‘People have to take this seriously’
Easley woman quarantined after positive COVID-19 test By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com EASLEY — As the Pickens County area’s More »
SDPC continues to feed children during statewide school closure
COUNTY — With schools statewide closed amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the School District of Pickens County is offering breakfast More »
Virus may have halted road fix
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com PICKENS — The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus strain is causing Pickens County Council More »
School board suspends meetings
By Greg Oliver Courtesy The Journal goliver@upstatetoday.com EASLEY — Due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pickens County More »
County administrator weighs in on coronavirus pandemic
As we all plan and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, I want all of our citizens to know that your More »
Chamber, PRA honor award winners
The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce and Pickens Revitalization Association held their annual awards banquets on Friday, March 13. Pictured More »
Courier Obituaries 3-25-20
WILMA C. GILLESPIE
PICKENS — Wilma Coleman Gillespie, 89, widow of Garth S. Gillespie, passed from this life on 
Monday, March 23, 2020, in Pickens.
Born on Oct. 18, 1930, in Lowell, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Fred Coleman and Bertha McKinna Coleman. She was a member of Midway Baptist Church. She enjoyed her life as a homemaker, mother and babysitter to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was happiest when her house was full.
In addition to her husband, Wilma was preceded in death by sisters, Louise Coleman, Sophia Pace and Ruth Morris; brother, Jim Coleman; son-in-law, Gary Wortman; and grandson, Travis Wortman.
Surviving are her children, David Gillespie, Linda Wortman, John Gillespie, Sandy Gillespie (Barry Durham), Joan Williams (Mark), Robert Gillespie, Roger Gillespie (Linda), Kenneth Gillespie, Lisa Lewis (Mark) and Jeff Gillespie; and beloved sister, Betty Bowie (Charlton). In addition, she is survived by grandchildren, Brian Gillespie, Alan Gillespie, Andy Gillespie, Amy Quinn, Shannon Childress,
Chamber, PRA honor award winners
The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce and Pickens Revitalization Association held their annual awards banquets on Friday, March 13. Pictured below are the winners of the annual awards presented by the PRA and the chamber.
PCMOW alters delivery schedule amid pandemic
PICKENS — With the nation reeling from an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Pickens County Meals on Wheels is continuing its service of delivering meals to homebound citizens — with some modifications.
“It is very important that we continue to provide a daily meal and safety check,” according to an email from PCMOW executive director Kim Valentin. “As conditions change, we are modifying how we run our program.”
Effective this week, PCMOW switched to a three-day delivery schedule, with deliveries on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The organization is delivering a hot meal along with a frozen meal every Monday and Wednesday. On Fridays, the nonprofit will deliver a hot meal along with the weekend frozen meals for those on the weekend frozen program.
“On Tuesday and Thursday, we will be calling all clients for a safety check,” Valentin’s email said.
Volunteer Tuesday-Thursday drivers who would like to continue to help on the Monday-
Courier Calendar of Events 3-25-20
• Vietnam vets to be honored March 29
March 29 has been set aside as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The day will be a chance to honor all Vietnam veterans and a moment to say welcome home and thank you for your service. As Vietnam veterans came home, most were not shown the respect and honor that other veterans from other eras before and after received. Vietnam veterans are America’s greatest population of veterans, who suffered in war and are still fighting the battles of cancers and other diseases caused by Agent Orange today.
• Library system to sponsor contest
April is national poetry month. Celebrate by entering the Pickens County Library System’s 10th annual poetry contest sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Those interested may submit an original poem between now and March 31 at any library location or electronically to maryb@pcls.fyi. Winners from each age category will receive a cash prize. Categories are as follows: Youth — up to age 11; Teen — ages 12-18; Adult — ages 19 and up. For official rules, visit pcls.fyi. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25.
• Samaritan Health dance postponed
For the safety of all, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Samaritan Health is postponing and more likely canceling this year’s barn dance fundraiser. As you can imagine, Samaritan Health services are expected to be in immense demand over the next several months with many people now being out of work. Samaritan Health resources will be extremely taxed to support this influx in patients, and the barn dance is a very large portion of the organization’s funding for the year.
Samaritan Health officials ask residents to find it in their hearts to consider a donation to help the organization through this difficult time. Potential donors can visit the Tickets and Sponsorship tab at SamaritanSoiree.com and select a donation option.
If Samaritan Health is able to move forward with the dance, the organization will apply all funding and ticket purchases to the event and notify donors of the new date.
• Liberty to host BBQ and Jeep Festival
Liberty Festivals and Events and the city of Liberty are pleased to announce the upcoming Liberty BBQ and Jeep Fest, to be held Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. in downtown Liberty.
This year’s festival will offer a wide variety of activities for the whole family: arts, crafts, children activities, displays from nonprofit organizations, food, music and entertainment.
A Jeep cruise-in will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The BBQ competition that runs from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. is a Certified South Carolina Barbecue Association-sanctioned event.
The main stage will feature Hot as a Pepper shortly after 11 a.m., followed by Split Shot shortly after 3 p.m. Liberty’s festivals have been very successful, with 100-plus vendors and more than 3,000 in attendance. Sponsors and vendors are still being accepted. Find out more information at libertyscevents.com.
• WPO offers chance at monthly fellowship
The Widowed Persons Organization (WPO) organization is not a grief therapy group, but it does provide an opportunity for widowed persons to come together, make new friends and share conversation and food while finding a new beginning in life. The group meets on the second Saturday of every month at 1 p.m. in the fellowship building of Lakeview Baptist Church on Mauldin Lake Road in Pickens. For more information, call (864) 850-1987 or (864) 878-6215.
• Volunteers needed to paint Hope Globes
The Hope Globe is an Upstate South Carolina charity that was created to provide emotional support for children at Prisma and other hospitals of the Upstate. The charity is currently looking for volunteers to paint globes and raise awareness, and the group is also asking for donations of any kind — furniture, appliances, cars, etc. — for its online thrift store. To find out more about the charity, visit thehopeglobe.com or contact the group at thehopeglobe@gmail.com or (864) 247-0702.
• Beginner sewing lessons offered
The women’s department of the Church of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God is offering beginner sewing lessons on the third Sunday of each month at 3 p.m. All supplies are furnished. For information, call Donna Anderson at (864) 420-9489.
This is not a drill
There is plenty of doom and gloom about the coronavirus out there, so how about a little good news for a change? The good news is there is something that actually works. It’s not a cure-all drug, a vaccine (which is at best a year away) or some snake oil concoction you can buy on the internet. It’s 
called social distancing, and it is easier and more effective than you might think.
Let’s look first at what social distancing is and what it is not. It is not locking yourself up in the house for some undetermined length of time.
You can go outside and take a walk around the neighborhood. You can sit on the porch and watch the squirrels and the birds and your neighbors as they pass by. You can drive to a park, stroll a well-worn path and commune with nature. You can go to the store to get groceries, or to the gas station to fill up the car, or to the drug store to get your medicines, or to big box stores to replenish your supply of all those things essential to life.
The term social distancing actually refers to two things. First, it does indeed mean spending most of your time at home, but you can avoid cabin fever or just plain old boredom by venturing out from time to time. More about how to safely do that later on. The other aspect of social distancing is maintaining a safe distance of six to eight feet between you and other people at all times and in all places.
Your goal in social distancing should be to make your home your safe space, the one place where you can be reasonably certain that you will not come in contact with the coronavirus. To make that happen, you will have to do something that goes against our natural instinct, the very fiber of our being. Humans are social creatures, and here in the South, we are some of the friendliest, most hospitable and gracious people on the planet. Our southern hospitality is legendary. Lord knows I love the South and thank the good Lord every day that I grew up where I did, and that I was raised the way I was.
Regardless of where you are from or how you were raised, in order to create your safe space, in order to protect yourself, you are going to have to make sure that someone does not bring the coronavirus into your sanctuary. This means that you should not invite or allow anyone, other than
Courier Legal Notices 3-25-20
NOTICE OF SALE
Pursuant to the Special Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale in the Court of Common Pleas in the case of Pinnacle Bank, Plaintiff vs. Jerry R. Burgess a/k/a Jerry Burgess, individually, and as Personal Representative for the Estate of Richard F. Burgess a/k/a Richard Burgess; Grace E. Owens; and United States of America, Defendants, Civil Action No. 2019-CP-39-00842, the property below will be sold at public auction at the Pickens County Courthouse, 214 E. Main Street, Pickens, SC 29671, to-wit: 11:00 a.m., on the 6th day of April, 2020, to the highest bidder the following described property:
PARCEL I:
All that certain piece, parcel or lot of land lying and being situate in the State of South Carolina,
Trespass Notices 3-25-20
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:
Sue Ellen Dover Mar. 2020
Notice to Creditors 3-25-20
The publisher shall only be liable for an amount less than or equal to the charge for the space of the item in error in the case of errors in or omissions from any advertisement, and only for the first incorrect insertion.
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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 security as to the claim.
Estate: Robert Francis Nowack
Courier Classifieds 3-25-20
Announcements
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State schools to stay closed through April
COLUMBIA — Governor Henry McMaster and South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman 
today released the following joint statement announcing that South Carolina’s schools will remain closed for the duration of the month of April:
“At this time, students, parents, and families should plan for South Carolina’s schools to remain closed through the month of April. Our dedicated teachers and school administrators have done a tremendous job in making it possible for our students to learn at home. We understand that the prospect of schools remaining closed for an extended period of time places stress and strain on parents and children. Rest assured, if there is any way to safely open our schools earlier, we will do that, but schools must remain closed to protect the health and safety of South Carolinians.”
On March 15, Governor McMaster issued Executive Order 2020-09, which closed public schools for students and non-essential employees through March 31st. The governor will issue an additional executive order to extend the K-12 school closures through the month of April in the coming days.
As his previous executive order did, the governor’s executive order will apply to the state’s public colleges, universities, and technical colleges, and encourage those institutions to maintain existing plans to provide instruction through virtual learning.
