christmas in aiken county magazine

40 YEARS OF FUN AND CRAFTS AT THE CHRISTMAS CRAFT SHOW

INSIDE LOOK Embracing Christmas Spirit • Craft shows • Family fun • Parades

History of Hopelands 10 acres of more than 100,00 lights

Aiken Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker December 20 & 21 Performing locally since 1970.

SEE SOME UPCOMING CHRISTMASEVENTS AROUND AIKEN COUNTY

BRINGING SMILES TO CHILDREN THROUGH TOYS FOR TOTS EVENT

Pray for Snow Christmas Day!*

*See store for details

Sunday, November 23, 20142

Introduction

by Anne Fulcher

Generations of children wait, excitedly, every year for the Christmas parades in the Midland Valley area of Aiken County. This area has held the Midland Valley and Graniteville parades for well over thirty years each and has become a loving tradition with many families. Hundreds of children and adults participate by riding on a float or marching with their local church, school or civic organization. . One of the continued

traditions is the tossing of candy to the mass-es of children in attendance. The sparkle in the eyes of the little ones as they gaze up at the shower of sweets brings joy to every parent’s heart. The sugar rush along with the anticipation of the arrival of Santa makes it such a special time of year for all of those involved.

The Graniteville parade is sponsored by the Graniteville Vaucluse Warrenville(GVW) Fire Fighters and stretches one and a half miles with over 100 entries and thousands of

viewers. Graniteville makes a day of special events by ending the evening with the “Love Our Town Tree” tree lighting ceremony. The tree lighting is held at 7:00pm on Main Street at the large Graniteville entrance sign. For more information regarding the Graniteville Christmas special events, contact Tina Bev-ington at 803-349-6143.

The Midland Valley Area Chamber of Commerce has been the sponsor of the Mid-land Valley parade for the past 18 years. This parade is approximately 3 miles in length,

with over 90 entrants and more than 6000 people lining the sidewalks to get a peak of the Jolley Old Fella himself. The Grand Marshall of this parade is always the Mid-land Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. This years’ Grand Mar-shall is Rep. Roland Smith. Please feel free to contact Robert Workman, parade chair-man, at 803-593-4907. This year the town of Burnettown will hold an Open House for the new Burnettown Municipal Building on parade day from 9:00am until 5:00pm.

Midland Valley

by linden hAmmett

From the white buds of the pear trees in spring to the brilliant reds and oranges of falling leaves, every season is beautiful in Aiken. But it is at the beginning of winter, when the days are short and skies are a clear, chilly blue, that the true beauty of the city is revealed. Aiken’s holiday season showcases not only lovely Christmas decorations, but also the generous hearts and jolly spirits of the local community.

Holiday celebrations and gatherings abound, featuring music and performances, toy drives and craft shows. Children per-form in choirs and dance troupes, lifting their voices together. Residents meet for ca-sual get-togethers and large, formal holiday parties. Businesses and charities work in tandem to raise funds and gifts for the less fortunate. The area’s sense of community is enhanced with each meeting and event, as we all enjoy the festivities together.

GVW ladies Auxiliary Fd christmas Parade ..........december 6, 2014, 3:00pmGraniteville “love Our tree” tree lighting .............december 6, 2014, 7:00pm(Contact Tina Bevington at 803-349-6143)

burnettown municipal building Open house ................... december 13, 2014, 9:00am-5:00pm(Contact the Municipal Building at 803-593-2676)

midland Valley Area chamber of commerce ............december 13, 2014, 3:00 pmChristmas in the Valley Parade(Contact Robert Workman at 803-593-4907)

Midland Valley Parade Schedule

Staff photo by Melanie herboldThe Southern Thunder Cloggers dance in the Midland Valley parade Saturday.

Downtown Aiken becomes bright with holiday spirit during Night of 1,000 Lights.

326 Rutland Drive, Aiken, SC 29801(803) 648-2311 | aikenstandard.com

PReSiDeNt & PubliSheRellen C. Priest

ADveRtiSiNg DiReCtoRDee taylor

exeCutive eDitoRMelissa hanna

DeSigN & lAyoutShana Donahue, lauren haley, & Mary Watson

Sunday, November 23, 2014 3


Lights on South DixieBy Jennifer Green

The Lights on South Dixie starts out on sunny, 88 degrees October afternoons, where Robin Whittle is working in a field installing Christmas lights. While Christ-mas may seem so far away for some of us, Robin can tell you the number of days until opening night for The Lights on South Dixie, a Wagener attraction ready for its second season of operation. Robin and her family are the owners of The Lights on South Dixie, an event that began as a fam-ily activity that has grown into what many residents hope will become an annual tradition.

The lighted hayrides take visitors through acres of brilliant light displays, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Nativity scene. The focus of the Lights on South Dixie is keep-ing Christ in Christmas and many of the unique light displays are Christian based. The 28-passenger hayride trailer is pulled by a John Deere tractor and is accessible to everyone. A fire pit for toasting marshmal-lows, making s’mores and hot chocolate, along with classic Christmas movies will provide extra entertainment for all visitors.

Robin’s 2 youngest children, Hailey and Bailey, 10, say that greeting customers and making new friends is their favorite part of hosting visitors. Robin enjoys being able to celebrate Jesus’s Birthday and keeping the Christ in Christmas.

The Lights on South Dixie is located at 637 South Dixie Road in Wagener, SC.,a short drive from Aiken, Orangeburg, Barn-well, Pelion and Lexington. Hours of op-eration are Wednesday and Friday-Sunday, 6 until 10pm. This family friendly activity officially opens on Friday, November 28 and runs through Christmas Eve. Admis-sion is $6 for 13-up, and $3 for kids 3-12. Children 2 and under are free.

For more information, check out their Facebook page at on.fb.me/1GTyB8m, or call 803-564-7091. Submitted Photo

This are some of the displays at the first Lights on South Dixie.


BY Linden Hammett

For many years in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Aiken was a Winter Colony, serving as a playground for wealthy northerners.

One lasting legacy of that era was be-queathed to the City of Aiken by Hope Iselin. The beautiful 10-acre tract is now known as Hopelands Gardens and is home to one of the city's most beloved Christmas traditions.

Christmas at Hopelands, the city's largest Christmas attraction, is held at night and features more than 100,000 lights sparkling along the pathways of the gardens.

Participants can wander the more than 1.5 miles of illuminated pathways and enjoy a

multitude of bright holiday displays. Hot chocolate and apple cider warm visitors

as they meander through the festive garden walkways. Each year more than 15,000 peo-ple enjoy the glowing holiday celebration.

The lights are placed each year by vol-unteers who are dedicated to bringing the magical holiday wonder to Aiken. In all, the workers will screw in more than 40,000 bulbs and string more than 100,000 lights.

This year visitors will be required to take a shuttle to the gardens. The shuttle will depart from Citizens Park, 1060 Banks Mill Road. Christmas at Hopelands will be held Dec. 12-15, 18-23, 26 and 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

Shuttle rides and admission are free, but donations are accepted to help continue this wonderful holiday tradition.

Hopelands

Submitted photo by Mark Hudson

Submitted photo by Mark Hudson

Aiken stAndArd file pHoto

Trey Ryan and his grandmother, Cathy Griffis, are bundled up and prepared for the chilly weather on the opening night of 2013’s Christmas at Hopelands.

Aiken stAndArd file pHoto

Swift Devoti, David Devoti and Kyle De-voti took a break to listen to a musical performance on the opening night of the 2013 Christmas at Hopelands.


Christmas at the Lake

Aiken stAndArd file photo

John Blair decided to dress up as Santa for a previous Christmas at the Lake event.

BY Linden Hammett

Aiken Regional Medical Centers hosts Christ-mas at the Lake each year in mid-December, bringing Aikenites together for an evening filled with beautiful lights, music, carols and fun.

Revelers can enjoy hot apple cider, hot choco-late, cookies and other light refreshments in a special gathering next to the lake on the hospital campus.

The evening is hosted by WJBF News Channel 6 Anchorman Brad Means. This year, the Aiken High School marching band will perform, as well as local children’s choirs. The cheerful se-lection of holiday music and a special visit from Santa Claus draw a large crowd each year.

The annual holiday celebration is in its 23rd year, and has grown exponentially. The gather-ing is also a collection for the hospital’s support of the Aiken Salvation Army Toy drive. Last year more than 300 toys were donated by hos-pital staff and local residents who attended the Christmas at the Lake event.

This year, Christmas at the Lake will be held on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted, and all toys will be given to local Aiken children in need.

Aiken stAndArd file photo

Ryan Westberry, center, conducts the Aiken High School marching band at a previous Christmas at the Lake. The band is now led by Greg Priest.


Each year the small communities located within Aiken County celebrate the holidays in their own specific style. From tractors and parades to tree lighting ceremonies and musi-cal performances, the towns and cities here love to continue long-held holiday traditions. Join your friends and neighbors in celebrat-ing the joys of the season with any number of special gatherings and celebrations.

The Aiken Community Playhouse will perform “It’s A Wonderful Life” at the URS Center for the Performing Arts, 126 Newber-ry St. S.W., Nov. 28 and 29, and Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13 at 8 p.m. For more information or to pur-chase tickets, visit www.aikenplayhouse.us.

The University of South Carolina Aiken will hold its Holiday Fest on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m. in the Student Activities Center.

Aiken’s annual Christmas tree lighting will be held Friday, Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the center of Laurens Street and Richland Avenue.

Wagener will hold its annual Hometown Holiday Celebration, including the an-nual Christmas Parade, the first weekend in December. Friday, Dec. 5, evening events will feature performances from the WSHS JROTC, Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School Chorus, the WSHS Band and the group Crossover. After the musical entertain-ment, there will be a tree-lighting ceremony and fireworks display.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, beginning at 8 a.m., a Community Yard and Craft Sale will be held beside the Petal Shop. Visitors are encour-aged to stay for the annual Wagener Christ-mas Parade, beginning at 11 a.m., as well as the Car and Tractor Show taking place from noon to 2 p.m. Carriage rides will also be available, as well as access to the Wagener Museum.

The Christmas Craft Show will be held Friday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. For more information, call 803-642-7631.

Beta Sigma Phi will hold its 2014 North Augusta Christmas Tour of Homes on Friday, Dec. 5, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will feature homes in The Village, the River Club, Hammond’s Ferry and Ham-mond Hills. Refreshments will be offered at the Arts and Heritage Center. A brunch and fashion show will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, at 9:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall of First Bap-

tist Church, 625 Georgia Ave., North Augus-ta. Tour tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 through 3 p.m. on Dec. 5 at Jim Bush Flowers and Gifts, Communigraphics and Parks Pharmacy in North Augusta, and at Designed for Change in Martinez, Georgia. Brunch tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are $10 and may be purchased at the same four locations until 3 p.m. Dec. 1.

Christmas for the Birds will be held at the Living History Park in North Augusta on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ad-mission is free, and attendees will learn how the colonists celebrated Christmas. There will be a visit from Father Christmas, who will be available for pictures with children.

Bound to Sing will perform its fall concert at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, 125 Pend-leton St. S.W., on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m.

The Aiken Civic Ballet will hold its Nut-cracker Tea on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. in the Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St. S.W. This is a free event.

The City of New Ellenton will host the

Atomic City Christmas Parade on Satur-day, Dec. 6, at noon. This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland.” The parade route will follow Main St. from Ellenton Village Shop-

ping Center past Risher Ave.

The GVW Volunteer Fire Department Christmas Parade will be held Saturday,

Aiken StAndArd file photo

Jamie Eckmyre rings up customer Jackie Lefebvre at Re-Fresh last year during the Night of 1,000 Lights.


Riders aboard festive horses were among the participants in the Aiken Jaycees Christmas Parade last year.

Upcoming events

Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. Participants should report to the school by 2:30 p.m. The parade will begin in the parking lot of Leavelle McCampbell Middle School and proceed through Gran-iteville on Highway 101. Trophies will be awarded for the beset religious and commer-cial floats, and the best non-musical group.

The Edgefield Christmas Parade will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. on Court-house Square. The celebration will include the parade, a visit from Santa and seasonal music.

Smith-Hazel Recreation Center, 400 Ker-shaw St., will hold its Christmas tree light-ing on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Storytime with Mrs. Claus will be held Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m. in rooms 6 and 7 of the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. Children 8 and younger are invited to hear a story read by Mrs. Claus and enjoy cookies and juice. This is a free event. For more information, call 803-642-7631.

The Aiken Choral Society will host A Mad-rigal Dinner: A Renaissance Yuletide Feast on Sunday, Dec. 9, and Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Aiken County Historical Society, 433 Newberry St. Tickets are $70.

The Night of 1,000 Lights will be celebrat-ed in downtown Aiken on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. The downtown streets will be lined with luminaries and sponsoring busi-nesses will stay open late. Visitors will enjoy shopping, eating, and spending time with Santa and his elf.

Joshua Messick will present Hammered Dulcimer Christmas at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the URS Center for the Perform-ing Arts, 126 Newberry St. S.W. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door for adults, $12 for students and $5 for children 5 and younger. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 803-648-1438 or visit www.aiken-playhouse.us.

Christmas at the Lake will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the lake on the campus of Aiken Regional Medical Centers, 302 University Parkway. Celebrate the holi-day season with songs performed by local children’s choirs and the Aiken High School marching band, and enjoy hot apple cider, hot chocolate and cookies. Even Santa Claus will make an appearance. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Toy Drive.

Christmas in Hopelands will be held Dec. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, and Dec. 26 and 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. This walk-thru exhibit features more than 1.5 miles of lighted holiday displays and pathways. Re-freshments will be offered each evening. This is event is free but donations are appreciated. For more information, call 803-642-7631.

Aiken County Parks, Recreation and Tour-ism and the Serenity Charity Club will host a Christmas dance for mature adults Friday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Aiken County Recreation Center, 917 Jefferson Da-vis Highway, Graniteville. For more informa-tion, call Tandra Cooks at 803-663-6142.

PFLAG Aiken will hold its holiday social from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Ai-ken Unitarian Universalist Church, 115 Gregg Ave.

Breakfast with Santa will be held Satur-day, Dec. 13, at 8:30 a.m. in rooms 6 and 7 of the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The cost is $3, and the event is open to children 12 and younger accompa-nied by an adults. Pre-registration is required. The registration deadline is Sunday, Dec. 7. For more information or to register, call 803-642-7631.

The Goodwill Hire Grounds Cafe, 1379 Washington Road, Augusta, will hold a gin-gerbread house workshop Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon. This is a free event. For more information or RSVP, call Nancy Browning at 706-650-5760 or email [email protected].

The North Augusta Lions Christmas Pa-rade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Georgia Ave.

The Aiken Jaycees will hold its 2014 Christmas Parade on Friday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. in downtown Aiken. The theme for this year is A Star-Spangled Christmas. The cost to register is $25, and the deadline to register is Monday, Dec. 1. For more information or to register, visit www.aikenjaycees.com.

The Aiken Choral Society will hold a Mad-rigal Concert at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 100 Cornerstone Drive. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for stu-dents and military, and free for children ages 12 and younger.

The Aiken Performing Arts Group presents The Continuo Collective of the South on Thursday, Dec. 18. This performance will be held at the URS Center for the Perform-ing Arts, 126 Newberry St., at 7:30 p.m., and is black-tie optional. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, Christmas sweets and wine will be served before the performance. Tickets are $40. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.apagonline.org.

Christmas at the Depot will be held Satur-

day, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ai-ken Visitors Center and Train Museum, 406 Park Ave. S.E. Admission is free. For more information, call 888-AIKEN-SC.

The Aiken Civic Ballet will perform “The Nutcracker” on Saturday, Dec. 20, from 7 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 21, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center, 471 University Parkway. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, students and children. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.aikencivicballet.com.



This puppy gets in the holiday spirit at last year’s Christmas parade in Aiken.


Pictured are Andrew Siders as the jester, Catherine Jackson and Lilianne Ross at the Aiken Choral Society’s Madrigal Dinner last year.


Christmas Craft ShowBY Linden Hammett

Gathering for fun and crafts at the City of Aiken's Annual Christmas Craft Show has been a holiday tradition here for more than 40 years. Friends and fami-lies can visit the booths of more than 100 vendors chosen by the show jury each year. Crafters from all over the South offer a wide variety of handmade items.

Held the first weekend in De-cember at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, the Christmas Craft Show is the perfect place to start checking off items on your Christmas list. Choose from a multitude of holiday items, including wreaths, ornaments, floral arrangements, Christmas clothing, ceramic dishes and figurines and wooden yard deco-rations. Crafters also make Santa figurines in every shape, size and material imaginable!

If you're interested in other gift items, the selection also includes baked goods, confections, soaps,

lotions, quilts, jewelry and wood-en furniture.

Visitors will be tempted by the wonderful smells emanating from the food trucks and vendor carts located outside the Weeks Center. Tastebuds will delight with fresh funnel cakes, hot dogs, hamburg-ers, sandwiches, kettle corn and popcorn, as well as hot chocolate and apple cider. This year's fes-tivities will include holiday tunes performed by Roger and Barb Rollins.

The family-friendly atmosphere of the show usually attracts around 5,000 people who take advantage of the free parking and free admis-sion. Santa Claus will be accepting gift requests from children of all ages on Saturday. There will also be a professional photographer offering pictures with the jolly old soul.

This year's Christmas Craft Show will be held at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center in Aiken on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Aiken residents and visitors visited local food vendors and more than 100 artisans, while enjoying the weath-er during a previous Christmas Craft Show at H. Odell Weeks Center. This year’s Christmas Craft Show will take place Dec. 5 to 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Aiken GivesBY Linden Hammett

Anyone can celebrate the holidays with lovely music, dance and beautiful decorations. It takes a special combination of compassion and a desire to serve to bring the people of a commu-nity together to give to the most needy among them. The people of Aiken County work tire-lessly during the holidays to provide the less fortunate with gifts, supplies, and toys to give everyone joy during the holiday season.

The South Aiken Presbyterian Church will

sponsor its 28th annual Secret Santa of Aiken County program this year. Reaching out to help children of low-income families, the Secret Santa program provides parents with up to three toys for children ages one to 12. Needy families fill out applications in early November, and local volunteers sign on to sponsor a family.

The program often helps hundreds of chil-dren receive the gifts they most desire.

Applications to sponsor a family can be found at the church’s website, southaiken.org.

Each December, shoppers recognize the

familiar ringing of bells to signal the kickoff of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle program. The charity’s annual holiday fundraiser depends on hundreds of volunteers to man the bright red kettles located outside of popular area busi-nesses. The money raised each year goes to fund the local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, social services office, boys and girls club and Christmas programs. The money provides the most needy in our area with hope during times of desperation. Donations are accepted at any red kettle throughout the holidays.

Many local businesses and individuals also participate in toy collections for local charities. The Dixie Thunder of Aiken County ABATE of South Carolina holds a Motorcycle Toy Run each year to benefit Helping Hands, a local charity that runs an emergency shelter and residential group home. The toy run provides gifts to needy children, and raises much needed money for the charity’s various advocacy pro-grams.

From filling an Operation Christmas Child Box for a local church, to dropping coins in a red kettle, there are myriad ways that the people of Aiken come together each Christmas to ensure that the people in need receive gifts of love and assistance in the true spirit of the holidays.

Staff photo by Maayan SchechterMrs. Claus and Santa, otherwise known as Spooky and Debbie Spradley, led the Dixie Thunder Run ABATE of South Carolina into Helping Hands Saturday as they donated toys to children for Christmas during their annual Toy Run.

Staff photo by DeDe bILeSSam Johnson, left, and Gary Tucker carry bags of toys that are about to be distrib-uted through South Aiken Presbyterian Church’s Secret Santa of Aiken County program.

Staff photo by aMy banton Operation Christmas Child volunteer Jen-nifer Williams with her daughter, Julia and a box of supplies that they will send to a child in need somewhere across the globe.

SUbMItteD photo

Town and Country Club continues its year-ly tradition of bell ringing at WalMart for the Salvation Army. Pictured from left: Kay Hummert and Sue Gibson.


BY Linden Hammett

Each year, the Aiken Civic Ballet presents the community with one of the season’s most beloved holiday performances – the Nutcrack-er. Featuring the familiar strains of Tchai-kovsky’s brilliant music, the local Nutcracker was first performed by the Aiken Civic Ballet under the direction of Carl Crosby in 1970.

In the years since, the ballet company per-formed the Nutcracker sporadically, working in conjunction with other dance companies. Over the past six years, however, the produc-tion has become a yearly tradition.

Aiken dancers perform under the tutelage of Diane Toole Miller, artistic director of the Civic Ballet and former professional ballerina. This year’s performance will feature more than 100 dancers of all ages. It takes a multi-tude of performers and volunteers to engineer a production of this size, but everyone pulls together brilliantly for the annual performance.

Rehearsals for the dancers began in Septem-ber, and the production team

has planned everything from costumes to props, backdrops and special ef-

fects.“We try to change things up from year to year,” said Miller. “We change costumes

and dancers, and revise some of the choreog-raphy.” She said that this year she has added a pas de deux pairing for the classic Arabian dance. “The Arabian is

traditionally a female solo, but I thought it would be neat to showcase the talent of our male company member,

Samuel.”The Nutcracker is ex-

tremely popular, and both

shows last year were sold out. We encourage everyone to buy tickets in advance to ensure you get a seat,” said Miller. This year the troupe will also perform select divertissements from the second act for Aiken County public school children on Friday, Dec. 19.

“It’s a wonderful way to expose children to the world of dance,” Miller said. “Many of the children coming in for a field trip will have never seen ballet performed live. It’s a great experience for them, and a way to encourage the growth of arts in our community.”

This year, the Nutcracker will be performed on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Etherredge Center at the University of South Carolina Aiken.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors and are available at the Etherredge Center Box Office, 803-641-3305.

In addition to the performance in late De-cember, visitors at the Nutcracker Tea, held on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Aiken County Historical Museum, can enjoy meeting cast members in costume.

‘The Nutcracker’


Aiken Civic Ballet Board Member Dot Poe, left, and Nutcracker Tea Host Sissie Brodie work on decorations for the last year’s event. Also pictured, from left, are Anna, Samu-el and Isaac McNamee who are decorating the tree.


Alyssa Raynor, 6, and Katie Raynor, 4, take a moment to enjoy their tea and cookies during the fifth Annual Nutcracker Tea.


WagenerBY Valerie Sliker

Join Wagener for it’s annual Hometown Hol-iday Celebration and Christmas Parade, Dec. 5 and 6. There will be special events on Fri-day evening and Saturday morning, including the Christmas Parade at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. Notify Town Hall in advance if you will be placing an entry in the parade.

On Friday evening from 5 to 7:30 p.m., you can catch special performances at the Pavilion. Performances include the WSHS JROTC, Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School Chorus, the WSHS Band, seen here

from another year’s celebration, and the group Crossover will perform. Fireworks will be displayed following the performances.

Before the performaces, you can enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride around town, the pick-up place is at the Gazebo across from Town Hall. Also, crafts will be displayed and for sale in the park starting at 5:30 p.m. Local businesses will have an open house for a greet and meet.

Around 7:30 p.m. there will be a Tree Light-ing ceremony followed by a Fireworks Ex-travaganza.

Horse and Carriage rides will be available

from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday evening. You can ride around town and view the decora-tions and lights, as well as use the carriage to visit local businesses. You can board at the Gazebo.

Tthe Wagener Museum will be open for visits. The Museum is always open for Open House, and this is a great night to visit the Museum if you’ve never done so. The Mu-seum is located behind Town Hall.

The Annual Christmas Parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. If you’d like to enter a float in the parade, you must register in advance.

You can register online by clicking the Hometown Holiday Event register button at the top of this page or you can register in person at Town Hall. You can call the Town Hall at 803-564-3412. Groups participating in the parade need to be at the Busbee/Corbett School by 10 a.m. to line up.

Prior to the parade, there will be a Com-munity Yard and Craft Sale beside the Petal Shop, starting at 8 a.m. Booths will be set up around the area with information on FOTAS, CPR Information and CWP. A Car and Trac-tor Show will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday.


Toys for TotsBY Linden Hammett

Every child deserves a toy at Christmas-time. The United States Marine Corps works hard to make sure that is the case for as many children as possible.

Its Toys for Tots program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, Novem-ber and December each year.

The toys are then distributed as Christ-mas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

The program, which the Secretary of Defense approved as an official activity

of the Marines in 1995, is for all children, including military kids.

The Toys for Tots objectives are as sim-ple as they are honorable:

• Help less fortunate children through-out the United States experience the joy of Christmas.

• Play an active role in the development of children.

• Unite all members of local communi-ties in a common cause.

• Contribute to better communities in the future.

ActivitiesThe principal Toys for Tots activity is

the annual collection and distribution of toys, which is generally coordinated by the local reserve unit.

In communities without a reserve unit, the campaign can be conducted by a de-tachment or an authorized group of vet-eran Marines.

And Toys for Tots is not strictly focused on Christmastime. Campaign coordina-tors also conduct annual events including golf tournaments, foot races, bicycle rac-es and other voluntary events designed to garner support and donations for the program.

Achievements and How to Help To date, the organization has distrib-

uted nearly 500 million toys to more than 200 million less fortunate children. It has also been named the Outstanding Non-profit Organization of the Year by vari-ous high-profile federations and media organizations.

You can help this program by donat-ing a toy at one of your local toy-drop locations or by hosting an event at your home.

Visit www.aikenmcl939.org/toys to locate local drop-off and volunteer loca-tions in Aiken County.

Submitted Photo Savannah River Remediation construc-tion employees assist Santa Abe Dial as they load donated toys as part of SRR’s U.S. Marine Corp Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. Two large trucks containing over 3,800 donated toys and bicycles were collected.

Submitted Photo McKayla Morris of North Augusta, 2013 Miss Southeast Preteen USA National, de-livers toys to The Jeweler’s Loupe in Aiken for the Toys for Tots program.

christmas in aiken county magazine

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