TOWNSHIP AUDITORIUM
TRUSTUS THEATRE
JILL SCOTT AUGUST 27
ANATOMY OF A HUG AUGUST 19 – 27
CORNER OF MAIN AND HAMPTON
SHAGGIN’ ON MAIN SEPTEMBER 10 SC PRIDE FESTIVAL
COLONIAL LIFE ARENA
JORDIN SPARKS SEPTEMBER 3
MAROON 5 SEPTEMBER 10
1500 BLOCK OF MAIN STREET
COLONIAL LIFE ARENA
SODA CITY MARKET SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SEPTEMBER 24
Table of Contents August 4, 2016
Whine Line Jenny is Wright Ruffin It Kris Fisher Augusta Tek
4 6 7 8 9
Insider 10 News 14 Feature 16
BEHIND THE BRICK WALL16 EDIT
CREATIVE
Amy Christian
Joshua Bailey
Joe White
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joshua@themetrospirit.com
joe@themetrospirit.com 706-373-3636
Stacey Eidson
COVER DESIGN: KRUHU
Arts Editor/Production Director
Lead Designer
Staff Writer
stacey@themetrospirit.com
Molly Swift Staff Writer
molly@themetrospirit.com
Contributors Jenny Wright, Greg Baker, Austin Rhodes, Josh Ruffin, Kris Fisher, Michael Johnson
SALES Jim Christian Account Executive
jim@themetrospirit.com 706-414-4059
Paige Wilhelm Account Executive
paige@themetrospirit.com 706-833-1904
Cuisine Scene What’s Up Calendar Nightlife Sightings NYT Crossword The Eight Austin Rhodes
22 24 26 30 32 34 36 38
BUSINESS Publisher
Johnny Beckworth circulation manager
johnny@themetrospirit.com
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.Š 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. One copy per person, please.
Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 joe@themetrospirit.com
6 7 8 9
OPINION
The Whine Line
Like the Khans, ours is a Gold Star Family. We watched their brave testimonials over the course of the last few days and are in awe of their grace & dignity. We are also dismayed by the lack of respect toward them by the Republican presidential candidate. Working, building things etc. is not the same as the sacrifice of losing a child, spouse, parent or sibling. It is painful, one that you do not ever fully recover from. It changes your perception of the world. Please join us in honoring Capt. Khan’s sacrifice by donating to the USO, your church or school in his memory.
The Augusta Commission holds so many “closed-door” sessions it makes me wonder if ANY of the public’s business is discussed in the light of day. Please, please, please, replace the ragged and decrepit American flag the is posted on the Riverwalk levee just past the Marriott. Either replace it or take it down completely. It is a disgrace to all who have defended it. Someone needs to tell trump that “twittering” is not the same as governing. The consolidation of television stations in Augusta is more proof of the failing of Augusta. Now we have the same newscast and same shows on these stations .. this town is a failure with a slow death.
Jenny is Wright Ruffin It Kris Fisher Augusta Tek
After reading the article about the Department of Labor doing an audit on all City of Augusta employees with respect to wage & hour issues.... is any one surprised? The Mayor needs to focus on City Basics 101. According to Republicans, several dead Americans in Benghazi is a national scandal and “treason”. However 200+ Marines murdered in their sleep is just a speed bump on the way to King Ronnie Reagen’s coronation. Hey, lady in the black car who was trying to crawl up my tailpipe and lay eggs ... this is for you! Remember me? I was the one in the gold Ford Ranger who brake checked your ass into a whole new level of rage on the ramp to Bobby Jones from Mike Padgett. You shoulda seen your face. Priceless. I so hoped you would have tapped my rear end. You would have had to sell your kids to pay me off. Its a wrap! Hillary is the next president, most likely for 8 years!
I am disgusted with the voter turn out for the July judgeship runoff. The people of the Richmond county should be ashamed, especially the voters in west Augusta. Just so we can get last week’s “flag burning” whiner straightened out, flag burning IS protected freedom of speech [United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990)]...and...[Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397(1989)], and so is your right NOT to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance at a public school [(West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette 319 U.S. 624(1943)], and so is writing/drawing on paper currency - [18 U.S.C. Section 333] - with certain restrictions. Isn’t America great? Chill out everybody, chill out! Most people that sell their souls do it for a bag of silver. Austin Rhodes freely gave his to satisfy his ego. “I built a business and I didn’t do it with a million dollar check from my father.” “Truth be told, the richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy.” “I’m a New Yorker and I know a con when I see one.” “Let’s elect a sane, competent person.” Michael Bloomberg’s knockout punch at DNC Looks like congratulations are in order for “Illiterate Lee” Anderson, Columbia County’s best and brightest. The jokes have already started in Atlanta. Prepare yourselves for embarrassment again.
Remove Atlanta, and Georgia is basically Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, and South Carolina with worse beaches than Bama or SC. If carrying guns makes us safer, how come so many police are being shot? Just askin It’s really sad when someone has to write a diatribe or basically a racist rant/manifesto and list it under a ‘comment.’ That person’s attack on ‘dumbocrats,’ or whatever the silly thing he said was so asinine and childish. The bottom line is, whether you or Democrat, Republican, Black, White, Red or Yellow, you are for Hillary (which I am), or Trump (which you obviously are), liken the country to a ship, if it sinks, we all go down. You won’t be thrown a life boat cause you’re a ‘good ole boy,’ or a minority, we will all sink. The future will be lost for everyone. And this is the take away, stay the way you are and never change, die in your hate, pass it on to your kids and let them die in their hate, you will all be together one day because like hate, hell is eternal. No do over’s. Keep preaching preacher.
Yes it is way past time Churches start paying taxes.
WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM 4 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit.com. The Metro Spirit reserves the right to edit submitted whines for content, but we will otherwise print them pretty much exactly as you type them… spelling errors and all.
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15 in 5 BECAUSE I LOVE A LIST. ESPECIALLY A RANDOM LIST. 1. If we survive this election season without killing each other, it’ll be a miracle. I should rephrase that. If y’all survive this election season without killing each other, it’ll be a miracle. As a general and well-followed rule, I don’t discuss politics. Period. 2. A wise friend once said, “No one ever convinced me of anything by calling me an idiot,” or something like that. She’s right. If you want people to listen, insulting them probably isn’t the best tactic. 3. Can’t we all just get along? 4. We rearranged furniture in the house again. If you want new furniture, try rearranging instead. It’ll feel like you have new furniture. 5. By “we” I mean “I.” I had a little help, of course, but y’all would be impressed by the strength I suddenly have when I want to move a couch. Now, I need someone to come clean up the rest of the mess. Any takers? 6. The Boy has had braces for two months. I’m impressed by how quickly teeth move when wired together. It’s a good thing I’m impressed, because the price tag is impressive. 7. For anyone whose school district still goes back after Labor Day, yes, you are lucky in some ways. We get out around my birthday, which is May 22, so it makes sense to go back now. Our summer isn’t any shorter. People seem to be very upset by how early our kids are back in school. Maybe I’m bothered that yours are still in school at the end of June? I’m not, but it sounded good. 8. I’ve lost my motivation to cook. A busy weeknight schedule last school year killed us. We ate out or cooked quick quesadillas and sandwiches. I don’t think you care all that much, but if I talk about it, I might change it. 9. That philosophy didn’t work with gardening. Or running. 10. I would like to grown my own tomatoes. “It isn’t that hard,” they say. They aren’t me. I bought a plant with tomatoes already on it last year, and one got picked. I do care. I want to be better. I just forget. 11. Are you one who drives around until you find the perfect parking space? Do you park in whatever space you get to first? I park far away or next to a curb, so no one will dent my car. I’m not a car person. I don’t obsessively polish and shine my car. I’d simply rather not have a dented car, and people dent cars and act like they didn’t. 12. I recently discovered a little dent on the passenger side of the door. As someone who has accidentally opened my door into another car, I know it takes force to make a dent. Even if they offered, I wouldn’t expect someone to pay for it. It wasn’t likely done on purpose. I do hope they feel a little guilty about dinging the door on the white Highlander with a DiChicko’s/VOCE sticker on the rear window and walking away. 13. School started. Fifth and seventh grade this year. Both of mine were excited to start the school year, which makes me pretty dang happy. She’s in her last year at our favorite little school, and he’s no longer the new kid at his big fancy school. 14. If you’ve got an extra box of tissues or an unusually large amount of copy paper, send it to school with your kid. Their teacher will love you for it. If you can’t afford extra, don’t feel guilt or pressure to send it. If you can spend time in the class, go do it. If your time is limited, you can still support your child’s teacher. Ask him or her how you can help. I’m sure there’s something. 15. Best of luck to the teachers out there. You’re appreciated much more than you know. 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.
6 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
4AUGUST2016
Get Out While You Still Can IT WOULD ONLY be in the interest of word-padding for me to rehash the saga surrounding Republican presidential nominee and Devil Muppet Donald Trump and the family of Kzir and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim American solider killed in the line of duty. You can go to other sites for that, for one thing; for another, this is still ongoing, and doesn’t appear to be letting up any time soon, which, I think, underscores my main point here. Since the verbal attacks by Trump in response to Kzir Khan’s speech at the DNC, and subsequent exchanges, a number of high-profile Republican politicians have, because they still retain some measure of humanity, released strongly worded statements rebuking Trump’s rhetoric. John McCain released the longest-winded and most powerfully worded statement, encapsulated by this line: “While our party has bestowed upon him the Nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.” Ohio Governor John Kasich said, “There is only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect.” And the day after Khan called on Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to pull official support from Trump, McConnell said this: “Captain Khan was an American hero and, like all Americans, I’m grateful for the sacrifices that selfless young men like Captain Khan and their families have made in the war on terror.” This is all fine and good; such rhetoric should be rebuked, swiftly and uncompromisingly. But the time has come — indeed, the time has long since come and gone — for Republican leaders to openly rebuke Trump, not just his statements, and pull official support from him. I’m not naïve. This is not a call to support Hillary Clinton who, regardless of what you think about her — her personality, her policies, her pantsuits, whatever — is going to make an infinitely better candidate than an anthropomorphized dumpster fire like Trump. Some Republicans have gone on record saying they will, but I don’t
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expect a blanket flip. And, as someone who still listens to Third Eye Blind (Stephan Jenkins is a notorious a-hole) and Eric Clapton (who once called, at a live concert, to “Keep England white!”), and who still watches Roman Polanski films, even the ones he made after he was convicted of statutory rape, I understand, and am conflicted by, the notion of separating the statement from the person, the art from the artist. But this is a bridge too far. It’s going to burn down, and it’s going to take with it everyone who stood beside Trump as he made these outlandish, hateful statements. Chris Christie’s career is effectively over: he’s seeing record-low approval ratings in New Jersey, and he’s hitched his wagon to Trump, holding out hope that he’ll be rewarded with a cabinet post. Paul Ryan is a slick personality and a great speaker, but his political tenure from here on out is going to be tarnished, and history will not be kind to him. Same for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. And every major Republican leader of this era who tiptoes around Trump, who denounce his statements but continue to support his candidacy, will have to answer for it. The only way to save their own skin and to preserve some measure of dignity within the Republican Party is to openly, plainly and quickly, rebuke Donald Trump and rescind official support for his candidacy. And, for the love of God, find someone to run against Ted Cruz in the 2020 primary. 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.
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Not Quite Ready for High School IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR, once again: Back to school. It’s normally dreaded by kids everywhere. Summertime is over, so no more swimming, no more sleeping in, no more late nights. It’s back to the grind. My kids, however, are beside themselves with excitement. My daughter, No. 3, is excited because she’s starting middle school this year. Also, because she loves school. It’s weird. I thought she’d grow out of it, but it seems like she likes it more and more each year. I don’t understand it, but I like it. My oldest son, No. 2, is excited because he’s starting high school. This one I do understand. I, too, was excited when I started high school, unaware of the awkward, embarrassing struggle that would be the next four years of my life. But the troubling thing about my kids starting school is the quick realization that I am, in fact, a dad. Now, I’ve been aware of this since the arrival of miniature humans walking around my house. Doling out punishments, handing out allowance and rearranging days to chauffeur the miniature humans to practices and school are dead giveaways. But, I have always prided myself on being a dad while not being dad-like. I’ll explain: My dads (stepdad and biological) were the type of dads who showed up to events like a high school open house in dirty work clothes. They both had tough, real-man, callused hands, come home smelling like sweat, dirt and cigarettes kind of jobs. So they would show up to events like this, in their dirty work clothes, and had no problem calling me out or embarrassing me in front of my friends. I don’t fault them for it; it’s what they had to do. But at the time: “Oh, jeez, Dad! Really?!” Me? I’ve tried to avoid doing that, for the most part. I try not to do too much of the overly dad type stuff. And, really, how many kids have a radio guy as their dad? C’mon, that’s cool, right? Apparently not. At last night’s high school orientation, No. 2 stayed at least five steps ahead of me. If I caught up, it was like a mad scurry to maintain the distance. I was sure not to step in on his discussions with teachers or friends for two reasons: to kind of let him figure some things out on his own, encouraging some independence and all, and to not be the embarrassing dad. This still didn’t help my cool, non-dad-like status at all. In fact, he told me at one point that he had wanted me to just drop him off. But I wanted to be there to take in this moment with my oldest son. I was equal parts happy and proud. I also feel like I can offer my son a bit of guidance through his high school experience. I’ve been there. I have learned a thing or two along the way. No, I didn’t make the best grades and I’m still trying to figure out the opposite gender. But I certainly have a wealth of knowledge about what not to do. That part of high school I aced! None of these things have helped. So, here I am, a 30-something dad-shoe-wearing, minivan-driving, back-problem-having bald guy getting left behind by my kids. The cool dad train has left and I’m still at the station, squinting at the schedule because I lost my glasses. All I need to do now is yell at some kids to get off of my lawn… which I did last week. Dad life status: I’m all in.
KRIS FISHER,Kris Fisher is the midday host and program director for HD98.3 and an Augusta radio staple. He is a husband, father of three and lover of all things adventurous, as well as activities most people would have outgrown years ago. djkfish.com.
4AUGUST2016
Good Attitude = Good Day EVERYBODY HAS a “Monday” experience from time to time. You know, those kinds of days that start badly and get worse as they go on. For example, the morning begins with a review of your open tickets. You wince from the sheer number of open requests. An IM pop-up informs the team that a couple of members are out sick. A quick scan of your email reveals your HR manager’s third request for a certification test date. And finally, as she walks through the cubes, you hear the IT manager wondering aloud, “Why is the ticket count is so high?” Take a deep breath. We have all experienced these types of moments. Even the most perfect job comes with a slew of negatives. (Have you ever heard the saying, “If it was fun, they wouldn’t call it work?”) I’ve found that the younger folks tend to get frustrated when bad stuff happens at the office. The truly naïve might go as far to lash out on social media trying to place blame, even where none exists. Not a good idea. Instead, you should follow the example of those with more experience. The experienced folk do a better job of keeping an even keel if for no other reason than they understand a simple fact: Things can get worse. You don’t believe me? Well, a high-priority ticket just hit your queue. One of your most favorite customers reports several machines with encrypted data. Oh, and did I mention, one of your first tasks this morning is to finish configuring their new backup system. (You would have finished it last night, but you had to leave early to take you girlfriend to see the Meghan Trainor concert.) For whatever it’s worth, I’ve observed that the thin line that divides miraculous recovery from total implosion is a person’s attitude. If you can keep a good attitude, you have a chance to turn things around. Alternatively, if a bad attitude starts to take control, give it up. You’re headed to the abyss. Let me illustrate with an example.
Think about the last time you had to speak with an irate customer. What was your attitude toward the customer? I suspect that if you kept a good attitude, that conversation probably started badly but got better. Heck, you might even be Facebook friends now. What about you folks with bad attitudes? I’m guessing it didn’t go so well. I hope you still have a job. Bottom line — you will never get fired for keeping a good attitude. And you might even find a way to make things better. And isn’t that what it’s all about — making things better? Whether we are providing a service, creating a new product or mastering a skill, accomplishment lies in making progress everyday. Muhammad Ali has a great quote along these lines — “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” You can’t make the days count if you have a bad attitude. So, in the face of everything, keep a good attitude. If you can do that, you’ve had a successful day. @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.
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Cuisine Scene
Behind the Brick Wall
News
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NEWS
Sentinel Stabs Richmond County in the Back THE OLD SAYING clearly holds true: If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas. This week, Sentinel Offender Services — the private probation company that has been hit by more than a dozen lawsuits filed in both Richmond and Columbia counties — turned the tables on Richmond County officials. Attorneys for the private probation company are now pointing fingers at the Richmond County State Court judges, county officials and the sheriff in an attempt to deflect major damage from these lawsuits against Sentinel. Is it surprising that a for-profit, private probation company is doing everything it can to avoid paying out any settlements regarding accusations from people claiming they were improperly arrested and sent to jail due to an invalid probation violation warrant? No, it’s not. But what is surprising is the fact that attorneys for Sentinel have the nerve to attack officials from the one county that was crazy enough to stand by the private company despite the criticism against it. For years, Chief State Court Judge Richard Slaby went before the Augusta Commission trying to convince the city to renew its contract with Sentinel Offender Services, even though the lawsuits filed against the company were mounting each and every year. Whenever any of the commissioners had direct concerns about some of the court cases against Sentinel, Slaby said he really could not comment on the accusations against the company. For instance, one commissioner asked the judge the following pointed question during a meeting to consider renewing Sentinel’s contract: “The Legislature passed laws this past year to stop predatory lending where poor people were targeted with high interest rates where the interest became more than the amount that was borrowed. Certainly, that applies in this particular case that Sentinel has done where the fine is one thing and it turns out they owe more in probation and supervision fees than the original fine,” the commissioner said. “I don’t see any difference between predatory lending and what Sentinel has done, do you?” Slaby said he couldn’t answer the commissioner’s question. “I don’t know what they’ve done,” Slaby told the commissioner during the debate. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Those words came out of the judge’s mouth even though he knew there were growing concerns around the state about private probation. That same year the Southern Center for Human Rights — a nonprofit, public interest law firm dedicated to challenging human rights violations — had found that, under the leadership of the private probation industry, Georgia had the highest rate of people on probation of any state in the country. The Peach State reported 514,000 felony and misdemeanor probation cases in 2013. The majority — more than 300,000 — were misdemeanor cases. “In courts around Georgia, people who are charged with misdemeanors and cannot pay their fines that day in court are placed on probation, most under the supervision of for-profit companies until they pay their fines,” stated Sarah Geraghty,
the senior attorney for the SCHR. “On probation, they must pay these companies substantial monthly ‘supervision fees’ that may double the amount that a person of means would pay for the same offense.” Not long after Richmond County renewed its contract with Sentinel last year, a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics was extremely critical of probation in the Peach State. “Georgia’s probation population at the end of last year was 471,067, according to statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics,” the AJC reported last year. “In spite of a 9 percent decline over the previous year, Georgia’s number was still the highest in the nation — by far. Georgia also topped the charts for its probation rate, which was quadruple the national rate and more than double the rate posted by any other state.” The numbers include both felony and misdemeanor cases. The number of people on probation in Georgia per 100,000 adult residents in 2014 was 6,161 people, according to the AJC. In comparison, the number of people on probation in the United States per 100,000 adult residents in 2014 was 1,568 people. Those numbers were beyond troubling. It was clearly time for a change. Finally, this year, Richmond County officials began to listen to the widespread concerns about Sentinel and ultimately decided to establish a public probation department in Augusta. While the county knew it would be an expensive endeavor to properly establish public probation, officials knew it needed to be done. So, what happens one month after Sentinel’s contract with Richmond County ended? Attorneys for Sentinel are now attempting to blame the county for violating these defendants’ rights in the lawsuits filed against the private probation company. These are the same lawyers who sat next to the attorneys representing the county, the State Court judges and the sheriff in court for the past several years, litigating these lawsuits against them. It just goes to show you that Sentinel has always been, and will always be, just about the money. So what do you think of Sentinel now, Judge Slaby? 4AUGUST2016
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What Are the Feds Looking for in Augusta? WHEN WORD SPREAD this past week that the U.S. Department of Labor has officially launched an audit of Augusta’s city departments regarding whether the local government is properly following the Fair Labor Standards Act, it got some folks’ attention. An audit by the federal government is no laughing matter. Basically, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law which establishes minimum wage, overtime pay eligibility, record keeping and child labor standards impacting workers in both the private sector and in federal, state and local governments. So the nagging question on many Augustans’ minds is: what exactly are the feds looking for? Some people are pointing to a class-action lawsuit relating to improper pay for overtime work that was settled by the city last summer as a possible red flag case. The city ended up paying out about $58,000 to more than 80 Augusta firefighters. Others believe that a compliant filed by former deputy coroner Johnny McDonald last year claiming that the city had improperly classified him as a manager and never paid him overtime wages, which violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, may have seriously concerned the U.S. Department of Labor. After all, the city ended up paying McDonald about $200,000. Whatever the reason, if the federal government wants to dig into the city’s practices regarding pay and wages, there will be a whole line of disgruntled former employees of Augusta-Richmond County that will be happy to help. While The Augusta Chronicle reported this week that the city has a whopping “80 pending equal employment and EEOC cases” and that interim Human Resources Director Michelle Elam recently resigned, there have been several other recent employees who either abruptly resigned or were fired who may want to have a little chat with auditors. Specifically, former Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator Jacqueline Humphrey was fired last March by the commission around the same time that former Human Resources Director Tanika Bryant resigned. Well, anyone who sat through an Augusta Commission meeting during Humphrey’s tenure as the equal employment opportunity coordinator knows that she was not one to remain silent when something bothered her. While she might not have publicly addressed the commission about her concerns regarding an issue, Humphrey would literally sit in a commission meeting and vocalize her dissatisfaction for everyone in the audience to hear. Whether it was loudly praising a commissioner for supporting an issue that she favored with an “Amen” or even proclaiming, “That’s just plain wrong!” if the commission voted against an item she felt strongly about, Humphrey let her feelings be known. Some commissioners saw her behavior as unprofessional considering her sensitive role within the government. Humphrey was also known for having verbal disagreements with both General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie and former Human Resources Director Tanika Bryant. It got so bad with MacKenzie that Humphrey even filed an official complaint against him 12 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
with the Georgia Bar Association. So, did Humphrey have any involvement with initiating this audit of the local government by the U.S. Department of Labor? Who knows, but chances are she wouldn’t mind exposing some of the skeletons in the city’s closet if asked by the feds. Another employee who might have a lot to say about Augusta’s government is former Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Coordinator Yvonne Gentry, who abruptly submitted her resignation in June. Gentry, who was hired by the Augusta Commission more than 10 years ago, was often under fire by some commissioners regarding the city’s disadvantaged business enterprise program, which struggled for years to even get off the ground. Over the years, Gentry also clashed with other department heads, including General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie and long-time Procurement Director Geri Sams. About two years ago, Gentry accused Sams of trying to go behind her back regarding developing a plan to begin implementing a race and gender conscious program to address the problems outlined in a disparity study of the city. This $580,000 study of race and gender disparities was released way back in 2009 and found that, while 35 percent of the Augusta market was made up of womenand minority-owned businesses, those businesses received less than 7 percent of the government contracts. The problem was that Gentry had ample opportunity to develop a race and gender conscious program, but nothing ever seemed to be successfully implemented. That’s why the city asked Sams to try and help develop a plan. But Gentry clearly didn’t appreciate Sams’ involvement in her department and she pounced on Sams in a public meeting. However, Gentry was messing with the wrong person. Sams not only completely disputed what Gentry told the commission, she publicly demolished Gentry. “You’re receiving information (from Gentry) that I find to be awfully petty, and I find to be disrespectful and I
find it to be a blame game that has been happening since 2004,” Sams said in the summer of 2014. “Now, I don’t mind being blamed for not doing or following directions. It doesn’t bother me. But for someone to stand here and say, they weren’t a part of something and they were, that’s upsetting to me.” In her report to commissioners, Sams said that Augusta has had many discussions, workshops, directives and has become a “victim of the blame game” explanations from Gentry and her office for years. Those excuses have resulted in the “loss of money from the last disparity study, time and disappointed vendors and taxpayers of Augusta,” Sams stated. “I also stand before you today to tell you that where we are right now, I find the DBE office to be one office that needs some directive and I also find it to be totally dysfunctional,” Sams said. The word “dysfunctional” hung in the air like the foul smell coming from Augusta’s Wastewater Treatment Plant on a hot day. So, could Gentry have a beef with the city? Sure. Enough to send the feds knocking on Augusta’s door? Maybe. Of course, she’s not the only one. There is a whole list of former city employees who may want to cause the city of Augusta some serious discomfort, including former Housing and Community Development Director Chester Wheeler, former Parks Director Tom Beck and possibly even former City Administrator Fred Russell. Augustans will just have to wait and see what the feds uncover following this audit, but chances are, they’ll probably find something considering how things generally operate down at the Marble Palace.
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Kroc Center Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary Five YeArs Ago this weeK, Salvation Army Augusta unveiled its brand-new, state-ofthe-art Kroc Center. Built from funds donated by Joan Kroc, the widow of McDonalds founder Ray Kroc, as well as those raised by the community, people in the area had a difficult time wrapping their heads around what the $35 million, 100,000-square-foot facility was supposed to be. Then, many believed it to be an expansion of the Salvation Army’s mission to help the homeless rather than the community center it was built to be. And though it has since found its niche, those who work for the Salvation Army say there’s still a slight disconnect when it comes to the Kroc Center’s purpose and mission. “It’s just an amazing thing to experience, first of all, and it’s vastly underutilized in the community, simply because people are unaware of what all is available,” said Augusta Area Commander Philip Canning, who came to his new post here a month ago from Shawnee, Oklahoma. “A lot of people don’t realize that, yes, we do charge fees for certain things, but we also have quite a few things that we do not charge fees for that are available to people.” The Kroc Center, for instance, has a gym, but it’s not just a fitness center. There’s a café in the center, but it’s not just a restaurant. “It’s a community center,” explains Jillian Hobday, marketing and PR manager for the Salvation Army. “People can come in to get out of the heat and get something to drink. We have a theater and sometimes we’ll have family movie nights. There are so many things that are happening here that are not just for members. It’s not just a fitness facility. We are here to serve the community.” As the Kroc Center celebrates its five-year anniversary this week, culminating on Saturday, August 6, with a yard sale in the morning and a party in the afternoon, there’s a push to better define its role in the Salvation Army’s mission. The hope is that if people better understand what it’s supposed to do, they’ll be more likely to participate and be a part of the community the Kroc Center is trying to create. The first step to understanding the Kroc Center, said Canning, is to understand that the 14 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
By Amy Christian
Salvation Army is a church that was founded in 1865 by William Booth, then a Methodist minister. “He basically believed the church was not doing enough to reach the people that were in the most need of assistance, so he broke off from the United Methodist Church and met the people where they were and began the church that way,” Canning explained. “So everything we do springs out of the church.” Booth went from a reverend in the Methodist church to a general at the Salvation Army, since the church has a paramilitary structure, and instituted the saying “soup, soap and salvation.” Simply put, that means Salvationists (what church members call themselves) focus on meeting a person’s physical needs first before talking to them about their spiritual needs. “Once those needs are taken care of, then and only then will people be open to hearing about the love of Christ because, first of all, they’ve just experienced the love of Christ,” he said. “So many times, all of us, even us in the Salvation Army, get it backwards and we try to do Christ first and then give them what they need for their physical needs after that and it just doesn’t work that way. That’s not the way Jesus operated and that’s not the way we need to operate either.” The Salvation Army meets needs for the homeless through a shelter and food bank, the Center of Hope. The Kroc Center, however, meets different needs for those struggling with poverty by providing a place for those of all socioeconomic levels to come together. And not only do people have a place to meet those they might not otherwise run into, those who buy memberships help fund scholarships for those who can’t afford them. “One of the things that almost everybody across the board knows is that for people who are struggling with issues related to poverty, in order for them to escape from that they can’t do it on their own. They need help, just like we all do,” Canning said. “We all need mentors, we all need people to come around us and support us and show us the way through new ways of doing things. It’s the same thing with issues related to poverty, and what we have here is a facility that attracts not only individuals in poverty, but also people in middle class and wealth class individuals.” 4AUGUST2016
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It’s a unique opportunity to connect people. “That doesn’t happen very many other places, and if we can leverage that opportunity of having all these people under one roof to build a tighter community, not just within the Kroc Center, but a tighter community within the Augusta area, especially the area right here around the Kroc, the possibilities are amazing when you stop and think about it,” he said. “That’s something we’re paying very close attention
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to and looking at creative ways in which we can leverage those opportunities to build the community around us.” And though many focus on the Kroc Center’s central building, that building isn’t the only part of the center. There are several houses and structures surrounding the Kroc Center that provide everything from job skills classes to a variety of services and resources to those in need at the First Stop Village.
The Salvation Army has big plans for the Kroc Center, including raising its community profile and perhaps even developing the green space that sits next to the canal. Right now, however, they’re celebrating their first big milestone by focusing on one aspect of the center each day. They’ve already had Member Appreciation Day on Monday, Café Day on Tuesday and Community Day on Wednesday. Thursday is Art Gala Day, highlighting the local artists whose work they display on the walls, as well as the art classes they offer throughout the year. Fitness Friday will focus on the classes they offer and a fitness lunch and learn, before Saturday’s big celebration. The Community Yard Sale will be from 7 a.m.-noon and the Five Year Anniversary Bash, which will include vendors, games, face painting, a kids’ area with bounce houses and more, is from 2-6 p.m. The bash is free and open to the public, but the Salvation Army is asking for a canned good or donation to their food bank. It will be fun, but Canning stresses that those attending might also learn a thing or two. “The one thing I would like to communicate to people is that there is more here than it seems. There is more available to everyone in the community,” he said. “Whether they would be classified in a lower socioeconomic class or a high socioeconomic class, there is something here for you to take advantage of and we would be stronger if you would come take advantage of it.” For more information, visit salvationarmyaugusta.org.
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Will Augusta University finally pump life back into the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property after it has sat dormant for nearly a decade? By Metro Spirit Staff
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MORE THAN 25 YEARS AGO, Augusta had such grand plans for the 17acre property along the Savannah River on Reynolds Street now referred to by most locals as “the old Georgia Golf Hall of Fame” site. When the Golf Hall of Fame was first created by the Georgia General Assembly back in 1982, the project was believed to have the ability to transform Augusta into the “Disney World of golf.” After purchasing the property in 1987, the original vision was to build a 55,000-square-foot hall of fame building and rotunda in downtown Augusta along Reynolds Street that could potentially attract about 330,000 visitors each year and forever preserve the history of golf across the state. But over the years, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board managed to spend more than $13 million in state and local funding, but never actually built much of anything. The board constructed a long, stately serpentine brick wall that stretched along the property, separating the public from the site. Then, the board spent more money creating a botanical garden featuring six bronze statues of legendary golfers, only to let the gardens eventually die and the statues, which cost sponsors between $100,000 to $250,000 each, be relocated to the Augusta Museum of History and Augusta Regional Airport. Of the $13 million in state and local funding given to the project, $6 million came from the city’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and $1 million was provided by the Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corporation. Private contributions were estimated to be roughly around $15 million. However, the project could simply never get off the ground. Prior to the 2001 Masters, the board announced the opening of a 9-acre botanical garden called the Augusta Golf & Gardens. “The Augusta Golf & Gardens has the feel of a golf course combined with the the elegance of a first-rate museum,” Dianne Swain, then the marketing and special event manager of the Augusta Golf & Gardens, told the Metro Spirit back in 2001. “Being here feels like being in another world. It’s basically an 8-acre garden with its own lake and an 18-foot waterfall. It’s unbelievably gorgeous.” Prior to the garden’s grand opening, a landscape architect had already planted more than 300 trees and thousands of flowers at the site. But by 2003, the 4AUGUST2016
Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board was back before the city asking for an additional $6 million in SPLOST monies to the utter shock of several Augusta commissioners. The bad news didn’t stop there. The original proposal of the 55,000-square-foot Georgia Golf Hall of Fame building, which called for, among other things, multiple conference rooms, a restaurant and an IMAX theater, had shrunk to 6,000 square feet or less — roughly one-tenth its original size. Many city leaders were outraged. Specifically, former Augusta Commissioner Ulmer Bridges balked at the request. He told board members that he served on the commission when the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame got its first, and ostensibly last, $6 million share of the sales tax pie. “They promised us the $6 million we were giving them would be all they’d ever need. If we would just put that on the sales tax, they wouldn’t come to us for money anymore,” Bridges told his colleagues back in 2003. “So I was expecting them to stick by their word, because we’ve got other things to do as well. And now here they are, coming again and asking for more money for the Golf Hall of Fame. That was supposed to be a tourist attraction. You know, make money, stand on its own. Obviously, it’s not.” But, at that time, then-Augusta Mayor Bob Young said he believed the project merited completion. “As much as I don’t think we ought to be in the business of building tourist attractions and subsidizing everybody’s good idea, this thing has just languished so long,” Young said in 2003. “The point is, we need to get it finished, we need to complete it, and if we’ve got to bite our lip and do it, then it’s probably the prudent thing to do in the big picture.” But Young warned the Golf Hall of Fame board that he wouldn’t want to see the project’s organizers back with open hands again. “If we give them $6 million, they will raise $3 million in the private sector for an endowment for operation and maintenance for the project so that they will not have to come back to us for some operating subsidy,” Young said in 2003. “It needs to be self-supporting and certainly we don’t want to build something
Over the years, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board managed to spend more than $13 million in state and local funding, but never actually built much of anything. and see it close a year later because it doesn’t have any source of income to operate it.” The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and the Augusta Golf & Gardens, combined, were envisioned as a $30 million project, but the city didn’t bite. Commissioners rejected the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board’s request for an additional $6 million in SPLOST because the city was facing nearly $90 million worth of infrastructure and drainage problems that were deemed a much higher priority. That left the Golf Hall of Fame board turning to the state for financial help, which didn’t sit well with then-Gov. Sonny Perdue. While the Georgia Legislature originally provided the project $6 million to help purchase the land on Reynolds Street and build the botanical gardens, the state also provided $58,000 to $85,000 for almost 10 years for the Augusta Golf & Gardens’ operating expenses. But the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board insisted that such funding barely paid the water bill for the gardens. By 2007, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a state audit raised concerns about how some of the money was being spent, citing “meals, bottles of wine and, in one case, a AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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$60 massage for a hall employee.” As a result, Perdue vetoed the annual funding for the facility and the Augusta Golf & Gardens had no choice but to officially closed its doors in 2007. The move left egg on the faces of long-time politicians who had been staunch supporters of the project. “We’re not going to build any more amusement parks, we’re not getting into any museum business right now,” then state Rep. Ben Harbin told The Atlanta JournalConstitution. “We’re going to focus on core missions.
By 2003, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame board was back before the city asking for an additional $6 million in SPLOST monies to the utter shock of several Augusta commissioners 18 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
You will not see us bring up another Hall of Fame under my watch that is government supported because it’s not fair to the taxpayers.” But, by 2010, then-Georgia Sen. Hardie Davis made a bold request to the state. Davis asked the state legislators to support giving the city of Augusta the 17-acre Golf Hall of Fame property for $1, even though taxpayers still owed $2.85 million in debt service on the land. “It’s an eyesore,” Sen. Hardie Davis told the Atlanta paper in 2010. “It’s also a beautiful piece of property, and we’re hoping something can be done with it.” Of course, many Augustans will remember that around the same time, then Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver was hoping that the Reynolds Street property could re-developed as a baseball stadium for the Augusta GreenJackets with the help of the team’s co-owner and baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. While the Georgia Legislature and city officials were debating over what to do with the Reynolds Street property, former Metro Spirit reporter Robert Long ventured over to the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame site in 2011. What he found was jaw dropping: A vacant, overgrown piece of property that some local homeless people in downtown Augusta had decided to claim as their own. Back in 2011, Long was shocked to find the bathrooms at the park still had flushing toilets and running sinks even though the gardens hadn’t been opened since 2007. The property was marred by beer bottles, dirty blankets, clothes, toothbrushes, razors and empty bottles of vodka.
When asked about the state of the property back in 2011, Copenhaver acknowledged, “The property is just in limbo.” Just when there appeared to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia entered the picture in 2012. The General Assembly approved transferring the 17acre site to the University System of Georgia because the then-Georgia Health Sciences University expressed interest in using the property to expand its campus following its merger with then-Augusta State University. All of a sudden, the entire town was buzzing about the potential of having a portion of the university’s college campus in downtown Augusta along the Savannah River. Then-Medical College of Georgia President Ricardo Azziz even publicly discussed the possibility of using the vacant Georgia Golf Hall of Fame site as a biotech park. It was music to many local downtown business owners, including Coco Rubio, the co-owner of The Soul Bar and Sky City. Rubio believes it would be a major “game changer.” “I really do think that university holds the key to the future of downtown Augusta,” Rubio recently told the Metro Spirit, adding he was encouraged to hear that Augusta University is interested in developing the former Augusta Golf and Gardens property along the Savannah River. “I see the potential there with (Augusta University) having college students possibly taking classes downtown, living downtown and having a presence downtown. I think that will be a big boost and I can’t wait to see that happen.” Augusta University has the potential of being a positive influence on downtown Augusta, much like Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has transformed downtown Savannah, he said. “That’s the kind of thing that we need to see in
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Augusta,” Rubio said. So, the big question that now remains is: What exactly does Augusta University plan to do with the property? In late June, university officials announced plans to redevelop the botanical garden section of the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property into a “grassy field that could be used for everything from intramural sports to alumni events,” Jack Evans, Augusta University’s vice president of communications and marketing told The Augusta Chronicle. But when the Metro Spirit asked for further details about the university’s plans for the property, the answer was much vaguer. “At this time, Augusta University is performing site work and soil remediation at the riverfront property,” said Jennifer Smith, Augusta University’s vice president of planning, design and construction. “While no specific events are planned for the site long term, the work going on now is prepping the site for possible future development. Work is expected to be complete in the next several months.” As of right now, Smith said there is no specific timeline for future development of the property. “There are no long-term plans for the property, but 4AUGUST2016
Augusta University is confident the property will be an important part of the university’s future growth,” Smith said. “Augusta University hopes the land can be developed at some point for the benefit of the university and the city of Augusta.” Proof of that fact is the university’s decision to conduct a comprehensive soil remediation of the property, Smith said. “The comprehensive soil remediation is occurring at the subsurface level and is good stewardship of the property on our part,” Smith said. “This is an intermediate step in prepping the land for its highest and best use.” Camille Price, executive director of Augusta Tomorrow, believes the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property shows great promise in the hands of Augusta University. “It is an amazing piece of property that is right on the river, so what needs to happen there has to be well thought out and really help the economic development of, not only Augusta University, but of Augusta,” Price said. “And really, it will be a wonderful opportunity for the whole state. It is not just Augusta’s opportunity, it is for the whole state because, of course, Augusta University is a state university.” Ironically, Augusta Tomorrow was incorporated
By 2007, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a state audit raised concerns about how some of the money was being spent, citing “meals, bottles of wine and, in one case, a $60 massage for a hall employee.” AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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in 1982, the same year the Golf Hall of Fame was originally created by the Georgia General Assembly. Since that time, Augusta Tomorrow has developed public-private partnerships with the city of Augusta that has led to several major accomplishments in the downtown area including the development of the Augusta Riverwalk, the Augusta Common and the Augusta Riverfront Center, which includes the Riverfront Hotel and Convention Center. As a result of Augusta Tomorrow’s commitment to the downtown area, Price said the group has seen many changes to the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property over the past few decades. However, Price is thrilled to see Augusta University considering developing the property and putting the site to good use, she said. “If the university begins by hosting intramural sports events at the site, it will be a great start to bringing vitality back to that end of Reynolds Street,” Price said. “I do believe that they are going to be starting some of their sporting events on the Golf
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Hall of Fame property this fall. Therefore, I think we will see a lot more activity by the students coming back and forth between the Golf Hall of Fame property and Augusta University and coming downtown and visiting the restaurants and the shops that we have. So we are really excited that Augusta University is using that property that hasn’t been in use for quite a few years.” Margaret Woodard, executive director of Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, said she is eager to assist the university in any way to help promote the development of the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property. “Right now, I believe Augusta University is tweaking its master plan,” Woodard said. “They are looking at everything from the gateways to how do you connect with downtown to the impact of when the new dorms will open on 15th Street. So it is an exciting time and we certainly want to work and help assist them when they do decide to develop the Reynolds Street property as well.” Woodard believes the addition of more college students and campus sites in the downtown area could transform the city. “It would be exactly what happened in Savannah with SCAD,” Woodard said, agreeing with Rubio. “The same is true with downtown Charleston. The university has made a huge impact on
Charleston and Savannah is what it is today because of SCAD. So having Augusta University in the downtown area will be a huge boom for us.” Whether it is something as small as intramural sports to something as massive as a biotech park, Woodard believes such development will bring more youth and energy to the downtown area. “I think they fact that they are going to use the property for intramural sports is at least bringing a vitality to a dormant piece of property. It brings foot traffic and it provides a use and that is a use that’s much needed,” Woodard said. “So, it has always been our hope that the university will develop that Reynolds Street property and we have always wanted more of a university presence in the downtown core.” But such improvements are made one step at a time, Woodard said. “The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property has been overgrown and dormant for how many years now?” Woodard asked. “Number one, just the fact that it is cleaned up is great for downtown. And, number two, the fact that there is an outdoor use that is going to increase foot traffic and bring a vibrancy to that end of Reynolds Street is incredible. So we really look forward to working and helping the university further connect with downtown in the future. It will be tremendous for downtown Augusta.”
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It’s been 40 years since Boston burst onto the music scene and released what it still one of the most recognizable songs on the planet with “More Than a Feeling.” That’s right, it was 1976 and the country was celebrating its bicentennial. It was also wondering, despite the fairly straightforward band name, where these guys came from and how they managed to have one of the best-selling debut albums in the country’s history. Hell, Boston was even the first band to debut in New York City by playing Madison Square Garden. Not too shabby for a bunch of unknowns. Forty years later, they’re anything but unknown and, despite some turnover with band members, founding member and oftentime producer Tom Scholz remains to help audience members capture that “Feeling” one more time. Boston Bell Auditorium Sunday, August 7 8 p.m. $49.50-$99.50 877-4AUGTIX georgialinatix.com
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Eli’s American Is Elegantly Southern BryAn MItchEll didn’t grow up in Georgia or South Carolina, so the kind of cooking we’re used to isn’t something he had growing up. “I had never really had mac and cheese except for Kraft mac and cheese,” he said. “We had lima beans, but they were in a can. We had sweet potatoes, but they were called yams and they were in a can. We had green beans and they were in a can. I never saw my mother work with vegetables except to cut up lettuce for a salad.” Those who know Mitchell as the former owner of the Cotton Patch downtown and the current owner of Eli’s American, which opened in 2015 in Columbia County, may find this admission shocking. After all, both of Mitchell’s restaurants have been known for their polished but casual interiors and for serving food that has been described as elegantly southern. He may not have grown up with good southern food, but Mitchell says his love of it comes from his inclusion into his wife Cathy’s family, who have been in the Columbia County area for about 300 years. “I get a lot of my understanding of all things southern from the real southern ladies and gentlemen I know and have had the pleasure of being related to,” he said, adding that they’ve shown him over the years how to make the most of what you have. “A lot of southern cooking is based on not having the finest ingredients but using what you have and making it fine. Fried chicken is poor people’s food because that’s all they had. But you can make fried chicken into a gourmet dish because it really is if it’s done right.” Fried chicken, in fact, has made it onto the menu at Eli’s only this week in anticipation of the restaurant’s new brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings. But it’s not just any fried chicken. Named Chicken Wallace in honor of former Cotton Patch employee Mike Wallace, who died several years ago, the dish includes pecan and honey fried chicken, sweet and savory because of the addition of chicken stock and Sriracha, with Belgian waffles. 22 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
By Amy Christian
The dish is one more in a long line of successful collaborations between Mitchell and longtime employee Delores Harden, or Miss D as everyone knows her, who’s worked for him for 20 years and grew up cooking in her mother’s restaurant. “She’s been cooking in restaurants for 45 years and I would put her up against anybody,” Mitchell says, adding that Delores has developed all the spice mixes, rubs, breading and more that they use for dishes in Eli’s kitchen. “She’s just a wizard.” Other favorites that the two have come up with include the restaurant’s popular pimento cheese grits and new favorite Soul Rolls. “I just said I wanted something that looked Asian but that was made with totally southern ingredients, so she just came up with it,” he said of the dish that includes Jimmy Dean sausage, smoked ham, pimento cheese and collard greens. “It’s got protein and cheese and a leafy green, so it kind of looks like a real spring roll or egg roll would, it’s just different.” Mitchell said their fried pecan pie came about when the two were just playing around with ideas in the kitchen, “and now it’s legendary, almost.” The two know when not to mess around with a tried and true formula, however. Their chicken salad is just that. “The beautiful thing about our chicken salad is that it’s just simple chicken salad,” he said. “We’ve resisted the urge to throw in grapes and pecans and all the fruit du jour. It’s just whitemeat chicken, a little bit of pickle relish and some Duke’s mayonnaise. People have been eating it for years.” Then there are the burgers at Eli’s, which, like the fried pecan pie, have become the stuff of legend. There are five signature burgers on the menu; all are good, and one has even made it onto exploregeorgia.org’s list of 100 Plates Locals Love. The Dixie Burger is a half-pound beef patty topped with a fried green tomato, pimento cheese and buffalo cream sauce. 4AUGUST2016
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All of these dishes are served in a setting that very much evokes the classic south. Whereas the Cotton Patch had a distinctive New Orleans feel, Eli’s has a two-story columned façade that Mitchell affectionately calls the verandah, a place he very much looks forward to using once the weather cools off a bit. The interior is almost clubby: dark walls, leather booths and lots of repurposed architectural elements and refinished furniture. The latter elements come courtesy of Cathy Mitchell, who started Trends and Traditions many years ago and currently has a booth at the Romantic Farmhouse. “She buys and sells antiques and she’s really good at refinishing, doing these distressed finishes and faux finishes,” Mitchell explained. “I like the architectural antiques; she likes furniture. I just buy the weird stuff and she figures out how to use it.” The end result is a restaurant that looks fancier than it actually is, and the Mitchells are proud that Eli’s is a locally owned restaurant in Columbia County where diners can get an excellent meal and a drink at the bar without paying a fortune. They can also hear music on Friday nights and reserve the banquet room for special occasions. And, like any good southern host, Mitchell and the folks at Eli’s will almost guarantee that you’ll take something home with you. “We give you a ton of food,” Mitchell laughs. “I don’t want anyone to leave without feeling they got an awesome deal. Plus, when you take it home, you’ll be thinking about me tomorrow and you’ll probably tell somebody about it. And it’s a southern thing, too; whenever you visit someone’s house, they try to send something home with you.” Eli’s AmEricAn 4446 Washington Road, Evans Open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 706-524-7152 elisamerican.com
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WHAT’S UP
ICE CREAM FOR EVERYONE!
Food Stuff Calendar Music Listings
THE KIDS may be headed back to school but, according to the calendar, summer doesn’t end until September 21. And you know what that means, right? There’s still plenty of time to enjoy some ice cream. In recent months, two new sweet shops have opened in the Augusta area, so the Metro Spirit gave a couple of staff members the difficult job of checking them out. Here’s what they had to say.
If you have any questions, or would like to submit an event to our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com.
SUMMERVILLE SCOOPS You can never go wrong visiting a new craft ice cream shop with two kids ages 4 and 7. After all, children are natural connoisseurs of everyone’s favorite all-American frozen treat and what better way to celebrate the final days of summer break than with a big scoop of ice cream. One step inside of Summerville Scoops in the Daniel Village shopping center off Wrightsboro Road and the kids were already sold on this family friendly ice cream shop that was started earlier this year by the co-owner of Village Deli, Heather Chancey. Visitors are immediately greeted with a happy, smiling cow waving on the sign, an enormous blackboard with plenty of colored chalk for children to draw and a number of wrought-iron tables perfect for parents to sit and chat while their kids are thoroughly entertained. The kids immediately wanted to grab the chalk and begin drawing until they noticed the colorful ice cream case filled with an assortment of craft ice cream next to the chocolate and vanilla waffle cones and bowls that are all made in house.
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If you’ve seen Pardon Ndhlovu out running you know one thing: he’s fast. The AU alum, who now works as assistant cross country coach at the school, is a Zimbabwe native who will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for his country. He is also the subject of a documentary short film called “The Extra Mile.” See it today at 3:30 at the Maxwell Theatre and pick up #RunWithPardon T-shirt while you’re there. Run with Pardon? As if we could keep up!
Metro Spirit Sightings photographer Michael Johnson leads a photography camp each summer for kids, and the results of their hard work are currently on display at the Morris Museum of Art. The show comes down today, but not before the museum hosts a closing reception at 1 p.m. Many of those students who have work in the exhibit will be at the reception, so come down and tell them how great their pictures are.
Those scamps at the Aiken County Historical Museum are devious all right; who else would think of presenting a talk on South Carolina poison bottles while those in attendance are sipping the excellent brews at Aiken Brewing Company? Don’t worry, though: the poison that once graced those bottles is long gone. The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. and is $10, which also includes an appetizer plate.
People have a tendency to wait until January 1 to think about eating better and saving money. Why not get a jump start on all those resolution suckers by attending Eat Healthy While Saving Money, a 10:30 a.m. seminar at the Friedman Branch Library? After all, quinoa and almond milk ain’t cheap, so we need all the tips we can get.
For more information on these events, see our calendar of events on page 26.
On the afternoon we visited, the 10 flavors of homemade ice cream available were vanilla, chocolate, cotton candy, strawberry, chocolate Oreo, chocolate chip, birthday cake, English toffee, peach coconut and a bright orange ice cream called Florida Georgia Line. While the kids were fascinated by the vivid colors of the cotton candy and birthday cake ice creams, my 7-year-old is a purist at heart. Ever since he was a toddler, his favorite flavor has always been vanilla, so it was no surprise when he walked straight up to the counter and ordered a scoop of vanilla in a chocolate waffle cone. My 4-year-old, on the other hand, is a devoted chocoholic. He immediately pointed to the chocolate Oreo ice cream, but shocked us all by selecting a vanilla waffle cone. While I was tempted to try to the Florida Georgia Line ice cream, since it was 100 degrees outside and I thought something on the citrus side would be refreshing, the chocolate waffle cone was calling out to me. So, instead, I decided to try a scoop of English toffee ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. This homemade frozen treat paired with a fresh waffle cone is priced at $3.49 for a single scoop and it is worth every penny. I have to say the highlight of my delicious dessert was definitely the chocolate waffle cone. It was a rich, dark chocolate that made all previous waffle cones I’ve ever eaten taste like cardboard. The English toffee ice cream was also very good, much like a custard. The creamy taste surprised me a bit until I was told that Summerville Scoops makes its ice cream with a base consisting of about 14 percent milk fat. My 7-year-old immediately noticed the same texture and said, “You can tell this ice cream is made fresh! It takes like real cream!”
With that, he went over and gave Summerville Scoops’ cartoon cow a high five. For a 7-year-old, that’s a ringing endorsement. Before my 4-year-old devoured all of his chocolate Oreo ice cream, I grabbed a spoon and snuck a quick taste. Holy chocolate cow! It was absolutely divine. The chunks of Oreo inside the ice cream were still slightly crunchy and melted in your mouth. “Good, huh?” my 4-year-old asked, as I quickly reached for another bite. “Hey! That’s mine!” he proclaimed. “Eat your own!” Fortunately, I was able to bribe him for another bite with a piece of my chocolate waffle cone. Our conclusion: the best combination that day would have been the chocolate Oreo ice cream with a chocolate waffle cone. After all, what’s better than chocolate? Only, more chocolate. — Stacey Eidson Summerville Scoops is located at 2803 Wrightsboro Rd., Suite 27, in the Daniel Village shopping center. It is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. Call 706-305-3560 or visit facebook.com/summervillescoops. SweetS on Broad Downtown has seen its fair share of bars, restaurants and art galleries, but apart from the odd ice cream truck and dessert shop, Broad Street hasn’t been home to a candycentric store in a while. In fact, nothing really springs to mind when I think back through the last few decades. However, now residing on the ninth block, nestled snugly against the ever-funky Fuji Wigs, is Sweets on Broad, a “one stop sweet shop” that makes heading downtown even more enticing. On the inside, Sweets on Broad thankfully looks like a candy store. Wood floors aside, the décor is a celebration of sugary delights. The bright Candy Land palette sucks customers in toward the well-stocked dispensers and display cabinets. The shop carries all kinds of confectionery goodness — cotton candy, candy apples, sherbet, pies, cookies, cakes, cupcakes and more. But, I’m not here for a slice of the behemoth Banana Pudding Cake, or for the chocolate dipped strawberries, although I feel dirty just saying that — I don’t usually neglect chocolate dipped anything. Sweets on Broad offers a good variety of ice cream flavors, including butter pecan, chocolate, Rocky Road, strawberry cheesecake and the multi-colored Superman. The shop is cozy and gets crowded fast. Keeping the 100-degree heat in mind, I decided against a homemade waffle cone and instead grabbed two scoops in a bowl — strawberry and cookies and cream — topped it off with some
Reese’s Pieces, and snagged a seat at the only indoor table. A single scoop is $2.35, while a double will cost you $3.60 and toppings are an extra .75 cents each. Did I mention the heat? This ice cream went down so easy I almost grabbed another bowl. Velvety and smooth, full of solid chunks of fresh strawberry and crushed cookies, I’m pretty sure I exuded some graceless grunts as I shoveled the melting mess into my mouth. Unlike some ice creams that leave a saccharin film on the tongue, Sweets on Broad’s ice cream allows the main ingredients to carry the flavor and overwhelm the taste buds. It was simply yummy. Complaints? Not really. The store is small, leaving little room for multiple gaggles of kids, and cleanliness will have to be priority for it to maintain its candy factory appearance. That said, for cookie monsters and sugar-fiends, chocolate lovers and kids of all ages, Sweets on Broad is a dream destination, and a much needed addition to Broad Street. It’s about time. — Molly Swift Sweets on Broad is located at 956 Broad Street downtown and is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 11-9 p.m., and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. Call 706-496-3121, email sweetsonbroad@gmail.com for custom orders or visit facebook.com/SweetsOnBroad.
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Historic Trolley Tours of Augusta Augusta Visitors Center Tours aboard the Lady Libby available at the Augusta Visitors Center with 24-hour advanced reservations. Tickets include admission to the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-724-4067 or visit visitaugusta.org.
EXHIBITIONS Sun Aug 7
1pm Photo Discovery Project 2016 Closing Reception Morris Museum of Art The show features the work of students who participated in the summer photography camp, and many of those students will be at the reception. Call 706-828-3808 or visit themorris.org.
Pub Fiction Book Club Pizza Central Monday, August 8 7-9 p.m. Hosted by Columbia County Library staff. August’s selection is “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Morarty. 706-863-1946 gchrl.org
EDUCATION Thu Aug 4
10am - noon Computer Help Lab Wallace Branch Library Call 706-722-6275 or visit arcpls.org.
Sat Aug 6
10am - noon Clipping and Clicking for Savings Maxwell Branch Library Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.
Mon Aug 8
3:30pm - 5pm Intermediate Spanish Friedman Branch Library An adult class led by Edwin Perez of the Asociacion Cultural Hispanoamericana. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.
Tue Aug 9
Led by Vern Huffstetler in an event sponsored by the Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum. Call 803-6422015 or visit aikenmuseum.us.
Wed Aug 10
10:30am Eat Healthy While Saving Money Friedman Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.
Noon - 1:30pm Brown Bag Lunch ‘N Learn TheClubhou.se An event featuring consultants and other experts who will provide information to budding entrepreneurs. Visit theclubhou.se.
7pm - 8:30pm Beginning Sign Language
Necco Augusta A free weekly session. Pre-registration suggested. Call 706-210-3435 or visit necco.org.
Summerville Professional Building An eight-week class that meets Wednesday through September 28 in classroom 120. $45, plus $45 for the textbook. Call 800414-7441 or visit trinityofaugusta.com.
10:30am Get to Know Your PINES Account
Ongoing
10am - noon Foster Parent Orientation
Appleby Branch Library Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.
6:30pm - 8pm History on Tap: Pick Your Poison Aiken Brewing Company 26 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
James Brown Family Historical Tour Augusta Museum of History Available each Saturday at 11 a.m. and lasting approximately two hours, this bus tour includes Brown’s elementary school, his childhood home, his statue and more.
$15 fee, includes admission to the museum, which houses the largest collection of James Brown memorabilia. Reservations 24 hours in advance required. Call 803-640-2090 or visit jamesbrownfamilyfdn.org.
Guided Tours
3pm Civil Rights and the Arts Exhibition Reception Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History The exhibition, which explores the accomplishments in the arts during the civil rights era and the art impacted by the era, shows at the museum through September 30. Call 706-724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com.
Ongoing
Dollar Dog Days Augusta Museum of History Admission during the month of August is $1 per person. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Photo Discovery Project 2016
1797 Ezekiel Harris House Offered by appointment only MondayFriday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Last tours of the day begin at 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Morris Museum of Art An exhibition of work from students in this summer photography camp will show through August 7. A closing reception featuring participating students will take place August 7 at 1 p.m. Call 706-828-3808 or visit themorris.org.
North Augusta Driving Tour
Miru: Hope Full Soul
Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta Offered by appointment and includes a 30-45-minute guided tour and admission to the center. Self-guided tours are also available through an iPhone downloadable audio tour or a Google Maps-based tour. Guided tours: $5, adults; $3, students K-12. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.
Tours Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson Guided tours, approximately 45 minutes long, are offered Thursday-Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Group tours are available by advanced reservation. Adults, $5; seniors, $4; kids K-12, $3; under 5 years, free. Call 706-724-0436 or visit wilsonboyhoodhome.org.
Westobou Gallery A collection of new artwork by Staci Swider. A book signing will take place September 2 for Swider’s new book “Acrylic Expressions: Painting Authentic Themes and Creating Your Visual Vocabulary.” The exhibition will show Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 1-September 2. Call 706-755-2878 or visit westoboufestival.com.
Out of Africa Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta A show featuring more than 80 pieces of African art from the locally owned corporate collection of Tibi Winston Ltd. Will show through August 19 in the main gallery. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. 4AUGUST2016
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Exhibits Augusta Museum of History Includes the following: “The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown; “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf”; “Augusta’s Story”; “A Community That Heals”; “Into the Interior: A History of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company”; “Local Legends”; “One Man, Two Ships: Lessons in History and Courage”; “A Quilt Journey”; and “Canteens to Combat Boots”. Call 706-7228454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
FLIX Thu Aug 4
registered child. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org/safekids.
Fri Aug 5
Child Safety Seat Inspections Safe Kids Office Appointment required. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org.
6:30pm - 9:30pm Weekend Childbirth Education Class University Hospital Class continues Saturday, August 6, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
3:30pm “The Extra Mile” AU’s Maxwell Theatre A screening on the documentary short about Pardon Ndhlovu, an AU alum who will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Participants will receive #RunWithPardon T-shirts. Call 706-721-8977 or visit augusta.edu.
Fri Aug 5
Noon “Carmen Jones” Morris Museum of Art Part of the Films on Friday series that includes a discussion afterwards. Participants are invited to bring lunch. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.
Sat Aug 6
3pm “Batman vs. Superman” Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Thu Aug 11
11am Thursday Movie Madness Diamond Lakes Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.
Ongoing
Call for Entries Cause + Effect Georgia Progressive Film Competition The festival will accept through October 2 short film with a focus on social, political, environment or economic issues facing Georgia or a community in Georgia. Open to all Georgia filmmakers. No entry fees. Semifinalist films will screen at Cine in Athens in November. Visit causeandeffectfilm.org.
HEALTH Thu Aug 4
5:30pm - 8pm Cribs for Kids Safe Kids Office This class will teach caregivers how to provide a safe sleep environment by showing what dangers to watch out for. Families who demonstrate a financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and a pacifier for a fee of $10 per 4AUGUST2016
Sat Aug 6
9am - 4:30pm Short and Sweet Doctors Hospital A weekend childbirth education class that continues Sunday, August 7, from 1-5 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
Mon Aug 8
4pm Breast Self-Exam Class University’s Breast Health Center Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.
7pm - 9:30pm Childbirth Preparation University Hospital A four-session class that continues on Mondays through August 29. Free, but preregistration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
history project, as well as discuss resources and strategies. Call 706-826-1511 or visit arcpls.org.
Wed Aug 10
Fat Man’s Mill Cafe Those interested are invited to learn speech and leadership skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Call 706-627-2134.
Child Safety Seat Inspections Columbia County Sheriff’s Substation Appointment required. Call 706-541-3970 or visit grhealth.org.
1:30pm - 3:30pm Look Good Feel Better Augusta University Cancer Center An American Cancer Society program that aims to help women in cancer treatment combat the appearance-related side effects of chemo and radiation. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-0466 or visit augustahealth.org.
7pm - 9:30pm Childbirth Preparation University Health A four-week class meeting Wednesdays through August 31. Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
HOBBIES Tue Aug 9
10am Genealogy 101 Headquarters Branch Library’s Georgia Heritage Room Participants will learn how to start a family
Wed Aug 10
Noon Georgia-Carolina Toastmasters
KIDS-TEENS Thu Aug 4
10am A Day at the Beach Morris Museum of Art Part of the Mommy and Me series for children and parents in which participants will see and talk about beach artwork, then create a tropical visor. Free, members; $4 per participants, non-members. Preregistration required. Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris.org.
8pm Nocturnal Thursdays: Nocturnal Night Crawlers Reed Creek Park A program for those ages 5 and up and their accompanying adult. Participants will also take an astronomy class. Free, members; $2 per child, non-members. Call 706-210-4027 or visit phobbs@columbiacountyga.gov.
Fri Aug 5
6pm - 10pm Kids Night Out
Kroc Center A drop-off program for kids that will include swimming, gym play, inflatables, arts and crafts projects and more. Swimsuit and towel required. Children 4 and younger will not swim. $15, members; $20, nonmembers. Call 706-922-1533 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org.
7pm - 8:30pm Wet & Wild Wrap Up Aiken Public Library A summer reading program wrap-up party for those in grades 6-12 that includes water games, snacks and prizes. Tickets available only to those who turning their completed reading logs in by August 4, and participants should bring a towel. Call 803642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Sat Aug 6
11am Dinosaurs Love Underpants and Aliens Love Dinopants Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
1pm Game Day for Teens Maxwell Branch Library An event in which participants are invited to bring their own games or play the library’s. Call 7066-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.
7pm Get Pop-Cultured: Marvel Barnes & Noble An event that includes trivia, coloring, cosplay AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Mon Aug 8
7pm Hopelands Summer Concert Hopelands Gardens, Aiken Featuring the Fort Gordon Signal Corps Band. Attendees can bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnics and well-behaved pets on leashes, but no alcohol. Free. Call 803-6427631 or visit facebook.com/experienceaiken. The rain-out hotline is 803-643-4661.
Victorian Augusta Augusta Museum of History Friday, August 5 5:30-7:30 p.m. A quarterly First Friday Members Night Out event that celebrates the opening of the new exhibit Augusta, 1875-1900. Participants can use the free trolley, that stops by the museum every 15 minutes, to attend other First Friday events as well. Free, members; non-member adults, $7, and children, $4. 706-722-8454 augustamuseum.org and more. Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
Sun Aug 7
2pm - 4pm Morris Summer Olympics Morris Museum of Art Part of the Artrageous! Family Sunday series, this event features an afternoon of art-themed competitions. Free. Call 706724-7501 or visit themorris.org.
Mon Aug 8
10:30am Music & Me Headquarters Branch Library A class for children ages 0-4 in which participants will learn how to chant, sing, play instruments and move to the music. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706821-2623 or visit arcpls.org.
Tue Aug 9
10am - 11:30am Puddle Ducks: Kids & Caregivers Club Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Stories and hands-on fun. Free, members; $5, nonmembers. Call 706-396-1424 or email info@phinizycenter.org.
10:30am Game Day Friedman Branch Library Call 706-736-6758 or visit arcpls.org.
10:30am Surprise Craft Diamond Lakes Branch Library Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit arcpls.org.
Wed Aug 10
10am Story Time Maxwell Branch Library For those ages 3-5. Call 706-793-2020 or visit arcpls.org.
10am Wacky Wednesday Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
10:30am - noon Super Awesome Story Time with Tara Scheyer The Book Tavern Featuring a mini music concert, a story and crafts. Cookies and juice provided. Call 706-826-1940 or email superawesomestorytime@booktavern.com.
4:30pm - 6pm Alley Cats Strikehouse Bowl, Aiken Part of the Aiken Recreation Department’s Buddy Sports program for those with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, this class is for those of all bowling abilities. $12 a month; pre-registration required. Call 803426-1284 or visit therecingcrew.com.
LITERARY Sat Aug 6
Noon - 2pm Meet the Authors The Book Tavern Featuring Bryce Gibson, YA author of Perennials, and Charles Campbell. Call 706826-1940 or visit booktavern.com.
Sun Aug 7
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SENIORS Wed Aug 10
11:30am - 1pm Senior Luncheon Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History Guest speaker is Sam D. Burston, visual artist and executive for the United College Funds. $11; pre-registration by August 9 required. Call 706-724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS Thu Aug 4
5pm - 7:30pm Farmers Market in the Alley
Featuring Anna Schaffer, author of “All of This,” and Tiffany Wasson, author of “Running Mascara.” Call 706-826-1940 or visit booktavern.com.
Mon Aug 8
7pm - 9pm Pub Fiction Book Club Pizza Central Hosted by Columbia County Library staff. August’s selection is “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Morarty. Call 706-863-1946 or visit gchrl.org.
Ongoing Book Sale
Appleby Branch Library A month-long book sale in the library’s story hour room. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.
MUSIC Sat Aug 6
11am - 2pm Saturday Morning Swing Eighth Street Plaza Live music from local jazz artists and performing arts groups during the Augusta Market. Call 706-627-0128 or visit theaugustamarket.com.
Sun Aug 7
7:30pm Candlelight Jazz Augusta Common Attendees are invited to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for this live jazz concert. $6. Call 706-821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov.
Downtown Aiken This weekly event includes fresh goods, food vendors, artisans, flowers and live music. Call 803-293-2214.
5pm - 8pm First Thursday Shops of Midtown, Kings Way at Central Ave. This event features discounts in the shops, hors d’oeuvres and more. Call 706-733-1788.
Fri Aug 5
5pm - 9pm First Friday Downtown Augusta A family friendly arts event that includes musicians, dancers, artists and other vendors. Visit artistsrowaugusta.com.
5pm - 9pm Live From Downtown 600 Broad Street A monthly First Friday event presented by the Augusta Regional Collaboration that features live music, art, food and more. Visit facebook.com/600Broad.
5pm - 8pm Wine Tasting Wine World A drop-in First Friday event. $5; $3 rebate upon purchase of a bottle of one of the featured wines. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com.
5:30pm - 7:30pm Members Night Out: Victorian Augusta Augusta Museum of History A quarterly First Friday event that will feature a lecture at 6 or 6:45 p.m., hands-on activities for the family and more. This one celebrates the opening of the new exhibit Augusta, 1875-1900. Participants can use the free trolley, that stops by the museum every 15 minutes, to attend other First Friday events as well. Free, members; Non4AUGUST2016
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member adults, $7, and children, $4. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Ongoing
6pm - 10pm First Friday
Walton Options for Independent Living is now accepting nominations for the Most Valuable Partner Community Awards. Categories include Inclusive Employment, Community Government, Public Accommodations and Communications, Outstanding Service Organization and Outstanding Individual Advocate. Public nominations will be accepted through August 12 and winners will announced at a ceremony at the Legends Club on November 3. Online forms are available at waltonoptions.org/mvpawards.
Augusta Common A family event that includes a car show, fun zone, vendors and live local entertainment. Call 706-821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov.
Sat Aug 6
7am - noon Community Yard Sale Kroc Center All are welcome. Spaces for rent for $5. Visit bit.do/krocyardsale.
8am - 2pm Augusta Market at the River 8th Street Plaza, Reynolds Street The event features vendors of all kinds, activities, live entertainment and more. Visit theaugustamarket.com.
2pm - 6pm Five-Year Anniversary Bash Kroc Center An event that will feature food and drinks from Cafe on the Canal and other vendors, games, face painting, a toddler area, bounce houses and more. Free, but participants are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, which will be donated to the Salvation Army of Augusta’s Center of Hope food pantry. Visit facebook. com/events/256487551402511/.
8pm “Two Small Pieces of Glass” Dupont Planetarium, Aiken Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1-$5.50. Call 803641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.
9pm “Digistar Virtual Journey” Dupont Planetarium, Aiken Weather permitting, the observatory, housing the Bechtel Telescope, will be available for viewing after each show. $1-$5.50. Call 803641-3654 or visit rpsec.usca.edu.
Tue Aug 9
4:30pm - 7pm Veggie Truck Farmers Market AL Williams Park This weekly event, held through the end of October in the park across from the Kroc Center, features all local farmers and doubles EBT. Visit growharrisburg.org.
Wed Aug 10
8am Too Hot to Trot Dressage Stableview Farms, Aiken A USEF/USDF Recognized Level Two Championship Qualifier Dressage show. Call 803-648-1222 or visit stableviewfarm.com.
4AUGUST2016
MVP Community Awards Nominations
SPIRITUAL Thu Aug 4
7pm Lifting the Veil on Islam Islamic Society of Augusta Part of a monthly program to enlighten newcomers about Islam. This series, held the first Thursday of each month, is open to the public and refreshments will be served. Visit openhouse.isaugusta.com.
SPORTS-OUTDOORS Sat Aug 6
9:30am - 11:30am Swamp Saturday Hike Phinizy Swamp Nature Park A guided, 2.5-mile hike. Free, members; $2, non-members. Pre-registration required. Call 706-828-2109 or visit phinizycenter.org.
10am - 12:30pm Hike and Craft Mistletoe State Park A naturalist-led hike of about one hour, followed by a craft time. $2, craft; $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Tue Aug 9
10am - noon Augusta Adaptive Golf Clinic The First Tee of Augusta A free event for both beginner and longtime golfers ages 15 and older who have faced life-changing or acute illnesses or injuries. Visit waltonfoundation.net.
7pm - 9pm Evening Canoe Mistletoe State Park Pre-registration required. $10 plus $5 parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Thu Aug 11
7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Lexington Legends Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
SUPPORT Thu Aug 4
Noon Active-Duty Parent Support Group Fort Gordon’s Family Outreach Center Meets the first Thursday of each month. Call 706-792-5220 or visit fortgordon.com.
Sun Aug 7
11am Meditation Moments Ronald McDonald House An open support group for those in crisis or experiencing loss. Call 706-721-2929 or visit augusta.edu.
provided. Pre-registration suggested. Visit cr@journeycommunity.net.
Write to Heal Creative Writing Children’s Hospital of Georgia For patients, family members and caregivers, this program meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Preregistration required. Call 706-721-5160 or email nawilliams@augusta.edu.
Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support Group
Mon Aug 8
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.
University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.
Alcoholics Anonymous
6pm Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group
6:30pm Men’s Breast Cancer Support Group University’s Breast Health Center Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.
Tue Aug 9
10:20am Moms Connection Augusta University Medical Center This free weekly support group for new mothers meets in the Terrace Dining Dogwood Room on the second floor. All new moms and their babies are welcome and an international board certified lactation consultant/educator/perinatal nurse will answer questions and offer resources. Call 706-721-8283 or visit augustahealth.org.
7pm Alzheimer’s Support Group Alzheimer’s Association Chapter Building Call 706-731-9060.
7pm OB/GYN Cancer Support Group Call 706-821-2944.
Holds several meetings locally. For a current schedule, visit augustaaa.org/meetings.pdf.
Narcotics Anonymous Trinity Hospital of Augusta Meets Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Visit na.org.
THEATER Fri Aug 5
8pm xTreme Theatre Games Le Chat Noir First Friday improv comedy by Schrodinger’s Cat. $10, advance; $12, door (if available). Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.
10pm Sloppy Seconds Le Chat Noir First Friday improv comedy by Schrodinger’s Cat. $5. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.
Sun Aug 7
3pm “Steel Magnolias” Auditions
Wed Aug 10
6pm Mental Health Support Group Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta A group for teens and up that follows the methods of Recovery International. Call 630605-6913 or visit recoveryinternational.org.
Ongoing
La Leche League A breastfeeding support group. For more information on meeting dates, times and locations, visit them on Facebook under La Leche League of Augusta or at lllaugusta. wordpress.com.
Aiken Community Playhouse Roles available for six women ages 17-70. The play will show in October. For more information, call 803-295-6220 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Mon Aug 8
7pm “Steel Magnolias” Auditions Aiken Community Playhouse Roles available for six women ages 17-70. The play will show in October. For more information, call 803-295-6220 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Celebrate Recovery Journey Community Church This Christ-centered recovery program meets every Monday night at 7 p.m. The meetings last two hours and childcare is AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Maxwell w/ Ro James Bell Auditorium Saturday, August 6 8 p.m. $49.50-$125 877-4AUGTIX georgialinatix.com Thursday, August 4 Live Music
Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Live Music on the Patio Red Pepper (Aiken) - The Ands Sky City - Super Bob, Bridge to Grace Stillwater Taproom - Josh Brannon Band Tin Lizzy’s - Kelly Cheats Wild Wing - Sabo & Dave The Willcox (Aiken) - Thursday Night Jazz w/ 4 Cats in the Dog House
What’s Tonight?
Bar West - Open Mic Night w/ Jonathon Flowers Carolina Ale House - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper (9 p.m.) Chevy’s - Karaoke Cotton Patch - Old School Thursday w/ DJ Groove Coyotes - Karaoke with Bam Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia Knight’s Lounge - Karaoke w/ Cheryl Bryant The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic, Spoken Word Pizza Joint (Downtown) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper (7 p.m.) Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Poker for Fun
Friday, August 5 Live Music
Back Yard Tavern - Bohemian Trio Bar West - Live Music Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Ray Fulcher, Pat Cooper Coyotes - Ne To Lo Eli’s American - Friday Night Live w/ Nick and the Nightcrawlers Fox’s Lair - Live Music The Highlander - 5i The Iron Heights - Mor Amor, Milo, The Creat, Kid Finesse The Loft- NoNeed Shannon’s - The Unmentionables
30 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Somewhere in Augusta - Gerry Petrin “Mr. Jukebox” Stables Restaurant at Rose Hill Estate (Aiken) - Celtic Pub Night w/ Gavin Winship Whole Foods - Music @ the Turn Wild Wing - The Cam Band The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s - DJ Nicky B Knight’s Lounge - Hip Hop Meets Reggae w/ DJ Adrian, DJ Spudd Sky City - First Friday Art Show and DJs Soul Bar - First Friday DJ Mix Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke
Saturday, August 6 Live Music
Bell Auditorium - Maxwell, Ro James Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Larry Frick Coyotes - 8 Second Ride Eighth Street Plaza - Saturday Morning Swing at the Augusta Market on the River Fox’s Lair - Old Man Crazy The Iron Heights - BullMoose, Swing Fist, All That Matters, Hope Sets Sail Shannon’s - Preston & Weston Sky City - Trae Pierce & the T-Stones Stillwater Taproom - Uncle Jack Wild Wing - Moby Dick The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - DJ Fugi Chevy’s - DJ Nicky B Helga’s Pub & Grille - Bluegrass Brunch (11 a.m.-3 p.m.); Trivia, nights The Highlander - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - Ladies Night, Singles Night Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke
First Friday Art Show and DJs Sky City Friday, August 5 Door, 8 p.m.; music, 8:30 p.m. Free skycityaugusta.com 4AUGUST2016
V27|NO31
Sunday, August 7 Live Music
Aiken Speakeasy and Eats (Aiken) - Live Jazz Augusta Common - Candlelight Jazz Concert Bell Auditorium - Boston The Iron Heights - Trust in Traitors Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Brunch w/ Mike Frost and Lauren Meccia Wild Wing - Ruskin The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane
Monday, August 8 Live Music
Hopelands Gardens (Aiken) - Hopelands Summer Concert Series w/ the Fort Gordon Signal Corps Band Metro Coffeehouse & Pub - Blues Monday w/ Famous Last Words
What’s Tonight?
Joe’s Underground - Poker Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - World Tavern Poker Wild Wing - Trivia Wing Place (Aiken) - Trivia
Tuesday, August 9 Live Music
Joe’s Underground - Open Mic The Willcox (Aiken) - Hal Shreck
What’s Tonight?
Bar West - Trivia The Cotton Patch - Trivia Limelite Cafe - Bottom’s Up Trivia Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Trivia Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Big Prize Trivia Twisted Burrito - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper
Wednesday, August 10 Live Music
The Highlander - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Mike and Walter Wild Wing - Patterson & Nate
What’s Tonight?
The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - Karaoke Chevy’s - Karaoke Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes Knight’s Lounge - Game Night The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Pizza Joint (Evans) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper The Playground - Krazy Karaoke w/ Big Troy Polo Tavern (Aiken) - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Sky City - Wednesday Night Conspiracy w/ DJ Knightmare Somewhere in Augusta - The Comedy Zone Southbound Smokehouse - Trivia Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz Surrey Tavern - Trivia w/ Christian and Mickey
Upcoming Andrew Hibbard
- Stillwater Taproom August 11 The Whigs
- Sky City August 25 Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
- Imperial Theatre September 9 I Love the ‘90s Tour w/ Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Kid N Play, Rob Base, Tone Loc, Color Me Badd
- Bell Auditorium October 6 Yonder Mountain String Band, Fruition
- Jessye Norman Amphitheatre October 6 Blues Traveler, the Marcus King Band, Cranford Hollow
- Evans Towne Center Park October 14 Mountain Faith
- Imperial Theatre October 14 ZZ Top
- Bell Auditorium October 26 Moon Taxi, Big Something
- Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee, North Augusta October 28 Gin Blossoms, Tonic
- Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee, North Augusta October 29
Try FREE: 706-434-0108 More Local Numbers: 1-800-926-6000
Elsewhere
Ahora español Livelinks.com 18+
Meghan Trainor, Hailee Steinfeld, Common Kings
- Chastain Park, Atlanta August 4 Chaka Khan
- Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta August 5 Twenty One Pilots
- Infinite Energy Arena, Duluth August 6
4AUGUST2016
REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.
Meet sexy new friends
FREE TRIAL
706-434-0112
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 31
V27|NO31
SIGHTINGS
Michael Johnson | mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Chris and Lauren Ledbetter with Rhonda and Sean Davis at Wild Wing.
Yuba Barrantes, Amanda Lowe and Brian Spence at Wild Wing.
Matt and Cherith Anderson with Christen Eller and Alex Anderson at Wild Wing.
Allison Godden, Laura Dresser, Roslyn Joseph and Bridgit Dresser at Takosushi.
Elisabeth Pearson, Phillip Lee Jr. and Charles Wray at Surrey Tavern.
David Buck, Kristen Printup, Ashley Gibbs and Andrea Ellis at Surrey Tavern.
Cary Goldsmith with Cassie and Alex Herndon at Takosushi.
Tony Talone, Karli Murphy, Anna Jones and Clay Wagner at Stillwater Taproom.
Stephen and Shelby Dodd with Allison Goodwin at Stillwater Taproom.
32 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
4AUGUST2016
OUT OF THIS WORLD By David Steinberg/Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS 1 Note in the B-major scale 7 Platter letters 10 Boston megaproject completed in 2007, informally 16 Semiformal jacket 17 Item of winter gear with multiple straps 21 Touch down, say 22 Bro’s greeting 23 Sarcastic “Wonderful!” 24 Word after smart or sugar 25 Some female athletic gear 27 Pinstriped team 29 Cybercrime target, for short 30 Newsman Brown 31 ____ manual 32 Sacramento-to-San Diego dir. 33 Grade to be concerned about 34 Pass, of sorts 37 Bothers 39 Admire oneself a little too much 42 Homer Simpson exclamation 44 – 48 Healthy yogurt mix-ins 49 One not looking for an expensive night on the town 52 Precollege 53 High degree in math? 54 Bris official 56 Approached aggressively 59 Scout group 60 Expired 62 Occupied, as a seat 66 “____ over” (dispiriting message) 68 Latin for “of the sun” 70 They can sleep if you play with them 71 Arctic lights 72 Washington suburb 74 Palindromic elemento 75 PC task-switching combo 76 Twosome 78 Stripe on a zebra, e.g. 81 The pack in a six-pack 84 Legendary Bruin 85 A kid may exchange it for money 87 Capone rival 89 P 90 “Silent Spring” subject 91 1970s-’80s craze that’s the theme of this puzzle
95 Radio format 40 24/7, for instance 96 Anise-flavored drink 41 Friend of Lucy Ricardo 98 Bettering 42 Live-broadcast feature, 99 Loch Ness monster, e.g. oxymoronically 100 Lat. or Lith., once 43 Symbols of speed 102 One who’s been tapped on the 45 Fruit used in wines and syrups shoulder? 46 Trig angle symbol 103 Big name in electronics 47 Trig’s law of ____ 106 Cry from the enlightened 50 Agitated, with “up” 108 Defunct spy org. 51 Beach shade 110 Response on un questionnaire 54 Popular reds 112 Mission requirement 55 Yellow dog of the funnies 116 Place to get drunk before getting 57 Bust ____ (guffaw) high? 58 Highlands designs 121 Inspiration for “Lolita” 61 Politician’s asset 122 Alfredo, for one 63 Palindromic nut 123 “Never ____ Give You Up” (1988 No. 64 Literary governess 1 hit) 65 Palindromic blast 124 Sometimes-sung pieces 67 Biblical kingdom 125 Scraped (out) 69 Language with only 14 letters 126 Ball to keep an eye on 71 Nelson ____, “The Man With the Golden Arm” novelist DOWN 73 “You betcha!” 1 No miniature gulf 75 Jumper cable connection 2 Pours poorly 76 Dummy 3 Wore 77 Language that gave us “punch” 4 Color of la Méditerranée 79 Sister of Cronus 5 Some complications 80 Eastern ecclesiastic 6 Event for select customers 82 Unnamed object 7 Ocean eyesores 83 10th: Abbr. 8 Six-pack inits. 86 Manage 9 Chandon’s partner 88 Sketchy place? 10 Common Coke go-with 92 Parts of sneakers 11 Affixes, as a patch 93 Spinoff series with two spinoffs of 12 Grasp intuitively its own 13 Sights in New Orleans 94 Luxury Italian label 14 Prestigious school group 97 Certain Honshu resident 15 Noisy flight crew? 99 Umbrella holder, maybe 17 George on an annual Forbes list 101 Queen of ____ 18 ____ Academy (means of online 104 Sleeping Beauty was under one education) 105 OB/GYN’s prefix with -gram 19 Iolani palace locale 107 “____ Lang Syne” 20 Statistical tool for comparing means 109 Advertising buzzword 26 It may start at 10 111 Apiece 28 Buckingham Palace guards 112 It may collect dust 33 Detoxing hurdle, for short 113 Fareed Zakaria’s channel 34 Tree hugger? 114 ____-Jo (’80s track star) 35 “You betcha!” 115 Specialty-shoe spec 36 It may change because of weather, 117 Bother in brief 118 Digs 38 Not let bygones be bygones, say 119 Bother 39 Golf-course obstacles 120 Not working anymore: Abbr.
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71 74
75 80
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106 113
64
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91 97
44
70
78
90
43 51
73
77
14
38
56
69
85
13
32 37
50
62
68
84
12
28
36
55
61
96
35
42 49
53
11
21
31
48
60
10 20
24
33
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9 19
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107 114
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PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWERS A M F A R
T A R S I
O R O Y P L P E A T I T A N A
T A T A
B O R I S
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I M I M P R E S S E D
M I C I N O P Z E N W A E C A R S E R T A H R A N U T S A N I C S L I L O R D E R G C O N S A R C D M E I E R S S C A E M O C K Y S E E E T R E S S Y N O T P E R I E N E R
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4AUGUST2016
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 35
V27|NO31
THE EIGHT
BOX TOPS Jason Bourne kills. No surprise there. RANK TITLES
WEEKEND GROSS TOTAL GROSS WEEK # LAST WEEK
1
JASON BOURNE
$59,215,365
$59,215,365
1
-
2
STAR TREK BEYOND
$24,754,339
$106,474,717
2
1
3
BAD MOMS
$23,817,340
$23,817,340
1
-
4
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS
$18,915,140
$296,882,885
4
2
5
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE
$10,988,839
$42,598,462
2
4
In Theaters August 5
ACTION
“Suicide Squad,” rated PG-13, starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Common, Viola Davis. Have to admit: even if we knew nothing about this movie, we’d go see it based on the poster alone. As it is, however, anyone who likes movies in the slightest knows this is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, mostly because of Jared Leto’s rumored genius portrayal of the Joker. The story is, in a nutshell, the worst of the worst supervillains are enlisted by the government as superheroes. Do what the government wants, shorter jail sentences. Do something wrong? Die. As with all government plans, we can’t find any fault with this logic and we’re sure everything goes according to plan. 36 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
COMEDY
“Nine Lives,” rated PG, starring Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner. Dammit, Spacey, you play Frank Freaking Underwood. Why the hell are you starring as the voice of a cat in a movie that rips off the plot of “Big”? And you just had to drag Christopher Walken and Jennifer Garner into it, too, didn’t you?
4AUGUST2016
V27|NO31
Red States Minus Blue Voters Equals Better Places to Live (Statistically) Bouncing back from a few weeks of vacation in the last month, I believe this column from March of 2015 is as pertinent now as it was then, maybe even more so. There is a good deal of Red State vs. Blue State noise out there; hopefully, this incredibly well written piece from last year will help keep these arguments in their proper perspective. Back with more fresh hell next week... ”There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, and statistics.” — Mark Twain America’s favorite author didn’t like fibs, and he certainly had a problem with fibs that seemed to be backed up (facetiously) by math. That said, he would likely have a hard time with the premise of an interesting column published last week by our left wing friends at the Daily Kos. Called “Religion, Racism & the Consequences of Republican Policy: Poverty, Obesity, & Incarceration.” Google the piece, take a look. In case you don’t have a computer handy, I can sum up the major points of the article, which is designed to have you believe that states dominated by Republican voters are suffering from a collection of maladies brought about by their conservative policies. The piece focuses on Southern states, which they maintain: 1. are the most religious 2. are the most evangelical 3. have the most racists 4. are controlled by Republicans 5. have the lowest wages 6. are the most impoverished 7. have the highest regional use of food stamps 8. have the highest rates of teen pregnancy 9. have the highest rates of obesity 10. have higher rates of heart disease and stroke 11. have higher rates of cancer mortality 12. have fewer high school graduates 13. have fewer residents with college degrees 14. have the highest rates of incarceration Damn... who knew Georgia and South Carolina qualified as “Hell with gnats, and good barbecue?” There are some subjective claims here that, while interesting to speculate about, are impossible to validate. I find it hard to believe there is a quantitative scale that can measure the “spirituality” of a given region, Sunday service attendance notwithstanding. Some of the best and most God-fearing people I have ever known refuse to step a foot inside a real church, while lunatics like Charles Manson, Rev. Jim Jones and David Koresh are all self described “church leaders.” As far as how many “racists” are in any one place, the source material in the piece was based on objectionable “tweets” made after President Obama’s 2012 re-election. If the material is to be believed, there were virtually no “offensive” tweets made in the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming or South Dakota during the period the study was conducted. Either that, or there is no cell service or computer lines in that part of the country. I believe low wages are a direct reflection of the much lower costs of living and real estate in the South, so I will also yield to that point, with the given explanation/justification. But let me concentrate for a moment on the numbers that are hard and fast, and put to twisted use in this outrageously flawed essay. In the state of Georgia I will be happy to agree with the premise that we have a problem with a few of the categories, specifically, teen pregnancy, the high school graduation rate, the number of residents with college degrees and the 38 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
incarceration rate. But as a resident of one of the most conservative counties in this conservative state, I can tell you these ain’t problems in my neighborhood (or voting precinct). So where are all the dropouts, poor folks, illegitimate children on state relief, and incarcerated people coming from? They are here in Georgia, no doubt, but they are also hailing from the neighborhoods (voting precincts) of the most consistently liberal voting blocks in the region. Go the websites of the Richmond and Columbia County Boards of Elections and pull up the precinct by precinct voting records in the last four presidential elections. Take a good hard look at which precincts vote overwhelming Democratic (some areas to the tune of 90 percent and better), then compare them to the precincts that have the highest percentages of Republican votes (usually in the neighborhood of 75-80 percent). As you assess your data, a stark reality emerges. It won’t take you but a moment to realize that the better the neighborhood, and the education system, and the lower the crime rate, the more likely you are to be in a Republican stronghold. Inversely, if you are in a crime ridden area, with horrible education stats, and a high rate of public assistance directed at one parent households, congratulations, you have landed in Democrat Central. Ironically, the wealthy tend to be more diverse in their political beliefs than the poor. There are way more upwardly mobile folks in the South voting Democrat than there are slum dwellers voting Republican. There are anomalies, of course, but the trend is clear. Okay, so how does Daily Kos (and the rest of the left wing world, for that matter) get off telling us how terribly we compare to the rest of the country when, clearly, the standard bearers of the Democratic Party appear to be the people who are statistically “dragging us down?” Talk about gall. I say with clear conscience and absolute certainty, if every hardcore Democrat got up and left the great states of Georgia and South Carolina, every single “stat” the left slams us on would reverse, and we would be listed at the top in almost every category where we are currently deficient. Conservatives (and especially the GOP) are not perfect by any stretch but, in this neck of the woods, we are the ones more consistently paying the freight and, for the most part, supporting the poor. We do it despite their lack of political support, and we do it despite the failures of the Welfare State as we know it. Yes, the Red States have baggage, but the majority of it is Bluer than Blue. AUSTIN RHODES
A long-time radio talk show host who can be heard weekdays on WGAC from 3-6 p.m. The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
4AUGUST2016