🍽️ Aiken doubles prepared-food tax to 2%

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Own Your Own Franchise

🥖 Garden Herbs and French Bistro Fare in Hammond's Ferry

At 505 Railroad Avenue in Hammond's Ferry, Manuel's Bread Cafe is chef Manuel Verney-Carron's neighborhood French bistro. Lunch, dinner, weekend breakfast, and Sunday brunch give locals plenty of reasons to stop in.

The garden is part of the kitchen, not just the scenery. Guests can watch chefs bring in herbs and vegetables for the night's plates, and even the table decorations are grown on the farm.

Read more here.

How to Start Your Own Pink Zebra Moving Business

Augusta households move all year long, and most of them need a mover. Most of that work still goes to companies nobody recommends twice, which is exactly the gap Pink Zebra Moving was built to fill, with hot-pink zebra-striped trucks and a customer experience people actually rave about.

It comes from Ron Holt, who grew a single cleaning store into a $40 million, 90-location brand before selling it and pointing the same playbook at moving. Owners get comprehensive training, a recession-resistant service, and no moving experience is required because the model runs semi-absentee alongside what you already do.

The numbers show what is possible: franchisee Drue Chrisman’s location generated $2.5 million in revenue and $707,000 in net operating income in its first full calendar year, even after franchise expenses and new-truck purchases.* Across the network, franchise owners average $135,904 in net operating income.*

Augusta gets only one owner, and whoever raises their hand first gets the territory.

If you have been quietly wanting something of your own with no ceiling on the upside, tap below to explore the model and request more information directly from the Pink Zebra team.

Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!

🖋️ That Tattoo Idea in Your Camera Roll Has Waited Long Enough

You can spend six months saving reference photos for a tattoo and still get stuck on the one decision that matters most: who you trust to make it permanent.

That is the problem Mr. Tattoo is built to solve. Their downtown Augusta team includes six tattoo artists and one professional body piercer with more than 100 years of combined experience.

One artist might be best for bold traditional work, another for black-and-grey, full color, watercolor, Japanese-inspired art, cover-ups, sleeves, or a large custom piece.

Whether this is your first tattoo or the next piece in a sleeve, you do not have to know what category your idea fits or scroll through portfolios trying to guess.

Send the team what you are thinking, and they will match you with the artist whose work actually fits it.

Owner Charlie Baker has been tattooing in Augusta since 2006, and every project starts with a real conversation before anyone puts ink to skin.

Tell them what has been sitting in your camera roll below, and an artist will text you within 24 hours to talk it through. Call 706-723-9969 or click here:

Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!

🍽️ Aiken Doubles Hospitality Tax to 2%

The Gist: Aiken City Council voted unanimously Monday to double the city's hospitality tax on prepared food and drinks from 1% to 2%. City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said the increase should generate about $2.4 million a year for parks, recreation, tourism facilities and a downtown parking garage tied to the Hotel Aiken renovation.

Why It Matters: Restaurant customers will pay the added penny per dollar, while general retail purchases such as clothing are exempt.

What's Next: The city must amend its already-approved budget before spending the new revenue, and officials say the public will get a chance to weigh in.

Read more here.

🏫 Columbia Schools Cut Tax Rate to 14.997 Mills

The Gist: The Columbia County Board of Education approved a 14.997-mill school tax rate Tuesday, down from 16.234 mills in 2025. It is the board's sixth straight annual reduction and its second consecutive rollback rate.

Why It Matters: At a taxable value of $200,000, WRDW's example puts the school-tax bill about $247 lower than it would be at last year's rate, though assessments and exemptions still shape each bill.

Read more here.

🧠 Pediatric Behavioral Center Opens at Golisano

The Gist: Wellstar Golisano Children's Hospital of Georgia opened the Kisner Foundation and Friends Center for Pediatric Development, Behavioral Health & Wellness in Augusta. The center puts rehabilitation, occupational, physical and speech therapy, developmental-behavioral pediatrics and pediatric neuroscience clinics in one location.

Why It Matters: With 24% of Georgia children reported to have a mental, emotional or behavioral condition, the center gives families one place to reach specialists who were previously scattered across the hospital campus.

What's Next: Wellstar plans to add pediatric psychiatry, though it has not announced a start date.

Read more here.

🤝 $1M CSRA Grant Campaign Opens Final Push

The Gist: Community Foundation for the CSRA launched "One Million Threads. One Shared Mission" to build a $1 million community-grant pool for 2027. Its endowment is expected to supply $700,000 to $750,000 after local nonprofits requested more than $2 million this year, over twice what the foundation could award.

Why It Matters: The grants support nonprofits serving Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, Burke, Aiken and Edgefield counties, with individual awards capped at $15,000.

What's Next: Applications close Friday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m.; awards are scheduled for January.

Read more here.

🧱 LEGO Club | Friedman Branch Library | Augusta | Saturday, August 15, 1:00-2:00 PM | More
Kids can sharpen their building skills with library-supplied bricks; all ages are welcome.

🏎️ Cars | Movies at the Miller | Miller Theater | Augusta | Sunday, August 16, doors 1:00 PM, movie 2:00 PM | More
A free family movie afternoon with advance reservations and general-admission seating.

💧 Lil Waders: Water Wonders | Reed Creek Nature Park & Interpretive Center | Martinez | Tuesday, August 18, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM | More
Ages 2-5 explore nature; registration is required and space is limited.

📚 Story Adventures | Jeff Maxwell Branch Library | Augusta | Wednesday, August 19, 10:30-11:30 AM | More
Ages 3-5 get an imaginative, participatory hour built around books.

🎤 Are You Ready For It? The Taylor Experience | Evans Towne Center Park | Evans | Thursday, August 20, 5:00-10:00 PM | More
A family-friendly tribute packs live music, choreography, costumes, and sing-alongs into the park.

🤠 Ronnie McDowell's Red White and Blue Tour | Imperial Theatre | Augusta | Friday, August 14, 7:00 PM | More
Classic country shares the stage with Jeff Bates and Highway 101's Paulette Carlson.

🎗️ Catie's Gathering Augusta 2026 | Columbia County Exhibition Center | Grovetown | Saturday, August 15, 6:00-10:00 PM | More
Dinner, themed tables, and auctions raise money for childhood cancer research.

🎸 Rumours ATL | Miller Theater | Augusta | Saturday, August 15, doors 6:30 PM, show 7:30 PM | More
This Fleetwood Mac tribute recreates the band's golden-era harmonies, hits, and stage presence.

🖼️ Painting Light and Air: The Art of Philip Mullen | Morris Museum of Art | Augusta | Opens Saturday, August 15; on view through January 3 | More
Figurative painting, abstraction, and the territory between them anchor this new exhibition.

🎶 Candlelight Music: The Sounds Unlimited ft. Tu Tu D'Vyne | Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds | Augusta | Sunday, August 16, admission 6:00 PM, concert 7:30 PM | More
R&B, soul, and dance music fill this outdoor Sunday concert.

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