PICKENS — Harold Dodson has given his creation “Divine Inspiration” rocking chair to be raffled off by the Pickens Senior Center. Tickets are currently available in the center.

The drawing for the chair will be at the Awards Ceremony in the Amphitheater area following the Pickens Christmas Parade on Friday, Dec. 9. The cost of the raffle tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20.

Dodson’s handmade and custom designed furniture is highly valued. Dodson has built furniture for 35 years. Of all the furniture he has built, rocking chairs have been the work he has found most fascinating. Until Dodson designed “Divine Inspiration,” his chairs had been copies or deviations of the Maloof rocker. In March of 2011, Dodson suffered a massive heart attack which he survived only by the grace of God and his divine intervention.

The following week, Dodson walked into his workshop and began sketching a chair on a piece of plywood. The chair was not like any idea he had ever had before. While recuperating, he and his friend Phil Greer played with the shapes he had sketched. After a couple of weeks the chair became a reality. Dodson’s hope is that the chair will stand the test of time and use, and that the people who use it will be pleased with its form and function.

The chair is currently in the Granger Fiber Center, room 4, at the center. Come down and “try it out” for yourself” and support the Pickens Senior Center by purchasing as many tickets. All proceeds will go to the Pickens Senior Center to assist with any remodeling and on-going budget needs. For additional information, contact Lucy Harward at (864) 419-1794 or daleandlucy@gmail.com.