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AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - For the second year in a row, the South Aiken girl’s volleyball earned a spot in the class 4A upper state championship, otherwise known as the state semifinals.

Things didn’t go according to plan for the Thoroughbreds last year in this game, but the talented team led by seven seniors was ready to put that heartbreaking loss to Aiken in the rearview mirror.

This time, the upper state championship was in their own gym, and the crowd was certainly in their corner on Halloween night.

MORE | South Aiken volleyball team prepares for upper state

The Thoroughbreds put the Catawba Ridge Copperheads on their heels from the opening serve.

South Aiken won the first set 25 to 13, and with little to no turbulence, the Thoroughbreds won the second set as well 25 to 5.

The Copperheads didn’t take the lead until the third set, but once the home team regained the momentum, it was all over.

This match was shocking over an hour because South Aiken dominated and swept all three sets against Catawba Ridge to punch their ticket to state for the first time since 1988.

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. We worked so hard all season. We brought it together on the court, we worked as a team, it was just awesome,” said Annie Dziczkowski, senior.

Katie Roberts, senior, said: “It’s just so great seeing everyone come out here to support us. Like, our student section, all the players, and like the fans, everything, it’s just so great.”

Head Coach Cassie Mckie said: “I’m just so proud of them. I have so many emotions right now. I probably won’t sleep all night and then I will go and teach second graders tomorrow. They’re going to be all hyped up and so am I. They’re going to be jacked up on candy and I’m going to be jacked up on a big win and going to state.”

By getting the job done on their home court, South Aiken is moving on to the class 4A state championship on Saturday at Dreher High School against North Myrtle Beach.

MORE | Former North Augusta football player makes Cypress Point debut

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Your CBD store of Aiken is continuing to disprove the misconceptions about cannabidiol through education and partnerships.

It opened as one of the first CBD dedicated storefronts in Aiken six years ago. Since then, they have become a staple in the community, most recently winning an Aiken’s Choice award for best CBD shop.

“It’s a great recognition,” co-owner Jim Olson said. “I think it’s a big deal in Aiken. Aiken’s a really interesting community. They’re very much tied to what’s going on.”

At the beginning, owners MaryEllen and Jim Olson had to explain to people what CBD is and how it differs from marijuana. They said the World Health Organization regards CBD as legal, safe and non-habit forming.

“Still a big part of what we do here is education,” MaryEllen Olson said. “And we had a lot of people that came into our store the first week that we were here saying, ‘We don’t want a pot shop in our community,’ and now they’re all customers of ours.”

Your CBD Store offers a large variety of CBD-based products that help with pain relief, weight loss and more.

CBD is derived differently than marijuana and the biggest difference is that CBD contains minuscule amounts of THC, which is the psychoactive element of marijuana, Jim Olson said. Most of Your CBD products have it removed to contain no THC, he said, but the store does carry some products that have the federal legal amount which is .3% by volume.

“We have a whole line of topical creams, bath bombs, lotions, oils, massage oils, bath soaks, and those are a wonderful product, along with our staple product, the pain relief cream, which we’ve had since the beginning, and we’ve won all kinds of awards on,” MaryEllen Olson said.

They also just introduced a trim product that is meant to assist with weight loss through appetite suppression. The product went through clinical trials where participants reported weight loss as well as improved mood and sleep, she said.

“It’s the THCV that’s in the product,” MaryEllen Olson said. “So, everyone’s familiar with THC for marijuana, THC gives you the munchies, THCV suppresses your appetite.”

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She added that the product does not have any additional side effects and does not act as a stimulant.

SunMed products and Your CBD Store has worked with the Association of Professional Pickleball and most recently the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Throughout October, 3% of SunMed’s online product sales were donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to assist with early detection, support services and education.

“This really appeals to a lot of people and has a particular place in my heart because my mom is a breast cancer survivor,” Jim Olson said. “She’s unfortunately now battling Alzheimer’s, but she’s free of her breast cancer and has been for almost 20 years. So, I think this is a good relationship. It’s going to build more awareness.”

The partnership is also beneficial because of the amount of cancer survivors that shop at Your CBD stores, MaryEllen Olson said.

“I feel like it’s just going to continue to bring more awareness to the benefits of CBD, whether you’re just diagnosed, you’re mid treatment or you’re out of treatment and just going on with your life,” she said.

Your CBD Store of Aiken is located off Whiskey Road on Aiken Lane. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Its website is cbdinaiken.com.

The winner of a culinary competition on television is preparing to open a new restaurant and bar in downtown Aiken.

Kelsey Lucius will be the owner of Salty Tomatoes at 148 Laurens St. S.W.

She appeared on the Food Network show, “Chopped Sweets,” several years ago and defeated three rivals to earn the $10,000 prize for her efforts to create fancy desserts.

“It is a phenomenal location,” said Lucius during a telephone interview earlier this week of the Salty Tomatoes’ space, which most recently was the home of another restaurant, The Whitney.

“Aiken is such an up-and-coming place right now. I’m very excited,” she added.

Lucius’ plans for Salty Tomatoes call for the eatery to be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday for brunch.

The new restaurant’s launch is scheduled for November.

“We’re looking at being a very casual, pocketbook-friendly option for downtown Aiken,” Lucius said. “We’ll be a quick service café offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll have a pastry counter and our house-made ice cream.”

Lucius also provided examples of the other kinds of food that Salty Tomatoes will offer.

“We’ll be serving things like a nice steak dinner, a nice scallop dinner and house-made pasta,” she said. “Breakfast will be anything from avocado toast and a smoothie bowl to a nice French toast dish with fresh berries. At lunch there will be nice, casual sandwiches, and we’ll also have salads and pasta available. We’ll have a gluten-free flatbread that is almost like a personal-size pizza.”

Lucius is the owner of the Bottom Line Bakery in Evans, Georgia. A variety of pastries and custom-made cakes are sold there.

Salty Tomatoes customers will be able to order Bottom Line sweet treats for holidays and other special occasions, and they will be available for pickup in Aiken.

Lucius also is in the process of opening a Salty Tomatoes Café in Augusta.

The Aiken Standard previously reported that hotelier Rakesh Jasani, philanthropist and businessman Rob Johnston and their wives would be launching a new restaurant in The Whitney’s former location this past summer.

But that didn’t happen and Jasani, who spoke to the Aiken Standard in April about the plan for eatery, couldn’t be reached for comment prior to the deadline for the publication of this story.

And then there was never-ending soup, salad and breadsticks.

Aiken’s Olive Garden held a ribbon cutting and a soft opening for around 1,000 “friends and family” Friday afternoon. The soft opening continued for another 1,000 people Saturday and is expected to conclude Sunday evening for a slightly smaller amount of people.

A soft opening is a preview held to give employees an opportunity to learn and gain experience before a restaurant officially opens.

Many of the restaurant’s 235 seats and 117 parking spaces were filled Saturday morning as people arrived to eat an early lunch.

The Olive Garden is located on an outparcel of the East Gate Shopping Center. It was constructed this year after the former Golden Corral building was demolished.

The Aiken City Council gave final approval for the plans May 9, 2022. The developers needed to have the property rezoned from general business to planned commercial to allow the demolition and construction.

The council approved first reading of an ordinance approving the plans April 25, 2022.

The Aiken Planning Commission recommended approval April 12, 2022.

The official opening of the Olive Garden is slated for 11 a.m. Monday.

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Tiffany’s at the Stables and the Almost There Café have shut their doors for good.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that Tiffany’s at the Stables is permanently closed,” wrote the restaurant’s owner, Tiffany Smith, on Facebook on Tuesday. “We apologize for any convenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and support during this time.

“Due to the situation with the owners of the property … we have made the decision to close the restaurant at this time,” Smith continued. “Thank you for being a part of the Tiffany’s at the Stables family. It was because of you that we made it as far as we did.”

Tiffany’s opened last summer on the grounds of Rose Hill, a Winter Colony estate at 221 Greenville St. N.W. in Aiken.

In his Taste of the Town column for the Aiken Standard, Michael Stern described Tiffany’s as a “colorful” eatery that also is a “beer garden, live music venue and happy hour gathering place.”

The food served there included Creole and Cajun dishes, “fine dining fare” and “souped-up hamburgers,” Stern wrote.

Almost There was at 245 White Pond Road near the Aiken County/Barnwell County line.

The following message appeared on the restaurant’s Facebook page Oct. 7: “Well folks, that’s a wrap! We are now permanently closed. Thanks for all the support and well wishes. I wish you all the best!”

Dawn Redmon, who owned Almost There, launched the café in September 2022.

This past August, she announced on Facebook that she had put Almost There up for sale, and that the restaurant would continue to be open and serve “the same great eats you have enjoyed until we can no longer, or until the sale is final.”