The Still Magnolias calendar portrays 26 Aiken women, all older than 60, partially nude. It was created as a fund-raiser for the Aiken Area Council on Aging. ASSOCIATED PRESS

The 26 women of the Still Magnolias calendar - which features women older than 60 partially nude - descended a staircase at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Friday night in formal gowns as part of the calendar's debut.

The 18-month calendar, which features the nude women using objects such as golf bags and flowers to cover themselves, is a fund-raising effort for the Aiken Area Council on Aging.

Betty Ryberg, a member of the council's executive board, said the group was looking for something that could not only bring in the money but start people talking.

''We look everywhere for just the right project. We want to do something that will raise money and something that will create a buzz," she told the crowd of more than 350 at the arts center. ''I think we created a buzz."

The project had to be kept secret for more than a year as photos were shot around town in public places.

One of the organizers of the photo shoots, Mary Ellen Krippner, said an unsuspecting worker at Hopeland Gardens walked by when the cover of the calendar was being shot at the often-used nature area.

''He said, 'Oh my God!' He didn't know what to say," Mrs. Krippner said. ''We had to shoo him away and told him to come back later."

Mrs. Krippner said that, for one shot, the women had to stop traffic on First Street, and for another at a horse barn, they were rushed away in robes when jockeys came by on horseback.

The project is expected to raise $100,000 for the council on aging. At the debut Friday night, organizers presented the council with a $30,000 check. The calendars can be purchased at many downtown Aiken stores.

Reach Matthew Boedy at (803) 648-1395 or mboedy@augusta.com.