►
Description
Sam Radford and Chrissey Miller, both Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Directors for the City of Aiken, outline the City's plans for Christmas in Hopelands, the annual Tree Lighting, Breakfast with Santa, and many more activities to celebrate the holidays.
A
Welcome
to
egg
in
this
week,
I
memory
Langston
we're
here
at
the
ranch
today
a
very
fitting
setting
to
talk
about
Christmas
events
with
Samantha
Radford
and
Chrissy
Miller,
both
who
are
recreation
program,
supervisors
for
the
studio
vacant,
parts,
recreation
and
tourism
department.
So
thank
you
so
much
for
being
here
today
and
thank
you
for
having
us
at
the
rawhide.
Thank
you
for
having
us
Thanks.
Well,
we're
going
to
jump
right,
Ian
and
Sam.
Let's
start
with
you,
why
don't
you
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
yourself
as.
B
You
mentioned,
I
am
a
recreation
program,
supervisor
of
Hoagland's
gardens
and
the
ripe
at
reception
center,
so
I
wear
many
hats.
I
handle
a
lot
of
the
rental
events
that
take
place
at
the
ripe,
a
CH
in
and
Oakland,
so
weddings,
wedding
receptions,
baby
showers,
corporate
events,
things
like
that
I
also
oversee
the
guest
cottage,
the
carriage
museum,
the
dollhouse,
the
thoroughbred
racing
Hall
of
Fame.
So
those
are
all
fine
and
but
my
favorite
is
programming.
I
have
a
few
programs
story
time
in
the
gardens,
springtime's
lunch
and
a
show.
A
C
Yeah
I'm
actually
moved
to
Aiken
and
most
recently
was
the
development
director
for
the
SPCA
albrecht
center.
So
that's
my
background
here
with
aching
and
marketing
and
fundraising
and
moved
over
to
the
city,
like
you
said
about
four
months
ago,
as
a
recreation
program,
supervisor
and
I
am
directly
responsible
only
for
coordinating
one
particular
event,
and
that
is
City
cup,
which
of
course
is
sort
of
an
athletic
challenge
between
local
corporations
and
our
city.
C
A
B
We
are
actually
in
the
24th
year
of
Christmas
and
headlands.
The
program
was
started
in
1991
by
a
small
group
of
senior
citizens
in
the
pairs
and
spares
club
that
was
originated
at
Odell
weeks.
A
group
got
together,
I
think
it
was
actually
called
the
golden
hands
club.
They
got
together
with
members
of
our
parks,
maintenance
staff
and
started
the
program
with
just
a
small
gathering
of
lights
and
displays,
and
it's
grown
over
the
years.
B
A
B
We
have
had
visitors
from
out
of
state,
obviously
out
of
city
too
I
think
that
it's
one
of
the
most
charming
events
in
Aiken-
and
you
know,
while
people
are
here
to
come,
see
Christmas
and
hope
ones.
They
can
see
do
a
lot
of
other
different
things.
Our
program
runs
about
two
weeks,
it's
13
days,
so
they
can
pick
a
day
to
come
to
akin
to
see
Christmas
and
hope
ones,
but
also
maybe
stop
by
some
of
the
other
Christmas
events
that
Chrissy
has
going
on.
So
a
hundred.
B
Actually,
we
start
preparing
for
Christmas
and
hope
ones,
the
first
working
day
in
November,
so
this
year
was
november.
Second,
our
parks,
maintenance
staff
I
mean
the
whole
program-
is
a
huge
team
effort,
but
our
parks,
maintenance
staff
really
does
the
most
work
in
preparing
the
gardens
they
get
out
here
on
November.
Second,
they
start
putting
out
the
light
displays
and
by
light
display,
I
mean
if
you've
ever
been
to
Christmas
Copeland's,
it's
the
jumping
horse
or
the
swans
that
you
see
or
the
deer
throughout
the
gardens.
Rudolph
is
even
out
there.
B
If
you
find
him,
they
start
with
the
displays
and
then,
after
that
they
get
everything
you
know
fine-tuned
and
then
they
start
placing
out
the
light
poles
and
there
the
green
poles
that
are
up
in
the
gardens
right
now,
after
that
they
run
the
light
string
which
outlines
the
pathways
that
people
walk
on,
and
then
we
have
a
group
of
volunteers
come
out
and
help
us
to
place
light
bulbs
in
that
light
stream.
So
it
happens
in
phases
and
it
has
to
be
with
with
good
weather.
B
A
B
Have
22
staff
members
on
staff
each
night
and
that
ranges
from
the
people
inside
the
gardens
that
are
overseeing
the
volunteers,
to
parking
staff
to
the
electricians,
who
constantly
walk
the
gardens
to
make
sure
that
not
a
single
light
bulb
is
out
and
then
they'll
coach,
the
bus
drivers,
so
22
staff,
and
then
we
have
16
volunteers
needed
each
night
and
these
volunteers
they
help
greet
guests
as
they
enter
the
gardens.
They
keep
count
because
we
do
keep
count
for
attendance
purposes
and
they
help
stir
hot
chocolate
and
apple
cider
and
pass
those
out.
B
That's
always
the
favorite,
and
then
they
host
the
hall
of
fame
and
the
right
patch.
So
if
we
did
not
have
the
volunteers
that
we
do,
the
program
just
wouldn't
be
possible,
we
are
actually
still
seeking
volunteers.
So
so
we've
got
some
dates
filled.
But
if
anybody
is
interested
in
volunteering
at
Christmas
and
hopeless,
they
can
visit
our
website.
Aiken
is
magical,
calm
and
find
contact
information
to
to
sign
up
to
volunteer
well.
A
B
Thinks
you
know
it's
going
to
be
the
traditional
Christmas
and
hope
ones.
You
can
walk
through
the
gardens
and
scroll
with
your
family,
listening
to
the
Christmas
music
throughout
the
gardens
and
sip
your
hot
chocolate,
but
this
year
we
will
have
a
s'mores
station.
So
whenever
we
encourage
everyone
to
ride
the
shuttles
from
citizens
park,
it's
important
for
safety
reasons.
We
will
have
handicapped
parking
available
in
the
gardens,
but
everyone
else
will
have
to
use
the
shuttle
services
at
citizens
park.
When
you're
at
citizens
park.
B
You
can
purchase
your
s'mores
kit,
it's
five
dollars
and
it
has
enough
supplies
for
2
s'mores.
So
you
can
buy
that
for
your
family
and
then
right
over
to
the
gardens
and
head
to
the
ripe,
a
CH
which
is
where
we
are
now
and
we
will
have
the
marshmallow
roasting
station
set
up
so
you're
right,
roasted
marshmallows
and
then
create
your
s'mores.
And
then
you
can
continue
to
walk
through
the
gardens
and
enjoy
your
hot
chocolate
and
your
snores.
Oh.
A
B
Every
night
we
will
have
some
type
of
entertainment,
so
most
nights,
it
will
be
a
live
concert,
whether
it
be
a
local
church
group
or
community
group.
We
have
some
children's
choirs
and
actually
the
a
community
Playhouse
youth
wing
will
do
a
performance
to
that
schedules.
Posted
online
every
night
7pm
will
be
either
a
concert
or
an
outdoor
movie.
The
outdoor
movies
we've
brought
those
in
a
few
years
ago
and
they've
been
a
huge
hit
this
year
on,
Friday
December
eighteenth,
we're
showing
elf.
A
B
And
we're
actually
going
to
have
the
special
guest
elsa
in
the
garments
that
night,
so
that
might
we'll
have
elsa
and
then
other
nights
throughout
the
program
which
the
dates
by
the
way
december
13th
through
the
23rd,
26
and
27
6
to
9
p.m.
each
night,
actually,
six
to
nine
thirty
and
then
we'll
have
Santa
or
mrs.
Claus
on
select
nights
in
the
Rye
patch.
Oh.
A
B
Time
it'll
be
a
special
treat,
we
know
throughout
the
year.
The
dollhouse
is
just
open
on
Sunday
afternoon,
but
during
Christmas
and
hope
ones,
that'll
be
open
each
night
and
I
will
have
host
from
the
aiken
garden
council
and
it's
decorated
beautifully
for
christmas
guests
are
welcome
to
walk
in
and
explore
the
house.
Also.
Besides,
the
dollhouse,
the
aiken
thoroughbred
racing
hall
of
fame
will
be
open
each
night,
so
people
can
explore
that
and
the
carriage
museum
it
will
be
host.
The
carriage
museum
will
be
hosted
by
the
egg
and
driving
club,
we'll.
B
B
We
also
have
the
Friends
of
hopeful
dinner
I
patch,
and
they
are
planning
on
volunteer
volunteering
one
night,
so
you'll
see
them
out
here
that
people
could
also
take
a
look
at
the
stables
which
have
recently
been
renovated
and
it
they're
slated
to
be
finished
soon.
It
may
not
quite
be
finished
by
Christmas
and
hopeless,
but
it's
definitely
a
treat
to
take
a
look
and
see
the
progress
we've
made.
Sure
and.
A
Time
during
this
magical
time
of
the
lights
is
a
very
special
unique
thing
to
our
city.
Definitely
so
what
I
do
want
you
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
is
the
shuttle
service?
I
know
that
some
people
are
interested
and
curious
if
they've
never
been
to
the
gardens
as
to
how
that
that
works,
because
y'all
really
that's
where
you
stage
from,
and
you
discourage
folks
from
unless
there's
a
handicap
situation
of
parking
around
the
garden
exactly.
B
And
it's
really
for
safety,
the
the
lighting
we
don't
have
proper
lighting
on
the
sidewalks
and
so
just
for
safety
concerns.
We
really
need
everyone
to
park
its
citizens
and
the
address
is
1060
banks,
Mill
Road.
You
would
park
there
and
then
hop
on
a
shuttle
and
once
you
get
there,
you
can't
miss
it.
You
will
see
I'm
sure
a
line
forming
and
that's
also
I
mean
generally,
where
you
purchase
your
s'mores,
but
you'll
grab
your
s'mores
and
then
hop
on
the
show.
B
Maybe
you'll
be
lucky
enough,
lucky
enough
to
end
up
on
the
trolley,
but
we
we
shuttle
everyone
over
from
citizens
park.
The
shuttle
service
runs
from
5
45
as
early
as
5
45
until
nine
o'clock.
Okay.
So
that
way
we
can
have
people
in
the
gardens
right
when
it
opens
at
six
and
then
we'll
continue
to
shuttle
people
out
of
the
gardens
through
closing
and.
B
Really
less
than
that,
we
are
back
and
forth
all
night.
We
have
the
trolley,
the
large
city
bus
and
then
a
couple
other
buses
that
we
run,
ranging
from
seating,
15
people
to
30
people,
so
they're
back
and
forth
all
night,
and
we
hope
that
there's
no
longer
a
longer
delay
than
15
minutes.
Sure
well,.
A
A
C
A
C
B
C
Is
at
least
one
crafter
who
who
makes
beautiful
cookies
that
you
can
order
in
any
shape
size,
decoration,
personalized,
all
kinds
of
wonderful
things,
and
then,
of
course,
there
will
be
food
for
purchase
at
the
event
as
well.
Is
there
a
fee
to
get
in?
No,
it
is
that
you
can
save
all
of
your
money
to.
C
A
C
Children
make
up
a
big
part
of
our
community
experience
a
total
weeks,
so
we
do
have
a
lot
of
guests.
Visitors
coming
up,
I
failed
to
mention:
Santa
will
be
there
at
the
craft,
show
on
Saturday,
so
parents
can
bring
their
children
with
them,
and
you
know
as
well
as
looking
at
toys
and
things
like
that.
They
can
can
see
Santa
at
the
craft
show,
but
later
in
the
month
on
December
the
eighth,
which
is
a
tuesday.
We
will
have
story
time
with
mrs.
C
Claus
than
a
Sam
mentioned
that
she
does
story
time
in
the
gardens.
But
we've
had
some
special
guests
this
year,
a
total
weeks
for
our
sort
of
literacy,
outreach
program
as
well,
and
so
mrs.
Claus
will
be
there
reading
to
the
children
at
four
o'clock
in
the
afternoon.
They
should
be
out
of
school
and
ready
to
go
our
Thanksgiving
story.
Tom
had
over
150
children.
They
were
well
over
200
people
in
attendance
and
every
family
got
to
bring
him
a
book
which
they
will
also
do
for
story
time
with
mrs.
C
C
Know
where
ever
she
cos
planned
she's
our
coordinator
for
this
event,
and
it
seems
like
there
may
have
been
one
really
traditional
book,
but
it's
going
to
be
some
of
the
children's
favorites
I
want
to
say:
I
saw
Olivia
in
there.
The
little
pig
you
know
with
your
daughter
about
Olivia,
and
so
there
were
for
some
of
the
more
modern
will
call
them
seem
to
be
classics.
A
C
Saturday
December
nineteenth
the
children
can
come
in
at
830am.
You
do
have
to
be
pre-registered
for
this,
but
it
is
a
very
special
event
breakfast
with
Santa
and
as
far
as
I
know,
this
will
be
his
last
stop
with
us
a
total
weeks,
but
he
is
making
several
this
year
say
breakfast
with
Santa,
which
is
sponsored
by
Alton's
family
restaurant.
They
will
be
providing
pancakes
and
juice
for
the
children
and
then
the
kids
can
share
their
holiday
wishes
with
Santa
and
get
to
visit
with
him
for
a
little
bit.
C
C
A
C
C
in
six
and
seven,
and
now
that
I'm
thinking
about
it
I
believe
we
have
decided
to
have
the
breakfast
with
Santa,
it's
a
very
well-attended
event
and
so
I
believe
it
isn't
one
of
our
gymnasiums,
but
don't
worry
as
soon
as
you
arrive
will
direct
you
to
the
right
place.
You
won't
be
able
to
miss
it
very
good,
yeah.
A
And
you
have
to
get
that
last
step
in
with
Santa
yeah
yeah
and
share
your
and
share
your
wishes
and
secrets
with
him.
So
y'all
have
a
lot
of
a
lot
of
exciting
things
going
on,
but
I
know
that
throughout
the
holiday
season,
y'all
have
some
programs
available
for
the
adults
to
kind
of
keep
in
shape.
Absolutely.
C
C
All
of
the
wonderful
treats
that
you
get
to
enjoy
over
the
holidays,
but
we
do
have
some
fantastic
fitness
programs
to
you
help
keep
off
some
of
those
holiday
pounds.
We
have
recently
added
another
boot
camp
instructor,
someone
new,
so
we
have
Lori
comp
Shaw,
who
has
been
there
for
years
and
years
and
years
and
now
Tyra
Timmerman
is
joining
us
as
well,
so
over
over
the
month
of
december.
C
I
want
to
say:
we
have
about
60
boot
camp
classes
that
you
can
choose
from,
and
the
drop
in
rate
is
just
five
dollars
or
you
can
commit
to
2
12
6
/
december
12
from
January
through
March,
and
just
go
ahead
and
pay
up
front.
But
there
are
plenty
of
times
and
days
to
see
it
everybody's
needs,
and
in
addition
to
that,
we
of
course
have
Zumba
yoga
and
Tai
Chi
and
all
kinds
of
things
that
are
geared
towards
different
levels
of
fitness.
A
C
We
have
our
27th
annual
Christmas
tree
lighting
downtown
this
year.
We
have
actually
moved
it
from
lawrence
street
to
Newberry
to
the
festival
area
on
newbury
street
to
accommodate
a
lot
of
growth.
It
was
very
well
attended
last
year
and
we
were
a
little
concerned
that
it
had
gotten
so
big
that
it
might
not
be
as
safe
for
the
citizens
as
it
possibly
could
be.
So
we've
moved
back
to
Newbury
Street.
Where
was
originally,
and
we
all
say,
we'll-
have
some
s'mores
out
there
that
evening
that
takes
place
on
Friday
December.
C
Fourth,
so
you
can
go
to
the
craft
show
all
day
and
then
attend
that
and
then
head
over
to
ACP
that
evening
for
fruitcakes,
so
lots
of
things
to
do
on
December.
Fourth,
but
the
tree
lighting
is
is,
like
you
said
it's
a
special
tradition.
We
will
have
the
boundary
Boys
Choir,
leading
us
in
a
sing-along
and
then
curing
Gordon
from
garden
street
jazz
or
Iron.
C
A
C
Absolutely
not.
I
have
gotten
a
very,
very
warm
welcome
from
the
city
of
aiken
and
as
I
mentioned,
there
are
three
fantastic
coordinators
who
I
work
with
adia
Jackson,
linphea,
Perry
and
rishika
gains,
and
they
are
amazing
women
who
do
a
wonderful
job
and
just
use
a
lot
of
heart
to
bring
these
programs
whether
it's
an
after-school
program
for
the
children,
Smith
hazel
or
if
it
is,
you
know,
Senior,
Program,
public
trips
and
things
like
that,
and
they
have
just
done
an
amazing
job
at
acclimating
me
to
to
what
goes
on
in
the
city.
B
C
So
they're
doing
a
fantastic
job
and
then,
of
course
they
they
have
great
relationships
with
our
sponsors
as
well.
I
mentioned
Alton's
for
the
pancake
breakfast
and
we've
got
the
haven
at
Market,
Street
Station
sponsoring
the
cookies
for
a
story.
Time
with
mrs.
Claus
and
dumpster
depot
is
our
sponsor
for
craft
show,
so
wonderful
community
in
Aiken,
and
just
fabulous
place
to
work.
I'm.
A
Sure,
that's
that
done
I'll
think
you
can
come
to
Aiken
and
experience
everything
that
you
do
without
knowing
that
the
people
behind
the
scenes
you
may
get
are
pretty
awesome
and
pretty
special
folks
in
thinking
about
that
Sam.
You
kind
of
touched
on
the
your
partners
and
the
friends
and
hope
ones
and
I
know.
Do
you
want
to
say
a
little
bit
more
about
what
they
contribute,
what
they
do,
because
I
know
that
that's
a
very
big
part.
Yes,.
B
And
it's
not
just
during
the
holidays,
it
is
year-round.
The
Friends
of
Hope
ones
in
dry
patch,
help
to
make
and
keep
the
gardens
and
the
Rye
patch,
as
beautiful
as
they
are.
They
support
us
all
the
time
and
help
guide
us
in
the
decisions
that
we
make
to
keep
the
gardens
beautiful
and
historical
and
without
their
help
it
wouldn't
be
what
it
is
and
then,
of
course,
the
Aiken
garden.
Council
helps
us
with
the
dollhouse
and
the
ache
and
driving
club
helps
us
with
the
carriage
museum
very.
A
B
Want
to
touch
on
the
dates
and
times
for
Christmas
and
hope
ones.
Once
more
admission
is
free,
donations
are
accepted,
but
admission
is
free.
It's
December.
Third
excuse
me
December
13,
through
the
23rd,
the
26
and
27,
from
six
to
nine
thirty,
each
night
that
were
open.
We
are
closed
on
Christmas
Eve
and
Christmas
Day.
The
s'mores
are
just
five
dollars
and
we
hope
to
see
everyone
out
there
very.
A
Good
well,
thank
you
both
so
much
for
being
here
today
and
Sharon
a
little
preview
about
what
we
can
expect
to
see
and
we
hope
to
see
all
of
you
at
lights
and
hope
lens
the
christmas
crafts,
fair
and
all
of
the
other,
wonderful
programs
that
we've
talked
about
today.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
being
with
us
and
we'll
see
you
next
time
on
aiken
this
week,.