Monthly Archives: July 2013
BLWS a hit once again for Easley
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Curt Austin, the father of Army Pfc. Barrett Austin, throws out the first pitch at the Big League World Series in Easley last Wednesday.
EASLEY — From the emotional first pitch last Wednesday to tonight’s championship game, set to be televised live on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m., the Big League World Series has once again brought attention from around the world to Easley’s J.B. “Red” Owens Complex.
BLWS organizers invited the family of Army Pfc. Barrett Austin, who died overseas in April from injuries sustained in an Afghanistan bombing, to throw out the tournament’s ceremonial first pitch. Surrounded by family, Austin’s father Curt tossed the ball to get the series under way.
The tournament has been full of surprises on the diamond, but perhaps none as big as the emergence of the Asia-Pacific champion Chinese Taipei squad, which bolted out to a 4-0 record on its way to the international semifinal game, played Tuesday after press time against Latin America.
PS&L honors Singleton for half-century
Courtesy Photo
Pickens Savings and Loan president Alex Gettys, right, presents the Half Century Silver Cup to PS&L board of directors chairman Billy Singleton recently.
PICKENS — Pickens Savings and Loan board of directors chairman W. C. (Billy) Singleton was recently awarded the Half Century Silver Cup by bank president Alex Gettys.
The award is given by the South Carolina Bankers Association to all employees and directors who have been in banking for 50 years.
Singleton joined the board of directors of Pickens Savings and Loan in 1963. At that time, the bank had $4 million in assets and just two employees, and was located at 115 East Main Street in Pickens. Board members were W.E. Findley, E.C. Garrett, H.L. Bivens, Fred G. Stewart, Earle E. Morris, Sr., Felix L. Finley, Jr., and Dwight A. Holder. Jack D. Tinsley joined the board the next year and continues to work alongside Singleton.
6th ‘Food Fight Bowl’ to benefit Meals on Wheels
EASLEY — The sixth annual Meals on Wheels Sam Wyche Food Fight Bowl, presented by Save-A-Lot for the second year in a row, will take place Friday, Aug. 23, at Easley High School.
The game will act as the 2013 season opener for rivals Pickens and Easley on the high school gridiron.
An avid football fan, Dwayne Goodwin, president and CEO of the Goodwin Holdings Group, said he is “pumped up” about supporting the largest fundraising event for Pickens County Meals on Wheels for a second consecutive year.
“My daughter is a 2013 Easley High graduate,” Goodwin said. “I take great pride in operating a Save-A-Lot store in Pickens, where we offer quality foods and customer savings to both the Pickens and Easley communities.”
Officials hope to aid flood victims
COUNTY — Pickens County Emergency Management officials are looking to help residents affected by recent rain and flooding.
Officials are asking county residents impacted by recent rains that resulted in uninsured damage or underinsured damage including policy deductibles to report those losses to Pickens County Emergency Management at (864) 898-5946 or email jlink@co.pickens.sc.us.
Residents are asked to include their name, address, and telephone number, along with an estimated dollar amount loss.
Bringing home the gold
The PT Cruisers, an 11th-grade girls AAU basketball team, won the national championship earlier this month at a tournament held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Center in Orlando, Fla. The team is composed of players from Daniel, Seneca, Pendleton, Walhalla and West-Oak high schools and is led by coach Earl Gaines. The Cruisers are the first team, counting both boys and girls, from the state of South Carolina to win an AAU national championship.
Teachers visiting workplaces
COUNTY — County workplaces will feature a few unfamiliar faces on Thursday.
The School District of Pickens County’s Educators in the Workplace program will take place at businesses around the county Aug. 1.
The school district plans to send about 50 teachers into various businesses in Pickens County from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The mission for the event is for teachers to share with students the expectations and skills required in today’s workplace.
University police arrest man on credit card theft charges
RICHARD CLAYTON SR.
CLEMSON — Clemson University police arrested a Seneca man in connection with the theft of an employee’s wallet from a campus office.
Richard Clayton Sr., 43, was charged Tuesday with three counts of felony financial transaction card theft, as well as petit larceny less than $2,000 and trespassing after notice.
Clayton was already on notice not to trespass on campus. He is not a Clemson student or employee.
Warrants said Clayton took the wallet with credit cards and cash from an office in the Academic Success Center.
He was released on a $7,500 surety bond.
A new day
Nicole Guttermuth
A New Day
By Nicole Guttermuth
My divorce was final on July 26. At the very end of the proceeding, the judge (Ironically, I don’t remember her name) asked if I wanted to change my name. Without much thought or hesitation, I offered an emphatic yes.
I am, once again, Nicole Trista Guttermuth. Folks, I know the name isn’t much of an upgrade. I grew up being called “gutter-mouth.” But it is my name. The name I was given at birth. The one I “gave up” for what I thought would be a more complete life. And it only seems fitting that I regain my old name to go with the new version of me as I officially turn the page and begin a new chapter in my life.
Obviously I didn’t consider what a pain-in-the-you-know-what it is going to be to have to change all of my identification, and they just ordered business cards for me at The Parenting Place. Thank goodness for Sharpies! It is all worth it to shed my former name because, as much fun as it was to listen to people butcher it in a desperate attempt at pronunciation, it simply isn’t, wasn’t, me.
Being Guttermuth again is like slipping into my favorite pair of blue jeans. The name is comfortable, and it is well-fitting. “Gutermuth” means “good spirit” or “good cheer.” It comes from Middle High German “guot” (good) and “muot” (mind, spirit).
Guttermuth is a name for an optimistic person, and I can’t think of a better-fitting name for my spirit and personality.
I would be untruthful if I said this last year did not come with moments of utter frustration and days when I felt like I wanted to give up and throw in the towel. Yet I am a firm believer in the notion that what does not kill us makes us stronger.
With complete honesty, I can say I am a better person for everything I’ve endured, and I firmly believe that I have God to thank for this because I did not survive the rugged terrain of this journey on my own. I had a guide holding my hand every step of the way, and every time I lost my footing or stumbled, He was there to pick me up and steady me so I could continue.
If I can offer any piece of wisdom to my readers, I would echo the sentiment of Winston Churchill when he said, “Never, never, never give up!”
Believe me: I know there are days when quitting seems like not only the best, but also the only option. Don’t. Those are the days when you must dig in, dig deep and push through.
I am living proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel that opens into an amazingly beautiful new day.
Keep those corn rows coming
Olivia Fowler
On The Way
By Olivia Fowler
Most of us remember the first job we ever had for which we received actual money. There weren’t many summer jobs for teens in the rural south that weren’t related to agriculture. We grew up in a region where farming was the way of life and few men weren’t farmers. Soy beans, lespedeza, cotton, tobacco and corn were all money crops. Still, getting a job off the home farm was seldom a possibility.
Imagine our excitement when Pioneer Corn Company from Indiana leased hundreds of acres for corn cultivation and began recruiting teenagers for field work.
Concord Baptist Church celebrates 125 Years of of God’s faithfulness
CONCORD BAPTIST CHURCH
Concord Baptist Church has been a fixture in Pickens County for well in excess of a century.
Pastor Roberts
On June 30, the church celebrated 125 years of ministry, as members dressed in a variety of old-fashioned styles, many drove classic cars and matched their clothing to their car models. An antique doctor’s buggy even made an appearance.
Church music director Roger Ellenburg led the congregation in a capella music, including selections sung at the church’s very first service on June 30, 1888. Members were challenged by messages from pastor Guy Roberts, who has served the church alongside his wife Wanda since November 1999, and former pastor Tommy Hayes.
The church’s anniversary celebration will continue throughout the summer, with special music, testimonies from church members, and the sharing of historical facts about the church’s culture.
The celebration will culminate during a Homecoming service on Sept. 22 with a documentary film highlighting the church’s history. Church officials invite family and friends to any services, especially the Homecoming service, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be followed by a meal on the grounds, with the film showing at 2 p.m.
Hayes will preach the morning message.
For more information, contact the church office at (864) 878-7461 or find Concord Baptist Church on Facebook.
Roberts, Hayes and the Concord Baptist congregation rejoice in what the Lord has accomplished, praying that God will continue to use the church fellowship for His glory.
