Metro Spirit 06.07.2012 by Metro Spirit

Richmond County

Sitting Sheriff’s hand picked successor

Solicitor General

Sheriff

(I) Charles Evans (R)

Kellie Kenner McIntyre (D)

Lt. John Ivey (D) Capt. Scott Peebles (D)

Freddie Sanders (R)

Lt. Richard Roundtree (D)

Michael Godowns (R)

Lt. Robbie Silas (D)

Marshal of Civil Court (I) Steve Smith

Moves out in a hurry

Well liked, probably too late

Sitting Sheriff’s brother in law... oops

Unopposed

Clerk of Court (I) Elaine Creed Johnson (D)

Hattie Holmes-Sullivan (D)

Probate Judge J. Carleton Vaughn, Jr. (R)

Harry James, III (D)

Tax Commissioner (I) Steven Kendrick (D)

State Court Judge (I) Patricia Warren (Pattie) Booker

Unopposed

(I) John Flythe

Unopposed

Chief Judge, Civil and Magistrate Court (I) William Jennings III (D)

Coroner

Unopposed

No opponent? He’s gooood.

(I) Grover Tuten (D)

Unopposed

Presiding Judge, Civil and Magistrate Court Unopposed

(I) H. Scott Allen (D)

Unopposed

Legislative District 23

District 123

(I) Sen. Jesse Stone (R)

Robert Ingham (D)

I) Sen. Bill Jackson

Unopposed

District 33 (I) State Rep. Tom McCall (R)

David Vogel (D)

(I) U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R)

Stephen Simpson (R)

12th Congressional District

So a contractor, a lawyer and a farmer walk into a bar

Rick Allen (R) Lee Anderson (R)

District 121 Barry Fleming (R)

(I) State Rep. Ben Harbin (R)

Unopposed

10th Congressional District

District 24

District 122

(I) State Rep. Barbara Sims

Mike Popplewell (R)

Running back to the future Unopposed

(I) U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D)

Wright McLeod (R) Maria Sheffield (R)

Aw shucks - third in bucks

More signs than an astrology convention

photography: jwhite AmyChristian|production director amy@themetrospirit.com

JoeWhite|publisher-sales manager joe@themetrospirit.com

GabrielVega|lead designer gabe@themetrospirit.com

BrendaCarter|account executive brenda@themetrospirit.com

EricJohnson|writer eric@themetrospirit.com

AmberKuhn|account executive amber@themetrospirit.com

MichaelJohnson|sightings

JohnnyBeckworth|circulation manager johnny@themetrospirit.com

Metro Spirit is a free newspaper published weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks a year. Editorial coverage includes local issues and news, arts, entertainment, people, places and events. In our paper appear views from across the political and social spectrum. The views do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Visit us at metrospirit.com.ÂŠ 15 House, LLC. Owner/Publisher: Joe White. Legal: Phillip Scott Hibbard. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. One copy per person, please.

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

SIDER

THUMBS

“It combines the draconian overreach people love with the probable lack of results they expect,” The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart said of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s idea to ban the sale of sodas bigger than 16 ounces in his city.

down

Reading Books This time of year, news organizations receive a lot of self-important emails, what with all the politicians coming out of the woodwork. “I sing the song of myself,” they sing. And they sing. And they sing. You’d be surprised how excited grown men and women can become over the slightest endorsement, or how eager they can be to pass along the fact that soand-so did such-and-such. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that bragging and tattling were the only two qualities needed to run for office, and who’s to say, really, that you do know any better? But among the many qualifying announcements received this election season, none came close to the one submitted by Columbia County Republican Party Chairman Brian Slowinski, who… well, the subject line of his email pretty much says it all. “Slowinski did his duty, then Qualified for School Board.” Obviously, doing his duty was a reference to his job as party chairman and should in no way be taken to mean any kind of school-aged euphemism for, you know — doing your duty, but even still, how could you not want to read more of that? The email, penned by Slowinski, certainly lays out a compelling story. “In front of God, family and flag, Brian did his duty as Republican Party Chairman to qualify 12 candidates in 20 hours for the ballot, then filed the paperwork to run for the non-partisan school board.” While that might seem impressive, it pales in comparison to what follows. “A Leader as: Local Chair, District Treasurer, State Committeeman, Scholar and spokesman for Republican and Conservative organizations shows I am ‘solid, tested, red white and blue conservative for the school board.’” With all that going for him, you can almost forgive the grammatical missteps. After all, who can proofread when you’ve got so much to tell? After that little slip into first person, the email quickly gets back on track, talking about his kids (six adopted children from 14 to 5) and his understanding of the needs of Columbia County schools. And just in case anyone might doubt it, he makes it quite clear that he is fiscally conservative and an avid proponent of a healthy and drug-free learning environment (thank God somebody is!) where diversity is celebrated. And according the county’s final qualifying report, he likes to be known as “Books.”

Seriously, Mayor Bloomberg? That’s your most pressing problem in New York?

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Same Old, Same Old, with a Steep Decline

OPEN 7 DAYS 7JUNE2012

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IN FRONT OF WALMART IN EVANS

Company wide, Morris Communication’s average daily circulation was down almost 10 percent in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011. Looking on the sunny side, Morris reports that the drop in circulation revenue is being “offset by the decrease in circulation volume.” More specifically to Augusta, the Chronicle is leading the company in losses (again comparing first quarter this year to the first quarter last year) with a revenue decline of a whopping 13.4 percent. There are eight dailies in the Morris universe. On February 13 of this year, 77-year-old Billy Morris started his very own blog. In it, he explained why he had started the new morris.com. “We have created this new and dynamic website to inform you of our progress,” he wrote. “In the coming weeks you will see video of our top executives in conversation with one another about the work of their associates. You will see more blogs from our division leaders and you will have access to case studies of innovation and happenings all across our products.” In spite of such a dramatic kick off by the Big Guy himself, it is four months later and nothing has happened. But that’s really not all that surprising. There’s been a lot of false starts, shuffling and position creation over there (VP of Audience??). Seems like General Adkins had better get a move on, or he is going to get a move on. But at the end of the day, it’s the same old same old. Like the exclusive advertising contracts still being peddled around town by Marketing Director Lisa Dorn and Community Relations Manager Lindsay Thetford. If Augusta charities and festival organizers really wanted to sign your “exclusive” agreements, why would they be continually emailing them to the Spirit?

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JENNY IS WRIGHT The Difficult Life of a Product Tester

I’ve always wanted to be a product tester. There are websites where you can register, and they’ll supposedly send you some stuff to try out. I’ve signed up, but no one’s ever sent a thing. My friend Jennifer, who owns and runs JennySue Makeup, gets packages daily. She tries out various beauty treatments and reviews them on her blog (jennysuemakeup.com). How fun! Last week, she tested lip tattoos. They’re temporary, but they are patterned. Like, not a solid color. Jennifer is a beautiful girl, but the lip tats looked weird even on her. At least she got to try them, and she and her kids got a good laugh. Not all items are bad, either. She probably has more stuff than she can ever use, and they keep sending stuff. Sign me up! I like health and beauty items, clothes, small (and large) appliances, electronics, food, wine, furniture and just about anything else. You name it; I’ll try it and talk about it. I can talk, and if I like what you send me, I’ll tell everyone to buy it. One day, I walked into the offices of the Metro Spirit, and my wandering eyes spotted a bottle of Exclusiv Vodka. Apparently, someone dropped it off and asked us to try it and possibly write a little blurb about it. Seriously? Someone twisted my arm and I offered to try it out. I guess I can take one for the team. It felt kind of silly. I mean, I’ve had a drink while writing before, but I haven’t written specifically about having a drink. Wait. I have? Oh. I’m not a wine snob by any means, but I know a little about what I like. As far as vodka goes, I know even less. My knowledge ends with the fact that spirits that come in plastic bottles and have a Mr. in the name will likely give me a headache. I like some of the flavored ones, but I’m mostly a purist. I don’t like martinis, because of the olives, and many other fruity drinks are too, well, fruity. I like a little soda and a few limes. Vodka chilled. For the first taste, it seemed that

METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

a little in a double old fashioned, served straight up, was the way to go. If I really wanted to taste it, I shouldn’t mix it, right? To The Man, “I have to work tonight, babe. I have a meeting with Exclusiv Vodka and mustn’t be disturbed. Please hold my calls.” To The Vodka, “Nice to meet you, ma’am. Tell me about yourself.” Not really sure what I was looking for, I took a sip. Mmmmmm. Cold and, well, vodka-ey. Again, I’m not expert, but this stuff didn’t burn my nose or smell like alcohol. It went down smoothly and actually tasted pretty expensive. I think that people who don’t typically like vodka (what is wrong with you?) would find the taste to be very mild. To someone who drinks straight vodka or martinis, all of those qualities are probably of utmost importance, but the real test for me is how it tastes when I make it the “usual” way. I did, and it was delicious. I didn’t drink enough to test Exclusiv’s hangover abilities, but maybe I will this weekend. All in all, I’d recommend buying it. Apparently, the company also makes flavored vodkas, which might be interesting too. I’m not really into anything like glazed donut or PB&J, but just about anything is worth trying once. I’m telling you, I’ll try your products. Hopefully I’ll end up with more than liquor to taste. What am I even saying? Send it all. I can keep them straight. Or neat, shaken or stirred. Cheers to a host of new business relationships and a calendar full of important meetings. I wouldn’t mind being well dressed, nicely groomed, comfortably seated and well-fed, either. Just sayin’.

JENNYWRIGHT lives in Summerville with her husband, who she calls The Man, and two kids, who she affectionately calls The Boy and The Girl. She enjoys taking photos, cooking and playing tennis.

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AUGUSTA TEK

When the Government Comes Knocking… When the Government Comes Knocking — We all trust our internet activity, whether it’s online conversations, thoughts, locations or photos, to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook. Usually, we don’t give much of a thought about what is out there. Recently we’ve seen a heightened awareness of the government’s demands for information and the privacy policies of the companies that hold your data. This week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released its “When the Government Comes Knocking, Who Has Your Back?” report tracking service providers’ commitments to their users’ privacy and security. The report documents and rates 18 major service providers on four separate criteria regarding privacy, including: A public commitment to inform users when their data is sought by the government; transparency about when and how often companies hand data to the government; fight for users’ privacy rights in the courts; and fight for users’ privacy in Congress. Overall, the report shows improvement from last year, with sonic.net, Twitter and Google leading the field in championing privacy rights. Verizon, MySpace and Skype were at the bottom of the list. For the full report, go to eff.org/pages/who-has-your-back. Senate Takes Up Privacy Legislation — In the wake of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) passed by the House, the U.S. Senate has started considering so-called “cyber protection” proposals. The first one up is the Lieberman-Collins Cyber Security Act. Here are some quick facts on the proposal: Companies can share with the government any data that constitutes a cyber security threat indicator. The definition of a threat indicator is ridiculously broad — data that contains “Any other attribute of a cyber security threat” — but it does contain on privacy provision. “Reasonable efforts” must be made to remove identifiable information for persons unrelated to the threat; any information provided to the government is exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests; the proposal does not contain any provision preventing the release of information to the NSA or other military organizations; and, like CISPA, the Senate proposal permits sharing of data with law enforcement if the data “appears to relate to a crime” either past, present or near future. Yes, that’s right — future crimes. We are opening the door to a society where police can scan your internet activity for the potential that you might commit a crime. You will need to contact your senator to fight against this bill. The links are below. Saxby Chambliss (GA): chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email. Johnny Isakson (GA): isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm. Jim DeMint (SC): demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactInformation. Lindsey Graham (SC): lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact. EmailSenatorGraham. 200 Days and Counting — This past week we moved within 200 days of the end of the Mayan calendar. Of course, this day (December 21, 2012) is generally recognized as the End of the World. If you have not started your preparations for the pending apocalypse, time is running out. There is probably not enough time at this point to construct and stock your own zombie-proof shelter (yes, I still believe that it will be zombies). However, don’t fear. Developers are converting some of the most impenetrable and secure facilities on the planet into apocalypse-proof sanctuaries. At survivalcondo.com, you’ll find information on a converted Atlas F missile silo in north-central Kansas. Originally constructed to withstand a nuclear explosion, this silo, built in the 1960s at a cost of $15 million in 1960 dollars, features concrete walls between 2.5 feet and 9 feet thick and includes over 45,000 square feet of hardened space. Full-floor residential layouts have approximately 1,820 square feet of living space and it is provisioned with 30-man years of freeze-dried and survival food. The facility includes redundant water supply; redundant power; redundant air filtration for nuclear, biological and chemical particulates; and military security systems. Of course, being more than the standard survivor shelter, each luxury living space includes stainless appliances, washer and dryer, and the facility includes an indoor pool and spa, library, first aid center, theater, bar/lounge area, and more. Pricing: $2 million for a full-floor layout. Unfortunately, Survivor Condo is filling up fast. If you can’t swing $2 million in the short term, other options are available. Hundreds of missile silos were built around the United States. Some have already been turned into homes, and many more are available for sales on sites like missilebases.com. Best of luck!

GREGORY A. BAKER, PH.D, is vice president and chief rocket scientist for CMA, which provides information technology services to CSRA businesses and nonprofits. 7JUNE2012

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It was a tough week for Richmond County Sheriff hopeful Richard Roundtree. The Dem primary candidate had to have been concerned about the declaration by local attorney and self proclaimed “Tax Avenger” Jack Long that he was gonna “cloud up and rain all over” (so to speak) any political candidates known to be in tax trouble. Roundtree has plenty of tax trouble. But what really had to send Roundtree around the bend was the story that made every cop in the CSRA proud to wear a badge. Well, every cop except him. That story, of course, was the break in a 26-year-old cold case involving the brutal assault and fatal stabbing of 87-year-old grandmother Pauline McCoy. The popular Hyde Park retiree had been enjoying a peaceful Christmas season when she went missing in 1986. When friends and family discovered the horrific crime scene in the home where she lived alone, it turned the tight-knit community upside down. Questioned at the time but not charged was 26-year-old neighborhood gadfly Jimmie Riley. If police believe there was any type of friendly relationship between the two, they are not saying at this time. It is also unclear how hard Riley was pressed for info on the unsolved case the next year when he was charged with a similar assault on another elderly woman. She survived the attack, and lived to see Riley sent to prison for the rape in 1989. According to sources, the cops believe they now have what they need to close the McCoy case forever. The now 52-year-old Riley was sitting at his rental house, on the edge of the peaceful Alleluia Community neighborhood (he is not affiliated with the group), when officers arrested him on Monday for the McCoy murder. The break in the case came when evidence collected almost three decades ago, which had been sitting in the property room at 402 Walton Way, was re-examined using modern technology and equipment. Technology and equipment which, of course, was unavailable at the time of the vicious crime. Investigators will not confirm specifics, but I do know that several different types of material collected at the murder scene are being examined by methods only recently developed. Fingerprint examination is part of that review, but there are other processes underway on other evidence as well. Thank goodness the material now being processed was in its rightful place, just waiting for the scientific expertise needed to render it useful to mature. Investigator Ashley Pletcher and CSI technician Tom Johnson would have never been able to secure Riley’s arrest warrant had it not been for their access to that archived evidence. Her fellow officers describe Ashley Pletcher’s interest in cold cases as renowned. She admits it is more like an obsession. “One of the main reasons I got into law enforcement... was to work on getting answers in some of these old cases...,” she explained. The diminutive investigator was just a 6-year-old student in Mrs. McWhorter’s kindergarten class at Evans Elementary at the time of the murder. That the tiny little girl would grow up to help piece together this case is quite remarkable. But as we alluded to early, Pletcher was not the only officer who spent time pouring over the case. So did former investigator Richard Roundtree. As a matter of fact, he contemplated the case so seriously that he took the narrative files home with him. Apparently for a long, long time. The McCoy case file was discovered in 2008 in his abandoned apartment, along with many other case files and police equipment, when new tenants came to move in. The concerned tenants, not knowing what to do with the piles of paper, dangerous police weapons and other stuff, called the sheriff’s office to seek guidance. One of the men dispatched to supervise the retrieval and clean up of the sensitive material was, according to one witness that night, a visibly angry, then Lt., Scott Peebles. Roundtree was written up for the hideous lapse in judgment, and damn well should have been fired. But that was not Peebles’ decision to make. That Roundtree now represents the biggest challenge Peebles has in the Democratic primary race for sheriff of Richmond County is beyond ironic. You have to wonder if those folks moving in to Roundtree’s old apartment had been a little less conscientious, if Investigator Pletcher would have ever seen the file that describes the evidence that was stored away that may now solve a 26-year-old murder mystery. Reporters researching the McCoy case ran across the Roundtree cross reference quite by accident, because of its mention in the article detailing the candidate’s internal difficulties while employed by the sheriff’s office. Another kick in the nuts brought to you by Google. As much time as Roundtree spent with that file, he sure wasn’t able to see what Ashley Pletcher saw in it. But at least he knows now that policewomen are good for much more than just stake out hook-ups.

AUSTINRHODES

The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. 7JUNE2012

EXPO H AL L

RASHADO’CONNOR

That was easy

e merg es

Columbia County moves forward with long-awaited exhibition hall without the fuss of the neighboring TEE Center

The Columbia County Commission has a new passion project, one that will drive traffic into the county and cost north of $7 million.

Having outgrown multipurpose centers like the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, the county is slated to begin construction on a new 47,000-square-foot facility behind the Gateway shopping center in Grovetown this month. According to Commissioner Trey Allen, the idea to build a new exhibition hall has been floating around for years.

O R T E M

New facilities will be similar to those of the Family Y at Bel Air Road 7JUNE2012

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“The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has been lobbying for a Columbia County convention center since their inception, which is almost a decade,” Allen said. “We’ve had multiple people for a long time saying that we needed a convention center; the issue being we didn’t have a space large enough to host our own citizens who wanted to have large events.” Commissioner Charles Allen, who heads the Development Services Committee, expanded on the issue, stating that the commission has run into many situations where people have called in to criticize the Savannah Rapids Pavilion for not being large enough to accommodate certain events. Aside from hearing the complaints of dissatisfied citizens firsthand, Allen said that a fair amount of research was also considered before the project was conceived. “We’ve had a number of surveys done over the years,” he explained. “Three years ago, the CVB spent a significant amount of money conducting marketing and branding research, and one of the major conclusions of their report was that the county needed to put a venue at the Gateway.” Allen went on to say that the new center would be 50 percent larger than the Savannah Rapids Pavilion and that it would serve as a more accessible venue for both locals and overnight guests. He said that the facility will primarily be used for conventions, large meetings and other similar types of gatherings. “It’s a huge opportunity to hold community-type events in a larger center,” Allen said. “It’ll be host to a variety of events, and overnight visitors won’t have to travel out of their way to other areas to attend these events.” Although the center will play host to an array of different functions — 10 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

including gun and knife shows, RV shows, dog shows, weddings, family reunions and more —Trey Allen emphasized that the center has a niche it plans to adhere to. “It’s not designed to be an entertainment venue,” Trey Allen ensured. “It’s much more along the lines off the Tee Center in Richmond County than, say, the Civic Center.” Ron Cross, chairman of the commission, said that although the center will not be as large as the Tee Center, he does feel that requests for a venue capable of accommodating packed events will finally be fulfilled. “The exhibition hall is a concept that our commission thought would be great for a community of our size,” he said. “I believe it will attract a number of regional events. For instance, the National Association of Home Builders can finally hold conferences here, which I think will be excellent for the community.” While the exhibition hall’s intent is to offer a larger venue for companies, organizations and patrons alike, Commissioner Charles Allen said that certain aspects of the project needed to be scaled back to lower costs. “A lot of the time, when you deal with architects, they want to build their own ‘magnum opus,’ if you will,” Allen said. “So, we had to tone down some of the building products and address some storage issues; some of the storage areas were inside and [due to our budget] we had to move them outside. This commission is very centered on trying to do a good job, but at the same time, we’re very budget-conscious.” As the Columbia County Commission manages to be as “budget-conscious” as possible, several detractors from the community — taxpayers in particular — have come forward to express grievances toward the project. One of those grievances revolves around taxpayer dollars; citizens worry that the center may potentially be a waste of their money. However, Allen has debunked that allegation, stating that the center will be built with special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) money. “There’s always going to be a small group of people who make that argument, and they certainly have the right to do so,” Allen said. “But at the same time, I believe it is important to note that this facility is going to be built with SPLOST money. There’s no property tax money whatsoever involved in that. Also, this ongoing operation and everything surrounding it will generate more SPLOST money as new vendors come in to use the facility; you’ll have overnight visitors staying in surrounding hotels and eating at surrounding restaurants, which will obviously generate more money.” In addition to reaping benefits from SPLOST money, Trey Allen said that a third of the land where the county plans to build its facility will be utilized 7JUNE2012

by the Family Y — who signed a deal with the county last year to rent out the space. “We’re using the Family Y lease program, which I think is an excellent program to offset the cost of taxpayers,” Allen said. “And, as Charles [Allen] said, the center is also designed to bring in income through outside visitors and businesses looking for a place to hold their conventions. The hall will also serve as a vital part of developing the area and we’ll hopefully be able to add future developments, such as new shopping centers and hotels.” Cross explained that the Family Y has had their eyes set on the Grovetown area for years and that, through partnering with the county, the project will prove to be a financial success. “Basically, what they’re going to be doing is paying rent back to the county for the portion that they lease,” Cross divulged. “So, the Family Y will be helping the county pay for the building itself and then, of course, once they get to a point where they’re able to expand, they will then build on their own property next door. They’ve wanted to establish a presence in the area for years, and I think their research tells them that it’s an area in our community that needs a Family Y-type of facility.” According to Danny McConnell, president and CEO of the Family Y of Greater Augusta, that research came back showing that the Grovetown area was in need of a Family Y center. “Even though we’ve been serving Grovetown at several of our facilities like the Wilson Branch on Wheeler Road, our Belair Road location and our Southside location, there was kind of a big hole right in the middle area of Grovetown that wanted Y services,” McConnell said. “So, through that survey, we generated some strategic planning and from there we decided to go ahead through with this opportunity the county provided and get started in Grovetown because people wanted it [a Family Y center] and we had not been serving them well there at the time.” McConnell elaborated that it is important to understand that construction on the project is a phase one development that includes 18 and half acres of land directly adjacent to the site where the county plans to build its exhibition hall. While a county pool has been a hot topic on the minds of many citizens, McConnell said that the Family Y’s temporary building will not house any water features, but the organization’s future property is likely to include those features and more. “The first thing we would do over there is build some ball fields and we’d definitely put in some water features,” McConnell guaranteed. “This, mind you, is currently in the development stages. We’re putting a master plan together for the site, but we’re not quite ready to release that because decisions are still being made.” As for the Family Y’s temporary center, McConnell said that although the organization’s goal is to move out of the building before their 10-year lease is up, it will still serve as a quality facility for its patrons to use. “The amenities are very similar to what you would see at our current development on Belair Road,” McConnell said. “It will have a great wellness center as well as a fair amount of space committed to childcare for young families. There will be designated offices for administrators and it will also have locker rooms with special features including saunas.” As with all local Family Y centers, the temporary Gateway location will operate in accordance with programs and partnerships throughout the community, something McConnell takes great pride in. “That’s the way the Y works,” McConnell said. “We plan on running a lot of the standard programs that we typically run, but they won’t all take place at that site [the Gateway site]. They’ll be happening throughout the community, which I think is great part of what makes the Family Y of Greater Augusta such an upstanding organization.” 7JUNE2012

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STATE QUARTERS By Byron Walden / Edited by Will Shortz

91 Expose 94 Old French coin 97 Tennis’s Stefan 99 Result of failing banks? 100 Statehouse dome 101 French Baroque artist who painted “The Fortune Teller” 106 “Get Smart” robot 107 Film composer Morricone 108 110-Across set in Egypt 109 Abraham Lincoln 110 See 108-Across 111 Fair sight 112 Racehorse in front of the Federal Hill mansion 113 “A madness most discreet,” per Romeo 114 Not flabby Down 1 “Wanderings: Chaim ___ Story of the Jews” 2 Quarter-mile, for many tracks 3 Noted exile of 1979 4 Home to the National Voting Rights Museum 5 Hosp. zones 6 “Thanks ___!” 7 Father of the Blues 8 Outgrowth from the base of a grass blade 9 Birth control pioneer Margaret 10 Handlers of brats 11 Stretched out 12 Designer Vera 13 Island protector 14 Islamic analogue of kosher 15 Like many music reissues 16 Military jacket with a furry hood 17 What a poor listener may have 22 Athletic awards since 1993 25 Some baseball scores: Abbr. 26 Salts 31 Inter 32 Neighbor of Poland: Abbr. 33 ET carrier 34 ___ belli (war-provoking act) 35 Transition point 36 Prefix with center 39 Rocky Mountains 40 Arctic ___ (pole-to-pole migrator) 41 Part of many a freight train 42 E.M.T. application 43 Bingo alternative?

44 Saint in a Sir Walter Scott title 45 “___ my garment and my mantle”: Ezra 9:3 46 “Commonwealth” statue and a keystone 47 Too 49 Do dos, say 51 Goes across 52 “Cómo ___?” 54 Like the scent of many cleaners 55 Homo, for one 57 Area that’s frequently swept? 58 “Lorna ___” 59 Uncool types 60 Spring ___ 61 Severely parched 62 Part of Russia next to Finland 64 Like the eastern part of Russia 65 Herring varieties 68 Belgian river 69 Old Man of the Mountain rock formation 70 Winter solvent 72 Villain 73 “I ___ bored!” 75 Lewis and Clark and the Gateway Arch 76 Greenhouse workers 77 Sinuous character 78 ___ West 80 Fabulist 81 Word repeated before “tekel” in biblical writing on the wall 83 Billing fig. 84 Race, as an engine 85 Lord or vassal 86 Move toward the middle 88 “Boris ___” 90 Cereal killer? 91 Suffix with form 92 Kind of farming that doesn’t disturb the soil 93 “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper 95 See 89-Across 96 Like zombies 98 Ireland 99 Unreliable 100 “I want my ___!” (old advertising catchphrase) 102 Benefit 103 Force 104 Cabinet dept. since 1979 105 Go up 106 Scorching

27 30

31 38

T O L D A L I E

O D O N N E L L

99 102

107

108

109

110

112

113

114

111

103

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F E A T U D A C R O R L E G O O D N U T A S U S P A R T L E A R F A I R A I T B R A N U P D O L O D G I R S S T U T S P

E N E S

80 82

H O R N

69 72

C A T O

40 45

29 35

PREVIOUSPUZZLEANSWERS

Across 1 Entourage, in slang 6 Hide pokers 10 Patriot Caesar Rodney on horseback 14 Person running the show 18 “___ Majesty’s Secret Service” 19 The Great Lakes 20 Parallel, e.g. 21 “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” musical 23 Some dabblers 24 Snake predators named for their calls 27 Scissor-tailed flycatcher with wildflowers 28 D-backs, e.g. 29 P.R. problem 30 Beach lotion abbr. 31 Ones getting away 34 Battery type 37 Zales rival 38 Reduce to a symbol 40 Hosiery shade 41 Irons, in Paris 42 “The Goodbye Kiss” author Massimo 44 Much-quoted line from Edgar in “King Lear” 48 Royal title that means “great house” 49 Common sweetener 50 Go by 53 Lacking rhyme or reason 54 Versatile delivery vehicles 55 Outlets in a chemistry lab 56 Island province of the Roman Empire 58 Nonauthoritarian 59 Covered wagon next to Chimney Rock 63 Concerning 64 United in purpose 66 Rice stalks, a diamond and a mallard 67 Old comic book cowboy 69 Eager reporter 71 Venture to postulate 72 Nassau residents 74 “Lose Yourself” rapper 79 The Perfesser’s nephew in the comic strip “Shoe” 80 Party hat? 81 Beauty contest since 1952 82 Civil defense devices 84 Help in a bind 85 Simpson girl 87 Author Jorge 88 Sui ___ 89 With 95-Down, “The Royal Family of Broadway” star, 1930 90 Postcard in a barrel, perhaps

T A M O

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C A F E S

A G U A

N A A N

D E L I

A T A D

T A D A

E L A L

E T T E

R H E A

S E P T

104

105

R A P E I C A L V E R S S T A S A S T U B U R N R E A D A V E D E R M A L O D E D D R E E L L E O E X A N D P S L O G S O U N I D A M E R

A R I D

E M B O D I E D I D L E

W H I Z K I D

A I N V U E N A L A

106

O M A N Y D R A L L E S I S A O N S C A E P O T B E E R A D D I L L L T H T R U R Y A N E R S T F R T H Y A W E B I T N D T H O U T L L Y

I S R

G O P O S T A L

B E N O D E K I D S T M E O P T A B L E C E E S I R S T D T E R S E F U R S O D A T R E S

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS. Elliott Sons Funeral Homes ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM

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Ruffin’ It Falling Asleep

Last night, for the first time in almost 20 years, I fell asleep with my headphones on. In and of itself, this isn’t technically an unusual thing, but I’m notoriously obsessive-compulsive when it comes to my bedtime habits; always have been. I sleep on the same side of the bed, almost always fall asleep in the same position (on my stomach, on arm folded up underneath my pillow) and usually require as much of a sensory-deprived atmosphere as possible. When it’s time to lie down, I don’t like being able to see my hand in front of my face and, aside from requisite ambient noise — a distant train whistle, nighttime critters in the forest just outside our back door, air conditioning or heat clanging on — I will physically attack anything that makes a sound. It’s why the cat is afraid to purr, and why our neighbors now have three extra deadbolts on their door. But yesterday, I worked for nearly 14 hours straight, a mixture of bartending and waiting tables, and I was on my feet for every minute of it. Add in the taxing mental aspect — keeping track of a dozen customers at once, including orders, drinks, checks, tips, and wanting to get the hell out of there — and I was a wreck when I got home. Michelle had been busy, too, and I think our entire conversation that night was conducted in a series of grunts and flails, like some sort of groggy Italian fishmongers. I had to be back at work at 7:30 the next morning, she had to be at softball practice by 9 a.m., so both of us were ready to turn our lives off for a few hours. Michelle sleeps with her iPod on every night. It’s usually a podcast — either Savage Love, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, an old Lost program — or some brand of quasisymphonic pop-rock: Florence and the Machine or The National. Everything she listens to has something of a narrative, a story, a structure. Her mind, I think, soothes itself by navigating these predetermined trajectories, taking a sort of subconscious comfort in the procession from beginning to expounding to conclusion. It’s an interesting choice, and one that sets up a dichotomy ripe for analysis. She’s a writer as well — a much more diligent one than myself — and the structure of her soon-to-be-published (New Ohio Review) nonfiction piece is, to use technical jargon, wonky. Though loosely chronological, she weaves personal, real-life experiences with snippets of fairy tales, a recipe for chismol (a kind of Honduran relish), newspaper articles and even YouTube links. It’s a hell of a read, and a surprisingly restrained one, in spite of its apparent scattershot nature. She spends a great deal of time exploring and working out new methods and approaches to constructing her work, and this more structured input helps to wind her brain down. Structure, then, becomes ambient. I can’t do that. If I listen to anything with a preset frame, my mind automatically latches onto it. This works out well if I’m listening to something while I’m, say, on the treadmill at the gym or writing a column. It’s not a matter of zoning out, but of comprehensively shifting my focus to one, supposedly inane, thing in order to be able to accomplish the actual task at hand. Which brings me back to last night: I fell asleep somewhere around the sixth minute of Sunn O)))’s “Black One.” If you know anything about this, you know it’s a dismal, f***ed up album by a band known for making dismal, f***cked up albums. Though they’ve flirted with melody in recent years, their music always tends to sound like a gob of toxic sludge struggling to come to terms with its own existence. On “Black One,” that gob bakes itself mercilessly in the sun. It’s roughly

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15 minutes of low-end, brown-note drone, punctuated by shrieks of static and something resembling chords. I saw the guys play a show in Atlanta a few years ago with vocalist Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Keep of Kalessin, et.al.), and it was the most psychedelically evil thing I’ve ever seen. Csihar wore a cloak made entirely of mirrors. I might still be there, for all I know. I don’t think my falling asleep under such circumstances had more to do with one element (my weariness after a day inundated with structure and numbers) or the other (the nature of the music). Each, rather, informed and fed the other. It was a case of chaos married to, shaping itself around, form. Think Ouroborus devouring his own flayed tail. In a way, this runs parallel to my and Michelle’s life right now — maybe to yours, too. We both have jobs, we’ve got cats and cable, go to the gym regularly and drink beer. Our lives, in the context of immediacy, are structured. We find ourselves, however, in chronic flux, working towards something greater; if one of us landed a fellowship, won a major writing award or got a great job offer, we’d be out of here in a heartbeat. To that end, we spend a good deal of our spare time doing one of the hardest things in the world: working with Just Words to achieve Something Greater. There is also, I think, something of a political undercurrent. As both the Wisconsin recall and the presidential election approach, chaos, as it always does around this point in the game, seems to reign. But everything has its due process: factions bicker, then make up, corral themselves behind a figurehead, even if they’d rather eat rocks. The two sides duke it out nastily, with the most incendiary rhetoric this side of a Stone Cold Steven Austin promo. The loser concedes to the winner, and we all start talking about the next cycle. What seems formless, what seems untethered, is a sequence as sure and ubiquitous as the golden ratio. The last thing I remember hearing last night was a single note, void of distortion, ringing lightly but clearly under the monolithic drone. I don’t know what I thought as I closed my eyes and slipped from my consciousness. I hope it was something along the lines of “someday.”

JOSHRUFFIN, a Metro Spirit alum, is a published journalist and poet who just

received his MFA from Georgia College & State University. He was once the most un-intimidating bouncer at Soul Bar.

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After 12 grueling weeks of diet and exercise that proved too intense for eight of the 19 competitors, the final weigh in for Phase 4 of the Fit to Be Gold Challenge provided inspiration and a healthy dose of drama, as the top three competitors finished less than two percentage points from each other. Early leader Rob Forbes finished strong, but could not hold off a late charge by Chelsie Lee, who walked away with the title and a $1,000 check by finishing the competition less than a tenth of a percentage point ahead. Lee lost 21.20 percent, while Forbes, who earned a $500 Windsor Jewelers gift certificate courtesy of the Metro Spirit for his second place finish, lost 21.12 percent. All admitted they were relieved that the competition was over. “I’m eating carbs as we speak,” Lee said with a chuckle. “And I brought some chocolate with me, but don’t tell my trainer — he still wants me to be on a diet for two more months.” In spite of her winning weight loss, her trainer does want her to lose another 20 pounds before he starts her working on building muscle to maintain her weight loss. “But he’s going to give me a couple of days to enjoy myself,” she said. After the weigh in, Lee and her husband planned to go out to dinner with her trainer, which she admitted could have been awkward if she hadn’t won the competition. All of the remaining competitors shared inspirational stories about their journeys, even those who were not in contention for the prize. Several, like Nancy Wilson, spoke of how thrilled they were with the new version of themselves. Wilson, who had a closet full of different sized clothes from years of bouncing up

THE BEFORE

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and down in weight, made good on her vow to purge her closet. “I got rid of the top three and threw them out,” she said. “I’m just not going back.” Like the others, Wilson sounded determined to continue her weight loss regimen… after enjoying a good meal or two. “I really want to indulge in something, but I intend to continue,” she said. “My percentage wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, but I’m going to be within 10 pounds of my ideal weight.” Losing those final 10 pounds, she said, will make her even happier. “Ten more pounds and I’m going to be able to run around in a bathing suit,” she said. “I haven’t gone out without a shirt covering me in I don’t know how long.” In fact, she bought a new, smaller-sized dress for the weigh in, saying she’s also looking forward to how the weight loss will affect her ability to participate in the recreational activities she enjoys. “I really like hiking and camping and being outdoors, so being able to hike at a reasonable pace and not get tuckered out will really be great,” she said. “I’ve noticed the difference already.’ Bobby Burch, who came in third at 19.57 percent, said he was looking forward to eating something other than chicken. Trainer Tony Dempsey, who served as the coordinator for the competition, said he was proud of all the contestants, especially the accumulated weight loss total, which was more than 250 pounds. “The first thing they had to do was figure out that they were sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he said. “Then, they were ready to make that change.” For Lee, the fact that her husband is ready to start training with her is a major plus. “He met with my trainer this morning and I’m hoping that now that he’s doing it, he can kind of step in as my motivation where the competition was my motivation before,” she said. “I know the hardest part is yet to come.” Though she’s excited for the couple of days off, she’s afraid to get too far from her routine. “I read somewhere that it takes you two weeks to get in the habit of eating healthy and it takes just a couple of days of eating junk to get all the way back to ground zero,” she said. The fact that her husband will be participating also gives her a chance to be as encouraging for him as he was for her. “He woke up and made me my eggs every morning and my lunch,” she said. “He didn’t eat the same things that I did except at dinner time, but I know it was harder on him because he had to make my food special every night.” It looks like Lee’s victory is already having unintended consequences.

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Stache-tastic

Grow One, Save a Million promotion aims to beautify Augusta, save water Tuesday, June 5, was World Environment Day. The Metro Spirit, Budweiser, 95 Rock and the Country Club Dance Hall and Saloon, however, are devoting an entire month to the planet by encouraging local men to proudly display their facial hair.

Face to Face IT™ means we talk to you, one-on-one, to solve your problems.

How exactly does looking like Tom Selleck help the environment, you might ask? The promotion, called Grow One, Save a Million, began when the folks at Budweiser discovered that every time a man shaves his face, he consumes five gallons of water. So in honor of World Environment Day, the beer company asked its male employees to stop shaving for two weeks, a pledge that would save one million gallons of water nationwide. Local Budweiser distributer AB Beverage happily jumped on the wagon, so to speak. Not only that, they decided to get others involved, which is where the Metro Spirit, 95 Rock and the Country Club come in. Today through June 20, the Metro Spirit will accept photos of local men showing off their mouth brows, flavor savors or whatever else they like to call them. Then, between June 21-24, visitors to the website will be able to rank their favorites. The top vote getters will be announced on Monday, June 25. Here’s where it gets stashe-tastic. On Thursday night, June 28, the Top 10 vote getters and anyone else who enjoys a good trash stache are invited to the Country Club for a evening of moustache judging that will end with the winner receiving a custom-made mug proclaiming them as the owner of the best moustache in Augusta, a cooler, other swag, and… sit down… the once in a lifetime opportunity to be on the cover of the Metro Spirit. That’s right, cowboy; you will be the July 5 cover. And that, my friend, is called 15 minutes of furry fame. To submit a picture of your stache, whether it be a Fu Manchu, Pancho Villa, handlebar, horseshoe or walrus (no Hitlers, please… okay, if you insist), go to metrospirit.com and follow the link. You must be 21 to enter.

(706) 860-1997 | cmaaugusta.com

DREAM BOLDLY.

Comprehensive financial planning Investment strategies Retirement planning and rollovers Education funding solutions Life, home and auto insurance

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TERENCEBARBER

Your Weird Week in Crime Is Augusta-Richmond County really as crime ridden as you think it is? As the crimes and the times change, so will the report. What people will do for some Jordans On Monday, May 28, three Augusta residents had their home broken into. Victim No. 1 heard a loud noise when two men wearing all black and ski masks came into her room, and told her to lay down. Victim No. 2 was exiting the restroom when a robber hit him in the face with a shotgun. He was then told to give up the money, and he gave them the $250 he had. The robbers then entered the room of Victim No. 3 and told her to get on the floor. They took her black-and-white Jordans. Some Hard Lemonade to wash down the Starburst On Monday, May 28, A’s Convenience Store was broken into by five men wearing masks who pried a side wall open. The burglars made off with and two cash registers and an unknown amount of alcohol, candy and tobacco products. RCSD was able to recover two packs of Starburst, five bottles of Mikes Hard Pink Lemonade, a Bud Light Platinum bottle, a can of Ice House beer, six sleeves of Skoal and a damaged cash register. Don’t be the only one without a gun On Wednesday, May 30, as an Augusta man was entering his vehicle, a would-be robber also entered on the passenger side, pulled out a black handgun and said, “Give up your money.” The victim then managed to pull out a handgun of his own, causing the would-be robber to flee without obtaining any property. The suspect was later found behind Fred’s Convenience Store and brought back to the earlier scene to be identified and arrested. Can’t go for a joy ride without a bobcat On Friday, June 1, it was reported that Bobby Jones Ford was broken into. Entry was made

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by ramming a gate up. The burglar(s) pried into the building and ransacked two offices, where a stuffed bobcat and two laptops were taken. The burglar(s) also took a new vehicle key, a key for a white-gold F-15 mini bike and eight 2013 Taurus Police Interceptor keys. The wrath of an ex-lover scorned On Friday, June 1, an Augusta woman called RCSD in reference to damaged walls in her residence, allegedly damaged by her ex-girlfriend. The victim and the suspect had spent the night together that Friday, and the suspect got upset that they would not be spending the day together on Saturday. The suspect called the victim saying that she was the one that damaged the walls. Crime totals for the week 72 counts of larceny (both felony and misdemeanor) 31 counts of invasion of privacy 18 counts of assault 11 counts of burglary with forced entry (time unknown) Eight counts of burglary with forced entry (night time) Eight counts of burglary with forced entry (daytime) Six counts of burglary with no forced entry (daytime) Six counts of recovered property Four counts of property damage Two counts of robbery Two counts of motor vehicle theft Two counts of burglary with no forced entry (night time) Two counts of theft/mislaid property Two counts of obstruction of a law enforcement officer One count of public peace disturbance One count of terroristic threats and acts One count of weapons offenses (no gun license)

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ERICJOHNSON

Though the race to represent the 12th Congressional District is Republican businessman Rick Allen’s first fight as a candidate, he admits it’s hardly the first time he’s considered running for office. “Every time I’d want to change something, I’d feel a call to get involved,” Allen said last week in an interview at the Spirit offices. “Every time that I saw things being done that shouldn’t be done, I felt the need to get involved.” It was a drive he was more or less able to keep in check, however. Until about five years ago he didn’t feel he could reasonably do anything about it, anyway. He was busy raising a family and focusing on a business. But then his mother died last year and he felt the calling again, only this time, when he opened the paper, he saw the redrawn 12th District and everything seemed to fall into place. The newly drawn district was tailor made for a run. “I was born and raised in the northern part — Columbia County,” he said. “And, of course, we’ve lived in Richmond County since 1982.” Not only did the new lines exclude most of greater Savannah, where incumbent Democratic Rep. John Barrow lived (he has since moved to Augusta), it included parts of conservative Columbia County, giving Republicans an eight-point majority and the best shot they’ve had in years to unseat Barrow, who first won the seat in 2004. Three other Republicans are also in the race — state Rep. Lee Anderson, a Grovetown farmer; Evans real estate attorney Wright McLeod; and Dublin attorney Maria Sheffield. “We’ve got great candidates, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m a businessman,” Allen said. “I’ve had a lot of experience in Washington trying to change things from the outside. I know how it works, and I think I’m the best qualified candidate to deal with the issues at this time in our country.” Soon after the first quarter financial disclosures were released, which showed McLeod had not only raised more money than Allen in total ($284,346) but also twice what Allen raised in the first quarter of 2012, the Allen campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming several violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, including stealing donor information, accepting excessive contributions and failing to properly disclose expenditures. Over the last few weeks, the campaign has pushed the issue. On Tuesday, June 5, the Savannah Morning News also published a story detailing how McLeod has voted in five Democratic primaries since 1998, including contributing $7,100 to a Democratic candidate for attorney general in 2010. “Here’s the bottom line — everybody makes mistakes,” Allen said. “If you’re sticking your neck out and taking risk, you’re going to make mistakes. But what you do is, you fess up to them and say, ‘We screwed up,’ apologize for them and then you ask folks to forgive you and you move on.” That, he said, hasn’t happened, though McLeod has conceded the reporting errors. “I can assure you — we’re going to do our best to follow federal law,” he said. “I can’t imagine a candidate for the United States Congress not paying attention. And the problem we’ve got in Congress today is that these people think they’re above the law. Why doesn’t Congress live by the same laws as the people they make them for? And then you’ve got a candidate…” He stopped and shook his head. “It’s a sad situation.” Though the race seems to be between Allen and McLeod, Lee Anderson has been campaigning for a long time and has certainly made no secret about targeting the rural, agricultural vote. His campaign sign even features a tractor. Allen contrasts that narrow approach by touting his wide range of experience. “The way we’re going about this race — farmers know I know farming, hospital executives know I know healthcare and the business executives know I know business,” he said. “We’re not trying to say we want this segment to vote for us or we’re going to write off this segment. We’re for all the people, and I think we can represent all the interests out there.” Allen has served on several local boards, including Georgia Bank and Trust, the Downtown Development Authority, St. Joseph Hospital and Augusta Tomorrow. Although Allen grew up on a farm and says his parents got into the education business to “subsidize their farming habit,” he didn’t follow in his parents’ footsteps into either farming or education. After making a dollar an hour at his cousin’s service station, he went to work at a steel mill before working his first construction job as a college student at Auburn. The summer after college he married his college sweetheart, Robin. The two have been married for 38 years, with four children and five grandchildren. 7JUNE2012

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His company, RW Allen, is an Augusta-based construction company responsible for many high-profile buildings, including several local high schools, the Headquarters Branch of the Augusta Library and the TEE Center, which is currently under construction. About 10 years ago, Allen became involved in a leadership group called Lead Like Jesus. Through that group, he said he realized that his season of leadership in his company was winding to a close. “The business was an entrepreneurial business,” he said. “When you’re an entrepreneurial business, I learned that you sort of get to a point where you just can’t grow it. We needed to become a professionally managed business.” That required a change in company structure. “So I reduced my interest in half and they [those within

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the company he chose to manage the business] are in the process of buying the company,” he said. “I decided at that time that I would step back and allow them to run the company, which is the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.” Stepping away, however, has allowed him to turn his attention to new things, like running for office. “As Newt said, this is the most important election in the history of our country, and we need to get folks involved,” he said. “If we don’t change things, obviously we know we’re in trouble.” In what was certainly a calculated dig at the McLeod campaign, he emphasized that both his business as well as his campaign are transparent, a point he symbolically drove home with the two phones he held in his hand throughout the interview. “I’ve got two telephones,” he said. “One is the business, one is the campaign. I’ve got a campaign vehicle and a business vehicle. I learned at the beginning to make a clear separation, and that’s what we’re doing.” As a successful businessman, Allen was quick to point out that the best way to fix Washington was to return to the free market system. “We’ve got to get back to those values,” he said. “The free market system is the best economic engine this country has ever experienced.” He mentioned Caterpillar’s recent relocation near Athens while praising Georgia Governor Nathan Deal’s economic development efforts, something he said he would emulate at the district level. “I’ve been involved in economic development though the chamber and through other economic development forces because it’s critical,” he said. “That’s why, from a timing standpoint, I can use my skills to accomplish these things, because that’s what I’ve been involved with all these years.” The timing, he said, is important. “A lot of people are praying for this country,” he said. “God’s going to use those people. He’s going to use those people to change the direction of this country, and I’m pretty excited to be a part of that.” Allen made it clear that his faith was part of the reason he moved to the Hill back in the early 1980s. “We were members of Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church,” he said. “We kind of felt a calling to move closer to the church, and so we bought one of the old houses there right behind Episcopal Day School.” Though he said his father didn’t initially understand the move, he eventually came to like the house. “Frankly, we probably didn’t intend to stay there this long, but my wife likes it

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there,” Allen said. Like many Hill kids, his children went to EDS, then Richmond Academy. Following his personal priorities — faith, family and community — he said his political priorities are to create jobs, promote regulatory reform, lower taxes and cut spending, and, in doing so, change the culture and the landscape of Washington. Part of that, he said, involves taking a very sharp knife to specific areas of government, like the Department of Energy. “That was established in the Carter Administration and its sole purpose is to decrease our dependence on foreign oil,” he said. “And if you look at the amount of money they spent — at the time we were 28 percent dependent and now some say we’re 60 percent dependent — that’s a failed mission. In the business world, that doesn’t work.” He also supports the idea of a government audit. “In business, for example, we do a five year look-back,” he said. “We look at what we spend on every line item, and if that line item has increased, we ask why it increased. And if there was no need for it — if it’s not providing for additional revenue — then we cut it back to where it was five years ago.” It’s a simple business principle, he said. “I don’t know why these problems aren’t solvable.” As a Republican, he made a predictably forceful case against entitlements, while maintaining that the government can’t take away what people have already worked for in terms of Social Security. “But, we understand going forward that there can be adjustments that can make Social Security available to all,” he said. “And certainly welfare and disability things have to be reviewed, because there’s obvious abuse there. Like I said, there needs to be a complete audit.” As far as immigration, which has become a hot button issue for Georgia, he said it too needs serious retooling. “We’ve got a legal guest worker program and an illegal immigration policy in this country, and neither are working,” he said. “The bottom line is to secure the borders.” Once that is achieved, he said, lawmakers will have to come up with an immigration program that works for everybody. “It’s just another one of those problems that needs to be fixed, and we just need to roll up our sleeves and get it done.” Admittedly, that’s easy to say but tough to do. “Obviously, I can’t do everything,” he said. “I’m just one voice. But I feel good about folks in this cycle and the folks we’ve got up there. Like I said, this is going to be a good time to go to Congress and get this thing turned around.”

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Arts

Call for Entries for the Augusta Photo Festival, which is October 27-November 4, is going on now through August 1. For contest rules and more information, visit augustaphotofestival.org/competition.html. Call 706834-9742 or email info@augustaphotofestival.org. Active-duty military personnel and their families will receive free admission to the Morris Museum of Art through Sunday, September 2, as part of the museum’s participation in the Blue Star Museum program. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Day of Art, hosted by the North Augusta Artists Guild, is each Tuesday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Arts and Heritage Center and includes a group of artists painting in the center who will answer questions or allow visitors to join in. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com.

ENTERTAIN

Exhibitions

ASU/NYC Art Exhibition, featuring manipulated photography and wall-sized painting created by ASU students, shows in the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art until July 23 and at the Morris Museum of Art until July 1. Openings will take place at both galleries on Friday, June 8, at 5 p.m. Visit aug.edu. The Work of Ceramic Artist Kyungmin Park is on view June 9-July 27 at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. An opening reception on Friday, June 8, from 6-8 p.m. will feature an informal gallery talk by the artist. The reception is free for members and $5 for nonmembers. Call 706-722-5495 or visit ghia.org. Sally’s Art Exhibition shows through the end of the month at Gaartdensity downtown and features handembroidered, cross-stitched and sewn works made with recycled materials. Call 706-466-5166 or email gaartdensitygallery@rocketmail.com. Spaces Between, paintings by Staci Swider, is an exhibition that shows in June at Gaartdensity downtown. Call 706-466-5166 or email gaartdensitygallery@rocketmail.com. Harriet Speer Art Exhibition shows through the end of the month at Casa Blanca Cafe. Call 706-504-3431 or visit casablancatime.com. Annual Photography Exhibition shows through July 31 at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Call 706-724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com. Tying the Knot, a display of wedding dresses and accessories from the late 1800s to the 1960s, now shows at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.

“The Secret World of Arietty” shows Tuesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at the Headquar ters Branch Library as par t of their Tuesday movie series. Other movies coming up this month include the dark “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and Oscar winning best picture “The Ar tist.” Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. shows through June 15 at the Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. David Mascaro Studio Group Exhibit, featuring the work of Yong Ae Alford, Cathy Armstrong, Mary Ann Brock, Carolyn Bohn, Sharon Fausnight, Linda B. Hardy, Miriam Katz, Linda Lavigne, David Mascaro and Sue Porterfield, will be on display through June 29 at Sacred Heart Cultural Center. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. Golden Afternoon: English Watercolors from the Elsley Collection shows through July 1 at the Morris Museum of Art. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Window on the West: Views from the American Frontier, an exhibition of more than 60 paintings and works on paper from artists including Frederick Remington, Karl Bodmer and John James Audubon, shows at the Morris Museum of Art through July 22. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org.

Plein Air Painters Exhibition, including the works of Sally Donovan, Marilyn Hartley, Ann LeMay, Sharon Taylor Padgett, Jane Popiel and Carol Sue Roberts, shows in June at the Aiken Center for the Arts’ AAG Gallery. Call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.

Music

ACA Summer Camp Exhibition, featuring the works of participants in the center’s summer art camps, shows June-August at the Aiken Center for the Arts. Call 803641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.

Rick Springfield in concert is Friday, June 8, with gates open at Evans Towne Center Park at 4:30 p.m. and the show starting at 6:30 p.m. $25, advance; $30, day of. Visit evanstownecenterpark.com.

Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine is a National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health exhibit that will be on display at the Robert B. Greenblatt Library at GHSU through June 23. Visit georgiahealth.edu.

Chamber Music Institute Performance, presented by the ASU Conservatory Program, is Friday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maxwell Theatre. Call 706-731-7971 or visit aug.edu.

The watercolor works of South Carolina native Renea H. Eshleman are on display through June 30 at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. The Yellow Jessamine Festival Art Competition Exhibit, featuring 30 regional artists in a variety of media, 7JUNE2012

Music in the Park, featuring North Augusta Idol Spotlight with Jim Tau and Jazz Combo, is Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the Maude Edenfield Park in North Augusta. Free. Call 803-442-7588 or visit naartscouncil.org.

Moonlight Music Cruise featuring The Kelly Family Band is Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at the Augusta Canal. Participants are invited to bring snacks and drinks to the one and a half hour Petersburg Boat cruise. $25. Call 706-823-0440 or visit augustacanal.com. The Edwin G. Hamilton Trio performs as part of Garden City Jazz’s Candlelight Jazz Series on Sunday, June 10,

at the 8th Street River Stage downtown at 8 p.m. $6. Visit gardencityjazz.com. 2012 Hopelands Summer Concert Series, featuring Maureen Simpson and the Aiken Choral Society, is Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m. at Hopelands Gardens in Aiken. Participants should bring lawn chairs and blankets. Free. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Evenings in the Appleby Garden, featuring jazz with Bill Karp and Karen Gordon, is Tuesday, June 12, at 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. Free. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Music in the Park, featuring Sibling String, is Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at the Maude Edenfield Park in North Augusta. Free. Call 803-442-7588 or visit naartscouncil.org. The Salvation Army School of the Performing Arts holds classes each Tuesday. Included is instruction in piano, drums, guitar, voice and brass. Call 706-3644069 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Literary

Cover 2 Cover, an author visit featuring Allison Samuels, author of “What Would Michelle Do?,” is Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Cover 2 Cover, an author visit featuring Naomi Williams, author of “Sunny Acres,” is Saturday, June 9, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org. Cover 2 Cover, an author visit featuring Julie Williams, author of “A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwells’ Story of Survival,” is Tuesday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. East Central Georgia’s Summer Reading Program continues through July 20. Categories include Dream Big: Read! for children up to 12 years old, Own the Night for those ages 13-19 and Cover 2 Cover for adults. Visit any branch or ecgrl.org.

Porter Fleming Literary Competition submissions are being accepted now through July 13. The competition is open to authors ages 18 and older from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, and categories include fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. Prizes totaling $7,000 will be awarded. Entry forms and guidelines can be found at themorris.org/ porterfleming.html. Nook tutorials at Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall are each Saturday beginning at noon, followed by a Nookcolor tutorial at 12:30 p.m. Free. Call 706-7370012 or visit bn.com.

Flix

“Sounder” shows Thursday, June 7, at 3 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org. “Where the Wild Things Are” shows Monday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Euchee Creek Branch Library. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” shows Tuesday, June 12, at 2:30 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-5569795 or visit ecgrl.org. “The Secret World of Arietty” shows Tuesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. “Bridge to Terabithia” shows Thursday, June 14, at 3 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Call 706-8631946 or visit ecgrl.org. Monday Movie Matinees show at 2 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.

Special Events

2012 Hydrangea Conference with Vince Dooley is Thursday, June 7, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion. In addition to the former Bulldog coach’s presentation, the event also includes other presentations a Q&A with a panel of speakers and a guided tour of the Pendleton King Park Hydrangea Garden. $30. Email sharynaltman@comcast.net or visit csrahydrangeasociety.org. AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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First Thursday at Midtown Market is Thursday, June 7, from 5-8 p.m. at the shop on Kings Way. The event’s featured charity is Phinizy Swamp and the featured artist is photographer Ed Belinski. Call 706-364-8479. Flag Day Commemoration is Thursday, June 7, at the Augusta Scottish Rite Center on Washington Road, with refreshments at 7 p.m. and the program at 8 p.m. The free event features guest speaker Major General Perry Smith. Call 706-733-5387 or visit scottishrite.org. Chilean Wines of Agustin Huneeus Seminar and Tasting, featuring Richard Davis and Walter Sagrera of Southern Wine & Spirits, is Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at Wine World. Participants will sample 11 Chilean wines. $15 in advance; $20 at the door, if space is available. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com. Third Annual Miss Augusta Rugby Bikini Contest is Thursday, June 14, at 9:30 p.m. at the Country Club Dance Hall and Saloon. The event also includes music from False Flag. Visit augustarugby.org. Weekly Wine Tastings at Vineyard Wine Market in Evans are each Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and each Saturday from 1-6 p.m. Call 706-922-9463 or visit vine11.com. The Augusta Market at the River is every Saturday through October 27 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 8th Street Bulkhead and features produce, arts and crafts and more for sale, as well as live music and entertainment. Call 706-627-0128 or visit theaugustamarket.com.

Health

Mobile Mammography Screenings, offered by appointment, are available Thursday, June 7, at the Lincoln County Health Department; Friday, June 8, at McCorkle Nursery in Thomson; Monday, June 11, at Urgent MD in Thomson; Tuesday, June 12, at Dillard’s in Aiken; Wednesday, June 13, at Edgefield Medical Center; and Thursday, June 14, at Internal Medicine Partners. Appointments can be made from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. Call 706-774-4145 or visit universityhealth.org. Weight Loss Surgery Options Seminar is Thursday, June 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Hospital. Free. Call 706-4817298 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Cribs for Kids, a safe sleep environment class, is Thursday, June 7, at 5:45 p.m. at GHSU’s Building 1010C. Families who can demonstrate financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and pacifier for $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706721-7606 or visit georgiahealth.org/safekids. Center for Women Tour is Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding Class is Friday, June 8, from 9 a.m.-noon at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Pre-registration required. Call 706-4817727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Look Good, Feel Better, a class for female cancer patients who want to maintain their appearance and self-image during chemo and radiation, is Friday, June 8, at 1 p.m. at Cancer Care Institute of Carolina at Aiken Regional. Pre-registration required. Call 803641-6044 or visit aikenregional.com. Medical Weight Loss Seminar is Saturday, June 9, at 9 a.m. at Live Healthy MD offices on Washington Road. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706922-0440. Childbirth Tour is Saturday, June 9, at 10:30 a.m. at GHSU’s Medical Center. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org. Free Prostate Screenings are Sunday, June 24 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

10-Saturday, June 16, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. No pre-registration required. Call 706-6514343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Breast Self-Exam Class is Monday, June 11, at 4 p.m. at University Hospital’s Breast Health Center. Pre-registration required. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. EMS Education Conference: Emergency Management of the Stroke Patient is Tuesday, June 12, from 8 a.m.-noon at GHSU’s Medical Center. Course carries continuing education credit and lunch is provided. Pre-registration required. Call 706-825-4747 or visit georgiahealth.org. Child Safety Seat Inspections are offered by appointment on Wednesday, June 13, at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Substation. Call 706-541-3970 or visit georgiahealth.org. Childbirth Preparation Classes are Wednesday, June 13-27, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Car Seat Class is Thursday, June 14, at 5:45 p.m. at MCGHealth Building 1010C. $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-7606 or visit georgiahealth. org/kids. Bariatric Seminar is Thursday, June 14, at 6 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Surgical Weight Loss Information Seminar is Thursday, June 14, at 6 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Pre-registration required. Call 803-641-5751 or visit aikenregional.com. Breastfeeding Class is Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar is Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2609 or visit georgiahealth.org/weightloss. Women’s Center Tour is Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Child Safety Seat Inspections and Car Seat Class, sponsored by Safe Kids East Central, are offered by appointment at either the Safe Kids Office or MartinezColumbia Fire Rescue. Call 706-721-7606 or visit georgiahealth.org/safekids. Joint Efforts, presented by Trinity Hospital of Augusta, meets every Thursday from 11-11:45 a.m. at Augusta Bone and Joint, and features a free seminar about knee and hip pain, treatments, medication, food and exercise. Call 706-481-7604 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Infant CPR Anytime Learning Program will be held Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the first floor information desk (west entrance) of Georgia Health Sciences University. Visit georgiahealth.edu. Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson Disease Aquatics Class meets every Monday and Friday at noon at the Wilson Family Y. Free for members; $3 for nonmembers. Pre-registration required. Call Claudia Collins at 706-922-9664 or visit thefamilyy.org. Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Orientation is every Monday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m. at University Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute (Classroom 3). Call 706-774-5548 or visit universityhealth.org. Adapted Wii Special Populations available by appointment at the Wilson Family Y, and feature 7JUNE2012

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Benefits

individual ½-hour classes for physically and developmentally challenged individuals of all ages. $10, members; $20, non-members. Call Claudia Collins at 706-922-9662 or visit thefamilyy.org.

Dancing Stars of Augusta, a benefit for Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, is Friday, June 8, at 6 p.m. at the Bell Auditorium. $25. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com.

Support

Alzheimer’s Support Group, sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging, meets Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Tordoff Tournament for Cancer, a fundraiser for the Tordoff family, is Saturday, June 9, at 8:30 a.m. at the Applewood Golf Course in Keysville. The event also includes door prizes and a raffle for a set of Calloway golf clubs. Visit tordofftournamentforcancer.com.

Amputee Support Group meets Thursday, June 7, at noon at Walton Rehabilitation Hospital. A clinic will be held at 1 p.m. Call 706-823-8504 or visit wrh.org.

Summer Dog Wash, a benefit for the Aiken SPCA, is Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Cold Creek Nursery in Aiken. Washes start at $15; ear cleaning and nail trims available. Visit aikenspca.org.

Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group meets Monday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. at University Hospital’s Breast Health Center. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org.

Third Annual Shine for Scott Benefit Concert is Saturday, June 9, from 2-10 p.m. at Laura’s Backyard Tavern. Bands performing include Lark Gillespie, Bryan Robinson, The Atom Blonde, Jam Samwich, Artemia, Wesley Cook, Dana Andrews and George Croft and the Vellotones. Proceeds from the event will go to Shine for Scott’s programs to help those affected by colon cancer. $10; children 12 and under, free. Visit shineforscott.org.

Men’s Breast Cancer Support Group meets Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital’s Breast Health Center. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. Aiken Cares Alzheimer’s Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 11 a.m. at Cumberland Village Library. Visit aikenregional.com.

Fashion Fiesta, a fundraiser for Divine Expression Ministry of Dance, is Saturday, June 9, at 5 p.m. at Crown Christian Church International in North Augusta. The event also includes door prizes, a silent auction, refreshments and entertainment. $5. Call 803-226-3037 or email hizpromise@aol.com.

Caregiver Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 3 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Call 706-651-2283 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Diabetes Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 3 p.m. at the O’Dell Weeks Center. Pre-registration required. Call 803-293-0023 or visit aikenregional.com. Let’s Talk Cancer Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Cancer Center. Call 706-721-0550 or visit georgiahealth.org. Diabetes Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at Doctors Hospital’s Healthy Living Center. Pre-registration required. Call 706-6514343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. OB/GYN Cancer Support Group meets Tuesday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Call 706-821-2944 or visit universityhealth.org.

Ten local celebrities, paired with 10 professional dancers, compete in Dancing Stars of Augusta, a benefit for Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, on Friday, June 8, at 6 p.m. at the Bell Auditorium. Who will win? You’ll just have to show up to find out. $25. Call 877-4AUGTIX or visit georgialinatix.com. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org.

Education

Bariatric Support Group meets Wednesday, June 13, at 6 p.m. at Aiken The Augusta Warrior Project hosts a public meeting for unemployed Regional’s Bariatric Services. Pre-registration required. Call 803-641-5751 veterans, ages 35-60, interested in training for a high demand job on or visit aikenregional.com. Monday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-691-5362 or visit augustawarriorproject.org. ALS Support Lunch and Learn is Thursday, June 14, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Office Building. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721West Augusta Alliance Meeting, featuring Richmond County sheriff 2681 or visit georgiahealth.org. candidates, is Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. Free and open to the public. Call 803-292-4170. Breast Cancer Support Group meets Thursday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Cancer Center. Call 706-721-4109 or visit georgiahealth.org. Email for Beginners is Wednesday, June 13, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Headquarters Branch Library. PINES card and pre-registration required. Brain Injury Support Group meets Thursday, June 14, at 6 p.m. at Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. NeuroRestorative Georgia. Open to survivors, caregivers and family members. Call 706-829-0370 or visit wrh.org. eReader Workshop for Adults is Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. Cancer Survivors Support Group meets Thursday, June 14, at 6 p.m. upstairs at Augusta Oncology Associates. Call 706-651-2283 or visit GED classes meet weekly at the Kroc Center. Pre-registration required. Call doctors-hospital.net. 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Diabetes Youth Support Group meets quarterly. For more information, call 706-868-3241 or visit universityhealth.org. Cardiac Support Group meets three times a year. For more information on meetings, as well as for pre-registration, call 706-774-5864 or visit universityhealth.org. Adult Sexual Assault and Rape Support meets for group counseling. For more information, call 706-724-5200 or visit universityhealth.org. Narcotics Anonymous, sponsored by Trinity Hospital of Augusta, meets Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Call 706-855-2419 or visit trinityofaugusta.com.

Work Networking Group is held each Monday from 8:30-10 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in North Augusta. A networking and informational meeting for anyone looking for a job, the group meets in room 206 of the Asbury Building and is facilitated by career and business professionals. Call 803-279-7525 or email doctor@pritchardgroup.com. GED classes are offered every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. and every Monday-Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library (Third Floor Writing Lab). PINES library card required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Computer classes are offered every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org.

AA meets every Sunday and Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Center (Aurora Pavilion), and features an open discussion. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com.

ESL classes are offered every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Headquarters Branch Library (Third Floor Writing Lab). Pre-registration required. Call Charles Garrick at 803-279-3363 or visit ecgrl.org.

Burn Support Group meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Doctors Hospital (Lori Rogers Nursing Library, JMS Building). All burn survivors, and their families and friends are welcome. Call Tim Dorn at 706-651-6660 or visit doctors-hospital.net.

Intermediate Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 2:30-4 p.m. at Friedman Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Moms Connection, a free support group for new mothers and their babies, meets Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. at Georgia Health Sciences Building 1010C.

Beginner’s Spanish Language Class is each Monday from 4-5 p.m. at Friedman Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

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Columbia County Choral Society Golf Tournament is Monday, June 11, at Jones Creek Golf Club with check-in at 8 a.m. and a shotgun start at 9 a.m. $75 entry fee includes green fees, cart, bucket of range balls and a barbecue lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 706-650-1114 or visit ccchoralsociety.org. Karma Yoga is offered at Just Breathe Studio, downtown Aiken, each Friday at 10 a.m. and is free if participants bring a donation of a personal item, which will be given to the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons. Call 803-648-8048 or visit justbreathestudio.com.

Sports-Outdoors

The Augusta GreenJackets play the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Thursday, June 7, at 7:05 p.m.; the Rome Braves Monday-Tuesday, June 11-12, at 7:05 p.m. and Wednesday, June 13, at 12:05 p.m.; and the Greenville Drive on Thursday, June 14, at 5:05 p.m. at Lake Olmstead Stadium. $7-$11. Call 706-736-7889 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com. The Grassroots Cross Country Series continues on Saturday, June 9, at 8 a.m. with a 5K race at Blanchard Woods Park. The family friendly event is open to all ages and ability levels and includes an 800-meter kids race for those ages 12 and under (no pre-registration required). The series continues every other week until July 28. $12 per race in advance; race-day registration also available between 7:15-7:50 a.m. Call 706-731-7914 or email award4@aug.edu. The Power of Water, part of the Canal Discovery Walks series that includes a behind the scenes tour of the Enterprise Mill hydroelectricity system, is Saturday, June 9, at 10 a.m. and Sunday, June 10, at 3 p.m. Free for Canal Keeper members; $2 for non-members. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 2, or visit augustacanal.com. Sixth Annual Adaptive Skiing Event is Saturday, June 9, at Pointes West Fort Gordon Outdoor Resort in Appling. Youth skiing is from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; adult skiing is from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Lunch, provided by Sconyers, is at 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-364-2422 or visit cmfa.us. The Soul City Sirens take on the Rome Rollergirls in a flat-track roller derby bout at Red Wing Rollerway on Sunday, June 10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the bout starts at 6:30 p.m. The family friendly event features a halftime that includes games and prizes for kids. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Kids under 12 get in free. Visit soulcitysirens.com. Adaptive Golf Clinic is Tuesday, June 12, from 10 a.m.-noon at First Tee of Augusta. Pre-registration required. Call 706-826-5809 or email alsalley@wrh.org. BlazeSports Swim Team, for all ages of physically challenged swimmers who want to train for competition, meets at the Wilson Family Y. $35 a month, members; $50 a month, non-members. Pre-registration required. Visit thefamilyy.org. Wheelchair Tennis is each Monday at 6 p.m., weather permitting, at the Club at Rae’s Creek. Free and open to the public. Call 706-826-5809 or visit alsalley@wrh.org. Augusta Canal Boat Tours lasting one hour are offered Monday-Saturday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30, 3 and 4:30 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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p.m. All tours include admission to the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center. Call 706-823-0440 or visit augustacanal.com.

Yoga Class at Euchee Creek Branch Library meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.

The Augusta Fencers Club is open five nights a week from 5:30-9 p.m. and most Saturday mornings from 10 a.m.-noon. Visitors always welcome. Call 706-722-8878.

Weekly Group Runs include the Monday Metro Run meeting at Metro Coffeehouse at 6 p.m.; Monday Intervals meeting at the Family Y track on Wheeler Road at 7 p.m.; the Tuesday Nacho Mama’s Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Blanchard Woods Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday Stay in Shape Group Run at 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s Post Office Hill Training Run at 7 p.m.; Thursday’s Homer Hustle at 6 p.m.; and Saturday’s Stay in Shape Run at 8 a.m. For more information, visit augustastriders.com.

Thursday Night Chain Reaction Ride begins at 6 p.m. each Thursday at Patriots Park in Grovetown. For intermediate to fast-paced cyclists, who average 25-32 miles. Participants should bring their own water and helmet. Call 706-855-2024 or visit chainreactionbicycles.net. Riverview Disc Golf League meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta. $5 entry fee and $1 ace pool. Call 803-215-8181 or visit augustadiscgolf.com. Road Bike Ride meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse downtown for an approximately 25-mile ride at a moderate to fast pace. Front and rear lights, as well as a helmet, are required. Call 706-724-6777 or visit andyjordans.com. Guided Trail Rides at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are available Saturdays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Sundays at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon; and Wednesday-Friday at 11 a.m. with reservations 24 hours in advance. All trail rides are on a first-come, first-served basis, and participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the trail ride starting for sign in procedures. $23-$30. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com.

Kroc Trotters Running Group meets Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Free for members. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Hott Shott Disc Golf is each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Killer B Disc Golf, 863 Broad Street, and features games and prizes for all ages and skill levels. $2. Call 706-814-7514 or visit killerbdiscgolf.blogspot.com/p/hott-shott.

Kids

What’s in the Box? Graceful Gardens with Fantastic Flowers, a family program in which participants will learn about flowers, insects and gardens and make their own living landscape, is Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Museum family members and parents, free; $4, non-members. Pre-registration required. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Story Time with Helen Blocker-Adams is Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.

Zumba with Sohailla is every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the Ballroom Dance Center in Evans. Call 706-421-6168 or visit zumbawithsohailla. blogspot.com.

Sidewalk Art is a special children’s program at the Friedman Branch Library on Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Saturday Historic Trolley Tours are Saturdays from 1:30-3:15 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Reservations required 24 hours in advance. $12. Call 706-724-4067 or visit augustamuseum.org.

Dream Big! Art Project, for those ages 5-15, is Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library and launches a summer-long art project based on “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.” Preregistration required for groups of six or more. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.

Lakeside Rideouts at Hilltop Riding Stables at Fort Gordon are each Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The ride, which begins at 2 p.m., is a two-hour guided ride to Wilkerson Lake. $45-$50. Call 706-791-4864 or visit fortgordon.com.

Just Dance Competition for teens is Thursday, June 7, at 4 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-9795

or visit ecgrl.org. Shaun Poppy of the Savannah River Ecology Lab and some reptiles visit the Headquarters Branch Library for a children’s program on Friday, June 8, at 10 a.m. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Chad Crews the educational entertainer visits the Friedman Branch Library for a special children’s program on Friday, June 8, at 10 a.m. Call 706-7366758 or visit ecgrl.org. Chad Crews the educational entertainer visits the Maxwell Branch Library for a special children’s program on Friday, June 8, at 2 p.m. Call 706-7932020 or visit ecgrl.org. Hopi Maiden, a presentation by the Morris Museum of Art, is Friday, June 8, at 3 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. The program, for ages 5 and up, includes a story and weaving activity. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. How Does the Earth Work, a program for those ages 7 and up, is Friday, June 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Reed Creek Park. Pre-registration required. Free, members; $2, non-members. Call 706-210-4027 or visit reedcreekpark.com. Nature Photography, a class for those ages 8 and up, is Saturday, June 9, at 10 a.m. at Reed Creek Park. Pre-registration required. Free, members; $3, non-members. Call 706-210-4027 or visit reedcreekpark.com. Fancy Nancy Tea Party for girls only is Saturday, June 9, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Drama Summer Camp for teens is Monday-Friday, June 11-15, at 10 a.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-447-7660 or visit ecgrl.org. Extreme Sparkle, a craft workshop for girls ages 3-5 in which participants will make their own sparkling star wands and read books, is Monday, June 11, at 3 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.

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Karaoke Night, for those ages 12-18, is Monday, June 11, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Fact or Fiction Family Challenge is Monday, June 11, at 6 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Teams must pre-register. Call 706772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Hunger Games, a young adult program that includes crafts, games and more, is Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. A Reptile Show from the Savannah River Ecology Lab visits the Friedman Branch Library for a children’s program on Tuesday, June 12, at 10 a.m. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Dream Big, Read! children’s program, for those ages 3-12, is Tuesday, June 12, at 10 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Call 706-7722432 or visit ecgrl.org. The Hopi Indians, a special children’s program presented by the Morris Museum of Art, is Tuesday, June 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Bricks4Kids Children’s Event is Tuesday, June 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-8631946 or visit ecgrl.org. Salsa Dance Lessons for teens are Tuesdays, June 12 and 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-4477660 or visit ecgrl.org. ASU Literacy Center’s Family Fun Fair, which includes arts and crafts activities for both children and adults, is Wednesday, June 13, from 8 a.m.-noon at the Maxwell Theatre. The event will also include the Patchwork Players presentation of “Aesop’s Fables” at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. $3; $2 each for those in groups of more than 15. Call 706-7371625 or visit aug.edu. The Spoon Man visit the Wallace Branch Library as part of a special children’s program on Wednesday, June 13, at 10 a.m. Call 706-7226275 or visit ecgrl.org. Windows on the West, a special children’s program presented by the Morris Museum of Art, is Wednesday, June 13, at 10 a.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Therapy Dogs visit the Appleby Branch Library as part of a special children’s program on Wednesday, June 13, at 10:30 a.m. Call 706736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. The Savannah River Ecology Lab brings local wildlife to North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library for a children’s program on Wednesday, June 13, at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. Special Story Time, presented by the Headquarters Branch Library, is Wednesday, June 13, at 2 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Call 706863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.

registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Hooping with Fire, featuring Christina Berkshire of Pyroteque, is a children’s program at the Aiken Public Library on Thursday, June 14, at 4 p.m. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. The Columbia County Youth Orchestra begins rehearsals Thursday, June 7, from 6-8 p.m. at the Augusta Christian School Band Room. The summer session is $25 and includes eight rehearsals, music, a T-shirt and a concert. Open to third-year-level orchestral instrumentalists through high school seniors in all sections. Visit columbiacco.org. Friedman Branch Library Teen Photography Contest, for those in grades 6-12, is accepting submissions through June 23. Entry forms available at the library. Photos will be displayed at the library June 27-July 24 and winners will be notified by phone on July 25. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Kroc Tots Activity Hour, featuring story time, crafts and more, is every Friday at 9 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Free, members; $1, non-members. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Digistar Virtual Journey shows Saturdays in June at 8 p.m. and More Than Meets the Eye shows Saturdays in June at 9 p.m. at the DuPont Planetarium in Aiken. Digistar shows are $5.50, adults; $4.50, seniors; $3.50, 4K-12the grade students; $1, USC-A students, faculty and staff. General shows are $4.50, adults; $3.50, seniors; $2.50, 4K-12th grade students; and $1, USC-A students, faculty and staff. Call 803-641-3654 or visit http://rpsec.usca.edu/planetarium.

Medicare and You is a program that meets every Thursday from 9 a.m.noon at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Games for Seniors at the Weeks Center in Aiken include Rummikub each Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon, Mahjong each Thursday from 1-4 p.m., Bridge each Friday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Bingo each Tuesday at 9 a.m., Pinochle each Tuesday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Canasta on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Silversneakers I is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m., while Silversneakers Yogastretch is offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. at the Weeks Center in Aiken. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Ceramics Class is offered at 9 a.m. on Mondays or Wednesdays and 6 p.m. on Mondays or Tuesdays at the Weeks Center. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Line Dancing is each Tuesday at the Weeks Center in Aiken at 10 a.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Story Time is every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Friedman Branch Library. Groups of six or more must pre-register. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Yoga I and II are offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:45-9:45 a.m. and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Story Time is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Maxwell Branch Library. Preregistration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.

Hobbies

Story Time is every Wednesday from 10-11:15 a.m. at Wallace Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org.

Black Sheep in the Family is a genealogy program at the Headquarters Branch Library on Thursday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.

Story Time at the Columbia County Library is each Tuesday at 11 a.m. for those under 2; Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10:15 a.m. for 2-year-olds; and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. for preschoolers. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.

New Cultivars, a class by Mike Sikes sponsored by the Augusta Council of Garden Clubs, is Saturday, June 9, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. $25 registration includes lunch, snacks and a tour of the Center for Applied Nursery Research. Visit augustacouncilgc.com.

Story Time at the Euchee Creek Branch Library, for all ages, is each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and each Thursday at 4 p.m. Call 706-5560594 or visit ecgrl.org.

Spiritual

Story Time is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org.

Toddler Time, free play for children ages 5 and under, is each Monday and Wednesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Self-Defense Class for those ages 5 and up, hosted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, is Wednesday, June 13, at 2:30 p.m. at the Euchee Creek Branch Library. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.

Wacky Wednesday Story Time is each Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the children’s department of Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Mall. Call 706737-0012 or visit bn.com.

eBooks for Teens Workshop is Wednesday, June 13, at 4 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.

Story Time is every Wednesday at Appleby Branch Library from 10:0510:20 a.m. for toddlers 18 months-35 months, and from 10:30-11:15 a.m. for preschoolers ages 3 and up. Parent must stay with child. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org.

7JUNE2012

Senior Computer Classes meet weekly at the Kroc Center. Pre-registration required. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Story Time is every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Groups of six or more must pre-register. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.

Bricks4Kids children’s program is Wednesday, June 13, at 2:30 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-5569795 or visit ecgrl.org.

Kangaroos, a young children’s story and craft time for those ages 2-8, is Thursday, June 14, at 10 a.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Pre-

Golden Agers meets Mondays from 9 a.m.-noon at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Fit 4 Ever is offered at the Weeks Center in Aiken on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10-11 a.m. Call 803-6427631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Ceramics Class, for ages 14 and up, meets Mondays at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m., Tuesdays at 6 p.m., and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. in the Weeks Ceramics Center. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.

Bear Stories with Bearemy, the Build-a-Bear Workshop mascot, is Thursday, June 14, at 10 a.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Call 706736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.

Blythe Senior Center Father’s Day Program, for those ages 60 and over, is Thursday, June 14, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Blythe Area Recreation Center. Call 706-592-6668 or visit augustaga.gov.

Preschool Story Time is every Tuesday at Headquarters Branch Library at 10 a.m. Toddler Story Time is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Group registration required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.

Spoon Man Jim Cruise visits the Aiken Public Library for an interactive musical show for kids on Wednesday, June 13, at 2 and 3 p.m. Call 803642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.

Story Time with Nutritionist Mona Adams is Thursday, June 14, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.

Seniors

Story Time is every Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. for Pre-K, and either 11 or 11:30 a.m. for preschoolers at Aiken County Public Library. Call 803-6422023 or visit abbe-lib.org. Story Time is every Wednesday from 10:30-11 a.m. for toddlers and 11:15-11:45 a.m. for preschoolers at North Augusta Branch Library. Call 803-279-5767 or abbe-lib.org.

Bible Teaching Seminar, the topic of which is Crossing the Red Sea, is Saturday, June 9, at noon at the Friedman Branch Library. Participants should bring their Bibles. Call 706-691-4023 or visit donaldsao.com. Gospel Explosion 2012, featuring the Augusta Community Mass Choir and other local choirs, is Saturday, June 9, at 4 p.m. at Tender Sprout Christian Life Center on Windsor Spring Road. Call 706-414-1970 or visit gkellygospel2012.com. Food, Faith and Fitness, a women’s group, meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Kroc Center. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Morning Manna, a community devotion time, meets Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org. Sunday activities at the Kroc Center include an adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m., youth Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., and a worship service at 11 a.m. Free. Call 706-364-5762 or visit krocaugusta.org.

Elsewhere

Thursday Nights at the High, a special event at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, offers half price tickets from 4-8 p.m. each Thursday. A guided tour is offered at 6:30 p.m. Call 404-733-4200 or visit high.org.

If you would like to see your organization’s events listed in our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com. The deadline for each Thursday’s issue is the previous Friday at noon.

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IN MUSIC

Black Keys the Only Good Thing About the MTV Movie Awards

It sucks to hear about bands breaking up, members going their separate ways and, sometimes, members telling each other to go “F” themselves. You would figure with the town the size of Augusta and the small music community rolling around that you would also hear about this kind of news. Not the case for some as I was asked twice this past weekend, “Hey, what happened to (insert band here).” If the news hasn’t flown around, it looks like there’s no more Eskimojitos, and Shotgun Opera is officially scanning the market to find a drummer to fill Cappie’s shoes. For the Eskimojitos, it looks like it was scheduling issues, which always come when you start having a family and, just plain and simple, getting older. Luckily we won’t be spared the talents of the members of the band; they are playing in new projects and doing guest spots around town. With Shotgun Opera, I would have to guess that “getting older” had played a role in the break up. Looks like our buddy Cappie is headed to Florida for school. Why it had to be the University of Florida, I have no idea. I’ve always wanted to be at a show and the lead singer steps up to the microphone to say, “This will be our last show as a band.” I wonder why that didn’t happen with these two? If you have the skills as a drummer, contact Shotgun via shotgunopera.com. I love both of these bands and wish everyone luck. The MTV Movie Awards were this past weekend. I didn’t torture myself by watching this, but I did catch a live performance by the Black Keys, which was my highlight from the “overproduced, teen-focused hack of an award show.” The band definitely took the award show as a joke when they showed up to the event dressed in baby suits and masks of themselves. I love this band. Johnny Depp even joined the Black Keys on stage. Depp and the Keys played two new songs off the Keys’ new album “El Camino,” and Depp received the “Generation Award.” Side note: if you ever wanted to lose all faith in MTV, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1” won best movie of the year. BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR?!?! I guess it pays off to get acting practice in your own music videos. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins will portray Iggy Pop in the upcoming film, “CBGB.” More than likely this will be a small part. I hope Taylor is doing his crunches. Most of the rest of the cast has been filled with a bunch of people I have never heard of, besides Malin Akerman as Blondie singer Debbie Harry. I like it. IMDB it. Adding to his list of accomplishments, including being in the greatest band of all time, Paul McCartney is taking on the duties of performing at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in London. The Olympics kick off next month. On a musical note for “Saturday Night Live,” Andy Samberg has decided to leave the show after seven seasons. Samberg heads up the trio known as Lonely Island that produced hits like “Lazy Sunday,” “I’m on a Boat” and the immortal “D*** in a Box.” With the exit of Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig, one has to wonder how SNL will survive after losing the only two funny people on the show. Hope to see everyone out tomorrow night, Friday June 8, at Sky City for Taproot and HURT. I will be there, so there’s an extra incentive. What shows am I missing out on? What venue puts all other venues to shame? What drink specials are tonight? Email matt@themetrospirit.com.

MATTSTONE can be heard weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 95 Rock.

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Thursday, June 7 Live Music

The First Round - The Threads French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Smooth Jazz Joe’s Underground - Dave Firmin Maude Edenfield Park - Idol Spotlight with Jim Tau and Jazz Combo Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local O Lounge - Jazmine Soul Band Red Pepper Cafe - Funk/Fusion Jazz Rose Hill Stables - Preston, Weston and Sandra Surrey Tavern - Sweeney Knievel Travinia’s - Smooth Jazz The Willcox - Classic Jazz

Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel Soul Bar - ’80s Night Wheels - Live DJ Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest

Saturday, June 9 Live Music

The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Cotton Patch - John Kolbeck Country Club - Kurt Thomas Fox’s Lair - Live Music Joe’s Underground - Impulse Ride Malibu Jack’s - Tony Howard

What’s Tonight?

Club Argos - Variety Show Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Rockin Rob Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke with Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke One Hundred Laurens - DJ Kenny Ray Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Wheels - Live DJ Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke

The Willcox - Jazz Jam Session

What’s Tonight?

Caribbean Soul - Love Jones Sundays Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke with Mike Swift Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa Dancing

Monday, June 11 Live Music

Hopelands Gardens - Maureen Simpson with Aiken Choral Society Shannon’s - Open Mic Night

What’s Tonight?

Casa Blanca - Thursday Tango Club Argos - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Coyote’s - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Soup, Suds & Conversations Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia The Library - DJ Kris Fisher The Loft - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic Malibu Jack’s - Sports Trivia with Mike Thomas Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic with Brandy Shannon’s - Karaoke Soul Bar - Boom Box Dance Party Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke

Friday, June 8 Live Music

Augusta Moonlight Music Cruise - The Kelly Family Band Cotton Patch - Riley Williams and Shane Davis Country Club - Michael Stacey Band Fox’s Lair - Chris Ndeti French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Joe’s Underground - Emory Lee Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Shameless Dave & The Miracle Whips Malibu Jack’s - David Heath Perfect Picture PI Bar & Grill - Jazz Duo Sky City - Taproot, Hurt and Otherwise Somewhere In Augusta - Jacob Beltz Stillwater Taproom - James Justin and Co Surrey Tavern - Tony Williams and the Blues Express

What’s Tonight?

Club Argos - Variety Show Cocktails Lounge - Grown-Up Fridays with DJ Cork and Bull Pub - Karaoke Eagle’s Nest - Free Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party First Round - DJ Kris Fisher Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke The Library - Foamed Out Friday Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Jeff Barnes Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim 7JUNE2012

P.I. Bar and Grill - Not Gaddy Jazz with Pam Bowman Sky City - Shovels & Rope Somewhere in Augusta - Situational Ethics Surrey Tavern - Tony Williams and the Blues Express

What’s Tonight? Sunday, June 10 Live Music

5 O’Clock Bistro - Buzz and Candice Candlelight Jazz - Edwin G. Hamilton Trio Patridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not Gaddy Jazz Trio

Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Club Argos - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Trivia with Mike Thomas Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere In Augusta - Poker Tournaments Wild Wing - Trivia AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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Tuesday, June 12 Live Music

Appleby Library - Bill Karp and Karen Gordon Fox’s Lair - John Fisher The Highlander - Open Mic Night The Willcox - Piano Jazz

What’s Tonight?

Club Argos - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke with Denny Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia

Wednesday, June 13 Live Music

Joe’s Underground - Sibling String Surrey Tavern - Louise and Lewis

What’s Tonight?

Club Argos - Santoni’s Satin Dolls Cocktails Lounge - Augusta’s Got Talent Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes Coyote’s - Drink N Drown w/ Snow Bunny Bikini Contest Hotel Aiken - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane The Loft - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - DJ Mike Swift Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Rockin’ Rob The Playground - Krazy Karaoke with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere in Augusta - Dave Landau and Martin Butler

Upcoming

Sibling String - Maude Edenfield Park June 14 Los Bastardos Magnificos - Sky City June 14 Sibling String - Surrey Tavern June 14 Jeff Johnson - Augusta Moonlight Music Cruise June 15ssoul Dallas Duff, Nikki B, 4 B.Y.M. - Columbia County Amphitheatre June 15 The Moose Knuckles - Cotton Patch June 15 Kayson Layne - Country Club June 15 Shane Owens and Bottom - Coyote’s June 15 Ruskin Yeargain - Somewhere in Augusta June 15 Josh Daniel Band - Stillwater Tap Room June 15 Playback the Band Featuring Tutu Dyvine - Surrey Tavern June 15

TFS Rave w/ DJs LinearNorth and Polyphase Sector 7G June 15 John Berret’s LaRoxes - 1102 June 16 Dallas Duff Band - Somewhere in Augusta June 16 The Unmentionables - Surrey Tavern June 16 The Joe Taylor Group - Surrey Tavern June 21 Blair Crimmins and The Hookers - Stillwater Taproom June 22 Joe Stevenson - Somewhere in Augusta June 22 Granny’s Gin - The First Round June 22 The Unmentionables - Surrey Tavern June 22 Ten Toes Up - Surrey Tavern June 23 Dr. Bread - Soul Bar June 23 Nuklear Blast Suntan, Dethrone - Soul Bar June 27 Sibling String - Surrey Tavern June 28 Fresh Music Festival w/ Keith Sweat, Doug E. Fresh, Guy, SWV, K-Ci, & JoJo- James Brown Arena June 29 Connor Pledger - Somewhere in Augusta June 29 The Southern Meltdown Band - Laura’s Backyard Tavern June 29 The Threads - The First Round June 29 Tony Williams and the Blues Express - Surrey Tavern June 29 Fried Goat - Somewhere in Augusta June 30 Siimplified - Surrey Tavern June 30 John Berret’s LaRoxes - 1102 July 6 Betsy Franck - Surrey Tavern July 12 Concrete Jumpsuit - Surrey Tavern - July 19 Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles - The Loft July 20 Cosmic Charlie (Grateful Dead Tribute) - Surrey Tavern July 20 Machine Funk (Widespread Tribute) - Surrey Tavern - July 27-28 The Southern Meltdown Band - Laura’s Backyard Tavern June 29 John Berret’s LaRoxes - Iron Horse Bar and Grill July 22 John Berret’s LaRoxes - 1102 July 27 Cameras, Guns & Radios - The First Round August 3

Elsewhere

Kimberky Gun Music & Friends -Muse Arts Warehouse, Savannah June 9 Landmine Marathon - Jinx, Savannah June 14 Walter Parks - B. Matthew’s, Savannah June 16 Concerts in the Garden: Vince Gill - Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta June 22 Fresh Music Festival w/ Keith Sweat, K-Ci, Jo-Jo Savannah Civic Center, Savannah July 27 George Jones - Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah August 17

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

The pain you will feel in the coming week will be in direct proportion to the love you suppress and withhold. So if you let your love flow as freely as a mountain spring in a rainstorm, you may not have to deal with any pain at all. You claim that being strategic about how you express your affection gives you strength and protection? Maybe that’s true on other occasions, but it’s not applicable now. “Unconditional” and “uninhibited” are your words of power.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

What actions best embody the virtue of courage? Fighting on the battlefield as a soldier? Speaking out against corruption and injustice? Climbing a treacherous peak or riding a raft through rough river water? All those qualify, but French architect Fernand Pouillon said, “Courage lies in being oneself, in showing complete independence, in loving what one loves, in discovering the deep roots of one’s feelings.” Please do draw on it in abundance.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

In “The Four Insights,” author Alberto Villoldo tells the following story: “A traveler comes across two stonecutters. He asks the first, ‘What are you doing?’ and receives the reply, ‘Squaring the stone.’ He then walks over to the second stonecutter and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ and receives the reply, ‘I am building a cathedral.’ In other words, both men are performing the same task, but one of them is aware that he has the choice to be part of a greater dream.” It’s quite important for you to be like that second stonecutter in the months ahead. Start now to ensure that outcome.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Harpo Marx, part of the famous Marx Brothers comedy team that made 13 movies, was known as the silent one who never spoke, but only communicated through pantomime and by whistling, blowing a horn or playing the harp. In real life, he could talk just fine. He traced the origin of his shtick to an early theatrical performance he had done. A review of the show said that he “performed beautiful pantomime which was ruined whenever he spoke.” Harpo’s successful career was shaped in part by the inspiration he drew from a critic. Capitalize on some negative feedback or odd mirroring you’ve received.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

What is your relationship with cosmic jokes? Do you feel offended by the secrets they spill, the ignorance they expose and the slightly embarrassing truths they compel you to acknowledge? Or do you welcome the way they expand your mind, help you lose your excessive self-importance and show you possible solutions you haven’t previously imagined? Sometime in the near future, you’ll be in the vicinity of a divine comedy routine. The harder and more frequently you laugh, the more you’ll learn.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In addition to being an accomplished astrophysicist and philosopher, Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) possessed mad math skills. Legend has it that he was one of only three people on the planet who actually comprehended Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Most people would be happy if there were as many as three humans in the world who truly understood them. Make that one of your projects in the next 12 months: do whatever you can to ensure there are at least three people who have a detailed comprehension of and appreciation for who you really are.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Yesterday the sun was shining at the same time it was raining, and my mind turned to you. You’ve been experimenting with the magic of contradictions lately. You’ve been mixing and matching with abandon, going up and down at the same time, and exploring the pleasures of changing your mind. Keep up the good work. It’s a bit weird at times, but it’ll ultimately make you even smarter than you already are.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Be on the alert for valuable mistakes you could capitalize on. Keep scanning the peripheries for evidence that seems out of place; it might be useful. Accidental revelations could spark good ideas. Garbled communication might show you the way to desirable detours. Chance meetings might initiate conversations that will last a long time. Follow any lead that seems witchy or itchy. Be ready to muscle your way in through doors that are suddenly open just a crack.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

An article in the Weekly World News reported on tourists who toast marshmallows while sitting on the rims of active volcanoes. As fun as this practice might be, it can expose those who do it to molten lava, suffocating ash and showers of burning rocks. Try some equally boisterous but less hazardous adventures. Get highly imaginative in your approach to exploration, amusement and pushing beyond your previous limits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

You would be smart to get yourself a new fertility symbol. Not because you should encourage or seek out a literal pregnancy, but because you should cultivate a more aggressively playful relationship with your creativity — energize it on deep unconscious levels so it will spill out into your daily routine and tincture everything you do. Be on the lookout for a talisman, totem or toy that fecundates your imagination.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

If your destiny has gotten tweaked by bias or injustice, it’s a good time to rebel. If you are being manipulated by people who care for you, you now have the insight and power necessary to wriggle free of the bind. If you have been confused by the mixed messages you’re getting from your own unconscious mind, you should get to the bottom of the inner contradiction. And if you have been wavering in your commitment to your oaths, you’d better be intensely honest with yourself about why that’s happening.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Diamonds are symbols of elegant beauty, which is why they’re often used in jewelry. But 80 percent of the world’s diamonds have a more utilitarian function. Because they’re so hard and have such high thermal conductivity, they are used extensively as cutting, grinding and polishing tools, and have several other industrial applications. Apply this 20/80 proportion to you. Of your talents and abilities, no more than 20 percent need be on display. The rest is consumed in the diligent detail work that goes on in the background — the cutting, grinding and polishing you do to make yourself as valuable as a diamond.

ROBBREZSNY FREEWILLASTROLOGY@FREEWILLASTROLOGY.COM

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Michael Johnson

mejphoto.photoreflect.com

Anthony Thuan and Ali Spradlin with Whitney and Ferrell Pope at Carolina Ale House.

SIGHTINGS

Nick Bower, Ellen Jones, Kelsey Benson and Will Bower at Robbie’s Sports Pub.

Ryan Perry, Rene Gregoire, Kala Bourn and Brittany Smithson at Somewhere in Augusta.

SIGHTINGS

Thania Lloyd, Power 107’s Miss Monique and Kimberley Townsend at the fashion show during First Friday.

Stephanie Adams, McKenzie Dicks, Stacey Jenkins and Mary Kathryn Dozier at Sky City.

SIGHTINGS

Angie Herndon, Kirby Taylor and Caroline Thornton at the Mudbugabeaux-N-Brew at the Augusta Common.

7JUNE2012

Heather Eargle and Jay Weigle with Kathy and Russell Crook at the Mudbugabeaux-N-Brew at the Augusta Common.

Chris and Victoria Hardy with Mary Schorsch and Les Bertrand at Metro Coffeehouse and Pub.

Michael Johnson

mejphoto.photoreflect.com

Bre Cantrell, Heather Key and Kristen Formy-Duval at The Country Club.

AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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THE

BOX TOPS

“Snow White” is the fairest of them all this week.

EIGHT

RANK

TITLE

WEEKEND GROSS

TOTAL GROSS

WEEK #

LAST WEEK

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

$56,217,700

MEN IN BLACK 3

$28,075,210

$111,078,763

THE AVENGERS

$20,486,418

$552,950,398

BATTLESHIP

$5,092,295

$55,405,145

THE DICTATOR

$4,702,004

$50,812,364

“Moonrise Kingdom”

SAMEIFLING

Anderson’s talent shines in his latest quirky tale After triumphs with “Rushmore” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” the writer/ director and quirk auteur Wes Anderson overreached and faded. In his lesscelebrated “The Darjeeling Limited” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” he attempted travelogue epics that ultimately spread too thin and couldn’t support the sort of tight emotional core that drove the earlier films. Perhaps his sojourn into animation with the thoroughly blissful “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” three years ago reacquainted Anderson with his genius as a toymaker. His work feels authentic when he grafts adult sensibilities onto children (or onto subterranean anthropomorphized mammals), more so than when he foists childlike qualities onto his adults. In Anderson’s hands the former feels precocious; the latter, merely precious. Rarely if ever has he applied those talents to better effect than in his new “Moonrise Kingdom,” largely due to its setup: Before painting a fascinating, moving adolescent romance, Anderson stretched a tidy canvas for himself. The story takes place in 1965 (cue jangly Hank Williams soundtrack) on a small island or two in New England, where a young Khaki Scout named Sam (Jared Gilman, debuting) goes missing from his troop one September morning. The earnest, stern, cigarettepuffing scout master (Edward Norton, making a long-awaited return to films that are worth a damn) orders the remaining scouts to scour the island and return Sam unharmed — not a given, considering how generally disliked the boy is. Elsewhere on the island, a malcontent young girl named Suzy (Kara Hayward, another kid you’ve never seen before) wanders away from her family’s home, suitcase and record player in hand. When her attorney parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) find out she had been pen pals with the missing Sam, they join the hunt for the two fugitive 12-year-olds. Bruce Willis, as the local cop, and Tilda Swinton, as the earthly avatar of Social Services, appear in fine form. Also, a hurricane is on the way. So, to recap. A bygone era, an enclosed setting (really, all of Anderson’s movies have taken place on islands, even when geography hasn’t reflected that truth), and children behaving with a profound seriousness, both as sweethearts on the lam and as the deputized scouts pursuing them. In this sandbox, Anderson goes to work. The little details that could appear forced — a way-too-high tree house, split-screen phone conversations, starched dialogue for little boys, shirtless and axe-lugging

Murray, a lavish play-within-a-play — instead feel right for the time and for the characters. (Who better to display unselfconsciously inflated egos than children, lawyers and government employees?) The soundtrack conveys the juvenile heroism of summer camp. On their scale, Sam and Suzy are no less dangerous and inseparable than Bonnie and Clyde. Anderson embroiders every character and scene so minutely that, unlike his more sprawling works, “Moonrise Kingdom” resonates effortlessly with an epic tone. The spirit at work here is one worth remembering as yet another summer settles over us. Children who work to build fledgling societies of survival and of love either follow the patterns of previous generations or strike out to redefine the world. When Sam and Suzy find a particular secluded inlet, where they paint and swim and dance and smooch, they endeavor to rename it. For the young and smitten, every day is the biggest ever, and the trodden world is ripe to be discovered and described anew. Before jilts and routine and distraction bleach the heart, the young can live love stories their elders can only imagine. Anderson finds one here, and tells it with such aplomb and humor you almost forget he’s a grown-up.

THE8ERS Movie times are subject to change.

The Big Mo

Gates open at 7 p.m.; shows begin at 8:30 p.m. (approximately)

June 8-9 Field 1: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) and Men in Black III (PG13) ; Field 2: Prometheus (R) and 21 Jump Street (R); Field 3: Snow White and The Huntsman (PG-13) and Battleship (PG-13).

Masters 7 Cinemas

June 8-9 The Five-Year Engagement (R) 1, 4, 7, 9:40; Safe (R) 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:45, 10; The Lucky One (PG-13) 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50; Mirror Mirror (PG) 1:15, 4:15, 6:45, 9:30;

34 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) 4:15, 10; 21 Jump Street (R) 1:30, 4:45, 7:15, 9:40; John Carter (PG-13) 1:15, 7:15; Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (PG) 1:45, 4:30; Safe House (R) 6:45, 9:30

Expect When You’re Expecting (PG-13) 12:10, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10; Dark Shadows (PG-13) 2:05, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55; The Avengers (PG-13) 1:40, 4:45, 8:20; The Hunger Games (PG-13) 1:45, 4:45, 8:10

Evans Cinemas

Regal Exchange 20

June 8-9 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) noon, 12:45, 1:30, 2:15, 3, 3:45, 4:30, 5:15, 6:15, 6:45, 7:30, 8:30, 9, 9:45; Prometheus (R) 12:30, 1:15, 2:45, 3:15, 4:15, 6:30, 7:15, 8:45, 9:15, 10; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9:55; Chernobyl Diaries (R) 12:20, 6:20; Men in Black III (PG-13) noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Battleship (PG-13) 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 9:55; What to

June 8-9 Promethus (R) 10:40, 11:40, 1, 1:20, 1:40, 2:40, 4, 4:20, 4:40, 5:40, 7, 7:20, 7:40, 8:40, 10, 10:20, 10:40, 11:40, 12:25, 12:45; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) 10:30, 11:30, 12:15, 12:35, 1:05, 1:55, 2:35, 2:55, 3:25, 4:15, 4:55, 5:15, 5:45, 7:10, 7:25, 7:45, 8:05, 9:25, 9:45, 10:05, 10:25, 11:45, 12:05, 12:40; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 10:45,

12:45, 1:15, 1:45, 3:40, 4:10, 4:50, 7, 7:20, 7:50, 10, 10:20, 10:50, 12:50; Chernobyl Diaries (R) 7:25, 9:35, 11:50; Men in Black III (PG-13) 10:45, 11:45, 12:20, 1:20, 2:15, 2:55, 4, 5:15, 5:30, 6:50, 7:50, 8:20, 9:25, 10:25, 10:55, 12:45; Battleship (PG-13) 11, 2:10, 5:05, 8:05, 11; The Dictator (R) 12:35, 2:45, 4:55, 7:05, 9:15, 11:25; Dark Shadows (PG-13) 11:15, 2:05, 4:45; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG-13) 11:10, 2, 4:45, 7:35, 10:25; The Avengers (PG-13) 10:30, 1:35, 4:40, 7:45, 10:50; Think Like a Man (PG-13) 1:05, 3:55, 6:50, 9:40, 12:30

7JUNE2012

OPENING FRIDAY, JUNE 8

V23|NO23

SCI-FI

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prometheus,â&#x20AC;? rated R, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron. Director Ridley Scott returns to his rightful place in space in what many are calling a prequel to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alien.â&#x20AC;? Those involved in the movie are denying that (sort of) but, really, who cares? This movie is going to rockâ&#x20AC;Ś and not in the sucky way next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rock of Agesâ&#x20AC;? is going to.

FAMILY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascar 3: Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Wanted,â&#x20AC;? starring Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer. Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are back and still trying to get to New York by way of a traveling European circus. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen the commercials for this one yet, be warned: Once you see it, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to get zebra Martyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Circus, Afro, Polka-Dotâ&#x20AC;? song out of your head. Thanks a lot, Chris Rock. No, seriously: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most fantastic song in the world, especially considering it only has three words.

Before you hit the theater this week to see director Ridley Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sure to be incredible â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prometheus,â&#x20AC;? why not revisit his 1979 masterpiece â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alien.â&#x20AC;? Not only did that movie give us one of the most famous taglines in cinema history (â&#x20AC;&#x153;In space, no one can hear you screamâ&#x20AC;?) and at least one amazing death, but it also gave us one of our most memorable heroines ever to grace the screen. Sigourney Weaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ripley, warrant officer on the spaceship Nostromo, spawned other famous ass kickers, most notably Linda Hamiltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sarah Connor in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Terminator 2: Judgment Day.â&#x20AC;? Ripley is the prototype, however, her resolve strengthening throughout the movie, even as the crew shrinks under alien attack. Despite these attacks, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alienâ&#x20AC;? is a quiet horror movie, which only ups the ante on the feelings of dread and panic felt by the audience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great movie-making device; viewers are almost relieved when each shocking attack takes place. Can the director match this award-winning entry, which consistently tops best-of lists? Can the lead actresses in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prometheusâ&#x20AC;? come close to Weaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ripley? It would be hard to believe that anyone can match the magic of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alien.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be fun seeing them try, though.

7JUNE2012

WERECOMMEND

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alienâ&#x20AC;?

THIS WEEK THURS 6.7 - THE FUSTICS FRI 6.8 - PITBOSS SATURDAY 6.9 TX CLERGY SUN 6.10 - BRANDON HOOKER DUO 19K@AF?LGF ,< c 1#& www. wi l dwi n gcaf e. co m AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

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ART45

Childlike Images Ceramic artist shows off cartoon-inspired works at GHIA exhibit Ceramic artist Kyungmin Park has been interested in creating figures since she was a child. A native of South Korea, she was initially interested in working with clay and mimicking the shapes of cartoon characters. By the time she got to college she turned her attention to ceramics. “I was interested in claymation since fifth grade — I went to high school in South Korea, but I didn’t think about ceramics until college and had to pick a major — so I chose ceramics,” Park explains. “I studied there for a year and a half and then I came to America in 2004.” Classically trained, Park received her MFA in ceramics from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. She received a BA in ceramic arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in New York. Why major in ceramics and not some other form of art? “I loved making figurines and making cartoon characters,” she says. “Later on, I was a painter for a long time but I wanted to challenge myself to make something in 3D — not just painting and drawing,” adds Park, “and I really like the feeling of touching stuff when I create, not just 2D sketching.” Park’s childlike images featured in her ceramic sculptures seem to evoke a range of emotions from whimsical and impish, to angry, scared and just plain outlandish. Taking inspiration from her own life, it is

36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

SAMEIFLING

Park’s intention for the interpretation to be all in the eye of the beholder. “[These] are my stories. I’m personally a person who doesn’t really want to talk about my personal life out loud,” she explains. “But through the works I can talk about whatever I want. The great thing about being an artist is that even though I tell the viewer what I am trying to say, the viewer just has to translate in their ways — pretty much, it’s about me — what I want to tell other people.” Park was the recipient of Best of Show at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art’s 2010 National Juried Fine Art Competition A Sense of Place and has been offered a space there for her own solo exhibit. The show will feature both large, near life-sized sculptures, as well as smaller figurines, and Park will give an informal gallery talk about her work during an opening reception on Friday, June 8. “Gertrude Herbert gave me a whole space so that I could show the different scales I work in,” Park says. “These are mainly the works I worked on while I was in grad school. Mainly figures that I’ve been working on for three years — I tried to include previous work also, to show how I’ve progressed.” Kyungmin Park Exhibit The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art June 9 through July 27 | Opening reception: Friday, June 8 | 6-8 p.m. Free, GHIA members; $5, nonmembers | 706-722-5495 | ghia.org

7JUNE2012

V23|NO23

CUISINE SCENE

AMYCHRISTIAN

Worth the Wait New Gary’s location may look different, but has the same great food

When Charles Durand retired from his job selling food to restaurants and decided he wanted to open one of his own, he naturally called his best customer. “I sold Gary Gibson all his food for years and I told him when I retired I wanted to open an old-time diner with his great food,” Durand said. “He told me he thought I was crazy.” Crazy or not, Durand must have made a convincing argument: the new Gary’s Hamburgers, located in the former Backyard Burgers location across from Regal Cinemas in Augusta, has been open for almost exactly three months. And though it joins Gibson’s four other Gary’s locations in the CSRA area, it looks decidedly different under Durand’s influence. “I’ve always loved the ’50s. I grew up in the ’50s and I love the diner, ’50s-retro look,” Durand said. “It’s a fun place and that’s what I wanted. I told Gary before we opened that I wanted a fun place that people would enjoy coming to.” This Gary’s location certainly does have that fun, diner feel, from the black-andwhite checkerboard floors to the red, black and turquoise walls decked out with era-appropriate memorabilia. Oldies play in the restaurant and, on the weekends, customers are likely to find one of Durand’s classic cars — a ’57 Chevy convertible, a ’57 Thunderbird or a ’67 Corvette Stingray, all cherry red — parked out front. The cars, he said, are an especially good way to get people into the restaurant. As if to prove his point, a young man walks in a few minutes later to talk about Corvettes and car shows after seeing the Vette parked out front, and those driving by can’t help but stop, stare and, in some instances, take pictures. “They sometimes block traffic, but it’s a good draw,” he laughed. The décor may be great for those nostalgic for an earlier era, but the food’s the real draw. And even though this Gary’s looks different from the other four, all the menu staples that made the local chain famous in the area for the past 30 years or so can be found here: full breakfasts, hamburgers, chicken strips, chili and chili slaw dogs, sandwiches, sides, specialty dinners, milkshakes and more. Even the addictive rolls make an appearance. “We have a great product, the best of everything,” Durand explained. “We use 7JUNE2012

Angus ground chuck for our hamburgers and do a third of a pound. Everyone else does a quarter. And we pound them fresh two or three times a day. The chicken strips we marinate in buttermilk overnight and they’re so moist and tender they’ll melt in your mouth.” Not only do they use Gary’s recipes, but they also follow the work ethic of the other locations. Nothing is prepared ahead of time, everything is made from scratch and everyone works hard. And that means everyone, from employees and managers Dee Prophet and Eric Ainsworth to AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

METROSPIRIT 37

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Durand himself. “I love it,” he explained. “I love being in the dining room full-time and making sure that everything’s coming out like it should, speaking to everyone in the dining room and making sure they’re 100 percent happy. It’s fun to me.” With the quality of the food at Gary’s, it’s not difficult to ensure customer happiness, even though the wait is sometimes longer than it is at a typical fast-food restaurant. “Gary’s got a great reputation, has had it for 30 years, and has won numerous awards for great hamburgers and chicken strips,” Durand explained. “So I tell everybody that they may have to wait a little bit longer, but it’ll be worth the wait.”

(L to R) Zack England, Eric Ainsworth, Amber Ellison, Tony Calhoun Gary’s Hamburgers 3539 Wheeler Road, Augusta Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. 706-733-4800 Other Gary’s Hamburgers Locations 3909 Washington Road, Martinez 706-210-7575 410 Georgia Avenue, North Augusta, S.C. 803-278-1314 106 Bettis Academy Road, Graniteville, S.C. 803-663-7788

Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength just happened to stop by the new Gary’s location for a chili dog.

38 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

397 Lee Street, Johnston, S.C. 803-275-5300

7JUNE2012

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7JUNE2012

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SPONSOR THE

Metro Spiritâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pet Page! lauren@themetrospirit.com

Golf Tournament a Great Success By Lorna Barrett

food and lots of fun. What a fabulous way to raise money. I laughed cart that I thought I was on a ride at Disney

and neglect and

Special Events

thousands of

Augusta Humane Society offers obedience classes twice each

continue to escalate. We strongly encourage everyone will drastically slow down the

Ongoing Adoption Events:

one of the several neuter clinics located throughout the

animal rescue organizations that are struggling

their families. It really is all about the animals to us. organization created to raise money and

donations all year.

and save a life.

same goals mentioned here. rescue organization of their choice. Donations of

generally care for dogs as well as clean litter cats would be invaluable.

of dogs and cats needlessly euthanized in our county animal control facilities. Unless we enact

Adam

Bing

George

Young orange male tabby

Kerwin

Luna

In need of loving homes

For more information, visit csrahappytails.com 40 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989

7JUNE2012

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ON THE BALL

Of Chickens and Betta Fish How a weekend without a babysitter spurred the silliest, yet most effective, battle cry in quite some time. Baseball players have always been quite the playful bunch. In a world that often writes off superstitions as nothing more than a psychological crutch or a nervous tick, baseball has always welcomed them with open arms. Little Leaguers shaking their caps during a rally like beggars underneath an overpass, closing pitchers having conversations and kissing the baseball before a big inning, hell, even grown men flipping their ball caps inside-out in the bleachers if times get desperate enough.

For the 2012 South Carolina Gamecock baseball team — who themselves have quite the humorous array of superstitious-driven antics — they’ve been able to hone in on that mental component that sometimes debilitates teams and turn it to a source of strength. After dealing with the natural attrition of talent after winning back-to-back national championships the past two years, odds were that this year’s edition of the Gamecocks wouldn’t make it out of their own conference alive, much less be a best-of-three series away from another trip to Omaha. Sure, the influx of outstanding talent that accompanies great success has helped soften the blow of losing guys like Jackie Bradley Jr. and Scott Wingo, to name a few, but early on in the season it was apparent that this group of great parts would take quite some time to equal a respectable sum. Up until late April, Carolina couldn’t make or catch a break. They opened SEC play by getting swept in a series by Kentucky and losing two out of three games to Florida on consecutive weekends. And let’s not forget that they sandwiched a loss to in-state Wofford in that depressing run as well. Games were littered with errors and squirming in the seats as each one-run defeat began to reveal the cloud of discouragement hovering over picturesque Carolina Stadium. Where was that fun-loving, freewheeling spirit that propelled this team to play over its head the past two years and into the record books? Is this what every

dynasty has to endure when the magic runs out and we’re forced to remember what baseball looks like when played by mortals? All of these questions went out the window when third baseman LB Dantzler couldn’t find a babysitter for his Betta fish before an away trip to Auburn. I mean how hard is it to take care of a fish, really? It’s not like these things run away or soil the carpet. My friend once left his Betta fish at his apartment over the summer and the thing was still circling around the bowl when he returned. “Speedy” I think his name was. Yet Dantzler couldn’t get anyone to help him out. So, like any good parent would,

he packed up his pet and hit the road. I wonder what Head Coach Ray Tanner’s rule book says about this. Little did he know that Gamecock Nation would soon ditch the chicken and remind their opponents to “Fear the Fish.” The switch went off. Not only did they sweep Auburn and Alabama right out of the gate after the team adopted “Reptar” as the official pet of the 2012 South Carolina Gamecock baseball team, they also looked and finished the regular season like they were having fun again. Being a newcomer and playing for a national powerhouse doesn’t come without high pressure and extreme expectations to deliver, but when you are able to block that out and just play, that’s when talent shines its brightest. So this weekend, when you see someone get an extra base hit and morph into a land shark in humorous tribute to their team pet, or fashion a “sniper rifle” out of a bat and binoculars out of Gatorade cups, know that they aren’t taking themselves too seriously. Nor should they. Look where it brought them.

MATTLANE is host of The Weekend Rundown which airs from 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays on News-Talk-Sports 1630 AM. He can be reached at mattlane28@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Mattlane28.

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Hello great people who set up events in Augusta at JBA and Bell A: Can you set up any more boxing matches and MMA events? How about more crafting events besides the Christmas Made in the South Show? Yes, if the downtown post office is going away, that should be an excellent site for an outdoor set up of some kind! A multi-purpose outdoor thing that can include not only a baseball stadium but perhaps one that can be converted for use for fields for football, biking, skating and other sporting events and maybe even bigtime music festivals. Now are you going to make sure there is enough parking? And that Fred “Who Me?” Russell will not handle setting up any parking situation with air rights only for the city. Even though I am straight I am so tired of the Bible thumping Christians who are so against Gay marriage with the excuse of “it is in the bible”. It is also in the bible that you shouldn’t eat pork, shellfish and milk with meat, etc. I do not see many Christians following this doctrine. Should we also stone people to death with the excuse that it is in the bible? America was not founded on and only for “Christian Beliefs” but on every man being created equal. Let this hold true and let gay America have the same rights including the right to marry. Besides the heterosexual divorce rate is 50% and since we aren’t doing a good job at the vows made before G-d seems like we shouldn’t be able to get married either Is there some conspiracy to make new potential nurses have to wait until next year to register for nursing classes to pay at a much higher rate at New U? I’ve got friends who tried to register at now ASU and were told there is no more space. I thought there was a nursing shortage to address? The more I hear about the merger of GHSU and ASU, the less I like. They seem to be hiring all the big wigs all over the place to sit on all the current big wigs who are now ... middlewigs? A lot of people are being told they *will* have a job but that they might have to do different jobs. I’m glad people will still be employed at least but it seems way too many newbies are all bigwigs. Why on earth is the Red Cross calling monetary donors heroes? Are they trying to belittle the true heroes who risk their lives on the streets at home (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, etc.) and abroad (military forces)? That was a bad move to label donors as heroes. I don’t see why someone thinks that Augusta is sinking simply because the fireworks show and new Lady Antebellem theater are in Evans. We’ve got a line of fall festivals and biking events coming up and the opening of the Tee Center supposed in late fall so big conventions can be set up in town. And the Bell and JBA are both running great shows left and right. Good times are here in Augusta!

DECLASSIFIED

Shame on Roundtree! He’s lied before in sending praises through the

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

Man Up The Art of Manliness, a blog authored by married couple Brett and Kate McKay, often looks to the past for examples of “manliness in action.” They draw on these examples to help modern men, who, they theorize, have lost the art of manning up in the past few decades. Blog entries cover topics from wearing shorts and grilling to barefoot running and leadership lessons from Dwight D. Eisenhower. Their list of most popular articles include nine ways to start a fire without matches and the 10 worst products for men ever created (chest hair toupee, anyone?). The site offers subscriptions by email or RSS, so you can keep up with all things masculine, as well as a store filled with books and T-shirts, especially helpful for the upcoming Father’s Day holiday. Our only quibble with this site that is helpful to both men and women? A shocking lack of Ron Swanson.

WERECOMMEND

media to himself signed by a “grateful mother,” he left work papers and weapons in an apartment, and now he’s proven to be financially incompetent. How on earth can we trust him with even safety of our kids at his current job? Since he signed a form about his finances, charge him with that crime and throw his name off the list.

How it is that no one in the CSRA knows how drive at a four-way stop?? I cannot count how many times I have been the last to arrive at an intersection only to find that the other drivers do not seem to know whose turn it is which only leaves me the option of just going thru said intersection even though I was the last to arrive and then watching in my rearview mirror as the drivers who were clueless before still seem to be clueless on who should go next. Give full contact driving in Boston any day over this nonsense. Hey, it’s Saturday, June 1st and ya’ll are still scrolling the old whine from last week on your website. Any chance that will be updated? How hard is it to update a website?

Wondering if you have put all of them up? You took some great ones of our dog, Izzy, the white bull terrier. Also thanks for the MetroSpirit Cups! Will look for y’all next time we make a trip down! Keep up the great work!

If you don’t need paper to line your birdcage, why would you subscribe to the AC? Since The Chomical main Editor states that “Catholics as well as others, believe contraception kills.” I wonder if those same people believe that all of their pedophile priests have killed the souls of their many, many, many victims. Hmmm which ones are better off? When will you guys update the whine line and The Insider on your website? I notice most everything else has been posted except those those two features.

Here I thought John Belushi went Tango Uniform and he shows up as a writer for the Spirit. Did not realize the Germans knew the timing of the Normandy Invasion. I always thought Ike’s boys had that little piece of knowledge. Ive got a few gripes to share. Im getting tired of people using the word “holy grail” to describe something as super cool. Stop throwing this word around in the wrong context. Learn what it really means.Take the kung-fu fighting eyeglass commercials off local tv,and last but not least,people get together and sign a petition for record companies not to have female singers that yelp or their voice sounds like they smoke 60 packs of cigarettes and their lungs fell out on radio or commercials. Great Publication! The graphics y’all do are outstanding, better than any Atlanta publications I’ve seen! I live in atlanta but we came down for the Banjo-B-Cue and met one of your photographers! Great photos!

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Can he sidestep Springlakes and Magnolia Trace?

Columbia County

County Commission District 2

Coroner

(I) Trey Allen

Lee Benedict

Him again?

County Commission District 3 (I) Charles Allen

(I) Vernon Collins

Tax Commissioner (I) Kay Allen

Jan “Butch” Holley

Incumbency has its rewards

Seeking first elective office

Countywide Chairperson of the Board of Education (I) Regina Buccafusco

Unopposed

Not ready to give up those six figures just yet

Board of Education District 1 Carolyn Chase David Deckle Brian “Books” Slowinski

Sheriff (I) Clay Whittle

Unopposed

Board of Education District 4 Bobby Ray Strickland

Richmond County gets all the ink

Deborah Fisher

Clerk of Superior Court

(I) Roxanne Whitaker

(I) Cindy Mason

Unopposed

Chief Magistrate Jason Hasty

Probate Judge

Christopher Hudson

(I) Alice Wheatley Padgett

Unopposed

Jason Troiano

Augusta Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge (I) Superior Court Chief Judge Carlisle Overstreet

Juvenile Court Judge Willie Saunders

Also qualifying: Sheryl Jolly

Carl Brown

Danny Craig

Mike Annis

Learning about hardball the hard way

Voting Dates July 31 — General Primary August 21 — General Primary Runoff November 6 — General Election December 4 — General Election Runoff

District Attorney (I) Ashley Wright (R)

Competent and perfectly suited

Evita Paschall (D)

Let us be the source for your 2012 election coverage, in print & on the web.

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