Category Archives: Opinions
Advantages to growing older
When we were children, we wore hats and shirts on the beach, T-shirts over our bathing suits. And now that we are old, we wear hats and shirts on the beach.
As a person who cannot tan, I never tried to cultivate that look and just accepted that although being outdoors on the beach is one of my great loves, covering up is an absolute necessity.
As children we were slathered with suntan oil, and wearing our shirts and hats, we’d hit the water with our rafts. If we didn’t have rafts, we’d just hit the water and stay in the ocean until our lips were blue and our fingers were wrinkled like prunes.
Now, we slather ourselves with sunscreen, wear shirts and hats and wade in the edge and walk
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
City of Pickens is ascending
It’s a rare phenomenon to see all of the winning elements in a growing community to sustain positive, authentic and beneficial change.
Pickens is one of those rare places where all of the elements exist. Some of these, just to name a few, are a beautiful downtown with mountain 
views, pristine natural resources, active community members, proximity to larger cities while maintaining a small-town feel, etc. The list goes on. All of this being said, Pickens is poised to grasp on to our best qualities and bring them to the forefront.
On April 14, the city had the pleasure of viewing the presentation of a brand-new master plan for Pickens that was put together by the Pickens Revitalization Association in conjunction with
You must be logged in to view this content.
Blake Sanders of Studio Main LLC and Tripp Muldrow of Arnett Muldrow and Associates. This master plan is an update to the previous plan that was put together in 2012. Pickens was in need of an updated plan because, quite frankly, we’ve already accomplished many of the goals set forth in the 2012 plan. It may be hard to believe, but since 2012, Pickens has added the Doodle Trail, the amphitheater and the new Doodle Trail Park. The new plan includes some uniquely Pickens beautification efforts to our historic downtown, expansions along the Doodle Trail and a plan to recruit new businesses to Main Street.
Mr. Muldrow said it best during the presentation: “We need to stop saying that the growth is coming. The growth is here.” Population projections show that Pickens is on a trajectory for growth. We need to make sure that the growth does not compromise the character of our town and is also handled in a sustainable way. The new plan will help us accomplish this.
It’s also important to realize that this plan will be a team effort. The city looks forward to forging a strong partnership with the Pickens Revitalization Association, which has rebranded itself to Ascend Pickens. Our downtown is situated on a ridge, and no matter how you get there, whether it’s on Highway 8, 178 or 183, you’re always ascending into downtown Pickens. With this new plan, we’re also ascending into the future, and our future looks very bright. With the help of our city employees, Ascend Pickens, business owners and you, our community members, we are going to continue improving our town. We have a lot to be proud of here in Pickens. We want to take this positive energy that we feel toward our town and use it to do something really special.
We could not be more excited for all that’s in store for the future of Pickens, and we can’t wait for you to see it.
If you have a talent, skill or passion that you’d like to volunteer to this momentum, please feel free to reach out to us at (864) 878-6421 or send an email to achastain@pickenscity.com. We would love to have you on board as we ascend Pickens to the next level.
Philip Trotter is administrator of the city of Pickens. He can be reached at ptrotter@pickenscity.com.
Found guilty and serving time
What do you do when your dog begins a friendship with an unsuitable companion? It is a somewhat delicate situation, as the friend in question is female and is in a temporary condition that makes the friendship undesirable.
Boomer lives on one side of the road, and we know she lives across the road in some unknown location.
We do not have her home address, because she has appeared from nowhere to strike up this acquaintanceship.
She is half his size with a narrow muzzle and pointed ears, black in color with a long tail. We
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Courier Letters to the editor 4-21-21
Thank you for helping Pickens team
Dear Editor,
What a beautiful day for the Pickens Azalea Festival! The azaleas uptown were stunning in full bloom for the event, and the earlier predicted rain did not occur! Hats off to all who planned and volunteered for this wonderful family and community event showcasing the beauty of this area, along with its fantastic friendly and caring people!
On behalf of our Carolina One 16 Elite Pickens Volleyball Team and “Fire” family, I want to thank Rocky Nimmons for posting articles about
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Trusting God in uncertain times
Like you, I’ve been afraid a few times in my life. There are different types of fear, and one is being afraid of something we believe is going to harm us. This is a paralyzing and dreadful feeling, and one that I would like to stay away from if at all possible. Having a fear of the unknown 
is common, but this is a great opportunity to believe that God will take care of us.
The second type is called a reverential fear of God, which is respecting Him for knowing everything and having authority over all things. The Bible compels us to study and learn about
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Everyone has a role to play
On the afternoon of Dec. 10, Pickens County received an email from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) inviting our county to be part of a process known as Crisis Intercept Mapping for Suicide Prevention among Service Members, 
Veterans, and their Families (SMVF).
Pickens County was selected as one of 10 sites from across the country to participate in SAMHSA’s SMVF TA Center’s Crisis Intercept Mapping project this spring and is the first county in South Carolina to be chosen. This program requires a team lead to serve as
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Story of the squirrel sniper
I’ve written about our chipmunk problem. But I misled you, just as I myself was laboring under a misapprehension. That means I was wrong.
We’d been hearing gnawing overhead, and I was right to be concerned. Nothing bothers Fowler, but I was definitely bothered.
Last week, we had a pest removal company send a man to inspect our attic. That’s when we learned we had a family of squirrels comfortably housed up there. He found a hole in the boxing the size of a softball, and when he climbed up onto the roof and clapped his hands, several squirrels erupted from the boxing and raced across the roof, then straight down the side of the
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Courier Letter to the Editor 4-14-21
Memories of the C-119
Dear Editor,
The excellent article “The Hand of God” by Ron Barnett in the April 7 issue of the Courier about the C-119 Flying Boxcar crashing in Liberty in 1960 reminded me of my first association with the C-119.
I was 18 years old in Jump School in November 1956 at Ft. Bragg, N.C., with the 82nd Airborne Division. During Jump Week, I made five jumps from the C-119 in order to receive my silver
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
It just wasn’t meant to be
She was a beautiful little brunette. Seven years old, with big brown eyes and a friendly expression. She probably weighed about 60 pounds. Her name was McKenzie, and she had a lot of energy.
And she was almost an exact copy of Boomer, our boxer bulldog.
She was in the backseat of a car parked at a rest stop in Tennessee between Knoxville and Nashville. Her owner was seated in the driver’s seat. His wife was approaching the car with a water bowl. The windows were cracked, as in rolled down a little bit to keep McKenzie from
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Faith is more than knowledge
Have you ever made plans to do something, but it did not work out? I’m sure that most of us have.
Disappointment is not a stranger, especially to those who are ambitious. There is no doubt the more a person tries to accomplish something, the more failures they will encounter. This does not mean that all the doors are locked forever, but included within the process of advancement,
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
