summer 2019 - home - aiken bella magazine...29 change your life story! by thomas h. herlong 32 good...

BELLA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019

SUMMER 2019

Listening to the Community page 5

Behind the Walls on Whiskey: Historic Rond Point page 20

Remembering D-Day page 24

Wartime Sermons about D-Day from Aiken’s Rev. John B. McCullough, Naval Chaplain page 26

Starting with the Bathtub:Part 2 of a Tiny House Dream page 22

Once Upon a Time in a Town Called Aiken page 14

Tad Jones

2 BELLA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 2

Summer 2019, Volume 16, No. 5

Publisher A Tad Creative Production [email protected]

Editor Ladonna Armstrong [email protected] 803-349-6026

Director of Advertising Tad Jones [email protected] 860-262-3850

Graphic Designer Jim Stafford

Contributing Writers Tony Baughman, Lily McCullough Baumil, Anna Dangerfield, Susan Elder, Peggy O’Neal Elliott, Stephen Delaney Hale, Rob Heilig, Pat Kirk, Phyllis Maclay, Jeff Wallace

Website and Social Media Manager A Tad Creative Production

Bella Magazine is published in Aiken, South Carolina, by A Tad Creative Production, LLC, nine times a year: February, March, April, May, Summer (June-July-August), September, October, November, December.

Subscriptions are available for $30/year (9 issues), payable to A Tad Creative Production, PO Box 6267, Aiken, SC 29803.

www.facebook.com/aikenbellamagazine

Read Bella online! www.aikenbellamagazine.com

F E A T U R E S F A V O R I T E S

C O N T E N T S

Intriguing | Empowering | Entertaining

SUMMER 2019 AD DIRECTORY3 Monkeys ....................................................................................18

A Tad Creative Production ....................................................... 5

Affordables Apparel..................................................................19

Aiken Artist Guild Show ..........................................................12

Aiken Center for the Arts Summer Camps .......................21

Aiken Community Theatre – Gibson & Sons ....................11

Aiken Hattery ..............................................................................11

Aiken Land Conservancy ........................................................23

Aiken Regional Medical Centers ..................................... 3, 40

Allstate Insurance – Tom Young ...........................................36

Arbutus Studio – Pamela Moore ..........................................36

Artisan Market ............................................................................18

Auto Tech ......................................................................................34

Dryer Vent Wizard ......................................................................36

Elliott’s Home Consignments ................................................18

Equine Divine ..............................................................................34

Farmers Market on Williamsburg/Trolley Ride ................33

Freeloader ...................................................................................... 6

Gail McLain – Meybohm Realtors .......................................36

Ginger Hudock, Nutrition Consultant ................................36

The Greystone Inn .....................................................................39

Hutson-Etherredge Insurance Companies .......................33

Indie Arts Vintage Market at Material Things ..................33

J Hilburn Men’s Clothing –Alyson Getchell ......................29

Jane Jenkins Herlong, Author and Speaker .....................16

Juneteenth – CAAHAC .............................................................12

Labor Day Sidewalk Sale – ADDA .......................................... 7

Lovin’ Locals Week! – ADDA ..................................................... 8

Market in the Alley ....................................................................30

Marti Healy Books .....................................................................13

Menagerie ....................................................................................19

Pitter Patter ..................................................................................19

Premier Designs Jewelry – Eva Jackson ............................15

Pruitt Health ................................................................................28

Return Engagement .................................................................36

Richards Furriers ........................................................................36

The Screenprint Factory ..........................................................19

Second Chance Woodcrafts – Rob Kincaid ......................36

Shellhouse Funeral Home ......................................................38

Southern & Georgia Dermatology ......................................25

Thomas Herlong, Herlong and Doran ................................29

TLC Medical Centre – Functional Pharmacist .................17

TLC Medical Centre – Zoom Heaton ...................................36

Wealthcare Financial Planners – William Coscioni .........36

White Rose Eclectics .............................................................. 18

WKSX-92.7 FM Radio ................................................................35

5 Listening to the Community by Tad Jones

14 Once Upon a Time… in a town called Aiken by Jeff Wallace

16 Momma and Tootsie by Jane Jenkins Herlong

20 Behind the Walls on Whiskey: Historic Rond Point by Anna Dangerfield

22 Starting with the Bathtub Part 2: Designing, Building, and Living My Tiny House Dream by Annie Colpitts

24 D-Day: the 6th of June 1944 The Allied Invasion of Normandy by Kathy Huff Cunningham

26 The Reverend John B. McCullough’s Wartime Service as a Naval Chaplain

30 ADDA Tackles the Renovation of the Small Alley

31 Hopelands and Rye Patch: Aiken’s Prize Jewels by Lil Borop Brannon

3 Ciao Bella

6 Bella Buzz

13 The story of … the mindful dog. by Marti Healy

29 Change Your Life Story! by Thomas H. Herlong

32 Good Sense Medicine: When CBD is Not Enough by Zoom Heaton

34 Roots and Wings: Creating a Good Childhood for Your Kids by Betts Hunter Gatewood

35 Nutrition with Ginger: Eight Tips for Eating an Anti-Inflammatory Diet by Ginger Hudock

37 Scene Around Town

Cover: Aerial photo of Downtown Aiken looking west by Tad Jones

BELLA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 3 3

I start my first Ciao Bella with a sense of the miraculous. Never could I have dreamed the amount of growth I would undertake this year. I have gone from Licensed Architect to event planner to Aiken “Hatter” to a business partner to a publisher. Behind it all, there always existed a deep desire to connect, to be more than just myself.

Architects train in the health, safety and welfare of people and also train to be accountable for those things. I learned the importance of growth through architecture, the need to grow and plan and to connect people to the places they inhabit. Taking the dreams from the minds of the clients and shaping them into something they could physically occupy was an extreme honor. Yet I felt like an onlooker, just an authority. Once my services were complete, the connection did not stay intact.

Through my four beautiful daughters, I became involved with the many wonderful nonprofit organizations in our town. Having a flair for the dramatic and “over-the-top,” I searched for ways to assist many others with their events in another attempt to find a connection. We took part in some magical and amazing events and I could witness firsthand all the people connecting: the committees, the volunteers, the patrons, and the charities enjoying the support.

Yet again, the connection did not stay intact. The event would end, and it would be a year before it happened again.

Then, a year ago, out of nowhere, a dear friend suggested that I sell the hats I made for my daughters and myself to wear to all the events we attended together. This was exciting for me! I could create … and not just create, but let my creativity go wild. Unlike architecture, in which you have a responsibility for safety; or event planning, for which you have a responsibility to organize and plan, hats were pure fun! I made these magical creations filled with my hopes and dreams. When someone put them on, the dream came true. I could connect with others and help them find that perfect piece that made them smile. There is instant gratification when that happens. The connections I make with those that I “hat” forever remain intact.

Last year I hired Tad Jones at A Tad Creative Production to work with Aiken Hattery. Through countless conversations, pictures, social media posts and website edits, he challenged me to define what it was I was after. We realized we shared similar vision and goals earlier this year, and A Tad Creative Production became a joint venture, where our mission is to provide “Creative Solutions for Businesses and

Business Solutions for Creatives.” With my desire to connect and Tad’s desire to facilitate communication, we formed a business centered on creativity and resulting in our connection with the community.

I see Bella as a true means of connection between me and our wonderful little town, so rightly named “Best in the South.” I am blessed beyond words for the haven Aiken has been for my daughters to grow up in, my personal growth, the growth of my partnership and the growth of my connection to the community. Through Bella Magazine I can finally grow, change, create and connect. I am overwhelmed by the positive and amazing responses I have received from the Aiken community and its embrace of Tad and me as the new owners of Bella. Thank you to Kathy and Rob Cunningham for making Bella a wonderful publication and for allowing us to continue the magazine’s place in our community. I look forward to sharing my story and the stories of Aiken and the surrounding communities through the voice of Bella.

Ladonna Armstrong

Connecting

4 BELLA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019

Communicating

When Ladonna and I discussed the subject of our first Ciao Bella, we thought about comparing our expectations about our purchase of Bella with our actual experience in producing our first issue. Publishing is a new field for both of us. But for our first Ciao Bella, I think it’s more interesting in our introductory issue to address the questions we are frequently asked:

What will stay the same? Everyone we talk to is excited to know that we

love and embrace Bella. This magazine has a great reputation and a loyal following. Bella will continue to focus on the local community and tell interesting stories unique to Aiken and the people who live here.

Through advertising, the local businesses provide the financial backing the magazine needs to offer it to the community for free. We could not publish the magazine without them. Our advertisers are bold and confident and are living their dreams by having their own business. Passion, purpose, authenticity and creativity are the keywords and motivation in our

company A Tad Creative Production, the entity that purchased Bella. In speaking with our advertisers in the Summer issue of Bella, we heard some of these same words from the local business owners, and we are encouraged by the like-mindedness we share. We are receiving the warmest welcome from the Aiken community.

For years I have been convinced that great successes or failures come from the presence or lack of effective communication, and I let that belief guide my career and life over the last couple of decades. That has led me to participate in community and career roles with increasing size and influence to facilitate that success in groups and organizations. I genuinely get excited to see a group’s hopes and dreams come to life.

The Bella writers are key to the magazine’s success and popularity, and they have done a wonderful job communicating with Aiken. The contribution of their stories will forever be a part of the community. We want to continue to highlight examples of excellence and give a voice to those who can inspire and grow the community.

What will change? The short answer is nothing will change, but we will add. At A Tad Creative Production, our mission is to help develop the community and the connected communities through creative participation, active support and positive influence. We see Bella as a perfect vehicle for that mission.

What is our vision? We hope to expand to reach a wider range of people and ages, and cover more subjects. We want to promote a comprehensive approach to achieving overall well-being and improving quality of life and also increase the focus on Aiken’s amazing Arts and Culture scene.

I look forward to working with Ladonna and the rest of our community to continue to create a wonderful publication that focuses on the needs and issues of our community.

Tad Jones

BELLA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 5

One of my favorite poems is “If” by Rudyard Kipling. I believe you can find the answer to most of life’s problems in the words of that poem. In the poem he writes, “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friend can hurt you, if all men count with you, but none too much.” It is important to remember Bella is by and for the community, and I vow to keep my mind and pages open to the needs of the community. We will continue to listen to and share what our community and the connected communities have to say.

We asked a few questions to people and organizations who are vital to this area and our future. The response was fantastic and a bit overwhelming. Quite frankly, the answers will not fit in their entirety in this issue of Bella. The following are excerpts from their responses. The rest can be found online at www.aikenbellamagazine.com.

Listed below are those people and organizations kind enough to respond to our initial request. This list is certainly not all encompassing and we hope to continue this conversation with the rest of the community. (Scheduling prevented some of those we approached from being able to answer or being able to answer every question.)

How would you describe the current state of our area?

“At one time (and maybe this parallels the ups and downs of the SRS workforce) we seemed to have lost some diversity of age in our residents, but I believe that is very much on the mend now.” John Gordon, President of the Aiken Artist Guild

“The economic strength of Aiken County lies in the ability to change with the times and to embrace a global marketplace.” J. David Jameson, President/CEO, Aiken Chamber of Commerce

“The community is poised for growth, development and innovation but the timeline to go from concept to implementation on these items is extremely slow.” Aiken Young Professionals

“Vibrant. It seems like there is a lot of momentum toward multiple areas of development.” Aiken County Historical Museum

“This is an exciting time to live in this area. It is a season of change, growth, and evolution. There is an abundance of promise and potential. Business is up for the area.” Eugene White, President, NAACP Aiken County Branch

“Currently, our biggest opportunity lies in our ability to open the doors of communication between area organizations both private and non-profit.” The Aiken Center for the Arts

“Aiken has a relaxed small town feel while at the same time offering a diverse community with many cultural advantages. It also offers access to excellent healthcare as well as beautiful weather year-round.” Diane Toole-Miller, Artistic Director of the Aiken Civic Ballet

What is the biggest advantage or reason for being in our area?

“I grew up in Aiken and wanted to return home. The wonderful parts about living in Aiken – aside from its beauty and graciousness – are meeting and getting to know the incredibly interesting,

intelligent, and diverse people who live here and taking advantage of the multitude of community activities and cultural offerings.“ Kathy Cunningham, Former Publisher of Bella Magazine

“Quality of life and a positive sense of collaboration.” Suzanne Jackson, Executive Director, ACTS

“Aiken has not one, but many advantages! We are a beautifully diverse city that treasures our history while embracing our future. We are making huge strides to grow our downtown and become more progressive.” ADDA

“Aiken is one-of-a-kind. I don’t believe you will find another community where there are too many events to choose from and many of them are free.” Mary Rosbach, City of Aiken Tourism

“One of the remarkable traits about Aiken is its ability to use our diversity to deepen and expand our shared understandings, for example, “The Aiken Mosaic Project.” Keyatta Priester, Aiken Electric Cooperative

What is the biggest challenge for our area?

“Aiken’s image is one of a retirement community and that isn’t on the radar of young professionals. The community struggles to keep up with the marketing and image created in other cities that attract young people. Getting young people here and getting them connected to the community so they are invested in the future of Aiken is important. However, there must also be room for career growth to keep young professionals here. In a smaller community the options are just limited.” Aiken Young Professionals

“The need and ability to retain young professionals in Aiken. Limited opportunities for children that go off to college to find professional employment (beyond healthcare) in the Aiken area. We need to broaden our economic base and attract business and industry in the tech sector.” Jim O’Loughlin, CEO of Aiken Regional Medical Center

“Getting more of the younger demographic to live and/or work here in Aiken instead of Evans or Grovetown.” Mary Rosbach, City of Aiken Tourism

What do you think the future holds for our area?

“The future looks very promising as this area will continue to grow and expand. I believe that more and more people that work in Augusta and outlying areas will look for Aiken as a place to live.” Jim O’Loughlin, CEO of Aiken Regional Medical Centers

“The path we are setting for Aiken’s future is one of growth and opportunity. For years Aiken has been a place where active retirees have chosen to live, bringing an intellectual capital to our community through service to area nonprofits and organization. We are now seeing opportunity for growth within young families moving to our region and recent graduates being introduced to the workforce.” Rick Osbon, Mayor of the City of Aiken

How would your organization shape or grow our community?

“When we make decisions for the greater good, we increase the size of the pie and allow all of us to get bigger slices. We lose and will never find peace in a society that embraces discrimination. That comes down to our personal choices. Hate is wrong, and it must be defeated. Once we get that out of the way, there will be no limits on how amazing the world that we will leave for our children can be.” Eugene White, President, NAACP Aiken County Branch

“Growing a community requires providing a lot of value and being responsive to need of the citizens in that community.” Keyatta Priester, Aiken Electric Cooperative

“I favor quality over quantity, so I believe that as a community we need to concentrate our efforts on the improvement of all that Aiken is.” John Gordon, President of the Aiken Artist Guild

Is there anything you want our readers to know about what the summer holds for your organization?

“The City has many activities programmed for both Youth and Seniors over the Summer. For a complete listing and schedule pleas download our “Explore Aiken” app. It is available for both Apple and Android devices in the App Store.” Rick Osbon, Mayor of the City of Aiken

“We are grateful for the generous support we receive throughout the year from individuals, organizations and the business community. We continue to provide services to the poor and needy. Our recent Fan Drive was our most successful ever with over 300 fans donated and donations to help fund our Utility Assistance program. We invite anyone who is interested in helping support this important initiative to call or visit our website.” Suzanne Jackson, Executive Director, ACTS

“At Mental Health America of Aiken County we have four wonderful programs. Nurture Home, Welcome Baby, Don’t Duck, and Operation Santa. Our shelter for homeless women and children grows with summer activities.” Bonnie Fulghum, Executive Director of Mental Health America of Aiken County

Do you have any input on what would you like to see in Bella?

“A feature about Aiken Mosaic.” J. David Jameson, President/CEO, Aiken Chamber of Commerce

“I really appreciate the historical write-ups that Bella has done in previous issues. I’ve especially enjoyed the write-ups about families that have ties to the community’s early history. Primary source history like that is incredibly personal and brings history to life.” Aiken County Historical Museum

Listening to the Communityby Tad Jones


DOWNTOWN AIKEN

SUMMER COMMUNITY CALENDARbellabuzz

DailyHitchcock Woods is open to the public, on foot or on horseback, from dawn to dusk 365 days a year. Admission is free, thanks to donor support. Entrances are located at the west end of South Boundary, Coker Spring Road, Berrie Road, and Clark Road, and at two places on the south side of Dibble Road. For more information, including specifics about prescribed burns, call 642-0528, email [email protected], or visit hitchcockwoods.org.

Daily (Except Sunday)Freeloader - Aiken’s “no tab cab” is ready for YOU! All you have to do is text “freeload” to 555-888 and Freeloader will pick you up from your parking spot and take you to your destination. Freeloader goes on a continuous loop around Downtown so you can also wave it down and it will stop to take you to where you need to go! Hours of operation: Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday – Saturday: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and SaturdayAiken Farmers Market, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and Thursday evenings during the month of June, 115 Williamsburg Street SE between Park and Richland, featuring fresh produce, including leafy greens, sweet corn and tomatoes, local meats and cheeses, and home-baked goods. On the first Saturday of the month, master gardeners will be available to answer questions. And on all Saturdays, crafters will offer their products, such as woodworking, pottery, soaps, and jewelry. For more information, call 293-2214, email [email protected], or visit aikencountyfarmersmarket.com.

JuneThe SRS Heritage Museum is temporarily closed for extensive renovations. This work is being done in advance of a new exhibit that will focus on the families and businesses displaced when the Savannah River Plant was built. For more information, call 648-1437 or 648-5634, or email [email protected].

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25Bend and Brew Yoga at The Alley Taproom is fun and for everyone. It is a Vinyasa/Flow class that is about 60 minutes long. We are a community of people that want to move our bodies, laugh, have fun and do something that our 90-year-old self will thank us for.803-226-0344.

June 6, 13, 20, and 27Market in The Alley, 6 to 8 p.m. ADDA and the City will host Farmers and Artisans in The Alley with live music from Amp the Alley every Thursday in June. All goods are locally sourced and produced.

June 11Aiken Newcomers’ Club monthly luncheon, Newberry Hall, 117 Newberry Street SW. There will be no program this month. Registration begins at 10:45 a.m. with the business meeting at 11:15 a.m., and lunch at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $15, cash or check. The Community Service group is collecting for ACTS (Area Churches Together Serving). Reservations/cancellations must be made by noon June 6; by email to [email protected]; the website at aikennewcomers.com; or by phone: Marion Pierce, 522-6448.

July 9Aiken Newcomers’ Club, Newberry Hall, 117 Newberry Street SW. There will be no program this month. Cost for the luncheon is $15 cash or check. Registration begins at 10:45 a.m. with the business meeting at 11:15 a.m., and lunch at 11:30 a.m. The Community Service group is collecting for Christ Central. Reservations/cancellations must be made by noon July 4 by email to [email protected], the website at aikennewcomers.com; or by phone: Chris Jakubec, 641-2011.

August 13Aiken Newcomers’ Club, Newberry Hall,117 Newberry Street SW. There will be no program this month. Cost for the luncheon is $15 cash or check. Registration begins at 10:45 a.m. with the business meeting at 11:15 a.m., and lunch at 11:30 a.m. The Community Service group is collecting for Christ Central, which is providing back-to-school supplies. Reservations/cancellations must be made by noon Thursday, August 8, 2019, by email to [email protected]; the website at aikennewcomers.com; or by phone: Karen Carman, 757-593-9013.

June 15, July 20, August 17 Indie Arts Vintage Market, 3rd weekend each month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 616 Park Avenue SE. Browse and shop for vintage and handcrafted items from local artisans at this pop-up market. A perfect place to find that special treasure. Food truck and music. Parking on Horry Street. For more information, call 643-3701.

June 22Aiken’s Juneteenth Celebration, 10 to 3 p.m. The Center for African American History, Art & Culture, 120 York Street, NE. Creative Arts, food, crafts, vendors, live music, health screens. Bring lawn chairs! Visit CAAHAC.org or call 226-0269 for more info.

June 24-28Storytime Camp: Madeline, ages 4 - 9, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Cost: $125, Crosby-Miller School of Dance, 424 Hayne Avenue, 803-648-5771, www.crosbymillerdance.com

July 22-26Jazz/Lyrical/Tap Intensive: ages 9 - 11, 12 & up, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Cost: $150, Crosby-Miller School of Dance, 424 Hayne Ave., 803-648-5771, www.crosbymillerdance.com.

July 22– 27Lovin’ Local Week - CSRA Locals are welcome to come Downtown Aiken and shop local! Participating ADDA businesses will offer specials to those who show ID and have a “local” zip code.

August 5-9Storytime Camp: Swan Lake, ages 4 - 9, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Cost: $125, Crosby-Miller School of Dance, 424 Hayne Ave., 803-648-5771, www.crosbymillerdance.com.

August 29 – 31Labor Day Sidewalk Sale - Enjoy your Labor Day weekend Downtown Aiken! Participating ADDA merchants will line the sidewalks with their merchandise for you as you stroll the streets of Downtown Aiken.

ARTISAN MARKET WORKSHOPS

Call 645-3234 for more information or to book a class at artisanmarket.mybigcommerce.com

June 4 Milk Paint Basics Workshop - 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. All supplies are included. Cost: $65.

June 5 Make-n-Take Watercolor Workshop, 1-2:30 p.m. Want to just dabble? Make-n-take is a quick guided class where you will learn an artful technique. Taught by watercolor artist, Mary Baughman. No experience required. All supplies are included. Cost: $35.

June 8 Vintage Paint (chalk style) Basics Workshop, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Come create with us in this 3-hour class. You will have fun learning how to paint with Vintage (chalk style) no prep paint. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie

Clark. No experience required. All Supplies are included. Cost: $65.June 12, 26 Open Studio, 11-3 p.m. Thinking about painting Grandma’s dresser, or your dated kitchen table but not sure what color or finish is best for you? Open studio is the perfect time to drop in and play with milk, vintage (chalk) and metallic paints, waxes and varnishes. Experiment with color and finish before you buy. Our experts are available to guide you. Cost: $15 per hour.

June 19 Make-n-Take Farmhouse Coasters, 1-2:30 p.m. Want to just dabble? Make-n-take is a quick guided class where you will learn an artful technique. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. No experience required. All supplies are included. Cost: $35.

June 22 Watercolor Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Take the mystery out of painting with watercolor in this 3-hour workshop taught by watercolor artist, Mary Baughman. No previous experience required. Supplies are included. Cost: $65.

June 29 Vintage Window with Transfer Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Create a vintage work of art in this 3-hour class. You will paint a reclaimed window with vintage and metallic paint, distress and finish with a beautiful transfer image. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. All supplies are included. Cost: $89.

July 3 Make-n-Take Doodle Workshop, 1-2:30 p.m. Want to just dabble? Make-n-take is a quick guided class where you will learn an artful technique. Taught by local artist, Jeanne Fricke. All supplies are included. Cost: $35.

July 9 Vintage Paint (chalk style) Basics Workshop, 10:30-1:30 p.m. Come create with us in this 3-hour class. You will have fun learning how to paint with Vintage (chalk style) no prep paintTaught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. No experience required. All Supplies are included. Cost: $65.

July 10, 24; August 14, 28 Open Studio, 11-3 p.m. Thinking about painting Grandma’s dresser, or your dated kitchen table but not sure what color or finish is best for you? Open studio is the perfect time to drop in and play with milk, vintage (chalk) and metallic paints, waxes and varnishes. Experiment with color and finish before you buy. Our experts are available to guide you. Cost: $15 per hour.

July 13 Memory Pendant Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Create a one of a kind necklace with local jewelry artist, Maurice Powers. Bring your own vintage bits and bobs to personalize your new family heirloom. All other materials are provided. Cost: $65.

July 20, Whittling, An Introduction to Carving Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Learn to whittle with local artist Tommy Harmon in this 3-hour

THIS SUMMER CALENDAR

REFLECTS AS MANY EVENTS FOR

JUNE-JULY-AUGUST

AS ARE KNOWN AT PRESS TIME.


7

Bella Magazine will run announcements for nonprofit organizations, community events, and Bella advertisers. Space may be limited. Please email event information to [email protected] by the 15th of the month before the event.

[Continued on next page]

workshop. No previous experience required. Class does require the handling of sharp knives. All supplies and use of tools are included. Cost: $45. August 10, Whittling workshop will teach how to whittle a Santa ornament and paint it. Cost $50.

July 23 Vintage Pin Cushion Workshop, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Bring some whimsy and joy to your sewing and join us to create a one of a kind pin cushion with vintage dishes and fabric. All materials are provided. Cost: $65.

July 27 Garden Chair Planter Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Who doesn’t love a cute vintage chair planter for the garden? Give some love to a vintage chair in this 3-hour workshop and learn how to decoratively paint in chippy, weathered or old-world techniques. No experience required. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. All supplies including chair are included. Cost: $95.

August 3 Bring Your Own Furniture Painting Workshop, 12 noon to 4 p.m. Do you have a small table, chair or chest you’ve been meaning to paint? Procrastinate no more! Bring your small piece of furniture to class and use any of the paints and finishes available in the workshop to complete your piece. Get support from our in-house experts and fellow painters. No experience required. Taught by decorative painter, Leslie Clark. Snacks and beverages included. Cost: $95.

August 7 Make-n-Take Flow Blue Terra Cotta Pot, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Want to just dabble? Make-n-take is a quick guided class where you will learn an artful technique. In this class you will make a Plain Jane flower pot look like a vintage princess in the Flow Blue tradition. Taught by local decorative painter, Leslie Clark. No experience required. All supplies are included. Cost: $35.

August 24 Treasure Box Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Create a one-of-a-kind treasure box with local jewelry artist, Maurice Powers. Known as Vintage Mo, she will guide you in creating a unique treasure box in this 3-hour workshop. You are welcome to bring your own vintage bits and bobs or treasured photos (copies only) to personalize your own unique treasure box. All other materials are provided. Cost: $65.

LESSIE B. PRICE AIKEN SENIOR & YOUTH CENTER

841 Edgefield Ave. NW 803-643-2181

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday

Website: cityofaiken.gov facebook.com/aikenparksrec

June 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27Teen Cuisine, 10-11:30 a.m., Lessie B. Price Aiken Senior and Youth Center, 841 Edgefield Ave NW. Lessons are designed for youth in grades 6-12 and use learner-centered approach, encouraging students to adopt healthy behaviors. Each of the 6 lessons includes a nutrition, food safety, food preparation and physical activity component. Register in person at the center. There is no cost to participate.

ONGOING PROGRAMS

Lunch Bunch Entertainment and Seminar Series. June 5, June 12, June 19 Enjoy your lunch while engaging in an informational topic seminary or entertainment from local area bands and artists. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Some events require advance sign-up. June 5: Signs of and Treatment for Depression in the Elderly. June 12: The Importance of Having a Power of Attorney and a Will. June 19: Food for Thought (Prior signup required.) Call 803-643-2181. Bring your own lunch.

Walk with Ease Free program to reduce pain, increase balance and strength, and improve your overall health. Sessions are 6 weeks long. Start dates: Session 1: June 18. Session 2: July 29. Session 3: September 9.

BingoEvery Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Chance to win $5 gift cards and other goodies. Cost: $4 for 4 cards, $5 for 6 cards, $1 for each additional card or single cards.

AIKEN MUSIC SCENE T T T T T T T

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25Live music from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Mellow Mushroom, 151 Bee Lane, 474-8454

June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27Highland Park Grille, 555 Highland Park Drive SW, Open Mic every Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27Tuesday Night Piano from 6-8 p.m., Enjoy live music in the living room of The Willcox, 100 Colleton Ave, SW, 648-1898

June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 4, 11, 18, 25, August 1Amp the Alley, 6-9 p.m. Enjoy live music, art and local restaurants, and stroll The Alley with your favorite beverage. Different music every week.

June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 4, 11, 18,25, August 1Betsy’s Round the Corner, 6-8 p.m. Enjoy live music on the piano from John Vaughn every Thursday night. Join us for Happy Hour at Betsy’s Bar upstairs, daily 4-6 p.m.

June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30Friday Night Piano from 7-9 p.m., Enjoy live music in the living room of The Willcox,100 Colleton Ave, SW, 648-1898.

June 8, 15, 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31Saturday Night Piano from 6-9 p.m., Enjoy live music in the living room of The Willcox, 100 Colleton Ave, SW, 648-1898

June 22Aiken Music Fest, Gaslight Street – Blues and Funk, Music Series, 6-10 p.m. at Highfields Event Center, 118 Gaston Road NE, $10 per carload. 649-3505.

July 13Aiken Music Fest, Grove Orient – Rock N Roll, Music Series 6-10 p.m. at Highfields Event Center, 118 Gaston Road NE, $10 per carload. 649-3505.

August 17Aiken Music Fest, Possum Jenkins – Blues, Soul and Southern Rock, Music Series 6-10 p.m. at Highfields Event Center, 118 Gaston Road NE, $10 per carload. 649-3505.

AIKEN VISITORS CENTER AND TRAIN MUSEUM

406 Park Avenue SE803-293-7846 | www.visitaikensc.org

OngoingThe Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum offers maps, brochures, event information and staff to assist locals and visitors new to the Aiken area. Upstairs are nine dioramas that depict towns along the original South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company right of way. When the railroad was done in 1833, it was the longest in the world, 136 miles.

June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31Aiken Historic Tours depart from the Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, at the corner of Park Avenue and Union Street. Visitors must arrive 15 minutes early. Cost is $15. Reservations are strongly suggested because the tour often sells out. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aiken-trolley-tour-tickets-35238190376, or call 644-1907 for tickets. The guided trolley tour features historic homes, churches, equestrian sites, the Civil War’s Battle of Aiken, the live oak canopy on South Boundary, and a guided walking tour of Hopelands Gardens and the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.

June 1, July 6, August 3Roads ‘n’ Rails (Songs ‘n’ Tales), 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Listen to railroad songs and a little bit of country music. Free.

June 8Railroad music with “Vinyl DJ” Doug Callahan, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doug has an extensive collection of records and takes requests. Free.

June 15, July 20, August 17Live bluegrass music by Depot Jam, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Free.

June 22, July 27, August 24Live music by the Mountain Dulcimers of Aiken, 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Selections may include old fiddle songs and Celtic and Irish music. Free.

AIKEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 122 Laurens St. SW

803-641-9094 www.aikencenterforthearts.org

Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

OngoingThe Aiken Center for the Arts offers a full range of classes and workshops covering painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, pottery, textiles, and more. Also available are fun and educational activities for the kids.

Through June 14Gallery exhibition featuring artwork by the Aiken Artist Guild. Free and open to the public.

June 20Gallery Opening Reception, 6 to 8 p.m.

SUMMER ART CAMPS

June 17-21 / June 24-28 / July 8-12 July 15-19 / July 22-26 Full details and registration info at aikencenterforthearts.org/summercampListed below are a few summer activities at the Arts Center; for information on all classes, call 641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.

June 24 – 28Very Vera Cooking Camp, 9 a.m. to 12 noon for young chefs ages 6-10. Mrs. Vera Stewart will be present at Aiken Center for the Arts each day of this camp where participants will master novice-level skills in the kitchen, crafting new ways to decorate and package our treats, and mastering manners and etiquette to use in an everyday setting. Camp fee is $225. Register online at veryveracamp.com.

June 10 – 14Art & Music Camp for Special Needs Children, for ages 5-13 years, a program for children living with traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, & other physical & developmental disabilities. The camp offers adaptable art & music designed to enable campers to express their creativity. Offered free of charge to eligible campers. Enrollment is limited. Complete the online application at http://aikencenterforthearts.org/summercamp/.

June 3, 10, 17, 24 July 1, 8,15, 22, 29Summer Strings Ensemble (all ages), 5 to 6 p.m. Open to string musicians with at least one year’s experience on their instruments. Scholarships are available. Program fee is $100.

July 13Christmas in July, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Create three paintings centered around Christmas. Pinecones, poinsettias and holly make for a festive trio. No previous experience needed. Supplies included. Skill level: All.


SUMMER COMMUNITY CALENDAR


bellabuzzAugust 24Aiken Arts Alive, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. A culmination of the 2019 Summer Art Camp experience. Join us for this free family event! There will be live music, performances, face painting, crafts, balloon animals, artist demos and more.

AECOM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

126 Newberry St. SW Tickets and Information:

803-648-1438

June 17 - 21Aiken Community Theatre, Musical Theatre Camp, Disney’s “Aladdin Kids” ACT offers fun summer theatre camps. This camp is forrising 2nd-6th grades $157.50/$175.

July 29 - August 2Aiken Community Theatre, Act It Out camp. ACT offers fun summer theatre camps. Session 1: rising 2nd-4th grades $155/$175, Session 2: rising 5th-6th grades $155/$175, Immersion Session: rising 7th-9th $175/$195.

July 19, 20, 21, 26, 27Gibson & Sons: A Comedy, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Helping his father save their struggling small-town funeral home has gotten in the way of Harry Gibson’s love life. Desperate to settle down, he turns to an unconventional method of meeting a woman: an online Russian bride service. When his bride Katya arrives, with her acerbic sister Eva in tow, the Gibson family is thrown into a tailspin. Tickets are $20. For more information, and tickets call 648-1438, or visit aikencommunitytheatre.org.

AIKEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

314 Chesterfield St. SW 803-642-2020 | www.abbe-lib.org

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

June 1 & 15, July 6 & 20, August 3 & 17Off the Hook Crochet Group, 12 noon to 2 p.m. Do you like to crochet? Would you like to spend time with others who share your interest, share pointers, and socialize? If so, come and bring your yarn and a crochet hook. If you are a beginner, come and somebody will show you how to get started. Beginners should RSVP in advance at the Reference Desk, or by calling 642-2020, ext. 1131.

June 2, 9,16, 23, 30; July 1, 8,15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26Italian Language Class, 3 to 4:30 p.m. This elementary course in conversational Italian language and culture is suitable for adults or teens. Classes are free. Sponsored by Partners in Friendship. Membership is optional.

June 13, July 11, August 1Coloring for Grownups, 1 to 3 p.m. Bring your own coloring pens and pencils to enjoy a relaxing afternoon of creativity. Coloring sheets and refreshments will be provided. Bring your own coloring books if you prefer. For more information and to register, visit the Reference Desk, or call 642-2020, ext. 1131.

June 25, July 23, & August 27Adult Book Club, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Book selection for June is Us Against You by Frederik Backman. The July book selection is My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. The August book selection is The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty. Sign up at the reference desk. 803-642-2020, ext. 1131.

July 9NASA Solar System Ambassador Visit, 6:30 to 8 p.m. John Hodge, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, will give a presentation for adults and older teens on various space topics. John Hodge has had a lifelong interest in astronomy and planetary science. He is a geologist, airline pilot, environmental and aviation lawyer, and part-time professor who resides in Columbia. John is also a partner in an astronomical observing site near Bethune, SC, where he enjoys deep sky and planetary imaging.

July 12The Astronomy Club of Augusta for The CSRA (ACA) will present the program Boötes And Its Maverick Star, at 7 p.m. in the meeting room on the 1st floor. Speaker Ron Ferris is a longtime member and past vice president of the Astronomy Club of Augusta.

MOVIE VIEWINGS

June 8 Double Feature: 2001: A Space Odyssey, G, 1 – 3:30 p.m. 2010: The Year We Make Contact, PG, 3:45 – 5:40 p.m.June 11 Greta, Rated R, 6:30 to 8:10 p.m.June 15 Europa Report, PG 13, 3 – 4:30 p.m.June 29 Wonder Park, PG, 3 - 4:25 p.m.July 13 Double Feature: In The Shadow Of The Moon, PG, 1-2:50 p.m. & The Martian, PG 13, 3:15 – 5:25 p.m. July 20 First Man, PG 13, 3 – 5:20 p.m.July 27 House With A Clock In Its Walls, Rated PG, 3 to 4:45 p.m.August 3 Kid Who Would Be King, PG, 3 to 5 p.m.August 6 Mary, Queen Of Scots, R, 6:30 to 8:35 p.m.August 10 Silent Running, G, 3 to 4:30 p.m.August 17 Dog’s Way Home, PG, 3 to 4:35 p.m.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES

June 1 – August 8Summer Reading Program 2019: A Universe of Stories! Visit your local library to pick up a Summer Reading program schedule and your reading log! You also may register to log your reading online. Follow the links from our webpage at www.abbe-lib.org. Prize pickup is every Wednesday 11 a.m. – 12 noon.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIESJune 7Preschool Dance Party, Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Wiggle & jiggle & shake your sillies out! Recommended for ages 3-5.

June 14Kindergarten Readiness, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Drop in and help your preschooler get ready for kindergarten. Meet the local early childhood experts: Aiken County First Steps.

July 2Under The Stars, Tuesday at 10:30-11:30 a.m. Make a telescope and a glowing sensory bottle!

June 21 & 28, July 5, 12, 19 & 26Play & Grow, at 10:30 am. Ages 0-5 can drop in for playtime at the library! DUPLO blocks, toys, puppets, & more!

Rising 5k-Grade 5June 12Savannah River Ecology Lab at Aiken Community Playhouse, at 2 p.m. See local wildlife up close!

June 11Moon Rocks, 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Make a moon rock erupt and paint one of your own!

July 3Porkchop Productions at Aiken Community Playhouse, 2 p.m. Watch the play Chicken Little!

July 17Seriously Amazing Puppet Show, 2 p.m. Bringing favorite stories to life.

July 24Sciencetellers at Aiken Community Playhouse, 2 p.m. An interactive science and storytelling adventure, Aliens, Escape from Earth.

TEENS - RISING 6TH TO 12TH GRADERS

June 13Lego One Scoop Challenge, 4:30-6 p.m. Get ready to win prizes by building a structure using one cup of Legos.

June 20Death By Chocolate, 4:30-6 p.m. Compete against other teens to win candy inspired challenges.

June 27Giant Games, 4:30-7 p.m. Get ready to play version of giant games including Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Connect Four and more.

July 11 Bad Art, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Show off your great bad art skills by creating masterpieces.

July 18Interactive Movie: Stars Wars: The Force Awakens, at 4:30-7 p.m.Get ready to use the force during the interactive viewing! Rated PG 13.

July 25Glow, 7-8:30 p.m. Create glow in the dark art, including lava lamps and coasters.

ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILY

June 6Summer Reading Kickoff, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Join us outside for bubbles; create sidewalk art and sign up for summer reading.June 13Homeschool Hub, 12:30 p.m. Read a story that interests you about seasons and then share it with the group and participate in a fun craft activity. Teens will read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien before the meeting date then have a group discussion.

June 18Magic Chemistry, 7 to 8 p.m. Space magic show for all ages!Sponsored by the Younger Chemists Committee, a part of the AmericanChemical Society

June 19Solar Telescopes, 10 to 3 p.m. Outside by ABBE entrance. Drop by the library until 3 p.m. to meet a NASA Ambassador and learn about solar telescopes!

July 16Out of This World, 6:30-8 p.m. Conduct space themed science experiments and make space crafts. Children under age 11 must be accompanied by an adult.

July 23Storytelling and Music, 7 to 8 p.m. Listen to space stories and music!

July 31Share the Color Food Workshop, 12 noon to 1 p.m. Join us for healthy choice food based storytime, including a short presentation from a nutritional expert as well as building your own sandwich. Registration required by July 15.


bellabuzzAIKEN COUNTY

HISTORICAL MUSEUM 433 Newberry St. SW

803-642-2015 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 2–5 p.m. Closed Mondays, Free admission;

donations welcome

June 25Mr. Howe’s Birthday. Join us from 12:30-3 p.m. to celebrate the 156th Birthday of Richard Flint Howe, the owner and builder of Banksia, the home we know and love as the Aiken County Historical Museum. Free and open to the public; includes tours of the home, a children’s book reading, and the cutting of the birthday cake.

July 20Dave Day, 10-3 p.m. The ACHM will celebrate the life and legacy of David Drake, an enslaved potter who created incredible pottery pieces that are known the world over. This event is free and will showcase a film, a talk, a kid’s pottery activity, and a chance to see a David Drake piece up close and personal.

July 21Friends of the Museum Annual Ice Cream Social, 3 to 5 p.m. Mark your calendars! It’s National Ice Cream Day! We want to thank our wonderful Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum members, so please join us at our annual Ice Cream Social. There will be a variety of ice cream flavors and toppings.

HOPELANDS GARDENS 135 Dupree Place RYE PATCH 100 Berrie Road

803-642-7631www.VisitAikenSC.com

DailyHopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Place, and Rye Patch, 100 Berrie Road, open 10 a.m. to sunset. Aside from strolling the walking paths through beautiful gardens, visitors will enjoy the labyrinth, the Historic Horses of Aiken display in the Rye Patch stables, and the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. For more information, call 642-7631 or email [email protected].

DailyLittle Free Library in Hopelands Gardens, located just behind the Doll House. This exchange library offers reading material for readers 14 and under. Take a book to read, and leave a book for others to enjoy. Books are always free and can be enjoyed while you visit Hopelands Gardens, or you can take them home. You are encouraged to bring books to contribute to the library. The LFL is maintained by the Aiken Council of the International Reading Association. For more information, call 642-7631 or email [email protected].

June 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 25-30July 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-28, 30-31August 1-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-30The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m., inside Hopelands Gardens. Catch the racing fever with an exhibit that celebrates Aiken’s Thoroughbred athletes in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. For more information, call 642-7631 or 643-2121, email [email protected], or visit www.aikenracinghalloffame.com.

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25The Clifford S. Gerde Carriage Museum, open 2 to 5 p.m., located adjacent to the Rye Patch stables. Discover carriages that were once used for trips to the market, outings around town, commutes to and from work, leisurely travel, and even pony breaking. Visitors and locals are invited to learn more about travel in the era before horsepower came from an engine. Free and open to the public.

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25The Doll House, open 2 to 5 p.m. in Hopelands Gardens. Once used as a schoolhouse and play area for the Iselin children, the Doll House showcases doll collections from many different generations. The Doll House is overseen by the Aiken Garden Club Council. Free and open to the public.

June 3, 10, 17, 24Hopelands Concert Series 7 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and a picnic dinner to enjoy during the outdoor show at the amphitheater. Admission is free. Alcohol is prohibited. Event parking is located across the street at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road. Handicap parking is available at Rye Patch at 100 Berrie Road, or at Hopelands Gardens at 135 Dupree Place. In case of inclement weather, concerts will be held at the new Aiken Senior & Youth Center located at 841 Edgefield Avenue NW. June’s concerts are as follows:June 3 – Maureen Simpson & The Aiken Choral SocietyJune 10 – Aiken Concert BandJune 17 – Savannah String BandJune 24 – The Parris Island Marine Band

DUPONT PLANETARIUM RUTH PATRICK

SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER 471 University Parkway

http://rpsec.usca.edu/planetariumpub-shows.html

Tickets and information: 803-641-3654Tickets: $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors,

$4.50 for 4K-12 students; all shows for USCA students, faculty and staff (with ID), $2.

$50 annual membership card. Reservations encouraged.

Note: If it is dark, and weather permitting, the RPSEC Observatory housing the Bechtel Telescope will be open for 30 minutes after public shows. There is no cost for these public observatory sessions.

June 1, 8, 15, 22, 297 p.m. In My Back Yard. Children will enjoy storytelling, poetry, and song as they learn about the seasons, constellations, planets, meteors and the Moon.8 p.m. Two Small Pieces of Glass. Join two young people at a star party as they learn how telescopes continue to expand our understanding of the Universe.9 p.m. Digistar Extravaganza. Join us for a fun-filled experience of sight and sound as we show off the special effects capabilities of Digistar.

June 7Big Bird’s Adventure, 10 a.m. Follow Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, from the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. Target audience: Ages 4-10.

Defying Gravity: It Is Rocket Science, 11 a.m. Join host Apollo Aurora and her science reporters as they explore the science behind rocket power, gravity on other planets, and even monstrous black holes. Robot

experts will also explain the force that keeps all of us humans grounded. Target audience: ages 8 and up.

June 14Magic Treehouse, 10 a.m. Travel with brother-sister duo, Jack and Annie, in their Magic Tree House as they discover a note that asks them to answer six questions about space. With the help of an astronomer, the Internet, an astronaut, books and the writer of the mysterious note, Jack and Annie go on a wondrous journey of adventure and learning. This beautifully produced show is based on the beloved Magic Tree House book series.

Cosmic Colors, 11 am - Cosmic Colors will take you on a wondrous journey across the electromagnetic spectrum. Discover the many reasons for color—like why the sky is blue and why Mars is red. Take a tour within a plant leaf and journey inside the human eye. Investigate X-rays at your doctor’s office and at a monstrous black hole. Get ready for an amazing adventure under a rainbow of cosmic light!

June 28In My Backyard, 10 a.m. Children will enjoy storytelling, poetry, and song as they learn about the seasons, constellations, planets, meteors and the Moon.

Seven Wonders, 11 a.m. Travel back thousands of years in time and witness spectacular marvels of the ancient world. Explore the Great Pyramid, stand in the shadow of the towering Colossus and experience the rest of the world’s phenomenal Seven Wonders. We will investigate the social forces and technologies leading to the creation of these incredible antiquities and glimpse other sensational spectacles of the universe. This show won four Telly Awards and is narrated by Sean Bean of The Lord of the Rings films.

AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTERS

302 University Parkway 803-641-5000

www.aikenregional.com

Support Group MeetingsAA: Sundays and Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., Aurora Pavilion at ARMC. Designed for open discussion.

Aiken Cares – Alzheimer’s Support Group: 2nd Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 12 noon, at Daybreak Training Center, 151 Linden Street. For family members and caregivers. Free and open to the public; no reservations needed. Facilitator: Linda Lucas. For more information, call Linda at 226-0288 or 522-5893, or [email protected].

Al-Anon: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 to 8 p.m., at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 961 Trail Ridge Road. Support for those dealing with another’s drinking. For more information, call 270-0853.

Cancer Support Group: 3rd Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., at First Baptist Church, 120 Chesterfield Street, North. Emotional, educational, and spiritual support for families living with cancer. For more information, call 341-2530.

CSRA Dream Catchers -Traumatic Brain Injury and Disability Support Group: 1st Monday, 6 to 7 p.m., at Walton Options for Independent Living, 325 Georgia Ave., North Augusta. For those seeking assistance, information and education about head and spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. Registration required. Call 279-9611 or visit www.csradreamcatchers.weebly.com. Facilitator: Les Paul Morgan.

Diabetes Support Group: 2nd Tuesday,3 to 4 p.m., at Odell Weeks Center. Join others to discuss how to manage diabetes

better. Registration required. Call 293-0023.Kidney Smart Classes: 2nd Monday, 11 a.m. at Aiken Dialysis, 755 Medical Park Drive. Learn how to manage your kidney health. For more information, call 641-4222. Facilitator: Lorie Ann Pardue.

Lewy Body Dementia Association – M’Aiken a Difference Support Group: 3rd Tuesday, 11 a.m. at the Daybreak Training Center, 151 Linden Street. For more information, call 300-1266 or 648-0835, or email [email protected].

Mended Hearts: 2nd Friday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Allen B. Miller Nursing Building, USC Aiken. A volunteer organization of people who have had heart disease and others. For more information, call 641-1192 or 648-7002.

Aiken Area Myelinators MS Self-Help Group: 3rd Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 961 Trail Ridge Road. All are welcome, including family members. For more information, call Pam at 645-2092.

Parkinson’s Support Group: 1st Tuesday, 1 p.m. in the atrium of W. James Rivers Education Center, Millbrook Baptist Church, 176 E. Pine Log Road. Support for Parkinson’s patients and caregivers. For more information, email [email protected].

Pink Ribbonettes: 1st Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, in the atrium of W. James Rivers Education Center, Millbrook Baptist Church, 176 E. Pine Log Road. This is the American Cancer Society self-help group for women and men diagnosed with breast cancer. Guest speakers cover topics of interest to patients, caregivers, and survivors. No meetings until September 3. For more information, call 641-0011, email [email protected], or visit pinkribbonettes.org.

Stroke Support Group: 1st Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 12 noon, at Aiken Active Seniors, 944 Dougherty Road. To register, call Lisa Kucela at 502-8400 or 641-5643.

Survivors of Suicide Bereavement Support Group: 2nd Tuesday, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at MHA Aiken County, 233 Pendleton Street NW. These meetings are open to anyone who has experienced the loss of a friend or family member to suicide. For more information, call 641-4164 or visit mha-aiken.org.

H. ODELL WEEKS CENTER 1700 Whiskey Road

803-642-7631

OngoingNumerous programs are offered, including bingo, card clubs, mahjong and board games, yoga, line dancing, tennis, table tennis, pickleball, racquetball, senior basketball, rock climbing, etc. In addition, there are several fitness classes which include boot camp, Pilates, outdoor fitness, and more. For more details, visit cityofaikensc.gov/etrak/ and click on “brochure” to view Park Bench Magazine.

June 10 to August 16Summer Adventure Day Camps at Odell Weeks. These camps, which are exciting, engaging, and educational, will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Kids will enjoy weekly themes, field trips, outdoor activities, swimming, indoor games and sports, crafts, and guest entertainment. For ages 4-12. Space is limited. Cost varies per center. For more information, call 642-7631 or 642-7634.



bellabuzzJune 10 to July 26Youth Archery Lessons are open to all ages, beginners to experienced archers. Participants will learn history, safety, technique, mental concentration and self-improvement from professionals with coaching experience. State-of-the-art equipment is provided. Cost is $60 to $80. Classes are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Three sessions: June 10-14, July 8-12, and July 22-26. For more information, call 642-7631.

June 13Explore bulldozers, police cars, ambulances, and more! Kids wear your swimsuit for a spray down from the fire truck provided by City of Aiken Public Safety. Cost: Free admission. Odell Weeks Activities Center Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (spray down following event).

June 6, 20Aiken Toastmasters Club, 6:45 p.m., Room 3. Come and learn how Toastmasters can help you become a more effective communicator and leader. Guests are welcome. For more information, call 648-7833, or visit aikentoastmasters.toastmastersclubs.org.

Enrichment Programs

Toddler Time: Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Run, play, and release a lot of energy. Toddlers interact and give parents a chance to socialize with one another. For ages 4 and under (accompanied by an adult). Cost is $3 per day, or $20 or a 10-visit pass.

Traditional Shotokan Karate: Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. This noncontact style of karate teaches practical self-defense. It enhances concentration, self-discipline, confidence, and emotional control, while promoting health, fitness, balance, and agility. For ages 7 and up. Cost is between $40 and $65 per month.

Lightsaber Club: Fridays, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Join the Club and learn the sport of fencing using specialized lightsabers. In addition to fencing skills, learn self-discipline, focus, and other values taught in martial arts. For ages 12 and up. Cost is $15 to $25 per month.

SMITH-HAZEL CENTER 400 Kershaw Street, NE

803-642-7634

Tuesdays and ThursdaysSeniors Club, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Want to be more social? Then join in the senior fun. Play games, attend parties, special events, health seminars and community outings. For ages 50 and up. Cost is free. For more information, call 642-7634.

June 10 – August 16Summer Fun Day Camps at Smith-Hazel Center. These camps, which are exciting, engaging, and educational, will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 10 through August 16. Kids will enjoy weekly themes, field trips, outdoor activities, swimming, indoor games and sports, crafts, and guest entertainment. For ages 4-12. Space is limited. Cost varies per center. For more information, call 642-7631 or 642-7634.

Notice:The outdoor pool at Smith-Hazel will be closed for the 2019 season. The entire pool facility, including pool deck and bathhouse, will be renovated and open for the 2020 season. In the meantime, those wishing to swim may consider using the recently renovated pool at the Aiken County

Recreation Center, 917 Jefferson Davis Highway, Graniteville. Everyone swims free. All ages are welcome. For more information, call 663-6142 or visit aikencountyprt.com.

CITIZENS PARK 651 Old Airport Road

803-642-7761

Now – October 1 Free admission and open to the public. Hours: Saturday, Sunday, Monday 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.Private rentals are available Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Call 642-7761 for rental availability and rate information.

Now to October 1Citizens Park Sprayground, 945 Barry Johnson Blvd, Citizens Park. Free Admission - Free admission and open to the public. Hours: Saturday, Sunday, Monday 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Private rentals are available Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Call 642-7761 for rental availability and rate information.

June 10-13, June 17-20Kenny Thomas Baseball Camp. Register at KennyThomasBaseballCamps.com.

July 29 – August 2 Challenger Sports Soccer Camp. Register at ChallengerSports.com.

July 9 – July 25Fall Sports Registration: Flag Football, Soccer, Cheerleading, Volleyball Location: 651 Old Airport Road, Complex II Fields (6-10) Office Hours: Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 642-7761.

EQUESTRIAN EVENTSJune 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 25-30July 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-28, 30-31August 1-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-30The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m., inside Hopelands Gardens. Catch the racing fever with an exhibit that celebrates Aiken’s Thoroughbred athletes in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. For more information, call 642-7631 or 643-2121, email [email protected], or visit www.aikenracinghalloffame.com.

June 12-16, 19-23Aiken Summer Classic Horse Show, at the Aiken Horse Park (Bruce’s Field), 931 Powderhouse Road. This is a USEF premier-rated world championship hunter rider event. Proceeds benefit the Aiken Horse Park Foundation. For more information, call 226-0121, email [email protected], or visit aikenhorsepark.org.

BUSINESS AND NETWORKING EVENTS

June 6Promote Your Business On-Line, SCORE workshop, Thursday 6-8 p.m., Friendship Baptist Church, N.L. Bush Education Building, 515 Richland Avenue E. Contact Robin Warren at [email protected]

June 7Getting a Business Loan, SCORE workshop, 10-12 noon, North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Avenue, N. Augusta, SC 29841. Contact Robin Warren at [email protected]

June 9Business ExSellence Network Lunch 11:30-1 p.m. at Woodside Country Club. Cost is $22. Reservation is required. Email e.togneri@businessexsellence or call 609-332-2797.

June 11, July 9, August 13Business ExSellence Network Lunch 11:30-1:00 p.m. at Woodside Country Club. Cost is $22. Reservation is required. Email e.togneri@businessexsellence or call 609-332-2797.

June 14Network Like a Pro, SCORE workshopat the Chamber of Commerce offices, 10 to 12 noon. The class is free. Seating is limited. To reserve a seat, go to https://tinyurl.com/yy4q3ux9.

June 18, July 16, August 20Successful Women’s Mastermind Alliance (SWMA) Aiken, a women’s networking group. Featuring a luncheon and speaker, 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Woodside Planta-tion Country Club. SWMA members and first-time guests - $22; returning guests - $30. For more information, call Abigail Tiefenthaler at 954-804-9413 or visit www.facebook.com/groups/swmaaiken.

MISCELLANEOUS VENUES AND EVENTS

June 1, July 6, August 3Aiken Horsepower Association’s Monthly Cruise-In, 4-6 p.m, The Home Depot, 1785 Whiskey Road. For more information, call Vickie Reynolds at 803-270-3505.

June 5, July 10, AugustYappy Hour, 6 to 8 p.m. at the SPCA Albrecht Center, 199 Willow Run Road, Great food, delicious drinks, raffle prizes and live music at the SPCA Albrecht Center. Friendly dogs welcome! The SPCA Dog Park will be open free to the public and supporters can visit our adoptable animals during the event.

Single, Single Again Summer MeetingsA group of men and women over 50 who meet for social gatherings. Activities: Dinner – second Thursday, 6 p.m. Brunch – fourth Saturday, 10 a.m. For reservations or more information, email [email protected]. Those without email access can call 214-587-1156.

June 13Dinner, 6 p.m. at Ruby Tuesday’s, 2285 Whiskey Road. Reservations needed by June 11.

June 2210 a.m. at What’s Cookin’, 123 Laurens Street NW

July 11Dinner, 6 p.m. AnShu, 122 Coach Light Way. Reservations needed by June 9.

July 17Line Dancing, 6 p.m., St. Mary’s cafeteria, 118 York Street, door to the left of Mary’s statue.

July 2710 a.m. at Cracker Barrel, 2352 Whiskey Road.

August 8Dinner, 6 p.m., Longhorn, 2480 Whiskey Road. Reservations needed by August 6.

August 22SRS tour, information to come.

August 24Ernie’s Famous Low Country Boil, no brunch.

June 15Pups ‘n Suds Dog Wash, fundraiser, 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the SPCA Albrecht Center at 199 Willow Run Road. This year, we kick things up a notch to get your pets squeaky clean after their springtime playtime. Wheth-er your pup just needs a bath or the whole shebang, our volunteers and staff will hap-pily rinse, lather and repeat until your pup is shiny and clean. Dog wash pricing found at www.LetLoveLive.org/dogwash.

June 15Pups and Popsicles. Come enjoy a cold treat while you shop the adoptable pets at the Aiken County Animal Shelter from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 333 Wire Road, 642-1537.

June 22Fire Over Aiken, 5 p.m., at the Aiken County Fairgrounds, 561 May Royal Drive. Fireworks, rides, food, live music, kids talent show, and more. Fun for the whole family. For more information, call 644-2362 or email [email protected].

June 26, July 10 and 24Dog Ears Reading Program from 10-11 a.m. Children five years and up are invited to read to shelter pets! Reservations required, call Friends of the Animal Shelter, 514-4313.

OUTSIDE AIKENFridays, Saturdays and SundaysThe Big Mo Drive-In. Gates open at 7 p.m., 5822 Columbia Highway N, Monetta, SC. Three screens. Come watch a movie under the stars. There are generally three double features each weekend. Ages 12 and over – $9, ages 4 to 11 – $5, ages 3 and under – free. Cash only. First movies start around 8 p.m. For more information, call 685-7949, or visit thebigmo.com.

June 1, 15, July 6, August 3Boyd Observatory, 6 to 8 p.m., Boyd Pond, 373 Boyd Pond Road. The observatory with its 17.5” Newtonian telescope accommodates groups of 12. Programs are designed to expose area residents to basic science and astronomy on a regular basis at no charge. Programs are available for adults, but emphasis is placed on elementary school groups, third grade and above. For more information call 648-0314.

June 8Aiken County Recreation Center Summer Kickoff 10-2 p.m. Music, fun and free swimming! Aiken County Recreation Center, 917 Jefferson Davis Highway, Graniteville 803-663-6142.

Open Swim Pool Hours: June 8-August 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $2 per person. Lifeguards on duty.

June 15Juneteenth Celebration, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, 229 Beach City Road, Columbia, SC. Tickets for Juneteenth are $15 for general admission, free for children 12 and under. Headline performance by Just A Few Cats. For more information about Juneteenth Celebration or Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park call 843-255-7301 or go to exploremitchelville.org.


bellabuzzJune 6, 8, 11, 13, 20, 22, 27, 29, July 4, 11,13, 18, 20, 25Test-n-Tune at the Carolina Dragway, 302 Dragstrip Road. Come to compete or watch these matches of vehicle acceleration. For more information, call 877-471-7223, or visit carolinadragway.com.

June 8Fishing Tournament, 7:30-1:30 p.m. Sign up your two-person team for 10th annual Gravatt Fishing Tournament. This event is a family friendly so take this opportunity to share the outdoors with youth you care about. For more information and to sign up, call 648-1817, email [email protected], or visit campgravatt.org.

June 30Big Delicious Event. 6-9 p.m. Gravatt Camp and Conference Center. Big Delicious is a fun and social event, featuring Chef Brandon Velie of Juniper. For more information and to sign up, call 648-1817, email [email protected], or visit campgravatt.org.

August 10Storks & Corks, fundraiser to benefit the Silver Bluff Audubon Center. 6 to 9 p.m. Join us for an evening of observing threatened wood storks at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary, 4542 Silver Bluff Road, Jackson, SC. Participants will enjoy a sampling of wines and a buffet dinner following the stork viewing. $65 per person. Reservations required. www.sc.audubon.org/events or call 803-471-0291.

August 17School Supply Giveaway, 10-2 p.m. (or until supplies are out). School supplies and light refreshments will be provided. Swim for free during event. Aiken County Recreation Center, 917 Jefferson Davis Highway, Graniteville, 803-663-6142.


The mindful dog.

by Marti Healy

The story of ...

Contact Marti Healy through www.MartiHealyBooks.com

Marti Healy is a writer living in Aiken. She was a professional copywriter for longer than 35 years, and is a columnist, book author, and popular speaker, whose work has received national recognition and awards.

© Marti Healy 2019

Quincy the dog takes walks. I go along with him, but only as equipment manager. I handle the baggage. I act as lookout – for cars and other dogs and horses in training, for cats on the loose and high school runners on the loose, for snakes on the path and riders on bikes, and all the what-have-yous that are likely to crop up on such excursions.

Quincy himself chooses the route for these walks – through the various back streets of the neighborhood or the horse district or the Carolina Bay. He wears a harness, but it’s mostly without a leash properly attached (that’s one of the pieces of equipment for which I am responsible).

Quincy walks with metered deliberation. He strolls. It’s a decidedly slow pace with frequent stops of subtle purpose.

It wasn’t always this way. When Quincy first moved in with cat Tuppence and me, at the already set-in-his-ways age of 8 or so, he “was walked” – on leash and under voice command, at my pace, on my route.

Basically an agreeable dog, Quincy would try to follow my lead – albeit reluctantly – the best he could. But there was lots of tugging, lots of talking, lots of encouragement, lots of discouragement, lots of pleading, lots of cookie bribes, lots of bargaining and promises and whistles and wheedling ... and lots of exasperation all around.

In the end, the walks were without any real joy, without a sense of spontaneity. There was no discovering, no noticing, no awe, no sharing between us.

But Quincy is also a rather wise old dog. And there came a day when he let me know the right thing to do. I snapped off the leash and tucked it into my pocket. And I began simply walking at Quincy’s side, at his pace, leaving him to live within his own experience. I kept my words of running commentary to myself. I let him become enveloped in his own walk in his own moment in time. I released him to walk in mindfulness.

And with Quincy’s release, I unexpectedly came into my own sort of realigned understanding of living a mindful life.

When Quincy examines the sweet green smell within a pile of new grass clippings and fresh-cut branches, I believe it is solely for the thrill of the scent alone – with no memories called forth or anticipation of things to come; just pure sensation of scent. When he pauses to watch a cat cross the street half a block away, I suspect he is held captive in appreciation for its slow, deliberate, primeval animal saunter. Sometimes he stops to search out the mysteries within the depths of a cool, dark gutter drain as he feels its essence breathe out over him. Often, he becomes intrigued with crisp-edged shadows, and he sniffs at their beginnings and ends and lets the warmth of the sun stroke his back. Together we might rest ourselves for a bit on curbs, and glide our feet through mud-bottomed rain puddles.

Quincy is also quite wise about not chasing the enigmatic energy bursts of squirrels, when simply standing still in peace and watching them scurry within their own mind-games is infinitely more entertaining. He listens with intentionality to the messages whispered among leaves and bird gossip and the distant secrets of barking dogs and the nearby love songs of overhead wind chimes.

I have read at least a dozen different ways of defining mindfulness, including “mindful awareness” and “being fully present” and “paying attention on purpose and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness is “wordless” and “moment-to-moment” and “being open,” according to the folks who know about such things.

But I suspect there may be another definition – one that I find closer to my own heart. A friend of mine writes brilliant little stories under the collective title of a blog perfectly named “Loitering Dog.” Quincy, in all his mindfulness, is exactly that. And that, I have come to believe, may be the true essence and exemplification of mindfulness after all.

Mindfulness is a loitering dog.


“The traffic is terrible. Have you ever seen it so bad? It took 20 minutes to get from Kroger to Target.

Whiskey Road is awful.”

“You think the South Side is bad, let me tell you about downtown. There wasn’t a parking spot to be found on Laurens Street. And finding a place

on Park Avenue left a two-block walk to my favorite restaurant. And then I had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. You’d think this was Columbia

or Atlanta or Charleston.”

Life in a growing city is like that. We put up with more people, more traffic, longer lines, greater waits, and wonder how this has happened. But it wasn’t always this way.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A TOWN CALLED AIKEN, the clinking of glass bottles could be heard on front porches as the milkman made his early-morning delivery. Mother had merely to go to the front of the house, push open the screen door and reach for the quart bottles with an inch of thick, rich cream floating on the top.

There was a Coca-Cola bottling plant in this town on York Street where the precious carbonated liquid was put into thick 6-ounce bottles that cost a nickel from the machines at every gas station. The building is now home to Aiken County’s Emergency services. Youngsters peered at the bottom of each bottle to read the city of origin. Lucky was the lad or gal who got to exclaim to friends, “Mine says Aiken, S.C.” Look up that bottle online today and it costs $12.75 – and that is without the Coke inside.

ONCE UPON A TIME there was an A&W Root Beer stand and that was followed by the Sno-Cap. Both had frosted mugs with sweet, frothy root beer to slake a young boy’s thirst. There was also the Hornet’s Nest

at Rutland Drive and York Street (now a CVS store) where teens in the 1950s could go for after-school and post-football game sustenance.

Aiken’s downtown was filled with familiar local names. Laurel, Buchanan, Franzblau, Persky, Coleman, Surasky, Efron and Hydrick adorned signs for businesses that included hardware, clothing, tires, shoes, groceries and appliances.

There were also chain stores downtown in Aiken, once upon a time. It was the site for Belk’s (now True Value Hardware) and White’s (near the Aiken Hotel) and B.C. Moore (now Downtown Dog) – department

stores that had attire for everyone from baby brother to Granny. And there were A&P and Colonial grocery stores where Mother did her shopping.

As Aiken expanded, thanks in large part to the Savannah River Plant, both of those companies added

stores to a growing South Side. In the new Mitchell Shopping Center, A&P and Colonial stood side-by-side with families choosing their favorite. Mother’s was Colonial, but A&P got the family’s best long-standing story.

We were living on Boardman Road at the time, with Mitchell Shopping Center just a short bike ride away. My two older brothers ventured out one day as Christmas was nearing and learned that A&P was having drawings for bags of oranges. One simply needed to fill out a form and place it in the entry box. The drawing was to be in the afternoon.

My clever siblings got fistfuls of entry blanks, filled them out and stuffed the box. When it came time for the drawings, their names came up time after time as winners. They gleefully accepted bag after bag of the citrus fruit until the manager finally said that enough was enough. They were disqualified from further winnings. We ate oranges for weeks.

ONCE UPON A TIME there were new schools being built in Aiken to accommodate the influx of students thanks to SRP. North Aiken, Eustis Park and Millbrook elementary schools went up with little thought about security as classroom doors led directly to outdoor sidewalks. Two walls of windows made it easy for inattentive students to daydream during lessons. And they provided perfect viewing stations for excited children when even a single flake of snow fluttered to the ground.

I watched Minnie B. Kennedy Junior High being erected across Pine Log Road from my classrooms at Millbrook. Perhaps I should have been paying more attention to my teacher, but watching the construction

of the gym was a fascinating endeavor. A couple of years later I was in that gym doing calisthenics under the watchful eye of Jim Dawsey for P.E. class. Outside, the fertile fields were cultivated on the far side of the campus, and 20 years later that land became home to South Aiken High, and Jim Dawsey became the principal.

Pine Log Road going east was once a two-lane road without the homes and businesses of today. The most notable landmark was the Robbins’ Trailer City water tower not far from Minnie B. That and the skeleton of a small cinder-block structure with a faded beer sign on the side were all that remained of a once-thriving community of approximately 1,000

trailers set up for hundreds of construction workers and their families.

ONCE UPON A TIME there was little to the south beyond the intersection of Whiskey and Pine Log roads. The Fox Drive-In, near the current southside Walmart, had its entrance not far from the connection of the two roads,

and Coble Dairy was not too distant from that. The Bamboo Lounge, now a hair salon, and Aiken Bowl were a bit farther down the road. Being a youngster at the time, I had no notion of why people would want to stop at a lounge. Couldn’t they just go home and

recline? The idea of a couple of beers after work did not connect.

As for Aiken Bowl (the recently demolished Strike House), once upon a time there were three bowling facilities in town. The Southside’s lanes were the oldest, but there were also Park Avenue Lanes and Carolina Bowl. Now there are none operating in the city. Aiken Bowl during its infancy had pin boys who sat out of sight at the end of each lane. In days before

… in a town called Aikenby Jeff Wallace

Minnie B. Kennedy Junior High School


automatic pin setters, it was their job to remove fallen pins and reset them after each frame. During my first attempt at the game, my pin boy had a job to be envied. I rolled a zero. All he had to do was send the ball back to me after each of my 20 gutter balls.

Once upon a time at the intersection of Richland and Hayne avenues there was a sign that read “Augusta 17.” From that point until one crossed the Fifth Street Bridge, there wasn’t a single traffic light. Now there are more than a dozen.

Aiken could have been called one of those sleepy, little Southern towns back then. Many businesses closed at noon on Wednesday, leaving shoppers with a brief window of opportunity on “Hump Day.”

Sundays were even more subdued with almost no stores open during the time of the Blue Laws that prohibited the sale of many items. Worshippers at Aiken’s many churches were the only ones out and about in the morning, and going on a Sunday drive was a common event for many families.

ONCE UPON A TIME in Aiken, if you wanted to go out for a good meal, it involved a trip across the Savannah River. There weren’t restaurants in town open for evening fare as there are today.

And one did not have to worry about finding a parking place downtown. It was not unusual for a customer to find a spot directly in front of the store she was intending to visit. Rows of parking meters stood at attention downtown, requiring the deposit of a penny for every 12 minutes.

After-sunset parking on Laurens Street is an issue today as the restaurants and night spots beckon a growing number of people to enjoy the amenities of a vibrant downtown. But once upon a time in downtown, it was rare to find a vehicle parked on Laurens after dark. Those few cars remaining were either abandoned or wouldn’t start. There were no open businesses to visit.

For youngsters with a few coins in their pockets, downtown was a great place to be. There weren’t the boutiques and specialty shops of today, but there were three five-and-dime stores. Mack’s and McCrory’s

stood side-by-side on the east side of Laurens Street, while Woolworth’s faced them from the opposite side. Their soda fountains were a big draw on allowance day.

Those stores sold small personal items, fabric, thread, toys and penny candy. I preferred looking at the toys and candy. The five and dime stores are long gone today, their genre replaced by the dollar stores sprinkled around the county’s landscape.

ONCE UPON A TIME in Aiken, Teen Town stood behind the Aiken County Hospital. Friday night football games were concluded with dances at the one-story structure that now houses Aiken Senior Life Services. Perhaps the transition from a teen center to a senior center is appropriate for the youth of that era.

Aiken had no college until 1961 when USC Aiken was established as a two-year campus in a renovated mansion on Newberry Street. Classes were held in former bedrooms, a ballroom served as a central point for meeting, and students gathered in a lounge located in the basement.

The college became a four-year school and now serves a thriving student body in more than a dozen buildings on Aiken’s western edge. The mansion/

college later became Aiken’s library and now stands as the Aiken County Historical Museum. The library moved to the building formerly known as The Aiken Institute (Aiken’s first public school) and later as Aiken Elementary, on the corner of Whiskey Road and South Boundary.

There were once two movie theaters downtown, and then more were added prior to the construction of the facility at Aiken Mall. The Rosemary and Patricia were located on Laurens Street. The Cinema Triple was later built at what was the Rosemary site, offering viewers three options for viewing when they purchased tickets. That site now holds a plush

condo building above the Meybohm Realty offices. The old Patricia Theater that used to show double features every Saturday is now the RE/MAX Tattersall office. The Mark I was built on Newberry Street where the Aiken Community Theatre stage now stands.

Yes, once upon a time in Aiken things were different than they are now. There wasn’t as much traffic. There weren’t as many people. Folks did not come here to retire; those who retired had spent their working careers here. There was a different way of life.

Having lived in this city for more than 60 years, I have seen lots of changes, not all of which I like. But the same was said by those who lived here when my family arrived. Those folks who grew up in the pre-Savannah River Plant Aiken saw changes they had not sought. They grudgingly accepted the new face of their community, something those of my generation who have spent a lifetime here are doing now.

Change comes, and while we can sit dreaming of a past that will never return, our energies are best served

making this city the best it can be today. Fairy tales that begin with “once upon a time”

usually conclude with “and they lived happily ever after.” The struggle to find “happily ever after” is a never-ending one for a city like Aiken, but it is fun to look back from time to time and remember what this place looked like “once upon a time.”

Photos from the Allen Riddick Collection,except where noted.

Jeff Wallace has lived in Aiken for more than 65 years. He is a retired editor of the Aiken Standard, has taught in the Aiken public schools, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at USC Aiken. He and his wife Mary Lou have three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Aiken Teen Town - Photo by the late Joe Lista


I hope you like to laugh. One of my favorite things to do is to share funny Southern tales about growing up in the Lowcountry of South Carolina—Johns Island to be more specific. I had the wonderful and rare honor of being influenced by two Southern mothers. Here is a funny and true story from my third book, Bury Me With My Pearls. Enjoy!

Friends called them all kinds of names: Maude and Florida, smoke and fire, Bert and Ernie, or Lucy and Ethel. Momma and Tootsie were an amazing team. I’ve seen them beat wayward lizards to death with brooms, leap on the kitchen table when they spotted a mouse, and put out fires with aprons. I’ve seen Tootsie drop to her knees laughing after my mother said something funny, and I’ve seen them embrace in tears.

Momma, Tootsie, and I were a superglue trio until I started first grade. I thought my heart was going to explode when I sat in that cage-like wooden school desk. All I could think of was how much fun I was missing. No more watching “I love Lucy” with Tootsie at 10:00 a.m. No more running around the house as Momma and Tootsie tried to brush my honey-colored ringlets that Momma called knots. No more flour fights with Tootsie when she made her delicious biscuits. And no more clothesline tents; the family’s bed linens would just be white sheets hanging lifeless on a wire.

Once Tootsie gave me a good tongue-lashing after I had fallen off a ladder and torn a ligament in my foot. “Girl, I done told you not to git yo’self up on no ladder! Dat is man’s work,” exclaimed Tootsie in her Gullah brogue.

Then Momma grabbed the phone, “How many times have I told you that your uterus will fall out on

the floor if you climb a ladder?” No kidding. If Tootsie and Momma were

shopping in Wal-Mart and saw a woman on a ladder, they would always whisper, “She gonna be sorry. Her uterus is going to fall out on the floor.”

Can’t you just hear the Wal-Mart folks on the loudspeaker? “We need some help. We have a uterus on aisle four . . .”

After both my mother and Tootsie passed away, I was speaking in Virginia Beach, Virginia. My driver was an older gentleman with a unique accent. “Tom, you aren’t from around here, are you?” I asked.

“Oh, no ma’am. I’m from Beaumont, Texas.” “Do you go home much?” “Oh, yeah. I go see my Mama.” Now this guy was no spring chicken, so I quizzed

him again. “Is your Mama in pretty good health?” “She’s okay, but we most lost her about three

months ago.” “Really, what happened?” “Well,” said Tom with a stammer, “her uterus just

fell out.” I knew in the pit of my soul that Momma and

Tootsie were still sending me that uterus speech. They were also reminding me of our many moments of laughter. That’s what this book is all about: laughter, living well and putting God’s best for you in the center of your strand of pearls.

Momma and Tootsie are the women, my mother-of-pearls, who shaped me into the woman I am today. They made me laugh. Many times they made me snort in a non-Southern Belle fashion. They also held me when I cried. They encouraged me. They’re the backbone of my character, a constant reminder of the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. They also popped me on the bottom when I did wrong. They taught me to live well, to love others, and to do the right thing regardless of how you felt. Their lessons stuck with me just like a Charleston Rice spoon-size helping of Tootsie’s steaming hot grits.

Mother-of-pearl is a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable, and valuable. We should all aspire to share the legacy of our deeds as we develop our talents. Just like a mother passes down her pearls to her daughter so should we proudly and courageously leave the next generation valuable lessons.

Sometimes our mothers shared “words of wisdom” we thought were hilarious, but eventually we realized those “rhinestones” were priceless gems.

For example, right before my wedding Momma said to me, “You know, somewhere in the Bible it says to keep your husband happy. I don’t know the exact verse, but it’s something like ‘for every headache you have, there’s a woman out there somewhere with an aspirin in her purse’” (Book of Eleanor, chapter one, verse one).

Who are the people you look to, lean on, and learn from? Find the mother-of-pearl in your life and pray for that protective shell. Seek out someone who provides safety and beauty at the same time. Seek someone who will tell you the truth in love, a person you trust and respect. Find that person or persons who have journeyed through life well and have accumulated a beautiful, eclectic strand of valuable pearls. Then, model that person.

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

Momma and TootsieAn excerpt from Bury Me With My Pearls (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Jane Jenkins Herlong is a professional speaker, best-selling author and award-winning singer. She enlightens audiences with her comic relief, folksy wisdom, Southern humor and original songs. For speaking engagements or to learn more about Jane’s books, comedy

and singing, visit www.janeherlong.com.

by Jane Jenkins Herlong


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The beautiful estate of Rond Point has graced the corner of Whiskey Road and Coker Springs Road for close to a century.

The home and the extensive grounds have enjoyed an assortment of individuals including local families and those who ran in the equestrian circles and those who were in Aiken for the season. Behind the walls, beauty and security have been found.

Early DaysDr. B.C. McLean built this two-story frame

Colonial Revival style home in the 1920s, employing renowned architect Willis Irvin to design the home. He added the wall in 1928 and made further additions in 1929.

When McLean sold the estate to Mrs. Elizabeth C. Beale for $52,500 in 1928, she was a widow. She later married professional landscape architect and Director of the University of Michigan’s Arboretum, Count William Aubrey Tealdi. The couple lived in Italy’s Tuscan Villa Paolina and had a wonderful marriage. She fell ill in the early 1950s and died in 1954. He later married a young woman 60 years his junior with whom he had three children.

Isabelle Dodge SloaneRond Point’s next owner was Mrs. Margaret Chase

Behrend who later sold it to Mrs. Isabelle (Isabel) Dodge Sloane. She was the daughter of John F. Dodge who was the co-founder of the Dodge Brothers Motor Company in Detroit. She was a breeder and owner of

Thoroughbred racehorses. Some of her Brookmeade Farm horses trained in Aiken.

One reporter referred to her as “America’s first lady of the turf.” In 1934, it was reported that she became the first woman to lead the American owners’ list when she won the Kentucky Derby with Cavalcade and the Preakness Stakes with High Quest.

It was reported that in 1951, she spoke at the annual testimonial dinner of the Thoroughbred Club of America. “Racing and breeding horses are to me many things,” she told the members. “They are my hobby, my business, my pleasure and almost my entire life.”

The WymansIn 1956, Dr. and Mrs. Henry Dibble ‘Dibbs’

Wyman purchased Rond Point. Sara and Dibbs and their five children moved from Highland Park Drive to the property of Rond Point, which included more than three acres.

“Mother said they paid about $35,000 to $38,000,” said Sally Wyman Brodie, now the broker at Real Estate One. Sally was seven years old when her family moved to their new home.

“When my grandparents moved in with our family, they lived in the servants’ quarters upstairs at the back of the house,” she continued. “That wing had a kitchen, two bathrooms, and four bedrooms. My siblings and I took turns spending the night with them, and just by closing the door that separated the servants’ wing from the house, we’d be away ‘visiting’ grandmama and grandfather, away from our siblings. Dad built the upstairs screened porch for this separate apartment.”

Friends and other visitors were a constant at the Wymans. “Dad just took people in,” Sally explained. “Some guests were unmarried, pregnant women referred from doctor to doctor, who had moved out of their homes. Cousins also stayed for an extended period, once because they had been injured in a bad car wreck. They moved in with us so Dad and Mom could care for them. We had five upstairs bedrooms

and plenty of room for others.”

The Walls Provided Safety

“Dad bought Rond Point for a few different reasons. With five kids, dogs, chickens, and cats, we needed a lot of room,” Sally explained. “But I think he also bought it because it had a brick wall, and he liked fences and walls. As a

physician, he saw the sordid side of life in the jails and in the Emergency Room, so I think he wanted to keep us extra safe. Each night, he’d walk to the front gate and close it, and he always carried a gun.

“At the same time,” Sally continued, “Dad felt his hometown was still small and safe and would allow us to walk nearby to school at the old Mead Hall campus on Coker Springs Road, and later to Aiken Elementary School and to the movies downtown on Saturdays.”

Improving the EstateDr. Wyman employed a neighbor, Mr. Rhodes, to

paint the home numerous times. “Mr. Rhodes painted the house by himself, and since the house was so large, by the time he had completely painted the house and returned to the front, it was time to start all over again. Finally, Dad added siding to the house,” Sally said.

He also added the gazebo on the front lawn, constructing it with pieces of gingerbread work and old columns acquired from Miss Lyllah Wyman’s house on Hood Lane. Her home was demolished to build the federal courthouse, now the Charles E. Simons, Jr. Federal Court House on Park Avenue. The gazebo holds fond memories for Sally and her husband Allen, who were married there in 1967.

On the GroundsThe Wyman children played on the expansive

grounds dotted with numerous flower beds planted by their grandmother. “We had a gravel driveway which was eventually covered with asphalt where we could ride our bikes,” Sally said. “Eventually, we chipped up the asphalt and replaced it with gravel.”

They also had a bomb shelter. “During the Bay of Pigs invasion in the 1960s, Daddy built a bomb shelter near where the stables are now located. He converted a pre-existing underground wine cellar into the shelter and furnished it with bunk beds, food, and a meter to measure radioactive fallout,” Sally said.

The Wymans sold Rond Point in 1977. The siblings would probably agree that a three-acre yard, a bomb shelter, a pool, walls to climb over and fences to climb under provided them with an impressive place for an enchanted childhood.

The Mystery Behind the WallsRond Point changed owners twice more before

the current owner became intrigued with the house behind the walls and decided she had to have it.

“I loved it,” Lucy ‘Dede’ Tower said when she first saw Rond Point. “I was drawn to the mystery of the place, an area totally enclosed by a wall with a house hidden from view.

“Nobody I knew had ever been inside,” she added. “I wanted to claim this abandoned and neglected house, and at that time, I had plenty of energy to work on that project.”

Lucy purchased Rond Point after the 2001 terrorist attacks and a few years after her husband, Whitney Tower, died in 1999. At that time, she owned an apartment in New York City, a house in Saratoga Springs, and a cottage on Fairfield Street in Aiken. Later, she sold the New York apartment and the cottage on Fairfield Street, but she kept the house in Saratoga Springs.

Surrounded by HistoryLucy was no stranger to the historic houses

found in Aiken. “My grandparents, Austin and Helen Niblack, owned Let’s Pretend. They were equestrians and wintered in Aiken,” Lucy said. “I spent numerous spring vacations there at Let’s Pretend.” Her husband was a journalist who reported on Thoroughbred horse racing and was a president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His maternal grandmother, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, wife of Harry Payne

Behind the Walls on Whiskey:Historic Rond Point

by Anna Dangerfield

Lucy Tower and Eliza, a German shepherd mix, are at the corner of Whiskey Road and Coker Springs Road.

The home at Rond Point, built in the 1920s


Whitney, started the Whitney Museum in New York. Whitney often wrote in Aiken and like much of

his family, he lived in Joye Cottage, acquired in the 1880s by his great-grandfather William C. Whitney. The Whitneys were also part of the Winter Colony that was prominent in the development of Aiken.

While Lucy does not dwell in the past, she lives with it every day surrounded by the furnishings of her ancestors s that she moved to Rond Point with her. “Almost everything I have belonged to one family member or another,” Lucy said.

Much of her sporting art once graced the walls of Let’s Pretend and some of her trophies resulted from her grandfather’s successful competition at the Aiken Gun Club. The family pieces lend a measure of contentment because of their familiarity.

Under the Jasmine Bower“Years of work outdoors to manage the

overgrowth revealed architectural secrets of the garden,” Lucy said.

Once uncovered, interesting plants appeared, some planted by a previous owner who was a horticulturist. Wisteria, clematis, roses, gardenias, and

azaleas joined to lend pleasant fragrances and color to the yard. She added tea olive hedges and numerous evergreens.

While her yard continues to require Lucy’s annual war on wisteria, she views the work as an ongoing pleasure and enjoys the property now that it is more under control.

Nooks providing hideouts for kids, plentiful flower beds, a potting area, and even a hospital for

needy plants are found about the yard. “There are so many beautiful details on this property,” Lucy said.

One of her favorite sitting spots is on the porch underneath the jasmine bower where hummingbirds visit and views of the pool are in sight.

Architectural Design“I have plenty of room on the property, more than

two acres, and the property is zoned Residential Stable Zoning, for horses. My friend and architect Martin Buckley drew a design for a four-stall barn. Easy access to the equestrian signal at the corner of Grace Circle and Whiskey Road and easy access to Hitchcock Woods are at the back of the property,” she added.

“Martin also suggested the distinguishing gray color that enhances the architectural details around the front door,” Lucy said. “The door is a beautiful round-arched opening with a carved keystone.”

Hitting the Wall Like other Whiskey Road walls, the one at

Rond Point has occasionally been the casualty of wayward cars.

“There have been two since I owned the property,” Lucy said. “I have no hard feelings or hostility toward the drivers. They suffered more than I did, and the damage has always been covered by the driver’s insurance.”

In 1993 the wall was hit by Aiken’s fire chief. It was also struck once during the time of the Wymans’ residency, when Whiskey Road was the major thoroughfare before the bypass was built.

But Lucy and her dogs feel protected within the walls. “This house feels cozy and comfortable to us,” she said.

Anna Dangerfield lives in Aiken and is the proud grandmother of six grandsons and one granddaughter. She enjoys researching and writing about Aiken history.

Lucy and Eliza beneath the jasmine bower

Numerous architectural features grace the front door of Rond Point

Rond Point is one of the few Winter Colony estates currently for sale in Aiken

Photos by Anna Dangerfield


[Editor’s note: This story is Part 2 of a story by Annie Colpitts concerning her fascination with the tiny house craze. Part 1, in the May 2019 issue of Bella, titled “Your House is HOW Small?”covered Annie’s research about this new trend in housing and also her ultimate buy-in to it. This story relates how the design and financing came about, the construction of the 160 square-foot tiny home, and her move into it. To read Part 1, visit www.aikenbellamagazine.com and click on archives for the May 2019 issue.]

When I was little, I was constantly rearranging my room or trying to redecorate. I have always been interested in interior design and architecture, but my interest stayed purely in the realm of the extracurricular as I went off to college and out in the working world. The curriculum of business classes always felt natural and easy to me, so by the end of my freshman year at Sweet Briar College, I decided to major in Business with a specialization in Arts Management.

My degree served me well in my career after college, working in administration for nonprofit theatre companies, but eventually I ended up working in marketing for an architecture and interior design firm. It was exactly how I had intended to put my degree into practice: using my business acumen to support creative people. Best of all, I was immersed in the world of architecture and design every day.

For all my years of fascination, I still had no real clue what I was doing when I started designing my own house. The first night I started digging into the idea, I had no idea what size it should be or what I could live without, much less what it should actually look like! But, as they say, sometimes the only thing you can do is pick up a pencil and start.

The DesignI began sketching the

layout of a kitchenette and staircase, with a small living space, based roughly on the photo of a house I had seen online and liked. When I got to the bathroom, though, I consulted some inspiration photos and said to myself, “Well, I can get by with one of those small shower stalls.” I started sketching it, but stopped almost immediately.

I had always dreamed of living in a house with a clawfoot tub. And I was designing my own house. There was absolutely no reason I needed to “get by” with anything! If I wanted a clawfoot tub, the only person who could say “no” would be me. I threw out my first sketch and started again, this time making room for a 5-foot-long clawfoot tub in the bathroom.

The rest of my design easily fell into place after that. I would have less living room space, but not by much, and the lofted area above the new, larger bathroom was the perfect size for a roomy bedroom. “Roomy” is a relative term when your whole house amounts only to about 160 square feet, but I would have enough room for my full-size mattress, and I could easily sit up in it without coming close to hitting my head on the ceiling. My kitchen would consist of about 7 feet of counter space, with a full-size sink and a vintage propane three-burner stove and oven, cabinets below, and open shelving above. Across from the stove would be a staircase where my fridge could fit underneath and would provide lots of additional storage and easy access to the loft. I added a bank of windows to wrap around the kitchen and living area, as well as two full-size windows on either side of the loft, and four clerestory windows to fill my house with natural light.

I had found a builder based out of Tennessee who hosted what they called “workshop builds,” incorporating homeowners into the build process, saving them a good chunk of money by doing so. Going this route allowed me to get building experience, but still outsource the technical pieces to expert tradesmen and shorten my timeline, so I could move into the house more quickly than doing a traditional DIY build. When I came home from my tiny-house vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I contacted the builder to nail down my contract and get my workshop scheduled. It was all becoming very real!

Financing I still had one large hurdle to clear: How exactly

was I going to pay for this thing?With a builder selected and my design mostly

finalized, I was able to come up with a rough budget. By folding together the quote from my builder, estimated costs on the appliances and fixtures I

wanted, miscellaneous costs like a place to stay in Tennessee while building, and a towing company to move the house back to Virginia, I was ready to tackle financing.

Many people ‘go tiny’ to clear themselves of debt and skirt the traditional trappings of a large mortgage, so they use their savings to pay for their tiny homes up front, and in cash. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an option for me. It would have taken me years to

save up enough money to cover the entire cost of the house, so I decided to procure a consumer loan from my local bank, allowing me to swap my rent payments for loan payments. I still put myself into debt in order to build the house, but instead of paying the bank for 30 years, I will own my home outright in the next three.

It’s generally considered somewhat gauche to ask people outright how much their house or car cost them; talking about money can be understandably uncomfortable and it’s easy to feel like there’s a lot of judgment tied to those questions. I got over that very quickly when I decided to build a tiny house. After “Your house is HOW small?!”, the question I am

asked most often is “So, how much did it cost you?” All in, my budget was roughly $35,000, and I stuck pretty well to that, though extra dollars from every paycheck since I moved in have gone to additional improvements to the house.

Off to Build!My dad and little sister had agreed to take a week

out of their lives in the middle of October to help me with the build. They joined me in Richmond, where we loaded up the car and headed west. For the next seven days, we were up at 6:30 a.m. to be at the warehouse working on my home by 7:30 a.m. Most days we worked between 10 and 12 hours, stopping only for a 20-minute lunch break.

I had expected the physical strain and long days to take a toll on our moods eventually, but the whole week was a strange kind of wonderful. In the evenings, we arrived at our little rented cabin, completely worn out, but still enjoyed dinner together on the porch overlooking the mountains, talking about our favorite parts of the day. The next morning we popped a couple Ibuprofen for our sore muscles, filled up our coffee mugs, and happily got back to work, spending the day getting covered in sawdust, sweat, and wood glue.

When we arrived at the beginning of the week, only the basic framing of the house had been erected. By the time we left the following Sunday, my dad, sister and I had installed exterior siding and interior paneling, trimmed out windows, laid all of the flooring, and put up the loft and bathroom wall. The tradesmen had roughed in all of my electric and plumbing, sprayed foam insulation inside every wall – as well as the ceiling and floor – installed my heating/cooling system, and set my custom kitchen cabinets in place. Not bad for a week’s work!

We headed back to Virginia, while the builder installed a few back-ordered windows, my propane stove and oven, and the rest of my plumbing and electric fixtures. About six weeks later, my completed home was towed from East Tennessee to the small piece of private property north of Richmond where I had rented a spot to park it.

Starting With The Bathtub Designing, Building, and Living My Tiny House DreamPart 2

by Annie Colpitts, Guest Writer

The coveted claw foot tub

Norm Colpitts at work on his daughter’s new Tiny House


Moving InI spent the icy cold and snowy

week after my tiny home was delivered downsizing the remainder of my possessions, passing off my furniture to new owners, and moving what was left of my belongings out of my apartment and into my new 160-square-foot home. Those first weeks of adjusting to the tiny house, the first home that was truly all mine, were incredibly special. I kept expecting doubt or anxiety to creep in, but with every box I unpacked, with every meal I ate sitting on the floor (because I hadn’t replaced the chairs I had given away), and with every Saturday morning wake-up in my cozy loft, I just fell more in love with my new lifestyle.

As I write this, it’s mid-April, five months since I moved in, just enough time that I’m starting to feel truly settled into the space. Like any new homeowner, there have been bumps in the road: repairs, installations, and all manner of home improvement projects, many of which can seem deceptively simple but still leave me running in frustrated circles. But I learn something new from every task, and once it’s done, I feel even more proud of my little house.

The “Pros” of Tiny LivingI love almost everything about living in

160 square feet, but if I had to narrow it down to the things I love most, they fall into two categories. First, I am keenly aware of how much I’ve been able to decrease my environmental impact. This was one of the biggest “pros” on my list for building a tiny house, the idea that eventually, my home can operate fully off-grid, utilizing solar power, rainwater collection, and a composting toilet instead of a traditional septic system. Solar and rainwater collection systems can be quite expensive, so those investments will be on the back burner for a little while, but I have easily adjusted to using a composting toilet instead of a traditional flush toilet, which can save upwards of 6,000 gallons of water a year, and removes the need to hook up to a septic tank. I also now eat a fully plant-based diet when I’m at home, have removed my reliance on single-use plastic, switched to all biodegradable soaps, and massively cut back the amount of electricity I use

to light and heat my space.Second, and maybe

most importantly, I love my house because I feel connected to every single square foot of it. It has all of the space I need, and none that I don’t. By getting rid of about 80 percent of my possessions, I feel strangely light, and much more appreciative of the things I kept. I am surrounded only by the things I cherish or find most useful. I cook more than I ever have in my entire adult life because I love how my kitchen is organized and laid out. Because I designed the house myself, it is

very reflective of my personal style and what is most important to me. I can still relax in a bath, invite a friend over for a home-cooked dinner, or curl up with a book or some Netflix.

I can’t say whether or not I’ll still be living tiny in five years, but no one can know the future! What I can say for now is that I’m never overwhelmed by how much I need to clean, or concerned about a storage closet that needs to be cleaned out. It’s easy to pass on homeware sales at Target, or décor knickknacks from

HomeGoods, things I might once have been tempted to spend money on, because I place such a high value on the limited space I have. What is most important to me is that my house almost always relieves my stress instead of adding more. And if an amazing opportunity presents itself away from Virginia in the coming years, I’m incredibly comforted by the idea that my home can come with me. Bathtub and all.

At the time this article was written, the Aiken County Council and the County Planning Commission were considering zoning changes that would affect where tiny houses could be placed in Aiken County.

Starting With The Bathtub Designing, Building, and Living My Tiny House DreamPart 2

Annie Colpitts is a freelance writer and marketing professional based in Central Virginia. [She is also Aikenite Rob Cunningham’s cousin’s daughter.] Annie is passionate about living sustainably, traveling whenever she can, and all things DIY. She has lived in her self-

designed and [partially] self-built tiny home, an 8’x20’ tiny home on wheels since the fall of 2018 on a small piece of land north of Richmond. You can follow her journey on her blog, PocketManor.com, as well as day-to-day updates on Instagram (@pocket.manor).

Building the Tiny House required certain gymnastics.

Annie in her new, finished Tiny House

Compact and tidy, Annie’s Tiny House is a dream come true.

Photos courtesy of Annie Colpitts

Would you like to protect someplace you love for your children and grandchildren?

Call us and we will tell you how.


The United States of America entered World War II on December 11, 1941, when Congress declared war on both Germany and Japan. Four days earlier, the Japanese had attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The years-long neutral stance of the country gave way to full military involvement in both the European and Pacific theaters from that day forward. Our enemies were defeated in 1945, but not without grievous losses to American forces and overseas Allies, and the world was forever changed.

The war in Europe had begun in 1939 when Hitler’s army marched through Belgium to attack Poland. Nazi Germany rolled over country after country, staking out its swastika banner on most of mainland Europe as well as North Africa and huge sections of western Russia. Italy was its ally; Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Sweden were neutral. In 1940, Britain, battered and weak from the blitzkrieg, was fighting valiantly against great odds.

Although the British Expeditionary Force and other Allies fielded forces to prevent a Nazi takeover of France, in 1940, the outnumbered troops retreated from a German onslaught and found themselves stranded on the beaches at Dunkirk in France. There they were saved, thanks to British naval vessels and a vast flotilla of civilian watercraft. This “miracle of Dunkirk” rescued 198,000 British troops and 140,000 French and Belgian troops to the safety of England, but left France virtually undefended.

Germany FirstWith war declared on two fronts, America’s

leaders made the decision to focus on defeating Germany first. At a series of top-secret summit meetings between Allied leaders – the USA (President Franklin D. Roosevelt), Britain (Prime Minister Winston Churchill), and Russia (Joseph Stalin) – it was agreed that the Allies would mount an invasion to liberate France and relieve the pressure of continuing German attacks on Russia. As the fighting wore on and the invasion was postponed, Stalin’s demands for a second front became more strident. However, the United States was still gearing up for war, and the equipment to land forces on the French beaches hadn’t been made yet, two factors that delayed the desired invasion.

Despite delays, plans were being made. Dwight D. Eisenhower had been placed in charge of the U.S. Army’s war plans division in December 1941 and was commissioned to design an operation for Allied victory.

Many plans for a d-day (designated day) were scrapped or postponed because of various developments in the fighting – the American invasion of North Africa in 1942, for example. Finally, a decision was reached at the Tehran conference in

December of 1943 for an unalterable invasion date of May 1944. In return for the second front, Stalin agreed to mount a simultaneous offensive in eastern Europe and also pledged to join the war against Japan after Germany had been defeated.

Operation OverlordIn January 1944, Eisenhower was named Supreme

Allied Commander. Operation Overlord, the code name for the invasion of Normandy, was set up to be a simultaneous attack of Allied forces on five Norman beaches by five divisions – two American, two British, and one Canadian. These divisions were assigned to beaches with the code names (from west to east) of

Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. In addition to the assault from the sea, two U.S. airborne divisions would support the effort to the west by landing behind the designated assault area, and one British airborne division to the east. Amphibious armor would swim ashore with the first waves. To support the troops, nearly 6,500 ships and landing craft would participate,

carrying nearly 200,000 vehicles and 600,000 tons of supplies during the first three weeks.

To lay the groundwork for a successful invasion, an intricate deception was put into place to persuade the Nazis that the invasion would take place near Pas-de-Calais, opposite Dover, the narrowest point between England and France. An air campaign dropped bombs away from the real invasion area to confuse the Germans and also to disrupt their anti-invasion preparations. Allied radio transmissions relayed false information about a fake army, supposedly based in southeast England and commanded by George S. Patton. Additionally, the Allies had cracked the code for German radio

transmissions and learned the deployment location of German troops ready to counterattack. On the night of the actual invasion, airborne radar deception led the Germans to believe they were viewing a picture of an invasion fleet crossing the Channel narrows, while radar blackouts disguised the real transit to Normandy.

Advance military preparations for the invasion included the deployment of 11,000 aircraft that flew 200,000 sorties between April 1 and June 5, dropping 195,000 tons of bombs on various French rail centers and roads, German airfields and military bases, radar stations, and artillery batteries along the coast, all to hinder Nazi mobility toward the beaches. All major bridges over the Loire and Seine Rivers were destroyed or broken during this air campaign, isolating the invasion area from the rest of France.

For some time, Hitler had downplayed the threat of a cross-channel invasion because he was preoccupied with the fronts in Russia and in the Mediterranean. But by the end of 1943 he had acted against a possible invasion of northern France by appointing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel first as inspector of coastal defenses and then as commander of Army Group B to reinforce the Nazis’ Atlantic Wall, a 2,400-mile-long fortification of bunkers, landmines, and beach and water obstacles. Rommel succeeded in adding four million more land mines to the beaches before D-Day. However, he was unable to persuade Hitler to position German tanks close to the beaches, a failure that allowed the Allies to land with limited opposition on many of the beaches and penetrate deeper into France during the battle.

The Enormous UndertakingBy May it was apparent that difficulties in

assembling landing craft would necessitate a postponement of D-Day that month. Eisenhower laid down an unalterable attack date of June 5, but bad weather in the days leading up to it jeopardized a successful landing, forcing the D-Day invasion back to June 6. A forecasted weather break allowed an armada of 3,000 landing craft, 500 naval vessels, and 2,500

D-Day, the 6th of June 1944The Allied Invasion of Normandy

June 6, 2019, is the 75th anniversary of D-Day,

the battle that was the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

Today it is still commemorated by veterans and survivors of

World War II, but not forgotten by people the world over

who stood to lose their liberty to Nazi domination if not for

the brave troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy that day.

by Kathy Huff Cunningham, Guest Writer


other ships to leave British ports on the morning of June 5, bound for a heavily fortified 50-mile stretch of beach along the Norman coast of France.

Ahead of the naval invasion, 882 British aircraft carried parachutists and towed gliders to the Normandy landing zones and successfully secured bridges and exit roads. (They were only part of the 13,000 Allied aircraft that were directed to support D-Day; the Germans deployed fewer than 400.) Although they ultimately secured their objective, the American 82nd and 101st airborne divisions suffered many deaths by drowning when they dropped into a part of the Cotentin Peninsula that had been deliberately flooded.

Seaborne troops, 156,000 strong, arrived on the beaches around 6:30 a.m. Light opposition was encountered and overcome by the British and Canadians on Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; the same was true for the Americans at Utah Beach. Omaha Beach was a different story. The U.S. 1st Division confronted the German 352nd coast division, which killed hundreds of soldiers wading to shore from the landing craft. However, the ingenuity of the Allied troops led to ways to neutralize or destroy the enemy’s holdings, and eventually the troops got to their inland objective, albeit at a sacrifice of 2,000 men.

Allied SuccessD-Day was the largest amphibious assault force

in the history of the world. The overall favorable outcome of the invasion was aided by many factors: the absence of Rommel, who was home on leave for his wife’s birthday and a meeting with Hitler; Hitler’s unwillingness to release armored divisions for a

counterattack until it was too late, and the scattered deployment of German troops and equipment in small units sent to

ascertain the objective of the overnight parachutists rather than to the beaches.

The divided German forces were the victims of their own superior officers’ confusion and unpreparedness, and the convoluted chain of command. Even when the German high command finally understood the vastness of the amphibious attack and issued sensible orders, the superiority of the Allies’ air support had already taken out key bridges and roads, forcing the Germans to take long detours to the battle and fight advancing Allied troops along the way. Perhaps more remarkably, the Germans had no reinforcements at all, whereas the Allies brought in wave after wave of fighting men.

German resistance continued, but by June 12, the Americans were able to join their British and Canadian counterparts along a secured coastline.

By this time, there were 326,000 troops in France, more than 50,000 vehicles, and more than 100,000 tons of equipment.

The critical port of Cherbourg was seized at the end of June. By that time, the Allies had 850,000 troops and 150,000 vehicles in France. By August, the Germans had been eliminated from all of northern France, and Paris had been liberated. The Allies’ relentless march across France forced the Germans into a defensive posture to protect their homeland, which was also being threatened by Soviet troops advancing from the east. The Battle of D-Day had achieved its objective. D-Day casualties in numbers: The Allied casualty figures for D-Day have generally been estimated at 10,000, including 2,500 dead. Broken down by nationality, the D-Day casualty figures are approximately 2,700 British, 946 Canadians, and 6,603 Americans. (Source: Telegraph in the UK)

Over the three months comprising the Battle of Normandy, begun at D-Day on June 6, more than 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing. This figure includes more than 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead among the ground forces and 16,714 deaths among the Allied air forces. (Source: Telegraph in the UK)

Germany surrendered unconditionally less than a year later, and on May 8, 1945, all of Europe – indeed, nearly the whole world! – celebrated VE Day (Victory in Europe).

June 6, 2019, is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the battle that was the beginning of the end of war in Europe. Today it is still commemorated by veterans and survivors of World War II, but not forgotten by people the world over who stood to lose their liberty to Nazi domination if not for the brave troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy that day.

Sources: The Encyclopedia Brittanica and History.com Photos by Pixbay and Goodfreephotos


Sermon from the USS Albemarle June 1944

A few weeks later, on June 11, 1944, right after D-Day, the same chaplain leads the officers and enlisted men of the Albemarle in worship. The scripture is Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…” And the prayer concludes: “Shelter our homes, O God, and all the loved ones there. Send down Thy peace to every family on earth; and, if it be Thy will, bring us safely home again.”

Trust in God Preached on June 11, 1944 aboard the USS Albemarle

Last week a nation – yes, a whole world – kneeled in prayer. Captains and kings urged their men to battle and their people to prayer. It was D-Day, and people flocked to their places of worship. Church bells rang at 3:30 in the morning; by 4 AM many churches in every town were lighted, and in every church the people prayed. It was a personal prayer – a prayer for a son, a husband, a father, a sweetheart, or a friend. Because things were happening far away, things that were not in our hands; then, as never before, people realized that prayer was a great weapon; that now, as never before, it must be in God that we trust.

IN GOD WE TRUST – FOR OURSELVES AS INDIVIDUALS. We know now that we must trust in God, because if we trust in ourselves and in our own strength, the Lord only knows where we shall wind up. Maybe it does take hard times to make us realize what we should have known all the time – that we are just men in the hand of God. Sometimes, when we look at what we have done and get all puffed up and self-satisfied and complacent, we feel that we are all right and can look out for ourselves. At the Air Station I would see that attitude. But then a plane would come back full of bullet holes with dead and dying men on board. Other planes would go out and never come back. And the attitude changed. Men saw that it wasn’t always skill that could save them; they knew that God’s hand was with them, and God’s hand alone could protect and shield them, that it was in God that they would have to put their trust. In Proverbs, Chapter 3, we are admonished: “My son, forget not my law…Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not on thy understanding. In all ways acknowledge

Him and He will direct thy paths. Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will strengthen thee.” In God we trust for ourselves.

IN GOD WE TRUST FOR THOSE FAR AWAY. We have people far from us. Some are facing danger in battle; others are at home. And when we recognize our helplessness, our own inability to aid and support them as they are in peril and under crises, we know that they are in God’s hand. On this day at sea, we thank God for our homes where our loved ones and our hearts are, and for the family love and peace and cheer which follow us to comfort us in strange and distant places. We are grateful for all the things we shared in common: the lessons that we learned, the hardships and grief we bore, the affection and prayers that still keep our spirits strong. In God we trust for those far away.

IN GOD WE TRUST FOR OUR NATION. We know that our nation and its future are in God’s hand. And so we pray to God for those in authority in our government and those in command of our forces that they may be given wisdom and strength and courage to direct our nation and to lead our men. Someone asked Abraham Lincoln, “Don’t you pray that God is on our side?” Lincoln replied, “ No. I know that God is always on the side of the right. What I am concerned about is that we be on the side of God.” On June 6, 1944, King George VI of England broadcast a quietly spoken speech on the radio: “I declare solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication… We shall not ask that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God.” In God we trust for our nation.

God of our fathers, known of old,Lord of our far flung battle line,Beneath whose awful hand we holdDominion over palm and pine –Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,Lest we forget – lest we forget!

[Editor’s note:] Aiken had many sons serving the United States in that horrific D-Day battle. One served as a naval chaplain. The Rev. John B. McCullough, minister of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, watched over the sheep of his flock aboard the USS Albemarle as they prepared for battle; some died in defending the free world, but many lived to carry on.

Fortunately, Rev. McCullough saved all of his sermons from his naval career, and select ones have been collated by his daughter, retired Aiken teacher and author, Lily Grace McCullough Baumil, into a small volume called Lord, What Shall I Say to Them for Thee? A Collection of Sermons. The following descriptions and sermons are excerpted with

permission from that book for a spiritual glimpse into the legacy of D-Day.

1942 As a member of the clergy, the Rev. John B. McCullough was one of a small and diminishing number of males remaining in the tiny town of Aiken, South Carolina, as World War II progressed. Having graduated from the University of South Carolina and the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Rev. McCullough, by 1942, had just completed his first year as pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, when he entered the U.S. Navy as a chaplain, eventually spending three years in the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters on the seas and on five continents. Throughout his more than 30 years at St. Paul’s, Rev. McCullough alluded frequently and fondly in his sermons to his experiences in the Navy.

The USS Albemarle was commissioned in 1940 and served for 20 proud years, seeing action throughout WWII in both the Europe-Africa-Middle East and the Asiatic-

Pacific Theaters. Her main purpose was to patrol the coasts, conducting anti-submarine watches with her squadrons of seaplanes, which she was capable of bringing onto her fantail for repairs.

May 1944 It is May of 1944. There is heavy Allied bombing

on the European continent in preparation for D-Day, and at sea the 1135 men aboard the USS Albemarle find themselves in enemy waters, often perilously close to and even surrounded by enemy submarines. One can only imagine the heavy and frightened hearts of these sailors as they attend Sunday church services aboard the ship. The young chaplain’s sermon on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1944, is about young men and their visions. The hymns are strong and stirring: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “Jesus Calls Us, O’er the Tumult,” “Faith of our Fathers.” And in the prayer, these words: “O God, on this day at sea, far from home and loved ones, we remember Mother on this her day. It is she who gave us life; it is she who put us on Thy path; it is she who prays without ceasing for our safety.”

JUNE 6, 1944

Reverend John B. McCullough’s Wartime Service as a Naval Chaplain


The tumult and the shouting dies;The captains and the kings depart:Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,An humble and a contrite heart.Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,Lest we forget – lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;On dune and headland sinks the fire:Lo, all our pomp of yesterdayIs one with Nineveh and Tyre!Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,Lest we forget – lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trustIn reeking tube and iron shard,All valiant dust that builds on dust,And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,For frantic boast and foolish word –Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord! — Exerpt from Recessional by Rudyard Kipling, 1897.

(Rudyard Kipling was asked to write a poem for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebration. He said later that this poem, originally published as “The Recessional,” gave him more trouble than anything he ever wrote. It was later set to music, and many know this stirring hymn from having sung it in church.)

Rev. McCullough remained an officer in the US Navy Reserves, and he delighted in attending reunions of the Albemarle and served as the group’s chaplain and publisher of the newsletter. At the last reunion he attended, on May 22, 2000, Chaplain McCullough offered this prayer:

O Almighty God, Who has given us all that we have, to enjoy and to treasure: Today we give to You a thunderous “Thank You” or so many moments to remember and to relive.

It’s been a long time now since the “Able Mable” was our home, our shelter from the stormy seas, our opportunity to serve our country; but still our minds travel back over the years to those rolling weather decks where we strived to keep our footing and to that cavernous hangar deck where we saw our movies; to the bosun’s whistle and to the stern order to “Turn to, Turn to” after lunch; to the penguins in the Galapagos and to those sunken ships in Casablanca; to the golden churches of Bahia and to the lifting docks of the Panama Canal; to the rainy heavens over England and to those sunny beaches of Trinidad; to that familiar voice of the Officer of the Deck and to the taunting, threatening airborne voice of Axis Annie; to the icy waters of Reykjavik and to the coral reefs of the Bikini Atoll. Yes, Lord, those were important days and precious memories, and we thank You for giving them to us.

We are all too aware today that there were among us then those whom we loved for a while and lost, friends whom we shall see no more upon this earth, shipmates who have dropped anchor in a better harbor. Our lives are the richer for having touched and been touched by theirs, and we are grateful.

This month, in many places, there are ceremonies commemorating D-Day, the military operation that turned the tide against the Nazis on June 4, 1944, and in so doing, “saved the world for democracy.” Less than a year later, World War II ended when the Nazis surrendered.

USS Albermarle

Chaplain McCullough at USS Albemarle reunion, Patriots Point,Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Chaplain McCullough


Have you heard that money issues rank as one of the top reasons for divorce? What about the fact that financial matters are one of the main reasons for stress-related problems?

The truth is that most people spend more time planning their vacation each year than they do on financial issues that impact their quality of life for their present and future needs.

As a financial advisor for nearly 30 years, I will be the first to tell you that the meaning and quality of life is about much more than money. We witness wealthy people on the news every day that are miserable and unhappy. However, let’s focus for just a minute on the importance of addressing financial matters.

After attending an investment conference in Houston earlier this year discussing the economy and the outlook for the stock market and related issues, I realized that with all the expertise, research and legal resources we have available for addressing the issues for our clients, there are really six things that our clients want. So, following are the six issues we want to help our clients accomplish.

1. Save Time. Our job is to find out what are the present concerns and long-term desires that our clients have. Then we use our experience and the many sources of expertise we have available to address the right planning for these needs and objectives.

2. Save Money. This is deeper than the initial comment. For many business owners and higher income clients, finding tax-saving strategies and preventing loss with risk management can create significant additional wealth over time. Then, of course, finding the appropriate investment options for short, mid- and long-term savings are vital for the client’s needs.

3. Reduce Stress. Every time I mention this, I hear, “That’s what I want!” We aren’t miracle workers, but when we design and implement the right planning to address present and future planning needs and desires, this results in less stress.

4. Reduce Risks. There is not a year that goes by I don’t see significant loss of assets and emotional damage because people would not take the time to use the advice and experience we could provide to address and implement planning to avoid and/or reduce risks. How many times do we see a person’s life change in a minute because of unexpected events?

Now the good stuff!

5. Have More Fun! When you implement planning and the results are working, life is more fun because we can afford to do the things we want to do.

and...

6. Make Life Easier. We get to choose our pain. A little pain now in taking the time and effort to work together to develop and implement the right planning or a lot of pain later in life because we ignored the importance of planning.

How many successful football teams plan to win on the weekend without the exercise, conditioning and execution of plays during the weeks of practice.

I hope this has been good food for thought and let us know if we can be of help in creating the right plan for you.

Thomas H. Herlong, CLU, ChFC, CLTCFinancial Adviser*The Herlong & Doran Financial Group, LLC424 Calhoun Street, Johnston, SC 29832(B) 803-275-5090 (Fax) 803-275-2714

The Mill, 237 Park Ave., Suite 222, Aiken, SC 29801(B) [email protected]

Change Your Life Story!

by Thomas H. Herlong, CLU, ChFC. CLTC


Everybody knows and loves “The Alley” in the heart of Downtown Aiken. It has become the center of our City, bringing together all generations to dine, mingle, socialize, and unwind. Like a main artery, it flows among the historic bones of our city and moves life and people through its circulation. The “pulse” of this artery is the ADDA (Aiken Downtown Development Association).

ADDA’s Design Committee took part in the planning and discussion of renovating The Alley Proper into The Alley that we all know and love today. A once narrow and dark road has been closed off from cars and opened up to opportunity and community gathering.

Haley Knight was promoted from ADDA’s Administrative Assistant to Executive Director last year. Although it had been several years since the completion of The Alley project, she was passionate about now shifting the Design Committee’s momentum to a project to reflect ADDA’s mission while also pointing out that the committee is continuing to making progress in the revitalization efforts of Aiken’s downtown. This capillary addition to the main artery of our City has become “The Small Alley Project.”

“The Small Alley” is the alley running from alongside Palmetto Package to a junction with The Alley right behind The Aiken Brewing Company. There is increased foot traffic through this alley for several reasons. Teague Parkway, the parkway on the east side of the Morgan Fountain, has new light fixtures that

encourage parking on the south side of Park Avenue; there are several restaurants that line up on The Small Alley where both patrons and employees use the back doors to enter and exit, and there are simply more people in The Alley recognizing that there’s another place to cut through and get to all the excitement! In response, ADDA’s Design Committee has identified it as one of the areas needing a “face lift.”

“ADDA recognizes issues with cleanliness, safety, and appeal of this small alley that flows up to one of the City’s biggest assets. We hope that this project will create peer pressure amongst the restaurants and businesses that line alley to keep it clean,” said Haley.

The project started with the Design Committee’s vision plan that was presented to Design Review Board. It was approved, and a budget was presented to City Council for the improvements to The Small Alley. A budget of $15,000 from Hospitality Tax was granted to start the project. The Design Committee members are Betty Ryberg, Julie Whitesell, Aimee Rusch, Cindy Rudisill, Katy Lipscomb, Ellen Priest, Susan French, Diana Floyd, Christine Harmel, Katherine Slayton, Maggie Sacks, Ryan Bland, and Mary Catherine Lawton.

Elements of the capillary project include public art paintings by local artist Betsy Wilson Mahoney, benches, cigarette butt and trash receptacles, string lighting, privacy screening, and other lighting features that head towards the Brew Pub.

In an article titled “Why Public Art Matters,” Ms. Patricia Walsh stated, “Art in public spaces plays

a distinguishing role in our country’s history and culture. It reflects and reveals our society, enhances meaning in our civic spaces, and adds uniqueness to our communities. Public art humanizes the built environment. It provides an intersection between past, present, and future; between disciplines and ideas. Public art matters because our communities gain cultural, social, and economic value through public art.” These contribute to economic growth and sustainability, attachment and cultural identity, artists as contributors, social cohesion and cultural understanding, and public health and belonging.

Early on a Saturday morning in March, work began when volunteers came to help with the initial cleanup. The volunteers included students from high schools and City Councilwoman Gail Diggs. “Eric Brinkley (ADDA Board Member) has been a huge help in implementing the project. He figured out the lighting situation and came after work to engineer the plan and hang up the string lights. The evening the string lights were installed, an employee from Betsy’s ‘Round the Corner was walking out after her shift and told us how happy she was that we had lights in the small alley now. She now feels safe to park on Park Avenue and walk through the back after her shift. The lighting provides safety and aesthetic ambiance,” said Haley.

The Small Alley project began in April 2019. ADDA projects July 2019 as the completion date. Stay tuned for announcements on the unveiling of the final product and the new Small Alley name this summer.

ADDA Tackles the Renovation of the Small Alley


Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch are both known and unknown. They are two of Aiken’s most prominent attractions, welcoming more than 50,000 visitors this past year. And they are two of Aiken’s best-kept secrets. So how can one of the “prize jewels” of the City of Aiken, as Mayor Rick Osbon speaks of it, be both?

“I’ve heard about it or read about it in the paper,” is a familiar refrain when one asks the neighbors about the Gardens. “I pass it on my way to or out of town, I think. Isn’t it hidden behind the serpentine brick wall there on Whiskey Road?” is another. “Is that the same as Hitchcock Woods?” still another.

Much is happening in Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch, thanks to a long and productive partnership between the City of Aiken and the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch, Inc. But back in l971, Hopelands Gardens almost did not happen at all. In l970, Hope Goddard Iselin passed away and left her 14-acre Winter Colony estate to “the State of South Carolina or a political subdivision,” of which the City of Aiken is one. The Aiken City Council, however, only narrowly voted (4-3) to request that the property be given to the City. In accepting the property, the City of Aiken agreed to two stipulations: 1. Mrs. Iselin’s desire that the property be used for the public purpose of providing a quiet and peaceful haven for citizens and visitors, and 2. One of the estate’s executors’ requests that a private group be formed to assist in the preservation and development of the estate. This private group became The Friends of Hopelands.

A little more than 10 years later in l982, the Robert Goodyear family gave Rye Patch to the City of Aiken. The winter home of Dorothy Knox Goodyear, Rye Patch sits on a 10-acre property that adjoins Hopelands Gardens. With this addition, The Friends of Hopelands added Rye Patch to its name.

Quiet Beauty and Exciting ExhibitsOver the next almost four decades, the City of

Aiken and the Friends have championed the gardens and made extensive renovations to the buildings in the Gardens’ areas. For those wondering about what is behind the serpentine wall, there is much to see on the winding pathways through the gardens. There is the Labyrinth, the Bird and Butterfly Garden, as well as the beautiful 100-year-old live oaks, fountains, reflection pool, and magnolias. The Gardens are free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to sunset.

One important feature of Hopelands is the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. The Museum’s exhibits highlight 40 champion Thoroughbred racehorses that trained at the Aiken Training Track and in Aiken County. There are special hands-on exhibits for children, as well as special rooms that give the history of The Hall of Fame. The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum is open every Tuesday through Friday, 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Like the Museum, the Doll House, a small house that was originally the playhouse of the Iselin children, was renovated by the Friends and the City of Aiken. This house is now home of the Garden Club Council of Aiken and is open to the public on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Recent Renovations and Restorations

The Rye Patch estate has been renovated and updated and is a beautiful site for wedding parties and other celebratory events, when one is seeking a beautiful indoor venue. Built around the turn of 20th century, this beautiful Winter Colony home is where Dorothy Knox Goodyear Rodgers entertained the Duke of Windsor, among other famous guests. The Rye Patch can be rented for special events by contacting the Rye Patch Reception Center at (803) 642-7650.

The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch and the City of Aiken recently completed the restoration of the stables and carriage house on the Rye Patch property. The carriage house now houses the Carriage Museum at Rye Patch. It is open to the public on Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. March through November. The restored Rogers’ stables are home to the Historic Horses of Aiken display and are open to the public during visiting hours of the Gardens.

Celebrating a 48-Year Partnership The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch held

its annual meeting in March, where Mayor Rick Osbon and City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh thanked the Friends for 48 years of productive partnership with the City of Aiken. This year, among its many accomplishments, the Friends celebrated the reopening of the Carriage Museum after renovations were completed, the dedication of the Birds and Butterfly Garden, the addition of the Gardens to the American Camellia Trail, and the refurbishing of the Rose Garden with a lovely wrought iron fence surrounding it.

The Friends’ mission includes “[providing] advice to the City of Aiken and [raising] funds “for the preservation, improvement and use of the properties [to] be enjoyed by Aiken’s residents and visitors.” The mission also states, “Consistent with the donors’ written wishes, Hopelands [is to remain] a quiet, peaceful garden of excellence and Rye Patch [is to] serve as a civic center of suitable dignity.”

Rich Waugh is the President of the Friends; Charlotte Wiedenman is Vice-President; Rob Cunningham, Treasurer; Gail Ebner, Corresponding Secretary; and Lil Borop Brannon, Recording Secretary. New trustees and those continuing for a second three-year term are Janet Harkins, Sue Hayes, Pete Sampson, Sarah Taylor, Sara Wood, and Dan Zaloudek, Claudia Adams, Newkirk Barnes, Catherine Bedenbaugh, Jane Crayton Davis, Jane Hottensen, Jim Kabel, Ed Mann, Peggy Thome, Rich Watson.

It is simple to become a member of the Friends. If you are interested in joining, just send a donation to the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch, P.O. Box 2213, Aiken, SC 29802. The donation amount does not matter. Any amount, large or small, will make you a member. What matters more is your interest and support of the Gardens and Rye Patch. Donations are tax-deductible and checks should be made payable to The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch.

Be sure to visit the Gardens for various events or just to have a nice, quiet, contemplative walk. You will enjoy the serenity and be part of the secret of its success.

Hopelands Gardens is located at 135 Dupree Place. Rye Patch is located at 100 Berrie Road. For more information, call 803-642-7631 or see www.VisitAikenSC.com

Hopelands and Rye Patch: Aiken’s Prize Jewels

Wedding at Rye Patch. Photo courtesy of Ashley Seawell.

by Lil Borop Brannon

Hopelands photos courtesy of the City of Aiken

Hope Goddard Iselin

Many visitors to Hopelands find a quiet bench to enjoy.

The Doll House at Hopelands Gardens.


by Zoom Heaton, RPh., CDE, ABAAHP, CN

Good Sense Medicine

CBD is the rave these days. Everyone is using it and if you haven’t, you’re thinking about it. It is touted to help in a broad spectrum of medical ailments from pain, anxiety, mood disorders, and sleep to seizures, cancer, and autoimmune diseases like Parkinson’s and Crohn’s. Everyone is looking for relief from health ailments, and CBD appears to be the magic bullet. Do not be fooled; there is NO magic bullet! It is a piece in the puzzle of health that can help, but it is not the cure-all for anything and everything that ails you.

What is CBD?CBD, or cannabidiol (Canna-Bi-Diol), is the

non-psychoactive part of the hemp plant. Everyone is familiar with the psychoactive part of the hemp plant that is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC produces the euphoric and psychotropic effects of marijuana. CBD does not cause intoxication. It is the “wellness” part of the hemp plant.

Our bodies, and those of almost all animals, have an endocannabinoid system with hundreds of CB receptors. It is the greatest system that has existed in us from the beginning of time that you’ve never heard about. CBD works in our system promoting homeostasis, or balance, that our bodies long for in order to stay healthy. Most of us do not achieve homeostasis and the body stays in a perpetual state of inflammation, which in turn puts us at risk for disease.

We are sick when our bodies are plagued with inflammatory processes that our immune system is struggling to fight. CBD helps to tame the flames in order for our bodies to begin to heal. This is important in the process of healing and restoration. Unfortunately, CBD does not restore the varying deficiencies that the body may need which could be micronutrients, hormones, antioxidants, or healthy bacteria in the gut to help assist the body to be more functional and stave off disease.

MicronutrientsMost of us don’t think about how micronutrients

really affect our daily functioning and health. But without them, we become debilitated. For example, micronutrients serve as critical components to hormones like the amino acid aspartic acid, serving as a key structural component for thyroid function. Vitamin C has been shown to increase progesterone, the healing hormone in women responsible for mood stabilization, relaxation and sleep. It is also involved in helping men with advancing age not to convert their testosterone over to estrogen by inhibiting the enzyme aromatase.

Folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, and minerals like magnesium and the antioxidant glutathione all play a role in detoxifying dangerous estrogen metabolites and converting them into less toxic substances that are more easily eliminated from the body, decreasing our risk for certain cancers like breast, uterine, ovary, and prostate.

Micronutrients are also essential in energy production within the mitochondria (our cellular engine). Many of the B vitamins, magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, and L-Carnitine are all co-factors involved in this energy production. Deficiencies of any of these micronutrients will inhibit energy production, contributing to cellular dysfunction of the liver, inhibiting detoxification processes and

heart contraction ability, reducing oxygenated blood throughout the body. These are just a few examples of how micronutrients support the body and contribute to proper body functioning and good health.

Factors such as advancing age, certain health conditions, environmental toxins, prescription medications, and other factors can affect the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients in your food properly. Soil quality, storage time, and processing can all adversely affect nutrient levels in food. Given the vital work that micronutrients perform in the body, it is critical to know if your body has a sufficient supply. If you have symptoms like pain, insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, blood sugar irregularities, constipation/diarrhea, allergies, high blood pressure and other heart related issues, and any other symptoms that may be affecting your daily functioning, it is worth testing and finding out that piece of the puzzle that’s preventing you from your best health.

Unfortunately, CBD cannot reverse these deficiencies or fill your body up with these vital nutrients responsible for normal functioning.

Hormone Deficiency and Imbalance

As we age, we enter phases of hormone deficiency and imbalance. In women, perimenopause and menopause are phases of erratic hormone changes and deficiencies which can bring on many annoying and debilitating symptoms disruptive to normal life. Furthermore, hormone deficiency becomes drastic in menopause. Without proper hormones on board, the aging process speeds up and we are at greater risk for disease. CBD cannot supplement you with vital hormones needed for good brain functioning, heart and bone health, vaginal and urinary health, and many other benefits that only hormones can supply.

Men need testosterone for strength, stamina, good heart health, sexual vitality, memory, mood stabilization, and bone health, to name a few of the benefits. Unfortunately, with age, stress, poor diet and prescription drugs, men lose this vital hormone responsible for quality of life and protection against age-related diseases. CBD cannot supplement testosterone or any other hormone. It does help the body to calm and it tames inflammation so the body doesn’t become even more depleted of these vital hormones as the body struggles to reach a state of balance.

ProbioticsThe human gut contains 10 times more bacteria

than all other human cells in the entire body, with more than 400 diverse bacterial species. Probiotics are bacteria that line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. Between 70 and 80 percent of our immune system is located in our digestive tract.

A large percent of our health is dependent on a healthy gut. In addition, our digestive systems are the second largest part of our neurological system. This is the enteric nervous system, and it is located in the gut. The reason our gut is called our “second brain” is

largely because it is responsible for making 95 percent of the serotonin, the “feel good” neurotransmitter that has a significant impact on brain function and mood.

Digestive problems wreak havoc in the entire body, leading to other health conditions like allergies, arthritis, dementia, acne, and other skin disorders, mood disturbances, autism, autoimmune disease, thyroid imbalances, chronic fatigue, cancer, and more. The health of our gut determines which nutrients are absorbed and which toxins, allergens, and microbes are kept out.

Probiotics promote good digestive health. They also provide protection against inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In addition, studies suggest that probiotics are effective against several forms of diarrhea including antibiotic-associated diarrhea, acute diarrhea, and traveler’s diarrhea. Studies have also shown that probiotics have a wide array of benefits; they regulate hormones, reduce inflammation, maintain beautiful skin, produce vitamins B-12 and K2, create enzymes that destroy harmful bacteria, and stimulate the secretion of IgA and regulatory T-cells which support our immune system.

CBD does not provide us with the necessary gut bacteria needed for all health benefits listed above.

TestingThere are tests available to find out your nutrient

or hormone status. We tend to guess and try different recommended products for what we perceive to be our ailments. This could lead to trouble if dosages are too much or we’re taking the wrong thing. Micronutrient testing can help solve this unique symptoms puzzle and show your actual deficiencies which are usually linked to a debilitating symptom or myriad of symptoms.

Hormone testing using saliva, urine, or blood is also available. The type of hormone testing used is dependent on your specific symptoms and your health circumstance. Salivary testing shows your bioavailable hormones (hormones available to your organs and tissues) on a cellular level; urine testing helps to show how well you’re breaking down your hormones and which metabolites are harmful; blood or serum testing shows the amount of free or total hormones circulating in the bloodstream that are not in your cells.

It is important to note that finding out your nutrient or hormone levels sooner versus later can help to identify your deficiencies or imbalances early to get a jump start on managing your symptoms and stave off disease.

When CBD Is Not

Enough


Zoom Heaton is the owner of TLC Medical Centre Inc., an Independent Community Pharmacy and Medical Equipment facility located at 190 Crepe Myrtle Drive off Silver Bluff Road. A pharmacist, she is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She is a Certified Diabetes Educator and is certified in Immunization; she is also the chief compounding pharmacist at Custom Prescription Compounders, LLC, inside TLC Medical Centre, Inc.,

specializing in Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy and Women’s Health. Call 803.648.7800 or visit nooneshoerx.com for more information.

ConclusionCBD can play a very important part in helping

our bodies work toward homeostasis. Because inflammation appears to be the root of all disease, CBD with its anti-inflammatory properties can play a role in our health and healing. However, our body runs on fuel (micronutrients, hormones, probiotics, etc.) and CBD is a fuel additive, not the pure fuel that we need to keep us running more effectively and efficiently. Get tested to see what key ingredients your body is missing in order to fuel up the right way for a more healthy body and better quality of life.

If you have questions about CBD and how to use CBD in conjunction with your medication, or want to learn how to wean off your opioid medications, please contact us and speak to one of our trained pharmacists. TLC Medical also provides micronutrient, hormone, adrenal, and neurotransmitter testing to help you put the pieces of your health puzzle together for a more healthy body and a brighter outlook on life. Please call and make an appointment with our board certified integrative functional pharmacist to help you to achieve your health goals.

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by Betts Hunter Gatewood

Betts Hunter Gatewood is a National Board Certified school counselor with 28 years’ experience in elementary and middle school counseling. She holds an EdS degree from USC and has authored or co-authored four books on school counseling strategies and activities. She and her husband are the proud parents of three adult children and have four granddaughters and a grandson.

I heard a phrase recently that made me think about the challenge and responsibility of being a parent: ”You are the creator of your child’s childhood.”

What an awesome responsibility! I share this with you not to scare you or pressure you, but to encourage you to think about how you and your family spend your time, energy, and money during these precious years you have together. There are now so many options for activities, lessons, entertainment, etc., certainly more than when I was a child. If we do not make conscious decisions about how we spend our time, money, and energy, we may wind up with a serious case of the “If only’s … ” – not where we want to be when we become empty nesters.

As summer approaches and the time we have with our children increases, here are some guidelines to put into place as we think about time, energy, and money.

1. Time. We all wonder where it goes. How quickly the years pass and our children grow up and our families change. Many times the special memories and building blocks of healthy families come in the pauses in our daily and weekly lives. Every one of us has the same amount of time, so how do some families manage to do so much more with their 24 hours a day than others? It’s all in the priorities, the sharing of the work, the letting go of the small stuff, and making memories out of some of the daily and weekly activities. Routines and traditions are important, and can be the basis of warm and lasting memories as we age together. Some examples might be what you do on birthdays, holidays, summer vacations, Sunday mornings, celebrations for achievements and honors, etc. Take some

time to think about this and discuss it as a family. You will be surprised at how many great ideas your children can contribute!

2. Energy. We all wonder where we can get more! Let’s look at where our energy is going now. Are there ways to lessen some energy drains to increase the activities, people, and commitments that will give us more positive energy? This might mean we have to let go some of our perfectionist tendencies, unrealistic expectations on elaborate meals, parties, and so on, but remember we are creating our child’s childhood!

3. Money. The root of all evil? Maybe, but it does not have to be. For our money to be a source of joy to us and our families, we must think about how we make it, how we spend it, and how we share it with others. We can have a healthy discussion with our children on the importance of money in our society and, depending on their ages, introduce them to the temptations it also makes available, as well as the importance of knowing how to use our family’s money to support our values and beliefs.

A Closing ThoughtNever forget the power and comfort of a support

group to help you think about and act on ways to create the childhood you want your children to have. Such groups help you refocus when you are confused; provide creative ideas other families have tried that work for them; and reenergize you for the daily challenge and joys of raising children. Such groups

may be available at your church or place of worship, your child’s school, your neighborhood group, or you can start one yourself.

You are not alone in your more difficult and frustrating days; you are not the only parent who has occasional angry outbursts when you lose your patience; your child is not the first nor will he be the last to erupt in an embarrassing temper tantrum in the grocery aisle. No matter what the Facebook page shows, no family is without its difficult times and conflicts, so take a deep breath, say a prayer or calming affirmation, connect with other parents, and enjoy those children!

Creating A Good Childhood

For Your Kids


by Ginger Hudock, NC, CGP, CBNP

Ginger Hudock is a holistic nutrition consultant in Aiken, SC. Her business, Nutrition with Ginger, helps clients discover the power of personalized, whole foods nutrition to prevent and heal from many chronic health concerns, especially food allergies and sensitivities. She is a graduate of the Nutrition Con-sultant Program at Hawthorn University and is also a Certified Gluten Practitioner. To sign up for nutrition consultation sessions or her newsletter and blog where she gives more nutrition news and recipes, visit Ginger’s website at www.NutritionwithGinger.net, or call 803-640-4381.

Frank Davis In The MorningTony B In The Afternoon

...and Carolina Beach Music All Weekend Long!

For the healthiest life, the amount of inflammatory foods that are consumed should be minimized. Conversely, intake of anti-inflammatory foods should be increased. This is easier said than done in our American society today.

In my April Bella article, I discussed a number of foods that are either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. Several people commented that they appreciated the information in that article, but were unsure how to make the needed changes. To help in a more concrete way, I have compiled eight tips for you to adopt.

Tip 1: Eliminate sugar sweetened beverages

On average, according to the Centers for Disease Control, Americans consume 148 calories per day in sugar sweetened beverages. This is the largest source of added sugar in the diet. Eliminating all sugar sweetened drinks should reduce sugar intake substantially. Drink water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or plain sparkling water. If you like your coffee and tea sweet, then add a small amount of stevia. Stevia is the only non-caloric sweetener that I recommend. I often have sparkling water with fresh lemon. This drink is similar to soda without the calories or chemicals.

Tip 2: Make homemade salad dressings.

Commercial salad dressings are almost all made with soybean oil, which is a highly processed, inflammatory, GMO food. Homemade salad dressing, including extra-virgin olive oil and a good vinegar, can be assembled in only a few minutes. If you eat salads frequently, this will increase your intake of a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat with many beneficial nutrients.

Tip 3: Use alternative flours and breads.

If you can eat wheat, then I recommend breads such as Dave’s Killer Bread or Ezekiel Bread. They are both organic and have greater amounts of fiber and protein than white bread. Also try alternative flours such as almond or coconut flours. Since I am gluten-sensitive, I have been using these for years. They have a significantly lower glycemic load than white flour, as well as lots of protein and fiber.

Tip 4: Purchase processed foods with no more than five ingredients.

Most people will not entirely eliminate processed foods, but label reading can help identify better choices. Purchase only foods that have five or fewer recognizable, non-chemical ingredients. Some examples of good choices are packaged rice, canned tuna or salmon in water, frozen vegetables with only salt added, and frozen fruits. If you choose to purchase organic brands, this will further reduce your chemical intake and help both your health and the environment.

Tip 5: Avoid processed meats.Just say no to bacon, ham, sausage and lunch

meats. Choose fresh meats or fish instead, or have a vegetarian meal. I had to do this when I found that I was allergic to pork. Since then I have learned about the correlation between high processed meat intake and certain cancers, as well as heart disease.

Tip 6: Increase your intake of foods with omega-3 fats.

Most Americans do not eat enough of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. You could take a fish oil supplement, but it is better to obtain these fats from whole foods. One way to do this is to eat salmon,

sardines or tuna on a weekly basis. Grass-fed beef and omega-3 eggs are also good sources of omega-3 fats. Walnuts, flax, chia, and hemp seeds all contain high amounts of the omega-3 fat ALA. Try to have a serving of one of these on a daily basis.

Tip 7: Increase fiber with beans and nuts.

On average, Americans are eating only one-third of the dietary recommendation for fiber, which is from 25 to 35 grams daily. A serving of beans has from 11 to 15 grams in just one cup. Try to add beans to your diet several times each week; ideally on a daily basis. Nuts are a great snack and also are filled with fiber, healthy fat and many micronutrients. I have a serving a day as a snack. Make sure to eat only raw or dry-roasted nuts to avoid the unhealthy vegetable oils in oil-roasted nuts.

Tip 8: Eat a large salad daily.The lowest rate of cancer is shown in those who

eat five or more servings of vegetables on a daily basis. One easy way to reach this goal is to eat a large salad as your main entrée for either lunch or dinner. I have a salad topped with a protein (often sardines), hemp seeds and homemade dressing almost every day for lunch. This salad gives me about three servings of vegetables and a large amount of fiber all at once.

Why not try one or more of these tips today? Once you have implemented all eight, you will be well on your way to an anti-inflammatory diet.

Carrot Cake Energy Balls

2 large or 3 small carrots1 cup pitted dates1 ¼ cup pecans or walnuts1 teaspoon vanilla2 teaspoons cinnamon¼ teaspoon sea salt1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)¼ teaspoon ginger (optional)½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Peel the carrots and roughly slice into a food processor. With the food processor chopping blade, process the dates and carrots until they are in fine pieces. Add the nuts and process again until it becomes a relatively smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well blended. Form balls with 1-inch melon baller (or by hand). Refrigerate 30 minutes to firm. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Makes about 24 balls.

[Adapted from Mark Hyman, M.D. website.]

Eight Tipsfor Eating an Anti-Inflammatory Diet


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Aiken Artist Guild Member ShowAiken Center for the Arts

122 Laurens St. SWMay 9, 2019

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May 18, 2019

Aiken Memorial Day ParadeAiken Visitors Center & Train Museum

406 Park Avenue SEMay 25, 2019

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Brooks Brown and Ladonna Armstrong

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Aiken Memorial Day Parade

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Photos by Tad Jones


5th Annual Hops n’ HogsHosted by the ADDA

Downtown AikenMay 17, 2019

Suzanne Jackson, Ladonna Armstrong, and Catherine Gouge

Ladonna Armstrong and Bekah Muir

Mileni Maisonet and Gabriel A. Serra

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Chef Belinda Just Peachy Book Signing

Aiken Center for the Arts122 Laurens St. SW

May 9, 2019

Kiwanis ClubAnnual Tricycle Race

H. Odell Weeks Center1700 Whiskey Road

May 4, 2019

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Kiwanis Tricycle Race

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