August 2011 Issue A

PORKCHOP, PAGE 15

verge AUGUSTA & THE CSRA

FREE | AUGUS T 3 2011 | VOL 4 ISSUE 11 | YOUR SOURCE FOR COMMUNIT Y DRIVEN NEWS

VISION THE KROC CENTER IS BRIMMING WITH FUN, PAGE 22

ART BARUTI TUCKER + THEATRE A NEW SEASON + MUSIC LOKAL GETS LOUDER DANCE BIKING IN TUTUS + VISION NEW BRAND FOR CSRA + PEOPLE NIKI HARIS

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 3

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yeah, we made this publisher Matt Plocha editor Lara Plocha events editor Andrea Bennett ad sales Paul Rogers, Steve xxxx contributors Alison Richter, Christopher Selmek, Dino Lull, John Cannon, Ben Casella, Kris Cook, Skyler Andrews, Charlotte Okie, Gabi Hutchison, Elizabeth Benson, Jennifer Maslyn, Holly Birdsong, Katie McGuire, Mariah Gardner, Susan Hutchison, Luke Wilby, Samantha Sprague, Amy Swann, Stephen Delaney Hale, Alison Ryan, Anne Lovell Swan

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GENERAL POLICIES: Contents

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26 38 42 20, 31 34 12 10 24 18 6 20,32 6 16 6 17 32 30 20 14 12,30 28 36 40 30 17 24 32 18 8 18 6 2, 39 12 3 28 18 34 43 44 12

1102 Bar & Grill 8th Street AB Beverage Augusta Market Bar on Broad Big Day Cakes Blue Sky Kitchen Book Tavern Buzz on Biz Casella Eye Center Copy Center Plus CSRA AD Specialties Dominos edge salon Family Y First Round Garlic Clove Griffens in the Alley halo I-HOP Import Auto Exchange LOYO Music Festival Manuel’s Bread Café Metro Coffeehouse MITS Monk Solutions Moon Beans/New Moon Nacho Mamas Palmetto Curbing Peach Mac Power Serve re-fresh Rock Bottom Music Sanford Bruker Banks Sit a Spell Sky City Soy Noodle House the Loft Wild Wings Windsor Fine Jewelers Zimmerman

WHAT’S INSIDE

SMATTERINGS

Thank You, Augusta

There are times when you have to pause and take a look around you to see the awesome community in which we live. I was reminded of this in a letter we received from our staff writer Christopher Selmek after his family visited recently. We were moved by its sincerity and wanted to share it with you. This letter is a perfect example of what a functional and cohesive community does. It opens itself to residents and visitors and shows a lot of that good old southern hospitality.

My family visited Augusta on a late July weekend, for the first time since I separated from the Army at Fort Gordon nearly two-and-a-half years ago. My mom had seen the city before, but for my very pregnant sister and 1-year-old nephew this was their first experience with downtown Augusta.

From the moment my family arrived over the 13th Street bridge from North Augusta, the last leg in their two-day trip from Toledo, Ohio, my mother and sister were impressed by the hospitality they received here. They stayed at the Augusta Marriott on the Riverwalk, a short walk from my apartment in Olde Town and many downtown attractions. They easily found a parking space and were greeted cordially by a friendly hotel staff, who had the foresight to set up a pack-and-play for Ethan in their sixth-story room.

Following a small gathering with friends, we dined at The Pizza Joint. My sister, Laura, was promptly given a chair, as was baby Ethan. The food was delicious and reasonably priced.

The next morning, my family went to the Saturday Market on the River, a particular enjoyment for my green-thumbed mom. I insisted on having lunch at the New Moon Café, where my mom and I ordered the weekly special while my sister and nephew ate chicken salad. We enjoyed the cozy environment and friendly crew behind the counter.

As we passed the Augusta Common on the way to the Augusta Museum of History, I told them about the many events that had taken place there, including the recent Augusta Pride Festival. My sister, carrying a rainbowstriped handbag, was particularly impressed that the community was so accepting of all races, colors and sexual orientations.

The attendant at the museum apologized that we could not bring our bottled water into the exhibit area, but offered to keep them chilled in the refrigerator for our walk home. Downstairs, Ethan enjoyed the giant locomotive, riverboat and model of a Native American village. Mom and Laura spent the most time in the James Brown exhibit upstairs, read every sign and watched The Godfather of Soul sing “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” twice.

On Sunday morning, we attended the service at St. John’s Methodist Church near the corner of Eighth and Greene streets, where we also saw some of their incredible outreach efforts for Augusta’s homeless at the Stith Mead House.

We returned to the New Moon, Mom and I enjoying the Sunday Brunch Special. My sister, the picky eater, again had chicken salad.

We walked back to the Morris Museum of Art, the only museum dedicated to the art and artists of the American South and conveniently located next to the hotel. Admission is free on Sundays, and we took our time appreciating every painting.

The Marriott pool was a comforting relief from the summer’s heat-wave and we spent most of the rest of Sunday and Monday talking about my dad, who was unable to make this trip but was also stationed at Fort Gordon in the mid-‘70s. For our farewell dinner, we went to Nacho Mama’s where we ran into Lara Plocha, who has ties to many downtown organizations (and is the editor of this publication).

“This is practically our dining room,” she said.

It might also have been ours had my family been able to stay another day.

Sadly, after Tuesday morning breakfast at the hotel, my mom, sister and nephew left town to return to their homes. They might have been only three of hundreds of tourists to visit Augusta this year, but their satisfaction speaks volumes about the city and Augusta’s ability to remain a destination location in any economic climate.

Their sentiments echo my own when I say: “Thank You, Augusta!”

– from Christopher Selmek We have exciting news to share with you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to the print and online versions. Here we grow again. Augusta – job well done! See you out and about engaging with community.

– Matt

ON THE COVER COOL OFF AT THE KROC by HOLLY BIRDSONG

The Kroc Center opens on Saturday, Aug. 6. Read more about the community efforts to procure, fund and build the center and what is within its walls. Page 22.

4 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

you won’t want to miss a page

the main feature the Lovely and Talented Niki Haris 11 Meet International musician brings talent to Augusta His Fingers as a Paintbrush 13 Using Artist Baruti Tucker puts soul on paper 15 Porkchop Finds a New Home His robots now hang at the new Gaartdensity gallery

17 Ballet and Cycling Combine 21 The Beauty of Magnolia Cemetery

Upcoming event will raise funds to combat child obesity

Explore the history of Augusta’s past

22 The Augusta Kroc Center Opens

How it came to be and what to expect now that it is here

heard around town 5 5 7 7 19

Widows Home Dedication Big Day Cakes Moves Downtown New Brand for the CSRA Edge Salon Expands The Treasures of the White Elephant

music | theatre | art | film 28 29 31 31 33 35 35 37 39

Film: The Film Reel Music: Bryan Adams Good Cause: Storks and Corks Film: Hibakushu Music: Jake Owens Music: House of Grace Benefit Show Music: Lexie’s Legacy Art: Willie Anne Wright The Profiler: Kevin Staley

regular stuff 05 09 09 23 27 31 36 39 40 41 41

Heard Around Town Buzz on Biz Living Green Good Chow & Beer Locals Like Sound Bites The Daily Planner Between the Covers Nightlife In Good Health NYT Crossword Puzzle The Last Word

vergequotes

here’s what inspires us

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

— AUDREY HEPBURN

“Satan called. He wants

weather back.”

his

—SEEN RECENTLY ON A CHURCH SIGN

heard

around town

what’s happening in augusta and aiken

[ historic hospital returns as community clinic ] Augusta celebrated Christ Community Health Services Day on July 20, with a formal proclamation by Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver at the dedication ceremony of the Ann Boardman Widows Home at 127 Broad St. Christ Community Health Services, which has the formal mission of “proclaiming Christ as Lord and demonstrating His love by providing affordable, quality healthcare to the underserved of Augusta,” hopes to use the 12 new exam rooms at the Widows Home to provide for the medical needs of the uninsured and underinsured of Augusta.

“Our services start at $25, depending on the amount of their insurance and the number of people in their household, but the most we ever charge in half the cost of the medical expenses,” said Ronald Skenes, CCHSA’s director of communications and development. “The rest is funded by money that comes from people in the community who have made donations, churches, companies and foundations. People like what we’re doing and like the mission and want to support what we’re doing.”

“This building is a testament to God’s faithfulness and we give all the glory to him through the use of this building to serve the community,” said CCHSA Executive Director Thomas Drake. “We hope to begin operations here in mid-August, and I am very excited for what God is doing and will continue to do for the Olde Town community.”

According

[ big day cakes opens soon ]

to

the

U.S.

Census

Bureau’s

American

Communities Survey in 2009, there are 70,000 people in Aiken, Richmond and Colombia counties with no health insurance. This number does not include people from Lincolnton, Thompson, Millen, Edgefield and other locations nearby who are also seeking treatment.

In addition to the mayor’s proclamation, Drake also accepted two canvas prints of the historic widows home painted by local artist Mark Broom.

“What’s neat about this place is that it has an incredible legacy,” said Skenes. “This was the site of the first hospital in Augusta, which evolved into what is now Georgia Health Sciences University, and the first local school of medicine. It was originally built for the widows of Confederate soldiers in 1877, which is why it’s still called the Widows Home, and it has been a shelter for women ever since.”

The $2.5 million project, which began last October, also includes a parking lot and patient entry at the rear to preserve its historical authenticity.

“To take an old health care facility and turn it into a new health care facility is certainly fun for me, and I love that it’s named after my mom because she’s about the best looking widow I know,” said Clay Boardman, who donated the building to the clinic. “Thank you all for being here.”

To make a donation or to schedule an appointment, call 706.922.0600.

product of much refining and experimentation, much of which was done at her previous job working for a bakery in Athens before moving to Augusta to find work as a nutritionist.

“The bakery I worked for in Athens taught us the proper technique and how to use the best ingredients,” she said. “We were mostly a pastry shop until they started getting a lot of orders for wedding cakes, so they decided to make a second team just for that. I was the head of it.”

That experience led her to many of the tricks she uses now, including Callebaut brand chocolate, which she finds to have a smooth consistency and great taste.

“I feel it is very much an art, and each cake I make is unique,” she said. “Price really depends on the complexity of the design and the number of hours it takes me to make it.”

Big Day Cakes will open Sept. 2 at 120 Ninth St., offering party planners the opportunity to build custom-made cakes for any special occasion.

Owner Erin Mills, who has been baking cakes since 2005 for friends and referrals, looks forward to the opportunity to meet with customers inside her own store, but pledges the same attention to detail which has made her designs so popular throughout the region.

“I enjoy making custom cakes for weddings or any occasion you want a cake as a centerpiece, and I also enjoy meeting with my customers to find out exactly what they want,” said Mills.

“Some have no idea, and I can tell them what is popular and what other people have liked, but some people want something really exotic, and it’s fun to work with them to make sure I get the flavor just right.”

Mills says she baked hundreds of chocolate cakes before settling on the recipe she uses now, the

Mills might consider baking for retail sale or catering, but for the moment she prefers each cake to be a personalized creation. At the opening reception, she hopes to offer free tastes for those who have followed her on Facebook.

For more information, call 706.255.7316 or visit BIGDAYCAKESBAKERY.COM.

[ polo the willcox way ] Want to do something special and different?

Let the historic Willcox Hotel in Aiken treat you to “The Sport of Kings.” Enjoy a two-night stay in a luxurious guest room with breakfast each morning. End your stay by taking in a polo match at Whitney Field on any Sunday between Sept. 16 and Nov. 6. The Willcox will plan the perfect tailgate menu for two, to be enjoyed at the hotel’s private tailgating space on the front rail near the center of the oldest continuously active polo field in America. The package is $480 for two people. A one-night stay is $280.

Call 803.648.1898 to make reservations or visit THEWILLCOX.COM.

[ sundrees urban market officially cuts the ribbon ] Sundrees Urban Market, located at 930 Broad St., held its official ribbon cutting July 26 with Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver, Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Margaret Woodard, Augusta Chamber of Commerce President Sue Parr, Downtown Augusta Alliance President David Hutchison and many others.

Copenhaver praised the store and owner Mike Raeisghasem for offering healthy, locally produced foods to the downtown Augusta area, which chamber ambassador Charles Livingston of Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center noted was close enough to attract tourists with its wide selection of groceries. Sundrees is open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is closed Sunday. To find out more about the store, call 706.945.1310.

[ science demos wanted ] The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, on the campus of USC Aiken, is preparing for the 26th Annual S.E.E.D. - Science Education Enrichment Day, on Saturday, Oct. 15. As part of this community event, RPSEC is seeking groups who can provide a hands-on activity or exhibit to demonstrate the everyday science in their operations. This is an opportunity to promote organizations, introduce products to customers, and have a positive impact in our community, according to the science center. This year’s theme is Celebrate Science. For details, call 803.641.3474 or visit RPSEC.USCA.EDU/SEED/.

Around Town is written by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

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[ edge salon expands into ready-to-wear ]

heard

around town

what’s happening in augusta and aiken

Edge Salon and Spa, which celebrated three years at their location in North Augusta’s Hammond Ferry on July 19, will soon expand into a second location on the opposite corner from the salon.

Owner David Towles prides himself on operating one of the region’s most attractive one-stop shops for fashion, hair and nail care.

He currently carries a selection of formal dresses, but is expanding to offer more fashion choices.

“We started out with just the two-story salon and spa in 2007, and the following January we opened the dress store,” he said. “Every year after that, we have had double-digit growth. We are running out of space here.”

The new building, which is 30 percent larger than the current one, will house the salon’s pageant dresses, evening gowns, party dresses for social occasions, and expand into ready-towear fashions for women and teens.

“There are certain designers that everyone carries, but then everyone has the same dresses and customers end up wearing the same thing,” said Towles. “We like to carry less familiar lines, including new and emerging lines, and we pride ourselves in being able to carry something different.”

david towles of edge salon

Towles estimates 70 percent of his customers come from outside Hammond’s Ferry, some from as far away as Colombia and Atlanta.

“We are a destination location,” he said. “Our customers like the location and the feel of the salon, the quality of the work and the pricing that we have kept moderate. We are not trying to be bargain basement, but with the economy the way it is we try to keep our prices low.”

There are currently 10 people on staff, including a one-day-a-week barber, a massage therapist, nail technicians, and Towles hopes to add an ethnic natural hair specialist. Haircuts vary depending on style but can range from $15 to $40, which a manicure/pedicure combo regularly costs about $55.

The shop accepts both appointments and walk-ins.

The Edge expansion will open late this summer pending completion of the new building. Towles is considering creating a one-stop experience, by offering corsages and other flower displays and tuxedo sales by Jim’s Formal Wear.

“This business is one of the few fields of work where you are allowed to touch someone,” said Towles.

“You get to know your clients and make an impact on how they feel about themselves, and we are pleased to be gaining new customers every day.”

Edge Salon is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and is closed Sunday except during prom season. To schedule an appointment, call 803.380.1275.

[ literacy gets a hand ] The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy recently received $1,000 from the Columbia County Commission and $500 from Publix Charities to help with their mission of providing books to help prepare local preschool children for reading and learning success.

These donations will allow the Greater Augusta Partnership for Literacy, Ferst’s local representative, to provide a free book per month to 42 children in Richmond and Columbia counties for the next year.

According to the Ferst Foundation, 61 percent of low-income families do not have a single book in the home suitable for children to read, but parents are four times more likely to read aloud to their children when given free books and encouragement.

The GAPL has mailed more than 3,200 books to 250 children in Richmond and Colombia counties since January 2010. The program’s long-term goal is to provide a free book to every child in the community who is is age 5 or younger – approximately 25,000 children.

According to the program’s organizers, children in the program have demonstrated a higher proclivity to read at grade level by the end of the third grade, an indicator of high school graduation rates.

Businesses, civic organizations, churches, other groups and individuals are invited to support the program with money, volunteer time and spreading the word. To learn more, contact Chuck LaMarsh at lamarshcb@yahoo.com or Tera Cochran at tera@ferstfoundation.org, or call 706.438.4755. unless otherwise noted, Around Town is written by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

CAMILLE PRICE AND DR. ANTHONY ROBINSON

[ CSRA looks to rebrand its image ] In collaboration with the Downtown Development Authority, the Augusta Commission and community leaders, Augusta Tomorrow is embarking on a strategic rebranding that might change how people refer to the CSRA.

operational implementation,” said Robinson.

“These strategic themes are a bridge for linking the vision with the operational implementation, which will help the Augusta region develop a brand that is true to who they are and talks about who they want to become.”

Dr. Anthony Robinson, an assistant professor of marketing for the Hull College of Business at Augusta State University, is leading this effort to redefine the community. He hopes to engage leaders throughout the city and put Augusta on the map by repackaging those things the city already does well.

Robinson believes that changing the name of the CSRA would change the overall perception of the region, leading to overall economic and community development.

“When you are rebranding, the most important part is content, and we have identified the themes of Health, Science and Technology which we already do extremely well,” said Robinson. “However, those things are not packaged well and marketed to those in this community. We want to use these themes as a mechanism for change.”

Augusta Tomorrow is already involved in implementation of the 2009 Master Plan, a list of many long-term projects intended to make Augusta and North Augusta centers of economic development, which was compiled through multiple conversations with the citizens of the region and its leaders.

“This is not Augusta Tomorrow’s Master Plan, this is the city of Augusta’s plan,” said Camille Price, the executive director of Augusta Tomorrow. “Augusta Tomorrow is helping to implement that plan with help from leaders around the city, but we do not own the plan.”

“They have a great vision for the city and a great

“We want to promote those strategic themes to our internal customers as well as to businesses and organizations outside the community,” he said. “By packaging it this way, we can continue to grow the region economically and facilitate collaboration within the region.”

“I have really enjoyed working with Dr. Robinson, and he is really helping the Augusta Tomorrow board focus on the kinds of themes that are important to this region,” said Price.

At a meeting July 14, the DDA board expressed enthusiasm for the effort and noted the importance this rebranding could have for the entire region.

“One person’s vision is very hard to enforce on a group of folks, so it’s really important to get the folks in Aiken on board so that it is about the entire region and not just about us,” said DDA chairman Steven Kendrick “I think we are on a really good road right now,” said District 1 Commissioner Matt Aitken. “We are starting to see a new kind of partnership as the commission works with people who are not on the commission toward the common goal of these strategic economic development themes.”

[ help ware’s folly ] Significant property damage occurred to historic Ware’s Folly, located at 506 Telfair St., as a result of storms on June 21, when a tree adjacent to the building fell because of wind. Preliminary assessments are being undertaken and suggest the property can be fully repaired. Built in 1818 for Augusta Mayor Nicolas Ware, the building is now the home of the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. To contribute to Ware’s Folly’s repairs and restoration (a completely tax-deductible gift), call the Gertrude at 706.722.5495 or email ghia@ghia.org.

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the buzz on

biz

what’s moving and shaking in local business

HEALTH CLUB COMPETITION HEATS UP

Greg Kirby and Larry Hogue are the new owners of the Omni Gym in Evans. In a message to his Face book fans, Hogue wrote: “It has taken over a year of due diligence and negotiation to close this deal…what a journey… what a path…and we are just getting started! To all who knew this process and contributed, thank you so much for your support. I could not have done it without you. Now let’s start training!”

Kirby, is a partner in Kirby Fahrion, a long-time commercial construction firm in the CSRA, with experience in building health clubs. Hogue and Kirby are joined by the gym’s general manager, Ray Pelasky. He brings a wealth of knowledge and success from the health club industry.

The buzz is that Omni’s previous owner decided to sell after a slew of upstart fitness facilities began offering $10 a month memberships.

HAVE A CUPCAKE AFTER YOUR WORKOUT

In September, Molly Meek will expand her bakery, Neapolitan Cupcake & Gift Shoppe, to a second location in Aiken, S.C. The new shop will be in downtown Aiken at 126 Laurens St. NW. Until the opening, the Augusta location will offer free delivery to Aiken on all orders of $50 or more and 15 percent off in-store for all customers with an Aiken zip code.

Meek’s bakery offers gourmet cupcakes, specializing in custom designs for special occasions and cupcake towers for weddings. The shop also offers a variety of gifts and home accessories.

The Augusta shop is located at 106 Pleasant Home Road in Le Pavilion shopping plaza. For more information, visit them on the Web at neapolitangifts.com.

TAYLORS CONSOLIDATING CAR BUSINESS

Drive Time – “the go-to guys for cars and credit – is replacing the old Ann Taylor Certified PreOwned center on Washington Road. The Taylor family began scaling back their auto dealership business by selling their Toyota dealership to Bob Richards in North Augusta and closing their Land Rover dealership. They have also leased out the former BMW showroom to a local church.

Taylor plans to consolidate their pre-owned selection of cars within their remaining car lots on Washington Road.

Ann Taylor, the matriarch of the business, is retired and enjoying tennis and grandchildren and leaving the business to her children.

With 86 locations in 16 states, Drive Time claims to finance 99 percent of the cars they sell on site.

In the Southeast, Drive Time has five Atlanta stores, five in Charlotte, one in Columbia and one in Charleston. The company will be in direct competition with CarMax. For more information about Drive Time, visit their website at: drivetime.com.

Leadership by Ramsey

The North Augusta Chamber is offering a day-long Leadership Conference Simulcast featuring money-management guru Dave Ramsey on Sept. 30. This conference isn’t about getting out of debt though, but how to grow your business.

Ramsey calls his program EntreLeadership and says it helps individuals develop leadership abilities, business and organizational leaders develop a team and entrepreneurs build a business on solid, proven principles.

living the

green life practical ways to be more eco-concious

School Days, School Days ... Simple Choices Can Reduce Environmental Impact

Back-to-school days are upon us. If you have kids, you probably have a list of things needed for the upcoming school year – school supplies, backpacks, clothing, etc. Before you head to the mall, you might want to think about choices you can make to reduce your environmental impact and save money at the same time.

The most environmentallyfriendly thing to do is to have your kids use what they already have.

Check your closets – clothing and shoes that still fit do not need to be replaced. Look through your home office and junk drawer for old pens, markers, binders and other school supplies that can be reused. If last year’s binder has seen better days, you can repair it using duct tape. Instructions for repairing binders are available at growandmake.com/ binder-repair-tutorial.

If your kids do need some new school supplies, shop for chlorinefree recycled paper products. Look for pens, pencils, scissors, binders and notebooks made from at least 30 percent post-consumer waste.

Choose refillable pens and pencils for older children. Most office supply stores carry these items.

When shopping for art supplies, look for products such as beeswax crayons and recycled-paper colored pencils that are made from natural, nontoxic ingredients.

When buying binders, backpacks and other durable items that your kids will need for their entire school career, choose high quality items that will last a number of years. I bought a well-made backpack when I entered seventh grade, which I used every day for 34 years to carry my books, laptop and other items. It was well worth spending an extra $20 back then for the amount of use I got out of it.

Also, avoid buying a backpack with trendy patterns or logos. It might be a thrill for your kindergartener, but that same pack will not seem quite so great when your child enters middle school. A plainer one can be personalized with patches and buttons that can be removed when your child is older.

Nearly half of the money spent on back to school items goes to buying clothes. If your kids need new clothes for school, hand-me-downs are a great way to get started. Reusing clothes that another child can no longer wear avoids using our natural resources to create new products and it doesn’t cost anything! I loved getting hand-me-downs when I was growing up. I had a huge wardrobe, and I felt closer to my cousins when I wore the clothes they had outgrown. Shopping at thrift stores and consignment shops is another way to find low-impact clothes for your kids. If you need to buy new clothes, look for high-quality items made from more sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton or bamboo. Avoid trendy styles and colors that might go out of fashion tomorrow.

Buffalo Wild Wings is targeting September 12 as the opening day for their first CSRA restaurant on Walton Way Extension across from Carolina Ale House. The corporate folks say they are planning “all you can eat for a year” chicken wing contests and expect to hire more than 100 employees with the launch.

Once school starts, try to use eco-friendly transportation.

Collectively, Americans use nearly 1 million gallons of gasoline every day to transport their children to school.

If you live within walking distance, consider having your kids walk or bike to school. It is better for the environment AND their bodies. If you do not live close enough to walk, have your kids take the bus. Even though most school buses get single-digit miles per gallon, they can hold 60 or 70 children, making them a cleaner option than singleoccupancy cars. If driving your kids is the only option, set up some carpools with other parents to reduce your impact. Carpooling is better for the environment and it reduces the number of vehicles in the queue when dropping off or picking up your kids.

Neil Gordon owns Buzz on Biz LLC, a company dedicated to highlighting business growth through newspaper, television, radio, and Web content.

Story idea? Email neil.gordon@buzzon.biz

Anne Lovell is an environmental consultant who lives in Aiken with her husband and three dogs. Her new column, Living Green, focuses on practical ways to be more environmentally conscious.

The simulcast will take place in the Palmetto Room at the North Augusta Municipal Building. Registration is $69 and includes lunch and one of Ramsey’s books. Contact The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce at 803.279.2323 or NORTHAUGUSTACHAMBER.ORG.

MORE WINGS IN AUGUSTA

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meet the energetic and talented

niki haris

CELEBRATED PERFORMER MOVES TO AUGUSTA AND LENDS HER TALENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY’S GOOD

Niki Haris has been all over the world as a backup singer and dancer for Madonna, a performer at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and a USO show at the border between North and South Korea. Her voice can be heard in the gospel choir echoing Madonna’s words in “Like a Prayer,” her choreography can be seen in Madonna’s MTV awards presentation and the scenes she helped stage for Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. Now she lives in Augusta, and she could not be happier.

“You don’t feel stuck in the South here,” she said. “It’s a slower, gentler pace of life, but the people are worldly enough that they read good books. After all the places I’ve been, it’s relaxing just to settle down somewhere and be a mom.”

Haris now does most of her traveling during the summer and on weekends so that she can be present for her 8-year-old daughter, Jordan, but that doesn’t mean a more relaxed schedule. Following her headlining act at this year’s Augusta Pride parade, June 25, she immediately flew to the Boston Pride rally for a busy night of song, dance and activism. Her face and voice drew national attention when she performed Petula Clark’s “Downtown” for a VISA commercial in 2007, which delighted downtown activists across the country. Haris continues to be a downtown proponent.

“When I think of all the places I have been in the world, I still like the feeling of main street Augusta that you get right here,” she said of the Blue Sky Kitchen, where she frequently orders the Redneck Stir-Fry with chicken.

“There’s something special about eating where you can feel the energy of other people around you, and you never know who you’re going to meet.”

Her own energy and enthusiasm overflows into the people around her. In the short time she has been in Augusta, she has already become actively involved in the arts community. Her passion for entertainment and downtown is coming together in Niki’s Block Party, for which she and Augusta actor Gary Dennis have recruited about 200 people to create a spectacular parade.

“It’s going to be amazing,” said Haris, struggling to describe the five-minute show she has prepared for First Friday in August. “I have between 180 and 190 dancers right now, but that does not take into account the flamethrowers, the trumpets, the conga line, the choir and the ribbon twirlers. There’s a lot of egos, and there’s a lot of people who have chosen to leave there egos at the door so they can contribute to such an awesome public spectacle.”

“The police are cooperating with us to stop traffic to the corner of Broad and Tenth Street,” she continued. “There’s going to be dancers on every corner that come out of the buildings and funnel in toward the middle of the street.

That’s where I take over the choreography. It is not to be missed.”

Haris’s plan is for all dancers to meet in the center of the intersection and form the logo for the Westobou festival, which contains circles of yellow, blue, orange, pink and green. According to festival’s website, these colors represent different types of art: film, music, words, dance and visual arts.

Following the presentation, which Haris would call a flash-mob were it not so heavily advertised, junior crew members will distribute fliers to the crowd on Broad Street, urging them to purchase their Westobou Festival tickets early at the office at 965 Broad St. “Niki and I became friends because our daughters go to the same school, and we wanted to do something with a large group of people to make everyone aware of the fabulous acts coming into town for our enjoyment,” said Westobou Artistic Coordinator Molly McDowell. “Not enough people in town are aware of what Westobou is or how great it’s going to be, and this is a very good way to get their attention.”

The Westobou Festival, a 10-day event from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8, includes 50 cultural events, 30 of which are free and open to the public. The other 20 require tickets, with prices ranging from $15 to $75.

“It’s hard to say what the impact is going to be because Augusta has never seen anything like this,” said McDowell. “It’s one of many firsts for the city, and I hope it will be successful.”

As far as Haris is concerned, the event is already a huge success because of the number of people wanting to be involved in the ticket-launch.

“I’ve had people from ages 3 to 79 come up to me and ask me if they could participate,” Haris said. “We have dancers of every body type, culture and religion, all laughing and hugging each other because they feel brought

“Giving people those five minutes of joy is why I got into the music business, and why my father did before me. It’s a testament to the power of music to bring people together.”

– NIKI HARIS

together by the music. It’s amazing to watch, and these people need a huge thank you for what they are doing.”

But despite the grand scale of the event, it will only last about five minutes, after which the only record will come from the film crew atop of the building opposite Blue Sky Kitchen. Haris encourages as many people as possible to flock to the corner of Broad and 10th streets before 6:30 p.m. this First Friday.

“Believe me, it goes quick, and when it’s over it’s over,” she said. “But giving people those five minutes of joy is why I got into the music business, and why my father did before me. It’s a testament to the power of music to bring people together, and the fact that all these people have been rehearsing week after week to bring this together proves that it’s worth it.”

by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

EXPERIENCE THE BLOCK PARTY

WHAT Niki’s Block Party and Westobou Festival Ticket Launch WHERE Downtown Augusta |Corner of 10th and Broad streets WHEN First Friday, August 5 at 6:30 p.m. MORE WESTOBOUFESTIVAL.COM

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 11

12 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

art, humanity and spirituality combine for

baruti tucker

using his fingers as paint brushes ,this artist creates indelible images to elicit community change

A gray storm is forming outside the window of a white and beige Reiki room. The room feels ordered, but not strictly artificial; rather, it is arranged in a manner that suggests a harmony between human ingenuity and the purely organic, or perhaps it is the presence of Baruti Tucker.

Baruti is at his desk, a field of white with a bare paper at its center, and to that paper’s left is a dark page from a magazine, a bulky and toned athletic man who seems to burst from the page. This image will be Baruti’s model, but his muse will not allow him to be a slave to the image. As focused as he will be on his work, which burgeons immediately and carefully through the pastel-stained tips of his fingers, his ears and his soul are open to whatever the world and the presence of those near him, at that given moment, have to offer him.

The best place to begin exploring an artist like Baruti is, indeed, his art. Upon soaking in his visual pieces, his presence and words begin to make immediate sense. Particularly indicative and evocative are his “Celebritrees” pieces: paintings of famous artists and celebrities as trees. He developed the series in order, he says, “to allow the artist to be reachable, whether it comes to YouTube, TV or at concerts.”

“Truth of artistry is at the root. Instead of placing them in the skies – because we call them ‘stars’ – I decided to put them in the ground,” he says.

The bold colors of autumn meld and melt onto a lush but distant shore in a painting of John Coltrane as a tree along the beach, autumn leaves waft from Coltrane’s saxophone, playing the part of musical notes.

“The leaves coming out as music notes represent hope,” says Baruti. “His journey, the jazz sound, [was] brought to another level, the closer he got to God … John Coltrane is in sync with my senses, he allows me to travel organically.”

Also immortalized in the painting series, is the late hip-hop legend the Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a.

Biggie Smalls) sprouting lush green needles, before a bright, oceanic sky and sporting a bright smile, because, Baruti says, “we [rarely] saw him smile.”

The model for that picture was a freeze-frame from the music video of “Hypnotize,” which is apt for the effect of what is, to Baruti, a dissonant or paradoxical image.

“Brooklyn is so dedicated to Biggie. People would ask me, ‘Why not the hood? Why not put him in the hood?’ We had him in the hood, and we killed him in the hood,” Baruti says.

All of the paintings in the Celebritrees series have a particular resonance for Baruti. In the case of the Notorious B.I.G. painting, the resonance is an appreciation of hip-hop and a connection to youth and, in turn, an inspiration toward mentoring.

“I hated this guy,” says Baruti, noting how the ostensible misogyny, machismo and glorification of violence in the lyrics of Biggie Smalls and his ilk used to arouse from him little more than disgust, until he examined the lyrics of Biggie’s “Suicidal Thoughts” and found them to be a profound expression of the thoughts and feelings of many young African-American men and boys.

I want to teach and learn as much as I can from the Augusta youth. I want to be able to give a presence of mentoring young men and women who are interested in art and need an outlet of creative expression to address issues that may not otherwise be apparent,” he says.

“The soul speaks to us and reveals the truth of the health in our story.

Our bodies are the reflection of who we are from the inside.”

— BARUTI TUCKER

Baruti finds that Augusta’s Southern-flavored urbanity is not terribly unlike where he hails from in Staten Island, N.Y., which he describes as “suburban” with “slow-paced” movement.

Baruti is concerned with – or rather embraces – the nature of being.

“Art is biblically and spiritually existential. It lives, which is its only purpose,” he says.

Baruti is prone to phrases such as this, aiming not to waste words but to prod reflection. He says the spiritual and existential – that which pertains to one’s being – are of chief concerns to him as an artist.

“All of my art encompasses the spirit of life and the art of living. My objective is to explore nature’s elements that are definitive in the spirit of our humility,” he says.

His works speak to this philosophy. The piece “Guidance” depicts, via streams and streaks of stark dark blues and grays, the form of a man frozen as he steps out of the form of a mountain.

“As the mountain tries to turn into a man,” Baruti explains, “God speaks to him and tells him he must play his role as a mountain.”

Baruti aims to maintain his connection to youth upon his recent migration to the Garden City.

The piece “Mandusa” features a man with braided locks, his eyes closed as if in meditation.

The braids are a threshing serpentine behind his head and their ends are in the forms of the heads of his ancestors. The figures depict Bob Marley, Haile Selassie, Harriet Tubman and, closest to the man’s ear, Malcolm X.

“I am here to share as much as I can. I have faith that we will all share and experience something.

Baruti’s affinity for natural settings is notable alongside his frequent depiction of humans in

their most natural form; this is neither coincidence nor accident.

“I see the body as the loudest communicator of who we are and how we feel. I do not see weight as a form of the human body,” he says. “I see volume, volumes of life telling life’s story: the fuller the volume, the fuller the story. The soul speaks to us and reveals the truth of the health in our story. Our bodies are the reflection of who we are from the inside.”

Communion and communication with and by way of the natural, the pure and unadulterated, and that which merely is, and a passion toward expressing this communion in a way that blesses others, is at the heart of what Baruti is about. From his use of his own fingers as tools – “I used to stand at my mother’s sink and make shapes with the water; I always had a love for the physical elements” – to his predilection for painting the human body amid nature, Baruti’s self-expression demonstrates itself as a kind of naked, existentialist, spirituality, in all senses of those words.

“Biblically,” Baruti says, “art means ‘IS.’ God ‘IS’ the Creator. We are God’s creations. We were sent to this Earth to be free, be at peace, live, love and create. Spiritual sobriety is the focus in my art.”

Only the art itself could have said it better.

by SKYLER ANDREWS photos HOLLY BIRDSONG

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14 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

gaartdensity opens with the

robots of porkchop see them at the grand

opening of new gallery on first friday

Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman has a simple way of signing his name and an even simpler way of introducing himself.

“My name is Porkchop,” he says. “I paint robots.”

Few would leap to the conclusion that this robot-obsessed graphic designer for Wierhouse is in fact the genius voted the best local artist of 2010 by both Augusta Magazine and the Metro Spirit.

Porkchop’s robots decorate the Water Treatment Facility near Daniel Village, the Georgia Health Sciences University Children’s Medical Center and are available for sale at Jesse Lee Vaughn’s new art gallery, Gaartdensity, which hosts its grand opening on Aug. 5.

“This gallery is more of the younger art gallery,” Zimmerman said. “You wouldn’t go in there to look for landscape art or a still life to hang above the couch in your living room. It’s refreshing to me because it gives a venue to a different age group that doesn’t have to play by the rules.”

“It’s a different aesthetic, the talent is a bit rawer,” he added. “Not all of the artists went to art school and had formal training, but that’s not to belittle what they do.”

Porkchop is an honor graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, but says he has not allowed his degree to blind him.

“I don’t think about selling stuff when I’m painting because that’s not my priority,” he said. “The work is never as good if I’m thinking about what other people will think about it.”

Porkchop began painting in 2006 after his partner, Brian Malone, died of a rare variety of meningitis; he was among the one percent of patients who did not respond to treatment.

“I tried to draw out my feelings of loss and depression so that I could understand them,” he explained about his chosen form of therapy. “A robot has no gender, no race and no age, so by showing two robots interacting it appeals to a wider audience and I don’t feel like I’m alienating anyone. I try to be very family friendly with all of my work.”

Porkchop never intended for anyone else to see his work, but once his sister got a look at them she insisted he begin showing it. After moving from Atlanta in 2007, he became active in Augusta’s gay scene, designing the “Love Wins” logo used on tee-shirts and the program cover for this year’s Augusta Pride festival.

“I’m gay and I have no problem with anyone knowing that,” he said. “I’m very lucky to be ‘out’ in the workplace and my parents, being Southern, are very polite about it, so I have a great degree of freedom.”

At Wierhouse, Porkchop works with Very Vera’s catering company (among others) and created much of the promotional materials that will be circulating for the upcoming Westobou Festival.

“I paint all the time so I have two jobs and I love them both,” he said. “I like working at Wierhouse because I love graphic design, and it’s nice that I can still paint and they allow me to do that. Plus, they’re kind of proud of me being Porkchop.”

Earlier this year, Porkchop collaborated with artist Jay Jacobs for a Beatle-themed painting, “Sgt. Pepper,” for which Porkchop drew all four Beatles as robots and Jacobs painted hundreds of popculture robots in the background. Jacobs is one of the artists sharing gallery space with Porkchop at Gaartdensity, which also includes Jason Craig, Steph Kalakikos, Lisa Marks and, of course, owner Jesse Lee Vaughn, who also owns Americana tattoo.

“Jesse is smart and a good businessman, and he’s very personable,” said Porkchop. “He has a good work ethic, and it’s nice to see him in there always smiling and eager to talk to anyone that walks in.”

“My goal when I opened this place was to promote local artists who you might run into on the street, and Porkchop is certainly one of the best known in town,” said Vaughn. “Art is all about interpretation. One person might pay $1 million for a Picasso painting, and someone else might throw it in the garbage, but Porkchop’s robots are liked by everybody, and I’m very happy to have him on board.”

Although Porkchop usually paints on canvas, most of his work available at the new gallery is on wood, citing the lower cost and the fact that he wants as many people as possible to enjoy his work.

“The first night I was in there I brought in five, and sold three that night,” he said. “Since then I’ve brought in five more, so I should have between six and eight in there now. I know I’m very lucky to be featured like this, and also very thankful to those who have supported me.”

Most of Porkchop’s work is available to view at makemyporkchop.com, and he invites anyone to look him up on Facebook. Gaartdensity is open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with Saturday’s hours being subject to change, and is closed Sunday and Monday.

“With it being next to Sky City and the Mellow Mushroom, it’s a great location and it is open late, so you can finish dinner and go see what’s in the gallery,” said Porkchop. “Several of the people showing in there are the up and comers, so it’s a good way to get work from people before they become famous. There are no pretentions or attitude, and I really see that it has a lot of potential.

The location is good, guy running it is good, and I just see the caliber of the work going up from there.” article and photo by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

see the art

WHAT Gaartdensity Grand Opening WHERE 1155 Broad St. WHEN First Friday, August 5 | 5 to 9 p.m.

INFO 706.466.5166 MORE facebook.com/Gaartdensity

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16 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

don a tutu to

bike for the ballet sponsoring a cyclist on august 7 helps fight child obesity in the csra

On August 7, the Augusta Ballet and the Augusta Sports Council present Bike for the Ballet. The only training ride for the ESi Ironman Augusta 70.3 will donate proceeds to the Ballet’s fight against childhood obesity.

Jennifer Franks, the executive director of the Augusta Ballet, spoke to verge about the event.

VERGE: Where did you come up with the idea for Bike for the Ballet?

Franks: Great dancers are supreme athletes; anyone who has taken dance or watched a performance can sense the athleticism of the art form. Not too many people know that even star football players like Herschel Walker trained though dance. The Ballet had been in conversations about putting on a dance-meets-sport event for some time. Bike for the Ballet is about communicating the athleticism of dance to the greater public, whom we are now serving more than ever. Bike for the Ballet is part of the Ballet’s Dance in the Garden City programming, celebrating and growing a greener, healthier CRSA via dance and community partnerships.

VERGE: How did you coordinate the event?

Franks: The ride is half sport, half art. To design Bike for the Ballet, we carefully partnered

with the local cycling community. The Ballet’s main role is to handle creative aspects of the ride; however, even in this process, we closely engaged sport partners. The chief draw for spectators will of course be cyclists donning pink tutus, incidentally raising awareness of B4B’s cause: Augusta Ballet’s outreach fighting childhood obesity.

VERGE: There is a post-ride celebration. Is this open to the public?

Franks: B4B celebration was originally conceived with cyclists in mind. Due to growing interest,

we look forward to opening the ride and celebration to the wider public in 2012. This year, anyone can help create the surreal scene downtown by sponsoring a cyclist’s tutu; certainly anyone can come watch the event.

VERGE: Why is childhood obesity an important cause for the Ballet?

Franks: The most important contribution dance can make in the 21st Century is to reinstate the lost culture of movement among youth. One of the first local organizations to recognize a need for art outreach, Augusta Ballet has always served children most affected by this epidemic (ages 6 to 12). In response to sharply rising childhood obesity rates, especially in Richmond County which is close to the nation’s top figure at 34 percent, we expanded our former camp, Good Moves, to include national and local partners in nutrition. Anyone Can Dance & Cook Camp, held at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, represents our collaborative efforts to create a national education model of fitness via dance at schools where arts and physical education have been cut. Although the camp was originally a small part of Dance in the Garden City programming (2010-2012), it quickly

became apparent we wanted to continue and expand its mission within our outreach.

VERGE: How does one sponsor a cyclist and how will sponsorship money benefit the community?

Franks: Go to augustaballet.org and click the pink “sponsor a tutu” button. Each tutu equals one child’s entrance into Augusta Ballet’s December Anyone Can Dance & Cook Camp.

The camp employs dance instructors who teach and encourage children (ages 6 to 12) to stay active through dance. Camp Chefs, stemming from Augusta’s first culinary institute being built by Goodwill Industries, will interactively teach campers Cooking Matters’ proven methods. By design, Anyone Can Dance & Cook Camp connects national and local partners in dance and nutrition. The high quality and sheer fun of the event make it a memorable experience. Woven into the camp and all our events is a conscious desire to inspire and unite people downtown; this is where Augusta exhibits its creative heartbeat, where the whimsical sight of tutu-clad cyclists makes perfect sense.

Bike for the Ballet is open to all cyclists. Information, registration and $50 sponsorship forms are available at augustaballet.org. Day-of registration begins at 6:30 a.m.; ride begins at 8 a.m.

Registration includes an after-party at Enterprise Mill.

by ALISON RICHTER

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 17

18 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

another woman’s

treasure

lee westmoreland turns her love for the unusual into a business

Lee Westmoreland quotes Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” It is the answer she gives to people who ask her why she is selling her family’s stuff.

“Ninety percent of the jewelry I have under the counter is from my family,” she said. “My grandmother was an artist, so while I wish I could have spent more time with her and maybe received some of her talent, I feel richer as a person when I can serve a customer who gets real enjoyment out of the item and loves what I have to offer.”

Located at the corner of Fifth and Telfair streets, The White Elephant thrift store opened on First Friday in June to a sizable crowd of people that owner Westmoreland says go absolutely crazy for thrift stores.

“Right now everything that you see in here is mine,” she said. “I have been doing yard sales, estate sales and auctions, and I can name a lot of people in town now who I did not know before, even though I’ve lived in the CSRA all my life. I have also got some good things from dumpster diving, which I did not even know what that was before. You find some really great stuff just by checking what other businesses have chosen to throw away.”

Owning a shop such as this one has long been a dream of Westmoreland’s, however it never seemed likely until the passing away of her mother, Betty P. Westmoreland, on St. Patrick’s Day of 2010, exactly eight years after her father was buried.

“I am adopted and did not have an opportunity to choose my parents, I was just blessed with them,” she said. “What is funny is that my mom would never have been spotted at either a yard sale or a thrift store, because she came from a generation that simply did not spend money at all. But, if I can honor her in this way then I am grateful for the opportunity.”

It was her mother’s love of elephants that led to the naming of the store – aided by a suggestion from Jim Springer from whom Westmoreland bought some shop furnishings. Before that

meeting, Westmoreland had not known that a White Elephant is a church yard sale or, in western lingo, a sale of very unique items.

White Elephant truly does have some treasures, featuring more than 2,000 78-speed records and 45-speed records and about 10,000 LPs. One unopened 1968 album, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “Struggle for Freedom and Human Dignity” has received several offers, but Westmoreland’s not ready to sell it. Another unopened album contains John F. Kennedy’s complete inaugural address from Jan. 20, 1961 and excerpts of speeches delivered by Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1945.

In the clothing section, there hangs a little black dress for $65 and a wedding dress for $175 that still has a $903 price tag attached. If it is savings you are looking for, Westmoreland boasts her average price is $3.99 per item.

Westmoreland keeps a cooler of drinks near the front of the store, and hopes to begin selling convenience store type items in addition to consignments in the near future.

“I would like to know more about what Augusta would like me to sell, so I can make things more convenient for people right here on this street,” she said. “If I can encourage people within walking distance to come in, then I believe I can make their lives better by doing it. People want to see something new and different and that is what keeps them coming in. This place will be growing in quality and quantity every time you see it.”

The White Elephant thrift store is located at 428 Fifth St. and open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 706.826.9977. article and photo by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 19

www.theaugustamarket.com

20 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

a photo shouts

a thousand words

eVERYDAY LIVING CAUGHT ON FILM

meet me at the cemetery gates Magnolia Cemetery – the very name brings to mind scenes of the old South. What can be more Southern than the stately magnolia trees that shade the avenues of the resting place of more than 36,000 people? The 60-plus acre plantation ground marked its first burial in 1818 and has since become a veritable walking history tour – the final resting place of 921 Confederate soldiers, the de l’Aigle family who donated the land, poet James Ryder Randall and gambler Wylly Barron. Not to be outdone by the age of the tombstones, the Crape Myrtle tree at the end of Third Street is supposedly be the oldest tree in Georgia. Wander among the gravestones, discover the rich history of Augusta and experience the last tributes given to life – the epitaphs that encapsulate lives loved and lost. Magnolia Cemetery is in Olde Town on Third Street between Watkins Street and Laney-Walker Boulevard. The gates close at 6 p.m.

For more information, call 706.821.1746. photos GABI HUTCHISON

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 21

the community impa augusta center opens for the aspect also radically changed the area as businesses relocated to serve the people who wanted to be near the Kroc Center.”

“One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever.”

“The Kroc Center directly employs 110 people,” said Dugan.

“That number will fluctuate over time based on our success, but now we need people in every position from janitorial to servers, teachers, administrators and greeters at the Welcome Desk.”

The Performing Arts and Worship Center will host church services at 11 a.m. every Sunday, which are open to the public, including those who have never before attended a Salvation Army church service. The 400-person venue also contains a stage with a 25-person orchestra pit, green room for visiting celebrities, two dressing rooms and backstage showers and restrooms. A soundproof cough and cry room near the back of the auditorium has a view of the stage and several speakers for parents of noisy children to retreat to during events.

— ROBERT HOLDEN

These words greet visitors as they enter the rotunda of the new Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of Augusta, located at 1833 Broad St., which hosts its grand opening Aug. 6. The facility offers several amenities, including an aquatics center with a 75,000-gallon pool; a 4,000-square-foot fitness area with LifeFitness machine weights and cardiovascular equipment; an 8,500-square-foot double gymnasium and a 2,300-square-foot stage in the Performing Arts and Worship Center.

“It is amazing how in the midst of the biggest recession of my lifetime, we could come together to raise the money to build this center,” said Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver. “It is a great place for people from throughout the community to come and be together, which is very cool for the entire city of Augusta.”

The process began in 2004 when the estate of Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s Corporation founder Ray Kroc, made the largest single bequest ever to a charitable organization and donated $1.7 billion to The Salvation Army earmarked to build and endow Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers across the United States. In 2006, The Salvation Army in Augusta gathered a coalition of partners to make application for and was awarded a Kroc Center.

“Kroc Centers are not allowed to receive any public funding so that it does not upset the Christian mission of The Salvation Army,” said Derek Dugan, the communications director and Kroc Center Coordinator. “In addition, a gift from the Colombia County government toward the campaign had to be very specifically stated that it was a gift, with no strings attached.”

“The $56 million endowment is in place to make sure all the facilities are of the quality that people will want to come to them,” he continued. “Ultimately, if you get this much traffic coming into a facility then the neighborhood around it will be built up, as we have seen at previous Kroc Centers.”

This Worship Center, with the facility’s 280-person banquet hall, 1,800-square-foot kitchen and Canal Terrace, has already been booked for more than 100 events this year, starting with the Georgia Health Services University “Diversity Summit” on Aug. 3.

On July, 17, the first 200 guests entered the facility for Sunday church service in the Worship Center following a ribbon cutting ceremony, during which Salvation Army Col. Terry Griffin read a biblical passage from Acts chapter 3.

“It’s a story of healing and transformation,” Griffin said of the lame beggar’s miraculous healing in the story. “The beggar only thought of what his condition was, not what it could be. We today are also challenged, not only by what is, but what can be.

Not just for us, but for the community around us.”

In another nod to the healing power of transformation, The Salvation Army has partnered with the Art Factory, who provided eight wall paintings by the same local artists who supported their Art on the Wall program at the Augusta Waterworks, all with the theme of transformation.

“One of our first goals with this project was to transform lives, whether that means helping them to get fit, get fed or get educated, but on a larger level it’s about transforming the community around us,” said Salvation Army Public Relations Coordinator Anthony Esposito. “In San Diego, one of the first places to open a Kroc Center in 2002, it had a huge effect in causing home ownership to skyrocket in the four block area around the center, because the Kroc Center is a destination point. The business

According to Dugan, the Harrisburg neighborhood was specifically chosen as the site for the new Kroc Center because the Kroc Trust demands these centers be positioned in a low income neighborhood with racial diversity, highly visible along a major thoroughfare and where economic indicators suggest the neighborhood would be improved by the construction. While many other applicants in Georgia were disqualified for their inability to meet all these demands, Harrisburg, he says, was perfect.

“It is amazing how in the midst of the biggest recession of my lifetime, we could come together to raise the money to build this center.”

— MAYOR DEKE COPENHAVER

22 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

“Several weddings have already been booked for next year,” said sales and events manager Katie Duncan. “It’s extremely convenient because they can have their ceremony in the chapel and the reception next door on the canal terrace.”

The brickwork of the Canal Terrace features more than 1,000 bricks engraved with the names of major donors, with spaces still available. The color was chosen to match the Sibley Mill, visible across the canal, and a six-acre park with a boat dock and jogging track is planned for completion by the end of the year.

“The Georgia Conservancy did a study of Harrisburg to find out what would enhance the economic development of the neighborhood,” said Dugan. “One of their top recommendations was a jogging trail that would extend from Lake Olmstead Park to the Kroc Center along the canal and it is one of the neighborhood’s top priorities to get done.”

The banquet hall and other party-rooms are available for a variety of birthday party packages including a gym party, inflatable party with bounce castles in the gym, “Little Da Vincis,” “Master Chefs in the Making,” and year-round indoor pool parties.

“I think right now there’s a thrill in having somewhere new to meet in and host events, whether they be corporate meetings, family reunions or weddings,” said Duncan. “We are also hosting

act of the kroc e greater good

“One of our first goals with this project was to transform lives, whether that means helping them to get fit, get fed or get educated, but on a larger level it’s about transforming the community around us” — ANTHONY ESPOSITO

Westminster High School’s prom, but we are very versatile in that we have 12-person conference rooms as well as space for 400 people. People also like that our rental packages and catering packages are all inclusive, as well as the competitive pricing.”

Perhaps the most recognizable feature of the new building is the 28-foot high, 190-foot long water slide which begins in the Aquatics Center, goes outside the building, enters a water tower, curves around and re-enters the pool area.

“I like the slide,” said 5-year-old Hayden Owen. “It’s a lot of fun because I like the water.”

The 3,544-square-foot surface area pool features six zones: the water slide, two 60-foot lap lanes, a large hot tub, kids splash pad play area, leisure pool and lazy river.

“I’ve only been playing here about 10 minutes and they haven’t opened the slide yet, but I already think it’s really neat and look forward to coming back,” said 12-year-old Alex Williamson. “I like the play pad and how soft the ground is. It’s a lot of fun and it helps to get wet and cool off from how hot it’s been lately.”

Adults might want to cool off in the pool after their workout in the state-of-the-art fitness area, which includes 11 treadmills with individual television screens, iPod and headphone jacks and a USB port for instantly saving and personalizing workouts.

The workout area also features a variety of cardio equipment, two circuits of LifeFitness machine weights, free weights, a stretching core area and a massage room.

“Every new member gets a free fitness diagnostic when they first come in the gym, if they want it, which includes a three-minute step test, push-ups and a sit and reach flexibility test,” said lead fitness instructor Josh McCall, who, like all the center’s fitness trainers, has an undergraduate degree in a health-related field and certification with the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. “I want to get to know the people who come in here and find out what their goals are, whether they just want to be here or if they really want to get fit.”

Classes will be offered in a 1,860-square-foot Group Fitness and Dance Room, while a Group Cycling room features 26 Body Bikes and its own sound system. The gymnasium features six basketball goals, two drop-down volleyball nets and a 10-foot

high, 40-foot wide traverse climbing wall.

“I feel like we are all good friends here,” said Gerry Goldman, minutes after finishing her fitness diagnostic. “This is where I need to be working, after spending all day lounging in the pool, but the trainers are all very approachable and I feel I can talk to them about my needs.”

A standard membership requires a $60 registration fee and includes unlimited public access to the Aquatics Center, Gymnasium and Fitness Center, free access to all drop-in group fitness classes and discounts on additional Kroc Center educational opportunities. A gold membership includes all standard membership benefits, plus 10 percent off all general merchandise, food, facility rentals and classes, two-weeks advanced notice on upcoming performances and classes, twohours free childcare per day and other perks. Rates are available at krocaugusta.org and can be purchased from the Welcome Desk inside the Kroc Center.

Nobody was happier to receive their membership than Web specialist Mariam Tafazoli, who has worn the R.J. Kroc mascot outfit at roughly a dozen events over the past several months.

“I really enjoy doing it, but in the future we’re going to try to get volunteers to wear the suit while I guide him around as R.J.’s

“We today are also challenged, not only by what is, but what can be. Not just for us, but for the community around us.”

— Col. Terry Griffin

agent, since R.J. never goes anywhere by himself,” she said. “You get to share your personality with a lot of different people of all age groups, but you have to do it without talking, so there’s a lot of body language involved.”

Tafazoli typically wears the green, crocodile outfit for about 20-minutes before giving the secret sign to her agent, usually by wiping sweat off her brow, which means she needs a break. But for her, the end result is worth the effort.

“There’s something here for every single age group, whether they are 2 or 80,” she said. “R.J. gets to be the face of that and he’s so recognizable that he could be hanging out anywhere in Augusta and it will make people think of all the amazing things going on here at the Kroc Center. He’s a Kroc Star.”

by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK photos HOLLY BIRDSONG

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 23

24 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

beers locals like

the best of

introducing the brews of southern tier

Although I used to work in Brooklyn, I have never been to Coney Island. I have heard stories about hotdogs, roller coasters, taffy, tattoos, visible scars and Snookie wanna-be’s. However, I cannot say any of these things push me any closer to crossing this destination off the list. If only there was some beverage (a beer, perhaps) to take me to Coney Island without the smell of hair gel and sweat permeating a wife-beater tank. If only I could just get a taste of what it takes to cool down in the heat of a Coney Island afternoon. If only I could accomplish all of these things in the comfort of an air-conditioned living room that was not adjacent to a New York island amusement park that is arguably controlled by the Russian Mob. If only … wait, wait … I’ve got it – the Shmaltz Brewing Company’s Coney Island Lagers!

good chow the tastes of augusta i missed the most

FEEDING MYSELF WELL

at college at first was an adventure I was ready to tackle. I was excited for the challenge: nine months of ramen noodles, peanut butter sandwiches and meals I could make using only an electric kettle and microwave.

The pride I took in my minimal masterpieces soon faded after the monotony of the diet set in. Before long, I was lusting after the memories of my favorite foods – particularly those found only in local Augustan eateries. Upon my return to Augusta for the summer, I immediately set out to feast upon these simple pleasures I had missed so much.

Coney Island Human Blockhead Tough-AsNails Lager

Pours a tad cloudy and smells strongly of malts and alcohol. It has a nice head that is foamy and rich at the same time. The taste is a bit earthy, but finishes up a tad sweet. The alcohol in the nose persists with the taste, making this brew not the most refreshing thing to have in the boat with you. However, the robust and strong flavor combined with a subtle bitterness make this lager a good choice for your buck. I recommend it with a few Brazil nuts to offset the strong alcohol in the aftertaste.

Coney Island Albino Python

The pour is yellowy-golden with a decent amount of carbonation to help a medium-sized head on its way up into the air. The nose hints of a gingery citrus with a touch of grassiness in an interesting offset.

Being a light lager that is quite clean, the taste is a bit subtle (to include a lemon zest with a touch of fine yeast), but it will refresh you in a satisfying way that suits an August afternoon in Augusta. I recommend serving this light lager in a chilled mug. Also, it would go well to compliment any meal that includes garlic bread. Trust me on that one.

Coney Island Lager

For a deep amber, it pours quite clear with an impressive head to match. Confusing? Don’t let it be. Just dive right into the nose and you will find that the malts really overshadow the multiple hops used to craft this brew. The taste closely resembles the balance on the nose, with the variety of malts toasting the entirety of the tongue. While not as refreshing as the Albino Python, it is nice to have some malty goodness in this hoppier-than-most summer. Overall, this lager has a sensory fullness that, when served cold, diminishes just enough to stay robust and unassuming at the same time. I give it an A.

These and more can be found at Aficionados on Eighth Street.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Proceeds from the sale of these beers help the nonprofit Coney Island USA fulfill its mission to defend lost forms of American popular arts and culture, leading the renaissance in Brooklyn’s historic Coney Island neighborhood.

by BEN CASELLA Ben Casella does not consider Brooklyn to be the “New Manhattan.” He knows he is being untrendy by saying that, but his allegiance will always lie with West 43rd Street.

Manuel’s Bread Café Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Nacho Mama’s Mahi-Mahi Tacos with Mango Habanero Salsa

I am from a family that loves to make desserts and, more importantly, loves to eat them. Many restaurants offer a generic selection of cakes and pies, but a select few branch out from the standard offering. Manuel’s Bread Café certainly stretches from the ordinary with their wide selection of fresh-baked delicacies, my favorite being the goat cheese cheesecake. The perfect finish to any French-inspired meal, this creamy pie is a masterpiece.

The delicate yet rich flavor makes it stand out as one of the best desserts around town.

Nacho Mama’s is a downtown staple. There is a deep-rooted love for the place that comes from years and years of dining there, a feeling I will never be able to shake as long as they keep serving up the tastiest burritos in the most absolute casual atmosphere.

While I am a fan of everything on the menu, I am in love with their mahi-mahi tacos. Ask them to top it with their special mango habanero salsa for an extra sweet-and-spicy kick and wash it down with a large glass of sweet tea for best results.

Knuckle Sandwiches PBR-B-Q Sandwich and Fries

Knuckle Sandwiches caters to those who need nourishment after sweating it out on the dance floor at a local show – the downtown bar-hoppers and simple midnight snackers. What better way to accompany your three tallboys than with their famous PBR barbecue sandwich? Paired with the most delicious fries around, this is sure to satiate your taste buds and your stomach. My only gripe is that they have somewhat irregular hours – these summer days, I have been craving pulled pork BBQ constantly, but am not always up to catch their 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. dinner shifts.

5

The Bee’s Knees Vegetable Tempura

Lightly battered, deep fried and simply perfect. There are few things I am not completely in love with from The Bee’s Knees menu, but this small tapas dish takes the prize. Sliced carrots, whole asparagus and onion rings served fresh from the kitchen makes for a great appetizer or tapas dish. Paired with a warm sweet soy sauce, The Bee’s Knees serves up the best tempura in town. Other favorites include their house salad (greens, feta, walnut and black grape vinaigrette) and hand-cut red potato French fries with dill feta sauce.

by ASHLEY PLOCHA

OTHER DOWNTOWN DISHES VERGE STAFFERS WOULD MISS BLUE SKY KITCHEN bulgogi that melts in your mouth | soy noodle house spring rolls in rice paper | new moon cafe the mocha java milkshake sends taste buds dancing | ROOSTER’S BEAK the berlin taco filled with roasted cauliflower | FROG HOLLOW anything on the menu

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL CUISINE

What local dishes are your favorites? Write to us and tell us what you like best about CSRA local restaurants and why it’s so good.

Your tips might get published and win you a gift certificate to one of our local dining favorites.

Send via email (editor@vergelive.com) or snail mail (P.O. Box 38, Augusta, GA 30901). Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number. Happy eating! vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 25

26 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

stoney’s

sound bites

the guy who put the k in lokal gets vocal about augusta’s music scene

August is here and, in the South, thoughts revolve around the brutality of the heat as locals seek out snippets of air-conditioned relief from the scorching sun overhead. The sign on the side door at Metro a Coffeehouse & Pub reads: “Please shut the door behind you. We’re not trying to cool the neighborhood.” This is a personal bonus as the nearest booth inside doubles as my office on most days. Bring on the coffee and a great mix of internet-driven music...

Any Augusta music writer worth his salt knows that it does not matter how much you actually know about music, as long as you are well-versed in the history, music and legend of James Brown.

To do otherwise would be the equivalent of being a member of the Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff and not know who Vince Dooley is. With that in mind, a few months ago it dawned on me that the long-publicized end date for the JAMES BROWN EXHIBIT at the Augusta Museum of History was coming up and if I did not check it out I would be the biggest schmuck for missing it. Claiming “I don’t feel tardy” would not cut it. Quoting popular Van Halen lyrics would not save me from falling short of my duty as an Augusta music writer. So, with niece Aerie in tow, I waded through the museum (which I would suggest to anyone – amazing!) in search of Augusta’s tribute to his Royal Funkiness. Not only was I totally floored by all the cool stuff in the exhibit, I was touched by my niece’s complete awe of one of the true musical innovators of our time. While it is sometimes easy for a teenager to dismiss classics simply as old hat, James Brown continues to transcend generations. It makes a guy proud to be an uncle!

As if to say “ha ha, we made you stop by before you had to,” the museum is not only continuing the exhibit but has also refreshed and expanded it with several new items; including more onstage outfits, musical instruments and awards – including the Godfather’s 1982 Grammy. If that isn’t funky enough to drag you out, the museum has announced that more cases of James Brown memorabilia are set to be unloaded later this summer. The Godfather’s spot in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame might have disappeared, but fans and music aficionados can still wash in the musical greatness of Soul Brother Number One in the city of funk – Augusta, Georgia! More info at AUGUSTAMUSEUM.ORG.

While I am on the subject of music and music writers, it does not take much smarts to realize that, perhaps, the largest amount of music coverage these days can be found online. I have been covering music online since 1998 and have seen just about every in-print publication known to man add some sort of online content. During the past few years, the big trend has been blog sites and one of the most popular topics to blog about is music. Augusta is not without her own plethora of music-related blogs and a few are definite must-reads. After a brief absence, CONFEDERATION OF NOISEMAKERS (SINISTERRAIL.BLOGSPOT.COM) has returned to the interwebs. Combining great writing with a sniper-fire delivery, area musician Brian “Stak” Allen throws out a barrage of opinions and thoughts on musical topics that catch his interest. Notably matter-of-fact and to the point, Allen’s blog is not always for the faint of heart, but is always entertaining.

While Allen’s content might stray all over the map, the new online blog by downtown fixture COCO RUBIO will be aimed mainly at downtown musical happenings with concentration on events at Rubio’s clubs Sky City and the Soul Bar. Right now, you can go to SKYCITYAUGUSTA.COM/ MUSIC-BY-COCO and check out information on Nuklear Blast Suntan, M-Tank, Turf War and a cool interview with Panic Manor.

If the musician side is more your thing, check out JOHN BERRET and his super cool page at JOHNBERRETMUSIC.BLOGSPOT.COM. John-John (as his friends call him) fills this site with mostly guitar-related tips and exercises, plus spotlights featuring area musicians and his students.

A definite must-read for young music students and veterans.

At the tail end of last month, Augusta pop-punkers VEARA kicked off a run on this year’s Vans Warped Tour that will see the youngsters rocking and rolling from Maryland straight through the southern states, up through the mid-west and over to the west coast before wrapping up Aug. 14 in Hillsboro, Ore. The band continues to pull in fans of high-energy catchy rock with each and every performance. Fans can keep up with the road doggin’ quartet’s Van’s Warped experience at VANSWARPEDTOUR/BAND/VEARA.

COWBOY MOUTH

What do you do if you want to put a big BANG! into your grand opening? Well you have a high-energy awesome band play of course!

This thought has not flown over the heads of the peeps at the brand-spanking-new KROC CENTER and they plan to do it up loud with an appearance by New Orleans band COWBOY MOUTH on Aug. 6. I can still remember sitting in my seat at the Imperial Theatre and being called out to stand up by drummer Fred LeBlanc. Yeah, Cowboy Mouth does not play around. Make sure you get there early, check out the Kroc Center, see TARA SCHEYER AND THE MUD PUPPY BAND open and enjoy a great evening of music. Trust me; you will thank me in the morning. KROCAUGUSTA.ORG.

THE RADAR CINEMA Speaking of shows, there is one Aug. 19 at Sky City that is near and dear to my heart – THE 2011 LEXIE’S LEGACY MEMORIAL CONCERT, featuring live music from Panic Manor, Josh Pierce, She N She, The Radar Cinema and my band G-City Rockers. It is only $5 to get in and you will get a cool night of music and a copy of A Very Lexie CD!!!! featuring a ton of cool of area artists. If that is not cool enough, proceeds benefit the Lexie’s Legacy Scholarship Fund. LEXIESLEGACY.ORG. Looks like it is time for me to get a coffee refill and visit the little boy’s room. Until next time, make sure you check out the Daily Planner in print and online at VERGELIVE.COM for great live shows. To get an earful of what is happening in Augusta music, listen CONfederation of LOUDness which can be found, ironically enough, at CONFEDERATIONOFLOUDNESS.COM and, of course, as always … Make it LOKAL, Keep it Loud.

John “Stoney” Cannon is considered the guru of “lokal” music.

Check out his long-running Augusta music website: lokalloudness.com.

Send any music news to lokalloudness@yahoo.com.

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 27

the

film reel NOW PLAYING ON THE BIG SCREEN

Superheroes and wizards have cast a spell on moviegoers this summer, but Hollywood has another seasonal favorite genre to offer before kids head back to school. Sci-fi action offering RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES has the distinction of being the first live-action film whose story is expressed from the point of view of a sentient animal.

Taking cues from the 1968 Charlton Heston film Planet of the Apes where the evolutionary process and perception of human superiority comes into question, this update (unlike the 2001 Mark Wahlberg version) breaks away from its predecessor with a modern day setting in San Francisco.

James Franco plays Will, a scientist who tests drugs on monkeys in his quest to cure Alzheimer’s. He takes an orphaned chimpanzee named Caesar home and raises him as a son. Without authorization, Will uses the drug on his dementia-plagued father (John Lithgow) and on Caesar, who begins to exhibit superior intelligence and seemingly human emotions.

When an incident causes Caesar’s primal aggression to get the best of him, he is moved to a sanctuary, which actually turns out to be a hostile environment where animals are treated poorly, thereby showing Caesar a far less favorable side of humanity. Caesar manages to get Will’s experimental drug to his fellow primate prisoners and begins a revolution that could threaten man’s dominance as a species.

This sci-fi action film raises philosophical and ethical questions about the consequences of circumventing the laws of nature and about man’s treatment of other species. The film is unique in its use of performance capture with CGI technology outside of a Hollywood soundstage (performance capture artist Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, also played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) directs with effects headed up by four-time Oscar winner Joe Letteri (Avatar).

There’s a good chance the chimps’ intelligence will outweigh that of the characters in August 5’s other major opener. David Dobkin, who directed the low-brow comedies Fred Claus and Wedding Crashers, unites Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) and Jason Bateman (The Switch, Arrested Development) in a story penned by John Lucas and Scott Moore, the writing duo famous for The Hangover. Bateman plays Dave, an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three whose best friend Mitch (Reynolds) is a promiscuous man-child with few responsibilities. They swap bodies in a freak accident – while intoxicated and urinating in a fountain – and have to live each other’s lives in THE CHANGE-UP. Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin also star.

A best-selling novel leaps to the big-screen on August 10. THE HELP is Kathryn Stockett’s story about the relationships between wealthy white families and their African-American maids in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi. Emma Stone (Easy A) plays Skeeter, an aspiring journalist who gets the maids to open up about racism in a Southern society where they raised the white family’s children but were prohibited from using their bathrooms. All heck breaks loose in their prim and proper community when Skeeter’s thinlyveiled expose becomes a must-read novel. Tony award winner Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer co-star as the maids. The supporting cast in this female-centric period drama includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney, Mary Steenburgen and Cicely Tyson.

August 12 brings the return of a familiar horror franchise with FINAL DESINATION 5, a limited engagement concert documentary featuring TV’s favorite singing teens with GLEE: THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE and a buddy comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as a pizza delivery guy who is forced by two incompetent criminals to rob a bank. Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) also stars in 30 MINUTES OR LESS.

by MARIAH GARDNER, MOVIE GURU

28 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

a bare bones interview with

bryan adams

veteran rocker comes

to the imperial theatre for a sold-out performance

Bryan Adams has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide, garnered 21 Top 10 hits, seven No. 1 singles, and achieved No. 1 status in more than 40 countries. His music has appeared on more than 40 movie soundtracks, and he has been nominated for three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, an American Music Award and five ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for Most Performed Song From a Motion Picture. He is the recipient of 18 Juno Awards, including Artist of the Decade, and was inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame.

In 2010, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented him with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, a tribute to his fundraising and charitable efforts, which include His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Prince’s Trust, Live Aid, Live 8, the Concert for Freedom for Nelson Mandela, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Net Aid, the Canadian Avalanche Foundation and Breast Cancer, in addition to campaigns that have saved rainforests, provided food and comfort for the needy and created whale sanctuaries. Through his own foundation, he has also helped build schools in areas of Southeast Asia devastated by the tsunami in 2004.

Adams’ current release, Bare Bones, is a live, acoustic collection of hits from his 30-year career. He is touring in support of the album that came about as a result of an acoustic tour. His concert at the Imperial Theatre on Aug, 8 is sold-out.

Given the depth and breadth of Adams’ career, it’s safe to bet that there is no question he has not been asked, and no doubt a few he wishes he had never encountered. Verge connected with Adams via email for a “bare bones” interview.

“It’s a new world, it’s a new start.

It’s alive with the beating of young hearts. It’s a new day, it’s a new plan. I’ve been waiting for you. Here I am.”

— BRYAN ADAMS, “HERE I AM”

VERGE: Over the course of performing these songs acoustically, do you continue rediscovering them, particularly with audiences present?

ADAMS: Yes, that is what happened, but musically I’ve always been

about rediscovery, in the ’90s with Unplugged, in the ’00s with a three-piece band and now Bare Bones. It keeps things interesting for yourself and for the audience.

VERGE: Have some of the lyrics acquired new meaning with time?

Do you, like your audience, experience a sense of “timeline” during the performances, a sense of traveling back to the where and when of their original release?

ADAMS: I know what you mean, but somehow the songs to me only

get that timeline when I hear the original recordings. When I’m playing them live, they all feel present-day.

VERGE: In a recent interview, you were quoted as saying, “Just focus

on songs and don’t focus on your website. Just focus on making your music as good as it can be, because at the end of the day, the most important thing that people will remember you by is your music.”

Could you please elaborate on “don’t focus on your website”?

ADAMS: I mean just that. Focus on your music and not technology.

VERGE: Social media, as it’s called, has become a job requirement for almost everyone. Are bands spending too much time on Twitter and Facebook and not enough on honing their craft?

ADAMS: Social media is a giant distraction to the ultimate aim,

which is honing your craft as a songwriter. There are people who are exceptional at it, however, and if you can do both things, then that’s fantastic, but if you are a writer, the time is better spent on a clever lyric than a clever tweet.

VERGE: By the same token, isn’t this ability to communicate with the

audience critical to building and maintaining a fan base in this age of technology?

ADAMS: If your music is great, you will have fans, not because you

have spent time chatting on social media.

VERGE: People who love your music use the word “pop” as a

compliment. Those who don’t like your music dismiss it as “pop.”

Why is the ability to create a “pop” song so criminal?

ADAMS: You can please some of the people some of the time … not

all of the people all of the time.

VERGE: After all, aren’t “pop” songs the reason everyone worships at the altar of the Beatles?

ADAMS: Exactly.

VERGE: What is the difference between being a songwriter and writing a song, and at what point did you understand that difference?

ADAMS: A songwriter writes songs all the time, whereas just writing

a song can be done by anyone anytime.

VERGE: Rather than make these performances “solo acoustic,” you are accompanied by your keyboardist, Gary Breit.

ADAMS: Gary joins me on about half the show; he’s amazing.

VERGE: How long have you worked together and how has that working relationship grown over the years?

ADAMS: He’s worked with me about seven years and it’s way different

to when we started, especially with the Bare Bones show. He really shines here.

“Standin on your mama’s porch, You told me that you’d wait forever.

Oh and when you held my hand, I knew that it was now or never.

Those were the best days of my life.”

— BRYAN ADAMS, “SUMMER OF ‘69”

VERGE: What does he bring to the table, not only as a musician but also as a partner onstage with you every night?

ADAMS: He’s a great accompanist. Sometimes I think we sound like

one instrument.

VERGE: Tremendous success has enabled you to make tremendous contributions to the world through the Bryan Adams Foundation [thebryanadamsfoundation.com]. In closing, can you tell our readers a bit more about what led you to create this foundation and what it means to you?

ADAMS: The Foundation was formed to concentrate my work for

others in one place, and keep the focus on helping children and education and for less fortunate people in the world. So as I go through my travels, I inevitably see things or hear of things I can help with. This is where the foundation comes in. It was formed around the time of the tsunami in Asia, and I kicked off the first project with having a guitar signed by all of my colleagues in the guitar world, and I auctioned it off. It has become the world’s most expensive guitar.

by ALISON RICHTER

NO TICKETS?

HOOF IT to Clearwater, Fla. on Aug. 10 , where a few seats are still available BUY THE ALBUM BRYANADAMS.COM LISTEN DOWN MEMORY LANE on Pandora

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 29

30 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

the

daily planner

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

AUG 3 to AUG 20

[ STORKS AND CORKS ] Connect with nature as you sip delectable wine and savor the sights of endangered wood storks at Silver Bluff ’s annual Storks & Corks party. The event is rather exclusive (and not only because of the endangered storks that are attending): Only 100 tickets are available and reservations are required. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will accompany the Three Hoots”wine.

The Silver Bluff Audubon Center & Sanctuary, nestled along 2.5 miles of the Savannah River, comprises more than 3,000 acres of forests, fields, lakes, ponds and streams that support a wide variety of wildlife, including more than 200 species of birds such as wood storks and bald eagles. During the day, visitors can enjoy a system of walking trails and learn of the rich history of the property that features visits by Spanish and English explorers, an 18th century trading post and a Revolutionary War skirmish.

WHAT Audubon’s Storks & Corks WHERE Silver Bluff Audubon Center & Sanctuary 4542 Silver Bluff Road, Jackson, S.C. WHEN Saturday, August 6 | 6 to 9 p.m. | $40 MORE 803.471.029 or sc.audubon.org The Daily Planner is our selective guide to what is going on in the city during the next two weeks. IF YOU WANT TO BE LISTED: Submit information by email (events@vergelive.com) or by mail (verge, P.O. Box 38, Augusta, GA 30903). Details of the event - date, time, venue address, telephone number and admission price - should be included. Listings included are accurate at press time, check with specific venues for further details.

WEDNESDAY

8.3

THURSDAY

8.4

FOR KIDS TODDLER TIME: SUN PRINT FUN Learn about

the magic of photography while viewing the exhibition Civil War Redux. Then, create your own sun print. The Morris Museum of Art; 11 and 11:15 a.m.; $4, free for members; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

FESTIVAL FIRST THURSDAY Enjoy an evening

out in Summerville as stores stay open, refreshments are served and friendships are made.

Get tickets for discounts on purchases at Midtown Market.

Charity of the month: Sacred Heart Cultural Center. Monte Sano Avenue in Summerville; 5 p.m.; free; Monte Sano Avenue; 706.755.2665

FILM FAMILY MOVIE MATINEE: RANGO Rated PG

Friedman Library; 2:30 p.m.; free; 1447 Jackson Road; 706.736.6758 ECGRL.ORG

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Rome Braves. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

ART IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT Opening Reception. Fifteen works by Clay Artists of the Southeast will be on display through Aug. 27.

Gallery on the Row; 6 p.m.; free; 1016 Broad St.; 706.863.7929

FRIDAY

8.5

FILM FILMS ON FRIDAY: God’s Little Acre

The Morris Museum of Art; noon; free; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

FESTIVAL FIRST FRIDAY

Arts galleries display new works, performers take to the sidewalks, art and craft vendors sell their handmade goods along Broad Street. Family friendly.

Downtown Augusta; 5 p.m.; free; Broad Street; 706.826.4702 AUGUSTAARTS.COM

photo DAN WUORI

CONCERT MUSIC IN BOECKH PARK John Kolbeck

sings country and soft rock originals and cover songs.

Hammonds Ferry; 7 p.m.; free; 506 Front St., North Augusta

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Rome Braves. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

FILM STARLIGHT CINEMA

The Great Outdoors. Aiken State Park; 8 p.m.; free; 1145 State Park Road, Windsor, S.C.

COMEDY SCHRODINGER’S CAT plays eXtreme Theatre Games. Comedy improv troupe puts together an epic battle royale, team on team smackdown of their finest improvisors along with the amazing musical improvisations of Mr. Michael Ray and Adam Roush. For mature audience members. Le Chat Noir; 8 p.m.; $8 advance, $10 door; 304 Eighth St.; 706.722.3322

good cause BACHELOR AUCTION Bid on area

bachelors to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The Vue; 8 p.m.; $12 in advance, $15 at the door; 469 Highland Ave.; 706.731.9900

SATURDAY

8.6

FEstival FRIED GREEN TOMATO FESTIVAL Enjoy

some of the finest tomatoes in the area. The Iron Horse Bar & Grill; free; 2510 Storm Branch Road, Beech Island; 803.867.2388

outdoors SWAMP SATURDAY Trained volunteers

lead 2.5 mile, 1.5 hour hikes through wetlands and over trails and scenic outlooks. Phinizy Swamp; 9:30 a.m.; free; 1858 Lock & Dam Road; 706.828.2109

[ HIBAKUSHA ] The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called hibakusha or “explosion-affected people.” Director David Routhauser tells their tales – men, women and children; Japanese, Korean and American survivors – in the drama/documentary Hibakusha, Our Life to Live. Weaving a tale of remembrance into the surreality of possible nuclear warfare today, Routhauser asks the audience to embrace life as a precious gift and never forget the annihilation of war.

The CSRA Peace Alliance, in conjunction with Aiken Peace and Carolina Peace Resource Center, host a screening of the documentary on August 8 to commemorate the two days, almost 61 years ago, that the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) during World War II. After the film, Routhauser will discuss the film and answer questions.

WHERE Headquarters Library, 823 Telfair St. WHEN Monday, August 8 at 6:30 p.m. | free MORE CSRAPEACE.ORG

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 31

NOW OPEN

SUNDAYS 12 to 9pm

32 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

SATURDAY

8.6

grand opening THE KROC CENTER A day full

of events and fun for the entire family including The Salvation Army Band (10 a.m.); Celebrity Dodgeball (11 a.m.); Pickleball Demo Game (noon); Creative Expressions Dance (1:30 p.m.); music by Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold (2:30 p.m.); meet Miss South Carolina (2:30 p.m.); swim demo by Olympian Kristy Kowal (4 p.m.); magic show with Harris III (4:30 p.m.); outdoor concert with Cowboy Mouth (6 p.m.) and fireworks (9 p.m.).

Kroc Center Augusta; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; 1833 Broad St.; 706.364.4036 KROCAUGUSTA.ORG

for kids FIT 4 SCHOOL

Get ready for a new school year with free supplies, haircuts and fun ways to stay healthy.

USC Aiken Convocation Center; 10 a.m.; free; 417 University Parkway, Aiken; 803.643.6900 USCATIX.COM

theatre OPEN HOUSE

Stop by and check out the new location of recently merged theatre companies.

Musical Theatre Workshops and Footnotes Dance Academy; 11 a.m.; free; 3833 Martinez Blvd., Martinez; 706.231.1759 ONWITHTHESHOW.BIZ

for kids LUAU BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY Make old-

fashioned ice cream and enjoy a free scoop. Learn about the first ice cream freezer, invented in 1948. Headquarters Library; 2 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.821.2600 ECGRL.ORG

FESTIVAL AIKEN HORSEPOWER CRUISEIN See some of Aiken’s classic

cars. Home Depot; 6 p.m.; free; 1785 Whiskey Road, Aiken; 803.270.3505

SUNDAY

8.7

good cause BIKE FOR

THE BALLET Tutu-clad cyclists bike through downtown to raise money for Augusta Ballet.

Read the full article on page 17.

Enterprise Mill; 6:30 a.m.; $50 to sponsor a cyclist; 1450 Greene St.; 706.261.0555

concert BAD HABITS Iron Horse Bar & Grill; 2 p.m.; free; 2510 Storm Branch Road, Beech Island; 803.867.2388 ART ARTRAGEOUS FAMILY SUNDAY: We’re with the Band Enjoy a special performance of Civil War–era music by re-enactors from the Eighth Regiment Band.

Afterwards, create sun prints and decorate frames. The Morris Museum of Art; 2 p.m.; free; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Rome Braves. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

film HIBAKUSHA, OUR LIFE TO LIVE Stories of

Kroc Center. Fun activities all day and fireworks at night. Kroc Center; 6 p.m.; free; 1833 Broad St.; 706.922.0170

Japanese, Korean and American survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Read the full article on page 31. Headquarters Library; 6:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.821.2600

good cause STORKS & CORKS View endangered wood

concert FORT GORDON JAZZ ENSEMBLE Bring

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Rome Braves. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

concert MERLE HAGGARD Bell Auditorium; 7:30 p.m.; $39.50 to $57.50; 712 Telfair St.; 706.724.2400 GEORGIALINATIX.COM

a picnic, blanket and lawn chairs for an evening of music outdoors. Hopeland Gardens; 7 p.m.; free; 135 Dupree Place, Aiken; 803.642.7631 AIKEN.NET

Headquarters Library; 6:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639

WEDNESDAY

8.10 for kids HOW IT’S MADE, HOMEMADE

Ages 6 to 11. Columbia County Library; 1 p.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

THURSDAY

8.11

art TERRA COGNITA: JUAN LOGAN Painter, sculptor

and mixed-media artist discusses his work. The Morris Museum of Art; 6 p.m.; free; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.COM

FRIDAY

8.12

concert THE APPLING OPRY SECOND SATURDAY CONCERT SERIES Smith and

Flowers. Old J.D. Howell General Store; 7 p.m.; free; 5701 Whiteoak Road, Appling

concert ED TURNER ROCK AND SOUL REVIEW Classic rock music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Imperial Theatre; 7:30 p.m.; $10 to $25; 745 Broad St.; 706.722.8293 IMPERIALTHEATRE.COM

concert BRYAN ADAMS: THE BARE BONES TOUR

Canadian icon Bryan Adams plays his hits from the past 25 years. Read the full article on page 29. Imperial Theatre; 8 p.m.; $35 to $64; 745 Broad St.; 706.722.8341 8/9

Vero Beach, Fla., native Jake Owen grew up playing baseball and football, and ultimately planned a career on the professional golf circuit. His goals were waylaid by a waterskiing accident, and Owen, by then a college student at Florida State University, took up the guitar while recovering from surgery. He soon discovered his true calling.

Owen made a name for himself on the club circuit, but tired of playing covers and began performing original material. Only a few credits away from graduation, in 2005 he relocated to Nashville and shortly thereafter signed a recording deal.

Less than a year later, he was signed by RCA Records and began charting hit singles: “Yee Haw” and “Startin’ with Me” in 2006, “Something About a Woman” in 2007, “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” in 2008 and “Eight Second Ride” in 2009. His recording of “Life in a Northern Town” with Sugarland and Little Big Town in 2008 earned him Grammy and CMA Award nominations. Owen was named 2009’s Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. He has toured with Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Sugarland, and this year was tapped as opening artist for Keith Urban’s Get Closer world tour.

The title track of his upcoming third album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, quickly put him back on the charts. It also marks a unique collaboration between Owen and Canadian producer Joey Moi, best known for his work with Nickelback and My Darkest Days. This is Moi’s first venture into country music and a new chapter for Owen as a singer and songwriter.

“I never wanted to be the guy that did everything the way you’re supposed to do it,” says Owen. “And that led me to make this record, which I think really represents who I am more than anything I’ve ever recorded. If nothing else happens after this, I can honestly say that I did the absolute best that I can do. I’ve never felt this good about music, or anything in my career, as I do right now.”

by ALISON RICHTER

WHAT Keith Urban’s Get Closer 2011 World Tour with Jake Owens WHERE James Brown Arena | 601 Seventh St. WHEN Saturday, August 13 | 7:30 p.m. TICKETS $26.50 to $77 MORE 877.4AUGTIX | georgialinatix.com

concert AN EVENING OF LIVE TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC with the Wooly Jumpers. Knights of Columbus Hall; 8 p.m.; $15; 1501 Monte Sano Ave.; 706.267.5416

theatre VOCAL WORKSHOPS WITH CRISTELL REYES

SATURDAY

8.13

expo CAREFAIR FOR WOMEN The Augusta

Chronicle presents the 12th annual CareFair for women event. Christenberry Fieldhouse; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; free; 3109 Wrightsboro Road; 706.823.3476 CAREFAIRFORWOMEN.COM

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Rome Braves. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

[ JAKE OWENS TRADES IN GOLF FOR MUSIC]

film Raising Arizona

stars, bring your own seating and picnic. The River Stage at the Eighth Street Bulkhead; 8 p.m.; $6; 2 Eighth St.; 706.495.6238 GARDENCITYJAZZ.COM

8.8

daily planner

Try out to participate in the Columbia County Choral Society’s 2011-2012 Concert Season, featuring John Rutter’s Requiem. First Baptist Church of Evans; 6:30 p.m.; free; 515 North Belair Road, Evans; 706.650.2311 CCCHORALSOCIETY.ORG

jazz CANDLELIGHT JAZZ: FAYTH HOPE Jazz under the

MONDAY

the

auditions COLUMBIA COUNTY CHORAL SOCIETY

Ages 6 to 11. Columbia County Library; 4 p.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

Dinner at My Place by Tyler Florence. Columbia County Library; 6 p.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

storks and enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine to benefit Silver Bluff Audubon. Read the full article on page 31. Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary; 6 p.m.; $40; 4542 Silver Bluff Road, Jackson, S.C.; 803.471.0291 AUDUBON.ORG

8.9

for kids HOW IT’S MADE, HOMEMADE

literary COOKBOOK CLUB Book discussion of

concert COWBOY MOUTH + TARA SCHEYER AND THE MUD PUPPY BAND Grand opening of the

TUESDAY

outdoors POND EXPLORATION Use dip nets

and learn about the critters that live in ponds. Be prepared to get wet and muddy. For ages 5 and up, children must be accompanied by an adult.

Preregistration required. Reed Creek Nature Park; 10 a.m.; members free, $2 nonmembers; 3820 Park Lane, Martinez; 706.210.4027

art ACRYLIC PAINTING WITH WILLIAM WILIS The Morris Eminent Scholar leads participants through a workshop highlighting painting techniques inspired by his exhibition No Nature, No Art. All materials included. Paid registration due August 6. The Morris Museum of Art; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $140 members, $160 nonmembers; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG literary BOOK SIGNING

Rick Busby, the author of Simple Habits that will Change Your Life.

Headquarters Library; 1:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639

Musical Theatre Workshops and Footnotes Dance Academy; children age 8 to 11 at noon, children age 12 to 15 at 1:30 p.m., and age 16 to adult at 3 p.m.; free; 3833 Martinez Blvd., Martinez; 706.231.1759 ONWITHTHESHOW.BIZ

festival RESTORED

DREAMS Community event featuring music, poetry, songs and more. Headquarters Library; 4:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639 ECGRL.ORG

concert SECOND SATURDAY CONCERT: THE JEREMY GRAHAM BAND Columbia County Amphitheater; 7 p.m.; $5; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.312.7192 COLUMBIACOUNTYGA.GOV

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 33

34 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

SATURDAY

8.13

concert ED TURNER ROCK AND SOUL REVIEW Imperial Theatre; 7:30 p.m.; $10 to $25; 745 Broad St.; 706.722.8293 IMPERIALTHEATRE.COM

education GENEOLOGY:

How to research your property or the family homestead.

Headquarters Library; 2 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639 Royal Tailor. New Hope Worship Center; 6 p.m.; free; 715 S. Belair Road, Grovetown; 706.868.6158 NHWC.ORG

film Blazing Saddles

Headquarters Library; 6:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639

8.18

literary BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB Discussion of

Jake on page 33. James Brown Arena; 7:30 p.m.; $26.50 to $77; 601 Seventh St.; 706.724.2400 GEORGIALINATIX.COM

Roanoke by Lee Miller. Columbia County Library; 11:30 a.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946

SUNDAY

literary HARLEM LIBRARY BOOK CLUB

8.14

art ACRYLIC PAINTING WITH WILLIAM WILLIS

See listing on Aug. 13. The Morris Museum of Art; 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; $140 members, $160 nonmembers; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

for kids HOW IT’S MADE, HOMEMADE

Discussion of Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson. Harlem Library; 4 p.m.; free; 375 N. Louisville St., Harlem; 706.556.9795

SPORTS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Charleston RiverDogs.

Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

Ages 6 to 11. Columbia County Library; 1 p.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

jazz CANDLELIGHT JAZZ: DR. ROB FOSTER & PULSAR See listing on

Aug 7. The River Stage; 8 p.m.; $6; 2 Eighth St.; 706.495.6238 GARDENCITYJAZZ.COM

MONDAY

8.15

literary MONDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB Discussion of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Columbia County Library; 6:30 p.m.; free; 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; 706.863.1946 ECGRL.ORG

concert AIKEN BIG BAND See listing on Aug.

8. Hopeland Gardens; 7 p.m.; free; 135 Dupree Place, Aiken; 803.642.7631 AIKEN.NET

TUESDAY

8.16

comedy SOFA KING FUNNY FEST PRELIM

The first installment of the annual Sofa King Funny Fest.

Throughout the festival 24 comedians and 12 improv teams will compete over the course of six shows to be crowned the Sofa King. Le Chat Noir; 8 p.m.; $8 in advance, $10 at the door; 304 Eighth St.; 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

the library story time. Frogs in the library – listen to frog stories and make a frog hat.

Headquarters Library; 10 a.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.821.2600

concert THE PACKAWAY HANDLE BAND Presented

by the McDuffie Arts Council.

The Railroad Depot; 7 p.m.; $8 in advance, $10 at door; Railroad Street, Thomson; 706.699.1804

sports AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Charleston RiverDogs. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

ONGOING

and beverages are available for donations that will go toward use of the facility. Glenn Hills Baptist Church; 6 p.m.; free; 2877 Lumpkin Road; 706.373.7855

sports AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS vs.

Charleston RiverDogs. Lake Olmstead Stadium; 7:05 p.m.; $7 to $11; 78 Milledge Road; 706.736.7889 GREENJACKETS.NET

theatre TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE Mitch Albom is

reunited with Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor.

Morrie is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class on the meaning of life. Aiken Community Playhouse; 8 p.m.; $12; 126 Newberry St., Aiken; 803.648.1438 ACP1011.COM

theatre RUTHLESS!

8-year-old Tina Denmark knows she was born to play Pippi Longstocking and will do anything to win the part in her school musical. Anything includes murdering the leading lady! This aggressively outrageous musical hit garnered rave reviews during its long Off Broadway run which opened with Brittany Spears in the title role. Directed by Roy Lewis.

Le Chat Noir; 8 p.m.; $25; 304 Eighth St.; 706.722.3322 LCNAUGUSTA.COM

daily planner

WEEK

Casa Blanca Café; 6 to 9 p.m.; free; 936 Broad St.; 706.504.3431 CASABLANCATIME.COM

a tour through the Augusta Museum of History and a driving tour through historic downtown Augusta.

Reservations required at least 24 hours in advance. Augusta Visitor Center; 1 p.m.; $12; 560 Reynolds St.; 706.724.4067 AUGUSTAGA.ORG

THURSDAYS BACHATA LESSONS Bachata is a genre

saturdays FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD Learn

THURSDAYS TANGO LESSONS Learn to tango.

of music that originated in the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. A&E Dance Studio; 7 p.m.; $5; 1253 Broad St.; 706.828.8500

FRIDAYS SALSA DANCE LESSONS A&E Dance Studio; 9 p.m.; free; 1253 Broad St.; 706.828.8500

theatre TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE See listing on Aug.

19. Aiken Community Playhouse; 8 p.m.; $12; 126 Newberry St., Aiken; 803.648.1438 ACP1011.COM

saturdays HISTORIC TROLLEY TOUR Includes

saturdays AUGUSTA MARKET AT THE RIVER

Augusta’s outdoor market with fresh locally-grown produce, bread, food and other products. Eighth Street Bulkhead; 8 a.m.; to 2 p.m.; free; 2 Eighth St.; 706.627.0128 THEAUGUSTAMARKET.COM

how slaves used astronomy and song to escape. DuPont Planetarium, Ruth Patrick Science Education Center; 8 p.m.; $1 to $4.50; 471 University Parkway, Aiken USCA.EDU

saturdays DIGISTAR LASER FANTASY Enjoy the

soothing music and parade of shapes. Dupont Planetarium; 9 p.m.; $1 to $4.50; 471 University Parkway, Aiken; 803.641.3769

sUNdays SUNDAY SKETCH Sketch in the galleries,

with materials supplied by the museum. The Morris Museum of Art; 2 p.m.; free; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

SATURDAY

8.20

FRIDAY

8.19

art ART AT LUNCH: CONFEDERATE FACES IN COLOR David Wynn Vaughan

provides a detailed look at 50 hand-tinted photographs of Confederate soldiers drawn from his enormous private collection. Lunch will be catered

by Moe’s Southwest Grill. The Morris Museum of Art; noon; $10 members, $14 nonmembers; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501 THEMORRIS.ORG

outdoors POLLUTION SOLUTION Program that

for kids TUESDAY SPECIAL STORIES Hop to

concert PICKIN’ AND PRAISIN’ CONCERT SERIES A meal, desserts

concert SAMESTATE +

THURSDAY

concert KEITH URBAN + JAKE OWEN Read more about

the

includes hands-on activities demonstrating types of pollution, their causes and effects. Discuss possible solutions and recognize ways to recycle.

Ages 5 and up. Preregistration required. Reed Creek Nature Park; 4:30 p.m.; members free, $2 nonmembers; 3820 Park Lane, Martinez; 706.210.4027 REEDCREEKPARK.COM

outdoors PADDLEFEST

Willie Anne Wright, Chancellorsville: George Armstrong Custer, undated. Courtesy of the artist.

Augusta’s only canoe, kayak, stand-up paddle board and homemade raft race. The canoe/ kayak race will begin at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, while the homemade raft race will start from the North Augusta Boat Landing. Both races will end downtown at the Boathouse - which will be followed by lunch and an awards ceremony.

Savannah Rapids Pavilion for kayaks and North Augusta Boat Landing for rafts; 7 a.m.; $35 per person in advance, $45 per person on day of race; 3300 Evans To Locks Rd, Martinez, for kayaks and Hammonds Ferry Road, North Augusta for rafts; 706.826.8991

[ CIVIL WAR REDUX ]

literary BOOK SIGNING

Civil War Redux: Pinhole Photographs by Willie Anne Wright, an exhibition of more than 34 gelatin silver print photographs, all shot with a pinhole (lensless) camera, is on display at the Morris Museum of Art through Sept. 4.

Saffron Kelley, the author of Kindly. Headquarters Library; 1:30 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.722.1639 ECGRL.ORG

for kids Rio Rated G.

Headquarters Library; 2 p.m.; free; 823 Telfair St.; 706.821.2600

find the full daily planner @ vergelive.com

“For nearly 15 years, Willie Anne Wright followed individual groups of Civil War enthusiasts to re-enactments of battles all over the South, and, just like the re-enactors, she sought to capture more than the experience of armed conflict. She, like they, sought to recapture the essence of mid-century life and the particular details associated with the struggle of the war in camp scenes, images of medical treatment and gruesome death, as well as portrayals of bereft families and widows,” said Kevin Grogan, the director of the Morris Museum of Art. “She has often said that she sees herself as a spectator not a participant. But she has noted, too, that she is a spectator who ‘appreciates the authenticity for which dedicated re-enactors strive but who encounters inevitable anachronisms.’ ” Wright began her artistic career as a painter and printmaker – her work was widely exhibited in juried and invitational shows for many years – she chose pinhole photography as her primary creative medium in 1972. Acclaimed for her lensless photography, her work has been exhibited internationally for nearly 40 years.

WHAT Civil War Redux: Pinhold Photographs by Willie Anne Wright WHERE The Morris Museum of Art | 1 10th St. WHEN Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

ADMISSION $3 to $5; free on Sundays MORE 706.724.7501 | THE MORRIS.ORG or willieannewright.com

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 35

between the

covers ARE YOU WHAT YOU READ?

lucinda clark, p.r.a. publishing

A POET’S PLATFORM The art of poetry is ancient, potent and almost universally appealing. A shrewd combination of crafted, resonant language and rhythm has an uncanny tendency to touch the human heart by way of the mind. Yet, ironically enough, nowadays a poet often struggles to find a platform for those works to publicly flourish. The CSRA fortunately has a remedy to this frequent artist’s malady.

P.R.A. Publishing, based in Martinez, is an independent press devoted to publishing positive, thought-provoking and uplifting writing from local authors. The initials stand for Phoenix Rising Art, appropriate considering its potential to help literary lyricists get their work out to the world and rise above limitations and circumstances.

Founded in 2002 by poet Lucinda Clark, P.R.A. originally specialized in visual art until an artist submitted a painting with nudity and offered a description of the painting’s meaning in poetic form. Clark decided to publish the poetry instead of the art and the press’s first title was published in 2003.

P.R.A. has since published several distinguished and award-winning volumes, including 2008 Indie Excellence Award for Social Change winner Echoes in Exile by Sheema Kalbasi; 2010 International Book Award for Poetry Anthologies winner View From the Middle of the Road IV: Pathway to Dreams, from P.R.A.’s signature View From the Middle of the Road poetry anthology series; novel Sleepwalk Society

by Kendare Blake; and B.A.A.D. (Beautiful African American Dreams) by anthropologist Dr. Ira E. Harrison. P.R.A. is also the publisher of six Pushcart Prize nominees, including Deanna Shapiro and Daniel Y. Harris.

The View from the Middle of the Road series began when Clark self-published a volume of poems in 2004.

“Poetry is the stuff great songs originate from,” says Clark, whose own influences as a poet include Toni Morrison, Paulo Coelho, Elie Wiesel and Rita Dove. “It is the art form a creative person chooses when they wish to share a thought, feeling or idea without writing it for pages and pages, sort of like the Twitter of literary art forms.”

Clark and P.R.A. maintain particular and sophisticated criteria for literature to be published.

“Good poetry is when the reader or the audience, in the case of spoken word, makes a connection with what is being shared … it provokes thought and sometimes action from the consumer,” says Clark. “Bad poetry is, well, babbling, swearing … it provokes no thought (constructive, anyway) and finds no audience.”

Per this philosophy of what makes good literature, P.R.A. upholds a simple but certain standard for publishable works: “[No] poetry that babbles, promotes profanity, or degrades anyone or anything.”

The grassroots poetry program’s insistence on promoting only positive literature shows in the subject matter they tend to promote: The earliest titles dealt with issues ranging from coping with Alzheimer’s disease to the thoughts of women on their roles in society as caregivers and keepers of the future. Alongside quality work, P.R.A. also wants to encourage writers to be active in the promotion of their own work, prepared with a platform either developed or in development.

“A professional approach is first and foremost … Writers who don’t want to get out there and stay out there after their work has been published are a real turn off. [We look for] writers who understand that publishing is a business and that they must do their part to make success happen,” says Clark.

Prospective published poets, novelists and other literary artists interested in submitting their work can contact Lucinda Clark through the Phoenix Rising Art website at prapublishing.com.

by SKLYER ANDREWS photo HOLLY BIRDSONG

36 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

the

daily planner

ONGOING

ART

Civil War Redux: Pinhole Photographs

by Willie Anne Wright

MAZES & MONSTERS

An extraordinary exhibition of sepia-toned gelatin silver print photographs, all shot with a pinhole (lensless) camera, which mirror vintage photographs.

Wright followed re-enactors for 13 years, capturing not the battles themselves, but the essence of mid-19th-century life and the struggle and conflict of the War Between the States. Ends Sept. 4.

The Morris Museum of Art; 1 10th St.; 706.724.7501

THE EBONY LEGACY EXHIBITION Highlights the

contributions and achievements of African-Americans who have lived and worked diligently to help make Augusta what it is today. Ends Oct. 31. Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History; 1116 Phillips St.; 706.724.3576

EXHIBIT, JANE POPIEL

Ends Aug. 31. Sacred Heart Cultural Center; free; 1301 Greene St.; 706.826.4700 SACREDHEARTAUGUSTA.ORG

IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT Fifteen works by Clay

Artists of the Southeast.

Ends Aug.27. Gallery on the Row; 6 p.m.; free; 1016 Broad St.; 706.863.7929

[ rock for grace ] “Over One Million children are sold into the sex trade every year all over the world,” reads a t-shirt promoting the upcoming House of Grace fundraiser, followed by the challenge: “Speak up for those who cannot.”

These t-shirts will be available at Sector 7G on Aug. 13, where eight bands will provide the sendoff entertainment for Hillary Daniel, who will make her second, two-week mission trip to the House of Grace this November, located in Chantaburi Province, 150 miles southeast of Bangkok, an area where the incidence of people with HIV/AIDS is one of the highest in Thailand.

Daniel will also be distributing informational pamphlets about illegal sex-trafficking and selling bracelets and other items to raise money for her trip. She will be joined onstage by Dan Lozzi, a Boston-based speaker on human rights issues.

“It’s amazing what people don’t know about other countries, much less their own country,” said entertainment coordinator Scott Caneda. “The Atlanta airport is one of the main places where people are at risk for abduction into the sex trade. A lot of girls come through there, and most are never heard from again.”

Bands include Knock Em Dead from Miami, Currents from North Carolina, and local bands Mazes and Monsters, The Radar Cinema, Dependency, Panic Manor, Ironwill and Collin on an acoustic set. Every dollar raised by the event will fund Daniel’s

transportation to Thailand, and any excess cash will be donated to The House of Grace.

“It’s very scary because in some countries it’s illegal to go and minister, and it’s dangerous because she could be abducted too,” said event coordinator Lauren Busby. “But Hillary doesn’t care.

For her, it’s all about the girls.”

Daniel will spend two weeks at The House of Grace ministering to 100 tribal girls between age 4 and 23, all of whom are at risk of becoming prostitutes and who are receiving housing, education, and opportunities not normally available to them.

“Hillary went a few years ago, and all the girls she met because Facebook friends with her and they continue to write her ‘I love you’ messages,” said Busby. “It really does make an impact and a difference in their lives, and doing that is Hillary’s passion.”

Admission is $6 and doors open at 4:30 p.m. Additional donations are appreciated.

[ HOP, SKIP AND JUMP ]

“People are asked to donate to causes all the time, but rarely do they get to see where their money is going,” said Busby. “This is an amazing opportunity for people to meet Hillary, see how their dollars are making an impact, and have a really good time.”

Hybrid Health Information Technology, Inc., in partnership with Augusta Parks and Recreation, will host the first Central Park Community Health Fair on Aug. 13 at Central Park, sometimes called Merry Park, to encourage the community to utilize the park as part of their daily lives.

by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK photo ELIZABETH BENSON

WHO Knock Em Dead + Mazes & Monsters + Don Lozzi + Currents + The Radar Cinema + Panic Manor + Collin WHERE Sector 7G | 631 Ellis St. WHEN Saturday, August 13 | 5 p.m. TICKETS $6 | all ages MORE SECTOR7GAUGUSTA.COM or HOUSEOFGRACETHAILAND.COM

The park will be filled with fun activities including food, games and a hop scotch contest and free health screenings. The overarching goal of the health fair is to promote a healthier lifestyle by fostering a sense of community, becoming more active and providing awareness of local health resources that are underused and readily available.

[ lexie’s legacy ] The 2011 Lexie’s Legacy Memorial Concert and CD Release party to benefit Augusta State University’s Lexie’s Legacy Scholarship Fund will take place at Sky City on Aug. 19.

“We aim to create a healthier lifestyle through exercise, activity and the utilization of the park,” said park advocate Gloria Dunbar. “This is a continuation of our efforts trying to get activity in the park, as well as encouraging everyone in the community to have a healthier lifestyle.”

Featured bands include the G-City Rockers, Panic Manor, Josh Pierce, The Radar Cinema, She N She, plus several guest appearances by local favorites.

Admission includes one copy of “A Very Lexie CD 2011,” while supplies last.

“It’s a good night of music and fun that will support scholarship opportunities for young married women going to ASU,” said Lexie’s father and scholarship founder Jon Cannon. “We wanted to do something in the spirit of our daughter, who was very involved in both the college and in volunteer work, and this seems like an incredible legacy for people to support that will be around long after I’m gone.”

Augusta native Alexis Noelle Colohan-Cannon Haworth passed away on April 6, 2008, after suffering severe injuries from an auto accident near her residence in King’s Bay, Ga. Since then, Lexie’s Legacy has been assisting in scholarship opportunities for young, married women.

This year finds the non-profit organization within reach of full endowment status, which will double the scholarship amount awarded each year. Plans are already in place to put Lexie’s Legacy to work in other ways within the community to further honor her lifelong desire to bring hope, happiness and love to others. | by CHRIS SELMEK

WHAT Lexie’s Legacy Memorial Concert WHERE Sky City | 1057 Broad St. WHEN Saturday, August 19 | 8 p.m. TICKETS $5 MORE LEXIESLEGACY.ORG

“This park served as a central point of the neighborhood where friends could hang out after school and during the summer; that was our social networking,” said park enthusiast Theodore Wilson. “Back in the day, we got our exercise playing kickball, basketball and just running through the park.”

Harrisburg Community Health Clinic and Druid Park Clinic, which provide healthcare services on a sliding scale to the community, will be on hand to perform diabetes and hypertension screenings. Other events include healthy lifestyle demonstrations, such as Tai-chi and healthy cooking, foot massages and a community garden tour. The Augusta Riverhawks will also be there to encourage sports as a healthy hobby.

WHAT Central Park Community Health Fair WHERE Central Park | 1180 Merry St. WHEN Saturday, August 13 | Noon to 4 p.m. | free MORE Contact Gloria Dunbar at 706.955.7557 or email gdunbar@hybridhealthit.com

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 37

38 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

night

A SELECTIVE GUIDE TO NIGHTLIFE IN THE CSRA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18

COMEDY ZONE: LYNDEL PLEASANT + MARY ASHER @ Somewhere in Augusta 8 p.m.; $8

WORLDWIDE ZOO @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

SIBLING STRING @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

JIM PERKINS @ Carolina Ale House | 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 JIM PERKINS @ Metro a Coffee House & Pub | 9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

JOHN BERRET’S LAROXES @ Iron Horse Bar & Grill | 5 p.m.

THE WHISKY GENTRY + AMERICAN AQUARIUM @ Sky City | 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5

CHRIS LANE BAND @ The Country Club | 8 p.m.

NATALIE STOVALL @ The Country Club | 8 p.m.

JIM PERKINS @ Carolina Ale House | 9 p.m.

JOHN BERRET’S LAROXES @ The Playground Bar | 8 p.m.

SUNDANCE JENKINS @ Wild Wing Café | 9 p.m.

THE JEREMY GRAHAM BAND @ Coyote’s | 10 p.m.

ALLMAN BROTHERS TRIBUTE BAND @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

DANGER MUFFIN SPECIAL ACOUSTIC SHOW @ Still Water Taproom | 9 p.m.

SIBLING STRING + FUNK YOU @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

THE ATOM BLONDE + FALSE FLAG @ The Playground Bar 10 p.m.

G-CITY ROCKERS + THE ISSUES @ Metro a Coffee House & Pub | 9:30 p.m.

DOMINO EFFECT @ 1102 Bar & Grill | 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

THE HYPSYS @ 1102 Bar & Grill 10 p.m.

GIFT HORSE + EAT LIGHTENING @ Sky City 10 p.m.; $5 GARY RAY @ The Country Club 8 p.m.

SIBLING STRING @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

THE UNMENTIONABLES

SATURDAY, JULY 20

DIEZEl @ Malibu Jack’s | 8 p.m.

ARTEMIA + GANJA + ROOFTOP HARBOR + MY BROTHER’S KEEPER + BORN + MOSES CANOVA @ Sector 7G 8 p.m.

RADIO CULT @ Wild Wing Café 10 p.m.

THOMAS TILLMAN @ The Country Club | 8 p.m.

JIM PERKINS @ Metro a Coffee House & Pub | 9:30 p.m.

FUNK YOU @ Surrey Tavern 10 p.m.

WEEKLY

G-CITY ROCKERS SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

KNOCK EM DEAD + MAZES AND MONSTERS + DON LOZZI + CURRENTS + THE RADAR CINEMA + PANIC MANOR + COLLIN @ Sector 7G | 5 p.m.; $6

GIFT HORSE

JARED ASHLEY BAND @ The Country Club | 8 p.m.

WHISKEY GENTRY

80S NIGHT @ Sky City| 8 p.m.; $5 after 10 p.m.

DANGER MUFFIN

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19

2011 LEXIE’S LEGACY MEMORIAL CONCERT AND CD RELEASE @ Sky City | 8 p.m.

THE UNMENTIONABLES @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

SIBLING STRING @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

THE STEPHEN LEE BAND @ Wild Wing Café | 10 p.m.

GRANNY’S GIN @ Laura’s Backyard Tavern | 7:30 p.m.

THE NEW FAMILIARS @ Still Water Taproom | 7:30 p.m.

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH HELLBLINKI @ Sky City 8 p.m.; $5

HELLBLINKI

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7

SOUL OF SIRENS + KEZLA @ Sector 7G | 8 p.m.

TUESDAYS TRIVIA WITH CHARLES @ Somewhere in Augusta | 8 p.m.

TWISTED TRIVIA @ The Playground Bar | 8 p.m. wEDNESDAYS KRAZY KARAOKE @ The Playground Bar | 8 p.m.

LOYO OPEN MIC @ Metro Coffeehouse & Pub | 9 p.m.

THURSDAYS OPEN MIC @ The Playground Bar | 8 p.m.

FIND THE VENUE

1102 Downtown bar @ 1102 Broad St.; 706.364.4075 CAROLINA ALE HOUsE @ 203 Robert C. Daniel Jr. Parkway; 762.333.0019 the country club @ 2834 Washington Road; 706.364.1862

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9

Coyote’s @ 2512 Peach Orchard Road; 706.560.9245

THE MAGISTRATE + THESE HEARTS @ Sector 7G | 8 p.m.

ROSS COPPLEY BAND @ The Country Club | 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10

THE ATOM BLONDE @ Joe’s Underground | 9 p.m.

IRON HORSE BAR & GRILL @ 2510 Storm Branch Road, Beech Island; 803.867.2388

2nd SATURDAY BEAT BATTLE @ I Zoom Studio | 9 p.m.

i ZOOM STUDIO @ 216 Eighth St.; 706.294.6386

SOUL DIMENSIONS @ Surrey Tavern | 10 p.m.

laura’s backyard tavern @ 218 S. Belair Road; 706.869.8695

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17

THE LOFT @ 917 Broad St.; 706.955.7954

COMEDY ZONE: WARD ANDERSON + WILLIAM SLOAN @ Somewhere in Augusta 8 p.m.; $8

WARD ANDERSON

life

THRU august 20

COMEDY ZONE: TIM WILSON + CEEJAY @ Somewhere in Augusta | 8 p.m.; $8

THE PROFILER: kevin staley GENRE Gospel/Jazz

INFLUENCE Staley references the music and musicians he works with: “soul, gospel, jazz, funk, and rock – we share a bond.”

MUSIC “I sing, I write music, but I mostly play,” says Staley.

Staley is primarily a pianist, working with other musicians and as a solo artist. He is also a part of the worship group Reach Movement. “I sing, I write music, but I mostly play,” says Staley. He is currently in the studio working on a jazz project called From Concept to Conception that should be done by the end of the year.

On the side, he owns and is the C.E.O. of Staley’s Music Company, the parent company for Staley’s Music and A New Day Media providing music education, music ministry consultation, special event planning marketing and promotions.

HISTORY He studied at Augusta State University, where he played in several bands, before traveling the world doing what he says he loves most – sharing music with others.

AUDIENCE “I am into independent music and the sound of Augusta,” says Staley. He believes

Augusta is an “open market for music” and wants to bring together local musicians and develop the music community.

QUIRKS Staley co-wrote the song “Put All My Trust” for the Benedict College Gospel Choir, which was voted the Most Requested Song of 2001 on the Columbia, S.C. station Gospel 95.3.

HORIZON On August 7, Staley will perform at Candlelight Jazz on the River; on August 14 as part of the Sunday Soul performance at Sit-A-Spell Coffeehouse; and, on September 22, at the Richmond County Library songwriter showcase Song Story.

WHY AUGUSTA Staley moved back to Augusta two years ago to take a position as music minister at a local church.

D.I.Y. reverbnation.com/kevinlstaley or staleysmusicsolutions.com the profiler is DINO LULL photo by Tywon Paxton; Tywon Paxton Photography Metro Coffee House & Pub @ 1054 Broad St.; 706.722.6468

Somewhere in augusta @ 2820 Washington Road; 706.739.0002

THE PLAYGROUND BAR @ 978 Broad St.; 706.724.2232

SOUL BAR @ 984 Broad St.; 706.724.8880

SECTOR 7G @ 631 Ellis St.; 706.496.5900

STILLWATER TAP ROOM @ 974 Broad St.; 706.826.9857

SKATE CITY @ 1 Sudan Drive; 803.640.6182

SURREY TAVERN @ 471 Highland Ave.; 706.736.1221

SKY CITY @ 1157 Broad St.; 706.945.1270

WILD WING CAFE @ 3035 Washington Road; 706.364.9453 GET LISTED: Submit information to info@vergelive.com with complete details, including time of event and ticket price or cover charge. To be listed, events must be received one week prior to publication date.

vergelive.com | community driven news | August 3, 2011 39

in good

health

news from the csra medical community to help you

CT Screenings Prove More Effective In Early Lung Cancer Detection A new study shows that yearly low-dose chest CT screenings might reduce the lung cancer mortality rate by as much as 20 percent.

The National Lung Screening Trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, was conducted at 33 U.S. medical centers. The trial compared annual screening by low-dose CT with chest X-rays for three years in more than 53,000 current and former heavy smokers, men and women aged 55 to 74. After more than six years of follow-up, the trial was stopped in November 2010, after initial results showed 20 percent fewer lung cancer deaths among those who had CT screening, compared with those who received chest X-rays. According to the NSLT, it has been proven that CT screenings performed on those who are at risk for lung cancer can detect lung cancer earlier than was possible with chest radiography.

“Of course, it must also be emphasized that

quitting smoking

is a more proven and powerful way to prevent death and complications from lung cancer.”

“This is powerful research that we know may help save lives,” says Dr. Guillermo Amurao, M.D., MPH, lung specialist, lung cancer advocate and medical director of critical care at Doctors Hospital. “Lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, so we want the appropriate members — Dr. Guillermo Amurao of the community to have the opportunity to get this screening. Not everyone is suitable for this test, but in the right person it is potentially lifesaving. Similar to other screening tests, it is best to seek the advice of your healthcare provider first and discuss the risks and benefits of lung cancer screening. Of course, it must also be emphasized that quitting smoking is a more proven and powerful way to prevent death and complications from lung cancer.”

Because the scan is not covered by insurance, Doctors Hospital is offering CT lung screening at a reduced cost of $270. The CT screening is an easy, noninvasive scan that takes only a few minutes. Once the scan is performed, the results are shared with the patient so they can discuss them further with their doctor.

To be eligible for the CT lung screening, you must meet the first three requirements: 1. 50 years old or older.

2. Free from current lung disease/illness.

3. Cannot have had a CT scan within the past year.

You only need to meet one of these to qualify: 1. At least 20 pack/year history of smoking.

2. Exposure to second-hand smoke for 10 years.

3. Worked in an occupation that exposed you to lung cancer causing agents.

To register for the screening, call 706.651.4343. For details: doctors-hospital.net.

by ALISON RICHTER

DISCOVERIES: TOAD SKIN CURES Frog and toad skins already are renowned as cornucopias of hundreds of germ-fighting substances. Now a new report in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research reveals that the toad brains might also contain a cornucopia of antibacterial and antiviral substances that could inspire a new generation of medicines.

Ren Lai and his colleagues point out that scientists know little about the germ-fighting proteins in amphibian brains, despite many studies showing that amphibians synthesize and secrete a remarkably diverse array of antimicrobial substances in their skin. They decided to begin filling that knowledge gap by analyzing brains from the giant fire-bellied toad and the small-webbed bell toad.

They discovered 79 different antimicrobial peptides, the components of proteins, including 59 that were totally new to science. The diversity of the peptides “is, to our knowledge, the most extreme yet described for any animal brains,” the researchers noted. Some of the peptides showed strong antimicrobial activity, crippling or killing strains of staph bacteria, E. coli, and the fungus that causes yeast infections in humans. These promising findings suggest that the toad brains might be a valuable source for developing new antibacterial and antiviral drugs. provided by The American Chemical Society - Savannah River

40 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

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Edited by Will Shortz | by xxxx | No. 0609 Across 1 Nailed 5 Portland’s Rose Garden, e.g.

10 “Twelfth Night” sir 14 Trademarked spray 15 Work divided by time, in physics 16 “Gotcha” 17 Greek god of fake tans?

19 Chain “links”: Abbr.

20 Outer layer of the cerebrum 21 “Gotcha” 23 Of yore 24 “Galifianakis wants you to call him back”?

28 Twangy-sounding guitar 30 Java flavor 31 Irksome response to “You’re avoiding the question” 34 Sign in the middle of town 37 Selma Lagerlöf’s “The Wonderful Adventures of ___” 38 Madhouse at a G.O.P. convention?

41 Do as Dürer did 42 Where credit is given 43 “I should ___ die with pity, / To see another thus”: King Lear 44 Find new tenants for

46 Get

the word out, perhaps 48 Informal erotic reading?

51 Figurative device 55 Dictator’s underling 56 Band with three self-titled albums (1994, 2001 and 2008) 57 “At the Movies” bit 59 Famous Amos, e.g.?

62 Italian for “bean” 63 Lightning Bolt 64 New Zealand : Kiwi :: Costa Rica : ___ 65 Drawing pair, perhaps 66 Gets a break, maybe 67 Tiresias, e.g., in Greek myth Down 1 Brand with a torch in its logo 2 Number of holidays?

3 Greeting on a computer?

4 In need of some hammering out 5 Pinnacle 6 Cartoonist Chast 7 Dolly, for one 8 Surgical specialty, informally 9 Bad match result?

10 China has only one

RUMINATING ON LIFE IN THE SOUTH

Every generation bemoans the downfall of its cultural institutions. Generally, every generation has reason to do so. But can any Decline and Fall or Slip, Stagger, Slide, then Plunge down the Oubliette, compare to the fate of The Learning Channel?

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18 High-tech map subject 22 Perfect instance 24 A party (to) 25 Magical land 26 Tech-savvy “24” woman 27 Sports 29 Biting comment 31 Biting 32 “Psycho” setting 33 Nonsexist, in a way 35 Swizzles 36 Brown of Newsweek/ The Daily Beast 39 Batch holder 40 Decorative neckline insert 45 Philosopher Mo-___ 47 Puts up 49 Arouse, as someone’s wrath 50 Tight rope?

52 Smith in Cooperstown 53 What two fingers may signify 54 Overthrow, e.g.

56 First part of a record 57 Head of cabbage?: Abbr.

58 Permissive 60 Western treaty grp.

61 Drummer’s setup

To let the Gospel of Wikipedia speak: The Learning Channel: “a place for learning minds.”

The channel was founded in 1972 and was originally dedicated to be an informative/instructional network focused on providing real education through the medium of TV. … In November 1980, the channel became known as “The Learning Channel”, subsequently shortened to “TLC.” The channel mostly featured documentary content pertaining to nature, science, history, current events, medicine, technology, cooking, home improvement and other information-based topics. These are often agreed to have been more focused, more technical, and of a more academic nature than the content that was being broadcast at the time on its rival, The Discovery Channel.”

Now, for its sins, TLC is owned by Discovery Communications, the same network that owns Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel, though A&E owns the History Channel (now called just History). Though History repeats itself ad infinitum (ha) and has suffered its own decline, its questionable offerings of Ancient Aliens, The Nostradamus Effect, UFO Hunters and its frequently eyebrowraising programming speculating on the 2012 question, all pale considerably when compared with the lurid glitter of today’s Learning Channel.

The motto of TLC today is “Life Surprises.” Well, certainly, if you spend your time in the video equivalent of a circus sideshow. TLC has everything now but a carnival barker to beg us to “Step right up, Ladies and Gentlemen.”

Where should I start in this cornucopia of contumely? The huge clown-car style families of Nineteen and Counting; Freaky Eaters; Hoarding: Buried Alive; or I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant? Or is it best to begin with a special favorite of those who have grown up near the Irish Traveler: My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which documents the excesses of Britain’s version

TODDLERS AND TIARAS of these trailer-dwelling folk (hint: They might exceed our own)? Of course, there’s always My Strange Addiction; Sister Wives; and Strange Sex; or perhaps the crown jewel: Toddlers in Tiaras.

The titles of these shows alone decry the label “Learning.” The dreck offered up to those of us who might tune in thinking to “learn” something will teach us much. How could a channel that once offered programming such as Paleoworld and Captain’s Log now stoop so low as to have Toddlers in Tiaras as its crown jewel? How desperate must the execs be to get people to watch the darn thing, to hell with original mandates?

Where exactly is the Lowest Common Denominator? Am I STRANGE enough to get my own show?

The programmers seem to be channeling P.T. Barnum. You would think the channel would at least have the decency to remove the vestigial “TLC” from their number. But oh, no. Unlike the science fiction channel, which underwent a dumbing-down of its own logo, this network is not backing down from its original label.

Perhaps it could be said that there is much to learn here.

How very different people cope, and live daily lives and find happiness. But I do not think you will find anything remaining on TLC that is actually instructional. I KNOW it’s not PC, but I suggest that you go there only when the freakshow’s not in town. Freakshows, after all, are coming back into their own, and fighting for their own right to be themselves any way they are. Why hinder the process?

by JOSEF PATCHEN

a parting shot experiencing history first hand

Find the solution to this puzzle at VERGELIVE.BLOGSPOT.COM

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1.888.7.ACROSS. Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

The next issue of VERGE hits the newstands on

AUGUST 18 Look for our outdoor racks or find your copy at Publix | EarthFare | Kroger Bi-Lo | New Moon Cafe and more than 150 locations

Enzo and Aminah Walton experience the Kids Corridor at the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor’s grand opening July 16 in the Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta. The new exhibits feature interactive displays and kiosks through which tourists can find more information about historical sites throughout South Carolina. The Arts and Heritage Center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. | by CHRISTOPHER SELMEK

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42 August 3, 2011 | community driven news | vergelive.com

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