene St (706) 733-1740

Sweet Lou’s Crabshack sweetlouscrabshack.com 13th & Broad (706) 922-1699

Frog Hollow Tavern

froghollowtavern.com 1282 Broad St (706) 364-6906

Pizza Joint

thepizzajoint.net 1245 Broad St (706) 774-0037

Mellow Mushroom

mellowmushroom.com 1167 Broad St (706) 828-5578

Sky City

skycityaugusta.com 1157 Broad St (706) 945-1270

Firehouse

1145 Broad St (706) 826-9955

Knuckle Sandwiches 1149 Broad St (706) 828-4700

The Loft Most Wanted Friday, October 11

Farmhaus Burger

Bee’s Knees

farmhausburger.com 1204 Broad St (706) 496-8771

beeskneestapas.com 211 10th St (706) 828-3600

Boar’s Head Pub

Rooster’s Beak

theboarsheadpublichouse.com 1135 Broad St (706) 723-5177

feedyourbeak.com 215 10th St (706) 364-2260

1102

Blue Sky Kitchen

1102 Broad St (706) 364-4075

Metro Coffee House 1054 Broad St (706) 722-6468

The First Round 210 11th St. (706) 364-8278

Whiskey Bar (Kitchen) whiskeybarkitchen.com 1048 Broad St (706) 814-6159

Soy Noodle House

soynoodlehouse.com 1032 Broad St (706) 364-3116

Pauley’s Steakhouse

pauleyssteakhouse.com 1022 Broad St (706) 364-3512

Sector 7G TFS Rave w/ DJs Number5 and LinearNorth Friday, October 11

blueskydowntown.com 990 Broad St (706) 821-3988

Soul Bar

soulbar.com 984 Broad St (706) 724-8880

Playground

978 Broad St (706) 724-2232

Nacho Mama’s

nachomamasaugusta.com 976 Broad St (706) 724-0501

Stillwater Taproom 974 Broad St (706) 826-9857

New Moon Cafe

newmoondowntown.com 936 Broad St (706) 823-2008

Soul Bar Liddle Ugleez Saturday, October 12

The Loft

Beamie’s Restaurant

Bar on Broad

The Boll Weevil Cafe

927 Broad St (706) 828-6600 www.baronbroad.com 917 Broad St (706) 955-7954

Club Rehab

913 Broad St (706) 849-2265

Joe’s Underground 144 8th St (706) 724-9457

Imperial Theater

imperialtheatre.com 749 Broad St (706) 722-8341

Tipsey McStumbles 214 7th St (706) 955-8507

Eagle’s Nest

640 Broad St. 706-722-5541

The Sports Center 594 Broad St (706) 724-9307

Luigi’s

www.luigisinc.com 590 Broad St (706) 722-4056

865 Reynolds St (706) 724-6593

thebollweevil.com 10 9th St (706) 722-7772

Cotton Patch

eatdrinkbehappy.com 816 Cotton Ln (706) 724-4511

Mi Rancho

2 8th Street (706) 724-3366

Le Chat Noir

lcnaugusta.com 304 8th St (706) 722-3322

Hildebrandt’s 226 6th St (706) 722-7756

209 Restaurant & Music Lounge 566 Broad St, (706) 722-9692

La Maison on Telfair lamaisontelfair.com 404 Telfair St (706) 722-4805

Sector 7G

sector7gaugusta.com 631 Ellis St (706) 496-5900

Cotton Patch Trivia & Tunes Wednesday, October 16

Fox's Lair

thefoxslair.com 349 Telfair St (706) 828-5600

The Bell Auditorium

augustaentertainmentcomplex.com 712 Telfair St (706) 724-2400

James Brown Arena

augustaentertainmentcomplex.com 601 7th St (706) 722-3521

Jessye Norman Amphitheater augustaga.org 15 Eighth Street 706-821-1754

Augusta Canal Moonlight Music Cruise augustacanal.com 1450 Greene Street 706-823-0440

Surrey Tavern Electric Pulse Radio Saturday, October 12

The Hill Evans/martinez

- G ;dg[c :akljg The Henrys Sunday, October 13

Club Argos Gurl Meets Gurl Friday, October 11

5 O'Clock Bistro

Crums on Central

Oliviana's

5oclockbistro.com 2111 Kings Way 706-922-9560

crumsoncentral.com 1855 Central Avenue 706-729-6969

399 Highland Ave (706) 723-1242

Bistro 491

French Market Grille

491 Highland Ave (706) 738-6491 bistro491.com

thefrenchmarketgrille.com 425 Highland Ave (706) 737-4865

Calvert's Restaurant

Helga’s

calvertsrestaurant.com 475 Highland Ave (706) 738-4514

2015 Central Ave (706) 736-2880

sheehansirishpub.com 2571 Central Ave (706) 364-1234

Indian Queen

Surreal at Surrey

2502 Wrightsboro Rd (706) 303-8723

surreal-at-surrey.com 469 Highland Ave 706-496-2036

Surrey Tavern

AUGSBURG HAUS

augustasurreytavern.com 471 Highland Ave (706) 736-1221

4460 Washington Road 706-667-818

Takosushi takosushi.com 437 Highland Ave Augusta GA

Sheehan's Irish Pub

Club Argos 1923 Walton Way (706) 481-8829

West AUgusta

3112 Washington (706) 667-9801

Bar West Augusta

3631 Walton Way Ext. Ste 3 (706) 736-0021

Buffalo Wild Wings

buffalowildwings.com 120 Robert C Daniel Jr Pkwy (706) 736-1778

Cadwalladers Café 106 Davis Rd (706) 860-7444

Carolina Ale House

carolinaalehouse.com 203 Robert C Daniel Jr (762) 333-0019

Chevy’s

chevysniteclub.com 3328 Washington Road 706-250-3261

The Country Club

augustacountry.com 2834-F Washington Rd 706-364-1862

Crazy Turks

crazyturkspizza.com 2910 Washington Rd (706) 922-7299

Cue and Brew

2852 Washington Rd (706) 737-6008

Double Tree

frenchmarketwest.com 368 Furys Ferry Rd (706) 855-5111

Hooters

hooters.com 2834 Washington Rd (706) 736-8454

Limelite Café

1137 Agerton Ln (706) 731-0220

doubletree.com 2651 Perimeter Pkwy (706) 855-8100

Rack and Grill

Edgars Grille

Rae's Coastal Café

edgarsgrille.com 3165 Washington Rd (706) 854-4700

3481 Old Petersburg Rd (706) 855-7534 3208 W Wimbledon Dr (706) 738-1313

Rhineharts

beyondcasual.com 3051 Washington Rd (706) 860-2337

COLUMBIA COUNTY Amphitheatre

Lauras Backyard Tavern 218 S Belair Rd (706) 869-8695

evanstownecenterpark.com 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd. 706-650-5005

Retreat Tapas Bar

Takosushi

4446 Washington Rd (706) 250-3717

takosushi.com 1202 Town Park Ln (706) 863-0606

Rhineharts 4272 Washington Rd (706) 210-9008

beyondcasual.com 305 N Belair Rd (706) 868-6850

Mellow Mushroom

The Tavern at the Bean

Mai Thai

Tbonz tbonzofaugusta.com 601 N Belair Rd (706) 814-7083

mellowmushroom.com 4348 Washington Rd (706) 364-6756

beanbaskette.com 4414 Evans to Locks Rd (706) 447-2006

Pizza Joint

Sidetrack Bar and Grill sidetrackbarandgrill.com 4027 Washington Rd (706) 863-8951

thepizzajoint.net 4301 Washington Rd (706) 447-4992

South Augusta

The Country Club Tyler Hammond Band Saturday, October 12

French Market Grille West

3851 Evans To Locks Rd (706) 814-5007

7022 Faircloth Dr (706) 868-3349

The Snug Their Margarita menu is amazing.

Somewhere in Augusta Chris Ndeti Duo Friday, October 11

Allie Katz Bar & Grill

Lady A. Amphitheatre

BIRD DOG GRILL

The Pi Bar & Grille partridgeinn.com 2110 Walton Way (800) 476-6888

Tavern at the Bean Musicians Hangout w/ 8 Artists Performing Friday, October 11

TBonz Have the Waccamaw Seafood Dip with chips before digging in to your steak.

Road Runner

TGI Fridays

roadrunnercafe.com 2821 Washington Rd (706) 364-3525

www.tgifridays.com 2800 Washington Rd (706) 736-8888

Robbie's Sport Bar

The Snug Steak & Grill

2834 Washington Rd (706) 738-0866

Shannon's

300 Shartom Dr (706) 814-7760

Sheraton

sheratonaugusta.com 1069 Stevens Creek Rd (706) 396-1000

Coyotes Chris Janson Friday, October 11

Coyotes

Road Runner Café

Villa Europa

coyotesaugusta.com 2512 Peach Orchard Rd (706) 560-9245

2508 Peach Orchard Rd (706) 790-8177

villaeuropa.com 3044 Deans Bridge Rd (706) 798-6211

thesnug.net 240 Davis Rd (706) 863-1118

Wild Wing Café

wildwingcafe.com 3035 Washington Rd (706) 364-9453

Somewhere in Augusta somewhereinaugusta.com 2820 Washington Rd (706) 739-0002

Tbonz tbonzofaugusta.com 2856 Washington Rd (706) 737-8325

Illustrated by Brittany Kolar

V24|NO41

Thursday, October 10 Live Music

Ponderosa

Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local Polo Tavern - Keith Gregory Sky City - Ponderosa, Dirty Realists, Adam Harris

Thompson Stables at Rose Hill Estate - Preston Weston

& Sandra Wild Wing - Jesup Dolly

What’s Tonight? Chevy’s - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Coyotes - Karaoke First Round - Bizzo Beats Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic Poetry and Spoken

Word w/ Bilaad Muhammad Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke party with Carolina Entertainment Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - DJ Rana Shannon’s - Karaoke Surreal at Surrey - College and F&B Night Tavern at the Bean - Game Night Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke

Friday, October 11 Live Music Augusta Canal - Moonlight Music Cruise w/

Roger Enevoldsen Chevy’s - Cody Webb, DJ Dougie Club Argos - Gurl Meets Gurl Country Club - Jeremy Graham Coyotes - Chris Janson Doubletree - Jazz The Loft - Most Wanted MAD Studios - Edwin G. Hamilton, Shock Theater PI Bar & Grille - Live Jazz Playoffs - The Southern Meltdown Band Polo Tavern - Josh Hilley Band Shannon’s - Sherry Iles, Atomic Road Somewhere in Augusta - Chris Ndeti Duo Stables at Rose Hill Estate - Gavin Reily Surrey Tavern - Playback The Band w/ Tutu

Dy’Vine Tavern at the Bean - Musicians Hangout w/ Eight Artists Performing Wild Wing - Dave Love

What’s Tonight? Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Cocktails Lounge - Grown-Up Fridays with DJ Cork and Bull Pub - Karaoke Coyotes - Dance Party Eagle’s Nest - Free Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Jeff Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim The Playground - DJ Rana Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel 22 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

It’s time for a “Pool Party” when Ponderosa visits Sky City Thursday, October 10, in support of its latest release. Opening for the Atlanta rockers will by the Dirty Realists and Adam Harris Thompson. Doors open at 8 p.m., with music beginning around 9:15 p.m. $5. Visit skycityaugusta.com. Sector 7G - TFS Rave: The Funhouse w/ DJs

Number5 and LinearNorth Sky City - DJs Bizzo, CJ Lee, Ria Bay Soul Bar - ‘80s Night Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest

Saturday, October 12 Live Music The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic

Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Cork & Bull - Sherry Iles, Atomic Road Country Club - Tyler Hammond Band MAD Studios - Purified by the Blood, Solid

Ground, Dale Lewis Jr. P.I. Bar and Grill - Smooth/Vocal Jazz Polo Tavern - Jim Fisher Band Sky City - Lyka Champ, Man Ray Surrey Tavern - Electric Pulse Radio Wild Wing - Cover Story

What’s Tonight? Chevy’s - DJ Dougie Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Helga’s Pub & Grille - Karaoke The Loft - Daddy Rich Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke party with

Carolina Entertainment Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke with Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Soul Bar - Liddle Ugleez Tavern at the Bean - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke

Sunday, October 13 Live Music 5 O’Clock Bistro - The Henrys

Partridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not

Gaddy Jazz Trio Wild Wing - Hooker Brothers The Willcox - Live Jazz

What’s Tonight? Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke party with

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

Monday, October 14 Live Music Shannon’s - Open Mic Night

What’s Tonight? Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Chevy’s - Monday Night Football Joe’s Underground - Poker Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia The Playground - DJ Rana Robolli’s - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere in Augusta - Poker Wild Wing - Trivia

Tuesday, October 15 Live Music MAD Studios - Neely, Dale Lewis Jr. Shannon’s - Karaoke Contest The Willcox - Piano jazz

What’s Tonight? Bar West - Trivia Chevy’s - World Poker Tournament Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Joe’s Underground - Karaoke Limelite Cafe - Bottom’s Up Karaoke Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia Mi Rancho - Cornhole Carolina Meeting

The Playground - Truly Twisted Trivia with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke Roadrunner Cafe - Trivia Shannon’s - Karaoke with Mike Johnson Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia Surrey Tavern - Tubeday Tuesday Movie Night

Wednesday, October 16 Live Music MAD Studios - Zak Shaffer, John Stoney Cannon Wild Wing - Acosta

What’s Tonight? Armando’s - Karaoke w/ Rockin Rob Bar West - F&B Night Chevy’s - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Augusta’s Got Talent Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes Hotel Aiken - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke The Playground - Krazy Karaoke with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere in Augusta - The Comedy Zone w/

CeeJay Jones and John Charles Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz Surrey Tavern - Trivia with Christian and Mickey

Upcoming Little River Band

- Bell Auditorium October 17 .38 Special

- Evans Towne Center Park October 18 The Grascals, Audie Blaylock, Redline

- Imperial Theatre October 18 The Heavy Pets, Delta Cane

- Sky City October 18 The Mason Jars 10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

- Stillwater Taproom October 18

- Sky City November 14

Austin Mahone

Tony Williams and the Blues Express

Blue Highway, Sierra Hull

- Surrey Tavern October 18-19

- Imperial Theatre November 15

- Tabernacle, Atlanta October 20

Blair Crimmins and the Hookers

- Stillwater Taproom October 19

Send the Signal, Panic Manor, Richt to Fall, Tattermask

- Sky City October 24

Tallgrass Getdown

- Stillwater Taproom November 15 Paleface, The Ramblin’ Fevers, Rebekah Todd

- Sky City November 16

- Stillwater Taproom October 25

KICKS 99 Guitar Pull w/ Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Nettles, Florida Georgia Line, Darius Rucker, Randy Houser, Uncle Kracker

- Sky City October 25

Joe Bonamassa

Bucktown Kickback Mad Margritt

Playback The Band w/ Tutu Dy’Vine

- Surrey Tavern October 25-26

Chelsea Light Moving (Led by Thurston Moore), Dead Confederate

- Sky City October 29 Moon Taxi, Funk You

- Sky City October 31 Band of Opportunity

- Stillwater Taproom November 2 Gringo Star

- Sky City November 7 Celia Gary

- Stillwater Taproom November 7

Smooth & the Bully Boys, John Berret’s LaRoxes

- Sky City November 8 )Y\ZOÄYL :[PURNYHZZ

- Stillwater Taproom November 8 Rolling Nowhere

- Stillwater Taproom November 9

Same As It Ever Was (Talking Heads Tribute)

- Surrey Tavern November 9 Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy

- Bell Auditorium November 14 The Dirty Guv’Nahs

10OCTOBER2013

- James Brown Arena November 19 - Bell Auditorium November 20 Almost Kings

- Sky City November 22 Jerry Garcia Tribute Band

- Surrey Tavern November 22 :[L^HY[ >PUÄLSK

- Surrey Tavern November 27 Earphunk

- Surrey Tavern November 30 Gabriel Iglesias

- Bell Auditorium December 14 Jackaroe

- Stillwater Taproom December 20

Melisaa Manchester

- Bell Auditorium February 13

Elsewhere Montgomery Gentry

- Georgia Theatre, Athens October 12 Hunter Hayes

- Fox Theatre, Atlanta October 17 Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood

- Philips Arena, Atlanta October 19 Lewis Black

- Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta October 19

Switchfoot

- Center Stage, Atlanta October 20 Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford, Tyler Farr

- The Coliseum, Carrollton October 23 Nine Inch Nails

- Philips Arena, Atlanta October 24 Neko Case

- The Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta October 24 John Fogerty

- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Atlanta October 25 Paula Cole

- Red Clay Theatre, Duluth October 25 Selena Gomez

- Philips Arena, Atlanta October 26 Michael Buble

- The Arena and Gwinnett Center, Duluth October 27 Cold War Kids

- 40 Watt Club, Athens October 30 Hugh Laurie with the Copper bottom Band

- Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta November 3 Drake, Miguel, Future

- Philips Arena, Atlanta November 7 The Dismemberment Plan

- Masquerade, Atlanta November 9 Lisa Marie Presley

- Eddie’s Attic, Decatur November 10

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Talib Kweli, Big KRIT

- Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth November 22 Janelle Monae

- The Tabernacle, Atlanta November 26 Andrea Bocelli

- Philips Arena, Atlanta December 15 Justin Timberlake

- Philips Arena, Atlanta December 17

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 23

V24|NO41

ONLY IN AUGUSTA I went to a NY ballet this weekend. The dancers were magical. I wore a dress. He wore a jacket. We sat in red velvet seats in an historic theater. And I was in Augusta. The Mark Morris Dance Group came from Brooklyn for this year’s Westobou Festival. As part of the Board of Directors for the yearly five-‐day festival, I’d heard quite a bit about the dancers. They travel extensively around the United States and the world, showing off their incredible talent. And they were in Augusta. If ballet’s not your thing, this may not be all that impressive to you. Would you rather listen to a great band? Kim Gordon (yes, the one of Sonic Youth fame) was in Augusta Wednesday night. Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez of Nashville’s Johnnyswim played Thursday at the Old Richmond Academy. Their talent speaks for itself, but Amanda comes by it honestly. As a young girl, she spent her summers as a backup singer for her rather famous

mother, Donna Summer. Hardy Morris played a free concert on Friday night at the same venue. He’s a local Augustan, formerly of the band Dead Confederate. FREE CONCERT. In Augusta. Saturday morning, over 6,000 people came downtown in tutus and crazy wigs, ready to run “The Happiest 5K on the Planet.” The Color Run isn’t a race. Anyone can walk or run. There’s a party following the race, where color packets burst in a rainbow cloud. The pictures were impressive and rave reviews were plentiful. Oh yeah, that was on Telfair Street, in Augusta. Don’t want to participate? I feel ya. Along with thousands of others, I watched the world’s largest Half Ironman from the comfort of the curb. We made signs and high fived the nearly 3,500 athletes as they passed us, not once, but twice, in their race to the finish. Yep, Augusta. The weekend before that, thousands of patrons

and artists were downtown for the 33rd Annual (and best yet) Arts in the Heart of Augusta. There was food, music, art and beer. Still not impressed? If you’re really asking, there’s a half marathon, bars, restaurants, dozens of churches and temples… heck, even the mall has gotten better. When I moved here, we didn’t have a Banana Republic or the Apple Store. Costco didn’t have a chance. There were five bars and about 10 restaurants downtown. Have you been there lately? Don’t be scared. It’s not a scary place. Use common sense and you’ll be fine. If you’re still scared, plan for lunch. It’s light out then. Most places downtown have outdoor seating, and the people-‐ watching is pretty darn good. Did you know there’s a guy with a pet skunk? No worries, it’s been demusked. As in, it doesn’t stink. See, there’s nothing to do in Augusta. You’re crazy if you don’t go have lunch at the Greek Festival this weekend. For dinner, you can walk over to the Common for the Hispanic Festival. These people know how to have parties. Don’t like food? There are pumpkin patches and corn mazes, too. You can almost always find something to do on the canal, including boat tours and guided walks. What’s my point? I get asked that a lot. Fortunately for y’all, I really do have one this time. GET OVER IT. It isn’t THAT bad. I’m starting to think some of y’all are habitual complainers. Augusta isn’t as terrible as you’d like it to be. Those ballet dancers? They loved Augusta. They live in Brooklyn, traveling the world each week, and they loved Augusta. They Instagrammed pictures of our pink fountains and tweeted about their hotel. They wished they could stay another night. They adored our theater. To them, the Imperial is a historic gem, and far superior to the large venues to which they’re accustomed. The commended our hospitality, our southern generosity. I’ll admit it. I was in awe of their appreciation. As much as I like Augusta, I’m as skeptical as the next. Will we actually get a Whole Foods? Are things getting better? The fact is, they are. It’s a slow process. We need everyone. If we want better things, we have to show support for the things we already have. I promise you, if we do, even better things will come along. For Augusta. There’s the obvious big green golf tournament, but that goes without saying. Its benefits are numerous, but there’s so much more to our fair city. You don’t even have to be all that creative. Here in this very paper, there’s a calendar with choices for everyone. Don’t see something you like? Make your own fun. We have a lake, a river, disc golf courses, parks, a swamp, a canal and so much more. It’s Augusta, y’all. Cheers!

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.

FREE WEEKENDS AT GOLD’S GYM Gold’s Gym Augusta is very excited to be opening their doors on the weekends to the community for free workouts! Dedicated to keeping Augusta healthy and active throughout the fall months, Gold’s Gym wants to raise awareness on the many Fitness pitFALLS that can arise over the holiday season.

HOW TO GAIN FREE WEEKEND ACCESS: Community members can download a Pit Pass on the Gold’s Gym Augusta Facebook page Bring Pit Pass to the gym for free club access on the weekends

Questions? Walton Way – (706) 481-0502 | Bobby Jones – (706) 396-4653 24 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

Skin Cancer/Moles

Skin cancer is a great concern in the South because of prolonged sun exposure, and Evans Dermatology makes preventative skin checks easy and painless for their patients.

Acne

“I feel very passionately about treating kids with acne” Dr. Florentino says. Acne treatments have come a long way in the past few years. “The truth of the matter is, you can change a kid’s life.”

Psoriasis Physican Assistant Jennifer McCaren & Dr. Frances Florentino

Evans Dermatology treats the surface part of the problem, while also making sure patients are monitored by their primary care physicians so that other complications don’t occur such as debilitating arthritis.

Rosacea

Rosacea, redness and pimples on the face that occur in adults, is a common problem in this area, but it is one that is easliy treated. Dr. Florentino is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School after completeing her undergraduate work at Georgetown University. She focused on academic dermatology for 11 years before moving to Columbia County and opening her practice in 2007.

SPRING SEMESTER STARTS JANUARY 6, 2014

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and Equal Opportunity Institution

Augusta (706) 771-4000 Columbia County (706) 651-7368

Thomson/McDuffie (706) 595-0166 Waynesboro/Burke (706) 437-6801

www.augustatech.edu 10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 25

V24|NO41 V24|NO40

Help the Maddogs celebrate their 40th anniversary this weekend as the Augusta Rugby Football Club hosts events Friday-Saturday, October 11-12. The festivities begin Friday night at Metro Coffeehouse & Pub on Broad Street at 8 p.m. with a meet and greet. They continue Saturday with alumni games, raffles, door prizes and presentations at the Larry Bray Memorial Pitch before heading back to Metro for an after-party. Visit augustarugby.org.

Arts

Day of Art, hosted by the North Augusta Artists Guild, is each Tuesday from 11 a.m.3 p.m. at the Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta and includes a group of artists painting in the center who will answer questions or allow visitors to join in. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. Corks & Canvas painting classes for adults 21 and over are held every Tuesday and Thursday night beginning at 7 p.m. and last 2-3 hours. Painting materials provided. Bring your own wine and clothes to paint in. $30; $25 with military I.D. Pre-registration required. Call 706868-0990 or visit pstudio.com.

Exhibitions

Exhibition Opening: Snapshot in Time is Thursday, October 10, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. View smartphone photographs of Augusta’s historic Miller Theatre taken by members of the community. Vote for your favorite image while the show is on display in the education gallery, though October 20. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Exhibition Opening: “Dark Corners: The Appalachian Murder Ballads: Paintings by Julyan Davis” is Thursday, October 17, at 6 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. An evening of art and music as Asheville, N.C., artist Julyan Davis discusses his exhibition, which will be accompanied by a performance of murder ballads by folk musicians Greg and Lucretia Speas. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Chase Lanier Exhibit of oil paintings will hang at Artist’s Local 1155 on Broad Street throughout the month of October. Call 706-306-1581. 26 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

John Edry and Tom Swift Art Exhibition will be on view through October 25 at Sacred Heart Cultural Center. Call 706826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. The Art of Gwen Power will be on display in the Community Wing at the Kroc Center throughout the month of October. Call 706364-KROC or visit krocaugusta.org. The Godfather of Soul James Brown exhibit is on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Blast From the Past is on display at Augusta Museum of History to celebrate the museum’s 75th anniversary. Call 706-7228454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Local Legends is a permanent exhibit highlighting Augusta notables on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-7228454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com. Jazz on Pine, a four-week celebration of local music and art, will be held Saturdays at 6 p.m. in the pocket park at Heritage Pine, the flagship development of Laney Walker/ Bethlehem. Free concerts are as follows: October 12: Doc Easton Smooth Jazz; October 19, Jerusalem Sounds; October 26, Joe Collier & Friends; November 2, Tim Sanders & UNITY. For more information, call 706-821-1797 or visit heritagepineaugusta.com/news-events/. Pops! At the Bell featuring the Little River Band performing with Symphony Orchestra Augusta is Thursday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. Visit soaugusta.org. Do You Lyric Lounge, an open mic variety show featuring singers, spoken word artists, musicians and more, is Thursday, October 17, from 7:30-10 p.m. at 1102’s back bar. LadyVee DaPoet will be the emcee and admission is $5 for those 18 and up. Visit facebook.com/doyoulyricloungeAUG.

Protect and Serve, an exhibit highlighting the stories of CSRA law enforcement officers, is on display at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Live Country Music is featured Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club, 1999 Scott Rd. $5. Call 706-790-8040.

Delightful Decanters is a temporary exhibit on display at the Augusta Museum of History featuring colorful bottles used to sell products as late as the 1970s. Call 706-7228454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

The Salvation Army School of the Performing Arts holds classes each Tuesday. Included is instruction in piano, drums, guitar, voice and brass. Call 706-364-4069 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Music

Roger Enevoldsen will play on the Moonlight Music Canal Cruise, 6:30-8 p.m., Friday, October 11. $25 per person; passengers may bring aboard snacks and beverages. Call 706-823-

Live Country Music at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 1999 Scott Road, is every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $5. Call 706-790-8040.

Literary

Book Release Party (It’s Your Book Club) is Thursday, October 17, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Book release and signing for Dr. Andrea Wilson’s book “Couples 101.” Singer Passionate will perform. Call 706-724-6762 or visit ecgrl.org.

Dance

Augusta Christian Singles holds dances every Saturday night, beginning at 8 p.m., with free dance lessons at 7 p.m. Dances are held at Ballroom Dance Center, 525 Grand Slam Drive (off Evans to Locks Road) in Evans. $10. Admission includes light meal or heavy refreshments, desserts, soft drinks and coffee in an alcohol/smoke free environment, and music includes country, shag, oldies and more. Dress is casual (jeans are fine). All singles 18 years old and up are welcome. Visit christiandances.org. Belly Dance Class is held every Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Euchee Creek and Wallace libraries. Pre-registration required. Call 706556-0594 (Euchee Creek), 706-722--6275 (Wallace) or visit ecgrl.org. Augusta International Folk Dance Club meets Tuesday nights from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Augusta Ballet Studio on 2941 Walton Way. No partners needed. First visit free. Call 706394-5535 or 706-399-2477. Zumba with Sohailla is held every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the Ballroom Dance Center in Evans. Call 706-421-6168 or visit zumbawithsohailla.blogspot.com. Saturday Night Dance with live music is each Saturday night at the Fraternal Order of 10OCTOBER2013 3OCTOBER2013

V24|NO40 V24|NO41

the Eagles Post 1197 from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $5. Call 706-495-3219.

Theater

The Cashore Marionettes: “Life in Motion” is Tuesday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Theatre on the GRU campus. A series of scenes taken from everyday life and set to music by composers such as Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss, and Copland. $8; $4 for 17 and under. Call 706-667-4100 or visit gru.edu.

Flix

Dr. Who Movie Marathon is Thursday, October 10, from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Free. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org. “X-Men First Class” will be shown Tuesday, October 15, at noon at the Maxwell Branch Library. Free. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Southern Circuit Film Series: “I’m a Bastard!” is Tuesday, October 15, at 6 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. A combination of home movies, broadcast news and heartfelt letters, this film is a portrait of the three diverse families linked by an adopted child. After the movie, there will be a Q&A session with cast members and filmmaker Bennett Barbakow. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Tuesday Movie Series is October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. “The Bling Ring” will be shown. Free. Call 706724-6762 or visit ecgrl.org. “The Act of Killing” shows Thursday, October 17, at 11:20 a.m. at 7 p.m. in the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre on GRU’s Summerville campus as part of the Cinema Series at GRU. Dr. Craig Albert, assistant professor of political science at GRU, will lead a discussion after the 7 p.m. screening. Free. visit gru.edu. Ethan Bortnick in Concert with the Augusta Children’s Chorale, part of the Augusta Jewish Community Center Concert Series, is Saturday, October 19, at 7 p.m. at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre at GRU’s Summerville campus. Adults, $50; Children under 12, $25. Visit aug.edu/pat. Dr. Who Movie Marathon is Thursday, October 17, from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Free. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org.

Special Events

The 24th Annual Greek Festival is Friday-Saturday, October 11-12, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church downtown. It includes live entertainment with Greek music performed by A Night in Athens, along with traditional folk dancing, food, drinks, a market, church tours and more. Visit holytrinityaugusta.org. The Hispanic Festival is Friday-Saturday, October 11-12, beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday

10OCTOBER2013

and 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Augusta Common. The annual event treats attendees to Hispanic folklore, musical groups, authentic food stands from several countries, arts and crafts, games for children, other attractions for the family and night dancing in the street. $2 Visit elcervantino.org. A Day for GRU Celebration is Friday, October 11, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the D. Douglas Barnard Jr. Amphitheatre on the GRU Summerville campus. This year’s barbecue will feature food from Sconyers, music by Mood Indigo, a kid’s zone with inflatables and games, and fireworks at dusk. Tickets are $10 for students, children and A Day donors (limit two); $15 for adults; and $20 at the gate. Call 706-737-1759 or visit gru.edu/adayforgru. Fall Festival and Yard Sale, sponsored by the Beech Island Historical Society, is Saturday, October 12, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Historical Society’s office and will include a plant sale by the Beech Island Garden Club. Call 803-867-3600 or visit beechislandhistory.org. Walk with the Spirits, a guided tour of Summerville Cemetery led by spirit guides in period costumes, is 3-6 p.m. SaturdaySunday, October 12-13. Tours leave every 20 minutes and are 45 minutes long. $15, adults; $10, children and groups of 10 or more. Not recommended for those under 5. Refreshments provided. Call 706-724-0436 or visit historicaugusta.org. Oktoberfest is Saturday, October 12, from 6-10:30 p.m. in the Alley in downtown Aiken. Festivities include food, live music from The Luke Cunningham Band, The Tarlatans, and Eli Montgomery. There will be a raffle for two Guitar Pull tickets from Kicks99 radio, plus college football screenings outside and beer stein races. Commemorative steins are available for purchase for $5 prior to the event at the Aiken Downtown Student Life Office. Free. Visit downtownaiken.com.

Methodist Church on Wheeler Road is open through October 31. Hours are Monday-Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. Visitors can buy pumpkins, as well as take pictures in the patch, which is decorated with mums, bales of straw, cornstalks and a scarecrow. Call 706-8630510 or visit marvinchurch.com. Pub Theology Group meets Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the Cotton Patch in downtown Augusta. All faiths (and even those of no faith) are welcome and encouraged to join in. Just remember to bring your courtesy, patience, humility and a healthy dose of humor. Call 706-724-2485 or visit saintpauls.org. Evans Towne Farmers Market is held on the grounds of the Columbia County Public Library each Thursday through October 24 from 4:30-7 p.m. All meats, eggs, dairy and produce will be from local and sustainable farms. There will also be cooking and fitness demos, as well as education, local artisans with handcrafted goods, live music, local food vendors and weekly events. Visit evanstownefarmersmarket.com. Weekly Wine Tastings at Vineyard Wine Market in Evans are held 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fridays, and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays. Call 706-922-9463 or visit vine11.com.

Saturday Market at the River is each Saturday through November 23 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 8th Street Bulkhead downtown and features vendors, food, drinks, entertainment and a group run that begins at 8 a.m. Visit theaugustamarket.com. Wine Tastings are the first Friday and third Thursday of each month from 5-8 p.m. at Wine World in North Augusta. $5. Call 803279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com. Tire and Electronics Recycling is held the third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pendleton King Park. Up to five scrap tires and electronics can be recycled at no charge. Call 855-got-tires or visit augustasolidwaste.com.

Health

Happiest Baby on the Block is Thursday, October 10, from 7-9 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. This class teaches moms, dads and other family members the techniques they can use to calm a fussy baby and to help baby sleep better. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding is Friday, October 11, from 9 a.m.-noon at Trinity Hospital. The Baby Care Basics presentation offers parents an opportunity to learn about diapering, bathing, feeding and cord care.

Chamber Before Hours is Wednesday, October 16, at 7:30 a.m. at the Columbia County Chamber Office. “Safeguarding the Workplace: Do You Know How to Respond to a Workplace Crisis?” is the program, with guest speakers Doug Parker, Private Consultations & Investigations, and Chris Mezzetti, Crime Analysis, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Free for members; $10, first-time visitors. Call 706651-0018 or visit columbiacountychamber.com. Diversity Career Fair is Thursday, October 17, from 1-4 p.m. at the Snelling Center, 3165 Washington Rd. This career fair recognizes the growing diversity of the workforce and brings together employers and applicants while highlighting the programs available through the Job Connection. More than 30 employers and community resources will be on site to provide information about current job openings in the Augusta area. Free. Call 706-840-7441 or email ktaylor@ goodwillworks.org. Corner Pumpkin Patch at Marvin United

“Any chance you remember what you did with the remote control?” AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 27

V24|NO41

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

The Breastfeeding presentation features information about the physiology of milk production, nutritional needs of mother and baby, nipple care and milk storage. Call 706481-7000 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. “HUG” Your Baby is Monday, October 14, from 4-5 p.m. at Trinity Hospital. This class provides Help, Understanding and Guidance for young families as they prepare for the birth of their infant. Call 706-481-7000 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Total Joint Replacement Class is Tuesday, October 15, from 1-3 p.m. at University Hospital. Free. Call 706-774-2760 or visit universityhealth.org. Cribs for Kids, a safe sleep environment seminar for caregivers, is Wednesday, October 16, from 9:45 a.m.-noon at the Safe Kids Office. Families who can demonstrate a financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and pacifier for $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org/safekids. Spine Education Class is Wednesday, October 16, from 1-2:30 p.m. at University Hospital. This class is for those patients preparing for or considering spine surgery. Free. Call 706-774-2760 or visit universityhealth.org. Big Brother/Big Sister is Thursday, October 17, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. A class that offers educational, interactive activities so children will be prepared to welcome the new baby. Call 706651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

Snelling Center provides the venue and Edgar’s Catering creates a customized menu for your occasion. Book early to reserve for your holiday event.

Snelling Center, a conference center that helps the community. 3165 Washington Rd | 706.854.4728 | EdgarsGrille.com

Your Amazing Baby, a baby care class, is Wednesday, October 16, from 6:30-9 p.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center. Preregistration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit grhealth.org/classes. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Surgical options for weight loss available at Georgia Regents Medical Center, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding and body contouring, will be discussed. Call 706721-2609 or visit grhealth.org/weightloss. Yoga Class is offered by the Kroc Center every Saturday at The Augusta Market downtown, 10-11 a.m. Free. Bring your own mat. Call 706364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Yoga I offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken 8:45-9:45 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; Yoga II is offered 8:45-9:45 a.m., Fridays; Evening Yoga is offered 5:30-6:30 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. $41 for 10 tickets. Call 803-642-7631. Tai Chi for Boomers is held at 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Call 706 3940590, email sbeasley@augustameditation.com or visit augustameditation.com/taichi.html.

A CONFERENCE VENUE AT EDGAR’S

28 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

C AT E R I N G

Stress Management Classes are held at the University Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute at 8:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

each Wednesday. Call 706-774-3278 or visit universityhealth.org. Breastfeeding Class meets the third Tuesday of each month from 7-9 p.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center. Led by an international board-certified lactation consultant, this class helps expectant mothers gain knowledge and support to ensure successful breastfeeding. Call 706-721-9351 or visit grhealth.org/classes. Child Safety Seat Inspections are the first Friday of each month at the Safe Kids Office and the second Wednesday of each month at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Substation on Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans. Call 706-721-7606 (first Friday) or 706-5413970 (Columbia County) for an appointment or visit grhealth.org/safekids. Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Aquatics Class meets every Monday and Friday at noon at the Wilson Family Y. Members, free; non-members, $5. Pre-registration required. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Orientation is held every first and third Monday at 6 p.m. and every second and fourth Tuesday at 2 p.m. at University Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute (Classroom 3). The class will explain some of the causes of vascular disease as well as early warning signs. Vascular diagnostic exams as well as advanced metabolic and genetic lab work are offered to develop a personalized plan. Free. Call 706-774-5548 or visit universityhealth.org. Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation covers topics such as coronary artery disease, heart attack and CHF at the University Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute. Program is held each Wednesday at 8:15 and 9:15 a.m., and 1:45 p.m. Call 706-774-3278 or visit universityhealth.org. Adapted Evaluation, a 30-minute initial and annual evaluation including medical history and water assessment, is offered at the Wilson Family Y. $25. Call 706 922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Adapted Special Populations classes offered at the Wilson Family Y. Members $11; non-members $22. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Adapted Wii Special Populations available by appointment at the Wilson Family Y, and feature individual half-hour classes for physically and developmentally challenged individuals of all ages. Members, $10; nonmembers, $20. Call 706-922-9662 or visit thefamilyy.org. Childbirth Tours are offered the second Tuesday of each month from 7:30-8:30 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center, seventh floor west, Labor and Delivery. Free, but pre-registration is required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit grhealth.org/classes. 10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

Support

PFLAG Augusta meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 3501 Walton Way Extension. PFLAG Augusta offers support to parents, family, friends, and allies of LGBT people and LGBT people themselves. Call 803-645-1436. Moms Connection meets Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center, second floor, Terrace Dining Magnolia Room and is a free weekly support group for new mothers. All new moms and their babies are welcome and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant/Educator/Perinatal Nurse will answer questions and offer resources. Free. Call 706721-9351 or visit grhealth.org/classes. Breast Cancer Support Group meets the second Thursday of each month, from 12:30-2 p.m. at the GRU Cancer Center. Call 706-721-4109 or visit gru.edu/classes. Blood Cancer/BMT Support Group meets the third Wednesday of each month from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Georgia Regents University Cancer Center first floor Community Room. Call 706-721-9134 or visit grhealth.org/classes. Trauma Support Group meets noon-1 p.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center, fourth floor west conference room 4069. Call 7067219134 or visit grhealth.org/classes. Overeaters Anonymous meets at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays and at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1:30 p.m., Saturdays. Call 907-854-1509.

Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support Group provides group counseling at University Hospital for those who have experienced sexual assault, incest, rape or childhood sexual abuse. Call 706-724-5200 or visit universityhealth.org. Beyond the Bars is a support group for those with incarcerated loved ones. Call 706855-8636. Alcoholics Anonymous open discussion meeting takes place every Sunday and Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. at Aurora Pavilion in Aiken. Call 806-641-5000 or visit aikenregional.com/ hospital-services/behavioral-health-services. Burn Support Group meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Doctors Hospital’s Lori Rogers Nursing Library, JMS Building. All burn survivors, and their families and friends are welcome. Call Tim Dorn at 706-651-6660 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Families Who Have Lost a Baby Support Group is offered by GRU. Call 706721-8299 or visit gru.edu. Gamblers Anonymous is a support group for those who wish to stop gambling. Call 800 313-0170. Celiac Disease Support Group. Open to anyone who has celiac disease, is gluten intolerant or on a gluten free diet. Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital in Room 120 of the Summerville Professional Building adjacent to the Hospital. Visit trinityofaugusta.com.

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group meets the last Monday of each month from 6 7:30 p.m. at Georgia Regents Medical Center, sixth floor. Call 706-721-5219 or visit grhealth.org/classes.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Sunday and Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ Aurora Pavilion, and includes an open discussion. Call 800-3228322 or visit aikenregional.com.

Lupus Support Group meets at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-3946484 or 706-821-2600, or visit ecgrl.org. Narcotics Anonymous meets Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Visit na.org.

Overeaters Support Group meets locally. Call 706-785-0006 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Parents of Hearing-Impaired Children meets locally. Call 706-481-7396 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Reach for Recovery is presented locally by the American Cancer Society. Call 706-7319900 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Recovery Support Group meets 7:30 p.m. Sundays and Fridays. Call 706-855-2419. Bereavement Grief Support for Adults meets the first Wednesday of each month from noon-1 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ cafeteria dining room A. Registration is required. Call 803-641-5389. Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m.-noon at the Cumberland Village Library in Aiken. Visit aikenregional.com.

Education

Leading in the 21st Century, a conference sponsored by Paine College’s School of Professional Studies, is Thursday, October 10, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Open to the public, the conference will cover topics including ethics, Six Sigma, information technology, entrepreneurship and mergers and acquisitions. Call 706-432-0727, ext. 8727, or visit paine.edu/academics/schools/ profstudies/leadershipconference. Affordable Care Act Information Session and Sign Up is Thursday, October 10, from 9 a.m.-noon at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-755-9422 or visit ecgrl.org. Relocation and Employment Assistance Sessions for 15th Street Residents will be held Thursday, October 10; Tuesday, October 15; Thursday, October 17; Tuesday, October 22; Thursday, October 24; and Tuesday, October 29, at the Shiloh Community Center. Classes will be held from 9 a.m.-noon and job and housing search computer time is from 9 a.m.-noon and 2-5 p.m. Child care available during the sessions. Call 706-738-0089 or email ej.shilohcommunitycenter@gmail.com.

Resumes and Interview Tips is Thursday, October 10, from 11 a.m.-noon at the Maxwell Branch Library. Free. Call 706793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Healthy Living Demo will be presented by the CSRA Vegetarian Society Thursday, October 10, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Free. Call 706-724-6762 or visit ecgrl.org. Adult French Class is Friday, October 11, from 2-3 p.m. at the Aiken Branch Library. Free. Call 803-642-2020 or visit abbe-lib.org. Science Education Enrichment Day (SEED) is Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on the campus of USC-Aiken and will include more than 65 hands-on exhibits and activities; exhibitors such as the U.S. Army, WAGT 26 Meteorology Team, the American Nuclear Society, the South Carolina Aquarium, the Challenger Learning Center and many more; demonstrations of technologies and intriguing science phenomena including robotics, earthquakes, neuroscience, biodiversity and more. Free. Call 803-6413313 or visit rpsec.usca.edu/SEED. Brown Bag History: The Other Tubmans is Saturday, October 12, at noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Women’s Self Defense Training Seminar is Saturday, October 12, from 2-5 p.m. at Superior Academy. Topics will include, situation awareness and avoidance, circle of protection, distance control, verbalizations, striking fast and with decisiveness, vital targets, and ground avoidance/escape procedures. Free. Visit facebook.com/ superioracademy. Educator Appreciation Week is Saturday-Sunday, October 12-20 at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Pre-K-12th grade teachers are invited to use their Educator Discount Card to save 25 percent on both their classroom and personal purchases. Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.

Black & White Copies only $25.00 10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 29

V24|NO41

Tangled Threads Quilters Guild is Sunday, October 13, from 1-4 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. There will be spinning, knitting, weaving, and felting demonstrations. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Grant Writing Workshop for Educators is Tuesday, October 15, at 6 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. Led by Kim Gray. Pre-registration required. Call 706-737-0065 or email crm2359@bn.com. Sierra Club Meeting is Tuesday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3501 Walton Way Ext. Dr. Cathy Tugmon, biology professor at GRU, will present a talk on flora and fauna of the Peruvian Amazon. Free. Email gordonjudith@att.net. Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, will speak on targeting the social determinants of health at Georgia Regents University Thursday, October 17, at noon in room 1204 of the Health Sciences Building on St. Sebastian Way. Dr. Satcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk is part of the College of Allied Health Sciences Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Research Seminar Series. Visit gru.edu. Earn $ for Your School Workshop is Thursday, October 17, at 5 p.m. at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Educators are invited to a workshop geared specifically to fundraising

C A R E E R

opportunities available through Barnes & Noble. Learn more about our B&N Night, Required Reading pre-ordering, My Favorite Teacher Contest, and holiday gift wrapping, all of which help teachers earn much needed dollars for their school. RSVP required. Call 706-737-0012 or email crm@bn.com.

706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Augusta Ghost Trolley, a 90-minute educational tour narrated by a local historian, is available Thursday-Saturdays through November 2 and either 7 or 9 p.m. and leaves from the Book Tavern downtown. $25, adults; $15, children ages 5-12. Pre-registration required. Call 706-814-5333 or visit augustaghosttrolley.com.

Intermediate Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library beginning October 7. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Civil War Roundtable of Augusta meets the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Macaroni Grill. For more information, contact President Gwen Fulcher Young at 706736-2909 or gfy@gwenfulcheryoung.com. Car Seat Class is held the second Thursday of each month from 5:45-8 p.m. at the Safe Kids Office, Building 1010C, 1225 Walton Way. These classes offer car seat safety, education and training. Financial assistance is available to Medicaid and Peach Care eligible families. $10. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org/safekids. ESL (English as a Second Language) Classes are Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Free. Call

E D U C A T I O N

Better futures begin here. MILLER-MOTTE CAN HELP PREPARE YOU FOR A CAREER IN Cosmetology, Electronic Health Records, Management, Medical Assisting, Massage Therapy, Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Laboratory Technician

University Toastmasters Club meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 6-7 p.m. at University Hospital, Education Wing, third floor, room 3. Visit 9083. toastmastersclubs.org.

Beginnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library beginning October 7. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Free Tutoring for all ages, offered by GRUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Literacy Center, is available by appointment Monday-Thursday, from 4-8 p.m., at the center at 1401 Magnolia Drive. Appointments required. Call 706-737-1625 or visit gru.edu. GED Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Fort Gordon Toastmasters meets 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday in the Organizational Conference Room (Fish Bowl) on Fort Gordon Army base. Open to the public. Visit fortgordon.toastmastersclubs.org. Adult Hebrew Class is taught at Congregation Children of Israel at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday. Email office@cciaugusta.org or visit cciaugusta.org. Computer classes are offered every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Guided tours of 1797 Ezekiel Harris House offered by appointment only TuesdayFriday, and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org. Historic Trolley Tour of Augusta aboard the Lady Libby boards at the Augusta Museum of History at 1:30 p.m., Saturdays.

See historic sites and hear spooky legends, including of the famous Haunted Pillar. $15 tickets, including admission to the museum, can be bought at the Augusta Visitor Center inside the museum. Reservations required 24 hours in advance. Call 706-724-4067 or visit augustaga.org. Tours of the Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson are held regularly. Adults $5; seniors $4; kids K-12 $3; under 5 years free. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. Call 706-722-9828.

Sports-Outdoors

40th Anniversary Celebration of the Augusta Rugby Football Club is FridaySaturday, October 11-12, with Maddogs past, present and future attending this event, at which the public is welcome. The festivities begin Friday night at Metro Coffeehouse & Pub on Broad Street at 8 p.m. with a meet and greet. They continue Saturday with alumni games, raffles, door prizes and presentations at the Larry Bray Memorial Pitch before heading back to Metro for an after-party. Visit augustarugby.org. Jessye Norman School for the Arts River Run for the Arts, a 5K run/walk, is Saturday, October 12, at 8 a.m., beginning at the school at 729 Greene St. $25 for adults; $15 for students. Call 706-814-0665 or visit jessyenormanschool.org. Rotary Hardy Century Bike Ride is Sunday, October 13, at 8:30 a.m. beginning and ending at Harlem High School. 50 and 100K options available and registration includes rest stops with food and energy drinks, an after-ride lunch by Sagg Wagons and a T-shirt. $30. Call 706-833-8291 or visit active.com or rotaryccw.org. The Augusta Fencers Club now in an expanded facility on 5th and Greene streets, has classes for those ages 6 and up. In the fall, classes are Wednesdays at 4 p.m. for ages 6-9, Wednesdays at 5 p.m. for ages 10-13, and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. for those ages 14 and up. $150 for the 10-week course; all equipment provided. Call 706-722-8878 or email rvolk1@comcast.net.

C A L L T O D AY F O R M ORE I NFORM ATI ON

866-425-0032 Miller-Motte.edu

Changing Futures. Changing Lives.ÂŽ Authorized by the Nonpublic Postsecondary Educational Act of 1990. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed this program, and other important information, please visit our 5&#1*2& "2 %*1$+.130& ,*++&0 ,.22& &%3 8 ! 8 8 9

62 1 NW FR O NTA GE R OA D | A U GU S T A , G A 30907 30 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Â INDEPENDENT Â VOICE Â SINCE Â 1989

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

Augusta Cave Masters meets the first Wednesday of each month at Firestation #15, 1414 Flowing Wells Rd. This group is a local grotto of the National Speleological Society. Call 706-726-7426 or email kfausnight@gmail.com.

Katie Baden

JUST WEEKS BEFORE HER BIRTHDAY, former Carolina Gamecocks cheerleader Katie Baden learned that she had T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She’s been in the hospital ever since, having daily chemo treatments. To help brighten Katie’s 25th birthday on October 14, the Gold’s Gym locations at Walton Way and Bobby Jones are raising money to help fund her fight against cancer. Throughout the month, Gold’s Gym members can make contributions to donation boxes at each location’s front desk. And next week, October 14-19, those attending the new launches of Les Mills classes — and you don’t have to be a member to attend — can donate $1 to Katie’s cause, Cancer Can’t Do Backflips, But Katie Can! The following week, silent auctions featuring prizes from local businesses will be held at the Gold’s Gym website. For more information on Katie, visit caringbridge.org/visit/katiebaden/journal. For more information on next week’s launches and the silent auctions, visit goldsgym.com.

Triple 8 Group Run meets at 8th and Reynolds, 8 a.m., every Saturday through October 26. Choose your distance: 3, 6 or 8 miles. Open to everyone. Visit theaugustamarket.com. Adult swim lessons are offered at the Family Y of Downtown Augusta for ages 13 and up. Days and times vary by branch. Members $55 per month; non-members $85 per month. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Olympic-style Tae Kwon Do, taught by Master Michael L. Weintraub, is each Tuesday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.com. Tae Kwon Do is offered at the Wilson Family Y, Family Y of Augusta South and Family Y of North Augusta. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Kickball League registration is available for a new adult co-ed league at Riverview Park. Call 941-716-3163 or visit augustakickball.com. Wheelchair Tennis Clinic, presented by the Walton Foundation for Independence, meets each Monday at 6 p.m. (weather permitting) at The Club at Rae’s Creek. Free and open to the public. Call 706-826-5809 or email alsalley@wrh.org. Weekly Group Runs include the Monday Metro Run meeting at Metro Coffeehouse at 6 p.m.; Monday Intervals meeting at the Family Y track on Wheeler Road at 7 p.m.; the Tuesday Nacho Mama’s Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Blanchard Woods Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday Stay in Shape Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Post Office Hill Training Run at 7 p.m.; Thursday’s Homer Hustle at 6 p.m.; and Saturday’s Stay in Shape Run at 8 a.m. Visit augustastriders.com. The Augusta Furies Women’s Rugby Football Club practices 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Julian Smith Casino for players 18 and up. Email augusta.furies@

10OCTOBER2013

gmail.com or visit augustafuries.org.

chainreactionbicycles.net.

The Augusta Rugby Club holds weekly practice sessions at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Larry Bray Memorial Pitch in Augusta. Experienced players and newbies ages 18 and up are welcome. Bring a pair of cleats or cross trainers, a mouthguard, gym shorts and a T-shirt. Visit augustarugby. org or Facebook under the Augusta Rugby Club heading.

Riverview Disc Golf League meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta. Entry fee, $5; ace pool, $1. Call 803215-8181 or visit augustadiscgolf.com.

Tai Chi Meditation Class is Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. at The Balance Body Spa, 2916 Professional Pkwy. Call 706-736-3377 or visit thebalancedbodyspa.com. Hott Shott Disc Golf is held each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Killer B Disc Golf in downtown Augusta, and features games and prizes for all ages and skill levels. $2. Call 706-814-7514 or visit killerbdiscgolf.blogspot. com/p/hott-shott. Thursday Night Chain Reaction Ride begins at 6 p.m. each Thursday at Patriots Park in Grovetown. For intermediate to fastpaced cyclists, who average 25-32 miles. Participants should bring their own water and helmet. Call 706-855-2024 or visit

Road Bike Ride meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse downtown for an approximately 25-mile ride at a moderate to fast pace. Front and rear lights, as well as a helmet, are required. Call 706724-6777 or visit andyjordans.com. Adapted Aquatics for Special Populations offered at the Wilson Family Y by appointment. Members, $11 per session; non-members, $22 per session. Discount for additional siblings. Call 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. BlazeSports Swim Team, for all ages of physically challenged swimmers who want to train for competition, meets at the Wilson Family Y. Members, $35 a month; non-members, $50 a month. Pre-registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org.

Kids-Teens

LEGO Club is Thursday, October 10, from 4-5 p.m. at the Aiken Branch Library. For children in grades K-5 only. The LEGOs are supplied. Free. Call 803-642-7585 or visit abbe-lib.org. Young Makers is Thursday, October 10, from 6-7:30 p.m. at TheClubhou.se, 816 Broad St. Come for “Deconstruction Derby”, where we take apart technology to see what’s inside. Bring your screwdrivers; we provide the hardware to take apart. For kids ages 10 to 17. Call 706-3990247 or visit theclubhou.se/events. Night Hike and Marshmallow Roast is Friday, October 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Mistletoe State Park. Come for an old-fashioned marshmallow roast around the campfire, followed by a walk through the dark, night woods. Wear comfortable walking shoes. $5 for parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe. Family Fall Fest is Saturday, October 12, at Mistletoe State Park. Welcome fall with apple bobbing, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, face painting, children’s games, marshmallow roasting, a snake program, storytelling, hayrides, cake walks and bingo. Chick-fil-A will

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 31

V24|NO41

The Maize at Steed’s Dairy is open until Saturday, November 17. Saturday hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday hours are 1-7 p.m. Activities at Steed’s Dairy include a petting zoo, jumping pillow, giant tube slide, rubber duckie races, a preschool play area, a corn kernel pit, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, cow-milking demonstrations and more. $10 per person; $8 for seniors, military and groups; free for ages 2 and under. Visit steedsdairy.com. Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board needs members. Looking for high school students to spend one evening a month learning about historic preservation, grants and philanthropy. Call 706-595-7777, email mzupan@hickory-hill.org or visit hickory-hill.org. DuPont Planetarium shows for Saturdays in October are “Larry Cat in Space” at 7 and “To the Moon and Beyond” at 8 p.m. Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. General admission $4.50; seniors $3.50; 4K-12 $2.50; valid college or military I.D. gets you a 50-percent discount; USCA faculty, staff and students $1. Kids under 4 not permitted in public viewings. Reservations encouraged. Call 803-641-3654.

'OLSSVQLZZPL 1LZZPJH =LUHISL .VUaHSLa

be the food vender. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe. Pond Exploration is Saturday, October 12, from 10-11 a.m. at Reed Creek Park. With dip nets in hand, children will explore and learn about what animals live in the pond. Be prepared to get a little wet and muddy. For ages 5 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required. Free for members, non-members are $2. Call 706210-4027 or visit reedcreekpark.com. “Kid Safe” Workshop is Saturday, October 12, from 10-11 a.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Presented by Premier Martial Arts of North Augusta. For ages 5-12. Parent must sign permission form for children to participate. Free. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Spooktacular Halloween Ideas is Saturday, October 12, from 2-4 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Food and crafts for a family-friendly Halloween celebration. Free. Call 706-724-6762 or visit ecgrl.org. “Epic” will be shown Saturday, October 12, at 3 p.m. at the Aiken Branch Library. Free. Call 803-642-7585 or visit abbe-lib.org. Artrageous! Family Sunday: Mr. Bob’s Spooky Stories is Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Storyteller Mr. Bob presents an afternoon of ghost stories and songs

32 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

for kids of all ages. Afterwards, participants will make a springy spider project and painting. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Jr. Rangers is Monday, October 14, from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mistletoe State Park. This Jr. Ranger program will focus around fall activities. Children will go on a nature hike, collect leaves to make a leaf collection, create a scarecrow, complete a scavenger hunt and participate in fall festival games. Register in advance. $20. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe. Teen Read Week Scavenger Hunt is Monday, October 14, from 4-5 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Use clues to navigate your way around the library for a chance for prizes. Home-school groups welcome. Grades 6-12 only. Free. Call 706736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. School’s Out Movie Matinee is Wednesday, October 16, from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Snacks are welcome in the meeting room theater only. Free. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. School’s Out Movie Matinee is Thursday, October 17, from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Snacks are welcome in the meeting room theater only. Free. Call 706736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Tae Kwon Do is offered for all skill levels age 5 and up at the Family Y of Aiken County, North Augusta, Augusta South and the Wilson Family Y. Registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Wacky Wednesday Storytime is Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Children are invited to join in the fun at this weekly storytime event. 706-737-0065. Ceramics Class, for ages 14 and up, meets Mondays at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m., Tuesdays at 6 p.m., and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. in the Weeks Ceramics Center. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Creative Arts offered at the Family Y of North Augusta for ages 5-12 years. Members, $35 per month; non-members, $55 per month. Visit thefamilyy.org. Toddler Time, playtime for children ages 5 and under, is each Monday and Wednesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken. $2 per visit; $16 per 10-visit pass. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Little Friends Gym, a parent and child class for those ages 6 months-4 years, is held each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. Story Time is held at the Columbia County Library at 10:15 and 11 a.m. Tuesdays, for kids under 2 years old; at 10:15 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for 2-year-olds; at 11 a.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for preschoolers; and at 4 p.m. Wednesdays for all ages. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.

Loud Crowd, a supervised after-school program for those ages 4-12, is Monday Friday from 3-6 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. Homeschool PE Time, for elementary school aged kids, meets Monday-Friday, from 9-11 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Members free. Call 706-364-5762 for non member prices. Visit krocaugusta.org. Young Children’s Story Time is Tuesdays from 9:15-9:45 a.m.at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Songs, finger plays, and story readings best for children ages 2 and younger. Registration required for groups of 6 or more. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Preschool Story Time is Tuesdays from 10-10:40 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Come for stories, songs, games, short movies and crafts. Registration required for groups of 6 or more. Best for ages 2-5. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Preschool Story Time is every Tuesday at Headquarters Branch Library at 10 a.m. Toddler Story Time is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Group registration required. Call 706821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Preschool Story Time is held every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Friedman Branch Library. Groups of six or more must preregister. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is held every Wednesday from 10-11:15 a.m. at Wallace Branch Library. Preregistration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is held each Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Preregistration required for groups. Call 706793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Wacky Wednesday Story Time is each Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the children’s department of Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com. Story Time is held each Wednesday at the Appleby Branch Library from 10:05 10:20 a.m. for toddlers age 18-35 months, and from 10:30-11:15 a.m. for preschool kids age 3 and up. An adult must remain with the child. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Story Time is every Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. for pre-K, and either 11 or 11:30 a.m. for preschoolers at Aiken County Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. Story Time is every Wednesday from 10:30-11 a.m. for toddlers and 11:15-11:45 a.m. for preschoolers at North Augusta Branch Library. Call 803-279-5767 or abbelib.org. 10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

Story Time at the Euchee Creek Branch Library, for all ages, is held each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and each Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. Homeschool Playgroup meets each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Creighton Park in North Augusta. Call 803-613-0484. Mudpuppies, an arts and crafts program for ages 2-5, is held each Thursday at 10:45 a.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov. The Augusta Arsenal Soccer Club Junior Academy, for boys and girls ages 5-8, meets each Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Augusta Soccer Park. Call 706-854-0149 or visit augustasoccer.com. Fairy Tale Ballet is held at the Family Y of Aiken County. Offered once a week for one month for a total of four classes. Members, $25 a month; non-members, $35 a month. Visit thefamilyy.org. Boy and Girl Scout troops are hosted by Augusta Jewish Community Center. For Boy Scouts, visit troop119bsa.com or email geoffstew@gmail.com. For Girl Scouts, email sbehrend@bellsouth.net. For Daisy/Brownie Troop, email bdmrev@yahoo.com. Creek Freaks, a Georgia Adopt-a-Stream team of middle- and high-school students, meets regularly at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park to monitor the health of Butler Creek. Call 706796-7707 or visit naturalscienceacademy.org.

Seniors

Medicare and You Seminar is Thursday, October 10, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Kroc Center. A free service to seniors, it helps beneficiaries identify and understand Medicare programs and plans including Medicare Supplements Insurance, prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage Plans, longterm insurance and other private and public health insurance options. Call 706-364-KROC or visit krocaugusta.org.

Hobbies

Fall Gourd Craft is Sunday, October 13, at 11 a.m. at Mistletoe State Park. Paint gourds and turn them into decorations for the season. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/ mistletoe. Adult Pinterest Pumpkin Party is Thursday, October 17, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Aiken Branch Library. Bring a pumpkin (real or fake) to decorate the Pinterest way. Participants are also encouraged to bring their favorite fall treat with recipe to share with the group. Adults only. Free. Call 803-642-7585 or visit abbe-lib.org. Riverwalk Toastmasters Public Speaking and Leadership Club meetings are Mondays at 7 p.m.at the University Hospital Education Wing, third floor room 3. Call 706-855-1081 or visit 7106. toastmasterclub.org.

Bingo at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 1999 Scott Road, is at 1:30 p.m. on Sundays, and at 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Call 706-790-8040. The Garden City Chorus, the area’s leading men’s singing group and a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, is seeking new members. Those interested are welcome to attend Tuesday night rehearsals, held at 7 p.m. at North Augusta Church of Christ on W. Martintown Road. Visit gardencitychorus.org. Bingo is held every Saturday at 1 p.m. at American Legion Post 205 on Highland Avenue. Call 706-495-3219.

Spiritual

Celtic Services are Sundays at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church in downtown Augusta. This service is inclusive and welcoming of all people. The Celtic Communion is a candlelight service using sacred music to provide a meditative worship experience. Call 706-7242485 or visit saintpauls.org.

Volunteer

Hospice Volunteer Training Program is Wednesday, October 16, from 9 a.m.-noon at CareSouth Hospice, 231 Fury’s Ferry Road. Free and open to the public, but preregistration required. Call 706-550-9966.

Elsewhere

Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage shows October 4-January 5 at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, S.C. Call 803-799-2810 or visit columbiamuseum.org. If you would like to see your organization’s events listed in our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com. The deadline for each Thursday’s issue is the previous Friday at noon.

Sunday activities at the Kroc Center include an adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m., youth Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., and a worship service at 11 a.m. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.

make a real connection

Fun-Time Fridays, for ages 2-5, is held each Friday at 10:45-11:30 a.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Call 706-860-2833 or visit augustaga.gov.

Call Livelinks. The hottest place to meet the coolest people.

Gesher, a teen program for post b’nai mitzvah youngsters (7th-12th grade), meets every other Sunday at Adas Yeshurun Synagogue. Call 706-733-9491. Try it Free!

706.434.0108 MARKETPLACE KRIS FISHER '- (YHQW +RVW 2YHU \HDUV RI '-LQJ UDGLR H[SHULHQFH 5HIHUHQFHV DYDLODEOH

:HGGLQJV %LUWKGD\V 3DUWLHV $QQLYHUVDULHV (WF

$Q\ *HQUH RI 0XVLF 706.399.4209 | kfish@rocketmail.com

DJKFISH.COM ALL CLASSIFIED ADS ARE

10OCTOBER2013

Local Numbers: 1.800.926.6000 Ahora en Español 18+ www.livelinks.com

Send resume as to the position of Hospitalist to University Health Care 135C Walton Way Augusta, GA 30901 Attention: Becky Echols

$40 PER WEEK. EMAIL JOE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM OR CALL (706)373-3636 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 33

V24|NO41

THE EIGHT

BOX TOPS So is anyone surprised “Gravity” is at No. 1 this week? Didn’t think so. RANK

TITLES

WEEKEND GROSS

TOTAL GROSS

WEEK #

LAST WEEK

GRAVITY

$55,785,112

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE... 2

$20,950,192

$60,006,912

RUNNER RUNNER

$7,706,712

PRISONERS

$5,748,464

$47,928,432

RUSH

$4,477,525

$18,163,844

“GRAVITY”

NO SMALL WONDER OF ALMOST CINEMATIC PERFECTION

SAM EIFLING

“Gravity,” the worst NASA recruiting video ever conceived, transports the old-‐ fashioned shipwreck tale to low orbit around Earth. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are astronauts and float about as they run a bit of Hubble telescope tech support. Then, disaster strikes, and all they want is to get home, somehow. It is a story concept that dates back at least to Homeric epics, even if “Gravity” owes more to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” It is as wondrous as either. Emotionally wrenching and visually exultant, “Gravity” borders on a masterwork. Let these words be spake not lightly: This is the rare film actually worth the exorbitant splurge of an IMAX 3D ticket. The visuals, for starters, are miraculous. Rarely in cinematic history has so convincing a lie been committed to the screen. You know, logically, that this movie was not shot in outer space, because movie budgets do not yet run into the hundreds of billions of dollars, and who could cater that set, anyway. And yet! How else to explain the weightlessness? For “Gravity,” director/producer Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men,” “Y Tu Mamá También”) opted not for the “Apollo 13” technique of yo-‐yoing his crew up and down in a freefalling Boeing. Instead he invented and appropriated, over the past five years, a system of harnesses and lights and computers and cameras and sets that could scarcely be more convincing. Even as Google Earth has dulled the awe of overhead planetary shots, the panoramas of islands and isthmuses and storms and cities and aurora borealis from space are nothing shy of mind-‐bending. The combination of physics and optics makes “Gravity” an instant technical touchstone, a waking dream. To a spellbound brain, dangers seem more real and, as dangers seem real, so too do characters’ fears. Cuarón wrote the script, along with his son, Jonás, to be as austere as Hollywood conventions would permit. Bullock is an introverted Midwestern doctor with six months’ astronaut training, only remotely prepared for a mission gone wonky. Clooney’s the veteran hand, hopeful that he might break a spacewalking record, calm and direct in the face of chaos. (In that helmet he also looks eerily like Buzz Lightyear.) 34 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

The rest of the seven-‐person cast is heard but never really seen. To block shots that look this Pixar-‐perfect, Cuarón and director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki, a master of the unbroken take, required exceptionally rigid choreography. You can hear the rehearsal, alas. At times, it sounds stiff, in the way that video game dialogue might, or any time you drop human faces and voices into what is, essentially, an animated movie. The rest of the production more than compensates. Steven Price’s spare, tense score crescendos during moments of high disaster, screwing tight the tension as Cuarón lets the vacuum of space swallow any sounds that aren’t transmitted through a glove or a suit. After the punctuations of chaos, silence and emptiness move into the screen and let the tiny humans fill the remainder. Clooney’s fine here, and he serves his purpose capably, but the show belongs to Bullock, who reveals that her life on Earth makes space feel almost cuddly by comparison. As she grapples with new despairs and old, she becomes our Odysseus, the brave and clever home-‐seeker, leaving a ruin of ships behind her. As she descends into her heart’s darker corners, running out of air and heat in a yawning void, your space epic finds its meaning: a single human life weighted against the oceanic heavens, a speck in a hurricane. With its utterly convincing simulation of space, “Gravity” leverages beauty to convey beauty, collapsing the immensity of the planet and the universe into that windblown speck. Somehow it achieves the sort of visceral astonishment that drew humans to space in the first place. It is, in sum, no small wonder.

10OCTOBER2013

V24|NO41

IN THEATERS OCTOBER 11

That’s what you used to say about comic strips. You can do more than just say it. Because now there’s

It’s the world’s first crowdsourced comic strip. A single-panel featured created by open submission Read it here next week.

Submit your own idea today! www.sketchcrowd.com

French Market Grille West DRAMA “Captain Phillips,” rated PG-‐13, starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener. Tom Hanks is at his best in vanity free acting projects such as “Cast Away” and “Catch Me If You Can,” so playing Richard Phillips, the captain of the first American cargo ship to be captured by pirates in 200 years, should be right in his wheelhouse. Based on the true story of the 2009 event, this movie should net Hanks all the acting award trophies come winter.

ACTION “Machete Kills,” rated R, starring Danny Trejo, Alexa Vega, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara, Michelle Rodriguez, Lady Gaga, Charlie Sheen, Antonio Banderas. Demian Bichir, Cuba Gooding Jr. A follow-‐up to 2010’s “Machete” (which, itself, was based on a fake trailer in 2007’s “Grindhouse”), director Robert Rodriguez’s latest should be peppered with fast-‐paced action and blood… lots and lots of blood. Oh, and Charlie Sheen plays the president of the United States, so that alone should be good for a laugh.

375 Fury’s Ferry Rd. next to Earth Fare · 706.855.5111 10OCTOBER2013

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 35

SIGHTINGS Michael Johnson |

TLQWOV[V WOV[VYLĂ&#x2026;LJ[ JVT

Chelsea Logue, Anne Patrick and Thomas Gordon at â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Passion of Joan of Arcâ&#x20AC;? at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.

Molly Bradberry, Sonic Youthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kim Gordon and Helen Bradberry at â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Passion of Joan of Arcâ&#x20AC;? at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.

Christie Maund, Laurie Easterline, Franklin Kennedy and Atti Knox at the Klacsmann Gallery at the Old Academy of Richmond County.

Paul Nagle, Matthew Kwatinetz and Shelley Nweke at the reception at the Klacsmann Gallery at the Old Academy of Richmond County.

Artist Kath Girdler Engler, artist Baker Overstreet and Lou Boone at the reception at the Klacsmann Gallery at the Old Academy of Richmond County.

Izaak and Lydia Pacheco, Westobou Executive Director Molly McDowell and Raoul Pacheco at the Johnnyswim concert at the Old Academy of Richmond Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parade grounds.

Katie Blackston, Erin Jacobs and Kelly Cashin at the Johnnyswim concert at the Old Academy of Richmond Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parade grounds.

Abner Ramirez, Chairman Shell Berry, Reab Berry and Amanda Sudano at the Johnnyswim concert at the Old Academy of Richmond Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parade grounds.

Patti Goodwin, Debbie Kleinbub, Clair Boulus and Mary Margaret Kilpatrick at the Johnnyswim concert at the Old Academy of Richmond Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parade grounds.

Where Class & Edge Meet!

3PRL <Z VU -HJLIVVR )YVHK :[YLL[ c :HSVU+\V(\N\Z[H JVT c

THUMBS UP

What a great few weeks: Arts in the Heart, Ironman 70.3 Augusta and Westobou may be gone, but we still have the Greek and Hispanic festivals to look forward to this weekend.

WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM

Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit.com. If you do so by noon on Friday, you might just see it in the next Thursday’s issue. Oh, and whines may be edited for content but will pretty much be printed exactly as you type them.

DOWN

>L ÄUHSS` NV[ [OL (* Ä_LK PU [OL 4L[YV :WPYP[ VMÄJLZ Q\Z[ PU [PTL MVY MHSS >L»SS Z[HY[ cranking the heat up in April.

THE WHINE LINE Since when did this ‘#’ become a hash tag? It is a symbol for ‘number.’ Tard’s Evolutionary “THEORY”...you must have faith to believe in a “THEORY,” that has yet to be 100% proven. Sounds like another religion to me. >OH[ Z\WLY Z[VYL PZ UV[ ZH[PZÄLK ^P[O ^PWPUN V\[ [OL TVT HUK WVW ZOVWZ I` [\JRPUN itself in every corner? Cause now it’s setting itself up against the local supermarket chains! Soon we will only have one of those to choose from...can we say Walnopoly? What’s with this Country? I’ve often heard the “Patriotic Statement; Freedom Isn’t Free”! This is So True! So! How about Charging all of these Countries we’ve been Liberating since 9/11? I mean Iraq’s Oil Wealth Alone Should Pay Off Our National Debt! Heck! We could even give Our Troops some “Well -Deserved Bonuses/Pay Increases”! Let’s Not Forget: “Land of the Free! Home of the Brave”!

The Elitist class in Washington DC is so far out of touch that it’s amazing. Special privileges, extra budget to “reach out to their constituents” and they cannot get paid..... Wished I could do this and always get paid... Do they even understand the basic economic theory ? Their continued meddling in the economy damages us and our ability to compete in the world.... This country wouldn’t be in such a bind if we didn’t have to house and feed all of your “born out of wedlock” kids. Get a job and learn how to stand on your own two feet! Unfortunately the children in DC have forgotten how to get along. It is a shame that the American Public can’t punish them as any parent with misbehaving children would, immediately!! I am totally disgusted with the entire lot. The “average American” could do better than this.... Austin has his lip pooched out. Bass Pro Shops disses Cola county and he isn’t here to break the story because he is across the pond watching the Steelers get beat again.

the fountains downtown are a beautiful pink. Augusta needs color. It’s just brick, grey, black and dull.

This just in - Bill O’Reilly said God told him to write his latest book, “Killing Jesus: A History.” WOW! And millions of people (“stooges”) listen to a guy that hears voices in his head. YIKES!

So, Dr. Ben Carson spoke at the Augusta Care Pregnancy Center on Tuesday, October 8th. FOX’s Sean “I will do anything in my power to berate President Obama” Hannity has Dr. Ben all but elected to the White House in 2016. Unfortunately, Dr. Carson believes evolution is false and the Earth is 6,000 years old. It’s amazing to me how somebody so smart can be so stupid.

Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, just offered to use the RNC’s money to pay to re-open the National World War II Memorial for the next 30 days. Let him! We should also make him and the other Republicans pay for anything else that they plan to keep shut down for 30 days in their desparation to get their childish ways!

Why does the atheist whiner(s) feel a need to belittle and poke fun at religious folks? They don’t simply project a view or voice an opinion, but seem to have a smirking desire to maliciously criticize from every possible angle. And without provocation. Even going so far as name calling. I guess that’s the product of a Godless life.

I’m glad Alvin Mason is questioning the whys, hows, wheres, whens, and whats of the $2.5 million request for something that should already be paid for by the promised private/ public monies. Maybe he can be a good mayor after all.

An Augusta business, that’s known for being a place of violence and a killing, has been cited 14 times for selling alcohol after hours. 14 times! Deliberately disregarding the law, again and again and again... And our commissioners decided to put them on probation. What kind of punishment is that? Why weren’t they put on probation after the first or second offence?

The toughest man in Augusta was shocked yesterday to learn that insurance companies can raise premiums on its insured based on previous history and claims. Then that steal trap mind swung into action and he suggested that there should be a law against such an outrage. There is. It is the Affordable Care Act.