As 2022 winds down, several events are peaking up over the horizon of the new year in the CSRA.
Mistletoe State Park in Appling is starting the year off hosting its a First Day Hike. The park, located at 3725 Mistletoe Road, will welcome visitors to its one-mile Cliatt Creek Trail (with five-dollar parking) on Jan. 1 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
On Jan. 5, Augusta Technical College will host the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of its new School of Health Sciences at Summerville.
At the beginning of 2022, ATC President Jermaine Whirl and Jim Davis, then the CEO of Piedmont Augusta, signed a letter of intent to move the school’s health sciences program to the Piedmont Hospital Summerville Campus. The move entailed a renovation of the hospital building so that the ATC program can use some 50,000 square feet for classroom, office and resource lab space.
The opening will be right on schedule, as Whirl said in his State of the College address in October that renovations were expected to be complete in December. The ribbon-cutting will be at the new campus at 2206 Wrightsboro Road, at 11:30 a.m.
Two major business celebrations are scheduled for later in the month. The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce will host its fifth anniversary gala, called the Blue Carpet Affair, on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Foundry at Rae’s Creek on 250 Boy Scout Road in Augusta. The ticketed soiree will serve as both a celebration of the Chamber’s five years and as a networking event for potential members.
That same week, near the close of January, the second annual CSRA Small Business Awards will be at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown. This ticketed event honors entrepreneurs, professionals and artists throughout the area, with a wide range of awards voted on by the public, from best tax preparer, graphic designer and restaurant, to best night club, fashion boutique and more.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
