BLYTHEWOOD- The Blythewood Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with Freeway Music to organize the “Moondoggled: An Eclipsing Battle of the Bands” that will take place from noon- 4 p.m. on Monday Aug. 21 at the new amphitheater in Doko Meadows Park to celebrate the Great American Total Eclipse. Five bands will be chosen, and receive an opportunity to to perform a 15-minute set, which must include one song related to the sun or the moon.
First place will receive a $500 prize, second place will receive a $250 consolation and the third place winner will take home $100. Entries are being accepted, and those wishing to participate should email lessons@freewaymusic.net with links to songs and band photos.
The deadline to enter is Friday Aug.4. For more information contact the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Switzer at 803-348-2236 or Freeway Music at 803-865-1151.
WINNSBORO- The Fairfield encampment of Salkahatchie kicked off on July 8 and will continue through July 15. Salkahatchie is a week in July when as many as 150 students come together from all over the state to repair homes for those who could not otherwise afford the repairs. Sponsored by Methodist churches all over the state for more than 30 years, an event of its size could never get off the ground without the help of other churches who pitch in every year to feed and house the volunteers who pour into the County.
Once they arrive, the students are divided into teams and each team is assigned to a house under the guidance of experienced contractors. The event brings together students from age 14 through college age. Besides working long days in homes that sometimes have no air conditioning, the students also make an effort to put together community resources for the families who live in the homes.
Many of the supplies that are used to repair the homes are donated by area businesses.
“I feel like it’s a very significant event. It benefits both sides – the volunteers and those who so badly need the help with home repairs,” Julie Bellman, pastor of Winnsboro’s First United Methodist Church said. “I think the relationships that are formed really change people’s lives, and it’s equally beneficial for the teenagers who give up a week of their summer to come and voluntarily serve to help a family in need.”
Salkahatchie runs over 50 camps, mainly in rural areas, each year in South Carolina. With around 125 volunteers, Fairfield County is one of the largest in the state this year. The maximum capacity of volunteers is 150. Only the Pee Dee camp has a higher capacity then Fairfield.
Those participating in the Fairfield program, are housed at Fairfield Central High School where they have access to showers and sleep on the gym floor on bedding they bring from home.
Bellman said the school district is a great supporter of Salkahatchie.
“The school has been excellent, very accommodating. They give space for us to use at no charge,” Bellman said.
Churches throughout the County provide meals for the volunteers and every year there is a cookout hosted at church member’s home equipped with a pool so they can cool themselves down after laboring in the hot summer sun, Bellman said.
Among the numerous sponsors are the Church of God of Prophecy, Sion Presbyterian Church, St.Johns Episcopal Church, St.Theresa’s Catholic Church, Greenbriar United Methodist Church, Church of Latter Day Saints, St.John’s United Methodist Church, Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church, First Nazareen Church of Winnsboro and many more.
“There’s a ton of local churches that help feed the kids, bring water and popsicles and all kinds of stuff that really helps out,” Fairfield Salkahatchie Camp Director Frank Gravely said. “What they bring us is vital, Between hydration and feeding us, it’s huge. They’re a very big part of we do.”
WINNSBORO- The Fairfield County Museum with the assistance of Davidson College Professor Kristin Thompson, will join efforts to present ‘The Sun, The Moon and You,’ a series of events designed to inform the public for the upcoming Aug.21 total solar eclipse and to commemorate Winnsboro’s observance of the total solar eclipse of 1900. Astronomers say this may be the last chance to view a total solar eclipse in the area until 2078.
An Astronomy exhibit is open at the Fairfield County Museum from now until Nov.10, and there will be a workshop on Aug. 5 at the First United Methodist Church to educate young people on the science and safety precautions that should be used when viewing the eclipse. Those participating in the class will create and use crafts to learn more about the eclipse. The workshop is open to the first 15 participants, who reserve their place at the museum.
Thompson will be the guest speaker for ‘The Sun and Coming Eclipse’ public lecture at 7 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 20 at Christ Central Community Center.
Finally, the main-event goes down on Monday, Aug.21 when the Museum hosts a Total Eclipse Viewing Party at Garden Street Park from 1-4 p.m. The event is free, open to the public, will allow participants to view the Eclipse safely through both solar glasses and a properly filtered telescope. The even will feature interactive exhibits.
“We were thinking we would have a low-key event but it looks like everybody is going to be here and across the Midlands,” Director of The Fairfield County Museum, Pelham Lyles said. “So we hope that folks will come to our slightly less crowded event to see what we’ve got going on in Winnsboro. and see the exhibit in the museum which tells the story of 1900, when the Eclipse was viewed from our community.”
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon obstructs the path between the sun and the Earth, and partially blocks out the sun. A total solar eclipse is when the moon’s diameter is bigger than that of the sun’s and all direct sunlight is blocked out.
The last coast-to-coast Solar Eclipse occurred in 1918. This year’s eclipse will begin being viewed in Oregon and continue across 14 other states before reaching South Carolina.”
To reserve a place at the museum for the safety workshop, call 635-9811.
One of the biggest crowds Blythewood has hosted poured in to Doko Meadows Monday evening for Food, Music and Fireworks. A special treat for the crowd was the new Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union Amphitheater where revelers were entertained from 5 to 9:30 p.m. by Blues Deluxe and DB Bryant. The finale to the evening was a round of fireworks that lit up the night sky.
WINNSBORO – “It was the best Ag + Art event we’ve had so far – great attendance, great weather and great Fairfield farms and artisans,” Brad Hoffman, one of the events co-directors, told The Voice.
“We had eight farms on tour and at least 30 artists and artisans creating and selling their work,” Hoffman said.
While most of the farms averaged a little over 300 visitors over the two day event, Christy Buchanan’s She Garden at The Painted Picket at the corner of Highways 321 and 34 boasted almost 500 visitors. She also made a sale to a folk art museum in New York City after someone affiliated with the museum stopped by The Painted Picket during the tour.
Artist Blue Sky also stopped by Hoffman’s Gypsy Wind Farm to observed artists at work there.
“It was really a great weekend,” Hoffman said. “A man saw our ad on Facebook and drove down for the weekend. He also emailed 30 friends in North Carolina who joined him.”
And the visitors didn’t just visit the farms in the countryside. Many stopped into the crowded Cornwallis Tea Room and other restaurants in Winnsboro and Ridgeway for lunch.
Terry Vickers, the other co-director of the event, said all of the farms and vendors who participated this year have already signed on for next year.
“I think it has caught fire in Fairfield. But the event,” Vickers said, “is not actually over.
“All these farmers and many of the artisans are selling their vegetables, frozen chickens, eggs and other items every Saturday morning at Winnsboro’s farmers market. It’s open every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. next to the town clock. See you there!”
Clerk of Court of Fairfield County Judy Bonds and her husband Don, left, and Fairfield County Council woman Bertha Goins and her husband James and others at their table enjoy a dinner prepared by caterers George King and Norma Branham from local farm ingredients during the Ag + Art Farm-to-Table dinner held at Ruff Hall in downtown Winnsboro Tuesday evening.
WINNSBORO- Last year it was ‘dinner in the street,’ on Tuesday evening it was dinner at Ruff Hall to kick off Fairfield County’s Ag + Art Tour which is part of the nation’s largest free self-guided farm tour that will be held this weekend, June 24-25.
Ingredients for the farm-to-table dinner were provided by the local Ag + Art farm sites, and entertainment was provided by The Time Pirates.
Ruff Hall is Winnsboro’s newest event center, located at 120 N. Congress Street in Winnsboro, across from Cornwallis Tea House.
The dinner on Tuesday evening was tbe the don’t-miss event of the summer in our County,” Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce president Terry Vickers said.
The tour will follow on Saturday and Sunday, with nine farms on the tour this year. Besides farm sights and animals, there will be eggs, garden produce and other farm products for sale. Artists and artisans will have their work on display and on sale. Most sites will have refreshments and food free or for sale.
Tour hours on Saturday, June 24 will be 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. The Tour is free. Visitors will be provided a passport at the first stop that will list all locations. See AGrandARTtour.com for more information or call 635-4242.
Martha Jones, president of Bravo Blythewood, and Jean Bell Baum, present a $1,000 scholarship in the name of the late Blythewood artist William Carl Bell to Blythewood High School senior Brooke Boone, who plans to study art at Anderson College.
Fairfield County Arts Council president Linda Dye presented a first place award for student art to Tyus Armstrong, a student at Fairfield Magnet School.
Thee Town of Ridgeway once again opened hearts and minds to The Arts during its 11th annual Arts on the Ridge festival. While the epicenter of the festival was the Century House, the festivities were scattered throughout the town. There were free musical performances, artist demonstrations, a juried art show and sale, art and handmade craft vendors and an official Arts on the Ridge Poster for purchase. Participating merchants also offered wine, art and live music for shoppers.
“It was a wonderful weekend,” Phyllis Gutierrez, organizer of the event, told The Voice. “We add more each year, and this year we added Every Picture Tells a Story in which the artists talked to patrons about how a particular piece of art came about.”
The event closed with a garden party at Mayor Charlene Herring’s home where winners of the juried art show were announced and guests were entertained by a guitarist
Sheriff Will Montgomery cheers on one of three Fairfield County athletes, Amber Jones, James Bowman and Hannah Bass who carried the Special Olympics Torch through downtown Winnsboro last week. The County Line to County Line SC Special Olympics Torch Run in Fairfield County included the Fairfield Central High School Band performing
Blythewood Presbyterian Church held the first worship service in their new outdoor pavilion on Easter Sunday. The next service is set for May 21.
Members of Blythewood Presbyterian Church christened their newly constructed pavilion on Easter Sunday with an outdoor worship service followed by a community meal. Located at 441 Rimer Pond Road, the pavilion both encompasses the natural surroundings and is a functional space that can seat 300 people.
The pavilion features storage rooms, restrooms and a great stone fireplace on one end, Pastor Rhett Sanders said.
Keith Berry, the owner of Makk Homes, assembled the structure from a kit, Shirley Construction did the site work for the property at large and Robert Blevins of Cedar Creek did the site work for the pavilion area. Armstrong Construction helped out with materials.
“We are planning to utilize the pavilion in ways that will bless our church family as well as the Town of Blythewood,” Sanders said. “Our hope is to provide space for relationships, celebrations, conversations and memories. We look forward to building community for decades to come.”
While still waiting to build a church building on the site, the congregation worships on Sunday mornings at Blythewood High School. The next worship gathering at the pavilion is planned for Sunday, May 21.
