Pickens sweeps Bishop England for 18th volleyball championship
By Bru Nimmons Sports Editor bnimmons@thepccourier.com COLUMBIA — Having dropped just one set on its way to the Class 4A More »
Balance key for state champs
Last season, when the Pickens High School volleyball team overcame a year of adversity to secure the 17th state championship More »
Pickens runoff set for Tuesday
By Bru Nimmons Staff Reporter bnimmons@thepccourier.com PICKENS — Voters from Pickens will return to the polls one final time this More »
TD Bank closing one Easley branch
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com EASLEY — A TD Bank branch in Easley is among the more than 50 More »
This week in the PICKENS COUNTY COURIER’s FOOTBALL FRENZY Sponsored by MOUNTAIN VIEW FUNERALS AND CREMATIONS
DROUGHT ENDED Red Devils take down Pelion for first playoff win since 2016 Lions survive Dreher to advance; Easley season More »
Remembering the past, looking to the future
By Steve Townsend Special to the Courier news@thepccourier.com CENTRAL — As the late summer sun set at the at the More »
The lower BANTAM CHEF… A Lasting Legacy
King reminisces on more than three decades serving Pickens
By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher
rnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The city of Pickens has a rich history spanning nearly 250 years. From the 
intial settlement of the town to the era of sawmills and cotton mills, and later the manufacturing jobs provided by the Singer plant, later known as Ryobi, the community has evolved over time.
Cruising on Main Street and the exceptional Pickens Blue Flame football run of the 1970s are among the moments that defined what some consider a “golden era” for the city, and one common thread through many of those memoriesis the lower Bantam Chef.
Pickens’ two Bantam Chefs
A local institution owned and operated for more than 32 years by Riley King of Easley, 
the lower Bantam Chef was one of two restaurants bearing the Bantam Chef name in Pickens in the late 20th century.
Bantam Chefs were a staple in most towns in the area in the 1960s and 1970s but King said they were all independently owned.
“Most owners had more than one location,” he told the Courier. “The lower Bantam Chef was only one I owned,” he continued.
King said his father, JR King, Ralph Whitmire and Roy Campbell were originally in partnership and owned both the upper and lower Bantam Chefs and that they also owned Bantam Chefs in Easley, Piedmont and Belton.
“They leased them out on a percentage. After my
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Lewis family gather for 100th reunion
By Lynn Townes
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The James and Mary Stewart Lewis Family celebrated their 100th family reunion on Sunday at Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Pickens. Many of your neighbors and acquaintances are in the lineage of this pioneering family, which has had untold influence on the communities across the country.
The Lewis Family have been a part of Upstate South Carolina since the mid-1700s when David Lewis and his bride, Ann Beeson Lewis, moved to the Pendleton District from Guilford County, NC. Ann, a member of the Society of Friends, was disowned by family and faith for marrying “out of unity.” Coming to Pendleton District they started a new
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Community Calendar 8-15-25
• Anderson family reunion is August 24
The family of Joseph Rugless and Nancy “Nealy” Anderson will hold its annual reunion on Sunday, Aug. 24, at Mountain Grove Baptist Church, located at 644 E. Preston McDaniel Road in Pickens. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m.
• Gospel singing set in Easley Aug. 30
Get ready for a soul-stirring evening of Old School Gospel Music at the fifth Saturday Gospel Singing, hosted by Divine Purpose Outreach Ministry in Easley.
The singing is Aug. 30 with doors oping at 3 p.m. and singing starting at 4 p.m.
The master of ceremonies will be the Rev. Charles Hendricks. the devotional team is The Mighty Gospel Harmonizers. the event will feature performances by Pastor Rebbeca Mackey, the Butler Brothers, Joe Chancellor and the Chancellor Singers and the Rev. Bobby Johnson and the Johnson Family, the Horns of Praise, Bro. James Gaines, Bro. David Galloway and the The Kindred Family.
Pastor Tim Sutton and the entire Divine Purpose Outreach family invite you to come and be blessed by an evening of uplifting gospel music, praise, and fellowship the old-fashioned way.
• H.O.P.E. meetings scheduled monthly
Dillard Memorial Funeral Home and Hillcrest Memorial Park have announced the
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Cannon auxiliary seeks new members
PICKENS — AnMed Cannon Hospital in Pickens is welcoming new members to its 
celebrated volunteer auxiliary.
The only requirements are a willingness to help the hospital and those it serves and four hours a week. Applications and more information are available by visiting the front desk of the hospital between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by visiting anmed.org/volunteer-auxiliary-opportunities-cannon.
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Courier Notice to Creditors 8-18-25
In the state of South Carolina, trespass after notice is a misdemeanor criminal offense prohibited by section 16-11-620 for the South Carolina Code.
Those who enter upon the lands of others without the permission of the owner or manager shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor trespassing. All persons are hereby notified and warned not to hunt, fish, cut timber or trespass in any manner whatsoever upon the lands of the undersigned:
Kevin Hardin Sept. 2025
Greg & Rosemarie D’Ginto Sept. 2025
Courier Notice to Creditors 8-13-25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
OF ESTATES
All persons having claims against the following estates MUST file their claims on Form #371ES with the Probate Court of PICKENS COUNTY, the address of which is 222 MCDANIEL AVE., B-16 PICKENS, SC 29671, within eight (8) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors or within one (1) year from date of death, whichever is earlier (SCPC 62-3-801, et seq.), or such persons shall be forever barred as to their claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements on the prescribed form (FORM #371ES) indicating the name and address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the claim, and a description of any uncertainty as to the claim, and a description of any security as to the claim.
Estate: John Wesley Cox
Date of Death: 04/25/2025
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