Augusta, GA
Questions continue over Arts in the Heart admission, space
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re just a month away from Augusta’s largest arts festival, Arts in the Heart.
The two-and-a-half-day event attracts upwards of 100,000 visitors to the streets of downtown Augusta.
It also brings in hundreds of vendors from all over showcasing their arts, crafts, food, music and more.
But as we get closer to the big event, some are questioning the process behind accepting vendor applications and the price for you to get in.
Pre-sale tickets are $15, and it’ll cost you $20 at the gate to get into the festival.
It all started after Drum Circle announced on Facebook their application was denied.
The reason behind the denial was a lack of space.
The Augusta Arts Council says they probably say no to more people than yes because they just don’t have enough room to bring everyone in.
For every tent you see, there is an application attached.
“I wish we had enough room for everyone, but right now, we have five stages, and it’s nonstop, and we accommodate a lot of local people,” said Executive Director of Greater Augusta Arts Council Brenda Durant.
Performers on each stage are 95% local, according to the Greater Augusta Arts Council.
They say it’s not up to them who they bring in to perform or set up a booth. It’s up to a jury panel
“If you have not produced a festival the size of Arts in the Heart, you probably haven’t thought about it. But I don’t really expect people to, I expect them just to have a really good time,” said Durant.
The festival does come with a cost.
“There’s a lot of expenses with the festival that most people don’t worry about, and I don’t want them to worry about it when you come to Arts in the Heart. I want you to enjoy your weekend. I don’t want you to be thinking about how expensive it was for us to produce, or how much work we all did, or how many volunteers there, which is over 600. I don’t want you to think about that. I want you to enjoy yourself. I’ll worry about that. Our team will worry about that,” said Durant.
Durant says the festival in return benefits the arts in the community year-round, which is a big part of what the Augusta Arts Council does like administering grant arts funds from the city to give back to local art programs.
“I’m just proud of what we’ve done, because it’s a large volunteer team that works with us, and my entire staff works on the festival,” said Durant.
Broad Street will be blocked off from 6th Street to 10th Street for the festival.
It starts September 20 and tickets will be $20 at the gate.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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