Daily Archives: 08/14/2013
High school football action getting started
Kenny Fey/Photo
Daniel quarterback Andy McCall drops back to pass during the Foothills FCA Jamboree at Seneca High School on Saturday night. Jamboree action kicks up in Pickens County this week.
Easley, Pickens jamborees this week,
Food Fight Bowl next Friday night
COUNTY — Although rain put a damper on the Foothills FCA Jamboree at Seneca High on Saturday night, cancelling scheduled scrimmages for both Pickens and Liberty, all four Pickens County high schools will get their chances to take the field for jamboree action in the county this week.
Easley will host its first Green Wave Jamboree under new head coach Grayson Howell on Thursday at 5 p.m., with Hanna taking on Rock Hill, Pickens playing Westside, Seneca battling Rosman (N.C.) and the host Green Wave facing Berea.
The following night, Pickens will host its jamboree starting at 6 p.m., with a tilt between Liberty and Seneca, a Daniel-Wade Hampton matchup and a nightcap featuring the Blue Flame against Walhalla.
Daniel, which was fortunate enough to get in its action in a 21-7 win over Woodruff at the Foothills Jamboree Saturday, will host its annual Daniel Day Jamboree next Friday, Aug. 23. The event will feature Walhalla taking on Blacksburg, Liberty facing Christ Church, and the Lions hosting 4A Spartanburg to close the night.
That same night, Pickens and Easley will tangle to open the regular season in week 0 action in the annual Sam Wyche Meals on Wheels Food Fight Bowl at Easley High.
Daniel and Liberty will open the regular season the following Friday night, with Easley visiting the Lions and Liberty hitting the road to play Travelers Rest.
Pickens, Easley councils unite
Nicole Guttermuth/Courier
Easley mayor Larry Bagwell and Pickens mayor David Owens, seated from left and surrounded by city council members from both municipalities, joined together in a Monday night meeting to celebrate the cities’ joint purchase of the Pickens Doodle rail line.
By Nicole Guttermuth
Courier Staff
EASLEY — Easley mayor Larry Bagwell and Pickens mayor David Owens, along with council members from their respective cities, conducted a joint meeting Monday night to celebrate the municipalities’ partnership in developing the Doodle Line trail.
Also present were city administrators Katherine Hendricks of Pickens and Fox Simons of Easley, who have been actively involved in the process of acquiring the rail line and working between the cities to begin the development of the project.
On Aug. 2, officials from the two cities officially purchased the old Pickens Doodle rail line from Pickens Railway Company for $500,000, with each city paying half, with the end goal of developing the old railroad corridor into a multi-modal pedestrian greenway similar to Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Victims Advocate Day
Gospel Lighthouse Ministry held its seventh annual Victims Advocate Day on Saturday at Carolina Community Church in Liberty. The ministry collects needed items for women and children who have been involved in abusive homes, children who have been taken from meth lab homes and children who have been sexually abused. The ministry also provides Teddy bears for area law enforcement to give to children. Guest speakers at the event were Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark and the Rev. Calvin Branch. Branch was presented with an honorary doctorate degree of divinity from the ministry, and Clark was given a plaque to commemorate his 18 years in law enforcement in Pickens County. Pictured above is the Rev. Daniel Stansell presenting Clark with his award.
Road to be named for Stone
PICKENS — Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark will honor his predecessor C. David Stone next week for his 44 years of service to the county.
At 9 a.m. on Aug. 23, the current L.E.C. Road in Pickens will be renamed to C. David Stone Road with a special ceremony.
“We wanted to honor Sheriff Stone in a way that would last for generations,” Clark said. “It is fitting that the road he came to work on every day will now be named after him and in honor of his service to Pickens County for over four decades.
“I would like to thank the local officials who contributed to the process of making this vision a reality and I invite all of our citizens to come out and attend this dedication to Sheriff Stone.”
Central man killed in flood
CENTRAL — Heavy rains and flash flooding turned deadly last week in Pickens County.
A day after raging floodwaters forced the closure of Silver Creek Road in Central last Tuesday, emergency crews were called to the road on Wednesday night after the body of 23-year-old Logan Dale Evans was found nearly a mile downcreek from the road, Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley said.
Evans had reportedly been missing since Tuesday night, and his vehicle had also been washed downstream approximately three-quarters of a mile from the roadway, according to Pickens County emergency management director Chuck Haynes.
Kelley said Evans’ body was found on property owned by his family.
More than 50 emergency personnel responded to the scene from Pickens County EMS, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Six Mile Fire Departement, Central Rescue, the coroner’s office and the emergency management water response team, Haynes said.
Hot licks competition added to Founders Day Music Festival
PICKENS — This year’s Founders Day Music Festival, set for Sept. 14 in Pickens, will add a hot licks competition to the schedule.
And seven bands, headlined by such award-winning groups as Volume 5, Deja Bluegrass and Most Wanted Bluegrass will entertain. There will also be another big jam featuring “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
“Both the hot licks competition and the big jam, which brought tremendous response last year, will be open to anyone who wants to participate,” said Daniel Brazinski, music events chairman. “We also encourage any bluegrass, old-time, country or folk musician to join others in jams throughout the day and evening. We’re even going to have free ‘mini’ lessons, from YAMS instructors, for those that think they might want to learn an instrument.”
Appreciation for readers’ support
Nicole Guttermuth
A New Day
By Nicole Guttermuth
During my tenure as an English lecturer at Clemson, each semester we were required to collect student evaluations of our performances.
Distribution of evaluation forms always took place at the tail end of the semester, so it made for a good half-class kind of day leading into exam week, which worked out perfectly — especially during spring semesters when my students started wearing less and less clothing in preparation for sunbathing or Frisbee games on Bowman Field.
How green it is
Olivia Fowler
On The Way
By Olivia Fowler
It’s August and our grass is green. Not the pale new shoots of spring, but the emerald green seen in the Land of Oz and Ireland. I don’t believe we’ve ever seen that before at this time of year.
We hardly know how to act. In the early morning we go out onto the front porch with coffee. The lantana bush is covered with zebra swallowtails and hummingbirds.
An inspection of the pots of herbs shows water is standing about half an inch deep on top of the soil. In order to keep the roots from rotting, the excess water must be drained off. The drained water sits in a puddle on top of the ground.
Preparing to head Back-to-School
Preparing our children for the future
By Nicole Guttermuth, Courier Staff
Nicole Guttermuth
About this time for the last few years I’ve shared with readers fond memories of my childhood gearing up for the first day of school.
A self-professed nerd, dork and over-achiever, I’ve always loved school and I’ve recently been tinkering with the idea of enrolling myself into a Ph.D. program to earn the doctorate that’s always been part of my grand master plan for life.
Earning an education is stressed in my home to the point that I’m sure my girls roll their eyes behind my back occasionally. The older and wiser I become, the more life I experience, the more firmly I hold tight to the notion that having an education is essential for lifelong success.
Courier Obits 8-14-13
Gloria Rhodes
Easley — Gloria Jean Rhodes, 65, of Easley died Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 at Baptist Easley Hospital.
Born in Greenville County, the daughter of Jesse Rhodes and the late Matilda (Tillie) Alexander Rhodes. She worked for Pickens County Better Skills and was a member of Glenwood Baptist Church.
Surviving in addition to her father, are a brother, Eugene Rhodes (Mary); a nephew, Bobby Rhodes (Tina); four great nieces and nephews, Jacob Dale, Breanna Nicole, Candice, and Jamie Smith.
