Latest issueAiken holds its first Veterans Day parade; Irmo beats South Aiken 39-0Read now

69°ThunderstormsHigh 78° · Low 52° · 89% rain

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  2. NoonCloudy.76°
  3. 6 p.m.Cloudy.70°
  4. MidnightClear.59°

Sunrise 6:50 a.m. Sunset 5:30 p.m.

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  1. 6 a.m.Thunderstorms.69°
  2. NoonCloudy.76°
  3. 6 p.m.Cloudy.70°
  4. MidnightClear.59°
  1. TodayThunderstorms. High 78° Low 52°
  2. SatPartly cloudy. High 72° Low 45°
  3. SunPartly cloudy. High 71° Low 44°
  4. MonClear. High 74° Low 42°
  5. TuePartly cloudy. High 74° Low 44°

Sunrise 6:50 a.m. Sunset 5:30 p.m.

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Friday, November 6, 2026

South Aiken opens the Class 4A playoffs Friday against Irmo

Plus, a Peach Cobbler Factory soft-opens in Evans Saturday, with an Aiken shop planned.

The 5AM Aiken team2 stories12 sources5 min read

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High School SportsTop story

South Aiken opens the Class 4A playoffs Friday against Irmo

South Aiken is the 11th seed in the Class 4A lower state bracket

GameSeeds
South Aiken vs. IrmoNo. 11 vs. No. 6
Dreher at WilsonNo. 9 vs. No. 8
North AugustaNo. 3, bye

If you follow high school football, South Aiken's postseason starts Friday against Irmo. The lower state bracket has South Aiken as the 11th seed and Irmo as the sixth. Dreher and Wilson also meet in the first round.

  • North Augusta: No. 3 seed with a first-round bye
  • Second round: some matchups already set for Nov. 13
  • Irmo: 7-3, ninth in the final Class 4A media poll

Cola Daily says 15 Midlands teams open the playoffs Friday, while four-time defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork and several region champions get byes. It's from the S.C. High School League's new playoff format, which combined Class 5A and now has two divisions for Class A.

The playoffs run through the SCHSL finals on Dec. 4-⁠5

  1. Nov. 6First-round playoff games are played across the Midlands.
  2. Nov. 13Second round, including Ninety-Six at Batesburg-Leesville.
  3. Nov. 20SCISA 8-man finals take place at a neutral site.
  4. Nov. 21SCISA finals take place at Charleston Southern University.
  5. Dec. 4-5SCHSL finals will be played at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg.

Source: Cola Daily

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Food & Drink

The Peach Cobbler Factory opens in Evans on Saturday, with an Aiken shop planned

If you've got a sweet tooth, mark Sat., Nov. 7. The Peach Cobbler Factory is holding a soft opening that day in Evans, from noon to 10 p.m. You'll find it in the at 4272 Washington Rd. Unit 4.

The Evans soft opening runs from noon to 10 p.m.

Evans Town Center Plaza, 4272 Washington Rd. Unit 4

Midnight6 a.m.Noon6 p.m.noonto 10 p.m.
  • noon to 10 p.m.Soft opening hours
Date
Sat., Nov. 7

Sources: WGAC, Augusta Good News

View as table
WhenWhat
noon to 10 p.m.Soft opening hours
DateSat., Nov. 7
  • Aiken shop: planned for 1307 Richland Ave. W.
  • Aiken opening date: none given, website says "coming soon"
  • Menu: cobblers, banana puddings, cinnamon rolls, shakes, cookies
  • Started: 2013

Aiken is getting a shop too. Augusta Good News reports the company's website lists the Richland Avenue site without a date, and the company says it's now in 26 states.

26states where Peach Cobbler Factory shops now stand

The company first opened in 2013.

News Notes · More

Bridge

Aiken City Council held a specially called work session Nov. 2 on whether to tear down the Fairfield Street Bridge or install shoring under it. told the city Oct. 9 that a late July analysis found "demolition and removal of the bridge spans over and adjacent to the railroad tracks should be given a high priority to avoid potential bridge collapse and obstruction of the facility," according to the City of Aiken. WGAC

Turnout

More than 58% of Aiken County's registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 3 midterm, up more than 10 percentage points from the last comparable midterm. In all, 68,082 of 116,511 registered voters voted, and more people voted early than on Election Day. Post and Courier

More Aiken County voters cast ballots in 2026 than in 2022

2022Measure2026
55,366Ballots cast68,082
18,272Voted early37,451
116.1KRegistered voters116.5K

Symphony

The Aiken Symphony's Veterans Day Salute is at 7:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 11, in the Etherredge Center at USC Aiken. The Pops Series concert opens with John Williams's "Liberty Fanfare" and also features Morton Gould's "American Salute" and Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." Maestro Scott Weiss leads the orchestra. WGACPost and Courier

Thanksgiving

The Salvation Army and Aiken's First Baptist Church are planning a free Thanksgiving meal at the church Nov. 26, with Security Federal Bank as a major sponsor. They're seeking turkey donations. Post and Courier

Silver Bluff

Silver Bluff plays at Strom Thurmond in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs this week. Strom Thurmond won the last meeting 42-0 on Oct. 2, 2026. Post and Courier

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How will you honor veterans this Veterans Day?

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Quoted

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Things to Do

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Aiken, SC

Friday, Nov. 6

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Around the Block

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Neighbors

I believe this is a yellow-rumped warbler who visited in our backyard today with a group of friends.

“Beautiful bird. They hung around, played in the waterfall for awhile and left.”

— A neighbor, Woodside Plantation
Photo from the neighbor’s post

44 likes · 8 comments

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The Wrap

Early November at St. John's Methodist Church means truckloads of apples, and Applefest is back Fri., Nov. 6, and Sat., Nov. 7. The church also puts out apple-based treats, a silent auction, books, toys, and "frozen features" like casseroles, soups, and chili. Applefest proceeds go to local charities. Saturday's hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Go hungry, and bring a bag for the apples.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Aiken's first Veterans Day Parade is Saturday

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Every source in this edition12 links · 6 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. Cola Dailycoladaily.com
  3. Post and Courierpostandcourier.com
  4. WGACwgac.com
  5. Augusta Good Newsaugustagoodnews.com
  6. WGACwgac.com
  7. Post and Courierpostandcourier.com
  8. WGACwgac.com
  9. Post and Courierpostandcourier.com
  10. Post and Courierpostandcourier.com
  11. Post and Courierpostandcourier.com
  12. Aiken events calendar5amaikensc.com

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5AM Aikento me · Fri., Nov. 66:00 a.m.

South Aiken opens the Class 4A playoffs Friday against Irmo

Plus, a Peach Cobbler Factory soft-opens in Evans Saturday, with an Aiken shop planned.

The TLDR

  1. South Aiken meets Irmo in the Class 4A playoffs Friday
  2. Peach Cobbler Factory soft-opens in Evans Saturday
  3. Aiken County turnout topped 58% in the midterm
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