Augusta, GA July 2023

Happy Summer!

I hope this letter finds you laying by the pool or lake and soaking in some much-needed Vitamin D.

As the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, I find myself eagerly anticipating the arrival of summer. There's just something about this season that brings about a sense of excitement and adventure.

Sure, fall has my favorite flavors and scents, winter has its cozy charms and I can't deny the beauty of spring. But when the summer solstice rolls around, I’m more than ready for the long, languid days sitting by the pool or floating on a boat.

Even if summer doesn't mean three months of summer vacation for us, we can still look forward to an adventure by crossing things off your summer bucket list, like curling up with a new favorite beach read.

July 2023

PUBLISHER

Jana Morris | jana.morris@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Bailey Hall | bailey.hall@citylifestyle.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Stephanie Lewis | stephanie.lewis@citylifestyle.com

Sandra Martin | Sandra.Martin@citylifestyle.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Collin Beasley | Collin.Beasley@citylifestyle.com

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Daniel Morris

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

A Beautiful Mess, Bailey Hall, Michelle W. Parnell

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

A Beautiful Mess, Pickleheads

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Mindy Hargesheimer

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

AD DESIGNER Matthew Endersbe

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain

city scene

Where neighbors can see and be seen.

Want to be seen in the magazine? Tag your Instagram photos with @citylifestyleaugusta

business monthly

A round-up of exciting news from local businesses.

Welcome To The World, Rylee!

Mike and Sylvana Murphy, owners of Murphy Auto Group, recently welcomed their second child, Rylee Piedad Murphy Leon! Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby girl!

List Of Current Needs For Prepare For Babies

Prepare For Babies is a local nonprofit that provides safe and loving homes for pregnant women in crisis. They are currently in need of these items; Pack and Play Portable Playard, new paci and clip, diaper bag, newborn boy clothes, swings, crib sheets, breast pump and accessories, bath soap, lotion, newborn diapers, bottles, washable or disposable nursing pads, XL-3XL nursing bra, high chair, strollers, and a thermometer. Visit prepareforbabies.org to make a donation.

The Book Tavern Celebrates 18th Anniversary

The Book Tavern is a used, new, and rare bookstore in Downtown Augusta and they recently celebrated their 18th anniversary of being open. We would like to say congratulations to them on this amazing achievement! The Augusta City Lifestyle team wishes you many more wonderful years in business!

Want to be featured?

Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Augusta

Hometown Heroes

Do you know someone who has done something amazing in the community? Nominate them by emailing bailey.hall@citylifestyle.com.

Jenine Carter

CSRA Humane Society

The CSRA Humane Society is a volunteer-run, no-kill animal shelter located inside a historic jailhouse in Augusta. Jenine Carter is on the Board of Directors and has been a volunteer for eighteen years. She started volunteering at the CSRA Humane Society because her niece said that she wanted to be a vet. “She was in second grade and we went down there and I got hooked on it. I love doing this,” shares Jenine.

“We get probably 25 to 30 calls a week of people wanting to surrender their animals,” says Jenine. The organization operates solely off of donations to provide the necessities for the animals. You can make donations to CSRA Humane Society PO Box 204120, Augusta, GA 30917. They are located at 425 Wood Street and their hours are every Saturday from 11am to 4pm and Mondays from 6pm to 8pm. If you are interested in adopting a pet, the CSRA Humane Society would like to invite you to visit them and see their selection of animals.

Jen-Liz Maldonado, Air Force Veteran

Semi-Finalist Ms. Veteran America & Advocate for Final Salute, Inc.

Jen-Liz, an Augusta native, attended the Air Force Academy and then served for two years on active duty as a cybersecurity officer. After medical retirement, she began looking for ways to get involved in veteran programs. “I came across Ms. Veteran America and thought it was a really cool competition because their whole motto is ‘a woman beyond the uniform’,” she shares. “I really liked that because it has helped me find an identity outside of the military.”

Jen-Liz also loved the purpose behind Final Salute, Inc., a nonprofit associated with Ms. Veteran America. “The mission of Final Salute is to provide suitable housing and support for homeless women veterans and their children,” she explains. “To be part of something that supports such a good cause brings a lot of meaning towards what I'm doing.”

To donate to Final Salute and follow Jen-Liz’s progress for Ms. Veteran America this summer, visit @Jen-LizM4MVA2023 on Facebook.

Angela Bakos

Resourced Network

Angela Bakos started Resourced Network three years ago wanting to help people and organizations in need. “Basically, I track community resources. Everything from food, clothing, healthcare, mental health, addiction… all of the different things,” says Angela. “I also track volunteer opportunities for organizations that need help and if they accept donations.”

Angela decided to start Resourced Network after someone she knew needed assistance with rent. She was able to find a program to connect that family to and she wondered what other organizations she could make connections with. “I started throwing a list together of organizations and I called one of them only to find out they had been closed for five years. That’s why I personally verify everybody before they go on the list,” says Angela. Every six months, Angela re-verifies every resource to make sure they are still active.

To view Angela’s list of resources, visit the Resourced Network Facebook page and go to the photos folder.

Jennifer Jones

Apparo Academy

Apparo Academy is a nonprofit childcare center for kids six weeks old through kindergarten. “We serve children of all abilities, 40% of our students are typically developing students that would go to childcare anywhere, and then the other 60% of our students have varying and different needs. Some are therapy needs, some are medical needs, and some have both,” says Jennifer Jones, the Founder and Executive Director at Apparo Academy.

Classrooms consist of ten children and three qualified teachers. “The children who need therapy and medical care receive all of that here at one location so their parents can work. We have a full day program from 7:30am to 5pm and they get all their speech, occupational, and physical therapy, and a quality education,” says Jennifer.

For more information about Apparo Academy and how you can support them, please visit apparoacademy.org.

Summer Sports

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. The SFIA (Sports and Fitness Industry Association) estimates 4.8 million players and that grew 14.8% year-over-year. In fact, industry experts are predicting we’ll see 40 million players by 2030. If that happens, pickleball will become the largest racquet sport in the country, almost twice the size of tennis,” says Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads, a digital home for all things pickleball. The sport is a cross between ping pong, badminton, and tennis, and was invented by vacationers on Bainbridge Island in 1965.

“Like the rest of the country, pickleball is growing exponentially in Augusta. Most venues are bursting at the seams. Some relief is on the way as Columbia County Parks & Recs have plans to add 12 courts at Blanchard Park. We hope Richmond

County will follow suit and invest in public courts soon. Meanwhile, several certified instructors are teaching people to play every day! It seems everyone wants to learn to play the friendliest sport on earth,” says Anne Rheins, USA Pickleball Ambassador. Augusta is the 4th most popular city in Georgia to play pickleball and the top five Pickleball Courts in Augusta are Blanchard Park Pickleball (free to play), Montclair Park (membership required), West Lake Country Club (membership required), Forest Hills Racquet Club (private), and Warren Road Community Center (free to play).

For more information about local pickleball, join the Facebook group, Augusta Pickleball. To learn more about pickleball and to find courts near you, please visit pickleheads.com .

Summer Bucket List

READ OUR LIST OF FAVORITE SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Do you have any exciting plans for the summer? If not, look no further! We listed some of our favorite things to do during summertime! Use this list as inspiration and make sure to share your pictures with us for a chance to be featured in the magazine! Pictures can be sent through social media or by emailing bailey.hall@citylifestyle.com.

Find a public pool and grab some friends for a swim. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen!

| HOST A BACKYARD BARBECUE

Hosting barbecues is one of the most popular summer activities!

| MAKE HOMEMADE POPSICLES

Homemade popsicles are so much fun to make and the flavor possibilities are endless!

DIY Your Way To a Bug-Free Summer

Adult- and Kid-Friendly Natural Bug Repellents from A Beautiful Mess

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY A BEAUTIFUL MESS

Adult Blend Kids Blend

(age 15 and over)

MATERIALS:

• 10 drops lemon essential oil

• 10 drops lemongrass essential oil

• 8 drops lavender essential oil

• 8 drops eucalyptus essential oil

• 1.5 ounces distilled water

(minus 1 teaspoon to make room for the essential oils in the bottle)

• .5 ounce 95% proof grain alcohol*

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a 2-ounce spray bottle, add the grain alcohol (or Solubol) and drop in essential oils. Swirl to combine. Place the cap back on the bottle. Allow the oils to disperse in the alcohol for about 1 hour, then add distilled water, swirling again to combine.

MATERIALS:

• 10 drops lemon essential oil

• 10 drops lemongrass essential oil

• 4 drops lavender essential oil

• 1.5 ounces distilled water

(minus 1 teaspoon to make room for the essential oils in the bottle)

• .5 ounce 95% proof grain alcohol*

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a 2-ounce spray bottle, add the grain alcohol (or Solubol) and drop in essential oils. Swirl to combine. Place the cap back on the bottle. Allow the oils to disperse in the alcohol for about 1 hour, then add distilled water, swirling again to combine.

*The grain alcohol is used as a preservative as well as a carrier for the oils, but you can also use a product like this instead of grain alcohol at a 1:4 ratio (1 drop essential oil to 4 drops Solubol) if you’d rather and then just fill the rest with water to fill the 2-ounce spray bottle.

While there can be concern about citrus oils on the skin when exposed to sunlight, lemongrass isn’t a photosensitive oil, and if lemon essential oil is steam-distilled rather than cold-pressed (Oui Fresh essential oils are cold-pressed) it can be used on the skin. So just make sure to note which one your lemon oil is and only spray on clothes if you don’t have a skin-safe lemon oil (which is an application method a lot of people prefer anyway if they are more sensitive to oils).

Find more DIYs at ABeautifulMess.com.

Mckynsey Harrison is a licensed Realtor in both Georgia and South Carolina who strongly believes in RELATIONSHIPS over TRANSACTIONS as well as WHO you work with MATTERS. She pairs her passion for helping others with excellent communication and is very thorough which she believes is key to providing her clients with the highest level of service. She understands that a home is people’s largest investment and strives to make that process as seamless and FUN as possible, while making lifelong friends in the process. With her vibrant personality, positive attitude and more than likely, coffee in hand, Mckynsey is motivated to go above and beyond for her clients.

706-829-1463

events

A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July from the Augusta City Lifestyle team!

Dinner Detective Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner Show!

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON AUGUSTA

America's largest interactive comedy murder mystery dinner show is now playing in Augusta, GA! You'll tackle a challenging crime while you feast on a fantastic dinner. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thedinnerdetective.com.

Movies at the Miller: Hook MILLER THEATER

Bring your family for a free showing of Hook at the Miller Theater! Admission is free but you will need a ticket to enter, tickets are available at the Miller Theater box office. Movie starts at 4pm.

Wacky Wednesday Storytime

BARNES & NOBLE

Barnes & Noble invites kids of all ages to attend "Wacky" storytime on July 19th at 10am. There will be exciting and captivating stories and activities.

2023 Candlelight Music Series

AUGUSTA COMMON

The Candlelight Music Series is back and better than ever! Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and enjoy listening to the area's most popular local and regional artists. Admission is $10, kids 12 and under are free.

Want to be featured?

Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Augusta