"We're seeing communities think more like systems," said Karen Gordon, founder of Growing Augusta and publisher of Urban Pro Weekly. "A farmers market isn't just about food anymore. It's also about entrepreneurship, public health, neighborhood development and community gathering. The same project is serving multiple purposes."
Read MoreAudacity of Humility is a community conversation for people who are ready to stop confusing humility with shrinking.
The question is simple but powerful: What if building boldly is not a betrayal of community, but one of the ways we come back better equipped to serve it with clarity, purpose, and rooted power together?
Read MoreData centers generate significant heat. Growing Augusta could explore a pilot greenhouse, seedling nursery, or propagation space that uses recovered or redirected heat from the facility. Even if full heat reuse is too complex at first, the partnership could begin with an on-site or adjacent controlled-environment agriculture demo supported by the data center’s sustainability team.
Read MoreThe communities that thrive over the next decade may not be the ones with the biggest budgets, the newest buildings, or the most elaborate strategic plans. They may be the ones that learn how to connect what they already have. And that is a different way to think about growth.
Read MoreIn 2025, Georgia launched Teach in the Peach, a statewide initiative that celebrates students choosing careers in education. Watching future teachers publicly recognized for their commitment made me wonder:
What if we did something similar for agriculture?
Read MorePrograms like this do more than teach technical skills. They help students stretch, grow, and discover capacity they did not know they had.
Sometimes all it takes is one teacher willing to say, “I think you can do this.”
And sometimes, the student believes them.
Read MoreBefore you ask people to invest their labor in a teaching farm, invest time in building the systems that support them.
Inside you'll find governance tools, startup checklists, readiness assessments, onboarding systems, agreements, community engagement strategies, operational frameworks, and perhaps most importantly, lessons learned from observing a teaching farm launch in real time.
Read MoreAcross the arts, organizations are navigating change, restructuring, budget challenges, and venue shifts. But the Greater Augusta Arts Council continues to model resilience and creativity - finding ways to adapt while keeping artists and community at the center.
Read MoreFood connects us all.
By sponsoring Augusta Restaurant Week, your organization helps celebrate the farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and families who contribute to a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant Augusta.
Read MoreThis year’s theme, From Farm to Fork: The Community Table Edition, honors the people, places, and traditions behind every plate. From community gardens and farmers markets to restaurants, food trucks, caterers, bakers, chefs, growers, and neighborhood food leaders, Augusta Restaurant Week 2026 is designed to bring the community together around food, story, and local economic support.
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