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It’s been quite a nice week, Hurricane Dorian notwithstanding. Last night I called my first varsity football game (I’ve been calling junior varsity games for a few years now), and I am eternally grateful to the eagle-eyed coaches in the pressbox who fed me some of my best lines.
After the game—a blowout of such proportions that the second half instituted a “running clock,” which meant an abbreviated evening for yours portly—I drove to my hometown of Aiken, in the western part of South Carolina. My destination for the weekend: the large arts and crafts fair known as Aiken’s Makin’.
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The Portly Politico 
[…] been awash in local boosterism lately. As a Jeffersonian at heart (especially now that I’m a freehold yeoman farmer, what […]
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[…] that I love localism, and communities coming together to solve problems—or even just to throw fun festivals. I also enjoy learning about space and our Solar […]
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[…] South Carolina, for the annual Yemassee Shrimp Festival. Readers will recall our visit to Aiken’s Makin’ in my hometown of Aiken, South Carolina, earlier in the month. That visit got us thinking about […]
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[…] with a recent theme, today’s SubscribeStar Saturday post is all about what I did this weekend—well, at least this […]
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[…] of festivals in western South Carolina, continuing our autumnal tour of festivals (which includes Aiken’s Makin’ and the Yemassee Shrimp Festival), the Ridge Spring Harvest Festival and Clinton’s Scots […]
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[…] “Aiken Amblings” – This piece detailed my trip to my hometown for Aiken’s Makin’, a sprawling, two-day crafts festival that brings vendors from all over the Southeast to ply their wares. I have fond memories of this festival from my childhood, and it’s still a major fall event. […]
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[…] “SubscribeStar Saturday: Aiken Amblings” – This post is about the annual Aiken’s Makin’ crafts festival, which my hometown hosts every September. It’s a huge draw, bringing tons of vendors and visitors to downtown Aiken’s parkways. I have many fond childhood memories of running around at the festival, though it’s shifted its location (to its detriment, I think) and its spot in the calendar (because it’s earlier in September, it’s hotter). It’s still a great deal of fun, and I always manage to find some fun gifts for my train-loving nephew. […]
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[…] street markets,” per the market’s website. It reminded me a great deal of Aiken’s Makin’, just in downtown Columbia: lots of wood crafts and foods you’d only eat a […]
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