How to Get Connected in Aiken, SC

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If you just moved to Western South Carolina and are looking to get connected in Aiken, check out Jim Tunison’s story. He grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York state and attended Misericordia University in Pennsylvania, where he met his now wife, Kelly. After finishing her studies as a physical therapist, she applied for an opportunity in Aiken, SC, where the couple relocated in 2019. 

“We moved down here and didn’t know a single soul. It was kind of a leap of faith. We just thought, why not?” recalls Tunison. “Now, I can’t go to the grocery store without running into someone I know.” 

Tunison went to an Aiken Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals event, and the following day, he got an email encouraging him to apply for the role of director of membership services, which had just become vacant. He interviewed on a Monday and was working there by Wednesday.

Today, Tunison is the Aiken Chamber president and CEO. Read on to hear about how Tunison got settled and connected in Aiken as a newcomer. 

How did you start making friends when you moved to Aiken? 
I worked as the director of membership services for about five years, so I really got to know the community that way. I was involved in the Aiken Young Professionals, which is an arm of the chamber. I met some friends there who we now go to church with, and we were part of their Bible study group. The chamber has an Ambassador Team, which is a group of volunteers from a bunch of different businesses, and I’ve made great connections there. I’m also involved in the American Legion. 

What advice would you give to someone who is new to Aiken? 
Aiken doesn’t lack for nonprofits and different ways to get involved. It’s just a really great community, and my advice to anyone who’s moving here is to just dive in and find an organization. There will be plenty for you to do and get involved in – that’s the best way to get to know people and the community. 

What local events are great for people who want to get to know Aiken and the community? 
I would suggest starting with the chamber’s monthly mixers, especially Business After Hours on the fourth Thursday of every month. There’s a great mix of young professionals, mid-career professionals and CEOs and executives. It’s a great way to meet folks. We use a venue called The Alley, which is basically an old street that has been closed to form an entertainment district downtown. There is a taproom, and people can get beverages and walk around. They have tons of restaurants, and they have live music every Thursday. It’s a great place to just hang out and get to know people.

Aiken County also has the oldest continuous farmers market in South Carolina, which is another great place to walk around and see a variety of things. 

What are some annual events that represent Aiken? 
We have the Aiken Spring Steeplechase in March, which brings about 40,000 people in to see the races. It’s a Kentucky Derby-type atmosphere, where people dress up in fun colors and wild hats and everything. We have Aiken’s Makin’ which is a two-day arts and crafts event that shuts down the parkways and has food vendors.

The Aiken Downtown Development Association puts on the Hops & Hogs Festival, which has barbecue vendors and craft breweries. In Hitchcock Woods, the largest privately owned urban forest in the country, we have the Blessing of the Hounds. It’s one of the oldest traditions for Thanksgiving here to start hunting season, and approaching the holidays, there’s the Hoofbeats & Christmas Carols Parade, when people ride through Aiken on horseback singing carols. 

What are some organizations where people can volunteer? 
There are the Friends of the Animal Shelter, Kiwanis, Friends of the Aiken County Library, and Young Philanthropists Society. There are polo matches every Sunday in the spring and fall that are free and open to the public. There’s the Sertoma Club, a minor league baseball team. There is no shortage of places to get connected.