Sports / Entertainment

By May 2024, the Bell Auditorium will look significantly different than it does today, according to Project Executive Consultant, HB Brantley. Brantley said the nearly 2,700-seat venue will undergo major renovations that are currently scheduled to begin in April 2023. He said the plan is to close the Bell from July 2023 to May 2024 to complete the project, which will include adding a two-story, 5,000-square-foot grand hall/promenade; demolishing and rebuilding the venue’s dressing rooms; installing a fire sprinkler system; and updating the existing green room. Brantley said the Augusta-Richmond

The Augusta Entertainment Complex, which just celebrated its most profitable year ever, is now under new management. Last week, Brian Martin took over as General Manager of the AEC. In this role, he’s responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the James Brown Arena and Bell Auditorium and booking shows for both venues. Martin works for OVG360, the company that manages those venues. He served in two previous roles with the AEC: Box Office Director and Director of Event Services. Before returning to Augusta, Martin was the Assistant General Manager

Augusta National was in the news again last week, but not in the way it would prefer. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division is investigating the PGA Tour for antitrust violations, and in the process has included looking into Augusta National Golf Club and the United States Golf Association (USGA). In August, 11 members of the new Saudi-backed LIV golf tour filed suit against the PGA, saying among other things that the tour had colluded with Augusta National to keep players from participating

Brandy Mitchell has found a fun, creative way for local businesses to interact with children and their parents. And your business can still sign up to participate. Mitchell, founder, and editor of CSRA Kids, a guide for parents that lists a variety of children’s activities, created Kid Jam in 2018. The all-day event features more than 100 vendors, including food trucks, a petting zoo, face painting, and inflatables. Sponsors include the Family YMCA of Greater Augusta and Murphy Auto Group. “Kid Jam is our annual kid expo,” she said. “We

The more than month-long Beyond Van Gogh exhibit at the James Brown Arena (JBA) and the eighth annual Augusta Blues Festival at the Bell Auditorium were just two of the events that helped those venues record their most successful year ever. The JBA and Bell, collectively known as the Augusta Entertainment Complex (AEC), are managed by a company called OVG360, which operates under the direction of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. The company’s Regional Marketing Director, Tyler Gambrell, said more than 161,000 people attended shows, concerts, and other events, which

What started as 38 acres of overgrown shrubs and gnarly pine trees covering an abandoned sand and chalk mine is now a nine-hole golf course. It doesn’t feature the beauty shots of Augusta National or the Aiken Golf Club, although the team that renovated the latter, Three Amigos Golf, was responsible for bringing life to Chalk Mine 9. It’s a private golf facility for the exclusive use of USC Aiken Men’s Golf and First Tee-Aiken, but as of Tuesday, September 27, the course can now be played by community and

Fans showed the Augusta GreenJackets plenty of love during the 2022 season, so much so that they topped all of Single A in attendance, plus set a franchise attendance record. The GreenJackets drew 262,172 fans to SRP Park during the season, the best among the 30 Single A Minor League Baseball affiliates. They also averaged 4,096 fans per game, besting their previous record of 4,050 set in 2019. SRP Park has 4,200 seats but with standing room only admissions can host 6,000-plus. “We’re very fortunate that the community supports GreenJackets

Dayon Walker wants to provide a day of fun and education for the local community, which is why he’s hosting the second annual Cooler Fest on Sunday. Walker, the owner of Reserve and Ride Watersports, which offers guided jet ski tours of the Savannah River, said the all-day, family-friendly event will also include food, music, horse rides, as well as water slides. It will be held at 105 Riverfront Drive in Augusta near the Boathouse Community Center. He’s offering free entry for anyone donating book bags or fall/winter clothing, which

Augusta’s annual Arts in the Heart festival will be back in full swing in a few weeks and there is optimism that the first post-pandemic event will draw a big crowd. This year’s Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival will be held Sept. 16-18 in the Augusta Common, as well as the 600-900 blocks of Broad Street. The annual festival, which is hosted by the Greater Augusta Arts Council, is now in its 40th year. This year’s sponsors include Durty Gurl Cocktail Mixers, TranterGrey, and SRP Federal Credit Union.

When the Augusta University men’s basketball team made it to the 2022 NCAA Division II championship tournament and finished the season with a 33-4 record, some assumed they had an easy season, according to head Coach, Dip Metress. He spoke to a group of local home professionals at this month’s CSRA Home Connections meeting. At the meeting on Wednesday, Metress discussed the 2021-2022 season, which he said wasn’t easy for him or his players. “Everybody wants to see the end product,” said Metress, who has led the team for 18