Author Archives: Kristy Johnson

Snow Job

LIFE + STYLE

Forget about last year’s ice storm. It can be fun to play in the snow. So, grab your mittens and head to Evans Towne Center Park on January 17 to create wintertime memories at the third annual Columbia County Snowfest.

This year’s event will include three snow-tubing slides – two King of the Hill slides and a new Junior Snow slide. However, snow bunnies aren’t the only ones who can enjoy the festivities. Additional entertainment will include carnival rides, live music, arts and crafts, kid zone with inflatables, concessions and more.

If You Go:
What: Columbia County Snowfest
When: Noon – 5 p.m. Saturday, January 17
Where: Evans Towne Center Park
How Much: $10 per person; $30 family four pack; free for children ages 2 and under
More Info: (706) 854-8636 or columbiacountysnowfest.com

Making and breaking New Year’s resolutions

Southern Hospitality

Last year Russell made it four days into his New Year’s resolution. So what if I made it for him — or, strongly suggested it. (My own New Year’s resolution was a really simple one: just try, once again, to keep my resolutions from the year before, because they’re always the same and I never keep them — get organized, lose weight, eat healthy, be a better person, yada, yada).

He had been getting on my nerves with all of his pessimism in 2013, so I said, “Russell, I have an idea for your New Year’s resolution. My mother always said if you can’t say something positive, then don’t say anything at all.” He answered with, “Sure is going to be a quiet year.” This struck me as funny as all get out.

At first I thought there was no way he could possibly keep that promise. But every time he started to complain, whine or lament, he corrected himself.

If he said something negative, he turned it into a positive. “Daggone, I won’t get to play golf Saturday. It’s going to be freezing. But, at least I get to sleep in.” Good point — but, really? Did he say that?

The next day he said, “The light in my car says ‘Check engine.’ That’s OK, I always enjoy chatting with Randy at the auto shop.” I thought I was hearing things.

I was starting to get worried. This was not my husband. It couldn’t be. Resolution or not, he’d never acted this way continuously — cheerful, positive, hopeful — in all the years of our marriage. But on the fourth day, it did get old and he cracked.

As you know, the humongous post-Christmas sales were just fabulous. If I had one e-mail that said 75 percent off, I had two dozen. The newspapers were stuffed with sales inserts and the TV was blaring 24/7 with other sales. One place even had 90 percent off.

Well, there’s only one thing I like better than a good shoe sale and that’s a good post-Christmas sale, so I went a little bonkers and bought lots of good stuff. I mean, when you see $15 red candles for $3 that are only one aisle over from the almost-identical Valentine red candles, brand new, at $15 or more, it’s hard not to go a little bonkers.

But the candles, potpourri, soap, notepads and ornaments aren’t what spun Russell into a nosedive with a “no-way-on-this-positive-thing-another-minute” downward spiral. It was the gorgeous wreath that I found, marked down from $39.95 to $11 (including tax) that I thought I’d hidden in the trunk, but he found.

Still, it was gorgeous. Lush green, silky, totally realistic-looking with huge red shiny apples and tightly formed, perfect pinecones. And I didn’t own one even close to that magnificent. Plus, at $11 it wasn’t going to break the bank.

But it wasn’t the money that bugged him. It was more of a space issue. Remember one of my perpetual resolutions — to get organized? OK, now you see the problem.

So this year we’ve made a pact: I’m stuck with Russell’s negativity and he’s stuck with my wreath collection (nine or 10, but who’s counting?) and my sales shopping. Our joint New Year’s resolution is to simply live and let live.

As soon as he recovers from my after-Christmas shopping this year and starts speaking to me again, I’m going to tell him.

– Ann Ipock 
Author of Life is Short, But It’s Wide; Life is Short, So Read This Fast; and Life is Short, I wish I Was Taller

It’s Chili Outside

LIFE + STYLE

Anything goes in the fourth annual Chilly Chili Cook-Off sponsored by Champions Made From Adversity this year. Contestants, who can compete as individuals or as businesses, are free to throw in everything but the kitchen sink when they compete for prizes in the chili contest. Contestants also can win people’s choice awards and showmanship prizes for the best-decorated booths.

This year competitors also can enter their favorite recipes in two new categories – Soups and Stews as well as Cornbread. In addition, local vendors will be on hand to sell goods such as coffee, hot chocolate and desserts.

“We’ll have something for everyone,” says CMFA’s Kelly Garcia.

Patrons can sample chili, soups, stews and cornbread to select the people’s choice winners. They can cast their votes by placing money in a provided jar. Contestants also are encouraged to rally financial support prior to the cook-off or come up with other creative ways to raise funds. Competitors should bring at least 5 gallons of chili, soup or stew and 200 1-inch pieces (about two 13-by-9-inch pans) of cornbread.

Entertainment will include a warrior art exhibition, a wheelchair basketball expo, a free throw contest for adults and children, a performance by Center Stage Dance Academy, raffles and a selfie photo contest.

“We want to raise awareness about disabilities,” Garcia says. “People with disabilities do everything you do. They just have to do it in a different way.”

If You Go:
What: Chilly Chili Cook-off
When: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, January 24
Where: Evans Towne Center Park
How Much: $5; free for children 12 and under
More Info: (706) 364-2422 or cmfa.us

Celebrating Our Heritage

LIFE + STYLE

Known for its dramatic and visually compelling performances of Native American culture, the Kevin Locke Dance Ensemble will visit the area as part of Georgia Regents University’s Lyceum Series this month.

Representing the Lakota, Anishinabe, Comanche, Choctaw, Ojibwe and Oneida nations, this one-of-a-kind ensemble of performers offers a variety of American Indian traditions and aesthetics in dance, instrumentals, song, storytelling, sign language and audience interaction.

Dramatic lighting effects add visual interest, but the dances themselves strictly honor tradition. Educational explanations woven into stories and narratives surround the dances.

Locke (his Lakota name, Tokaheya Inajin, means “The First to Arise”) is known worldwide as a visionary hoop dancer. He also is a preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator.

If You Go:
What: Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January 24
Where: Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre
How Much: $15 reserved seating
More Info: (706) 667-4100 or gru.edu

Family Affair

LIFE + STYLE

The family that plays together stays together. Just ask members of the Annie Moses Band, who have performed together on stages ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Grand Ole Opry.

The Christian family of Juilliard-trained musicians and award-winning songwriters is bringing its distinctive style of folk and classical music to the Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center on February 6. Led by lead singer and violinist Annie Wolaver, the band also includes her six siblings – Alex, viola; Benjamin, cello; Camille, harp/keyboard; Gretchen, violin/mandolin and Jeremiah, guitar/banjo.

Their parents, Bill and Robin Wolaver, compose pieces that weave musical styles into cinematic arrangements while the talented siblings exhibit their Nashville-styled music making.

If You Go:
What: Annie Moses Band
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 6
Where: Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center
How Much: $42 and $47
More Info: (706) 726-0366 or augustaamusements.com

Merry Christmas, My Friend

LIFE + STYLE

On January 8, 1915, the Daily Mirror published a group photo under the headline “An Historic Group.” As the caption states, “Foes became friends on Christmas Day.” (Courtesy raglinen.com)

Peace and goodwill toward men interrupted WWI a century ago.

Myths and legends frequently grow out of the heat of battle, but one seemingly unbelievable event – the Christmas truce of 1914 – actually took place 100 years ago on the battlefields of Flanders during World War I.

The truce began when German soldiers spontaneously started singing carols and lining their trenches with Christmas trees they had received from home and lighted with candles. Curious, but skeptical, Allied troops, who had been bombarded with propaganda depicting Germans as barbarians, joined in the singing.

Following the age-old custom of truces, soldiers from both sides arranged ceasefires and ventured out to No Man’s Land between the trenches to gather and bury their dead. They ultimately began to communicate, sharing photographs and exchanging gifts such as cake, alcohol, postcards and tobacco.

Remarkably, the 1914 Christmas truce of World War I resulted from no official act but started on each battlefront spontaneously and independently.

The ceasefire started in some places on Christmas Eve and in other spots on Christmas Day. In most areas the truce lasted only a day, but along other lines it continued until December 26 or New Year’s Day. The truce covered as much as two-thirds of the British-German front while French and Belgians were involved as well.

The desire to acknowledge the holiday has been attributed to several theories. At that time the war was less than six months old, and animosity between the troops had not yet escalated to the level it would reach later in the war. Soldiers shared a common bond of discomfort in the early trenches that lacked amenities and were prone to flooding. And other than the newly dug trenches, the surrounding landscape of fields and villages still appeared relatively normal.

The extraordinary event has inspired theater productions and songs, including Snoopy’s Christmas, the 1967 Royal Guardsmen top hit about Snoopy’s uplifting Christmas encounter with the Red Baron.

The extraordinary event has inspired theater productions and songs, including Snoopy’s Christmas, the 1967 Royal Guardsmen top hit about Snoopy’s uplifting Christmas encounter with the Red Baron. However, a number of misconceptions about the truce also gained traction over time.

One widely held assumption is that only enlisted men took part in the truce, but some officers also participated with varying degrees of support.

According to another misconception, news of the truce was withheld from the general public at home until the war was over. Yet, throughout January 1915, British newspapers printed letter after letter from soldiers who were part of it and ran photos of British and German troops together in No Man’s Land. Germany also publicized the event on a smaller scale for a shorter time.

The truce led others to believe that neither side wished to return to war, but most soldiers were determined to resume the fight and win.

Many of the WWI soldiers involved thought the Christmas truce was a one-of-a-kind wartime event, but informal truces were a longstanding military tradition. During the Civil War, Rebel and Union soldiers traded goods, fished on opposite sides of a stream and even gathered blackberries together. British, French and Russian troops gathered around the same fires to smoke and drink in the Crimean War.

The story of the 1914 truce was largely forgotten in the fighting that followed, and the Christmas truce had no long-lasting effect on the war that dragged on for four more years. For a brief time, however, the reciprocal gesture fostered peace and goodwill among warring adversaries who, they discovered on that day long ago, were more alike than different.

Winter Wonderland

LIFE + STYLE

Bouncy, the world’s tallest snowman, will make an appearance at Christmas in the Park

One of Columbia County’s most popular gathering spots will look like a winter wonderland when Christmas in the Park comes to Evans Towne Center Park from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, December 6.

The event will feature arts and crafts vendors for holiday shopping; ice skating; the world’s largest inflatable snowman, Snowzilla Jr.; a tube slide; a trackless train; trolley rides and Santa and Mrs. Claus. A live nativity scene will be on site from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., and musical performers will include Tara Scheyer and the Mudpuppies with Snapdragon, Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold, jazz saxophonist Fred Williams and more.

Admission is $8 in advance or $10 the day of the event. Tickets are available online at etix.com or at the Community & Leisure Services office, 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building C; Chili’s in Evans or Learning Express Toys.

A tree lighting, which is free, will follow the festival at 5 p.m. For more information, visit evanstownecenterpark.com or call (706) 650-5005.

Wonderful Christmastime

LIFE + STYLE

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Columbia County will offer local residents plenty to do to get in the Christmas spirit. With tree lightings, parades and festivals in the lineup of holiday events, everyone is sure to have a wonderful Christmastime. See our events calendar for more details.

Harlem Christmas Tree Lighting
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4
Harlem City Hall

Grovetown Christmas Tree Lighting
6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5
Grovetown Senior Center

Christmas in the Heart of Harlem
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6
Downtown Harlem, parade at 11 a.m.

Columbia County Christmas in the Park
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6
Evans Towne Center Park; tree lighting at 5 p.m.

Grovetown Christmas Parade
Noon Saturday, Dec. 6
Begins at Grovetown Middle School and ends at Summerfield subdivision

Columbia County Christmas Parade
2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7
Begins at Evans Town Center Boulevard and ends at Evans High School

Thanksgiving Blessings

Southern Hospitality

With Thanksgiving on the calendar this month, I’m devoting my column to naming some of the things I’m grateful for.

In the past, I’ve read posts on Facebook where people listed something they were thankful for each day during November. Some of it was pure fluff, like “I am thankful for green grass.”

Others were quite moving, like “I am thankful for my paycheck (even if my wife does spend most of it on new shoes for herself.)” OK. That last one was from Russell, but I was able to delete it before it was posted.

For starters, I’m grateful for 10 continuous and fabulous years of writing this column for Columbia County Magazine. Woo-hoo! Who would’ve ever thought on that fateful day when Kristy Johnson and I were chatting that she would offer me this fabulous gig! To Kristy and everyone at the magazine, I say thank you.

I’m extremely thankful for you readers, too, who let me share my stories and who attend my book signings and speaking engagements. For me, it pays off in more ways than one — new friends, new readers and new adventures.

I’m grateful for two beautiful daughters who give Russell and I so much love, joy and happiness. And two precious granddaughters who do the same.

I’m so appreciative that both of my parents are still living. At age 86, they are relatively healthy, all things considered. We’re fortunate to live only an hour away from them, so that means lots of visits.

Though I’m grateful that our daughter, Katie, has a job she adores in the nursing field and a husband she is madly in love with, I am sad that they moved to Charlotte for their medical careers. On the plus side, we’ll get to visit often, which is always fun.

I am thankful for the many friends that Russell and I have made through our church, our neighborhood and our jobs. And I’m very grateful that both we have reconnected with old friends.

Through Facebook, I found my BFF from high school, Carol, and we are now neighbors living a half-mile apart. We don’t see each other every day, but when we do, it’s like no time has passed. Russell has reconnected through Google with old college roommates from the mid-70s, and we’ve attended ballgames and dinner together.

Now while Thanksgiving is the time to share food and fun with family and friends, some of our Thanksgiving pasts — meals, that is — have not turned out so well. After having poor, inedible turkeys due to things like me catching the oven on fire or undercooking the meat, we have what our family now calls the Thanksgiving Hex. Even when we desperately secured a restaurant to cook our turkey one year, it was botched because they accidentally left the giblets in paper inside the cavity. Good thing we also cooked a ham.

Then there was the year we got food poisoning when we decided to eat Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant at the beach. And the year we roasted a turkey over hickory chips only to be left with a dried up, pitiful-looking pile of what I can only describe as sawdust.

So this Thanksgiving, let me tell you that I am especially grateful for Katie’s in-laws, Doreen and Nick, who will be cooking the holiday meal for everyone at their beautiful home.

I’ll be bringing a few of my favorite dishes, but thankfully — for everyone involved — turkey is not one of them.

Asparagus with Spicy Cream Sauce

Side Dishes

2 pounds fresh asparagus spears
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon (or dash more) cayenne pepper

Cook asparagus until crisp-tender and keep warm. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Gradually stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth and half-and-half and cook until thickened and bubbly (about 1 minute). Whisk in honey, mustard, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Top asparagus with sauce and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

See You at the Fair

LIFE + STYLE

The smell of funnel cakes in the air can only mean one thing: the 49th annual Columbia County Fair is here.

Open for thrill seekers October 30 through November 8, this year’s lineup includes new attractions such as the Zoovogel (Sky Rider) and Wildlife Wendy and her Tropical Birds Show, along with returning favorites like demolition derbies, a master chainsaw carving artist, a petting zoo, Sea Lion Splash and Oscar the Robot.

The Merchants Association of Columbia County, a non-profit organization of business volunteers, presents the fair each year at their fairgrounds on Columbia Road across from Patriots Park. Free conveniences include parking with security, golf cart shuttles, nightly entertainment and admission for kids 3 and under.

Proceeds from the fair benefit more than a dozen CSRA charities and provide scholarships to seniors from each Columbia County public high school. For more information, visit columbiacountyfair.net.

Thursday, October 30
Hours: 5 – 11 p.m.
Admission: Get one free admission with five non-perishable items per person to be donated to Columbia County Cares; $7 admission without donation.
Senior Night: Free admission for adults 55 and older
FFA Judging: 6 p.m.
Entertainment: Sandy B and the Allstars

Friday, October 31
Hours: 5 p.m. – midnight
Admission: $5
Entertainment: Out of the Cellar band

Saturday, November 1
Hours: Noon – midnight
Admission: $7
Kids’ Day: Kids ride free noon-1 p.m.
Entertainment: Brandon Bower Band

Sunday, November 2
Hours: 1 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $7; $1 off with church bulletin; $1 off for all students
Unlimited Ride Special: $20

Monday, November 3
Hours: 5 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $7
Military Appreciation Night: $4 admission with military ID
Entertainment: John Kolbeck Trio (at the Demolition Derby)
Demolition Derby: 7:30 p.m.
Unlimited Ride Special: $20

Tuesday, November 4
Hours: 5 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $7
Apollo Talent Night: Kids ages 1-12 with DJ Tony Howard
Unlimited Ride Special: $20

Wednesday, November 5
Hours: 5 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $7
Entertainment: Electric Voodoo & the UGA Georgettes Dance Team (7 p.m.)
Unlimited Ride Special: $20

Thursday, November 6
Hours: 5 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $7
Apollo Talent Night: Adults (ages 13+) with DJ Tony Howard
Unlimited Ride Special: $20

Friday, November 7
Hours: 5 p.m. – midnight
Admission: $7
Entertainment: The Remedy (at the Demolition Derby)
Demolition Derby: 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 8
Hours: Noon – midnight
Admission: $7
Kids’ Day: Kids ride free noon-1 p.m.
Entertainment: Tanner Duckworth; 2nd Chance Rising
Chainsaw Carving Auction: 9 p.m.

Season’s Eatings

LIFE + STYLE

Chef Jeff Italian Thanksgiving Garlic Clove Marshall Resort Columbia County Evans Georgia

Garlic Clove chef Jeff Freehof and his staff will prepare “A Taste of Italy” for the 13th annual Italian Thanksgiving Feast. This year the fundraiser, which helps feed the hungry in the area, will be held at Marshall Square Resort Lifestyle Community.

Baked ziti with meat sauce, chicken parmigiana and pasta Alfredo for Thanksgiving? Sure. Why not?

This “Taste of Italy” trio once again will be on the menu for the 13th annual Italian Thanksgiving Feast, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, November 21. Garlic Clove will prepare the food as it has in the past. This year, however, the fundraiser will be held at Marshall Square Resort Lifestyle Community.

Local celebrities will serve diners, who can make a donation for their meals to support Golden Harvest Food Bank, Third Saturday and Good Neighbor Ministries. Last year the event raised $5,400.

“We want to give back. It’s our responsibility and obligation to make sure others are taken care of, and that’s exactly what these three organizations do. They take care of everybody in the community,” says Garlic Clove chef Jeff Freehof.

Art Appreciation

LIFE + STYLE

Good things happen when the sun goes down on November 22. During Art After Dark, the signature event for the Artists’ Guild of Columbia County, artwork from more than 20 local artists will be on display and for sale at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

“People don’t have to go to Atlanta to buy art,” says Jane Waldrop, guild president. “We have so many wonderful artists in the area.”

Artwork will include watercolors, oils, acrylics, photography, pottery, fiber arts, jewelry, mixed media and Zentangle, abstract drawings that are created by using repetitive patterns.

The annual fundraiser will benefit the guild’s scholarship and building funds. Each year the guild offers a $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior that plans to study art in college. Proceeds from a silent auction, which will include artwork and other items, and a 50/50 raffle will support the funds.

The event also will feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres and entertainment that includes interpretive dancer Jordan Hughes, jazz musician Bill Karp and Harmony River Chorus.

“All of our entertainers are volunteering their services,” says Waldrop. “They are local people that are sharing their talents.”

If You Go:
What: Art After Dark
When: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Saturday, November 22
Where: Savannah Rapids Pavilion Loblolly Pine Room
How Much: Free
More Info: artistguildcc.org

Big Bands and Live Wires

LIFE + STYLE

Dino Light! Lightwire Theater’s glow in the dark adventure presented by Augusta Amusements.

Augusta Amusements will bring entertainment for all ages to the Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center this month: “Lightwire Theater – Dino-Light,” Al Pierson and Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians and The Count Basie Orchestra.

“Lightwire Theater – Dino-Light” is a child friendly ballet, which features giant puppets that are illuminated by neon-colored wires on a darkened stage. The original show tells the story of Professor Henslow, a famous scientist with magical powers who creates a wild and primitive dinosaur in his workshop. The two become separated, and Dino meets many creatures – a carnivorous tyrannosaurus, a pair of friendly long-necked birds and a school of fish – when the pair tries to reunite. Along the way, Dino learns something new about himself and the world around him as well as the true meaning of love.

Lightwire Theater made it to the semi-finals of Season 7 of “America’s Got Talent,” and you have to see it to believe it. Tickets to the Friday, October 10 performance are $28.50 for adults and $14.50 for children under age 16.

On Saturday, October 11, Al Pierson and Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians – the longest-running dance orchestra in the world – will delight the audience with its big band sound. The original orchestra floundered for more than a decade after Lombardo’s death in 1977, but Pierson took over the legendary band in 1989. Tickets are $35 and $40.

The Count Basie Orchestra – “The Swingingest Band in All the Land” – will perform on Friday, October 24. The elite jazz band has won 17 Grammy Awards and 20 Downbeat and Jazz Times polls, more than any other big band in jazz. Tickets are $49 and $54.

All three shows begin at 7:30 p.m. at Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center in Evans. For more information, visit augustaamusements.com or call (706) 726-0366.

Golf, Music & Charity

LIFE + STYLE

A trio of well-known brothers is joining forces with a local golf course, which was designed by the game’s Big Three – Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player – to bring a golf tournament and concert fundraiser to Evans.

John, Josh and Charles Kelley are combining two of their favorite things – golf and music – to give back to the community where they grew up. The inaugural celebrity golf tournament will begin at Champions Retreat Golf Club at 10 a.m. Monday, October 27. Following the golf tournament, the Kelley brothers will join various musical guests on Josh Kelley Stage at Evans Towne Center Park’s Lady Antebellum Pavilion for a 7:30 p.m. concert.

Charles is a member of the award-winning country rock band, Lady Antebellum; Josh has released a number of albums that have appeared on the charts; and John has spent the last 15 years running a construction and development company in North Carolina. John and Josh played college golf while Charles is an avid golfer as well.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing this event to Augusta,” the brothers say. “This is our home, and we’re grateful to all the folks around here that helped each of us get to where we are today. We couldn’t be more excited to contribute to the community through this unique and exciting event.”

The brothers are launching this endeavor to cater to area golf fans and music lovers while donating the proceeds from both events to charity. Beneficiaries will include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the John W. Kelley, M.D., Cardiovascular Endowment at the University Health Care Foundation. A number of Augusta-based charities will benefit from the fundraisers as well.

For more information about the golf tournament and concert, visit TheKelleyBrothers.com.