November 2019 Issue

Celebrating at the Office

As the days of the year grow short on the calendar and thoughts turn to sugarplums and a certain man who wears the red suit and commutes by sled, ‘tis once again the season for office parties, gift exchanges, and corporate social responsibility. Holiday traditions have created wonderful memories for all of us. Year after year we look forward to familiar events, food, and festivities that make the season what it is. It’s a time when people come together to share experiences and have a little fun. These experiences need not be limited to your family and personal life — they can be enjoyed in your workplace as well. Many

A Path to Tradition | A Sunday Drive to Remember

First day of September, a month which is usually favorable to me, and I have my first ever carriage driving accident. I’ve been driving this horse for nine years now, pleasure driving, competitions, cones, dressage, or just showing off in parades and drives through Aiken. Never an incident until today. Rhett used to be a stunning dappled gray Saddlebred, very forward and energetic, a bit more high-headed than necessary. Now at horse middle-age of 17, he’s lost all his lovely dapples and black points and has slowed down considerably. Probably a good thing, for I will be 82 this month and have slowed down considerably myself. We’ve been a team,

A National Tradition | Soaring Turkeys | WHAT IF ONE OF OUR FOREFATHERS HAD GOTTEN HIS WAY?

It took an act of Congress and six years to make the bald eagle our national bird. In a letter to his daughter in 1784, Benjamin Franklin complaint was not that it took so long to accomplish this feat (some things about Congress haven’t changed much), but that the turkey was a more deserving creature to earn that honor. “For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade

A Traditional Legacy | A Tale of Two Centuries

“If you’ve never been to Rose Hill, you’re missing out.” So I was told. By several people. Repeatedly. So I went. It was a Wednesday. Rose Hill greets you at the gates. Landscaped walkways welcome you and beckon you forward. Hundreds of years of hard work and talent and passion rest comfortably, as if they knew you were coming. Music and laughter chase each other through the front door of the main house. Incredible, stomach rallying smells escape kitchen windows. Rose Hill wants you to relax. Have a bite to eat. Something to drink. While the guitarist strums and sings, people pass around crab dip and hummus plates. Conversations about

An Interview with Dexter Quintin Price, November’s Mr. Bella

Have you ever met someone who was so cool that just by being in proximity to them you felt cool? They just seem to radiate this confidence that makes you feel like the best version of yourself. You laugh a little harder, hold your head a little higher. And afterwards you look forward to seeing them again, but honestly, you’re a little intimidated by all of their incredible achievements, so you think to yourself, “I really need to get the ball rolling…” If you haven’t met someone like that, you should. You should meet Dexter Price. It all started 4 years ago, with the purchase of two used computers from

Sitting at “The KID Table” | Do You Miss it Too?

It is a Jenkins Family tradition. Practically every holiday we would journey to my grandparent’s home on Johns Island for the family get-together. My immediate family had only a short drive down a dirt road; other family members drove for hours. The youngins were excited, since we knew that all of us cousins would be sitting together. At first, you are somewhat insulted since you long to be a grown-up and have the honor of sitting with the adults. We did not realize how lucky we were to be sitting at our special table. At the kid table there was no one to tell you what to eat or how

Preserving Tradition | Resurrecting the Family Photo Album

Photography has always held an important place within the family. The process of creating an image became pervasive in the mid 1800s. Families embraced this new innovation and had photographs produced of friends and relatives. The photo album became an integral part of the family’s home and history. The tradition of creating snapshots of time and place remained popular for generations. As the world changed centuries, so did the process of photography. Recording an image became easier and more accessible with the introduction of digital imaging. The mysterious process of producing an image from camera film was simplified to using the review button on the back of the camera or

Artist Spotlight | The Aiken Center for the Arts presents “The Dog and Pony Show,” Friday Studio Painters, and Snap SRS

From October 29 through December 2, the Aiken Center for the Arts showcases works from 44 artists in three exhibits: “The Dog and Pony Show,” Friday Studio Painters, and Snap SRS. In celebration, there will be a public opening reception, sponsored by the Sullivan Turner Team, at the Arts Center on Thursday, November 7 from 6 to 8pm. Learn more about these artists and come view their works as we celebrate our community through art. Featured in “The Dog & Pony Show” is artist Heather LaHaise from Columbia, SC. Heather brings abstraction and realism together with layers of color and graphic spaces to create paintings that transcend the singular category

Cabinet of Curiosities | Aiken Bella Magazine

November Cabinet of Curiosities

The month of November is full of so many traditions. Between Dia de los Muertos and Thanksgiving festivities, the month is packed with celebrated occasions. Some of the more unique celebrations in Aiken County are the Chitlin Strut Festival in Salley and the Blessing of the Hounds in Aiken. The Chitlin Strut began in 1966 when the newly elected mayor of Salley, Jack Able, needed to raise funds for new Christmas decorations for the town. Able, along with Salley council members Maxie Adams and P.G. Sharpe, went to visit a radio disk jockey named “Friendly” Ben Dekle in Cayce, South Carolina, to see whether he could suggest a fundraising idea