Ernest Manning of Winnsboro is a regular at the Blythewood Farmers Market, selling his very nice, home grown lettuces, cabbages, onions and Gerber Daisies | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – “It’s the melting pot of Blythewood,” proclaimed Blythewood Farmers Market Director Michaela Barno. “Our vendors are either local residents from Blythewood, Ridgeway or Winnsboro or they are connected in some way to Blythewood. Plus we have Jeff Dowdy, The Shrimp Guy, with fresh Carolina shrimp.”
Regular vendors include Murphy Farms of Ridgeway, Henry’s Kitchen, Off the Track Bakery, fresh eggs from REDs Farm in Ridgeway, grits from Ken DuBard’s Congaree Milling Co, Donna Bass’ This Butter Be Good skin care products, First Fruits produce stand, Ernest Manning’s fresh garden produce and flowers, fresh chicken from Cedar Knoll Farm, Grand’s Garden produce, fresh pork, lamb and poultry from Doko Farm and much more.
“We offer live music and garden fresh produce every market day and free wine tasting every third Wednesday,” Barno said.
“All of the vendors produce the products they sell and are DHEC certified,” Barno said. “Their farms are licensed through the Department of Agriculture.”
“I am so proud of the quality of our regular vendors,” Barno said, “as well as the frequent visiting vendors.”
Besides food products, artisan vendors are a regular feature of the market featuring colorful and unique handmade arts and crafts.
“Each Wednesday also brings a new food truck,” explained Barno. “Since opening May 2, we have already enjoyed barbeque, Belgian waffles, southern egg rolls and pizza, to name a few.
“And next week, May 23, we will feature Roadrunner Cafe out of Winnsboro serving dinner. Music will be provided by Jubilee Trio,” Barno said.
And remember to bring an empty cooler for carting produce home.
The market is open from 4 to 7 pm every Wednesday through October and is located in Doko Park at 171 Langford Road in Blythewood. Plenty of free parking available. For more information email blythewoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
WINNSBORO – Fire stations throughout Fairfield County presented their volunteer firefighter of the year awards during Fairfield County Council’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on May 4. Awardees pictured with Deputy Director Greg Gerber are, from left, Lewis Loftin, Blackstock; Brandon Edwards, Lebanon; Ned Gwin, Dutchman Creek; Melissa Adams, Ridgeway; Willie Bell, Southeastern; Gerber; Larry Robinson, Blair; Charles Lee, Mitford; Sammie Castles, Greenbrier; Caleb LeGrand, Community; Tavaris Brown, Rescue Squad. Adams was also named Firefighter of the Year for the entire county. James Feaster, Feasterville, and Tommy Sawyer, Jenkinsville, not pictured, were also Volunteer Firefighters of the Year.
Laura’s Tea Room’s proprietress, Carol Allen, standing, pampers her customers with fussy attention, delectable sweets and never-ending pots of tea. | Barbara Ball
RIDGEWAY – The May 7 issue of USA Today, on newsstands Monday, featured Carol Allen’s Laura’s Tea Room in Ridgeway as one of ten tea rooms around the country that it considers perfect settings for Mother’s Day celebrations. Tea rooms in Pasadena, CA; New York City; Tampa, Florida and Salt Lake City, were among those included in the article.
No sooner had the newspaper hit the streets on Monday, than customers and friends began calling and emailing Allen with the news. Allen said she was incredulous.
“You saw it where?” she asked repeatedly.
“I was shocked,’ she laughed. “But it’s been one thing after another ever since the story broke,” Allen said.
“A British couple called saying they were vacationing in Atlanta and would be leaving for Florida that afternoon. They told Allen they had seen the story in USA Today made reservations for High Tea the next day. They arrived about 1:30 p.m. and we had a wonderful visit,” Allen said. “And they enjoyed High Tea.”
“It’s been crazy ever since the story came out,” Allen said.
Allen and her now 96-year-old mother, known as Gramma, started the tea room in the spring of 2008 in the former Thomas Company Mercantile Store built in 1911 at the corner of Palmer and Church Streets in downtown Ridgeway. Laura Thomas was the last member of the Thomas family to run the mercantile before it closed in the mid 1990’s.
“My mom, my daughter and I would visit tea rooms wherever we saw one,” Allen said. “I had so many dishes in my house that I had to do something with them. And I am certainly a tea drinker, so it all fell into place.
“I was playing around with a number of names for the tea room while we were working to turn the mercantile into a restaurant. We wanted to maintain the ambiance of this beautiful building. Locals would stop by frequently and make the same statement over and over again – that Laura Thomas would have been so happy to see it as a tea room. I finally decided to call it Laura’s Tea Room.”
According to the article, Laura’s Tea Room offers customers a choice of over 150 tea cups, a large assortment of teas and as a colorful collection of hats in case a customer forgets to bring her own.
Allen gives credit for the tea room’s success in large part to her staff who she considers extended family. “My staff really cares about their customer’s experience and it shows in everything they do,” Allen said.
Laura’s Tea Room features high tea in an exquisite setting on the upper floor of the over 100-year-old building. Lunch is served in the downstairs Deli. A first floor gift shop offers eclectic choices related to dinning and many choices for tea. The gift shop has retained the original mercantile cabinetry, which is a walk back in time.
RIDGEWAY – Friends and family gathered for a memorial service at PruittHealth in Ridgeway last week. A candle was lit to honor each of the residents and to celebrate the memory of those in Hospice care who passed away in 2017-2018.
Social Worker Myrtis White shared a prayer and music was provided by staff member Shanae Johnson. The service was officiated by the Reverend Tammy Sowell.
Certified Nursing Assistant Shanae Johnson and Rev. Tammy Sowell. | Darlene Embleton
A long stemmed red rose was given to each of the friends and family in attendance by Carolyn Jessee, RN, Senior Care Partner with PruittHealth-Ridgeway.
“Raise that rose high,” shouted Reverend Sowell to the crowd. “Raise it in celebration and remember the good times.”
“Amen,” the crowd shouted in return.
Those in the audience were encouraged to share memories when the name of their loved one was read. Jannita Gaston, with tears on her cheeks, stood and declared that her mother, Clara Creswell, “is where she wanted to be…for she really loved the Lord.”
“Amen”, chimed the crowd.
“Don’t leave this room sad today,” Sowell entreated, “be happy, because they are in a better place.”
Songs were sung and tears were shed as those in attendance honored: Lucy Goodman, Joann Felder, Elizabeth Canty, Curtis Ferguson, Robert Eliasen, Martha Cook, Albert Belton, Virginia Shull, Eldred Pearson, James Knorr, David Sligh, Marcia Campbell, Ruby Galloway, Wardell Willingham, Helen Giovinazzi, Rockie Williams, Margie Gayden, Bobby Gause, Carrie Titus, James Peterson, Versena Dean, Julia Brunson, Linda Lewis, Willis Brown, Gladys Mickle, Rufus Woodard, Joyce Pethel, Arthur Beach, Thomas Easter, Fred Johnson, Pear Desilet, Bryan Crosby, Marjorie Johnson, William Manning, Sam Davis, Docia Mcgriff, Clara Creswell, John Byrd, Florine Brooks, Lula Bell, Thomas Castle, Rudolph Hardie, Martha Small, Debra Hingleton, David Bell, Dan Harrison, Jessie Foster, Leland Odom, Lillie Thompson, Jessie Jackson, Arthur Belton, Pauline Corba, Ben Skinner, Roy McWaters, Elbert Estes and Coleman Johnson.
Lion Ran Foster was one of only 13 to be inducted in the 2018 SC Lions Club Hall of Fame class.
COLUMBIA – At the S. C. Lions State Convention in Columbia, Blythewood and Winnsboro Lions were honored with International and State Awards.
Blythewood Lions Sam & Susan Titus and Lion Kimberlee Keener received Presidential Certificates of Appreciation, the 4th highest award given by Lions Club International. The awards were presented by Past International President Sid L. Scruggs of North Carolina.
Also, one of the newest Blythewood Lions, Lion Jennifer Gooden received a Certificate of Appreciation from District Governor Rhett Hair, a Blythewood Lion, for her support and service with Lions in the local club and district during Lion Rhett’s governor’s year.
Winnsboro Lion Randall Foster was inducted into the South Carolina Lions Hall of Fame for his 61 years of service in the Winnsboro Lions Club. Foster, who chaired the Pancake Supper fundraiser for almost 50 years, was named SC Lion of the Year in 2012 and one of only 13 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Lion Robert E. Patrick, Jr. was named a Franklin Mason Fellow for his 41 years of service to the Winnsboro Lions Club. A few ways Patrick has served as a Lion are inducting new members, installing officers, hosting the club’s annual family picnic and serving with the Lions Club in vision screenings.
OCEAN DRIVE BEACH, S.C. – Winnsboro Town Councilman Clyde Sanders and his Reunion Bande recently released a new CD titled ‘Tranquil Bay,’ produced for Patman and Robin Records. To promote the CD, Sanders and the band’s bass player, Tim Boulware, were invited to Ocean Drive Beach to perform a song from the CD titled, ‘I Wanna Dance,’ written by Sanders.
“This is our first release. It’s been out for about 19 months, and it’s doing very well,” Sanders said. “We recorded seven songs – six originals and one cover song that was recorded by another artist.”
After the beach performance, the duo headed for Clinton, S.C. to do a radio spot with Pat Patterson. There, they released ‘Ready for the Beach,’ and ‘You are My Lady,’ which Sanders also wrote and says is his favorite.
“Tim and Gary Bass and I have been playing in bands together since 1965,” Sanders said. “I took a short break for 45 years, and when I moved back home to Winnsboro, I, along with Bob Curlee, formed The Reunion Bande,” Sanders said. “We had some of the original members from our first band including Tim and Henry Dixon from Ridgeway.”
‘Tranquil Bay is sold at Judy’s House of Oldies at Ocean Drive, as well as online at www.Largetime.net. The Reunion Bande will next perform in Winnsboro at the annual Shagging in the Street event in front of the Town Clock on Friday, June 22.
Margaret Gardner, center the church’s longest regular member, sits between Lynn Oswald, left, and her daughter Sara Oswald who attended the church in the 1990’s. | Photos/Barbara Ball
CEDAR CREEK – It was the last Sunday service of the Cedar Creek Methodist Church.
Margaret Gardner, 98, the last remaining active member of the church on Cedar Creek Road, grew up worshiping with her family in the tiny white one-room building that looks very nearly the same, inside and out, on Sunday as it did when she was a child.
Those who know Gardner, know that the Cedar Creek Methodist Church was her heart.
Lifelong Cedar Creek community residents Kelley Lannigan, Jim Chappell and Sandra Jones search through the church memorabilia.
But on May 6, the church was closed with a final service, a ceremony held outside, next to the building, under a canopy. And Gardner was there to bravely bid farewell.
The building, itself, is a treasure, simply furnished as if it was 100 years ago, except with lights. However, there is no electricity today. There was never any indoor plumbing, and the air conditioning unit was vandalized for its copper piping years ago.
Before the ceremony began, Gardner asked to see inside the church one last time. As a friend pushed her wheelchair up the ramp and into the side door, Gardner took in the room. Touching her hand to her face, she gazed at the pews, the ceiling, the pulpit and the piano. Her mother had played the piano in that room every Sunday morning and had taught her to play.
Finally, Gardner wiped her eye with a crumpled tissue and lowered her head, then looked toward the door. Her friend turned her wheelchair around and wheeled her slowly down the ramp, around the front of the church to a seat next to her sister, Julianna Hendrix, under the canopy, and the service began. It was the last service Gardner would attend on these grounds where generations of Cedar Creek families, her family, had worshiped and were laid to rest in the picturesque rock walled cemetery behind the church.
It had been a vibrant church when Gardner was growing up, but by 2011, the membership had dwindled to a handful as most of the church’s members had died or moved away.
“It was about then that we became aware that our church and the property it sat on was not ours, but belonged to the S.C. United Methodist Conference,” lifelong Cedar Creek resident Sandra Jones said. Still, the few remaining members, including Gardner, fought to keep the doors open, paying the apportionments and maintaining the building and cemetery as best they could.
In June of 2017, the Conference voted to close the church for good. Rev. Kathy Jamieson, a former pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood and the current Columbia District Superintendent and Secretary to the Cabinet of the S.C. United Methodist Conference, opened the ceremony on May 6, calling it a celebration of the Ministry of Fairfield’s Cedar Creek Methodist Church.
Historian and former church member, Ben Hornsby, Jr. led those assembled in singing “The Church’s One Foundation” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” before sharing the colorful history of both the church and its member families. He recited tales of the family who lie in the cemetery as well as families who still live in Cedar Creek today.
Former pastors shared past remembrances of their days at the church, as did the current Fairfield Circuit Pastor Rev. Alice Deal.
Lifetime Cedar Creek resident and state champion fiddle player, Jim Graddick, let his fiddle fly with “Glory in the Meeting House.”
After the ceremony, there were cookies and lemonade. Jamieson answered The Voice’s questions about who owns Methodist Church properties. She said all Methodist churches are owned by the Annual Conference.
“Whether or not they have a trust clause in their deed, every Methodist church holds their property in trust for the Methodist Church,” Jamieson said. There are other relationships that cause the church property to belong to the Conference – paying their apportionment, accepting the preacher that the Bishop sends them. I can’t give you the exact date when that went in to effect, but every Methodist Church property is held in trust for the Annual Conference. It’s part of our polity and our legal system,” Jamieson said. “Legal cases have gone to court when a church tries to break away and even if they don’t have the trust clause, the judge has ruled in favor of the Conference because the church has other ways than the trust clause is connective, such as paying apportionment,” Jamieson explained.
While Gardner and others in the community are not comfortable with the closing, they accept it.
Looking to the future and the preservation of the property, longtime Cedar Creek residents, Bill and Margaret DuBard, are spearheading an effort to repurpose the church.
“We are hopeful,” explained Margaret DuBard, “to make it available for perhaps weddings and musical events or a meeting place for civic organizations.”
Jamieson said the United Methodist Church Conference would also like to see the church and grounds be maintained perhaps as a Cemetery or Historical Association.
But Jamieson insists she doesn’t have power over the property.
“The plan for the future of the property is evolving,” Jamieson said. “Preservation of the building will have to be a community effort.”
Those interested in the preservation of the church property can call Bill DuBard at 750-0710.
WINNSBORO – Members of the Fairfield High School and Alumni Association were awarded the William Banks Patrick Award for Historic Preservation by the Fairfield County Historical Society for their work in restoring the Fairfield High School building. The award was received by, from left: Willie J. Milton, Betty G. Milton, Sharon W. Byrd, Carolyn Richmond, Mac A. Richmond, Donald Prioleau (holding award), Alvin Richmond, Bydester Hall, Robert Davis, Nancy McClurkin, Robert Pinkney and Sharon A. Thompson.
Susie Carlson poses her two Golden Doodles for photographer Harold Dodson. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – Four top Blythewood and Winnsboro Photographers as well as two newcomers have been donating their time and talents to help the Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society raise what the group hopes will be about $50,000.
The photographers are shooting high end photos of pets (dogs, cats, horses, etc.) that will appear in an upmarket Coffee Table book titled ‘Friends of Hoof & Paw,’ The cost for pets to be in the book, with or without their people, ranges from $200 to $1,000. The money raised will be used by Hoof & Paw to make lives better for those pets who do not have owners who love and care for them. The owners who include their pets in the book will receive a copy of the book at no charge. Book will be available to the general public at cost which the group estimates will be about $60.
Hoof & Paw Board member, Minge Wiseman, who is heading up the book project, said the cost to produce the book will be about $20,000 has been underwritten by Blythewood philanthropist Joyce Martin Hill, who owns Farewell Farm. Wiseman said proceeds from the sale of the photo pages will go to fund spay/neuter surgeries, heartworm treatment and other needs at both large and small animal shelters and rescue organizations throughout South Carolina.
The project began the first of the year and, for the last two months, Wiseman has been scheduling photographers for the pets’ close ups.
Photographers Robert Buchanan, Harold Dodson, Janice Haynes, Kristy Campbell Massey, Kelly Garin, a pet photographer new to Blythewood, and Morgan Ald, a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina with a degree in photography, shoot several settings each week. Some of the photos are taken in the pet owners’ homes, at The Farm at Ridgeway, at Doko Manner and other scenic venues.
Buchanan frequently posts the resulting photos on his Facebook page.
“Hoof & Paw is creating a book of these beautiful creatures as a means to fund those organizations that rescue animals. it is quite an undertaking,” Buchanan said, “and I feel privileged to be asked to participate.”
Another, less expensive way for pet owners to participate in the book project is the cover lottery.
“People can submit photos of their pets to be considered for the cover. Cell phone photos are acceptable. One image will be selected and it will then be painted and that painting will be be used for the cover of this year’s book. The best part is that the owner gets to keep the painting…at no charge.
To submit a photo for consideration, go to www.hoofandpawsc.org. The cost is $25 per submission and that money will be used to help Hoof and Paw produce and design the book. Submission deadline for the cover contest is May 31.
“Our goal for the book is 130 pages,” Wiseman said. “So far, we have 106 pages, so we are doing well and have had a wonderful response from the community.”
As the deadline is drawing near for inclusion in the book, pet owners who would like their pets to be included should call 960-9770 as soon as possible.
Cedar Creek Methodist Church to be closed after May 6 service. | Darlene Embleton
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – After 274 years, the doors of the historic Cedar Creek Methodist Church on Cedar Creek Road will close on Sunday during a special ceremony. In attendance will be the few remaining and some former members including Margaret Gardner, her sister Julianne Hendricks and Sandra Jones. The three women who grew up attending the church together with their families – the Eargles, the DuBards and the Howells as well as many friends of the church.
Gardner, 96, who attended the church until a few years ago, said her mother played the piano there every Sunday.
“That’s where she taught me to play,” Gardner said, recalling the joys and telling the stories of growing up with family and friends in the tight knit church.
Located in the Cedar Creek community in the edge of Fairfield County, the church is on the historic registry and is rich with various versions of its founding. One version is that it was originally founded on the banks of the Saluda River and later moved to the Cedar Creek area where, in 1762, land for a second building was purchased from two Indians. There, under the pastorate of Rev. John Nicholas Martin, a long building was erected about 16 by 30 feet, with a dirt floor.
Another version is that it was moved to the current location on land granted by the King of England to Pastor William Dubbart. It was said at one time to have Presbyterian leanings. But Ben Hornsby, a historian and pianist for the church’s sister church, Bethel Methodist Church in Fairfield County, says he finds no documentation of a Presbyterian affiliation in the church’s DNA.
For years, life for the Eargles, Dubards, Fridys, Levers, Howells and other Cedar Creek families centered around the charming, white country church. But by the mid-1900s, many families with children were moving their memberships from quaint one-room country churches, to more modern United Methodist Church facilities featuring worship bands, organized youth events and social centers with basketball courts. By 2011, the church’s membership had dwindled to a handful as most of the members had died or moved away.
“It was about then that we became aware that our church and the property it sat on was not ours, but belonged to the S. C. United Methodist Conference,” Jones said. Still, the few remaining members, including Margaret Gardner, then in her 90s, fought to keep the doors open, paying the apportionments and maintaining the building and cemetery as best they could.
“My father, Joseph DuBard, always looked after the church and even left a sum of money in his will for the church’s upkeep after he was gone,” Jones said. “While that money was part of close to $100,000 the church eventually turned over to the Conference, the effort to maintain the church was carried on by those who didn’t want it declared closed.”
On June 12, 2015, Jones wrote to The Voice, asking for help in fighting for the preservation of the historic church.
“Time is of the essence,” she wrote, “as members with ties to the church are dying out.”
While Bill DuBard and his wife Margaret moved their membership years ago, they still live in Cedar Creek and support the maintenance of the Cedar Creek church.
“It’s a shame,” Bill DuBard said, “that the church has just dried up. There isn’t any indoor plumbing and the air conditioning unit was vandalized for its copper piping years ago.”
In June of 2017, the Conference dealt the final blow, voting to close the church for good. While the last members, as well as their descendants, are not comfortable with the closing, they accept it. Their worry now is what will become of it? Who will pay for the upkeep? Will the Conference sell the property? The questions are many, Jones said.
Both DuBards hope it can be maintained as a benefit to the community. Margaret DuBard said the boards of the Blythewood and Upper Fairfield County Historical Societies are supportive of preserving the church as well as the cemetery.
“I would love to see it used as a wedding venue or for gospel music events,” Margaret DuBard said.
Rev. Cathy Jamison, a former pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood and the current Columbia District Superintendent and Secretary to the Cabinet of the S.C. United Methodist Conference, confirmed that the fate of the church and property are not known at this time. But she said the funds handed over to the Conference are earmarked for the upkeep of the cemetery and cannot be used for anything else.
She also said the resolution affirmed by the Annual Conference in June 2017 includes a clause recommending the property be preserved because of its historical significance.
“So it’s up to the Conference trustees, who have the responsibility for all Conference properties in South Carolina, to decide the fate of the property,” Jamison said. “While I really can’t comment on things I don’t have power over, I can make recommendations. Unfortunately there’s not a stockpile of money for the preservation of the building so that would have to be a community fundraising effort. The plan for the future of the property is evolving,” Jamison said.
The ceremony for the closing of the church will be held at the church at 1209 Cedar Creek Road on Sunday, May 6, at 4 p.m. Leading the service in the community landmark will be the current pastor of the Fairfield Circuit, Rev. Alice Deal.
Those interested in the preservation of the church property can call Bill DuBard at 754-0710.
In June of 2017, the Conference voted to close the church for good. Rev. Kathy Jamieson, a former pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood and the current Columbia District Superintendent and Secretary to the Cabinet of the S.C. United Methodist Conference, opened the ceremony on May 6, calling it a celebration of the Ministry of Fairfield’s Cedar Creek Methodist Church.
