Aiken Concert Band to honor City’s anniversary
The Aiken Concert Band, formerly the Aiken Community Band, will honor Aiken’s 175th anniversary with a free concert on Monday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at Hopelands Gardens.
The Aiken Concert Band under the direction of Col. Gary F. Lamb, retired commander and conductor of The U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C., will be joined by The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the official ceremonial unit in Washington.
The Herald Trumpets will perform “Fanfare For the Common Man” by Aaron Copland, as well as selections they have performed around the country and at official ceremonies in Washington.
The Aiken Concert Band will be joined by The Herald Trumpets for “Pines of the Appian Way” by Ottorino Respighi. Other selections to be performed by the Aiken Concert Band include “English Folk Song Suite” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a medley from “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein and “Shenandoah” by Frank Ticheli. “Shenandoah” will be conducted by Lauren Meccia, director of bands at USC Aiken.
The concert will close with the Aiken Concert Band and The Herald Trumpets performing the finale of “Symphony No. 1 in G Minor” by Kalinnikov.
The May 3 concert kicks off the start of the 2010 Hopelands Summer Concert Series which continues each Monday night through the months of May, June, July and August. All concerts are offered free of charge and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics.
Handicap parking is available at the Rye Patch parking lot on Berrie Road and the Hopelands Gardens Parking Lot on Dupree Place. All other concert attendees should park at the Green Boundary on Whiskey Road.
In case of rain, the concerts will be held at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center in Gym 2 whenever possible. Call 643-4661 for more information in the event of rain. For a complete listing of upcoming concerts, visit www.cityofaikensc.gov.
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Aiken Concert Band kicks off Summer Concert Series May 3
The start of this year’s Hopelands Summer Concert Series is approaching, and the musical lineup has been set.
The series kicks off with the Aiken Concert Band on Monday, May 3 with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets from Washington, D.C. as the special guests.
The concerts feature a different performer or group each Monday night throughout the summer until the end of August, and each takes place in Hopelands Gardens, except in the case of inclement weather.
All concerts begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Attendees are invited to pack a picnic supper and bring blankets, towels and folding chairs to sit on as they watch the concerts on the Windham Performing Arts Stage.
Admission is free.
A shuttle service leaving from the Goodwill parking lot on Whiskey Road will run on June 7 for the Ft. Gordon Concert Band performance and on July 6 for the U.S. Marine Corps Band-Parris Island performance.
Handicap parking is available at the Rye Patch parking lot on Berrie Road and the Hopelands Gardens parking lot on Dupree Place.
All other attendees should park at the Green Boundary on Whiskey Road.
In the event of rain, the concerts will be held at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center at 1700 Whiskey Road in Gym 2 whenever possible.
If inclement weather is nearby, call 643-4661 to see if the concert has been moved.
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Driving Club to lead carriage presentation
The Aiken Driving Club’s carriage presentation offers an opportunity to learn more about what was once the most common mode of transportation in this country while playing a prominent role in shaping the area’s history.
Several members of the Driving Club will share their wide breadth of knowledge about carriages, horses and carriage driving at The Carriage Museum in Hopelands Gardens on May 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the presentation “Carriage Driving in Your Backyard.”
“This is a way for the Aiken Driving Club to promote carriage driving to the general public,” said Diane Mansur of the Aiken Driving Club. “We’ll have a number of members in attendance who will be able to answer questions about the carriages in the museum and about the carriages that will be brought to the presentation by club members.”
The carriages on display at the museum evoke images of a previous era, but those attending the event will have an opportunity to see those carriages used in pleasure driving events and a marathon carriage used in Combined Driving Events.
“There will also be videos of different driving events,” Mansur said.
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Meeting will be held for docents
The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department is looking for volunteers to help show off one of Aiken’s most popular attractions.
A recruitment meeting for potential docents for Hopelands Gardens, Rye Patch, the Doll House and the Carriage Museum will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Rye Patch Reception Center.
A presentation on points of interest will be given by recreation program supervisor Lisa J. Hall, and those interested in volunteering can sign up for specific duties at the meeting.
“I’ve been put in charge of this new program, similar to what I already have in place at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum,” Hall said. “I think, to make the program successful, we’ll probably need 20 to 30 volunteers. A lot of it is finding someone who’s going to be available if I call and say, ‘I’ve got a group coming in from Charleston looking for a tour specifically on the camellia garden, are you available on this date?’ Right now, we don’t have anyone volunteering at the Carriage Museum, and we’d like to have that open regular hours. The Doll House right now is only open on Sundays, and the Garden Clubs Council handles that, but we get a lot of requests to see that on Saturdays, so we’d like to have docents for it.”
Once the recreation department has the sign-up lists, it will tailor volunteer schedules to match the volunteers’ areas of interest, Hall said.
The department is also printing brochures with points of interest in Hopelands Gardens that will be placed at the park entrances for use by the docents and by those on self-guided tours. The brochures will focus on points of historic interest and on the park’s flora and fauna.
“We’d like to have not only people who live here have the opportunity to see these attractions but also visitors from out of town,” Hall said.
Those interested in attending the recruitment meeting can call Hall at 642-7650 or e-mail lhall@cityofaikensc.gov.
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Hopelands attraction prepares for Christmas
Several garden clubs descended on the Dollhouse in Hopelands Gardens to string garland, hang wreaths and decorate a tree just in time for Christmas in Hopelands.
Each club was assigned an area of the house to decorate, such as the mantle, kitchen, bathroom and windows to resemble to this year’s theme: Santa’s workshop.
Previous themes have included Birds of Christmas, Victorian Christmas and Winter Wonderland.
“There are eight federated garden clubs in Aiken who decorate the Dollhouse each year,” said Betty Coward with the Sunshine Garden Club. “We have the window wreaths, and we can only use fresh greenery. Artificial greenery is not allowed,” she said. “We hope visitors to Hopelands will walk through and see the Dollhouse, so we want to present it in its Christmas finery.”
The Green Gardeners were in charge of decorating the fresh Fraser fir Christmas tree donated by Cold Creek Nurseries.
The club handmade elf doll ornaments and bought nutcrackers, trains and cars and little stuffed animals to hang on the branches.
“Christmas in Hopelands brings the spirit of Christmas to Aiken, and it’s absolutely free to the public,” said Mary Kay Dunbar, Green Gardeners president. Full Story….
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Museum exhibit artist reception set for Thursday
An exhibit featuring the works of nationally renowned artist Dorothy Chhuy will be featured at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum from Thursday through Dec. 31.
An opening reception for the artist will be held Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.
This will be the sixth time Chhuy’s works will be featured at the Hall of Fame; her work was previously exhibited in 1991, 1994, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
The artist’s watercolors and drawings of equestrian sport and landscapes give distinction and harmony to the form of life, and her work’s delicacy of feeling and tenderness of expression create an atmosphere of elegance. Her work captures the spirit and excitement of steeplechase and flat racing, mounted fox hunting and carriage driving.
Chhuy’s work has been exhibited in a number of juried shows including the Salmagundi Club in New York, the New Jersey and Louisiana watercolor societies, the Fourth International Miniature Print Competition, Pratt Graphics Center in New York, the Salon de Grabado, Museo Espanol de Arte Contemporaneo in Madrid, Spain, and a number of exhibitions in Paris, France.
She also has a number of pieces of art in the collection of the National Sporting Library in Middleburg, Va.
A portion of the sales proceeds will be donated to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum in Hopelands Gardens at 135 Dupree Place.
For more information, call 642-7631 or visit www.aikenracinghalloffame.com.
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Aiken Garden Club Council discusses Doll House issues.
Lisa Hall, Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch supervisor, was the guest speaker. Hall told members she needed to be notified in advance if any of the garden clubs had an event scheduled at the Doll House. She also mentioned a new docent tour program and said she needs people with a general knowledge of the gardens. If an interested person is a senior citizen, then she could use the hours she works as a docent in the senior tax write-off program.
Also, Hall would like to extend the Doll House hours of operation to Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. She asked members to get input from clubs to see if they would agree to acting as hostesses on Saturdays and Sundays. Hall also informed the members that the Iselin family has provided old black-and-white photos of the gardens to the City. In November, Hall will give copies to the council to place in the Doll House.
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Swingsation will take the stage today at Hopelands
Swingsation will entertain tonight’s Hopelands crowd, sponsored by Carriage Hills Living Center.
Swingsation is a 15-piece big band with vocals performing music from the 1930s and ’40s up to today, according to its website. The band specializes in music performed by the great bands of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman. Swingsation has performed throughout the CSRA at civic events and private parties.
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue throughout the summer each Monday night until the end of August. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted and will be held at Hopelands on the Windham Performing Arts Stage.
The concert series is intended to bring the performing arts to Aiken and the surrounding area for fans of all ages. Admission to the series is free.
Hopelands Gardens is located just off Whiskey Road (Highway 19). Public parking is available at the Green Boundary Club on Whiskey Road across from the Gardens.
Handicap, performers and staff parking will be located at Rye Patch. There is no parking on Berrie Road or Dupree Place.
Call 643-4661 for information on concert time/location in the event of rain. Call 642-7631 for more information on the concert series schedule.
Black Bottom Biscuits tonight at Hopelands
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue today with a performance from the Black Bottom Biscuits, presented by The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch.
Recognized as one of the hardest-working bands in South Carolina, the Black Bottom Biscuits fuse old-time country and rockabilly into their own unique, crowd-pleasing sound. Since 2002, the band has performed throughout the Southeast at venues ranging from festival and concert stages to barbecue joints and honky-tonks. Their songs tell stories about the people and places they love, and their experiences along the way. It’s music with a country heart and a Southern soul.
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue throughout the summer each Monday night until the end of August. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted and will be held at Hopelands on the Windham Performing Arts Stage.
The concert series is intended to bring the performing arts to Aiken and the surrounding area for fans of all ages. Admission to the series is free.
Hopelands Gardens is located just off Whiskey Road (Highway 19). Public parking is available at the Green Boundary Club on Whiskey Road across from the Gardens.
Handicap, performers and staff parking will be located at Rye Patch. There is no parking on Berrie Road or Dupree Place.
Call 643-4661 for information on concert time/location in the event of rain. Call 642-7631 for more information on the concert series schedule.
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Hopelands welcomes Aiken Brass tonight
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue today with a performance from Aiken Brass presented by Cumberland Village.
Aiken Brass has been performing together for 14 years. They are the official quintet for the USCA graduation ceremonies and have performed with numerous church choirs.
All members are also active in other local bands especially with the Aiken Community Band. The group has performed at many weddings and parties throughout the state.
This is Aiken Brass’ 12th year performing at Hopelands Gardens.
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue throughout the summer each Monday night until the end of August. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted and will be held at Hopelands on the Windham Performing Arts Stage.
The concert series is intended to bring the performing arts to Aiken and the surrounding area for fans of all ages. Admission to the series is free.
Hopelands Gardens is located just off Whiskey Road (Highway 19). Public parking is available at the Green Boundary Club on Whiskey Road across from the Gardens. Handicap, performers and staff parking will be located at Rye Patch. There is no parking on Berrie Road or Dupree Place.
Call 643-4661 for information on concert time/location in the event of rain. Call 642-7631 for more information on the concert series schedule.
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Ballet to perform today at Gardens
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue today with a performance from the Aiken Civic Ballet, presented by Hearing Associates of South Carolina.
The Aiken Civic Ballet is South Carolina’s longest continuously operating dance company.
Founded by Carl Crosby, the company has been in existence for more than 36 years. Under the artistic direction of Crosby and Diane Toole Miller, the company produces original ballets and contemporary dance works.
The Aiken Civic Ballet is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The Hopelands Summer Concert Series will continue throughout the summer each Monday night until the end of August. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted and will be held at Hopelands on the Windham Performing Arts Stage.
The concert series is intended to bring the performing arts to Aiken and the surrounding area for fans of all ages. Admission to the series is free.
Hopelands Gardens is located just off Whiskey Road (Highway 19). Public parking is available at the Green Boundary Club on Whiskey Road across from the Gardens. Handicap, performers and staff parking will be located at Rye Patch. There is no parking on Berrie Road or Dupree Place.
Call 643-4661 for information on concert time/location in the event of rain. Call 642-7631 for more information on the concert series schedule.
In case of rain, this concert will take place on Thursday.
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