Blythewood Online 691

Category: Community

  • Beauty Supply store opens in downtown Blythewood

    Lady Lana store owners Star and Johnnie Waller and Mayor J. Michael Ross, center, cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the store last week. Joining them are, from left, Kesha Harrell, Ebony Allen, the Wallers and mayor, Carri Edwards, Priscilla and Arthur McCoy. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – It could be said that the town’s newest business is bent on making the town look good.

    Lady Lana’s, a beauty supply store that opened last week in McNulty Plaza, will offer cosmetics, hair, nail and skin care products, jewelry, women’s casual shoes, gift items, hair accessories, barber supplies and a mirrored wig salon.  The store will carry popular brands of hair care products including Motions, Luster’s and Clairol.

    The store’s proprietors, Star and Johnnie Waller, opened the store, named after their granddaughter, Lana, with a ribbon cutting last Friday. Star said their goal in opening the store is to meet a need in the community.

    “There were no beauty supply stores in this area. They were all in Columbia or Winnsboro. Nothing here,” Waller said. “We’re excited about what we offer, and we’re looking forward to doing business in this community where we live and worship,” she said.

    The Wallers moved to Blythewood from Columbia six years ago and are members of Round Top Baptist Church. Star is a marketing representative for a health care agency, and Johnnie is a former nuclear engineer with SCANNA and now works in the company’s corporate office. They are the parents of three grown children and an eight-year-old daughter.

    Following the ribbon cutting, presided over by Mayor J. Michael Ross, Waller talked about her vision for the new store.

    “Right now we’re just getting settled and getting to know our customers,” Waller said. “But we’re planning some exciting innovations, including launching our own line of Lady Lana cosmetics and fragrances.”

    She also plans to customize the store’s services.

    “We’ll be providing students from Westwood High School and Blythewood High School with individual makeup sessions for prom,” Waller said. “And we’re going to do some other special things that I think our customers will enjoy.”

    This story was updated June 27, 2024 at 3:03 p.m.

  • Grace Coffee opens outside town

    BLYTHEWOOD – Grace Coffee Company has moved its coffee trailer to a new location just outside of Blythewood and is open for business.

    Owner Matt Beyer posted a video last week inviting his former customers to find the turquoise and white trailer, which is now located at 10324 Wilson Boulevard.

    “We’ll be giving away free coffee and merchandise,” Beyer said in the video of their grand opening event last Saturday.

    Beyer’s coffee wagon moved out of Blythewood during the fall when the grandfathered status he sought in a new location from the town government was refused.

  • Boykins show off in Fairfield

    Mayor Roger Gaddy and his wife Nan with Gunnie, left, and Tucker.

    WINNSBORO – The little brown, curly-haired dogs that found their way into the hearts of South Carolinians competed this past weekend during a Boykin Spaniel Field Trial in Fairfield County.

    Brian Edwards with Bowman | Photos: Martha Ladd

    The event was hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Roger Gaddy and organized by the Carolina Boykin Spaniel Retriever Club. Over 110 entries from both the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia gathered on Newberry Road property owned by Fairfield County native Fleming McMaster and Doctors Deborah and Craig Stuck.

    The dogs and owners/handlers/trainers competed on land and water in puppy, novice, intermediate and open competition categories. In addition to competing for award ribbons, the participants earned points toward end-of-year awards. Richard Winn Academy’s shooting team assisted with the event as Bird Technicians.

    South Carolinian Whit Boykin is credited with perfecting this specialty breed of hunting dog, and in 1985, Governor Richard Riley pushed through legislation to officially name the Boykin the State Dog.

    The Boykin Spaniel Society will host the annual Nationals Competition in Camden on March 22-24, and the public is invited. For more information about this upcoming event and dog breed, visit the website www.boykinspaniel.org.

    Bird technicians are responsible for simulating a real duck hunt by slinging and hiding duck dummies for the dogs. Pictured from left are Eagle Shooting members B Baker, Jennifer Haney, Samantha Wilkes, Sam Banister and Will Cathcart.

  • Miss BW pageant set for Saturday

    BLYTHEWOOD – A new Miss Blythewood and Miss Blythewood Teen will be crowned Saturday night at Blythewood High School as a preliminary event for the Miss South Carolina/Miss America pageant.

    Miss Blythewood will receive a $1,000 scholarship and Miss Blythewood Teen will receive a $500 scholarship.

    Pageant director Traci Cooper said the contestants will compete in talent, lifestyle and fitness (swimsuit), evening gown and will answer questions on stage.

    “During intermission we encourage everyone to vote for the ‘people’s choice’ award,” Cooper said. “Votes cost $1 and you can vote as many times as you want.”

    Last year’s Miss Blythewood Teen, Elizabeth Hunter, will entertain during the contest, singing Buenos Aires from the Broadway musical Evita, and Let the River Run by Carly Simon, Cooper said.

    The pageant will begin at 6 p.m., in the auditorium of Blythewood High School.

    “We hope everyone will come out and promote the contestants and enjoy the pageant,” Cooper said.

  • Fairfield Chamber welcomes new members

    Chamber members James Greene, Sam Edenfield, Bill Haslett and Donnie Laird. | Photos: Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce welcomed new members last week with a drop-in at Songbird Manor Bed and Breakfast.

    Chamber President Gene Stephens recognized those members: Oldies & Goodies, Cecil Bradstreet Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Barclay School, Roger & Charlene Herring, Sandy James, Webster University, Smith’s Towing, ECPI University, Alltemp Comfort Services, The Donut Guy, Active Day of Winnsboro, Lisa Brandenburg, Roxie Woodard, Christy Buchanan Art, Rapha Wells Primary Care, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Melvin, Allegiance Diagnostic Laboratory and Providence Health-Fairfield. Caterer was the Cornwallis House of Tea.

  • Input sought for McNulty St. upgrade

    BLYTHEWOOD – Improvements along McNulty Street in downtown Blythewood are on the horizon according to a statement issued by John Thompson, Director of the Richland County Department of Transportation.

    Those improvements, funded by the Richland County Transportation Penny Tax program, will be the subject of a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 24, to review conceptual plans for the street.

    During the meeting, residents, property owners and project stakeholders will be given an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and provide input.

    The format for the meeting will be a drop-in for interested parties to attend at their convenience between 5 and 7 p.m., to view maps and drawings of the proposed improvements and to discuss the project with project managers and the design team.

    “Richland County values your suggestions and concerns, and carefully considers all feedback before any final project decisions are made,” Thompson wrote in the invitation to the drop-in.

    Anyone unable to attend the meeting or has further questions, may contact Ben Lewis at 803-726-3614 or by email at blewis@richlandpenny.com.

    The meeting will be held from 5 – 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24, at Doko Manor, located at 100 Alvina Hagood Circle across Doko Park from Town Hall.

  • Hayley King fiddles her way to college

    Hayley King took fiddling seriously and it’s now taking her places. | Amanda Coco

    BLYTHEWOOD – At 16, Hayley King is focused on more important things than driving, fashions and boys.

    As the reigning South Carolina state champion of fiddlers, age 16 and under, Hayley’s passion lies with Ole Time fiddling – a focus that has earned her many accolades, rekindled an ancestral fire for fiddling and, more importantly, secured a full ride to Morehead State University in Kentucky, one of only two U.S. schools that have a fiddling program.

    “It’s amazing and exciting, and I can’t help but smile every time I think about it,” Hayley told The Voice. “I am truly just so thrilled about it.”

    The eldest of six children – all homeschooled by parents Shelley and Drew King – Hayley lives with her family in a rural area that almost straddles the county line between Blythewood and Fairfield.

    The Kings say they knew their daughter had a special musical talent from a young age. At four years old, she was enamored with a violin performance.

    “From that day forward,” her mother said, “Hayley was hooked. She just fell in love with the violin that day and, for years, she begged for one. Finally, we decided to give her a chance with it,” Shelley King recalls.

    At seven years old, Hayley began taking classical violin lessons and for the next three years she continued to train classically. Through those lessons, Hayley would eventually find her way to the instrument she says she was truly meant to play – the fiddle.

    “My teacher began to notice that I liked to speed up the songs, so she introduced me to the fiddle at the end of my classical lessons sort of as a musical outlet for me. I learned a very short simple song called ‘Cripple Creek,’ and I absolutely loved it. That’s really how it all began,” she stated.

    From there, Hayley began to learn the different dialects of fiddle music, and soon embraced the Ole Time style – a genre derived from American Folk music and one that she learned had long been embraced by her ancestors. With both sides of her family tracing their roots to the mountains near Hendersonville, NC, Shelly King said her daughter is carrying on a family tradition.

    “It seemed like [fiddling] was starting to fade away in our family’s more recent generations. I think if Haley had not come along, it might have been lost forever to our families,” Shelley King stated.

    Haley went on to study fiddling under Cedar Creek bluegrass fiddler Jim Graddick who was recently nominated for Fiddler of the Year and Musician of the Year by the Carolina Country Music Association. Hayley has also honed her Ole Time skills under the instruction of South Carolina fiddling champion Kristen Harris. Both teachers, her mother said, allowed Haley to really learn where her heart is in fiddling.

    “She’s always danced to the tune of her own fiddle, I think you could say,” she stated. “Hayley has learned from some greats and this just furthered her ability to learn exactly where she wants to be.”

    On Feb. 15, Haley will perform at Morehead for placement in the university’s orchestra. Her performance will determine her current skill level, such as beginner, intermediate or advanced, and will secure her scholarship. She has already secured an academic scholarship at the school, thanks partly to her high ACT and SAT test scores.

    In December, Hayley was also awarded the Bill Wells Memorial Scholarship, which funds her participation in area fiddle camps.

    All of her accomplishments, however, pale in comparison to the joy of being able to carry on her family’s fiddling legacy, Hayley said.

    “It’s really an indescribable feeling, when I play. I think it’s important to continue this because it’s part of my heritage, plus there’s a connection that I feel when I play this music. It’s like I feel it in my soul; it just feels right when I play.”

  • Friends of Library honor Dr. Clyde McCants

    Dr. Clyde McCants, center, receives the Lifetime Membership Award with Hannah Phillips, former Library Director Sara McMaster, Library Director Eric Robinson, and FOL President Michelle Taylor.

    WINNSBORO – “It has been a beautiful friendship for me and a life of service to the Fairfield County Library,” Sarah McMaster, former director of the Fairfield County Library, said as she and Library Director Eric Robinson presented a Life Membership Award and other mementos to Winnsboro resident Dr. Clyde T. McCants during the Friends of the Library’s annual meeting on Sunday.

    “Dr McCants visited the Library when he first came to Winnsboro and has provided his time, talents and financial support ever since,” McMaster said.  “Dr Clyde has donated books and CDs from his own personal collections and provided the financial support that has allowed us to purchase a stellar collection of art and music books.  He has been involved in everything from book sales to our very well received music related programs. I was not very much into opera, but he converted me,” McMaster quipped, as a round of laughter erupted from the crowd.

    A retired teacher, McCants is a pastor and has authored four books relating to music and is currently working on his fifth.

    With nearly 50 Friends of the Library in attendance, FOL President Michelle Taylor opened the program announcing that, “We are now a 501C(3) organization,” which, she explained, will allow donations to be considered tax deductible.

    “We are also a part of Amazon Smile so please use this when you make online purchases,” Taylor added.

    Taylor said a goal for the Friends for this year is to replace the Book Drop.

    “We currently have $445 dollars toward the project, and we need $2000,” she said.  “In our effort to go green, we are moving our newsletter distribution to an email where possible, and we are changing our membership schedule to the calendar year to make it easier to keep track of when a membership is due,” Taylor said.

    The evening’s speaker was Hannah Phillips, 90, a lifelong resident of Fairfield County who took the evening’s patrons on an eclectic journey of Fairfield County through trivia – from the time that Scotch-Irish settled Fairfield County to when Richard Winn surveyed it and steam engines watered in White Oak.

    Wine and cheese refreshments were served.

  • U-Pick-Em win comes just in time

    Heyward Trapp and his mom, Doris Trapp, hold the two $100 bills that Trapp won in The Voice’s annual U Pick ‘Em College Bowl contest. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – When Blythewood resident Heyward Trapp received a phone call informing him that he had won $200 in The Voice’s U Pick ‘Em College Bowl context, Trapp said the timing couldn’t have been better.

    “My furnace broke recently and the bill for fixing it is about $150.” Trapp said. “That’s great, just in time,” he said, transmitting a broad smile over the phone. “What luck!”

    But after picking the wrong team in the first three bowls that included his beloved Gamecocks, Trapp, 51, said he began to doubt his gaming skills.

    “I thought…this is not good,” he recalled with a laugh. “Then Iowa was up. I looked at the card and wondered why I picked Iowa. Then, they won! Things were looking better. Then there were some high-scoring wins by a couple of teams that were expected to lose. I got those.”

    After Trapp picked several straight winners, Georgia (Trapp’s pick) lost. But even without the Bulldogs’ help, Trapp had already locked in the win. And he almost nailed the tie breaker, missing it by only one point. The total score for the national championship game was 60 and Trapp guessed 59. But he didn’t need it to win.

    While Charles Harrison of Winnsboro also picked 12 bowls correctly, he lost his chance to split the jackpot because he failed to submit a tie breaker score which is required.

    Trapp said he has entered the contest every year and kept hoping every year he would win.

    “This was my lucky year, I guess,” he said with an expression of happy surprise as the money was presented to him at his home.

    But Trapp’s easy grin and optimistic outlook belie his difficult circumstances.

    Since sustaining a spinal cord injury 15 years ago while working as a backhoe operator during construction of Blythewood High School, Trapp has been dependent on the use of either a cane or wheelchair for mobility.

    Now on disability, Trapp lives with his mom, Doris Trapp, in rural Blythewood in a home he purchased following the accident. The home sits on Doris’ family land.

    “My mom grew up right here on this road, and I also grew up in Blythewood,” Trapp said. “I love it out here. This house is small, but it’s comfortable,” he said, looking around the tidy living room.

    While his world is largely limited to his home now because of his injury, Trapp’s goal is continued independence. He tries to stay active, he said, using his cane instead of the wheelchair as often as possible. And he is quick to celebrate what’s good in his life.

    “I was told I would be in a wheelchair in five years. But I’m not,” he said. “I try to get out every day and walk out to the mail box to get the mail. To a lot of people, that’s nothing. But to me, it’s a big deal.”

    But the mail box is at the bottom of a slope of ground which makes the maneuver tricky with a cane and impossible in a wheelchair.

    To facilitate his daily round trip for the mail, Trapp said he’s been scanning the classifieds recently for a good used, reasonably priced golf cart.

    “That would make it a lot easier for me to get out and around, to go to the mailbox,” Trapp said. “It would make a big difference.”

    Posing for a photo on the front porch of his home, Trapp and his mom each held up one of the two $100 bills he was presented. After the photo shoot and before going back into the house, Trapp paused, scanning the surrounding rural area from the porch. Perhaps buoyed by the unexpected win or maybe it was his seemingly unwavering optimism, Trapp once again reflected on the good side of his life.

    “It’s really nice out here,” he said. “I love it.”

  • Financials: JWC operating at a loss

    JENKINSVILLE – In person, the Jenkinsville Water Company annual meeting was orderly and efficient, concluding in about 30 minutes and lacking the discord of previous meetings.

    On paper, though, the water company continues to operate at a loss.

    In financial documents distributed at last week’s annual meeting, the water company reported a net operating loss of $21,537 for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2018.

    The water company has reported an operating loss for at least six of the past seven years, according to federal tax returns.

    For 2018, the JWC reported $484,853 in total operating income against $506,390 in operating expenses on its profit and loss statement.

    Figures provided in the document couldn’t be independently verified because the water company’s Form 990 tax returns for 2017 and 2018 were not available for public inspection as of press time.

    JWC president Greg Ginyard insisted that the water company is not operating at a deficit. He attributed the net operating loss to depreciation expenses, which totaled $96,232, according to JWC documents.

    “It’s not a deficit. We’ve had no tax problems,” Ginyard said. “What you saw on the loss was depreciation.”

    Depreciation alone, however, doesn’t fully account for operating losses the JWC has reported in previous years.

    In 2017, the water company reported an operating loss of $107,135 with $93,217 listed for depreciation, depletion and amortization, which still leaves a deficit of $13,918.

    The same was true in 2016, when the JWC reported a net operating loss of $128,783, but depreciation, depletion and amortization accounted for only $93,605, which would still leave a deficit of $35,178, according to tax records.

    Additionally, the water company is continuing to repay loans to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    In 2018, rural development loan interest payments accounted for $67,554, the water company’s third greatest individual expense, according to JWC financials.

    Long-term liabilities from USDA loans total $583,590, documents state.

    Fairfield County Councilwoman Bertha Goins, who attended last week’s meeting, said the water company’s financial picture further illustrates why she thinks the county needs a central water authority.

    Fairfield County and the Town of Winnsboro for months have been negotiating the formation of a water authority. Ginyard previously told The Voice he doesn’t support a water authority.

    “We need a regional water service,” Goins said. “With discrepancies over finances and lawsuits, that’s one of the main reasons why.”

    Ginyard says all is well

    At last week’s meeting, Ginyard voiced optimism that the JWC has weaned itself off purchasing water from the Mid County Water Company.

    Previously, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control required the JWC to purchase outside water because it lacked capacity to be self-sufficient, especially in cases of emergency.

    In 2017, the JWC borrowed $800,000 from Co-Bank with the intent to pay for water system upgrades. Terms of the loan weren’t specified in JWC financials.

    Last summer the water company tapped Barwick Plumbing Company LLC to install a new well, awarding a $654,000 contract to the Sumter County firm.

    Mid County water purchases have steadily declined since 2016, falling from $97,539 to $26,623, according to financials provided by the JWC.

    Ginyard said the well is already bearing fruit, saying it’s already producing 400 gallons of water per minute. He estimates once fully operational, the well will produce 140,000 gallons per day.

    “When we put this well in operation, it’s going to be rally great,” Ginyard said. “It’s going to create a savings for us because electricity bills will go down around us. They won’t have to produce as much as they normally do.”

    Still, Ginyard told members the water company is still contractually required to purchase 100,000 gallons of water from Mid County, whether the JWC uses it or not.

    Ginyard also said Mid County imposed three rate increases last year, which he said the JWC absorbed. He told members the contract has no sunset clause, but remained hopeful it could be renegotiated.

    “We’re not using any Mid County water, but we’re paying for 100,000 gallons whether we use it or not,” he said.