Crystal McDowell of Greenbrier High School has been named the 2023-24 Columbia County School District Teacher of the Year. She teaches biology and anatomy to students in grades nine through 12.
Her winnings include the opportunity to drive a 2023 BMW X1 on a one-year lease that is donated by Taylor BMW at no cost to the teacher.
In addition, ACHS Insurance donates insurance coverage at no cost and Affordable Auto Insurance donates a $1,000 gas voucher.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, high-goal, professional polo is returning to the Aiken area with the AFM Give Me Wings Polo Match. Featuring a $30,000 prize, the match begins at 3 p.m. Saturday, October 21 at La Bourgogne Club de Polo in Wagener, South Carolina.
Individual tickets will offer food for purchase from upscale food trucks, beer and wine and access to the pavilion lawn.
Pavilion tables for eight people include a buffet lunch provided by The Willcox, an open bar and access to the pavilion before and after the match.
Field side tailgate boxes will have space for six people and one car. These spectators can bring their own tailgate or order a picnic lunch.
Proceeds will benefit the AFM Give Me Wings Foundation, which was founded in memory of Anthony Francois Meunier after he passed away last year at age 22 in a single-car accident. The foundation supports families who have lost a child with in-person grief therapy services and offers clinics for young motorists to learn how to navigate out of dangerous driving situations.
The clinics will be conducted by two of the most accomplished racing drivers in the world, Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud and former F1 driver Sébastien Bourdais.
For more information, visit afmgivemewings.com.
As we carve our way into shorter days and longer sleeves, the smells and thrills of October officially kick off the holiday-packed B-side of the year.
Pumpkin madness is in full tilt, and the candy stash and monster mash are slowly building a creepy sweet crescendo. Sights and sounds are all the rage this time of year, and when the night of tricks and treats arrive, ambience is the black cat’s pajamas.
Thanks to the California sound of the 1964 cult-classic TV theme of The Munsters, retro twanging guitar riffs have become synonymous with setting the tone for creepy-crawly shindigs and front porch foolery.
, the mystifying Russian rock duo, has been delivering vintage vibes since the mid-90s with a thrilling and chilling musical ride through the eerie and eccentric world of retro surf-rock.
Their latest album, Visiting the Skeleton in the Closet, immediately opens a creaky door to a mysterious realm where surf guitars collide with B-movie soundscapes and horror film samples.
With catchy melodies, driving rhythm and quirky, radioactive licks, it is a hauntingly beautiful homage to the old while crafting a killer vibe entirely their own.
Chups weaves a web of intrigue through every track as they mash up a mad-laboratory concoction of vintage, surf, garage and psychedelic rock into a kaleidoscope that blasts a bite-sized phonic howl of a time.
For a ghoulish thrill ride of surf rock that delivers a delicious and electrifying journey through the weird and wonderful world of surf, skeletons and spooky surprises, Messer Chups delivers the full-sized candy bar of tasty tunes. Direct side effects do not include cavities, stomach aches or sugar rushes. Spin at your own risk.
– Chris Rucker
Photos courtesy Griffin + Spalding Business and Tourism Association
The Wild, Wild West is headed east to Griffin, Georgia for the annual Doc Holliday Festival.
Although the infamous dentist-turned-gunslinger made his name at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, he was born in the town that’s about 40 miles south of Atlanta.
The Festival
Food and beverages, arts and crafts vendors and family activities are the backdrop for this festival. However, one of the highlights is the reenactment of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral in which Aces and Eights will perform three 30-minute shows for history enthusiasts and fans of the Wild West.
Evening entertainment will feature a performance by Mainstream Band Ga.
Another major draw of the weekend is the BBQ Competition, which is organized by the Georgia Barbecue Association and expected to have about 30 professional teams participating.
The barbecue teams will be set up in the ballfield inside Griffin City Park, and the general public will have the opportunity to purchase a sampler platter from 12 of the teams, known as the People’s Choice. Not only will guests get to enjoy delicious barbecue, but they will also have the chance to vote for their favorite team, with a trophy awarded to the winner.
Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs, although some bleacher seating will be provided in the park.
The Legend
John Henry “Doc” Holliday was born in 1851 to Henry Burroughs Holliday, a doctor, veteran and public servant, and Alice Jane (McKey) Holliday. In 1864 the family moved from Griffin to Valdosta to escape Sherman’s March to the Sea. Two years later, Holliday’s mother, who doted on the son who was born with a cleft palate, died of consumption, or tuberculosis, when he was 15 years old.
After graduating from Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872, Holliday returned to Griffin to establish a dental practice that earned him the nickname, “Doc.” Shortly after he began his career, however, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Given just months to live, Holliday followed the advice of a physician who told him to go west where the dry air might prolong his life.
He moved to Dallas and set up another dentistry practice in 1873 during the waning days of the American frontier. As dentists who were prone to fits of coughing up blood weren’t in high demand, however, Holliday had to find another way to make a living. He turned to gambling and quickly developed a reputation as a gambler with a temper – and a gun.
After a saloon altercation led to a shooting, Holliday was charged with attempted murder. The jury called it self-defense, but he left Dallas for rougher towns in West Texas and beyond.
In 1877, Holliday arrived in Fort Griffin, Texas, where he met rogue lawman Wyatt Earp. Although details surrounding their meeting vary, the two men became the most feared duo in the Wild West.
Holliday followed Earp from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas, and eventually to Tombstone, Arizona, where they burnished their infamous reputations at a street fight near the O.K. Corral in 1881. Thirty shots were fired in a 30-second shootout that left three “cowboys” dead.
While Holliday supposedly killed scores of people during his short lifetime, most of the accounts cannot be verified.
Hoping its hot springs would improve his health, he moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in May 1887, but he died of tuberculosis six months later at age 36. On his deathbed, Holliday took a shot of whiskey, looked down at his bare feet and said, “That’s funny” because he always thought he would die with his boots on.
The Gravesite
While there’s no dispute about Holliday’s death, his final resting place is open to debate.
Apparently, he originally was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Glenwood Springs, but the interment could have been temporary because an early winter made it hard to reach his assigned plot. Instead, he was buried elsewhere on the grounds. There is a fenced-in “grave” in the cemetery, along with a headstone, and a marker reads, “This memorial dedicated to Doc Holliday who is buried someplace in this cemetery.”
His hometown claims that Holliday and his father are buried side by side in unmarked graves in Griffin’s Oak Hill Cemetery. The conjecture goes that, since Holliday was the only son of a prominent Southern family, his relatives quickly and quietly made arrangements to bring his body back to Georgia. Because of his reputation and growing fame as a Wild West folk hero, his family left his grave unmarked so it would not be disturbed.
A marked grave of his father also has never been located even though he was a wealthy landowner and one-time mayor of Valdosta. Headstones for the rest of the family can be found, lending credence to the theory that Doc and his dad are spending eternity together in anonymity.
There is a historical marker of twin graves at Oak Hill at burial plot 11, but it, too, is clouded in uncertainty by posing the unanswerable question – “Doc” Holliday Final Resting Place?
If You Go:
What: Doc Holliday Festival and BBQ Competition
When: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday, September 9
Where: Griffin City Park
How Much: Free admission
More Info: dochollidayfest.com
As the brutal sun tips its sweat-drenched hat to another Southern summer, autumn’s oak and acorn aromas are brewing an olfactory overload of new sensations.
Music has a way of stirring sensory seasonal recollections, and 40 years ago, R.E.M., a fledgling band from Athens broke the mold, defined a genre and broadcasted a new sensation in popular music with its album, Murmur.
According to lore, R.E.M. was born with a fateful encounter at the local record store along with recruiting mutual UGA friends and acquaintances from distant hometowns to fuel the void of college boredom. After playing a gig for a friend’s birthday party, the rest is rock ’n’ roll history.
R.E.M.’s official full-length debut, Murmur, is still considered one the greatest records of all time with its obscure jangle-pop Americana vibe and non-conventional approach to mixing.
Stemming from a rebellious departure from the late ’70s mainstream, it defied the odds and trenched an underground genre of music coined “college rock,” which years later became “alternative rock.”
Their mashup of influences ranged from The Velvet Underground and Pattie Smith to Hank Williams Sr. and The Banana Splits.
Every track on Murmur has a distinct flavor that connects a warmly familiar vibe to time, place, season and sensory memory. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of this iconic album, it’s still the perfect soundtrack for autumn’s holler.
Chris Rucker
As the final act of summer’s seasonal sweat soiree begins, the air is thick with the revving engines of returning routine and grind. Smells of new backpacks start filling the air, and the soundtrack of life transitions from beach mix-tapes into backyard sultry sounds.
The latest release by the Dave Matthews Band, Walk Around the Moon, is the perfect mist pump of evening tunes to drip us into August. With signature layers of mellow grooves and punchy hooks, the album is steeped in a classic DMB vibe with some welcomed departures of sound and attitude.
For diehard fans, this album will fly perfectly under the radar of commercial fanfare into a cult classic. For those discovering DMB for the first time, it’s a glimpse of what it felt like in the early ’90s to stumble onto Matthews’ genius ensemble of riffs, picks, brass and poetry.
There are many highlights, but the chords of pure awesome can be plucked from the weightless bounce of “Monsters” and soul-fire of “After Everything” to the neck-popping groove of “The Only Thing” and raw funk of the album’s title track.
Dave Matthews has a knack for connecting galactic-sized arrangements with raw, relatable charm, all launched in a capsule of atmospheric awesome. Take a walk around the moon, shall you?
– Chris Rucker
Whether you are a serious water warrior or a laid-back recreational paddler, bring your thirst for fun to the inaugural Serene 18 Paddle Race on Saturday, August 26.
While called a race, it’s really all about community camaraderie, enjoying nature and raising finds to benefit the animals of Stallings Island.
The race will begin at Betty’s Branch at Riverside Park, and the route will follow the six-mile loop around Germany Island. It will be the first in a series of Serene 18 Paddle Races.
The event also will include lunch, prizes and a meet-and-greet with intrepid “oar-acles,” Redford and Benny, aka the master guides of the Serene 18 Paddle Trail.
For more information, check out visitcolumbiacountyga.com or the Serene 18 Facebook page.
A gift from Harlem business owner Alvin Harris and his wife, Yvette, will pave the way for a new sports training center for student-athletes at Augusta University.
The Alvin and Yvette Harris Performance Center will be constructed in the upper mezzanine on the south side of Christenberry Fieldhouse.
It will replace the current weight room and other training areas the university has outgrown and serve as a hub for all student-athletes – basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, golf, track and field, cross country, tennis and cheer.
Outdoor fun is afoot on a collection of Columbia County trails.
Columbia County has always been a great place to enjoy outdoor recreation, but now it’s even better with the launch of the Bombasin Land Trail.
The Bombasin is a collection of eight land trails on the sub-basins of the Savannah River, and the scenic routes are ideal for biking, hiking, walking or running. They include:
Bartram Trail
Level: All
Length: 22.5 miles
Activities: Backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, running, walking, camping
Lake Springs Loop
Level: Beginner
Length: 3 miles
Activities: Camping, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, running, walking
Keg Creek Loop
Level: Advanced
Length: 9 miles
Activities: Hiking, mountain biking, running, walking
Rock Dam Trail
Level: Advanced
Length: 6.25 miles
Activities: Hiking, mountain biking, running, walking
Blanchard Woods Cross Country Trail
Level: All
Length: 2.8 miles
Activities: Biking, hiking, mountain biking, running, walking
Augusta Canal Tow Path
Level: All
Length: 7.85 miles
Activities: Biking, fishing, mountain biking, walking
Euchee Creek Greenway
Level: All
Length: 8 miles
Activities: Biking, hiking, running, walking
Evans To Locks Multi-Use Trail
Level: All
Length: 6 miles
Activities: Biking, walking, wheelchair accessible
Like the Serene18 Paddle Trail, this land trail system, which offers views ranging from scenic forests to urban landscapes, was developed to attract visitors to Columbia County. Of course, the trails are great for residents, too, whether they’re looking for solitude or family time.
For more information or a free guide, visit BombasinTrail.com.
The Columbia County Racquet Center, formerly Petersburg Racquet Club, has opened for play in Martinez.
No reservations are required to use the hard tennis courts, but reservations are required for clay courts. To make a reservation, call (706) 860-9288 or visit the office. Hours are 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily.
Construction of new pickleball courts on the former site of the swimming pool will begin this year, and they should be completed by early 2024. The Board of Commissioners also will set a fee schedule for the facility.
Augusta Sports Council is seeking volunteers for the USA Cycling Masters & Para Road National Championships that will be held August 22-27.
More than 300 volunteers will be needed during the week for event set-up and breakdown, registration, athlete hydration, course marshals and more.
This year’s event is expected to attract 600 to 800 athletes competing for national championships in road and individual time trials on Fort Gordon August 23-26 and the criterium in downtown Augusta on August 27.
For more information, visit greateraugustasportscouncil.volunteerlocal.com.
In the season of mixtapes and go-to road trip playlists, a new album to throw on the summer fire is Vulfnik by Vulfmon.
As the swirl of summertime is in full effect and the sun is in full-on-blaze mode, multi-instrumentalist Jack Stratton, aka Vulfmon — lead blastermind of the acclaimed quartet Vulfpeck — cannonball splashes his genius into a lush pool of pop-funk and catchy hooks that drench the ears and refresh the soul.
With a signature blend of eclectic vibes and gravelly vocals, this 10-track ear-hydration station of funky, quirky and infectious grooves churns out a sonic slushy of flavorful genius just in time for the boiling point of the season.
Catchy tunes like TikTok-ready “I Can’t Party,” soul-shining “Lord Will Make a Way,” Emo funk-fused “Nice To You” and yip-jumpy “Bonnie Wait” are right on-brand for Stratton, and, much anticipated by Vulfpeck fans, are being released successively, one week at a time via the Vulf substack.
As this summer cranks out the heat, crank up Vulfnik to volume 11 and keep it cooler than cool.
– Chris Rucker
Augusta Sailing Club is hosting the Y Flyer Nationals at Clarks Hills Lake Monday, June 12 through Friday, June 16.
The Junior National Championships are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and adults will compete in the Senior National Championships on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
This is the first time in 45 years the club has hosted the regatta, and about 50 to 80 sailboats are expected to compete.
If you take the heat of local summer and combine it with two parts fresh-cut grass and a dusty dirt road, add a dash of sweet tea and a dab of hot sauce, you’ll have the latest sonic recipe of Wait Til I Get Over by Durand Jones.
Growing up in Louisiana, Jones has a deep pocketful of backroad, gritty, raw and beautiful experiences that he has crafted into a lush, retro soundscape of bluesy-rock, gospel and classic Southern soul.
Stemming from his sources of influence and inspiration, his debut solo album has an extremely familiar sound paired with random flashes of new territory that sew each track into a tapestry of epic Americana. Jones describes the vibe as “magnolias on a summer day” because of the sweetness and mustiness that waft through the entire album.
It’s difficult to pinpoint or showcase a specific song as each selection naturally fits before or after the other, much like a well-worn path around the neighborhood pond. Need a bowl of ice-box-fan-breeze-fresh music? Your dreams have just come true.
– Chris Rucker
There’s something about water in general – and the Serene18 in particular – that soothes the soul. The Serene18 covers 18 square miles on five local waterway trails where paddlers can leisurely while away a few hours in a kayak or canoe. Just don’t forget to enjoy the beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife along the way. The trails include:
Clarks Hill Lake
Level: Novice – intermediate
Length: 6 miles
Travel Time: 4 – 6 hours
Dam Route
Level: Novice
Length: 7 miles
Travel Time: 2.5 – 4 hours
Stallings Island
Level: Intermediate
Length: 2.7 miles
Travel Time: 2 hours
Betty’s Branch
Level: Novice
Length: Short route – 4 miles; long route – 6 miles
Travel Time: Short route – 2 hours; long route – 3.5 hours
Augusta Canal
Level: Novice
Length: 7 miles
Travel Time: 2.5 hours
Paddlers can get a free passport, and once they complete a trail, they can get their passports stamped to commemorate their trip. Passports and stamps are available at Keg Creek Water Sports at Wildwood Park, Cole Watkins Kayak Tours, Outdoor Augusta at Riverside Park, Savannah Rapids Kayak Rental and Columbia County Visitors Center. Anyone who gets all five stamps can take their passport to the Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau for a free T-shirt.
For more information, go to visitcolumbiacountyga.com/serene18-paddle-trail.
