PICKENS — Praters Creek Baptist Church will host a fall festival this Saturday, Oct. 22, from 2-5 p.m.

There will be games for children and youth and a hayride for adults. All games will be supervised. Hot dogs will be served from 4-5 p.m.

The Gospel trio “For Him” will play sacred music. The church is located at 621 Praters Creek Road in Pickens.

PICKENS — Cannon Memorial Radiology Department is offering a free “Let’s Talk!” lunch and learn at the hospital on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

The lunch and learn begins at noon in the Cannon Classroom, located in the Outpatient Services Building.

Afterward, guests may tour the mammography department and meet the staff.

The radiology department will present three topics: “Do you need a mammogram?” byKim August, RT, BSRS, (R), (M); “Don’t be afraid!” presented by Kim Alexander, RT, (R), (M), (CT); and “What if?” given by Cindy Scruggs, RT, (R), (BD). RSVP for attendance to the event is required by Oct. 18. Call (864) 898-1252 to secure your seat.

Columbia — Se. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, received the Public Service Award recently from the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network. The award is given for outstanding leadership in combating domestic violence.

“I’m grateful for this recognition and very appreciative of all the great work that this organization does,” Martin said. “I’m proud to be a part of their efforts and I know that with their help and their leadership in this state, South Carolina will continue to work hard to protect the victims of domestic violence.”

The mission of the South Carolina Victim Assistance is provide support services for victims and to prevent future crimes through advocacy, education, public awareness and technical assistance.

Martin was first elected to the South Carolina Senate in 1992 and represents Pickens County in District 2.

COUNTY — Students in the School District of Pickens County outpaced their counterparts across the state on the SC Ready and on the SC PASS assessments in 2016. SC Ready is the new standardized test for English and Math in grades 3-8. SC PASS tests are given in grades 4-8 in Science and Social Studies. Both tests are aligned to the new South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards

EASLEY — Easley High School senior James Roddy has been selected to participate in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band.

The band will march at halftime of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, televised live on NBC from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 7.

After a rigorous audition process, the committee selects only 101 musicians nationwide. Roddy is the only musician representing South Carolina.

All-American and U.S. Army representatives recently attended a selection tour event at Easley High School to honor Roddy’s accomplishment.

EASLEY — The third annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast is set for this Saturday, Oct. 22.

Community sponsors, supporters and the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem Program will hold the event at 5 p.m. at Arran Farm.

The evening includes an oyster roast, Southern low-country buffet, beverages, music and more. The evening is highlighted by great music entertainment and a large silent auction. This year’s auction features more than 150 items open for bid. Items include rounds of golf at some of the best courses in the Upstate and on the S.C. Coast, sports memorabilia from the state’s finest athletes, Arnold Palmer autographed photos, jewelry, whitewater rafting, dinner and theater/shows, trips to New York, Napa Valley and Belize, comprehensive orthodontic treatment, tickets to the 2017 Cola Coca 600, gifts from local merchants and much more.

Ticket prices are $50 individually and $90 per couple. Tickets may be purchased until Oct. 22 online at friendspcgal.org, from board members or locally in Easley at Nalley’s Bedding, The Starving Artist Cafe or Upstate School Spirit; in Liberty at Nalley’s Furniture; in Pickens at Town & Country Florist, Appalachian Ale House, Pickens Revitalization Association, Burning Brick Tavern, Flowers by Virginia and Burgess General Store; and in Six Mile at Southern Charm.

If you would like more information about tickets, sponsorship or to donate an item for the silent auction, call (864) 506-0737 or email at chair@friendspcal.org.

Proceeds for the evening will go to the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem program, which has been providing holistic support to neglected and abused children since 2002. Over the past 9 years, the all-volunteer organization has raised more than $340,000 from significant fundraisers such as this year’s Annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast.

“Last year’s oyster roast helped fund our 2016 Annual Heart and Sole Back-to-School Shopping Day, which has increased over 25 percent in the past two years,” event chair Tammy Clark said. “Annual clothing potential for children in grades 5K through 12K is $25,000 per year.

“The Heart and Sole Day, held prior to the start of the school year, allows many of the children to receive new shoes and clothes for the first time. To see the excitement and pride in the child as they check out at the register makes me smile every time. I also appreciate the generosity of the community, which supports our Oyster Roast, so that the Heart and Sole Day is possible.”

PICKENS — This year’s annual Book and Author Fair sponsored by the Birchwood Center for Arts and Folklife in Pickens County will be held this Sunday, Oct. 23, from 2-5 p.m. in the Pinnacle Pavilion at Table Rock State Park.

Started by the Birchwood Center in 2004 to provide a free, no-fees venue for regional writers, the fair has become a major literary event in Upcountry Carolina’s border territory, where authors gather to meet each other and their readers and to sell and sign copies of their works. Admission is free and open to the public.

Authors producing many types of writing will be represented: novelists, poets, historians, journalists, memoirists, genealogists, cartoonists, writers of devotional and of children’s literature. Some authors who are also visual artists will have on hand samples of their small-format original works to sell. Writers from both Carolinas will be represented. Various authors will be featured in a program of brief readings from their works.

Among those who are scheduled to participate are Bill Aarnes, Piper Aheron, Claire Bateman, Beth Batson, Katherine Crawford, Kelly Durham, Elysabeth Eldering, John Fowler, Vera Gomez, Michael Helms, Frank Honeycutt, Jean Hunt, Sue Lile Inman, John Jeter, Tom Johnson, John Lane, Lee Lyons, Kate Salley Palmer, Anne Sheriff, John Snyder, Betsy Teter and Betty Young.

As not all of the authors will have access to charge-card equipment, shoppers are advised to bring checks or cash.

A spokesperson for Birchwood urged the public to come out “for a casual day in this beautiful park at the foot of Table Rock. Chat with authors, have them sign their books for you, listen to various ones read from their work or just enjoy relaxing and socializing in and around the park’s airy pavilion in this glorious corner of South Carolina.”

The park’s Cherokee Foothills Visitors Center is located off S.C. Highway 11 at 158 Ellison Lane in Pickens. The Pinnacle Pavilion is located across the highway and is accessed via the West Gate entrance.

For more information, call (828) 676-4331, (864) 414-2465 or (864) 224-9392.

• Free movie night planned by BHSPC

Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County Youth Board along with the Steppin’ It Up Coalition, will be hosting a Drugs are Despicable Family Movie Night at the Central-Clemson Recreation Central on Monday, Oct. 24, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The movie “Despicable Me” will be shown, and Youth Board members will perform a skit to raise awareness about substance abuse.