Sports / Entertainment

The battle over the new LIV Golf Tour won’t keep some of the world’s top golfers away from Augusta National. The golf world had questioned whether golfers who had left the PGA for the Saudi-backed tour would be allowed to play in the Masters Tournament. But last week, Augusta National Golf Club chairman, Fred Ridley announced that 16 members of the tour will receive invitations to play in the 2023 Masters, April 6-9. Those 16 include six past Masters champions: Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed,

Some business names aren’t very memorable, but that certainly can’t be said about the provocative name Jeremy McRae has chosen for his new business. McRae, the owner of CSRA Kayak Rentals, just launched Kiss My Sexy Axe, a mobile axe-throwing business. He originally wanted to call it Kiss My Axe, but he discovered that name was already being used by businesses in other states. When McRae first heard about mobile axe-throwing, he was interested in the activity for strictly personal reasons. “I was thinking about something fun to do at

Every November and December, Mark Jackson loves to see families spending time together and enjoying a festive holiday experience. Jackson, the managing partner of Lights of the South located at 633 Louisville Road in Grovetown, said that’s his favorite part of running the seasonal business, which opened for the 2022 season on Friday, Nov. 18 and will close on Friday, Dec. 30. He has co-owned the business for six or seven years, but he said it’s been around for nearly 20 years. “I like seeing people in the holiday spirit,”

Jeanette Norris loves kids, whether they have two legs or four. Norris, a pediatrician and owner of a 10-acre farm off Columbia Road in Grovetown, will offer her first goat yoga class on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Peaceful Warrior Apothecary, 324 South Belair Road, Martinez. The one-hour outdoor class, which will include six to eight of her friendliest goats, is called Pet-A-Goat Yoga. “It’s a regular yoga class with goats jumping around,” she said. “Our goats are very friendly, and people love to pet them.” Norris bought the farm

The Aiken Civic Ballet recently celebrated its 50th year, making it South Carolina’s longest-operating dance company. During the Christmas season, they host the Nutcracker Tea at the Aiken Historical Museum and present the beloved Nutcracker ballet held at USCA’s Etherredge Center. Both are wildly popular. Tara Reeder, ACBC President and Chair of the Nutcracker Tea said, “You’d think we were selling tickets to a Taylor Swift concert for this weekend’s tea. We added a sitting for a total of four with 88 guests at each and the tea still sold

In 1995, Ricky Moore led the Westside High School basketball team to victory in the Georgia High School Association’s Class AAA tournament. Moore also played for the University of Connecticut and helped the team win the national championship in 1999. He will host a tournament at his alma mater, Friday evening and wants local businesses to sponsor it. Six teams will compete in the Ricky Moore Invitational. Lucy C. Laney High School will compete against Jones County High School at 5:30 p.m., Augusta Christian Schools will take on Butler High

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