Lokal Loudness Choice Awards Turn 18

I recently mentioned to a friend that this year – 2011 – will be the 18th time Lokal Loudness Choice awards have been presented to recognize Augusta’s favorite local musicians. I almost spit out my coffee when he said that the awards were “finally going to be old enough to vote.”


Yeah, it is hard for me to believe that we have been handing these awards out for such a long time and even harder for me to think that next year Lokal Loudness will celebrate her 20th birthday. When I look at it that way, Lokal Loudness has been a part of me for just a little less than half my life. WOW!


Each year, I find myself enjoying the Choice Awards party a little bit more than the previous year. People tell me that they can imagine the reason(s) why; but, oddly enough, they’re usually wrong. Or, shall I say, they may know SOME of the lesser reasons but not the main one. It is pretty cool to be involved with an event that so many people dig but, quite honestly, I simply enjoy seeing so many people that I have seen and spent time with around town just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company – all the while showing respect and support for each other. I’m not just blowing smoke when I say how special the music community we have here in Augusta is. We may not all agree on some things but, at the end of the day, there exists this love and respect that is rarely found among such a wide rage of artists in other cities. I can’t help but to dig it.


Like previous years, the list of nominees for the 2011 awards is an interesting read.  Some names are surprising, some not so surprising and, like always, the list always leads to debate about which artists were nominated and which artists were NOT nominated.  But, after all the discussion and debate, the awards show arrives and all talk is put aside for a great evening of music and fun.  


To find out more about Lokal Loudness Choice Awards, and to preview this year’s list of nominees: LOKALLOUDNESS.COM.


by John “Stoney” Cannon
Stoney created and continues Lokal Loudness and 
its annual awards celebration.

WHAT: The Lokal Loudness Choice Awards

WHERE: The Playground Bar at 978 Broad Street in downtown Augusta

WHEN: Friday, February 18 @ 8 pm

FEATURING: Brandy Douglas, Dee Hemingway, False Flag, G-City Rockers, John Berret’s LaRoxes, The Radar Cinema

MORE: LOKALLOUDNESS.COM

Ringling Brothers 140th Edition - Barnums Funundrum

our eyes are smiling...

Wednesday, February 23 
7:30 pm
Fat Man’s Mill Cafe
$12 to $15


Traditional Irish musician Cathie Ryan bridges two worlds in her art: the United States and Ireland. She overlays Irish jig music with Motown rhythms. She writes songs that view America through the lens of her Irish heritage. According to America’s former Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, Cathie sings “songs of place, songs of memory, poignant songs of the heart.” 


Cathie’s parents were first generation Irish immigrants who presented their children Irish music as a joyous “soundtrack” ...


for more please go to:  www.vergelive.com
page 17

The Secret in Their Eyes

Monday, February 21
ASU University Hall, Room 170 | 7 pm | Free

February 21st brings an Argentinean drama awarded the prize for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2010 Oscars. EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (The Secret in Their Eyes) finds a retired legal counselor (Ricardo Darin) recounting the events of a decades-old unresolved murder case while writing a novel based on the grizzly event. Reliving moments that resulted in an unfair lack of consequence for the killer also prompt him to deal with feelings of regret about an unrequited love for his superior. The film nearly swept Argentina’s version of the Academy Awards, earning top honors for acting, directing, writing, and 2009’s Best Film. It also won in two categories, including Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, at Spain’s Goya Awards. Juan Jose Campanella (Son of the Bride) directed this highly-acclaimed foreign drama.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Free Monday night entertainment is still available and open to the public through March, courtesy of the ASU Spring Film Series. Unique cultural experiences await viewers of the series’ February 21st and 28th screenings.

Why do you like the neighborhood that you live in?

Recently, my pastor asked “Why do you like the neighborhood that you live in? How do you interact with your community? What makes it special to you?” It was a question that called for contemplation.

I gathered my thoughts and considered where my family and I live. We chose to reside in the heart of the entire community – downtown Augusta on Broad Street. Some call it the epicenter; some call it Augusta’s front porch. We believe downtown is the heart – the place where it all starts – and if the heart is healthy, the rest of the entire community will be healthy. This philosophy has proven true across the United States as more cities are turning their attention to revitalizing their downtown districts. The concept is working – consider the massive changes in Charleston, Savannah and Greenville.  

It was this belief that drove us to relocate to the downtown district three years ago with two teenagers and a toddler in tow. To date, it’s been a fantastic journey that has provided our family with more positive experiences than we could have ever imagined. Here are our top reasons we like our neighborhood – downtown Augusta:

What do we like about our neighborhood? For starters, we like the variety of our neighbors. Being in a mostly urban environment, our neighbors are a bit different. Our neighbors are the business owners that line Broad Street, the employees at New Moon Café, the crew that gathers at the Metro Pub to swap talk, the UPS man and the Georgia Power meter reader. Our neighbors are the folks who choose to shop downtown often, the ones who choose to live here and the university students who escape to downtown to study and relax.

We also love the convenience. Our home is just steps away from restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, theatres, music venues and shops. The arts culture thrives downtown and we are in the midst of it. In fact, we walk more than we drive our car. We go to a downtown church and our daughter attends a downtown school. Plus, we have a huge backyard to play in – the Augusta Common is our soccer field and the River Walk is our playground.

The greatest blessing about living downtown is the relationships we are building. Being in the midst of people all day – and often the same people – we are able to connect. We hear their stories. We find out their dreams and visions for our communities. We share in their successes and grieve in their losses. Downtown has become our extended family. A day does not pass that we don’t see our neighbors. 

This is a community downtown that watches out for one another. These neighbors keep an eye on our daughters and mark our son’s milestones. We are a tight knit family that cares for, nurtures and believes in one another. This is what makes our community great. Every day I walk down the street I see our neighborhood bustling with our neighbors coming and going. It’s like “Busy Town” – too cool.

So, that’s what we like about our neighborhood in which we live, work and play. We’ve found that what makes a neighborhood special is the connection to community. It’s the connections that causes roots to grow and gives us a strong sense of place.

I’ll turn the question back to you. What do you like about your neighborhood? What is your neighborhood? Are you connecting? Are you getting out there and meeting your neighbors and truly getting to know them? 

Of course, we’d be happy for you to join us – there’s plenty of room in the heart! See you in our backyard or we may even see you out enjoying yours.

Matt 

out on the streets of augusta and the csra!

verge will now be even easier to find – 
newspaper boxes are spreading throughout the entire CSRA.  


You can find your community-driven newspaper in Evans, Martinez, North Augusta, Aiken and Augusta. We give a big thank you to everyone involved with this project – it was made possible by people like you!

we're all the BUZZ!

Neil Gordon owns Buzz on Biz, LLC, a company dedicated to highlighting business growth through Newspaper, Television, Radio, and Web content. Story idea? E-mail neil.gordon@buzzon.biz

“HEY HONEY, LET’S HIT THE OUTLET MALL IN GROVETOWN!”
This could happen. Developers and outlet mall experts look for key research when they plan their next project.


Land? Check. Grovetown. Proximity to an interstate? Check. I-20. Growth in the area? Check. Columbia County is GOLD. Positive research? Check. 95% of the 4,000 people surveyed by the Columbia County Planning Department said “yes” to wanting an outlet mall in the county.


“We use our research, demographics and numbers to try to encourage and motivate realtors and developers to look at us for an outlet mall,” said Columbia County Planning Director Nanya Mistry.


About a year ago, she conducted another survey asking residents what stores and restaurants they would like to relocate here. Outlet malls came in fourth place.


“We try to get the citizens what they ask for,” said Ms. Mistry.




Roses Are Red Violets Are Blue, We Opened JUST In 
The Nick of Time – WHEW!
Talk about cutting it close before a big holiday, Tonya Jones, owner of Creations and Blessings, opened her flower and gift shop the Saturday before Valentine’s Day! She’s in a building on Walton Way near the Partridge Inn, formerly the home of DaVinci Bakery Shop.


Specialty Shoe Store to Close
Foot Solutions, an upscale, medically-focused shoe store, is offering a 50% discount as part of their Going Out Of Business sale in Mullins Crossing. They will accept cash and checks. The franchisee is known for painstakingly using their high-tech machines to measure foot sizes and determine stressors on clients’ knees, hips and back to find the right fit. 


$300,000 Contract Goes to South Augusta Company
Acme Moving Systems, part of a major moving, storage, data and shredding group of companies,  just won the bid to move out all of the judge’s chambers, offices, courtrooms and more from the Municipal Building to the new Augusta Richmond County Judicial Center.  The company is headquartered on the Mike Padgett Highway and will send at least 20 employees to work on the move for a period of about 90 days. The Judicial Center is expected to open in downtown Augusta in May.


Happy Anniversary To A Niche Business On The Hill
“Tea With A Dutchess” made it a year on Monte Sano Avenue. That may not seem like a major accomplishment, but consider the economy and their specialty services: afternoon tea, dress-up parties, tea and crumpets, etc. Congratulations to Laura Simmons. Business is tough. Running a niche business is tougher.


He’ll “Pump You Up” for Nine More Years
Happy ninth anniversary for uber-certified fitness trainer Jay Garrison of  OneonOne-fitness.com. He celebrated this month by launching his website and getting back into his studio on Shartom Drive behind Applebee’s on Washington Road. Garrison has helped train high school and college athletes, physical therapy out-patients and those just out of shape. His passion is training golfers to work-out lower scores on the course with his stretching and training help.


“Ivan The Terrible” Grows His Fitness Business
Ivan Trinidad, who has some healthy fish dishes named after him at Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar, is now helping some of the 1,300 employees at Doctor’s Hospital. He is leading spin classes for them at a new fitness area at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. His existing business, The Spinning Gallery and Nutrition Center, continues to flourish at their flagship location on Old Petersburg and Baston Road.




All Of That Exercise Is Making Me Want A SWEET TREAT!
Dunkin Donuts is getting ready to open a second location in Aiken on Whiskey Road next to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Go ahead and treat yourself!