Spring 2025 – The Willcox

TALKING AIKEN STREETSCAPES WITH DACRE STOKER

The trailing limbs of a live oak, the bristling needles of an evergreen, the soft southern bloom of a magnolia—Aiken’s trees are a defining mark of our city, stretching far beyond Hitchcock Woods into our neighborhoods, parkways, and South Boundary’s beautiful Avenue of Oaks. In addition to their beauty, our trees purify the air, removing certain pollutants, cooling the overall temperature in more developed areas, and absorbing excess stormwater to help mitigate the risk of floods.

The Arbor Day Foundation has designated Aiken as a “Tree City” for nearly forty consecutive years, but the city’s legacy of urban trees began over a century ago. In 1904, Mayor Julian Salley brought South Boundary’s two hundred live oaks from the banks of the Savannah River with the help of funds from a private citizen, Henry Dibble. This example of public-private partnership for preservation and beautification inspired Rob and Pam Johnston to launch Aiken Streetscapes in 2017.

The Johnstons recognized that Aiken’s trees, just like any other expansive resource, required a comprehensive management plan to help them flourish successively and safely. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Dacre Stoker, executive director of Aiken Streetscapes, to learn the many ways the organization is enacting their mission.

He first mentioned the concept of proactive pruning, a process of aesthetically pruning growing limbs before they run into powerlines, hang too low over roads, or become too heavy—thereby decreasing the potential damage if the tree were to fall. This preservation method can also help protect trees during storms; Dacre partially credits the survival of all South Boundary’s live oaks during Hurricane Helene to the proactive pruning made possible by Aiken Streetscapes.

In addition, the organization has partnered with Dominion Energy, the City of Aiken, and Aiken Land Conservancy to move utility powerlines underground on South Boundary—allowing trees to grow more fully without an additional concern for safety. Aiken Streetscapes preserves trees across the city and throughout our downtown parkways.

Hear more about this wonderful organization and the role it plays in naturally beautifying our city in this video, or visit aikenstreetscapes.org to learn how to get involved.

INSIDE THE ANTIQUES
COMMUNITY
OF AIKEN: A
CONVERSATION WITH
LISA CASTLES FROM
YORK COTTAGE

Aiken has long been a hub for antiques, with vintage boutiques becoming beloved destinations along our downtown streets and beyond. The 25th anniversary of the Aiken Antique Show took place earlier this year at the Aiken Center for the Arts, raising funds for the center while giving antique enthusiasts a chance to expand their collections and learn from the experts. Here, twenty-one antique dealers from across the Southeast and over two thousand attendees gathered to buy and sell eclectic wares and hear presentations on interior design and 18th century gardening.

“The antique show is my favorite time of the year,” Lisa Castles, Chair of the Aiken Antique Show, says. “The entire weekend is full of contagious energy.” No one knows the show better than Lisa, who was brought on board when she first moved to Aiken in the show’s inaugural year.

Since then, it has grown to encompass a whole community of locals, travelers, and volunteers who carve out time for the event every year. Because the show is relatively small, Lisa says she and her team of 100 volunteers have the time and energy to focus on hospitality and the little details that make the event unique, from a homemade café to the dealer hospitality suite.

This attention to detail translates to Lisa’s own antique shop, York Cottage Antiques. Located on Hayne Avenue, the shop features a curated selection of goods Lisa collects on her travels. There, among the garden decorations, tablesettings, and sporting antiques, you’ll find quality silver pieces, a remnant of her early career working in an antique silver store in Atlanta.

Attached to every object she sells, Lisa writes about the history and original purpose of the piece, as well as what it can be used for today— honoring the past while appreciating modern-day functionality.

Given one word to describe the Aiken Antique Show, Lisa chose community: both for her volunteers and the local businesses who come together to support this longstanding event. As the love of antiques continues to thrive in Aiken, we want to take this opportunity to highlight two special shops within walking distance from The Willcox where the belongings of our past are preserved for new generations.

York Cottage Antiques

Lisa brings precious goods sourced from France, England, and across the U.S. to her shop on Hayne Avenue. From swan sculptures for the garden to crystal glassware and larger furniture pieces, York Cottage is home to a little bit of everything—all with an elevated style that blends seamlessly with the feel of a classic southern home. Her wares make beautiful gifts as well, complete with handwritten cards detailing the origin of each item.

409 HAYNE AVENUE SW instagram.com/yorkcottageantiques/

Aiken Antique Mall

Nestled in the heart of downtown, the Aiken Antique Mall is ripe for exploring. Beautiful, unique pieces of every kind can be found in each nook and cranny. Step inside, and you’ll come across a seemingly unlimited supply of rare coins, vintage jewelry, fine china, elegant furniture, antique books, gold-framed mirrors, and countless more items you can’t find anywhere else.

112 LAURENS STREET SW facebook.com/AikenAntiqueMall

masters-jackets-Willcox-Spring-Newsletter1

THE GREEN JACKETS OF THE MASTERS

Across the Savannah River in Augusta, the winner of the 2025 Masters Tournament will soon be crowned, donning the world-renowned green jacket. Scottie Scheffler is the most recent in a long legacy of green jacket holders—and the only one with the right to wear the green jacket beyond the boundaries of the Augusta National Golf Club. On Sunday, April 13, he will continue the tradition, either by presenting one to the next winner or receiving his first winning jacket again from the club chairman and continuing his reign as champion.

Now in the green jacket’s 75th anniversary year, its history can be traced among all the golfing greats: from Tiger Woods to Arnold Palmer to the very first recipient, Sam Snead.

In 1949, the Masters Tournament was only fifteen years old. Members of the Augusta National Golf Club wore green jackets to stand out from the crowd during the Masters, marking themselves as locals ready to answer travelers’ questions. When Sam Snead won the tournament, co-founder Bobby Jones decided to start a tradition in Augusta he first experienced in England. Jones had won the British Open nearly twenty years beforehand, earning a red jacket from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. By bringing that tradition to the Masters, he created a signifier for tournament winners now recognized worldwide.

Over the past 76 years, the coveted green jackets have at times featured shoulder pads, varied button placements, and other small changes as popular fashion ebbed and flowed. But one thing will never change: the Masters green jacket is the mark of a champion.

AIKEN’S EQUESTRIAN SPRING CALENDAR

With trails, tracks, and training fields around every corner, it’s no secret why Aiken is called the “Horse Capital of the South .” Equestrian culture here runs deep in our veins, tracing back to our forefathers’ pastimes of athleticism and leisure on horseback. This spring, there are countless ways to participate in Aiken’s equestrianism, from horse shows to polo to races.

For a full listing of equestrian events happening in Aiken this spring, check out Aiken Horse’s Calendar of Events .

109th Annual Aiken
Horse Show

MARCH 28-30

On the last weekend in March, visit the Horse Show Grounds at Hitchcock Woods to see the equestrian talents of riders of all ages. Every day offers something new, with the fiercest competition taking place on Friday, followed by Family Day on Saturday, and Foxhunter Day on Sunday. Attendees may bring a picnic lunch, purchase concessions, or reserve a catered lunch ahead of the event.

WEBSITE

Aiken Charity
Horse Show

APRIL 30–MAY 4, MAY 7–11

Held at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park, this multi-day horse show will support Aiken Equine Rescue—a cherished local nonprofit that provides for retired racehorses and horses who were ill-treated by their previous owners. Take advantage of this perfect opportunity to support a good cause and enjoy a day in the sunshine!

WEBSITE

Aiken Polo Club

SUNDAYS IN SPRING

Every Sunday at 2pm and 3:30pm, the Aiken Polo Club is hosting competitive matches at the historic Whitney Field. General admission costs only $10, and attendees may tailgate by the field or enjoy an open bar and catering in the VIP Pavilion for a fee. This Sunday afternoon tradition is a staple for Aiken’s families and community!

WEBSITE

Aiken Hounds Spring
Hunter Pace

APRIL 5

Aiken Hounds is continuing their tradition as the oldest drag hunt in the country with their Spring Hunter Pace event this April. In teams of two to four, riders and their horses will take to the Hitchcock Woods from 9:30 to 11am. Registration is open both to adults and youths, including a boxed lunch for all participants who register prior to April 2nd.

WEBSITE

SPRING INTO YOUR NEXT READ

Every spring, the earth begins a mesmerizing journey of rebirth—from leaves sprouting bright green from their limbs to creatures reawakening from their long slumbers. As we experience this beautiful season, now’s the perfect time to reawaken your own interest in reading with these gripping historical accounts, adventurous novels, and non-fiction that grapples with our tangled connection to nature.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid From the beloved author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo comes a novel set in the 1980s Space Shuttle program, following Joan Goodwin, a reserved professor who joins NASA’s astronaut training after a lifelong obsession with space. As she bonds with fellow candidates and discovers love, Joan’s life is forever altered by a mission gone wrong.

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Aimee
Nezhukumatathil Acclaimed, award-winning poet and essayist Nezhukumatathil explores the emotional, cultural, and environmental connections food evokes through personal reflections and vivid storytelling, accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Fumi Nakamura.

Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America
by James Polchin In this true story, the 1922 murder of Clarence Peters by wealthy heir Walter Ward, claimed to be in self-defense, sparked a media frenzy that exposed the Jazz Age’s moral decadence, social inequities, and the origins of modern media voyeurism.

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger Schlanger, an award-winning science reporter, explores the remarkable intelligence and adaptive abilities of plants, revealing their capacity for communication, memory, and complex survival strategies, while challenging our understanding of consciousness and intelligence in the natural world.

Memories of the Lost
by Barbara O’Neal After her mother’s death, artist Tillie Morrisey experiences unsettling fugue states triggered by a mysterious painting and discovers hidden truths about her past, leading her to a seaside village in England where she seeks answers, while also grappling with grief, love, and her own identity.

Dream Count by
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie A searing novel about four women— Chiamaka, Zikora, Omelogor, and Kadiatou—navigating love, regrets, and self-discovery, Dream Count explores the nature of happiness, the complexities of relationships, and the choices that define us, with sharp insights and emotional depth.

SPRING IS IN
BLOOM IN AIKEN

This season in
South Carolina bursts with vibrant azaleas, fragrant jasmine, and our signature warm, sunny days.

IN THIS ISSUE

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems"

RAINER MARIA RILKE

TALKING AIKEN STREETSCAPES WITH DACRE STOKER