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Category: News

  • Meet Us at The Farm

    George King (right), pit master of Can’t Quit Smokin’ BBQ, and his partner, Gary Freeman, will be serving up the goods at this weekend’s benefit.

    RIDGEWAY — A special event combining the casual style of jeans, the sound of bluegrass music and the taste of barbecue will help supply some vital needs in the Fairfield Memorial Hospital ER. The BBQ, Bluegrass and Bluejeans Benefit will be held at The Farm at Ridgeway (north of Blythewood), on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 6-9 p.m.

    Dawn Catalano, Executive Director of the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, said the event is being held for the second year at The Farm, an elegant barn designed as a working stable, but renovated by Larry and Eileen Sharpe of Blythewood who purchased it with an event venue in mind.

    “It’s the perfect venue for us,” said Catalano. “Larry and Eileen have renovated it beautifully. It’s spacious and comfortable. We’ll have tables both inside and on the veranda at the back side of the barn which has a beautiful view of the paddocks, woods and pond. The feel is both casual and elegant at the same time. The event was so successful here last year that we wanted to come back.”

    The barbecue will be provided by the official S.C. State Barbecue Champion for the past two years, the “Can’t Quit Smokin” team of George King and Gary Freeman of Ridgeway. Live music for the event will be provided by “Total Denial,” a homegrown S.C. bluegrass band. And there will be ample room on the newly bricked stable floor for dancing, Catalano promises.

    Additional entertainment for the night will be live and silent auctions. Dr. Mack Hughes will emcee the live auction, assisted by WIS-TV anchor Dawndy Mercer Plank , that will include signed footballs from Clemson & USC, hotel and Bed & Breakfast stays, an Edisto Beach condo weekend, a new BMW for a weekend, many art objects, jewelry, restaurant certificates, golf rounds and baked goods. There is even a miniature horse for auction. It will be stabled outside during the evening.

    Proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will fill a number of important needs in the hospital’s emergency room, such as a portable vital-signs monitor. Tickets are $30 each or $50 per couple (kids under 10, $10; kids under 6, free). Tickets may be purchased at First Citizen branches in Winnsboro, Ridgeway, Blythewood and the Village at Sandhills, Summer Day Gifts in Winnsboro, Blythewood Visitor’s Center, and the hospital lobby. Or mail a check for tickets to FMH Foundation, PO Box 1156, Winnsboro, S.C. 29180. Tickets will also be available at the barn door on the evening of the event.

    So buy a ticket, pull on your jeans and add a little bling for a great evening of bluegrass music, dancing on the barn floor and some of the best barbecue you’ve ever eaten . . . and you’ll be helping others at the same time.

    For additional information, contact Catalano at 803-608-5510. The Farm is located just north of Blythewood at 3248 US Highway 21 South in Ridgeway.

  • SCHP Investigates as Sept. Crash Turns Fatal

    RIDGEWAY – A Ridgeway woman injured in a three-car collision two weeks ago succumbed to her wounds Oct. 4 at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital. The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said 80-year-old Barbara Luke, of 73 Riding Ridge Road, was pronounced dead at 3 p.m. Oct. 4. She had been a passenger in a 2000 Ford four-door sedan that was rear-ended on Sept. 24 just outside of Ridgeway.

    According to the S.C. Highway Patrol, Luke was riding with Jaisen Zentz, 33, also of Ridgeway, on Highway 21 approximately 1.5 miles south of Ridgeway. Zentz slowed the Ford to turn left onto Reeds Lane and was struck from behind by a 2006 Ford SUV driven by 18-year-old Aaron Arnold of Blythewood at approximately 12:37 p.m. Zentz’s Ford was forced across Highway 21 where it struck a 2006 Mercedes four-door driven by Ridgeway resident John Geiger, 66. All were wearing seat belts and were transported by ambulance to Palmetto Richland.

    The Highway Patrol said the accident remains under investigation.

  • Guilty Plea in Animal Abuse Case

    WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro man facing six counts of ill treatment to animals pled guilty Oct. 4 to three of those counts in Fairfield County Magistrate’s Court. Judge William Robinson accepted a plea deal for Calvin D. Carver, 52, of 480 Hungry Hollow Road, dismissing three of the charges against Carver and deferring sentencing for 60 days on the charges to which Carver pled guilty.

    “Based on the condition of those animals at that time is when I’ll make my decision as to sentencing,” Robinson said as Friday’s proceedings drew to a close.

    Carver was cited on July 19 for a half dozen horses that “were not being taken care of properly and needed to be fed,” according to a Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office report. The Sheriff’s Office said photographs of the horses were taken and reviewed by Dr. Michael Privett, a Columbia veterinarian, who according to the report rated the horses at a “5 or below” on a scale of 1-10.

    Privett was in the courtroom Friday and agreed to review the horses prior to Carver’s sentencing.

    David Brown, Director of Fairfield County Animal Control, said Friday that Carver has already made considerable headway in bringing the neglected horses up to speed. Carver has stocked a considerable amount of hay for the horses, Brown said, but Privett said the horses would require additional grain feed and supplements for a full recovery. Brown said his department is making unannounced inspections of Carver’s pasture to monitor the progress of the horses.

    “My main interest here is the welfare of these animals,” Robinson said. “On Dec. 6 is when I’ll make my sentencing.”

  • Blythewood Women Running Like Royalty

    Blythewood’s Running Princesses – Front row: Meredith Newman, Stacy Rotluff, Susan Davis, Marilyn Buckmaster, Fairy Godmother Lourdes Villwock, Tammy Carter. Back row: May Vokaty, Pam Schexnider, Laura Urtz, Jessica Stack, Jennifer Coleman, Mary Fleetwood and Malarie Schexnider.

    BLYTHEWOOD – Several Blythewood women have recently been transformed into princesses – but instead of waltzing in glass slippers, they are pounding the pavement in sneakers. Organized by May Vokaty, a resident of LongCreek Plantation and Food Editor for The Voice, the Running Princesses is a group of women who are focused on running and fitness, but who were inspired in their quest by the lighthearted theme of the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World.

    The group started in January 2013, after Vokaty returned from Disney World where she cheered her husband Chris at the Disney Marathon.

    “That’s when I learned about the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, which takes place every February. It’s a princess-themed race for women – many of the women wore tutus and tiaras during the race! It seemed really fun,” Vokaty said, “and I thought it would be great to organize a girls’ group back here in Blythewood and train for it.”

    Still new to running herself at the time, Vokaty shared her excitement with a few friends.

    “At first there were about five or six of us interested in forming a group,” Vokaty said, “so I put together a newsletter about our goals of fitness, fun and fellowship – all with a princess theme, of course! That newsletter was forwarded to friends of friends, and then Brenda Pepin, our pastor’s wife, suggested extending an invitation at the ladies’ luncheon at church. Before long we had about 60 women in our group.”

    Most of the women live in Blythewood, but some are from elsewhere in South Carolina. There are even members as far away as Minnesota and Mississippi.

    “It’s sort of a virtual group,” Vokaty explains. “We check in with each other, provide encouragement and support. We’re focused on running, but the group has a wide variety of fitness levels, from people who are just starting to run to veteran half-marathoners.”

    The group meets for training runs in Lake Carolina and they also volunteer in support roles at local races.

    “For instance, we worked at the water station during the Blythewood Labor Day run,” Vokaty said, “and we all dressed as princesses. It adds a fun element to the race.”

    Eleven of the women, including Vokaty, are training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February 2014, but everyone in the group participates in the daily challenges posted by Princess Tammy Carter.

    “For instance,” Vokaty said, “this month we’re focusing on abs, so today’s challenge was to do 35 sit-ups, 15 crunches, 15 leg raises and 25 seconds of a plank. You don’t have to do everything at once – just fit it in wherever you have a few minutes. During the day we all check in on Facebook to keep ourselves accountable.”

    Princess Laura Urtz said the group encourages her.

    “I know I’m not alone in this,” she said, “even if I happen to be running alone! My goal is to lose weight and to feel good and be fit.”

    Vokaty said the group’s vision extends beyond the annual Disney race. Their big goal is to eventually host a 5K or 10K race in Blythewood, with all proceeds going toward a women’s charity. She emphasized that the group is focused on community rather than competition.

    “Sometimes people are intimidated and think, ‘Oh, I can’t be a Running Princess because I can’t run’,” she said. “But it’s perfectly fine to walk or do a combination of walking and jogging.”

    Of course, there is one qualifying feat required to join the group.

    “It is very hard to run wearing a tiara,” Vokaty said, “but a princess can do it.”

    For more information on how to become a Running Princess, contact therunningprincesses@live.com.

  • That Old Time Religion

    The Cypress Methodist Camp Ground tabernacle near Ridgeville.

    Two hours’ drive will take you back to 1794 and some old-time religion. Drive south 113 miles to the Ridgeville vicinity and you’ll find the soul of the South, The Cypress Methodist Camp Ground where old time religion is alive and well. Such camps were once common throughout the South and to see one is to step back into history. Cypress Methodist Camp Ground continues to host annual weeklong camp meetings, a carryover from the Great Awakening in American religious life that swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.

    This daytrip is a good place to find peace and quiet, a time to reflect. Cypress Camp Ground has a beauty all its own and it’s no flash in the pan. Folks have been gathering here to sing, pray and hear the Gospel for 219 years. Families own the tents and specific guidelines determine how they are passed down. It’s an heirloom, a heritage.

    I went and parked beneath a big oak dripping Spanish moss and walked the grounds, trying to imagine what a meeting must have been like in the old days. It had to be full of sounds, sights and sensations, Gospel songs ringing out, maybe an old foot-pedal organ too. Greens and sweet potatoes cooking. Lots of good food and conversation. For sure, far-flung families looked forward to a bit of a reunion. Kids played and laughed while old folks caught up.

    Across the lane running along side the campground stands a row of around a dozen privies. Lined up, they look like an old-fashioned version of the plastic portalets we see at festivals today. The old wooden outhouses possess more class by far. Some were padlocked and two had wildflowers blooming yellow in front.

    The campground takes the general shape of a rectangle bordered by “tents.” Calling the rough-hewn wood cabins “tents” is a carryover from the days when people slept in canvas tents. These cabins, roughly rectangular, are generally 1.5 stories with earthen floors. In the center of the rectangle stands the tabernacle, an open-sided wooden structure. Its pews, washed by rains blowing in, are weathered and worn smooth by many a rear end.

    Other campgrounds are out there off the beaten path but you seldom hear of these throwbacks to the days when folks would live and pray together a week at a time. That old-time religion was rustic and it was passionate and it carries on. It was a time for the Lord and a time for family. More often than not it was hot, and now and then cold. The winds cut right through the walls. Sleep did not come many nights but each morning broke with hope in the air.

    “We’re going to camp.” Those words carry the weight of well over 200 years. People carry on the tradition, living in a rustic religious way for a week once a year. They don’t need plumbing, televisions or air conditioning. Just give them that old time religion. It’s good enough for them. Go see for yourself.

     If You Go …

     • Highway 182 in the Ridgeville vicinity. For more information and photos visit www.nationalregister.sc.gov/dorchester/S10817718003/

    Learn more about Tom Poland, a Southern writer, and his work at www.tompoland.net. Email day-trip ideas to him at tompol@earthlink.net.

  • S.C. Commerce Head Speaks to Chamber

    S.C. Commerce Secretary Robert Hitt, second from left, spoke at the Blythewood Chamber breakfast meeting Tuesday. Shown with him are Mayor J. Michael Ross, left, Chamber Chairman Mike Switzer and Richland County Director of Economic Development Nelson Lindsey. (Photo/Barbara Ball)

    BLYTHEWOOD – A large crowd of Blythewood Chamber of Commerce members and their guests attended the Chamber’s regular monthly breakfast meeting Tuesday to hear Robert Hitt, Director of the S.C. Department of Commerce, talk about economic development in the state. He also touched on Fairfield County and Blythewood.

    Hitt told the group his department is focused on bringing jobs to all areas of South Carolina and upgrading its workforce from what was necessary for textile manufacturing jobs to what is now necessary for complex manufacturing jobs.

    “We’re working in a unified fashion to do this,” Hitt said. “South Carolina is now the leading manufacturing state in the Southeast and we’re about to become the tire manufacturing capital of the world.”

    Hitt said the state is also thriving in the aerospace arena with Boeing at the center of that growth.

    “You need to watch what’s going to happen in the next few months,” he said, adding that, “South Carolina is positioned to become an aerospace hub because of what is going on in North Carolina and Georgia in aerospace. I expect South Carolina to grow as much in aerospace in the next 20 years as it grew in automotive in the last 20 years.”

    Hitt told the group that he is particularly focused on rural areas for manufacturing growth, citing the potential for manufacturing growth in Blythewood.

    “There are some folks here in Blythewood who are taking inventory (buildings ready to move into) seriously,” he said. He pointed to a recently landed TV-manufacturing plant in Fairfield County that he said was well suited to a rural area like Fairfield. He said the company was looking for a building that they could quickly upfit and move into. “We looked everywhere in the state,” Hitt said. “There were only two suitable buildings in South Carolina and one of them was in Fairfield County. But we’re running out of old buildings suitable to be updated.

    “The keys to South Carolina’s future success,” Hitt said, “are logistics, an upgraded workforce and (building) inventory.”

    He said infrastructure has to be improved to be able to move supplies and products quickly from plants to markets, and that the state needs to graduate more IT students to fill an increasing number of jobs requiring computer engineers. He said Boeing will probably need 500-600 computer engineers in the next five to six years.

    But Hitt said two-year technical college degrees are not going to be enough going forward.

    “If you graduate from Midlands Tech with a two-year degree and go to work for Boeing, they will send you to an additional 23-week training program,” Hitt said. “New hires in these jobs are going to have to have at least a three-year degree.”

    The third need is for more building inventory ready to move into, like the building in Fairfield County. That building, he said, had been vacant for eight years. “They were looking for a building that was finished,” Hitt said. “Now we have only one left (in S.C.) like that.”

    Hitt emphasized that cities and counties are going to have to work better together if they want to accomplish these goals.

  • Parents Want More Info on New School

    Public participation was heavy at the Richland 2 School Board meeting at Longleaf Middle School Tuesday evening, with several Lake Carolina residents speaking of the need for more information before they could cast a vote for their choice of elementary schools. Elementary School #19, opening next fall, is a short walk from Lake Carolina Elementary School. The District is considering offering kindergarten through second grade at Lake Carolina and third through fifth grade at the new school. The second consideration would be to open both schools with kindergarten through fifth grade. Lake Carolina Development President David Tuttle has solicited input from Lake Carolina residents (even those without children in the schools), residents of the Ashland neighborhood who border Elementary #19 and other families currently in the Lake Carolina attendance area. Because some students currently attending Round Top Elementary will be affected, the District Planning Department will contact those parents for their feedback. At the next Board meeting, the attendance lines for each proposal, logistics for walking, bus routes, start times and the educational benefits of one school over the other will be presented.

    Last year, in an effort to streamline fees, the Board evaluated activity fees for middle and high school students to ensure that they were uniform across the district. Additional fees for the older students (lab fees, activity fees for career and technology classes, athletic participation fees, music/band fees, etc.) were also evaluated. A high school parent expressed concern that cheerleader participation fees were $700 and after a month of culinary classes and the payment of that regular activity fee, her daughter was asked to pay $56 for a uniform and the following week to purchase specific shoes. These unexpected fees, she said, make it difficult for a family on a budget.

    The proposal to equip security personnel with pepper spray was tabled after three meetings when it became apparent to Board members that there could be no guarantee that the spray would not be used on a student.

    The importance of third-graders reading at grade level is one of the greatest indicators of achievement in high school and beyond. Jeff Potts, Director of Accountability & Evaluation, told the Board that up until third grade, students are learning to read and that after third grade, they are reading to learn. A number of issues were discussed in this regard. While 86.2 percent of students in third grade read at grade level, 14 percent are not. Eighty percent of those not third-grade proficient receive free or reduced price lunch. Poverty has a great impact on student achievement and is a focus in the district goal of learning. While a larger number of students in the district are reading in recent years, reading at grade level has gone down for fourth- and fifth-graders. The factors for this decline are being assessed by Potts and his staff, and a report is expected at the next Board meeting, Oct. 22 at Pontiac Elementary School.

  • BHS Beats State, R2 Averages

    Westwood Lags Behind on EOC Exams

    RICHLAND – Blythewood High School scored above the district average on each of the four End of Course tests in 2013 and above the state average on three of four tests, while Westwood scored below the district and state averages on each of the four tests, according to data released by the S.C. Department of Education last week. The End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) provides tests in high school core courses and for courses taken in middle school for high school credit. These four tests are Algebra 1/Math for the Technologies 2; Biology 1/ Applied Biology 2; English 1; and US History & Constitution.

    Algebra 1

    Blythewood High School students turned in an average score of 77.8 on their Algebra exams, with 21.9 percent earning As and Bs (scoring at 85 percent or higher). Blythewood High had an overall passing rate (scoring a D or better) of 82.3 percent. Westwood students, meanwhile, averaged a score of 73, with only 6.8 percent scoring A and B. Westwood had an overall passing rate of 66.2 percent. Both were below the Richland 2 average of 79.9, where 32.6 percent scored a B or higher and 84.6 percent scored D or higher. Statewide, average scores were 80.6, with a 41.1 percent overall passing rate and 37.1 scoring B or higher.

    Math scores reported for the high schools are impacted by scores from middle school students taking the Algebra EOC exam. Algebra is historically taken in high school, but students in middle school can do advanced math work and take algebra in middle school and receive high school credit for the course. All of the average scores for every Richland 2 middle school were above the district average. Blythewood Middle School, which feeds into Blythewood High, earned an average score of 91.8, with 85.3 percent of their students scoring an A or B with a 100 percent overall passing rate. Muller Road Middle, which feeds into Westwood High, had an average score of 82.6, with 38.5 percent of their students earning an A or B and 95 percent scoring D or better.

    Biology

    In Biology, Blythewood High scored slightly above the district average with a score of 82.5 and 47.8 percent scoring a B or higher. Blythewood turned in an overall passing rate of 82.2 percent, also above the district average of 79.6 percent. Westwood showed an average score of 77, with an overall passing rate of 71.9 percent and 28 percent scoring B or better. The Richland 2 average score was 81.2, with a 79.6 percent passing rate and 42.8 percent scoring A or B. The statewide average score in Biology was 81.3, with a 78.3 percent passing rate and 44 percent scoring B or better.

    English

    Blythewood also bested the district and state averages in English, while Westwood was not far off the mark. Blythewood tallied an average score of 81.5 in English, with an overall passing rate of 86.7 percent and 36.9 percent scoring B or higher. Westwood averaged 77 on the exam, with an overall passing rate of 66.4 percent and 16.2 percent scoring A and B. Statewide, the average score was 77.9 in 2013, with an overall passing rate of 77.3 percent and 18.2 percent scoring B or higher. The Richland 2 average score was 77.7, with an overall passing rate of 76.5 percent and 27.8 percent scoring A and B.

    History

    In U.S. History and the Constitution, Blythewood earned an average score of 76, above the state average of 72.7 and the district average of 72.9. Blythewood students had an overall passing rate of 78.7 percent, with 17.4 percent earning As and Bs. Statewide, the overall passing rate was 60.6 percent, with 13.3 percent scoring B or higher, while in Richland 2, the overall passing rate was 63.9 percent with 11.5 percent scoring B or better. Westwood showed an average score of 69.7, with an overall passing rate of 50.9 percent and only 4.1 percent scoring B or higher.

    Contributing Factors

    Learning is one of the four focus squares recently identified by Richland 2 Superintendent Debbie Hamm. Last week while reporting on SAT and ACT scores, Hamm told The Voice that several factors that contribute to academic achievement within the district are transience (20 percent turnover every two years) and increasing poverty. Understanding the factors that play into achievement and not allowing them to become excuses for both the district and students have been important as the district laid out a proactive plan for the 2013-2014 school year.

    While published research supports the need for addressing the impact that poverty has on learning, Richland 2 is a study in itself. The Richland 2 School District has a poverty rate of 47.48 percent; Blythewood High School, 32 percent; Blythewood Middle, 31 percent; Westwood High, 53 percent; and Muller Road Middle, 44 percent.

    Poverty and transience are being tackled head-on with professional development from the Frances Marion University Center for Excellence. The Center focuses teaching district personnel the facets of poverty and how to teach students of poverty so that they can achieve academically. The addition of social workers in the district will work to erase learning obstacles like hunger, medical needs and deficient family dynamics.

    James Denton contributed to this story.

  • CPA Previews Town Audit

    Moscati: $388,000 Left in Park Fund

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Town’s CPA, Kem Smith, reviewed the audit for fiscal year 2013 at last week’s Town Council meeting, highlighting some of the Town’s new accounting projects. She said the audit is under way and that she expects a clean report.

    “The Town has $2.1 million cash and a current liability of $200,000,” Smith reported. “We successfully paid down the principal and interest payments of the park bond and we’re winding down the Blythewood Financial Corporation (BFC) ‘Park’ as far as issuing the bonds and that part of the initial expenses.”

    Smith said the Town will continue to use the BFC for other things, like the current restaurant project across from Town Hall. Smith reported that the accounting work has been set up for an enterprise fund for the Manor.

    Councilman Paul Moscati recapped some of the final park budget that was presented at the last park committee meeting. He said the park committee will next decide how to spend the remaining $388,000 of the park money for phase one. Moscati said work has begun on the restrooms for the park and that they should be completed by the end of the year.

    Bob Mangone, chairman of the Ball fields committee, gave an update on the bond money he said Richland County had previously promised the Town for the construction of new baseball fields. Mangone said the Recreation Commission now says the money can only be used for the refurbishing of existing Blythewood ball fields, but that any money left over can go toward new ball fields. Mangone said he would pursue other options.

    It was announced that the art gallery in Doko Manor will now be called The Shives Gallery of Art after Randolph Shives and the Shives family made a donation for the completion of the gallery. The gallery currently features the art work of Harold Branham, Meg McLean and the late local artist Carl Bell.

    Council also approved finial reading to annex and rezone 11.43 acres on Blythewood Road at the intersection of Fulmer Road. The parcel is the location of Broom Heating and Air Conditioning and was rezoned to Community Commercial (CC.)

    Gunter Corley, who recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, was honored by Council and presented a Certificate of Achievement by Mayor J. Michael Ross. Corley also received a painting of an eagle that was painted by Blythewood artist Harold Branham. Corley is the son of Chris and Sharon Corley.

  • SCE&G to Trim Trees Along I-77

    SCE&G representatives have informed the Town of Blythewood that they will be performing aerial trimming of their transmission line right-of-way along the I-77 corridor, including the Blythewood area. Because this trimming will be performed by helicopter, please excuse the temporary distraction and noise while this work is underway to ensure safe, reliable delivery of electricity. The trimming was scheduled to begin near Winnsboro Oct. 9 and continue until Oct. 11, weather permitting.