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The origins of the musical instrument are obscure, but the appeal of Appalachian dulcimers is undeniable for dozens of players around the Aiken-Augusta area, including several who normally meet twice a month in Aiken to practice and occasionally to perform. 

High school students are reaping the benefits of a homegrown, grassroots initiative to prepare youth for future success, and its founder, Aiken-native Tim Behling, planted the organization where it could do the most good – in his hometown.

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The Aiken Kiwanis Club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a banquet at Houndslake Country Club on March 23. Mary Winfree, chairman of the Carolina District of Kiwanis membership development, was the guest speaker. State Rep. Bill Taylor presented the organization a special proclamation fro…

• Date and place of birth: July 1970, in Clinton, North Carolina

The past couple of decades have had Marine 1st Sergeant Harry Johnson in several locations around the world, and the naval science instructor has some extremely familiar territory on his near horizon this month, through his role as a leader in Naval Junior ROTC programs. 

The massive building at 120 York St., near Aiken's First Baptist Church, has become extremely familiar territory for Juanita Campbell over the last several months, as she is well into her second year as executive director of the Center for African American History, Art and Culture. 

• Date and place of birth: 1947, Wilmington, Delaware. I’m a “product of the home office” of DuPont.

• Date and place of birth: November 1982, Aiken.

Literary figures such as Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe are alive and well in the conversations of several local residents who are looking to spark more interest in poetry, especially with COVID-19 fear having lessened in the past several months.

The equestrian season officially started with the running of the eighth annual Harness Races at the McGhee Mile Training Facility on Banks Mill Road on March 11. The race fans enjoyed watching eight races and tailgating under sunny skies.

He's no stranger to cold weather, having grown up in Nebraska, and John Carman got a truly chilly reception in 2014 when he and his wife, Karen, moved to Aiken just in time for the historic ice storm that left thousands of local households with shattered trees, blocked streets and a lack of …

• Date and place of birth: July 1950; Charleston, South Carolina

Phyllis Pellarain has lived in Aiken since 1952, when a massive nuclear reservation was still taking shape on the former acreage of Dunbarton and Ellenton, and a few local residents were looking to play a game of bridge.

SC 250 is an initiative started by the South Carolina Legislature to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in South Carolina. Each county in the state is being allowed to form committees so they can come up with some type of celebration. One such group has formed in Aiken.

Downtown Aiken and the Hollow Creek community, near Salley, are separated by more than 20 miles, and the territory between the two has become more familiar over the past couple of years for the Rev. Fred Andrea III, one of Aiken County's most prominent pastors.

The opening gala for the 23rd Aiken Antique Show was held at the Aiken Center for the Arts in downtown Aiken on Feb. 2. The sold-out gala (nearly 400 tickets) along with the Aiken Antique show itself are the only fundraisers for the Aiken Center for the Arts. Caroline Gwinn is the executive …

• Born (date and place of birth): October 1937 in LaGrange, Georgia.

A team of 18 volunteers and hundreds of taxpayers are taking part in an annual tradition for the next few weeks in Aiken County, with the blessing of the Internal Revenue Service, under the name of VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. 

The State of the City address was given by Mayor Rick Osbon at the Amentum Center for Performing Arts on Jan. 23. The address included city accomplishments from 2022 and a look to the near future. A highlight of the evening was the presentation of two Aiken Awards. Those awards were presente…

• Date and place of birth: Feb. 1953, in Alexandria, Virginia