The Aiken County Animal Shelter continues to see too many cases of animal abandonment, neglect and abuse. It is heartbreaking to see innocent dogs and cats suffer because their owners didn’t protect them or became their tormentors. Surprisingly, most of these pets still love and cherish huma…
For ex-Derby winner Silver Charm, it's a life of leisure and Old Friends at Kentucky retirement farm
Michael Blowen can step outside his house anytime and visit retired racehorses at Old Friends, the thoroughbred retirement farm he founded in Kentucky two decades ago. The farm is dedicated to providing dignity and comfort to retired racehorses. Blowen's favorite resident is 30-year-old Silver Charm. The oldest living Derby winner resides at the 240-acre farm outside Georgetown, Kentucky. Visitors to the farm can take a guided, 90-minute walking tour while getting up-close looks at some of the farm’s most famous residents, including Silver Charm and I’ll Have Another, the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. Old Friends has about 250 thoroughbreds in its care at its farms in Kentucky and New York. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday.
The Western Carolina Pull & Show will be held Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at the Western Carolina State Fairgrounds, 561 May Royald Drive. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 12 and younger. The opening ceremony will be at 11 a.m. and will feature a lawnmower pull, kids pedal tractor pull, kids attractions, crafts and food vendors. For more information visit the Aiken Antique Power Association on Facebook.
A summary of movies opening this weekend in Aiken.
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For its distinctive history and charm, Beaufort is a grand place to visit just about any time of the year. However, this weekend, the coastal town has an added attraction, the biennial induction festivities of the South Carolina Academy of Authors. From May 3-5, the SCAA in consort with the …
The Aiken Lions Club will hold a Broom Sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday in front Unique Expressions in the Mitchell Shopping Center, 1573 Whiskey Road. For more information, call Pat Friday at 803-645-0606.
A venue known for its equestrian events will be home to a variety of concerts this summer during the 2024 Aiken Music Fest series.
The 2024 National Day of Prayer will be held from noon to 1 p.m. today on the corner of Hayne Avenue and Laurens Street. A second gathering will be held from 6:45-8:15 p.m. at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The events are open to all who wish to pray. This year’s theme is Lift Up the Word, Light Up the World.
Thousands of patrons descended on Johnston each year to enjoy the day set aside to honor the peach industry, which has been so important in the development of the area. Each year, the town goes all out with the festival to remind citizens about the peach industry and to open its arms to visitors.
Aiken Senior Life Services will offer a class titled What's Your Palette? at 2 p.m. today at Solo Vino, 110 Horry St. S.E. Participants will meet at Aiken Senior Life Services and travel by bus to Solo Vino. The program will allow participants to compare and contrast Old World and New World varieties of wine paired with gourmet bites. The cost is $40. For more information, visit aikensenior.org.
The Hopelands Concert Series will be held Mondays through June 24. The SureFires (Jaycie & Brooke) will perform at 6:30 p.m. today at the Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage at Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Place. Lawn chairs and blankets may be brought, as well as picnic dinners and non-alcoholic beverages. Parking is at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road. Handicap parking is available at the Rye Patch parking lot on Berrie Road and the Hopelands Gardens parking lot. In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved to the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The rain-out hotline is 803-643-4661. The concerts are free. For more information, call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
The Hopelands Concert Series will be held Mondays through June 24. The SureFires (Jaycie & Brooke) will perform at 6:30 p.m. today at the Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage at Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Place. Lawn chairs and blankets may be brought, as well as picnic dinners and non-alcoholic beverages. Parking is at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road. Handicap parking is available at the Rye Patch parking lot on Berrie Road and the Hopelands Gardens parking lot. In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved to the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The rain-out hotline is 803-643-4661. The concerts are free. For more information, call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
— A Bridge Building STEM Kit will be available for pickup beginning May 1. They will be available while supplies last. No holds.
After pets are adopted from the Aiken County Animal Shelter, staff members follow up to see how they are doing in their new homes. Here is some recent feedback from our adopters.
The Historic Aiken Foundation will hold its spring event today at 3 p.m. at the Center for African American History, Art and Culture, 120 York St. N.E. The event will feature awards to preservation projects and Jane Vaughters, a lecture about Eulalie Salley, and refreshments. It is free and open to the public.
The Aiken Symphony will perform the music of five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams on Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Etherredge Center at USC Aiken.
Memorial Baptist Church will hold a Pineapple Festival Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the Family Life Building, 3100 Vaucluse Road, Aiken. The free event will include live music, a flea market, children’s arts and crafts, carnival games, door prizes, food, a bake sale and a cake walk. For more information, visit www.memorialbaptistaiken.org.
A summary of movies opening this weekend in Aiken.
The Cumbee Center will hold its 2024 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Professional Training Conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Piedmont Technical College, 506 Main St., Edgefield. The training will offer a closer look at the complexity of a survivor's journey and process and the importance of the S.C. Sexual Assault Evidence kit. The free training will be accredited for CEU, VSP and CLEE hours. For more information or to register, visit eventbrite.com.
The Aiken Civic Orchestra will perform a concert titled Virtuosity at 7 p.m. today at the Etherredge Center on the campus of USC Aiken, 471 University Parkway. The concert is part of the orchestra's Classical Series and will feature Alexander Borodin's Symphony No. 2 in B Minor and Antonin Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor. Claire Bryant also will perform. Tickets are $20. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 803-641-3305 or visit usca.edu/etherredge-center.
The honey flow is on — what could possibly go wrong?
A Book Club meets on the third and fourth Tuesday of the month in the first floor meeting room from 2:30-3:45 p.m. Group A meets April 23 and will discuss "The Storycatcher" by Ann Hite. Group B meets April 10 and will discuss "The Cowboy and The Cossack" by Clair Huffaker. Sign up at the information desk on the second floor. For more information or to sign up, call 803-642-2020, ext. 3.
We seem to be heading headlong into summer. Now is the time to examine your yard and garden for empty spaces that need new plants. The Aiken Master Gardeners Association will be holding its annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 27, at Millbrook Baptist Church. Come early for …
A Book Club meets on the third and fourth Tuesday of the month in the first floor meeting room from 2:30-3:45 p.m. Group A meets April 23 and will discuss "The Storycatcher" by Ann Hite. Group B meets April 10 and will discuss "The Cowboy and The Cossack" by Clair Huffaker. Sign up at the information desk on the second floor. For more information or to sign up, call 803-642-2020, ext. 3.
A $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction. Monday's ceremony in Las Vegas drew U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg along with local and Brightline West company officials. The company plans to have trains running by 2028 from just south of the Las Vegas Strip to a commuter rail hub in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The track will be in the median of Interstate 15, where motorists in traffic jams would see trains whisk past at speeds comparable to Japan's bullet trains. A Brightline sister company already operates a fast train between Miami and Orlando in Florida.
The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare will hold its spring SPCA Thrift Store Party: The Canine Corral from 6-8 p.m. today at the SPCA Thrift Store, 589 Whiskey Road. Tickets are $10 and serve as a 10 percent off coupon for items purchased during the event. There will be raffles, appetizers, cocktails and merchandise deals. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit letlovelive.org.
The Aiken Civic Orchestra will perform a concert titled Virtuosity at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Etherredge Center on the campus of USC Aiken. This diverse program is part of the Classical Series and features Alexander Borodin’s Symphony in B Minor and Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto…
I may have sometimes stretched the facts a little bit. The subtitle of my book “Circling the Savannah,” for example, indicates that the volume focuses on cultural landmarks of the Central Savannah River Area. While the majority of the 36 places I describe in the book lie squarely in that geo…
The Kiwanis Club of Aiken will hold its annual charity golf tournament Saturday, May 11, at Aiken Golf Club.
When Gray Moore was asked to fill in for golfer Tommy Fleetwood’s regular caddie at the 2024 Masters, with less than a week to prepare, he wasn’t sure he was up to the task. At 70, he’d be the oldest looper on the course.
The 2024 FOTAS Woofstock and Doggie Derby Days Festival will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at Citizens Park, 1060 Banks Mill Road. The event will feature dog contests of all kinds throughout the day, kids races, pet-related vendors and exhibitors, balloon creations, face painting, food, music and the Doxie Derby. Proceeds from the event benefit animals at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. For more information, visit fotas.org
A summary of movies opening this weekend in Aiken.
The Aiken Master Gardeners will hold a Lunchbox Lecture at noon today at Millbrook Baptist Church, 223 S. Aiken Blvd. The guest speaker will be Paul Thompson, the Cooperative Extension Office agent for Chester, Lancaster and York counties. His topic will be Natives in the Shade.
Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft. That's immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground dominated by a riot of gigantic red podiums. Gibson is a Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent. He is the first Native American to represent the United States solo at the Venice Biennale. The last time Native American artists were included was in 1932. The 52-year-old Gibson accepts the weight of the honor. But he prefers to focus on how his participation can forge greater inclusion going forward.
Amp The Alley will be held at 6:30 p.m. today in The Alley in downtown Aiken. Bethany and the Southside Boys will perform. Concerts will be held every Thursday through Aug. 29. For more information, visit ampthealley.com.
Surely there are trees in Heaven
A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed is going up for auction. The painting by modernist artist Graham Sutherland was made in preparation for a large portrait that Churchill's family later had destroyed. The episode was recounted in the TV series “The Crown.” The surviving oil-on-canvas study shows Churchill’s head in profile against a dark background. It's to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on June 6. The painting is expected to sell for between 500,000 pounds and 800,000 pounds, or $622,000 to $995,000. Sotheby’s has put the portrait on public display at Churchill's birthplace in rural England.
Aiken Pickleball will hold Groovy Tuesdays from 4-8 p.m. today and Tuesday, April 23 and 30, at the indoor pickleball courts at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The events will feature free pickleball clinics led by Mo Garcia and other certified coaches, drawings for gifts or lessons, free pizza and open play.
On April 20, The City of Aiken is hosting Earth Day Aiken, a festival meant to promote environmental stewardship in the community. The event will be located at Newberry Street Festival Center and will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Stableview Farm will once again be the setting for a afternoon of horses performing to the music of the Aiken Symphony under the direction of Maestro Dr. Scott Weiss on Saturday, April 27, at 3 p.m.
Let's Go Bingo will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays at the Aiken Senior Life Services, 1310 E. Pine Log Road. There is a $5 cover charge. Game cards are $1 each or $15 to $25. For more information, visit facebook.com/letsgobingoaiken.
The music of composer George Gershwin will be celebrated in high style during a concert at the Etherredge Center on Saturday, April 27.
The Hopelands Concert Series will be held Mondays through June 24. The Wayne Hoey Big Band will perform at 6:30 p.m. April 15 at the Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage at Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Place. Lawn chairs and blankets may be brought, as well as picnic dinners and non-alcoholic beverages. Parking is at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road. Handicap parking is available at the Rye Patch parking lot on Berrie Road and the Hopelands Gardens parking lot. In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved to the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The rain-out hotline is 803-643-4661. The concerts are free. For more information, call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov.
The Aiken County Animal Shelter has three wonderful indoor-only cats available for adoption – Sabrina, Tom and Yoda – who can’t seem to catch a break.
A Community Pet Food Drive will be held from 8:45-10 a.m. Saturday at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 333 Wire Road. FOTAS is offering pet food assistance to those in the community in need. Those who need pet food may drive up to the shelter’s front door and remain in their car while FOTAS volunteers bring out a registration form and place dog or cat food in their vehicle’s trunk. For more information, call 803-514-4313 or email info@fotasaiken.org.
A summary of movies opening this weekend in Aiken.
Art songs are generally musical settings of poems, and there are fine examples to be experienced in the Aiken Symphony’s April 20 concert. Yet, even instrumental music can sometimes involve narrative. Such works fall into the category of program or programmatic music, and Maestro Scott Weiss…
The Aiken Driving Club will hold its fifth annual Aiken Carriage Classic April 13 and 14 at the Highfields Event Center, 118 Gaston Road. The event will feature miniature horses, large horses doing ring classes and games. For more information, call Katy Rhinehart at 803-641-485-7821.
The University Theatre Players will perform "Clue: On Stage!" at 7:30 p.m. April 11-13 and 2 p.m. Sunday on the main stage at the Etherredge Center on the campus of USC Aiken, 471 University Parkway. Based on the Hasbro board game, "Clue: On Stage!" is a comedic murder mystery. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors and veterans, and $5 for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 803-641-3305.
A Build It drop-in will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Aiken County Public Library, 314 Chesterfield St. S.W. Children will be able to drop in and play with building bricks, gears, levers, pulleys, wheels and axels, magna tiles and more. For more information, visit abbe-lib.org.
The Aiken Newcomers' Club will meet today at Newberry Hall, 117 Newberry St. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. The program will be a presentation on the South Carolina Bluebird Society by Dr. David Slaunwhite. Reservations are required. The cost is $20 per person and is payable by check. To make or cancel a reservation, call Debbie Fenton (A-L) 803-262-7397 or Ellie Watkins 949-858-3191 (M-L). Reservations and cancellations were due April 4.
In his fateful final Pacific voyage, Captain James Cook failed to find an ocean passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but he did find Pacific islands, peoples and cultures unknown to Europeans. However, in recent years Cook has been presented as a villain for bringing diseases and opening these islands to colonization. But as Associated Press reviewer Jeff Rowe notes, Hampton Sides' “The Wide Wide Sea” offers new details on Cook’s meticulous explorations, none of which involved any efforts at conquests. Violence was endemic among island groups, a finding at odds with the myth of idyllic island nations whose lives were wrecked by Cook’s visits.
Today's Top Headlines
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Business roundup: New Japanese restaurant opens, La Parisienne has new co-owner
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2 men arrested in connection with shooting near Hitchcock Animal Hospital
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Flavors of community: Aiken residents enjoy a weekend-long food festival downtown
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Aiken's roses: Six horses trained here have captured the Kentucky Derby
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Rolls-Royce adding capacity at Graniteville plant to meet data center backup power demands
