AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Salvation Army of Augusta is preparing to serve its annual free Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, with leaders expecting more people than ever to attend.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope serves meals 365 days a year, but Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner holds special significance for the organization and the community it serves.

“If you are struggling, if you are hungry, there is a meal and a welcoming family here for you on Thanksgiving Day,” said Derek Dugan, Director of Development for the Salvation Army of Augusta.

Shelters at capacity

Dugan said the organization’s facilities are at full capacity heading into the holiday.

“Tonight this shelter will be full, the women’s shelter will be full, the family shelter will be full. And tomorrow, all of them will be joining us for a Thanksgiving meal,” he said.

Volunteers prepare feast

While the Center of Hope dining area sits quietly with tables set and chairs arranged, preparation is underway in the kitchen at the Kroc Center, where turkeys and pies are going into ovens.

Volunteer Angela Mixon is making sweet potato pies using her grandmother’s recipe, mixing ingredients by hand.

“I don’t measure anything. If it tastes right, it’s good; if it doesn’t, I add what it tastes like it needs,” Mixon said.

The Salvation Army holds personal meaning for Mixon, who stayed at the shelter when she was 25 with her oldest daughter.

“So the Salvation Army really helped me,” she said.

Now she’s baking for the 150 people expected to attend Thursday’s meal.

Finding family

For many who will attend, the dinner provides more than just food.

“Thanksgiving is a special time for us to reconnect with our families and friends. And for the people that we serve, many of them don’t have those families or friends because of their situation in life,” Dugan said.

The free Thanksgiving meal will be served at the Salvation Army Center of Hope on Greene Street at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Everyone in the community is encouraged to attend.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-Richmond County has hired an emergency management director.

Kymber Keaton was hired after a competitive multi-round interview process involving several applicants and input from key public safety stakeholders.

It’s been a goal for quite some time to hire a full-time Emergency Management Agency director.

In recent years, Antonio Burden has been acting in that role in addition to serving as fire chief.

Augusta hasn’t had a full-time director for more than 20 years.

Keaton, originally from Scottsdale, Ariz., brings nearly a decade of high-level experience in emergency management, disaster response, public safety and homeland security spanning local, state, federal, tribal and international operations.

Her career includes service with the Air Force, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the White House Operations Center.

She has played key roles in operations, planning, training, mitigation, and recovery for some of the nation’s most complex emergencies, including COVID-19, wildfires, earthquakes, severe storms, flooding and civil disturbances.

Keaton has contributed to three presidential administrations, collaborating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service. She has also been involved in both national and international disaster relief efforts with Team Rubicon and Volunteer Nepal, supporting efforts to strengthen emergency readiness and improve coordination across partner agencies.

Keaton holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Emergency Management and has completed advanced emergency response and disaster risk training.

“I am excited to begin my service with Augusta-Richmond County,” she said. “This community made a lasting impression on me during Hurricane Helene, and the resilience I witnessed here stayed with me. When the opportunity to join Augusta arose, it felt like the right place to contribute and lead. My focus now is to enhance preparedness and ensure every resident feels informed, supported, and ready for any emergency.”

Keaton will oversee emergency preparedness, disaster response, outreach and training, working with local, state and federal partners.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Imperial Theatre and Miller Theatre will dim their lights at 9:45 p.m. tonight in honor of Scott Seidl.

The artistic director of the Augusta Players died Sunday. The marquees will go dark for one minute, a tradition when the theatre community loses someone important.

A leader who brought the Players home

Seidl was known as a leader who worked alongside his performers. After the Players had been homeless for 80 years, he finally put a roof over his theatre family’s head.

“Scott brought us home. It’s because of him that we’re in this space,” said Amy Patton, Augusta Players Board of Director Chair.

In May, the Players cut the ribbon on the group’s first-ever building. In an interview after the celebration, Seidl said the building wasn’t his.

“There are four or five of us who are on the staff, and we manage this space, but it’s not our space. And it’s everybody else’s — it’s your home. It belongs to you and anyone else who wants to be part of the Augusta Players family,” Seidl said.

Supporting the arts community

Seidl was a strong advocate for all arts organizations in downtown Augusta, not just the Augusta Players.

“Was such a strong force and a strong advocate for the arts, especially in downtown Augusta. Doesn’t matter if Le Chat Noir was doing something. Doesn’t matter if the Augusta Symphony was doing something. We were all going to try our hardest to be there. But he would be there,” said Ansleigh Davis, Development Director.

Ryan Abel, a performer, said Seidl was dedicated to the organization.

“He was the first to show — the last to leave — he was a true servant of this organization. And through his service, he led,” Abel said.

Christina DeCarlo, Associate Artistic Director, said the goal is to continue his legacy.

“Our goal is to continue his legacy because we know that’s what he would want us to do,” DeCarlo said.

The Augusta Players’ next show is “The Grinch That Stole Christmas.”

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