Category Archives: Lifestyles
Enrapt returns with production of ‘The Crucible’ April 28 – May 1
The cast of ‘The Crucible’ performed scenes during the Pickens Azalea Festival on Saturday. The play is set to open April 28.
PICKENS — Enrapt is back with another exciting production. The group is excited to invite all to Enrapt’s production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” directed by Enrapt founder and artistic director, Breann Griffin Nicholson.
“The Crucible,” based on the Salem witch trials, will be produced on April 28, 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and May 1 at 3 p.m. at the Pickens City Ampitheater behind Enrapt (118 W. Main St. Pickens).
The event will be free admission, but donations are greatly appreciated. Concessions will be sold. Come out, bring a blanket or lawn chair, and be ready to be immersed in the fascinating story of The Crucible. Please keep in mind that because of the nature of the content in “The Crucible,” some parts may not be suitable for children under 12.
Located on Main Street in Pickens, Enrapt is a place that provides cultural entertainment in the forms of live theatre and supporting art communities through classes and productions. It is a place where everyone can feel at home to create and be inspired. Enrapt is a place that is not only recreating history, but, also, creating the future of the arts in Pickens.
Soapstone set to host fundraiser
PICKENS — Soapstone Church invites everyone to a special fundraiser at the church, located at 296 Liberia Road in Pickens, this Saturday, April 16.
The event will feature fine cooking and will be held from noon-8 p.m.
Visitors will enjoy true Southern cooking, including a fish fry, barbecue and fried chicken with all the fixings right from Mrs. Mabel’s kitchen.
Hendricks to run for county council
PICKENS — Pickens High School teacher, Yardifacts Ornamental Concrete owner and lifetime community resident Wes Hendricks has filed to run for Pickens County Council District 3.
Hendricks is a graduate of Pickens High School and the University of South Carolina, where he played football for Coach Joe Morrison in the 1980s while earning his bachelor’s degree. He earned his master’s degree in administration and supervision from South Wesleyan University.
Hendricks is a special education teacher of students with learning disabilities at Pickens High School. In his 22nd year at PHS, he has more than 25 years of teaching experience. During his teaching career, he has coached football and basketball, with his last coaching job at Pickens High School. He took the varsity boys’ basketball team to the playoffs in 2007. He has taught and coached in Anderson and Edgefield counties as well.
“With much prayer, I have decided to run for Pickens County Council District 3,” Hendricks said. “I feel the time is right for me to serve the people of Pickens County in a much larger capacity. My service as a person with the ability to work with others and unite a divided county is much needed at this time. Pickens County is at a crossroads or a make-or-break point. I have invested a lifetime in Pickens County in many ways, including giving back and serving others. My past experiences and being a family man raising my children in Pickens County will serve the people of Pickens County better than anyone else on the ballot in District 3.”
He says the county does not need to be divided with institutions being forced to close as they have been recently in the communities of District 3.
“Misrepresentation with the media being used as a facade to make it look positive needs to be prevented in our county,” he said. “Simply recommending and voting for a recommendation in a staged attempt to look good in public does not get the job done. Working with others as a team and persuading them to follow the will of the people and betterment of Pickens County gets the job done.
“All of our communities and municipalities need to work together to make each other stronger. We need to let people hired to do county jobs perform with the needed resources while holding them accountable in an appropriate manner without micromanaging them. We need a new jail, as I have seen first-hand while helping a learning-disabled student get his diploma as he was housed at the LEC awaiting trial. Business recruiting and job creations are a must.”
Hendricks said he has “the courage to stand for the well-being of Pickens County, the fortitude to back it up and the perseverance to get the job done.
“I am from Pickens County and I am for all of Pickens County. Let’s work together to make Pickens County prosperous and progressive for our future with your vote for me on June 14.”
Courier Community Calendar 4-13-16
• PHS Class of 1958 to hold reunion
The Pickens High School Class of 1958 is planning a reunion for Thursday, April 28. It will be a dutch lunch at the Gatehouse Restaurant at the corner of Ann and Griffin Streets in Pickens. The group plans to gather at 11 a.m. and have lunch at noon. Make your reservations by calling Jerry Stephens at (828) 433-1715 or Jeanette Winchester at (864) 878-3762.
• Relay for Life set for April 30 at EHS
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer.
Baptist Easley Hospital would like to help our community to unite in fighting cancer and celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. With the support of thousands of volunteers like you, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 500 lives a day.
Please join Baptist Easley Hospital and take action against a disease that has taken too much. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, from 2-10 p.m. at the Easley High School, 154 Green Wave Blvd. in Easley. All Wells Fargo locations in Pickens County are currently accepting donations.
• Reece reunion set for April 23 in Easley
Descendants of Thomas Sylvester and Tamer Aiken Reece will hold their annual reunion at noon on Saturday, April 23, at Mutt’s BBQ in Easley. For information, contact Judy Ballard at (864) 855-6131.
Clemson Police Department to hold free family fun event
CLEMSON — An upcoming event aims to show the community — and kids in particular — that law enforcement is here to help.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 10-16, and the Clemson Police Department is holding a Family Fun Kick-Off event from 2-4 p.m. this Sunday, April 10, at Nettles Park in Clemson.
There will be a lot going on that day, Clemson Police Department victim advocate Debra Shockley said.
“We have 21 agencies confirmed at this point that are going to come out and participate,” she said.
The Clemson PD will have patrol cars out for children to see.
The Clemson University Police Department will also have a patrol car display. The Clemson Fire Department and EMS will have fire trucks and ambulances for children to explore, Shockley said. Clemson Area Transit will have one of its city buses there.
“Bikers Against Child Abuse will have motorcycles for the children to crawl all over,” Shockley said.
There will also be a bike rodeo.
“We’ll have an officer do a safety talk about bicycles, and we’ll have an obstacle course set up,” Shockley said.
The Parenting Place is seeking donations of new bicycles to give away during the event, said Greta Young, executive director of The Parenting Place.
Visitors will be able to enjoy free food courtesy of co-sponsor The Parenting Place. Walmart Neighborhood Market will provide free beverages for everybody.
Mr. Twister the Clown will be entertaining the crowd and doing balloon art.
The police department hopes the event will allow the community to “get to know us before you need us,” Shockley said.
“I go to a lot of scenes and people have no clue of who I am, what I do or that I even existed,” she said. “The chief and myself, we’ve talked about it multiple times — we do these events and this outreach so that people know that we exist. If we have a domestic violence victim who doesn’t know where to turn, she might remember, ‘Oh wait, that police department has someone, they have some program available.’ That’s the goal of doing these community events.”
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is a nationwide event to honor victims’ rights and victims of past crime, Shockley said.
“This is the first time the police department’s done anything for National Crime Victims’ Right Week,” she said. “So we’re excited to actually to get to participate, observe it, bring the community out.”
The Clemson Police Department is holding several other events for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Shockley said.
On Tuesday, April 12, at 10:30 a.m., Clemson police chief Jimmy Dixon and other city staff will plant pinwheels in order to raise awareness and help prevent child abuse.
On Wednesday and Thursday of that week, the department is holding a free RAD Self-Defense class for women. The response has been great — the class filled up quickly.
At 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, the department will hold a free outdoor family movie night at the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Clemson.
“They’ll get free movie, free snacks,” Shockley said. “Everything is free that we’re doing that week.”
The free movie event is a way for the Clemson community to interact with their local police officers.
“Getting to know us and what we do,” Shockley said. “So that people will realize what the officers’ role is, what they do, what the victims services role is and what I can do for you,” she said.
The Central-Clemson Library Branch will have a special display set up during the week with handouts about “scam prevention, identity theft, MARYS House, Pickens County Advocacy Center, The Parenting Place, for people to take and go,” Shockley said. “There will be displays of books with information pertinent to victims of different types of crimes.”
EMS officials offering public education forums
COUNTY — Pickens County EMS is currently promoting Public Education Forums for the citizens of Pickens County.
PCEMS is willing to meet with your group to discuss the services that PCEMS has to offer the citizens and visitors of Pickens County. Some of the topics are who to call in case of an emergency, what to expect when EMS arrives, some of the things you can do before EMS arrives and some simple steps you can take to prevent calling EMS. There will be other topics covered as well.
The meeting will end with a question-and-answer session for the public to ask the EMS personnel question about services provided. This forum is recommended for small groups such as church groups, civic organizations and HOA’s.
For more information, contact PCEMS training officer Lane Wood at lanew@co.pickens.sc.us or (864) 230-0424 or PCEMS assistant director David Childress at davidc@co.pickens.sc.us or (864) 898-5335.
Grace United planning spring hand bell concert
PICKENS — Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens will host a spring concert presented by the Bells of Grace Hand Bell Choir.
The concert will take place on Sunday, April 24, at 4 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. There is no admission fee.
This group of 15 ringers plays a six-octave set of English hand bells cast by the Schulmerich Company in Sellersville, Pa. They also incorporate a five-octave set of tone chimes into their performance.
First organized more than 25 years ago, members of The Bells of Grace have performed on numerous mission trips throughout the Southeast and also in Mexico. Under the current direction of Marilyn Gromlovits, the group looks forward to sharing a program of music which they sincerely hope will be uplifting and inspiring to all.
United Way, Subway partner to promote early learning
EASLEY — Seven United Ways serving 10 Upstate counties launched a new partnership with Upstate Subway Sandwich Shops recently to help maximize the early learning potential of young children and expand efforts to provide quality learning activities for parents and children.
The partnership with Subway is a significant addition to Born Learning Upstate SC, a public engagement campaign that aims to help parents, caregivers and communities provide young children with quality learning opportunities. The campaign is built around research that shows children are “born learning,” with the first three years of a child’s life proven to be an especially critical time.
“So much research shows that from the very first moments of a child’s life, the everyday interactions they have with adult caregivers set the stage for learning and promote social, emotional and intellectual development,” said Julie Capaldi, CEO of United Way of Pickens County.
There are currently Born Learning Upstate SC trails at parks in Easley, Liberty and Six Mile, with trails planned to come soon to Pickens and Clemson.
One of the components of the campaign has been the installation of Born Learning Trails across the Upstate. These trails include fun, engaging activities designed to boost language and literacy skills, and encourage children and their families to be active physically and mentally. Trail locations can be found on the Born Learning Website, BornLearningUpstateSC.org, or by calling 2-1-1, United Way’s statewide, 24-hour resource line. In Pickens County, trails are located at J.B. “Red” Owens Park in Easley, Freedom Park in Liberty and Ponderosa Park in Six Mile. Trails will be installed at Ashley Dearing Park in Clemson and Jaycee Park in Pickens this month.
“When we started this regional partnership in 2013, we launched with 15 trails across the region,” said Paige Stephenson, CEO of the United Way of the Piedmont. “I am excited to be able to announce today that we now have 40 trails throughout our communities in the Upstate of South Carolina. These trails are an important United Way strategy to foster quality parent-child interaction and help children along the path to school readiness.”
In celebrating the 40 Born Learning Trails, the United Ways of the Upstate are launching a unique partnership with local Subway Sandwich Shops. Participating Subway locations, including Central, Clemson and Liberty, will be offering Fresh Fit for Kids meal coupons to users of the trail. There will be a Subway sign with a QR code somewhere along each of the 40 trails. When trail users find the sign, they can simply scan the QR code, answer a very brief survey and receive a Subway coupon. This effort not only helps promote early learning and trail usage, it will also help local United Ways track the number of trail users.
“Our local owners are part of the community and see the United Way Born Learning Trails as a meaningful way to support healthy lifestyles and early learning,” said Tom Harvey, a parent of grade-school children and local owner of six Subway Sandwich Shops in the Greenville area.
The recent announcement came as a precursor to the 2016 Week of the Young Child (April 10-16), where child-friendly, educational activities are being held by United Ways and partner organizations throughout the Upstate throughout the week. A list of events can be found on the Born Learning Upstate website, BornLearningUpstateSC.org.
BornLearningUpstate.org also offers an extensive collection of resources for parents, easy games to play at home or around town, as well as a list of United Way-supported early education programs in each of the 10 Upstate counties. Parents and caregivers can go to the Website or call 2-1-1 for local contacts to receive materials, resources and program information.
“We all share a commitment to helping children grow up healthy, ready for school, and prepared for a lifetime of success,” said Carol Burdette, president of United Way of Anderson County. “Today’s commitment of support by Subway is an important example of how businesses can bring unique ideas to the table relating to the promotion of school readiness.”
Courier Community Calendar 4-6-16
• Clearview to host meeting April 9
Planning to open for the 2018-19 school year, Clearview Collegiate Academy is a charter school serving grades 6-12 who seek the opportunity and challenge of a rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and outstanding athletics in a safe, small setting while earning up to two years of college credit while in high school.
For those interested in hearing more about what Clearview has to offer, a parent forum is scheduled Thursday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. at Smithfields Country Club, 100 Pine Ridge Drive in Easley. For more information, visit clearviewcollegiateacademy.org or facebook.com/ClearviewCollegiate/.
• Lawrence Chapel plans jewelry sale
Lawrence Chapel will host a vintage collectible jewelry and accessories sale and a bake sale too on Saturday, April 9, starting at 9 a.m. The sale will last until noon. Lawrence Chapel is located at 2101 Six Mile Highway, Central, SC 29630. For more information, call (864) 653-4461.
• Relay for Life set for April 30 at EHS
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer. Baptist Easley Hospital would like to help our community to unit in fighting cancer and celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. With the support of thousands of volunteers like you, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 500 lives a day. Please join Baptist Easley Hospital and take action against a disease that has taken too much. The event is on Saturday, April 30 from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Easley High School, 154 Green Wave Blvd. in Easley. All Wells Fargo locations in Pickens County are currently accepting donations.
• PHS class of 1956 set to hold reunion
The Pickens High School Class of 1956 is planning a reunion for April 9. It will be a dutch lunch at The Gatehouse Restaurant at the corner of Ann and Griffin streets in Pickens. It will begin at noon. Make your reservations by calling Allison Dalton at (864) 859-4396, Marie Welborn at (864) 878-9124 or Tunkie Stokes at (864) 878-6101.
• Six Mile Farmers Market seeks vendors
The town of Six Mile is looking for vendors at the Six Mile Farmers Depot for the 2016 season. The market starts the third Thursday in April and runs through the last Thursday in September. Vendors may sell plants, flowers, vegetables, fruit and arts and crafts. Cakes, pies, jams and jellies produced in a DHEC-approved kitchen may also be sold. The Six Mile Farmers Market is located on Main Street in Six Mile in the old fire department building next to Town Hall. The market features 18 vendor stations inside and has room outside for several more. If interested, contact market manager Jim Hayes at (864) 650-5078 or james_hayes@sixmilesc.org.
• Pickens Lions plan meetings each month
The Pickens Lions Club is in need of new members. The club meets the first and third Thursday of every month at Pizza Inn in Pickens. Dinner begins at 6:40 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to anyone interested in joining the club or simply finding out more about the club and how it serves Pickens.
He is Risen
As Christians around the world celebrated Christianity’s most important holiday, Secona Baptist Church youth pastor James Lawson led an Easter sunrise service at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Pickens at 7 a.m. on Sunday. A Pickens County tradition since 1960, the event was co-sponsored by Hillcrest and the Pickens Ministerial Association. In addition to Lawson’s messages of worship, the service featured live music from the Secona Youth Praise Team.
Rocky Nimmons / Courier
