Table of Contents
EDIT
May 26, 2016
Amy Christian
Arts Editor/Production Director
Whine Line Augusta Tek Kris Fisher Jenny is Wright
amy@themetrospirit.com
Stacey Eidson Staff Writer
stacey@themetrospirit.com
Molly Swift
4 6 8 9
Staff Writer
molly@themetrospirit.com
Insider 10 Feature 12
CREATIVE Joshua Bailey
What’s Up Calendar Nightlife Sightings NYT Crossword The Eight
Lead Designer
joshua@themetrospirit.com
COVER DESIGN: KRUHU
SALES Jim Christian Account Executive
jim@themetrospirit.com 706-414-4059
24 26 32 34 35 36
BUSINESS Joe White Publisher
joe@themetrospirit.com 706-373-3636
DREAM HOME OR NIGHTMARE? 12
Johnny Beckworth circulation manager
johnny@themetrospirit.com Contributors Jenny Wright, Greg Baker, Austin Rhodes, Josh Ruffin, Kris Fisher, Michael Johnson
Metro Spirit is a free newspaper published weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks a year. Editorial coverage includes local issues and news, arts, entertainment, people, places and events. In our paper appear views from across the political and social spectrum. The views do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Visit us at metrospirit. com.© 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. One copy per person, please.
Want to advertise in the Metro Spirit? Call or email Joe at 706.373.3636 joe@themetrospirit.com
THIS WEEK
“I’m sitting at the pool, watching the kids swim. They don’t need me here. They hardly know I’m here. I’ll let them… soon.”
Pg. 9
We love Willie Nelson, not despite his outlaw status and the conundrum that is his character, but because of it. And the fact that he will take Evans Towne Center stage to headline the Papa Joe’s BanjoB-Que Music Festival Friday night is just icing on the cake. Pg. 19
Music composer Mark Swanson enjoyed moderate success when he lived in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t until he and his family moved to back to Augusta that his creative career really began to take off. Now, they’re off to NYC soon as part of the New York Musical Festival. Pg. 24
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OPINION
The Whine Line
6 8 9
I am so tired of all of these two-faced people around here! Amazing....HRC has spent $180 million to get elected so far. If democrats care so much wouldn’t that buy a lot of water in Flint or feed and house a lot of illegals that they covet so much. With all of these old white guys on the Columbia county commision, how the hell are they visionaries of the future? LOL.. these old farts just discovered cell phones & tha innuhnet! Oh, the gray haired trend setters! Next they’ll be on twittuh! Their cutting edge dude
Austin admitting Trump is a flawed candidate is akin to saying Genghis Khan was ever so slightly lacking in social skills. Regarding the request to discuss substance vs character regarding Donald Trump, I don’t believe you can separate the two. The President represents the USA, so it is important how the world sees him/her. Right now, embarrassingly, the world sees a rude, clownish bully who has no idea how to perform in the job for which he is applying. There is no substance to discuss, because all you get in response to serious questions is the most blatant double talk I have ever heard. He is clueless. It’s not that people don’t care about his character, they just identify with it, sadly. Is that how we want the world to see us? Ignorant, loud, crude, prejudiced and hate filled? Have we no pride left? Is that what we want to stand for in this troubled world?
Augusta Tek Kris Fisher Jenny is Wright
I’m 40 yrs. But I feel 70 so I’m going to apply for social securine and medicare. When is it okay to complain about a free funeral? It was disheartening when seeing “It Was a Decent Funeral” as the headline for the Pauper’s Funerals last week. Do the relatives and friends not realize they didn’t pay a dime for what was done for them as a favor? Especially when paid by the taxpayers? If they actually paid for anything, then they have every right to complain. Shouldn’t the headline have read “Thank you everyone”? So sixteen years of Clinton and Obama are too much to bear? How about the 23 million jobs created under the Clinton administration or the statistically irrefutable fact that the Obama administration has, up to this point, created more jobs than BOTH Bush administrations combined despite the well documented plan of Republicans, actually hatched on the night of Obama’s first inauguration, to oppose any and everything he would try to accomplish during his two terms by means of unprecedented and malignant obstruction. Again, and we all need to be reminded of this on a regular basis, where we were immediately post Dubya;
one haphazardly prosecuted war in Afghanistan, the Iraq war that the Bush administration flat out lied us into, WMD and mushroom clouds blah blah, bestowing the two biggest tax breaks on the wealthy in American history that had never been done by any President during wartime, and our economic system, as well as the global system, teetering on catastrophic and total collapse, all after having inherited a budget surplus. Oh, and one little postscript, Newt Gingrich was not forced from office by an evil blackmail plot hatched by the Clintons, but rather publicly and unceremoniously drummed out of his job as Speaker of the House due to financial irregularities, that being Newt stealing money from his own PAC for personal use, hash tag RepublicansWhitewashingHistoryAgain. I rest my case. Augusta Georgia is the best place in the world to live and if you whiners do not like it then get out. This brawl in Hephzibah. Richmond county taxpayers will spend truckloads of money for court-appointed lawyers and trials. Character witnesses will come forward and say what sweet, lovely children they are, who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses will contradict each other. After all is said and done and the justice process runs its course, a handful of people will do a few years in prison or YDC. How about we avoid having a circus, save all that time and money, slap everyone on the hand and send them home. Maybe, just maybe, if the right hand lane of I-20 eastbound coming from North Augusta didn’t feel like driving over a washboard for 10+ miles, more people would move over to it. In case you haven’t noticed, DOT, it needs some work. “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over the years, either.” There is the adult beveragefueled quote by Trent Lott that Austin termed a “politically incorrect, silly joke.” To what problems could Lott have been referring? Those pesky black folk desirous of nothing more than basic equality? The right to equal education? The right to vote for the candidate of their choice? The right to drink from their chosen water fountain and not the blacks only fountain? The right to live without fear of lynching by white mobs? The right to go to a whites only library or shop in a whites only grocery store? Those problems? Lott’s endorsement of an unabashed, unapologetic, vile, racist segregationist for president speaks loudly of his own character and beliefs. Austin’s reference to the “silly joke” begs the question, as there is usually a laugh line to any joke, what was the punchline for Lott?
WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit.com. The Metro Spirit reserves the right to edit submitted whines for content, but we will otherwise print them pretty much exactly as you type them… spelling errors and all. 4 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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V27|NO21 RIVERBANKS ZOO & GARDEN WATERFALL JUNCTION
TWILIGHT IN THE GARDEN JUNE 10 - AUGUST 12
COLUMBIA FASHION WEEK JUNE 21 - 25
MOTOR SUPPLY CO. BISTRO
HARVEST WEEK JUNE 7 - 12 TOWNSHIP AUDITORIUM
1500 BLOCK OF MAIN STREET
MISS SOUTH CAROLINA PAGEANT JUNE 25
SODA CITY MARKET SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM
EDVENTURE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
LEXINGTON COUNTY BASEBALL STADIUM
Photo: Kickstand Studios
BLOOMING BUTTERFLIES NOW OPEN 26MAY2016
LEXINGTON COUNTY BLOWFISH VS. FLORENCE RED WOLVES JUNE 1, 8, 17, 22
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 5
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YACC
(aka, Yet Another Crypto Column) BY THIS POINT IN TIME, everyone should be familiar with the crypto-virus and its many variants. Given all the media attention regarding crypto, I find it hard to believe that folks haven’t taken steps to protect themselves. But they haven’t, and just about every week I hear about another individual or organization attacked by crypto. These cyber attacks target a computer file system and encrypt its contents. Crypto most often gains access through a user action — either opening a nefarious email attachment or following a hyperlink to an attacking website. Crypto is very efficient and very effective. If you are not doing anything to protect yourself, eventually you will get hit. Guaranteed. So hot shot, pop quiz. What do you do? Unfortunately, crypto is hard to stop. With multiple variants and multiple attack paths, no single approach will prevent all crypto attack. A multilayered approach is required to protect your systems. Let’s review the basics… Perimeter Firewall — A perimeter firewall with an integrated Intrusion Protection System such as ones marketed by SonicWALL and other vendors scan and block network traffic for the signatures of crypto activity, such as encrypted key exchange to the TOR network used by some crypto variants. These devices will also restrict the transfer of zip files and other files known to facilitate a crypto attack. Software Restriction Policies — Most crypto variants download and execute within the same group of folders. Software restriction policies created within Windows Group Policy or Local Security Policy prevent applications within these folders from running. While it’s a few years old now, Jonathan Hassell wrote a nice article in Computer World on how to construct these policies. Unfortunately, the old school SRP’s block many legitimate applications may as well. The applications may be whitelisted, but you will encounter some inconvenience when first setting this up. With Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2, Microsoft released a feature called AppLocker that addresses many of the shortcomings of SRP’s. AppLocker prevents users from running any application except for those specifically allowed by the administrator. Enterprise organizations running Windows Group Policy should strongly consider implementation of AppLocker. Folder Permissions — While the first two items aim to block crypto from running, this item seeks to mitigate the impact of a successful attack. Many shared file systems do not configure or only minimally configure folder permissions. While done for convenience, the lack of security places all files on the network at risk. Folders permissions limiting access only to the relevant individuals or applications will significantly limit the impact of a crypto attack. Along similar lines, note that using a service like OneDrive or DropBox that automatically syncs to your file system does not protect files from attack. As a matter of fact, crypto can encrypt the local copy and sync the corrupted files to the cloud! (Ugh.) Backup Your Data — A reliable and tested backup process is the only way I’ve found to guarantee protection against a crypto attack. A crypto attack is really no different than a fire or a flood; all occurrences result in the destruction of your data. To ensure your data is safe, the 3-2-1 rule applies: three different copies of the data on two different types of media with one copy located offsite. When establishing your backup management procedures, a comprehensive data protection package such as StorageCraft will be invaluable. Of course, this list is simply a starting point when setting up a defense against crypto. Reputable endpoint protection, enhanced web filtering, and the migration of certain services to the cloud should also be part of your security strategy. Your IT provider will be able to work with you to determine what is appropriate for your environment. Whether we like it or not, crypto is a reality that we must address, and the only thing you shouldn’t do is nothing. @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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No More Teachers, No More Books… My kids are enjoying their first week out of school for the summer and, surprisingly, I haven’t wanted to strangle them yet. Emphasis on yet, because I know it’s coming. Y’see, No. 3 is at the beach with her bestie. Which means No.s 2 and 4 have the run of the house. I’ve discovered that when it’s just two kids, things are pretty manageable. However, when all three of them are home for extended periods of time, all bets are off. That is, unless you are betting on the three of them fighting constantly. Whether it be 2 on 1 or just a free-for-all, they are usually fighting over something. And, oh yes, there will be blood. All that being said, this summer is a welcome rest. The weeks leading up to the end of school are hectic and exhausting. Where did all these at-school events come from? When I was a kid, you just had school all the way until the last day. If we were lucky, we could watch a movie the last day. My kids’ school is nothing like this. The first obstacle was their school Olympics. This is the 2016 version of my generation’s field day which took all of one day. Olympics, however, lasted over a week including a day of opening ceremonies. Then we have one day for each grade’s Olympics, of which I had to attend second and fifth grades’ Olympics. Then of course there was an additional day for the closing ceremonies. And, no, I couldn’t skip out on opening and closing ceremonies as No.3 was carrying her class flag. I am glad I went, though, because my kids really enjoy seeing their parents at these events. Also, my daughter is insanely competitive. She wins everything! She must get it from her mom. As a kid, the only thing I was competitive at was getting to the bottom of the Cheetos bag while playing my Nintendo. But I digress. Olympics total half-days missed from work: four. After the Olympics, they had their end-of-year parties. The school asked if I would DJ the parties and of course I did. Second and fifth grade end-of-year-parties bring up the total of half-days missed from work to six. At this point I’m expecting my boss to start getting suspicious. I mean, really; how many times can you use the “going to my kid’s end-of-year event” excuse to leave work before people start asking questions? Turns out it’s more than seven. Because I had one last event: fifth grade graduation. PS: When did this start being a thing? I didn’t graduate from fifth grade that I recall. They just sent you along your merry way. After watching your movie on the last day, of course. But I’m glad I get to do all these things with my kids. My daughter, my little overachiever, is involved with anything and everything. She got a few awards at her graduation and even got to give a welcome speech. Now, she’s off to middle school, God help me. My oldest son is off to high school and I’m excited for four years of high-school football. All-in-all this has been a big year for the Fisher household. While I joke about how much time these kids require, I love every second of it. Truth be told, I never wanted kids. But it is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m just really lucky to have a job that allows me to go to all these school functions. It would absolutely kill me to not be there. So if any potential parents are out there wondering if it’s time for them to start a family of their own I say: God, no! What are you crazy??
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.
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School’s Out for Summer IT’S SUMMER. I’m sitting at the pool, watching the kids swim. They don’t need me here. They hardly know I’m here. I’m not hovering, I swear. I’m tucked far away in the shade. They’re here with friends, all of whom are old enough to be here without me. I’ll let them… soon. The Boy got braces today. It’s a rite of passage and a necessary evil. Do you know how much braces cost? I cried when he walked out with them, but it’s not what you think. I’ve known we’d have to pay for them, and good care comes with a price tag. I’m fine with that. He looked so grown. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you he aged three years, just with that mouth full of metal. Don’t fret. He didn’t know I cried. I’m not intentionally embarrassing him. Not yet, anyway. The Girl is sitting out here, as one of the world’s newest fifth graders, girl-talking with the other girls. She’s the exact age I was when I moved to Atlanta, when I met the girls I’m still friends with today. She looks so much like my childhood pictures, and I’m guessing she’s not unlike me in the talking department. She never really stops. He’s cannon-balling his little self into the pool, going off the diving board again and again. I think he had a corn dog and ice cream sandwich for lunch. It’s a celebration of sorts. We survived sixth grade. If you have a sixth grader, you’ll understand. If you have a sixth grade boy, you’ll understand further. If that sixth grade boy went to Davidson Fine Arts, well, you know what I mean. Like braces, it was bound to happen, and we made it. Yes, I mean every bit of we. She’s worried about her bathing suit being too cute. She’s occasionally splashing a boy. She’s started talking back and rolling her eyes. My sweet little girl thinks I’m a little dumb. While he was turning 12 and getting braces and she was finishing fourth grade, I had a birthday. Thirty-nine. I’ve said it before, but age doesn’t really concern me much. It seems to bother everyone else, though. My dad called a few days ago and said, “You have a big birthday coming up!” At first, I thought he’d lost his mind. There’s still one more year before the big one. “I do?” He said, “Yeah, next year I have to buy you a 40th birthday card!” I guess so, but I hadn’t really thought about it. My father in law, always a practical man, said, “It’s a big birthday! A lot of people are 39 for the rest of their lives.” I suppose that’s true, too. I remember when my parents turned 40. I remember my friends’ parents turning 40. My kids will remember this time. I know that for sure, because I vividly remember the summer of ’87, when I’d just finished fourth grade. I remember the era of everyone wearing braces. I remember my parents embarrassing me.
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I also remember carefree summers. We stayed at the pool all day (with or without our nearly 40-year-old parents, who were probably drinking beer) and ate too much ice cream. We came inside well after dark. We made lifelong friends. They are the friends we drink beer with today. Pour yourself a cold one and head to the pool. Cheers, it’s summer!
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.
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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10 12
News
Dream Home or Nightmare?
Insider
The Winners, the Losers and the Runoffs The voTes have been counted and there were so many local races this week, let’s just cut to the chase and talk about some of the winners, the losers and who still gets to campaign over the next several weeks in the hot Georgia sun in hopes of winning a runoff. In the crucial race for judgeships, incumbent Superior Court Judge Carl Brown easily beat local attorney Chris Nicholson to hold onto his seat. The fact that Nicholson even attempted to unseat Brown, a well-respected judge who has served for more than 34 years as both a Superior Court judge and chief judge of Augusta’s municipal court, was... well, let’s face it, laughable. Especially considering the disciplinary arm of the State Bar of Georgia is currently recommending that Nicholson be suspended from practicing law for at least two years. In another important race for Superior Court judgeship, Judge John Flythe defeated local attorney Evita Paschall to take over retiring Augusta Superior Court Judge Carlisle Overstreet’s seat. And in the race for the State Court judgeship being vacated by Flythe, there will be a runoff between attorneys Robert “Bo” Hunter III and Kellie Kenner McIntyre. Kellie Kenner McIntyre, who is the current Richmond County State Court solicitor general, is also the daughterin-law of former Augusta Mayor Ed McIntyre. Local attorney Robert “Bo” Hunter III, who served as the former solicitor general of Richmond County State Court for about eight years starting back in 1988, is probably best known as a sole practitioner in The Hunter Law Firm. Monique Walker, who is the current chief operating
officer and general counsel for Global Personnel Solutions and also happens to be the daughter of former state Sen. Charles Walker, came in third in the race. In the race for House District 123, which is currently held by retiring Rep. Barbara Sims, it was a very close race between Dr. Mark Newton and local attorney Wright McLeod. But Dr. Mark Newton was declared the winner by receiving a little more than 50 percent of the votes cast. Newton impressed voters by not only being an emergency room doctor, but an Army veteran, a local business owner, a proud member of the National Rifle Association and a father of four children. Following his service in the Army Medical Corps and further training at the Medical College of Georgia, Newton became the chairman and medical director of the emergency department at Doctors Hospital in Augusta. Newton is also the founder and CEO of MedNow Urgent Care centers, which has three locations in Richmond and Columbia counties. McLeod was a close second in the race, while local businesswoman and registered nurse Lori Greenhill came in a distant third. Over in the House District 124 race, long-time incumbent Rep. Henry “Wayne” Howard easily beat his competitor, retired Army combat veteran Gregory Hill. Hill also happens to be the former husband of Monique Walker, the daughter of former state Sen. Charles Walker. In House District 125, incumbent Rep. Ernie Smith was beaten by his opposition, retired Democratic postal 26MAY2016
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employee Sheila Clark Nelson. Many voters pointed to Smith’s recent troubles with the state’s ethics commission as their reason for not supporting his re-election. Late last year, the state’s ethics commission, formally known as the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, found probable cause that Smith had violated various state laws in his handling of campaign cash. A commission investigation found Smith committed 88 violations of campaign finance laws. Specifically, Smith allegedly failed to disclose property he owned on personal financial disclosure reports and failed to report $7,503 in campaign contributions and $25,297 in campaign expenditures since December 2010. However, Smith denied any wrongdoings. Over in Georgia’s District 23 race, incumbent Sen. Jesse Stone easily beat Republican challenger in Sylvania, Ga., resident, Stephen Hammond. Stone, who was raised in Waynesboro, is an attorney that has served as senator of District 23 since 2010. In the race for the District 24 seat currently held by retiring state Sen. Bill Jackson, there appears to be a runoff. Five Republican candidates were vying for that position including former state Rep. Lee Anderson; President of Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate Company Joe Edge; former District 3 candidate on
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Columbia County Commission Greg Grzybowski; former chairwoman of the Columbia County Republican Party Pat Goodwin; and Realtor and mayor of Bowman, Ga., Peter Gibbons. Anderson received the most vote in the Republican primary, but it appears he will be facing a runoff. The winner of the Republican primary will face off against Democratic candidate Brenda Jordan in November. Over in local law enforcement, long-time Richmond County Marshal Steve Smith lost to challenger Ramone Lamkin, who is currently the head of the Traffic Safety Division of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Lamkin has campaigned over the past few weeks on the belief that the Marshal’s office needs to be more connected to the community. “A lot of people don’t know what the marshal’s office even does and they don’t know who the marshal is,” he said. “That’s sad to say, but it is true. People know who the coroner is, but they don’t know who the marshal is.” Smith had served as marshal in Richmond County for 28 years and has been in local law enforcement for almost 40 years. In Richmond County, there were three hotly contested races for Augusta Commission seats. In District 1, Commissioner Bill Fennoy faced competition from two challengers: community activist Denice Traina and political newcomer
Michael Thurman. But Fennoy held onto his seat by receiving more than 50 percent of the votes cast in Richmond County. Thurman, who is is the president of McGillicuddy Rental Properties in Augusta, came in second by receiving more than 30 percent of the votes. Over in District 5, former Richmond County school board member Andrew Jefferson, who recently retired from Augusta Technical College after more than 30 years in education, beat challenger Kelby Walker to replace Augusta Commissioner Bill Lockett. Finally, the highly outspoken and controversial incumbent Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams handily beat his competitor, Ronnie Battle, who served almost 25 years in the U.S. Air Force before retiring to the Augusta area in 1998. In Georgia’s 12th Congressional District, incumbent Congressman Rick Allen has once again beaten Republican candidate Eugene Yu in the Republican primary. Allen will face Democratic challenger Patricia Carpenter McCracken in November’s general election.
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Evans residents Stephen and Stephanie Montoya hoped their new house in the Northridge subdivision would be their dream home. Instead, it has become their house of horrors. By Stacey Eidson 12 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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At the very end of Northridge Circle in Evans, across from a quiet neighborhood playground and within walking distance of the popular Evans Towne Center Park, sits a picturesque, two-story home that radiates pure Southern charm. Its large front porch with ceiling fans and beautiful outdoor seating seems to be the perfect place to sit back, relax and wash all your worries away. But for homeowners Stephen and Stephanie Montoya, this seemingly gorgeous dream home has become their own personal nightmare. More than two years ago, before the Montoyas and their two small children even moved into their home at 450 Northridge Circle, they immediately had some serious concerns about the construction of their brand new house. As soon as the couple walked into the backyard and saw their retaining wall built only a few feet from their home, the Montoyas said it quickly raised several red flags. “As you can see, there are multiple cracks in the wall that come all along down the property,” said Stephen Montoya, as he walked along his backyard, pointing at the retaining wall. “This crack was here when we first closed on the house and they just stuccoed over it to cover it up. That was their answer, ‘Hey, let’s put some stucco over it. Problem solved.’” But, according to the Montoyas, that was only the beginning of their problems with the house that was constructed by local builder Ron Janelle, owner of IDK Homes, Inc. “When we saw that wall, we immediately went to the county. We contacted them before we closed on the house because we knew something was not right,” said Stephanie Montoya, adding that they were sure that Columbia County’s building and commercial services department would say that the retaining wall was inadequate. “But the director, Paul Scarbary, came out and his answer to us was, ‘It passed our inspection.’ And we were like, ‘Really? How is that possible?’” When the Montoyas researched the construction of the retaining wall, they discovered the only county documentation on the entire structure relates to paperwork involving their neighbor’s house.
“The retaining wall does not even exist on paper on our property,” Stephanie Montoya said, shaking her head in frustration. “There is no mention of it on our part of the property whatsoever.” However, the Montoyas were told there was nothing that the county could do because the retaining wall was inspected and approved by building officials. “Everybody at the county level has told us, ‘We can’t do anything. Sorry. We can’t help you because it is a civil issue between you and the builder,’” Stephen Montoya said. “But, the thing is, the county had the opportunity to come out, see the problems with the wall and make the builder do the right thing and they didn’t.” Instead, the county issued the certificate of occupancy indicating that the home was in compliance with applicable building codes and other laws. “The county’s review of the wall was one of the things that we were holding off for, so we wouldn’t have to close on the house. We told them, ‘This wall is not safe,’” Stephanie Montoya said. “But it was like they forced us into closing. We were counting on that to not close because we knew it was wrong. We didn’t want to close on the house. We wanted out, but the builder threatened us with, ‘We are going to sue you for the price of the house.’” In fact, Stephanie Montoya insists the builder and his attorney stated that if they did not close on the house, it would be a breach of contract and they would lose their $20,000 of earnest money that they put down on the $365,000 house. “The builder told us, ‘I will put a For Sale sign in your yard and sell it for a lot more money than I’m getting from you and then I’ll sue you,’” Stephanie Montoya said. “And our real estate agent told us that was true and he could do it. They told us, ‘Oh, we can’t make him give you back your money. You have to sign or you will end up spending even more money fighting it in court.’” Even during the home inspection prior to closing, only the very last line of the report stated there needed to be further inspection of the condition of wall, Stephanie Montoya said. “We felt trapped,” she said. “We wanted out. We even came to the house, cried and said goodbye to it, but we were told we couldn’t walk away.”
“What is supposed to be a person’s biggest investment has become our biggest liability.” — Stephen Montoya 26MAY2016
Despite all of their concerns about the retaining wall and construction of the house, the Montoyas felt like they had no choice but to close on their new home. They have regretted that decision ever since because of the additional problems they have discovered over the past two years, Stephen Montoya said. “Because of the inadequate retaining wall, there is about six inches of water underneath the house,” Stephen Montoya said. “And the retaining wall is bowing out and leaning about four inches on our side towards our garage. We’ve been told that our insurance won’t cover any damage if the wall falls.” The Montoyas said they just happened to discover their insurance company, Nationwide Insurance, wouldn’t cover any damages as a result of the problems with retaining wall about two years ago after the area’s terrible ice storm.
“A tree branch fell on our roof and took out one of our heating and air units, so we called our insurance agent and they came out and they did the adjustment for the roof damage,” Stephen Montoya said. “But while he was on top of the roof, walking around, he asked, ‘Is that your retaining wall?’ And I said, ‘Yes. That’s ours.’ And he said, ‘Well, you know that’s not insurable, right?’ So if that wall falls and damages our home, our garage or our cars, that’s not insurable.” “It’s not a matter of if the wall falls,” Stephanie Montoya added. “It’s a matter of when.” A February 2014 letter from Nationwide Insurance agent Jeffery Koleczek stated that the company will not cover loss to property from “pressure or weight of water” on a retaining wall. The letter also stated the insurance company will not be held responsible for any losses due to a AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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“We felt trapped. We wanted out. We even came to the house, cried and said goodbye to it, but we were told we couldn’t walk away.” — Stephanie Montoya “fault, weakness, defect or inadequacy” in design or construction of the retaining wall. When some of the neighbors began hearing the Montoyas express concern over the retaining wall, they didn’t seem to understand the seriousness of the 14 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
problems the family was facing, Stephanie Montoya said. “It is not a matter of getting a nicer yard and stopping the water that is flowing down the hill,” Stephanie Montoya said. “This is about safety. This is about protecting our house and our children’s safety. The wall is clearly not adequate and there is no drainage. Nothing has been designed or in place to catch the water. Therefore, that wall is leaning and threatening our home.” But according to the builder, Ron Janelle, the retaining wall was built to code and is structurally sound. Janelle, who has been in the construction business for more than 28 years and founded IDK Homes in 2005, asked that his attorney, Mark Cleary, speak on behalf of him and his company because of the lawsuit that the Montoyas filed against him in late 2014. In response to the Montoyas’ lawsuit, Janelle’s attorney filed a motion to compel arbitration, which Superior Court Judge Carl Brown granted last year. As a result, the Montoyas tried to appeal the trial court’s decision; however, the appellate court ruled this past March that it lacked jurisdiction in the case. Cleary insists that Janelle has bent over backwards to try and satisfy the some of concerns raised by the Montoyas, but the Montoyas are the ones being difficult. “I was in the building business as an avocation in
addition to being an attorney, so I’ve been building my whole life,” Cleary said. “I have dealt with a lot of homeowners, both rational and irrational homeowners. In this particular case, the county has said nothing is wrong with the wall. The engineer has said nothing is wrong with the wall and it is my client’s position that there is nothing wrong with the wall. It has been there over two years and the wall has not failed and it is not going to fail.” Specifically, Cleary points to a December 2013 letter from Bo Slaughter, vice president of James G. Swift & Associates, a local consulting engineers firm. In the letter, Slaughter writes that the Montoyas’ retaining wall was designed by his firm and constructed by IDK Homes. “I have made two visits to the site since the wall was completed,” Slaughter writes in his Dec. 4, 2013, letter. “Except for one 4” x 4” void at the base of the wall and a few marks on the face of the wall, the wall appears to be structurally sound.” Cleary insists that wall is not going anywhere. “We have had significant, significant rain since that wall was constructed,” Cleary said. “The way these retaining walls work is, if it is structurally deficient, when you get the hydraulic pressure behind a wall, which is a build up of water, it is going to find the weak spot and it is going 26MAY2016
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“Because of the inadequate retaining wall, there is about six inches of water underneath the house. And the retaining wall is bowing out and leaning about four inches on our side towards our garage.” — Stephen Montoya to fail. This one hasn’t. That’s been our position from day one.” But whenever a resident has any questions or concerns about their new home, Cleary said Janelle is more than willing to discuss those issues over with the homeowner. A prime example is the Montoyas’ own neighbors right next door, Cleary said. “The best evidence of what my client does is the neighbors next door to the Montoyas. Their neighbors had some drainage issues that occurred postconstruction,” Cleary said. “Whenever you come in and develop neighborhoods, it is the law of unintended consequences, where there maybe 10 houses up the hill where they have a water issue. The contractor comes in and puts in a new berm or puts in a French drain or puts something in which changes or redirects the flow of surface water across the property of another. So you may start having a ripple effect of drainage issues in a subdivision that starts with one house and ends up 10 houses down the hill.” Such an instance happened with the Montoyas’ neighbors, Cleary said. “The next-door neighbors contacted my client with concerns about surface water,” Cleary said. “My client came over 16 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
and was trying to address the issue and the Montoyas contacted the police, got the police out there and were outside screaming at the neighbors, telling them, ‘You can’t do this’ and ‘You can’t do that,’ while my client is over there trying to address a drainage issue on the neighbors’ property.” Cleary said that the Montoyas were the ones to create a hostile environment. In fact, he pointed out that the Montoyas even took out a restraining order on Janelle, accusing him of trespassing on their property. “Mr. Montoya has pissed off every neighbor in the subdivision,” Cleary said. “He tried to prevent the next-door neighbors, whose house my client built, from installing additional drainage work near the wall. But despite Mr. Montoyas’ efforts, my client fixed the neighbors’ problem for them. He did it willingly and he does that on every home. The only way he continues to sell houses is if he has a happy homeowner.” Cleary also denied that the Montoyas were ever pressured into closing on their home. “When all of these issues started rising up pre-closing, my client said, ‘Look, if you are not happy with the home, I will be
happy for you to not buy it. I will give you your earnest money back and I will sell it to somebody else,’” Cleary said. “Because, the fact is, my client knew that the wall was engineered by a licensed engineer. It was constructed in accordance with the engineer’s drawings and it passed county inspection. The bow that they are referring to is actually a jog in the wall that is there because there was a tree on the hillside that they did not want to remove. The wall is not failing in any respect.” In fact, Cleary said that Montoyas have yet to present him or his client with any real evidence that there are problems with the retaining wall. “They haven’t been able to get us an engineer that tells us that this wall is going to fail,” Cleary said. “They’ve just got it in their heads that this wall has not been built correctly.”
However, Joe Rhodes, an attorney representing the Montoyas, said his clients have plenty of evidence that the wall was not constructed properly. “There are three different reports from experts,” Rhodes said. “The reason Ron Janelle’s attorney said we didn’t have any experts is because he has refused to engage in discovery. My clients spent about $20,000 on these reports.” Rhodes provided the Metro Spirit with three different reports from Moore and Associates, an engineering and consulting firm in North Augusta, and EMC Engineering Services, Inc. from Evans. According to a March 11, 2014, report from EMC Engineering Services, Vin Pinkston, a regional manager, EMC performed a “post construction visual inspection” of the retaining wall. “EMC has noted the following items
“It’s not a matter of if the wall falls. It’s a matter of when.” — Stephanie Montoya 26MAY2016
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“At some point, you’ve got to say, ‘I’m not tearing that wall down, Mr. Gorbachev,’ especially when there is nothing wrong with it.” — Mark Cleary associated with the wall: 1) specific design parameters were not present, 2) common industry standard construction applications were not utilized, 3) areas of site development activities (post wall construction) have potentially compromised the wall’s structural integrity and 4) there was structural movement and cracking of wall components,” Pinkston wrote in his report. According to an Oct. 14, 2014, report from Moore and Associates, Senior Structural Engineer Daniel Rickabaugh found that the Montoyas’ retaining wall is “leaning and has storm water leakage at the base of the wall.” “The wall appears to be under-reinforced and has a narrow footing that is not consistent with a cantilever retaining wall condition,” Rickabaugh wrote. Rhodes insists that the Montoyas have more than enough proof that the retaining wall was not properly constructed.
“The Montoyas recently had to go behind the wall and dig a French drain because Ron Janelle had not dug a French drain,” Rhodes said. “We also have video of the water pooling at the bottom and flowing across my client’s property. We literally have video showing it.” While Cleary points to the manner in which Janelle has helped the Montoyas’ neighbors as an example of his positive relationship with homeowners, Rhodes believes those actions indicate that Janelle knows the retaining wall was not built up to standards. “Mr. Janelle, through his actions, has basically conceded that, ‘Yeah, the wall is pretty jacked up,’” Rhodes said. “He has repaired the wall on the neighbors’ side, but he has not repaired the wall on my clients’ side. There are a couple of reasons behind that. The first one is my clients’ side of the wall is materially different.” The retaining wall is located only a few feet from the back of the Montoyas’ garage, while the neighbors’ home is located further away from the wall. “The neighbors could move the wall in, and there is still land on their yard,” Rhodes said. “Now, the neighbors may have an argument for compensation for that land if they had to move the wall further in, but, in the case of the Montoyas, you would have to tear down my clients’ garage and rebuild it somewhere else. In fact, you would basically have to tear 60 percent of the home down and redesign it.” Reconfiguring the Montoyas’ garage and driveway is “just not feasible,” Rhodes said. “That’s why Mr. Janelle is treating the neighbors differently than he is my clients because he knows he has screwed my clients in a way that he has not screwed the neighbors,” Rhodes said. “Because the wall is failing right now as we speak.” According to several private inspections of the wall, Rhodes said that the Montoyas have proof that the retaining wall is leaning.
“The wall is bowing out, but on my clients’ side of the fence, it is also falling over on itself like a wave,” Rhodes said. “It is cresting four inches and it is getting worse over time. When the Montoyas first had it inspected, it had crested one inch. Then, a year later, it was two inches. Now it is four inches. So it is getting exponentially worse.” In Rhodes’ opinion, there is only one solution to the Montoyas’ concerns about the retaining wall. “We have discussed various solutions to this problem and, frankly, we can’t find one,” Rhodes said. “The only solution is for Mr. Janelle to pay my clients back the value of the home that they paid him and let them move out and he take the property back. That is the only solution because the retaining wall is a poorly designed structure and they ripped off my clients.” But Cleary completely disagrees with Rhodes’ assessment of the situation. Instead, he believes the Montoyas’ own lawyers have steered them in the wrong direction. “There is an arbitration clause in their contract, and rather than following the arbitration — which is a way to minimize the expense of the parties’ litigants and it is a lot cheaper than a jury trial and it is a lot quicker process — well, they ignored that contract provision because they didn’t like it and they filed a lawsuit,” Cleary said. “I had to file a motion to enforce the arbitration provision and we went to the hearing. Judge Carl Brown ruled in our favor.” But the Montoyas’ attorneys still didn’t want to go to arbitration, Cleary said “Their attorney filed an appeal and the appeal that he filed was not done correctly because this is what is known as an interlocutory appeal,” Rhodes said. “In other words, there was no final judgment rendered. They just didn’t like the fact that the judge enforced the arbitration provision so they filed a direct appeal. And that direct appeal was not the correct thing to do. You had to get permission of the trial court to file an interlocutory appeal. So they screwed up and the Court of Appeals dismissed their appeal.” That brought the Montoyas back to facing arbitration with his client, Cleary said. “The problem from the Montoyas’ standpoint is, they have spent so much money on the attorneys that they don’t have a choice but to continue with the litigation,” Cleary said. “Word on the street is that they’ve paid about $40,000 in legal fees to get where they are at now, which is back to square one. I’ve charged my client about $2,200 and I’ve won at every step.” And the Montoyas continue to battle everyone involved in the development of the house, Cleary said. “They’ve gone online and we have all this stuff they posted. We are gathering the evidence for trial,” Cleary said. “They have gone online and basically stated on
“With mediation, they will be just pissing into a fan because we are not doing jack shit on mediation.” — Mark Cleary 26MAY2016
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Facebook that the county is in cahoots with the builders and they can’t get any support from the county. Well, the county inspector, all he does is look at code and look at the engineer’s drawings and make a determination whether it was done correctly. And the county said it was. So now, according to the Montoyas, it is a big conspiracy between all county officials and all the builders in Columbia County. It’s ridiculous.” According to Paul Scarbary, the director of Columbia County Development Services, the retaining wall was approved by the county in October 2013. “The inspection was scheduled for the October 24, 2013, and we go out there and completed the inspection and the result was that the wall initially failed,” Scarbary said. “There were some issues with the wall that needed to be addressed, so they got an engineer involved who did their design for the retaining wall. So, the retaining wall failed on October 24 and a re-inspection was generated for the following day.” Scarbary said an inspector was sent to inspect the wall the very next day. “We go back out on October 25, 2013, and what the inspector was looking at, at that point, was the foundation and making sure that the rebar that was supposed to be in the footing was there,” Scarbary said. “It was not there during the first inspection. So the inspector goes back out on the 25th to do that inspection. He goes through the inspection and not all of the rebars are in so he comes back that afternoon to finalize the footing inspection. On the second inspection on October 25, the wall passed.” However, Rhodes believes the county didn’t have proper oversight regarding the construction of the wall. “It is Mr. Janelle’s position that, because the wall had been approved by a
private engineer and Columbia County inspectors, he is unwilling to replace the retaining wall, but there was no oversight by the county,” Rhodes said. “There was absolutely no county oversight. I am more than comfortable saying that statement.” But, by pursing the litigation against Janelle, all the Montoyas are doing are hurting themselves, Cleary argued. “I can tell you as a former builder and an attorney who has represented a lot of builders as clients, builders have to go back and make corrections all the time that the inspectors find. They are not immune to making mistakes,” Cleary said. “If you think about it, a builder has to have happy clients. Otherwise, nobody is going to buy his houses. But, at some point, you’ve got to say, ‘I’m not tearing that wall down, Mr. Gorbachev,’ especially when there is nothing wrong with it.” Cleary believes the Montoyas are continuing to shoot themselves in the foot by claiming there are structural defects in their home. “As far as the wall being uninsurable, how do you think that pot got stirred?” Cleary asked. “They already had the insurance in place. I don’t know about you, but I’ve owned a home for about 30 years. This is my fourth home and I have never, after I bought a policy of insurance, had an agent come out and look at something to make a determination whether it was insurable.” It just doesn’t happen that way, Cleary said. “The only way the agent got out there is because the Montoyas are continuing to stir the pot, looking for some reason to get the wall replaced when it doesn’t need to be replaced,” Cleary said. “Insurance agents just don’t come out to your house and inspect the wall to determine whether it’s insurable. They were called
“That’s why Mr. (Ron) Janelle is treating the neighbors differently than he is my clients, because he knows he has screwed my clients in a way that he has not screwed the neighbors. Because the wall is failing right now as we speak.” — Joe Rhodes 18 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
“Mr. (Ron) Janelle, through his actions, has basically conceded that, ‘Yeah, the wall is pretty jacked up.’” — Joe Rhodes out there because the Montoyas are just trying to find some sort of ammunition to get my client to do something that is unnecessary.” It has gotten to the point that Cleary says Janelle is done trying to please the Montoyas. “Ron has been in this business a long time and I’ve helped him on various things through the years,” Cleary said. “He is always willing to go back and make corrections until, at some point, when there is no rational reason for doing something, then you have to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ When the Montoyas insisted that we spend $40,000 building a wall that couldn’t come close to that, even if it was a poured concrete wall, at that point, we just said, ‘We are never going to make these people happy.’” Arbitration is the only remedy to this situation, Cleary said. “With mediation, they will be just pissing into a fan because we are not doing jack shit on mediation,” Cleary firmly stated. “We did what we thought was reasonable, with the exception of tearing the entire wall down and replacing it. I mean, we are just not going to do that. So an arbitrator is going to have to order us to pay for that. Otherwise, we aren’t doing it.” But the Montoyas insist they are not giving up because it is clear to anyone who looks at the retaining wall that it was not properly constructed, Stephen Montoya said. “What is supposed to be a person’s biggest investment has become our biggest liability,” said Stephen Montoya, standing on his front porch. “It has put our financial security at risk. It has put our kids’ college fund and future at risk. It has put their physical security at risk, all because Ron Janelle cheaped out and he has got this arbitration clause in the contract that lets him do whatever he wants without any recourse.” While this is an expensive legal battle, Stephen Montoya is confident that his family will prevail in the end. “My wife is a pharmacist and I’m a nurse. In two years, we’ve got $35,000 tied up in legal fees,” Stephen Montoya said. “That’s about $1,200 to $1,500 a month. That’s no chump change for us. But we are very
fortunate to be financially sound and financially secure enough to fight this. That is, until the wall falls and then we are screwed.” In the Montoyas’ eyes, they have a ticking time bomb in their backyard and they are not going to stop fighting until the situation is resolved to their satisfaction. “Realistically, what we are doing now is we are treading water and not getting anywhere,” Stephen Montoya said. “What we would like to be able to do is say, ‘Take back the damn house. Give us our money. Make us square and we’ll go away.’ Until then, we aren’t giving up.”
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The music industry has never seen the likes of Willie Nelson before, and it likely never will again. The Friday night headliner at Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival is an icon, for sure, but the 83-year-old is also an enigma. Who else could remain so revered by so many people despite the fact that he ushered in the Outlaw Country movement in the 1960s to combat the authoritative Nashville scene? And Nelson is the only one who could have a fan base spanning generations, who kids in their teens and 20s can have conversations with their parents and grandparents about and everyone agrees: Willie’s the best. It’s surprising, when you think about it. Sure, he’s an activist who supports farmers, horses and the heroes of the September 11 attacks. But he’s also a Democrat, a life-long (nearly) marijuana smoker and entrepreneur, someone who supports bio-diesel fuel and the LGBT movement. He has a house on what sounds like a commune in Hawaii that only uses solar power. In addition to an Austin, Texas, ranch, of course. This is a man who was doggedly pursued by the IRS and refused to quit lighting up despite lung problems that have plagued him for a few decades. Outlaw indeed.
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Doesn’t matter, though. He still has that distinctive warble. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for his own unique brand of country music that infuses jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk into the mix. For proof of this one needs to look no further than the accolades he has amassed: member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors recipient, the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress recipient and inclusion on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists. We love Willie Nelson, not despite his outlaw status and the conundrum that is his character, but because of it. And the fact that he may, hopefully, sing “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” from the Evans Towne Center stage is just icing on the cake. Willie Nelson and Family takes the main stage of the Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival Friday, May 27, at 9:30 p.m. Friday tickets are $35 for general admission. Two-day general admission tickets are $60. For more information, visit banjobque.com.
Formed in 1998, Old Crow Medicine Show is credited by many as leading the revival of Americana music and paving the way for bands like Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers. OCMS may be leading the charge, but it’s only in looking back at the history of American music — old-time, bluegrass, folk and more — that they are able to do so. And in doing so, they have earned the respect of some of their idols. In fact, it was a chance encounter with one of their main influences that led to one of their first big breaks. As the group was busking in front of Boone Drug in North Carolina (known as Doc’s corner, since the legend performed there frequently), Doc Watson’s daughter heard them and brought her father to listen. He was so impressed that he invited them to perform at MerleFest 2000. That led to one of the band’s most famous songs, “Wagon Wheel,” which may not have gotten released had it not been for the generosity of one of their other idols. Why? Because the song started with a Bob Dylan outtake called “Rock Me Mama.”
Ketch Secor was a mere teenager when he decided to finish what Bob Dylan started, and performed the song for almost a decade before thinking he might better make sure he could legally do it. So before recording it on Old Crow’s first release, “O.C.M.S.,” in 2004, he looked into it and found that he needed Dylan’s permission. And he got it. The two share a copyright on the song, splitting the authorship in half. It takes audacity, both to finish a song started by one of the most revered songwriters of the 20th century and to perform at a legend’s busking corner. Showgoers will find that same audacity in OCMS’s live shows… which is probably why they keep being invited to return. Old Crow Medicine Show takes the main stage of the Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival Saturday, May 28, at 9:30 p.m. Saturday tickets are $35 for general admission. Two-day general admission tickets are $60.
Trigg Brings His Talent to the Banjo-B-Que You might say Johnny Trigg is experienced. A veteran of barbecue and a two-time grand champion of the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational, the 77-year-old Texan and his team — Smokin’ Triggers — will be putting their talent on display at the Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que. Not that they are any strangers to the festival. Triggs has competed at Papa Joe’s multiple times and, as ever, he intends to have a good time. “I love the camaraderie, the people and the cookers, cooking and eating,” Trigg said, “I love the money when I win, too, but that’s just human nature, right there.” Trigg has a history of traveling around with his barbecue rig and retired from his career as an insurance executive in 1996, six years after his first barbecue competition. After competing in the Kansas City Barbeque Society events — which offered a larger purse than other competitions — Trigg decided barbecue competitions would be his “golf game” and started competing in earnest. “Some guys take up golf when they retire,” Trigg laughed, “I took up barbecue. Momma and I hit the road in ’99 and we’ve been traveling all over the country ever since.”
Trigg isn’t exaggerating. With wife Peggy and his team, Trigg usually “hits the road” every month, and for more than two-thirds of the year the team are moving from location to location, sometimes for competitions and sometimes for other projects. One of those projects is participating in the TLC reality show “BBQ Pitmasters.” Another is traveling to Kuwait to feed U.S. troops, cooking more than 100 briskets at each station. Reflecting on his 30-plus years of competitions, traveling and taking part in challenges, Trigg says his passion is still strong, but he’s trying to take it easier these days. “I’ve slowed down a bit,” he said. “I used to do 40-45 events a year and I’m down now to about 35.” Trigg also enjoys helping other people discover their inner barbecue fiend by providing classes on competitive barbecue, an opportunity that might even come to Evans. The classes are open to all cooks, from backyard cooks to established barbecue pro teams, and everyone is welcome to learn the art of competitive barbecue. They even learn Trigg’s own recipes and pro tips.
Part of the secret to good barbecue is knowing about the meat, pork or poultry you’re cooking and the Texan knows that, with regional barbecue competitions, sometimes just the cut makes the difference. “When I started cooking, people didn’t know what brisket was,” Trigg said. “Sometimes, we’d do a contest in Georgia and we’d be teaching people what brisket is. The meat matters; I look for meat that is well marbled and tender and that will hold whatever seasoning I use.” Trigg cites winning the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational as the highlight of his barbecue experience, but he was also inducted into the National Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2012, and is ranked No. 19 in the Pork Barrel BBQ’s list of the 25 most influential people in barbecue. With so much experience and so many years behind him, you’d be forgiven for expecting Trigg to consider putting the smoker aside and settling into a less demanding lifestyle, but he says that’s just not going to happen anytime soon. “I really love it and I have been doing it so long, and I will continue to do it,” he said. “I’m in good health, Momma’s in good health. People keep asking me when I’m going to quit but I’m not ready to quit. It’s a lot of work, but it sustains me.” The Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que offers competitive barbecuers, about 65 this year, a chance to fight for $40,000 in total prize money in a Kansas City Barbeque Societysanctioned event. Some of the competitors will also be vendors, means those attending the festival can buy some of the stuff that’s making the Evans Towne Center Park smell so good. For a list of teams competing, visit banjobque.com.
The Namesake Lest festival-goers think that Papa Joe isn’t a real person, he is. Joe Pond is Cathy Varnadore’s late father, and when she came up with the idea for the Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, she immediately started asking herself questions. “What would he enjoy doing? What were his favorite things?” she said she asked herself. The answers were bluegrass music and barbecue in a festival atmosphere. “When we were growing up, he took us to different festivals and concerts and fairs. He was all about that. We loved it as kids. And I just thought about how much he gave to the community. We just wanted to carry on with that and I think this is a great way of doing it.” The folks in Augusta, Evans and the surrounding area seem to agree. The music packs in the crowds, the beer and barbecue keep everyone happy, and families can have fun with a number of activities for the kids. It’s a great way to honor a man everyone was so fond of before he lost his fight with cancer. Even better is that proceeds from the event go to the Joseph R. Pond Memorial Foundation named in his honor, which focuses on helping fund cancerrelated organizations. This year, Cathy is especially excited to have headliner Willie Nelson, who has a sentimental appeal for her and her family. “He took us several times to see Willie Nelson when we were kids,” she said. “I don’t remember what song it is, but being a small kid and seeing that Texas flag come down and him just playing away was awesome. That was the type of music we grew up on.” Cathy and her team’s hard work on Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival is paying off. The festival was recently named as one of the eight underground festivals to check out before they go mainstream. “We always dreamed of going big, but we’re all just kind of surprised. We never thought we’d reach that level,” she admitted. “And USA Today has nominated us to be in the top 10 barbecue festivals in the nation. It’s called Best 10 and people have to go on there and vote. That’s quite impressive. We’re kind of blown away. My dad would be quite tickled that we’ve done all this.” And that, she said, is what it’s all about. Well, almost. “It’s all about him and the people coming,” Cathy said. “We just want everybody to have a good time.”
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MUsic coMposer Mark Swanson enjoyed moderate success when he lived in Los Angeles, California, even scoring two films for Showtime Entertainment. It wasn’t until he and his family moved to back to Augusta, however, that his creative career really began to take off. “I never would have thought that I would get my big break in Augusta, Georgia,” he laughed. “But I really would not have had the opportunity if I did not have that opportunity with Le Chat Noir and doing ‘Misconception’ there. That’s when it really started to roll, the creative process began to breed within my brain.” “Misconception: The Lost Gospel of Christmas” was Mark’s first true success. Often described as a cross between “Jesus Christ, Superstar” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” it sold out its holiday run at Le Chat Noir and went on to the CapitalFringe Festival in 2013 in Washington, DC. People in Augusta continue to ask Mark when Le Chat Noir will stage “Misconception” again, and those people are in luck: A “Misconception” concert will be held Monday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre on Augusta University’s Summerville campus. The university sponsored event is a fundraiser for Swanson, whose second major success since coming to Augusta has been composing “A Scythe in Time,” a musical based on two Edgar Alan Poe stories written by Alan Harris, who Mark met while in Washington, DC, at the festival in which “Misconception” showed. Mark submitted “A Scythe of Time” to the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) last November. “I just googled it and saw that this was the premier musical festival. It’s akin to the Sundance Film Festival,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Well, what have I got to lose? I’ve got two musicals.’” So he submitted both “A Scythe of Time” and “Misconception.” “Seriously, I thought ‘Misconception’ had a better chance of making it because, when we performed it here, we had sold-out crowds and we had three five-star reviews in DC when we did it up there. I
this Week
thUrsday If you have any questions, or would like to submit an event to our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com.
By Amy Christian
Whole Life Ministries on Washington Road across from the Augusta National wants to help you and your kids celebrate the end of another school year. So, starting at 6:30 p.m., they’ll host a party that includes inflatables, games, contests, food, a cake walk and more. Sounds fun!
Friday
Monday
Major Michael Donahue was killed The Indian Queen prides itself in 2014 during Operation Enduring on being “a good place to have a good drink,” and you won’t find any Freedom. Stationed at Fort Bragg, Donahue was an avid runner who disagreement here. After all, this made many friends in the Augusta place is home to one of the best area while he was stationed patios in town, a perfect place to here. Remember him and and the start off your long weekend with a other soldiers and families who refreshing drink made from the finest paid the ultimate sacrifice to our ingredients created in house. Visit country during Wear Blue: Run to from 3-6 p.m. to take advantage of Remember Memorial Day 5K/10K, their happy hour specials. which will start at Donahue’s memorial at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion at 8 a.m.
For more information on these events, see our calendar of events on page 26.
tUesday Join Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird and the rest of the gang at the Bell Auditorium for Sesame Street Live: Let’s Dance at 6:30 p.m. Literally, join them, because your kids’ favorite characters will come into the audience to dance with them. And if you can’t make it today, wake the kids up for the Wednesday, June 1, show at 10:30 a.m. $22-$62.
thought, ‘Eh, nobody’s really going to be interested in an Edgar Alan Poe musical.” Mark and his wife Nicole, who also acts and produces, were therefore surprised when they found out in December from one of the festival’s organizers that “A Scythe of Time” made it past the first cut. “And I felt really good because she was really into the show,” he said. “She said it was different than some of the others, musically and creatively. So we thought, ‘Wow. We’ve got a real chance.’” In February of this year the Swansons found out they had more than a good chance: “A Scythe of Time” had been one of 13 shows (out of 207) accepted into the prestigious event. For being a part of the festival, the Swansons received a theatre in Manhattan for the run of their show in July, musical instruments, lighting and sound equipment and a couple of staff members. “It’s about $30,000 worth of stuff,” Nicole explained. “It’s an off-Broadway venue, which is fantastic. You can’t ask for better than that. But we’re self-producing, as is every other show from all around the world. Where our budget really balloons is in travel. We have to travel, we have to get a spot up there for two months, we have to get rehearsal space. Our budget all together is about $94,000 that we need to raise.” Travel is one expensive part of producing a musical in NYC. The other is staff. Unlike a small production in someplace like Augusta, where actors may pitch in to sew costumes and producers may also build and paint sets, every person in New York has a specialty. “Designers and lighting and sound and props… you name it, there’s a designer for it,” Nicole laughed. “Everybody does their job and that’s their specialty and they do it very, very well. It’s amazing.” In fact, the Swansons say one of the great things to come from this experience is the contacts and connections they’ve made. Their director, for example, has been associate director for Broadway hit “If/Then” and the Tony Award-winning “The Trip to Bountiful.” Their musical director just finished a national tour of “Pippin.” “We just hired some of the actors and we’re sending out offers to Tony Award winners,” Mark said. “It’s crazy.” “It really is a different level that we’ve just never experienced,” Nicole added. “It’s not even that they include us or that we’re a part of the team. It’s our team and they’re looking to us to make the decisions. And these people are professionals and have been for a long time. It’s incredibly exciting and daunting and fun.” Not only are the Swansons making valuable contacts, through the festival they’re able to get Mark’s work in front of incredibly important people in the industry. From NYMF, four musicals have gone on to have Broadway runs, 25-30 have had successful off-Broadway runs and more have been produced elsewhere. The Swansons, however, say they’re not the only ones benefiting. Their daughter is going to be a production assistant, either on “A Scythe of Time” or another show in the festival, some of their New York crew want to do a master class with the Greater Augusta Youth Theatre (Nicole is on their board) and Augusta actor Brandon Brune is cast in “A Scythe in Time.” In fact, four people from Augusta auditioned in New York to be a part of the production, and Mark said they all held their own against some stiff competition and were themselves able to make important contacts and connections. Brune, though, was a standout. “After he finished his audition, the musical director said, ‘We won’t hear anyone today who sang that song better than Brandon did.’ I didn’t know if he was going to be cast after that, but I knew he was one of the best sounding vocalists up there, and he’s going up against a guy who just got off the ‘Pippin’ national tour as Pippin, you know? We’re not even sure we’ve got a spot for him, but we’ve got a spot for Brandon Brune… from Augusta. We’re really excited for that opportunity for Brandon, so he’s going to go to live up there for a couple of months like we are and, hopefully, something wonderful and
magical will happen for him too.” Rehearsals begin in New York on June 23, leading up to the show’s five performances in late July at the June Havoc Theatre. Before their temporary move to the Big Apple, though, they’ll have several fundraisers. After the “Misconception” concert on May 30, they’ll also hold a Bridge to Broadway Party at Sacred Heart Cultural Center on June 9 and then hold a send-off dinner on June 21. “People have been so generous,” Mark said. “I’ve been reduced to tears at times by people and their generosity. And that’s a real responsibility to us, to make sure we use that money in the best way possible and we’re very careful with that.” Mark and Nicole are also careful to thank the people they’ve worked with in Augusta: Richard Justice, Debi Ballas, Doug Joiner and Krys Bailey are just a few of those who have helped them along the way. “I’ve just learned so much from these professionals here, and I’m taking what they’ve taught me to this next level,” Mark said. This success, Mark added, is just proof that perseverance has its rewards. “It’s nice as a creative artist to be recognized, especially when you reach the age of 45 and you hadn’t really done a major piece of work yet, and then you pump out two in like two or three years and people like them,” he said. “It’s a big deal, because I could have given up when I moved here when I was 40. I could have said, ‘Well, that part of my life is over,’ but I had no idea that it was just starting.” “Misconception” concert Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Monday, May 30 7:30 p.m. Donations welcome ascytheoftime.com
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Movies on the Common Augusta Common Friday, May 27 7:30 p.m., pre-movie activities; dusk, movie This season’s series begins with the acclaimed “Inside Out” 706-821-1754 augustaga.gov
ARTS Thu May 26
8:45am Meditation in the Galleries Morris Museum of Art Participants will learn meditation from Kevin Sharpe while viewing the exhibition Paintings by Victoria Lowe. Free, but preregistration required. Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris.org.
6pm Art Now: Aldwyth Morris Museum of Art Artist Aldwyth discusses her collages and assemblages. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.
Tue May 31
8:45am Yoga in the Galleries Morris Museum of Art Participants will learn yoga from Frankie Kraemer while viewing the exhibition Paintings by Victoria Lowe. Free, but preregistration required and participants must bring their own mats. Call 706-828-3867 or visit themorris.org.
EDUCATION Thu May 26 26 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
1pm - 4pm Veterans Benefits Program
2090 or visit jamesbrownfamilyfdn.org.
North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Guided Tours
Mon May 30
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.
Wed Jun 1
3pm Beginner Spanish Aiken Public Library A class for adults. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Ongoing
James Brown Family Historical Tour Augusta Museum of History Available each Saturday at 11 a.m. and lasting approximately two hours, this bus tour includes Brown’s elementary school, his childhood home, his statue and more. $15 fee, includes admission to the museum, which houses the largest collection of James Brown memorabilia. Reservations 24 hours in advance required. Call 803-640-
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.
North Augusta Driving Tour Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta Offered by appointment and includes a 30-45-minute guided tour and admission to the center. Self-guided tours are also available through an iPhone downloadable audio tour or a Google Maps-based tour. Guided tours: $5, adults; $3, students K-12. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.
Tours Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson Guided tours, approximately 45 minutes long, are offered Thursday-Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Group tours are available by advanced reservation. Adults, $5; seniors, $4; kids K-12, $3; under 5 years, free. Call 706-724-0436 or visit wilsonboyhoodhome.org.
Historic Trolley Tours of Augusta Augusta Visitors Center Tours aboard the Lady Libby available at the Augusta Visitors Center with 24-hour advanced reservations. Tickets include admission to the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-724-4067 or visit visitaugusta.org.
FLIX Fri May 27
7:30pm Movies on the Common Augusta Common Featuring “Inside Out.” Pre-movie activities start at 7:30 p.m. and movies start at dusk. Vendors with concessions available. Call 706-821-1754 or visit augustaga.gov.
Thu Jun 2
7:30pm “Rock in the Red Zone” Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Shows as part of the Augusta Jewish Film Festival. Call 706-228-3636 or visit augustajcc.org.
Ongoing
Call for Entries Cause + Effect Progressive Film Competition The festival will accept through October 2 26MAY2016
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 May 26
6:30pm - 9:30pm Breastfeeding Class Doctors Hospital Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
7pm - 8:30pm Infant CPR Class University Hospital Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
Tue May 31
7pm - 9pm The Daddy Class Doctors Hospital An infant care class for fathers only. Preregistration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
Thu Jun 2
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 registered child. Call 706-721-7606 or visit grhealth.org/safekids.
HOBBIES Thu May 26
1pm - 3pm Cool Coloring for Grownups Aiken Public Library Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Wed Jun 1
Noon Georgia-Carolina Toastmasters 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.
KIDS-TEENS Fri May 27
9:30am Kroc Tots
or visit abbe-lib.org.
6pm Family Movie Night Kroc Center Refreshments available for $1. Free and open to the community, although members can reserve space up to a week beforehand. Call 706-364-5762 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org.
7pm Just Chill for Teens Aiken Public Library Pre-registration required. Call 803-6422020, ext. 1121, or visit abbe-lib.org.
Sat May 28
10am - noon Memorial Day Craft Mistletoe State Park Meet at the campground shelter. All supplies provided. $2, plus $5 for parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/ mistletoe.
11am Our Great Big Backyard Story Time Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
Mon May 30
10am Monday at the Museum: Historic Writing Augusta Museum of History This program for preschool-aged children will include an exploration of quill pens and Spenserian script. $2, members; $4, nonmembers. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Tue May 31
Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
10:30am 3D Bookmark Craft
Kroc Center Parents are invited to bring their toddlers for 30 minutes of playtime and a story, followed by an hour in the pool splash pad area. Parent must remain with their child throughout the program. Free, members; $5, nonmembers. Call 706-922-1533 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org.
Appleby Branch Library For ages 3-12. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.
4pm Storytime in the Gardens Hopelands Gardens Local senior adults will read to participants and each family in attendance will receive a free book. Blankets, chairs, drinks and snacks are welcome. Call 803-642-7631.
6:30pm Sesame Street Live: Let’s Dance!
4pm Lego Club
10am Story Time in the Park
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10am Wacky Wednesday Story Time
10:30am Toddler Tuesday
Kroc Center A weekly event for those ages 18 months-5 years and their parents that includes stories, projects and playtime. $1, members; $2, nonmembers. Call 706-922-1533 or visit salvationarmyaugusta.org. North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library For those in grades K-5. Call 803-279-5767
in which each family receives a book. Call 803-642-7631.
10:30am Sesame Street Live: Let’s Dance! Bell Auditorium $22-$62. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.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.
Bell Auditorium $22-$62. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com.
Thu Jun 2
Wed Jun 1
Appleby Branch Library For those ages 12-17. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.
Osbon Park, Aiken A free event for children ages 8 and under
10:30am 3D Bookmark Craft for Teens
Ongoing
Mayor’s Summer Reading Club Headquarters Branch Library A free program for those ages 18 and young that meets Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesday from June 6-July 13 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Activities include story times for younger children and silent reading for older ones, as well as cultural enrichment activities featuring surprise special guests. Lunch is provided. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2604 or visit arcpls.org.
TAG Dancers Needed Teens in Action with Goals, Inc. (TAG) is accepting new dance team members through June 1. Practices are Monday and Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. and dance camp will be held June 26-29 at Hickory Knob in South Carolina. For more information, call 706-284-8252.
Asthma Day Camps Camp Tanglewood, Columbia County Augusta University is sponsoring this camp, for children ages 6-13 with asthma, July 1116. Activities include asthma management sessions, swimming and hiking. Volunteer lifeguards, physicians and respiratory experts will be on hand to ensure illness or injury does not hinder the fun. However, a parent or guardian must attend a brief orientation and education session. Free, but pre-registration required. For more
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information, contact Kitty Hernlen: 706-7213554 or khernlen@augusta.edu.
LITERARY Thu May 26
10am - noon Morning Book Club Maxwell Branch Library Discussion will be on “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.
Wed Jun 1
6pm Page Turners Book Club Barnes & Noble Call 706-737-0012 or visit bn.com.
6:30pm Book Club The Book Tavern Featuring “The Right vs. The Right to Die: Lessons from the Terri Schiavo Case and How to Stop It from Happening Again” by Jon Eisenberg. Call 706-826-1940 or visit amunitedscra.org/bookclub.
Monday at the Museum: Historic Writing Augusta Museum of History Monday, May 30 10 a.m. This program for preschool-aged children will include an exploration of quill pens and Spenserian script. $2, members; $4, non-members. Pre-registration required. 706-722-8454 augustamuseum.org
MUSIC Thu May 26
7pm Music in the Park Maude Edenfield Park, North Augusta Featuring North Augusta Idol Spotlight with Mayor Lark Jones and an art show. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the community center. Free. Visit naartscouncil.org.
Fri May 27
7pm - 8:30pm Music Cruise Augusta Canal Featuring Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold performing on the Petersburg Boat. Participants are invited to bring snacks and beverages. $25; $23, seniors, military and students. Pre-registration required. Call 706823-0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com.
7pm - 9:30pm Acoustic Cafe Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta An event featuring local artists She N She, Vilai Harrington and Jerod Gay, as well as coffee, snacks and more. Advance: $13, general admission; $10, seniors; $8, students and military. At the door: $15, general; $12, seniors; and $10, students and military. Visit uuaugusta.org.
Sat May 28
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.
3:30pm - 10:30pm Augusta Music Fest Augusta Common Featuring live music from Tim Watson, Gary Palmer, Perfect Picture, Taylor 28 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Hewitt, Miranda Pokrzywinski, Candice Woodson and more. Free, general admission, $40, VIP; $20, kids under 12 VIP. Visit augustamusicfest.com.
and well-behaved pets on leashes, but no alcohol. Free. Call 803-642-7631 or visit facebook.com/experienceaiken. The rainout hotline is 803-643-4661.
7:30pm Remembering and Honoring
7:30pm “Misconception” Concert
Sacred Heart Cultural Center An Augusta Choral Society Memorial Day concert. $25, adults; $10, students under 25 and military. Call 706-826-4713 or visit augustachoralsociety.org.
Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre A fundraiser for “A Scythe of Time,” Augusta composer Mark Swanson’s musical which was recently accepted into the 2016 New York Music Festival and will show in July. $50 suggested donation, but any amount will be accepted. Visit ascytheoftime.com.
7:30pm - 9:30pm Soiree: Jazz + Wine Jessye Norman School of the Arts Featuring classic live jazz and wines selected by the host. $7. Call 762-233-5299 or visit jazzsoiree.com.
Sun May 29
Tue May 31
7:30pm Aiken Singers Annual Concert First Presbyterian Church, Aiken Call 803-270-0542.
7:30pm - 9:30pm Candlelight Jazz
8pm Evenings in the Appleby Garden
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.
Appleby Branch Library Featuring Dolce Evviva Strings. A free event in which participants can bring their own chairs, blankets beverages and snacks. Those with the best lawn party decor can compete to be the Appleby Garden Party Winner of the Week. Call 706-736-6244 or visit arcpls.org.
Mon May 30
7pm Memorial Day Concert Jessye Norman Amphitheatre A free concert featuring the Augusta Concert Band. Call 706-339-2340.
7pm Hopelands Summer Concert Series Hopelands Gardens, Aiken Featuring the Aiken Civic Ballet. Attendees can bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnics
Thu Jun 2
7pm Music in the Park Maude Edenfield Park, North Augusta Featuring the John Kolbeck Trio. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the community center. Free. Visit naartscouncil.org.
7:30pm Reid Arts Concert Series Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church The final concert of this season will featuring Peyson Moss on piano and organ. Visit reidchurchaugusta.org.
Ongoing
Independence Day Chorus Saint Paul’s Church Rehearsals for the chorus begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, and will also be held on June 15, 22 and 29 in advance of the Star Spangled Fourth Celebration at 7:30 on Monday, July 4. Those interested in joining the chorus should contact Artistic Director Keith Shafer at 706-722-3463 or info@ riverwalkseries.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS Thu May 26
6:30pm School’s Out Parking Lot Party Whole Life Ministries An event that includes inflatables, games, contests, food, a cake walk and more. Visit wholelife.org.
Fri May 27
4pm - 11pm Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival Evans Towne Center Park A two-day festival that included live roots, Americana and bluegrass music, a barbecue contest and vendors, craft beer, a petting zoo, pig races, playground and more. Friday’s music lineup includes 26MAY2016
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Guthrie Brown, Ben Miller Band, Mountain Faith, Blitzen Trapper, Laney Jones and the Spirits, Motel Radio, Great Peacock and Willie Nelson and Family at 9:30 p. m. Friday: $35, general admission; $150, VIP. Saturday, $35, general admission; $250, VIP. Two- day tickets: $60, general admission, $325, VIP. Visit banjobque.com.
5pm - 8pm Wine Not It’s Friday Whole Foods A $5 wine tasting in which participants get five 3-ounce samples of featured wines. Call 762-333-0259 or visit wholefoodsmarket.com.
7pm Coastal California Wine Seminar
Mayor’s Summer Reading Club Headquarters Branch Library Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from June 6-July 13 10 a.m.-1 p.m. A program for those ages 18 and younger that now, thanks to a partnership with the Richmond County School System, also includes free lunch. Pre-registration required. 706-821-2604 arcpls.org
Wine World A tasting of 10 wines, with bread, cheese and snacks. Participants will be offered special prices on featured wines. $20; preregistration required. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com.
Sat May 28
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.
music. Call 803-293-2214.
10am - 4pm Last Saturday in the Park
5pm - 8pm First Thursday
North Augusta’s Living History Park Featuring living history demonstrations. Call 803-279-7560 or visit colonialtimes.us.
Shops of Midtown, Kings Way at Central Ave. This event features discounts in the shops, hors d’oeuvres and more. Call 706-733-1788.
Augusta Canal’s Lake Olmstead Trailhead A class open to those of all ages and abilities. Participants should bring a mat or towel. Free, but donations to the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area accepted. Call 706823- 0440, ext. 2, or visit augustacanal.com.
10:30am - 11pm Papa Joe’s Banjo-BQue Music Festival
SPORTS-OUTDOORS
6:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs.
Evans Towne Center Park A two-day festival that included live roots, Americana and bluegrass music, a barbecue contest and vendors, craft beer, a petting zoo, pig races, playground and more. Saturday’s music lineup includes Delta Cane, Royal Johnson, the Mason Jars, BooHoo Ramblers, Georgia-Lina Boys, Packway Handle Band, Josh Roberts and the Hinges, the Little Roy & Lizzie Show, Have Gun Will Travel, SUSTO, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Sarah Jarosz, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Old Crow Medicine Show at 9:30 p.m. Friday: $35, general admission; $150, VIP. Saturday, $35, general admission; $250, VIP. Two-day tickets: $60, general admission, $325, VIP. Visit banjobque.com.
7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Charleston Riverdogs
Thu May 26
Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
Fri May 27
7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Charleston Riverdogs Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
8pm Campfire Program
11am - 12:30pm Memorial Day Parade
Mistletoe State Park S’mores and stories around a campfire. $2 per person or $5 for a family of four; $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Downtown Aiken, Park and Laurens Call 803-522-0607.
Sat May 28
8am - noon Run to Honor 5K & Army 10K
Thu Jun 2
5pm - 7:30pm Farmers Market in the Alley Downtown Aiken This weekly event includes fresh goods, food vendors, artisans, flowers and live 30 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Fort Gordon’s Barton Field This is an Army 10 Miler pre-qualifier 10K. Pre-registration required. Visit fortgordonrunseries.com.
9am Waterside Yoga
Charleston Riverdogs Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
8pm Bingo Night Mistletoe State Park Held at the campground assembly shelter. Boards are 2 for $1; $5, parking. Call 706541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Sun May 29
8am - 10am Adopt a Highway Wendy’s Riverwatch Parkway and I-20 A Sierra Club event in which participants will clean up a one-mile stretch on Riverwatch Parkway. Email t.nelken@att.net.
10am - noon Day Hike Mistletoe State Park Meets at the campground shelter. $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
2:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Charleston Riverdogs Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
Mon May 30
8am - 11am Wear Blue: Run to Remember Memorial Day 5K/10K Savannah Rapids Pavilion A free race to honor the soldiers and their families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to our country. The star line is near the memorial to Major Michael Donahue. Visit augustacanal.com.
2pm Animals of Mistletoe Mistletoe State Park An all-ages event that will meet in the discovery room under the beach house and will include live snakes, furs and mounted animals. $5, parking. Call 706-541-0321 or visit gastateparks.org/mistletoe.
Thu Jun 2
7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. West Virginia Power Lake Olmstead Stadium $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
Ongoing
Fencing Classes Augusta Fencers Club Classes for children as young as six, as well as teens and adults, meet five nights a week. Call 706-722-8878 or visit augustafencersclub.com.
Augusta Sports Leagues This organization offers adult sports leagues and social events, including kickball, soccer, flag football, softball, basketball, 26MAY2016
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indoor and sand volleyball, cornhole, and more for coed and men’s leagues. For more information, visit augustasportsleagues. com.
Guided Tours Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Call to schedule custom tours of the park for organizations, kids groups or private parties. Tours included hiking, bicycle or golf cart tours and more. Call 706-828-2109 or email info@phinizycenter.org.
Daily Canal Tours Augusta Canal Tours Mondays-Saturdays at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.; the Civil War Boat Tour is daily at 1:30 p.m.; music cruises are Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in April, and 7 p.m. in May and June; and sunset cruises are the third Saturdays, in April at 5:30 p.m. and in May and June at 6 p.m. Tickets are $13.75 for adults and $11.75 for seniors, military and students for Heritage Boat Tours and Civil War Boat Tours. They are $25 for adults and $23 for seniors, students or military for the music and sunset cruises. All tickets include admission to the Canal Discovery Center, which costs $6 for adults and $4 for seniors, military and students without a boat tour. Preregistration encouraged. Call 706-8230440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com.
Zumba Classes Patriots Park Held Sundays at 3:30 p.m. and Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the Bobby Waters Gymnasium. Taught by Alex Stampher. First class is free; $5 for each after that. Call 831-521-6439 or visit alexandrastampher.zumba.com.
SUPPORT Mon May 30
6pm Cancer Share University Hospital For those with any type of cancer. Call 706774-5946 or visit universityhealth.org.
Tue May 31
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.
Call 706-721-1634 or visit augusta.edu.
p.m. Visit na.org.
1pm The Lactation Club
Beyond the Bars
University Hospital A breastfeeding support group for mothers of NICU babies. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org.
A support group for those with incarcerated loved ones. Call 706-855-8636.
Ongoing
For more information, call 706-721-8299 or visit grhealth.org.
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) GA, 110 Augusta St. Alban’s Episcopal Church fellowship hall The group meets Mondays, with weighin beginning at 5:15 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. Call 706-790-0391 or visit tops.org.
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Pine View Baptist Church The group meets Tuesdays, with weigh-in beginning at 4:45 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 5:15 p.m. Call 706-868-0539 or visit tops.org.
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.
Thu May 26
6:30pm “Nice Work If You Can Get It” Auditions Dayspring Baptist Church This Greater Augusta Youth Theatre production will show July 22-23 at Augusta Prep. Auditions open to those ages 13-19. Visit grayt.org.
Fri May 27
7:30pm “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Aiken Community Playhouse An Aiken Community Playhouse production. $25; $20, seniors; $15, students and $10, children 12 and under. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Aiken Community Playhouse An Aiken Community Playhouse production. $25; $20, seniors; $15, students and $10, children 12 and under. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Sun May 29
3pm “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Aiken Community Playhouse An Aiken Community Playhouse production. $25; $20, seniors; $15, students and $10, children 12 and under. Call 803-648-1438 or visit aikencommunityplayhouse.com.
Ongoing
“Creation” Auditions Enopion Theatre Company Casting by appointment those 18 and older for this musical that will show October 2829 and November 3-5 at the Kroc Center. Rehearsals begin in June. Call 706-771-7777 or visit enopion.com.
Journey Community Church This Christ-centered recovery program meets every Monday night at 7 p.m. The meetings last two hours and childcare is provided. Pre-registration suggested. Visit cr@journeycommunity.net.
Diabetes Youth Support Group Meets quarterly. Call for more information. Call 706-868-3241.
Overeaters Anonymous Meets at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Unity Church, and at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 706-863-9534 or email oa.augusta.recovery@gmail.com.
Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support Group Provides group counseling at University Hospital for those who have experienced sexual assault, incest, rape or childhood sexual abuse. Call 706-724-5200 or visit universityhealth.org.
Alcoholics Anonymous Holds several meetings locally. For a current schedule, visit augustaaa.org/meetings.pdf.
Narcotics Anonymous
AU Cancer Center
Trinity Hospital of Augusta Meets Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7
26MAY2016
THEATER
7:30pm “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Celebrate Recovery
Wed Jun 1
Noon General Cancer Support Group
Families Who Have Lost a Baby Support Group
Sat May 28
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 31
V27|NO21
I Love the ‘90s Tour w/ Vanilla Ice, Salt N Pepa, Coolio, Kid N Play, Rob Base, Tone Loc, Color Me Badd Bell Auditorium Thursday, October 6 7 p.m. $28.50-$88.50. Tickets on sale now. 877-4AUGTIX georgialinatix.com
Seepeoples Sky City Friday, May 27 8 p.m., doors; 11 p.m., music $5 skycityaugusta.com Thursday, May 26 Live Music
The Iron Heights - The Things They Carried, Megosh Maude Edenfield Park - (North Augusta) Music in the Park w/ North Augusta Idol Spotlight Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Live Music on the Patio Stillwater Taproom - Delta Cane That Place - John Stoney Cannon Whole Foods - Music @ the Turn w/ The Versatility Project Wild Wing - Brandon Reeves 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 Fox’s Lair - Trivia, Soup and Suds Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia Joe’s Underground - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke MAD Studios - Open Mic, Spoken Word Pizza Joint (Downtown) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper (7 p.m.) Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane Somewhere in Augusta - Poker for Fun That Place - Open Mic Spoken Word, Poetry, Prose and Singer/Songwriters
Friday, May 27 Live Music
Augusta Canal - Music Cruise w/ Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold The Backyard Tavern - Broken Wind Bar West - Live Music Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Michael Stacey
32 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Coyotes - Joe Olds Band Evans Towne Center Park - Papa Joe’s Banjo-BQue w/ Willie Nelson and Family, Blitzen Trapper, Mountain Faith, Ben Miller Band, Guthrie Brown, Great Peacock, Motel Radio, Laney Jones and the Spirits Shannon’s - Pit Boss Sky City - Seepeoples Somewhere in Augusta - Chris Ndeti The Stables Restaurant (Aiken) - Jazz w/ Jimmy Easton Stillwater Taproom - Mississippi Kites Surrey Center - Keith on Keys Tin Lizzy’s - Lundy Whole Foods - Music @ the Turn Wild Wing - The Bonnie Situation The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
Chevy’s - DJ Nicky B Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke w/ Denny van Valkenburgh
Saturday, May 28 Live Music
Augusta Common - Augusta Music Fest w/ Tim Watson, Gary Palmer, Perfect Picture, Taylor Hewitt, Miranda Pokrzywinski, Candice Woodson Cotton Patch - Live Jazz & Blues Country Club - Holman Autry Band Coyotes - Joe Olds Band Eighth Street Plaza - Saturday Morning Swing at the Augusta Market on the River Evans Towne Center Park - Papa Joe’s BanjoB-Que w/ Old Crow Medicine Show, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sarah Jarosz, SUSTO, Have Gun Will Travel, the Little Roy & Lizzie Show, Josh Roberts and the Hinges, Packway Handle Band, Georgia-Lina Boys, BooHoo Ramblers, The Mason Jars, Royal JOhnson, Delta Cane The Iron Heights - Star Period Star, Alphatier, Kill the Host, Occido Jessye Norman School of the Arts - Jazz + Wine
Playoffs (Aiken) - The Phun Pharm Band Shannon’s - Perfect Picture Somewhere in Augusta - Jason White Sky City - Bassapaloosa w/ 69 Boyz, 95 South, JT Money, Raheem the Dream, 12 Gauge, Gucci Crew Surrey Center - Chris Ndeti and Company Wild Wing - Matt Brantley Band 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 Joe’s Underground - Ladies Night, Singles Night Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant - Karaoke w/ Denny van Valkenburgh
Sunday, May 29 Live Music
Aiken Speakeasy and Eats (Aiken) - Live Jazz Augusta Common - Candlelight Jazz Concert Series Mellow Mushroom (Aiken) - Brunch w/ Mike Frost and Lauren Meccia Wild Wing - Will McCranie The Willcox (Aiken) - John Vaughn
What’s Tonight?
Shannon’s - Karaoke w/ David Doane
Monday, May 30 Live Music
Hopelands Gardens (Aiken) - Hopelands Summer Concert Series w/ the Aiken Civic Ballet 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, May 31 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 w/ Gorman Twisted Burrito - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper
Wednesday, June 1 Live Music
The Highlander - Open Mic Night Shannon’s - Mike and Walter Wild Wing - Live Music
What’s Tonight?
The Backyard Tavern - Karaoke Bar West - Karaoke Chevy’s - Karaoke Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Pizza Joint (Evans) - Trivia w/ Mike Sleeper The Playground - Krazy Karaoke w/ Big Troy Polo Tavern (Aiken) - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Sky City - Wednesday Night Conspiracy w/ DJ Knightmare Somewhere in Augusta - The Comedy Zone w/ Tim Kidd and David Beck Stillwater Taproom - Pub Quiz 26MAY2016
V27|NO21
Surrey Tavern - Trivia w/ Christian and Mickey
Steve Miller Band
Journey, The Doobie Brothers
- Bell Auditorium July 19
- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta June 8
The Monkees
Selena Gomez, DNCE
Alabama, The Charlie Daniels Band
- Bell Auditorium July 24
- Philips Arena, Atlanta June 9
- James Brown Arena June 3
Maxwell
Harry Connick Jr.
Kirk Franklin
- Bell Auditorium August 6
- Chastain Park, Atlanta June 11
- Bell Auditorium June 3
I Love the ‘90s Tour w/ Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Kid N Play, Rob Base, Tone Loc, Color Me Badd
R. Kelly
- Bell Auditorium October 6
Fishbone
Upcoming
Funk You & Friends, Will McCranie 3
- Sky City June 3 Summer Beach Blast w/ The Catalinas, The Tams
- Evans Towne Center Park June 3
ZZ Top
- Bell Auditorium October 26
- Philips Arena, Atlanta June 11 - Masquerade, Atlanta June 15 Weezer, Panic! at the Disco
- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta June 16
Jeezy & Friends
- Bell Auditorium June 4
Elsewhere
Speakeasy Night w/ the Caleb Tokarska Trio
Snarky Puppy
- Fox Theatre, Atlanta June 17
- Stillwater Taproom June 4
- Georgia Theatre, Athens May 26
Chris Ndeti and Company
Dave Matthews Band
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Montgomery Gentry, Molly Hatchet, The Last Bandeoleros
- Stillwater Taproom June 9
- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta May 28
Moniker, Caleb Tokarska
Toni Braxton, Bill Bellamy
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta June 18
- Sky City June 10
- Fox Theatre, Atlanta June 2
Weird Al Yankovic
Rye Baby, Josh Powell
Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band
- Fox Theatre, Atlanta June 19
- Stillwater Taproom June 10
- Infinite Energy Arena, Duluth June 2
Kenny Rogers
Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons
Maze, Frankie Beverly, Gladys Knight
- Chastain Park, Atlanta June 19
- Bell Auditorium June 17
- Chastain Park, Atlanta June 3
John Doe
Scott Low and Southern Bouillon
Jerry Seinfeld
- City Winery, Atlanta June 20
- Stillwater Taproom June 17
The Cure, Twilight Sad
Steve Miller Band
- RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, Columbus June 3
- Bell Auditorium July 19
Dolly Parton
Steely Dan, Steve Winwood
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
- Infinite Energy Arena, Duluth June 4
- Chastain Park, Atlanta June 26
- Sky City July 22
10000 Maniacs
New Edition
- City Winery, Atlanta June 4
- Bell Auditorium June 23
Cyndi Lauper
LIttle River Band, ARS, Firefall
- Symphony Hall, Atlanta June 5
- Evans Towne Center Park June 23
Ellie Goulding
Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Of Mice and Men
Hard Rocket
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta June 6
- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta June 29
- Stillwater Taproom June 24
Anthony Hamilton, Fantasia
- Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta June 24
REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.
Try FREE: 706-434-0108 More Local Numbers: 1-800-926-6000 Ahora español Livelinks.com 18+
Barenaked Ladies, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Howard Jones
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta June 28 Meet sexy new friends
FREE TRIAL
706-434-0112
V27|NO21
SIGHTINGS
Michael Johnson | mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Jean and Pedro Ufet with Savannah Welch and Ryan Ufret at the Backyard Tavern.
Woody Happybones, Randy Carver and Rachel Clegg at the Backyard Tavern.
Mike and Macie Brittingham with Lauren Miller and Brett Burford at Historic Augusta’s Cotton Ball at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.
Smithfield: Trey Smith and Jennifer Fielder with (center) James Hiatt at the Imperial Theatre.
Kathryn Menger, singer/songwriter Sara Evans and Martha Kathryn Menger at the Imperial Theatre.
Ashlyn Wilson, singer/songwriter Justin Dukes and Adrienne Cook at Tin Lizzy’s Cantina.
Anna Reeves, Carla Missickarnold and Lois Rosendale at Historic Augusta’s Cotton Ball at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.
Lindsay Rush, Gerry Fuller and Gaby Gumus at the Country Club.
Bryan and Christy Evans with Margie and Jeff Asselin at Historic Augusta’s Cotton Ball at Sacred Heart Cultural Center.
34 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
26MAY2016
EXHIBIT A By Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz ACROSS 1 Tired runner? 4 Hard to find 10 Production Code org. 14 Prayer ____ 19 Singer with a palindromic name 20 Taphouse 21 Magazine with a palindromic name 22 Out of bounds 23 Repeatedly cried, “Land ho!” with no land in sight, maybe? 26 Inflames 27 Rains pellets 28 Fighting off drowsiness? 30 Like tweets 31 One of the “cities of the plain” 32 Internal pump 33 Belarussian capital 35 Lose it 37 “Peanuts” girl 42 2016 campaigner 44 Jack ____ (member of the Royal Navy) 46 “Conger eel? Au contraire!” 50 Stuck to the corkboard? 54 “Not with a bang but a whimper” poet 55 Tag line? 56 Inedible 57 La Scala premiere of 1887 58 Show signs of age 59 Associates 60 Erwin of 1950s TV 61 Bring along 63 Pound 65 Whirlybird whose paint job is flaking off? 70 Christian in Hollywood 71 Supply 72 “____ All Too Much” (Beatles song) 73 Cuba ____ 74 Dethrone 78 Track down 80 “Something just occurred to me … ” 83 Correct copy 84 Down-filled garment 85 Adversary who shows up at romantic dinners? 87 “Finally, I can buy that house!” 90 Cut (off) 91 Scoffing reply 92 Company that sold Spirographs 93 “Santa Baby” singer
1
96 “____ Body?” (first Peter Wimsey novel) 98 Its symbol is a star and crescent 102 Quarters 104 Hand makeup 107 What Carrie needed after the prom? 112 1980s-’90s Olympian Jackie Joyner-____ 113 Maker of Caplio cameras 114 “Major shopping centers aren’t among the prizes!” 116 Wild and woolly? 117 Ligurian Sea feeder 118 Stun with sound 119 GameCube successor 120 Signed over 121 Lacking excess 122 Divines 123 Lose rigidity
packet 41 Those in favor 42 Predator to be 43 Codon carrier 45 “Lord of the Flies” protagonist 47 Hoppy drink 48 Actress Carrere 49 Kevin who played Hercules on TV 51 Exchange cyclically 52 Body, metaphorically 53 Author of the 1984 memoir “Mayor” 59 Owner of Fisher-Price 60 Lacking creature comforts 62 Party purchase 64 It often contains “lies” 65 Ireland : Erin :: Britain : ____ 66 Dalmatian, e.g. 67 Kedrova of “Torn Curtain” 68 ____ Novello Award (songwriter’s honor) 69 Rhodes of Rhodes scholar fame DOWN 70 Move through a crowd, maybe 1 Land line? 73 Ceiling stain’s cause 2 Trig term 75 Browser-bar text 3 Substitute anchor during Walter 76 Jamaican genre Cronkite’s tenure at CBS 77 Undertaking 4 ____ Island (home of Wagner College) 79 Affirms 5 Cleveland team, informally 80 Tools used for cutting curves 6 “Ex Machina” robot 81 Put away 7 Evocative of yesteryear 82 Even so 8 Belief systems 84 Break down 9 Finishes with 86 Take heat from? 10 Predicament 88 Spoke horsely? 11 Poet who wrote, “I took a deep breath 89 Something fit for a queen and listened to the old brag of my 94 Fashion editor’s predictions heart. I am, I am, I am” 95 Experiment subject 12 Kate’s partner of old TV 97 Continental divides? 13 Hartford-based Fortune 100 99 Unswerving company 100 Ere 14 Layer 101 Start of several Hawaiian place 15 Head locks names 16 Good at one’s job 103 City near Lake Nasser 17 Reasons to despair 105 Screenwriter Ephron 18 In need of a steer 106 Baseball commissioner after 24 Shrink or enlarge Giamatti and Vincent 25 Target 107 Shoe with holes 29 Highly regarded 108 Colonial home, you might say 31 Glide effortlessly 109 Stomach stuff 34 Act 110 Lowest possible turnout 36 “That was sure close!” 111 Rodent-control brand 38 Contributes to a GoFundMe 112 Housemaid’s ____ (bursitis) campaign 115 Hypotheticals 39 Stumper? 40 Food sometimes sold with a flavor
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PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWERS G R O W T
E I R E
S H A B I N A G D C H C H O O H2O M A I N C R A T E T M I D R A O N O A N N E L I N E E I N C H O T H2O W S O R U I E T O S L N E R E E S L U R E S E A S L T H2O O F T E H U S T L S E R E E S O S R O
A T R A
D E A N R O U O S N K A D M O I R N E I N N G O B H E E R R O A N
A S S G E A T R S S D S O O G L E E S D R S E O D R R E A F T S
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R F A S E I N T C E S E R U R H2O W A R I O W S K I M W S C A I T I T T A N S H2O B A G N O B J O O L B E R Y O W S T A I H O R S G O L D H2O E R E L H A N I R N A D Y N E A A S Y
T E V Y E
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B A L S A
V27|NO21
THE EIGHT
BOX TOPS “The Angry Birds Movie”? Really? RANK TITLES
WEEKEND GROSS TOTAL GROSS WEEK # LAST WEEK
1
THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE
$38,155,177
2
$38,155,177
1
-
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR $32,939,739
$347,215,892
3
1
3
NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING $21,760,405
$21,760,405
1
-
4
THE NICE GUYS
$11,203,270
$11,203,270
1
-
5
THE JUNGLE BOOK
$10,944,350
$327,424,915
6
2
In Theaters May 27
ACTION
“X-Men: Apocalypse,” rated PG-13, starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicolas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters. The world’s first mutant, Apocalypse, awakens to find himself disillusioned with what we humans have done to planet Earth (I guess he happened to catch a Republican presidential debate?). So he recruits some X-Men to “cleanse” mankind (we all know what that means, right?), leading to another group of X-Men waging war to stop him.
36 METROSPIRIT AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
FAMILY
“Alice Through the Looking Glass,” rated PG, starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway. Speaking of movie continuations that may or may not have the audiences to warrant them, Alice returns to Wonderland… without director Tim Burton. Although it does have Sacha Baron Cohen and Andrew Scott (the amazing Moriarty from BBC’s “Sherlock”), but we doubt even they will be able to make up for the original director’s oddball presence and vision.
26MAY2016
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