Marty Rollison took top spot for his ‘hot and spicy chili.
The annual Chili Cook Off sponsored by the Winnsboro Downtown Merchants Association was held last month in conjunction with the Merchants’ Paw Parade. Donnie Laird, Fairfield Coroner Chris Hill and Polly Parker were the taste testers who declared Marty Rollison’s down home hot and spicey chili the winner. While Rollison beat out several relatives and friends for the chili pot trophy, the competition was friendly and all the cooks’ chili sales were brisk,
“It was lots of fun and I think everyone enjoyed the delicious chili,” Fairfield County Chamber president Terry Vickers said.
Rev. Leon Thompson receives a gift of appreciation from Rev. James Lee during a service honoring Thompson at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.
JENKINSVILLE – Almost 200 people crowded into Mt. Moriah Baptist Church last week to honor and show their love and appreciation for Rev. Leon Thompson, 54, who served as Co-Pastor of the church until a year ago when he stepped down to serve as one of three Associate Ministers. The new position allowed him to lessen his workload necessitated by a slowdown due to extended illness.
The service of appreciation included an afternoon of songs, praise dancing, poetry readings, reflective comments by friends, scripture readings and, of course, a sermon of thanksgiving for Rev. Thompson. Emcee for the event was
Rev. Shirley Stone. Escorted into the sanctuary by his daughter, Shannon, Rev. Thompson said he was thankful for his friends and fellow church members and for his 29 years of work in the church.
“I’m going to beat this (illness) and I don’t want anyone to worry about it. I’m not worried,” Thompson told The Voice.
Thompson, born and raised in Jenkinsville,retired as a land surveyor after 30 years and served 32 years as a volunteer firefighter in Jenkinsville.
Best of Show and Best Behaved awards went to TY10, a handsome, 1-1/2 year old German Sheperd. TY10’s very proud owner is Tyrone Guyton
It was the day of the pet in downtown Winnsboro on Saturday as all kinds of dogs (as well as a baby goat) arrived at the gazebo on Congress Street for the third annual Downtown Merchants’ Paw Parade.
After registration, the contestants settled into competition mode, and the judging began. And this year, it was serious judging.
There were several competition categories, such as ‘Best Tail Wagger,’ ‘Best Smile,’ ‘Best Costume,’ etc.
Then the four-legged contestants took to the streets for a sidewalk parade. It was a traffic stopping event.
Following the parade, the winners were named and awarded gold star trophies. Best in Show went to TY10, the big German Shepherd. TY10 also won the coveted ‘Best Behavior’ trophy.
The Paw Parade is an initiative of the Winnsboro Downtown Merchants Association supported by the Town of Winnsboro and the Fairfield Chamber of Com
BLYTHEWOOD – The second annual Order of the Bengal was hosted Thursday evening at Doko Manor by former Blythewood High School Superintendent Dr. Sharon Buddin O’Keefe and the BHS Education Foundation. The Order of the Bengal recognizes individuals in the Blythewood community, outstanding Bengal alumni and current or former faculty and staff who have significantly and positively contributed to Blythewood High School. The Order was bestowed on 11 honorees or their repersentatives, in photo at right.
Nicole Durig (left) was the first individual State Champion at BHS. Mark and Karen Greiner accepted the Order of the Bengal for their son Grayson Greiner, former Blythewood and University of South Carolina baseball standout who played in the College World Series and is currently playing in the Detroit Tigers organization with the AA Erie Sea Wolves. Melanie Jinnette was the first BHS band booster president. Dr. Greg Glover was the first guest speaker at the dedication ceremony of Blythewood High School in 2005. Marianna McKeown was the Student Activities Director at BHS from 2005 to 2011. Jack Carter, Chief Operations Officer for the District, managed the building and construction of the school in 2005. Ms. Jamison represented her son Rodney Jamison who was posthumously honored as a member of the 2006 State Championship football team. Rodney scored the first touchdown in BHS football history. Josh Fulmer is the first former BHS student to return as a teacher and was a member of the 2006 varsity football State Championship team. Jeff Scott, Co-Offensive Coordinator with the National Champion Clemson Tiger football team, coached the BHS Bengals football team to the 2006 State Championship during the school’s first year of conference play. Kevin Shull and Doug Payne represented Bill Hart, CEO of Fairfield Electric Cooperative, as the BHS Business Partner. Not pictured: Vince Lowry, former Athletic Director for Blythewood High School.
Eva Hoagland (left), Sophie Sweatman, Reese Peck, Anna Livermore and Kylie Patch, members of the Village Church 4th and 5th grade Sunday school class at the VillageChurch, offered free lemonade and cookies to the hundreds of people who shopped the Hoof & Paw yard sale on April 1 in the parking lot of Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood. Assisted by J.J., a Great Dane owned by Julie Monroe, the girls’ Sunday School teacher, the class also collected donations to benefit Fairfield County Adoption Center. Hoof & Paw President Deborah Richelle said the group raised over $4,000 from the very successful sale. “We’re very grateful,” Richelle said, ” for everyone who came out to help make it a success.”
After performing during the celebration of Blythewood’s Historic Heroes at Doko Manor on Saturday, these members of the Blythewood High School chorus took time out for refreshments: Lisa Ortuno (left), Jacob Rubino, Kiryl Lashley, Haven Davis, Will Stocker, Amyah Ritter, Kira Chiles, Jatoa Baker, Kalen Mattocks, Trinity Reese and Erykah Alford. Choral Director is Kristin Claiborne. (Photo/Barbara Ball)
BLYTHEWOOD (Feb. 16, 2017) – The Blythewood Community celebrated and honored the heroes of its own black history on Saturday with a program at The Manor.
Opening with a welcome from Mayor J. Michael Ross and Town Councilmen Larry Griffiin and Malcolm Gordge, the afternoon of entertainment and remembrance included performances by members of the Blythewood High School Choir and a dance team from Westwood High School. Blythewood Middle School student Ethan Harrell was announced the winner of the Black Heroes art contest, and Ray Smith presented a video documentary that included remembrances from several Blythewood women: Naomi Waden, Nettie Benson, Constelena Cunningham, Francis Davis, Ruby Brice, Dorothy Wilson and Mattie Lois Squirewell of Winnsboro.
The program ended with a projection on screen of early editions of the yearbooks of the former Blythewood High School.
Fiona Smith, Library Associate at the Blythewood Library, holds a copy of ‘Grant Park,’ a thirller about racial tensions and the subject of the community’s second Blythewood Reads event to be held in February. (Photo/Barbara Ball)
BLYTHEWOOD (Jan. 12, 2017) – It’s time again for the next chapter of Blythewood Reads, the popular community reading event organized by the Blythewood Library in collaboration with the Blythewood Historical Society.
Library Associate Fiona Smith said the program has been a success in bringing readers together for interesting discussions about books that not only entertain, but that also reflect important issues.
The next gathering will be held at the Langford-Nord House on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., to discuss “Grant Park,” a novel by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Leonard Pitts Jr.
“It’s a fast-paced thriller,” Smith said, “about the history of race relations in America over the last few decades. Everyone who’s brought it back has been raving about it. It’s really been a hit!”
Smith said that the event is scheduled for early in the month because Pitts will be speaking in Columbia in mid-February as part of the city’s One Book, One Community reading program, and she thought that Blythewood readers may be interested in going to see him after reading and discussing the novel.
“It’s been great to see how Blythewood Reads has brought together different factions of the community,” she said. “Last time we had over 70 people participate in reading the book, and there were 36 people at the event. Everyone really enjoys the occasion. We have cookies and drinks and lots of great conversation!”
February’s gathering will again consist of several small groups led by facilitators, and she added that the library hopes to develop the program into a regular monthly book club.
You can reserve your copy of “Grant Park” through the Richland County Public Library website at richlandlibrary.com, or by calling the Blythewood branch at 803-691-9806.
“The library system as a whole has plenty of copies,” Smith said, “so the chances of getting one are pretty good. You can also download an e-copy from the website or listen to an audio version.”
Serving Communion during the Night Watch are Deacons Clifton Hendrix, Clarence Lyles, Lawrence Coleman, John Peoples, Thomas Coleman and the Rev. Eric Bell. (Photo/Clifton Hendrix)
WINNSBORO (Jan. 5, 2017) – The members of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Blair gathered on New Year’s Eve for their church’s annual Night Watch service. Visiting Minister Whitney Bell gave the history of Watch Night and her husband, the Rev. Eric Bell, was the speaker for the evening. The service has been a tradition in many African-American congregations since New Year’s Eve 1862 and is still observed by many churches in Fairfield County.
The Watch Night service can be traced back to gatherings also known as Freedom’s Eve, which began Dec. 31, 1862. On that night, black slaves and free blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law.
At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 1863, all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free. When the news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as many people fell to their knees and thanked God.
Blacks have gathered in churches annually on New Year’s Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year. It’s been over a century since the first Freedom’s Eve, and tradition still brings us together at this time every year to celebrate ‘how we got over.’ This celebration takes many African American descendants of slaves into a new year with praise and worship.
The service usually begins anywhere from 7 to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some people come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, the Night Watch service is the only New Year’s Eve event they celebrate.
WEST COLUMBIA (Nov. 23, 2016) – Meg McLean’s artist’s retrospective at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community in West Columbia opens Dec. 2 and continues through Jan. 31. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Enter at the Guignard Mansion or at McDowell.
Blythewood artist Meg McLean has been an award-winning painter since the mid 1970s. Her work has been selected for numerous juried shows and traveling exhibits and is included in many private collections.
This Still Hopes exhibit will include representative samples from each decade of the artist’s drawings and paintings, beginning with the years following graduation from USC through this year.
“Whether the subject matter is flowers in a window or desks lining a hallway, I make use of bold color, repetition of pattern, and the dramatic effects of sunlight and shadow,” McLean said. “The translucence of flower petals, the delicate veins in a leaf, the vivid colors of blossoms and the shine on waxy foliage are prominent elements.”
The gravestone of Blythewood founding father George P. Hoffman can be seen in the background as Town Councilman Eddie Baughman relates the story of the Hoffman House, built by Hoffman, which is now the Town Hall. (Photo/Barbara Ball)Dressed as a Confederate Soldier, Fritz Jolly kneels beside the grave of Drummer Boy William Woodward Macon who is interred under a shade tree in the Sandy Level Baptist Church. (Photo/Barbara Ball)
BLYTHEWOOD (Nov. 3, 2016) – A tour through Blythewood history was conducted Sunday afternoon in the cemetery of Sandy Level Baptist Church. Sponsored by the Blythewood Historical Society and Shives Funeral Home, the tour began inside the circa 1856 church, then moved outside into the cemetery where guides waited at the gravestones of some of Blythewood’s founding fathers and their families as well as more recent residents of the Town.
Blythewood’s Wade Hampton Dorsey, dressed in period clothing, stood at the gravestone of his ancestor, plantation owner and physician turned educator, Dr. Samuel Wingard Bookhart. As the tour approached the gravestone, Dorsey, a former Blythewood Town Councilman and former president of the Historical Society, spoke in the role of Bookhart, imparting the family’s history.
“I joined Sandy Level Baptist Church in 1856 when I was 27, and remained a member until the day I died. We were building a new meeting house, this very one that still stands today. Cynthia and I gave $700 to paint it. I served as Clerk for almost 50 years! In those days whites and blacks, slave and free attended church here together . . .”
After the Bookharts built a school for girls on the grounds where Cobblestone Park now sits, a teacher at the school suggested naming the school The Blythewood Female Institute after the surrounding beautiful woods.
“By February of 1865, the War for Southern Independence was nearly lost,” Dorsey, as Bookhart, continued. “General Sherman took Columbia on Feb. 17 and burned it to the ground. We could easily see the fires from here. By Feb. 20, the Yankees were at Doko. The house that Uncle Christian left me was burned in minutes, along with all the barns. I had to ride quickly away to avoid arrest. The soldiers set the Institute buildings afire, but Cynthia and the girls, along with the servants, were able to quell the flames. They destroyed almost everything in their path . . .”
Standing next to a nearby headstone engraved with the title “Drummer Boy,” Fritz Jolly, dressed in a Confederate uniform, spoke as William Woodward Macon, who was 16 when he enlisted in the Confederate Army in Alabama and was assigned to beat drum signals during battle. After the war he came to Blythewood, which was then in Fairfield County and, in 1874, married Sarah Vann, the daughter of the Rev. Robert Vann. The couple had six children, and today that Drummer Boy rests beneath a large shade tree outside the church.
In another section of the cemetery, Town Councilman Eddie Baughman recalled George Peter Hoffman who built the Hoffman House in 1855 as a gift for his new bride, Jane Ruff Hoffman. Hoffman, who was a merchant, farmer, lumberman, section master for the railroad and railroad contractor and ran a sawmill, was the Blythewood Postmaster from 1856 to 1866 and off and on again through 1877. The Hoffman House was placed on the National Register in 1986 and became Blythewood’s Town Hall in 2002.
From 3 to 6 p.m., visitors toured 14 grave sites, learning from storytellers about the men and women who left their marks on Doko, now known as Blythewood.
