RIDGEWAY – A Camden woman was killed last week when the 2005 Nissan she was driving ran off the side of the road and crashed into several trees. Fairfield County Coroner Barkley Ramsey said 66-year-old Mildred Yvonne Williams, of 2903 Stewart St. in Camden, was traveling north on Highway 21 about 3 miles north of Ridgeway at 2:30 p.m. on July 17, when she ran off the left shoulder, overcorrected, crossed back over Highway 21, and ran off the right side of the road. The car struck an embankment, several trees and overturned several times, the S.C. Highway Patrol said. Williams was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, the Highway Patrol said.
Ramsey said Williams was transported to Richland memorial Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries at 4:19 p.m.
RIDGEWAY – A waterfront home on Lake Wateree burned to the ground Sunday afternoon after a lightning strike during Sunday’s powerful thunderstorms. According to reports, lightning struck a nearby tree, traveled down through the roots and into an underground power line. The accompanying power surge caused the electrical panel box to blow, touching off the home at 55 Suede Lane, just off Rockbridge Road, approximately 6 miles southeast of the Wateree State Park.
Richard Lehnhoff, assistant chief of the Dutchman Creek Fire Department, said the alarm came in at 7:41 p.m. Sunday, with the first unit arriving at the scene 2 minutes later. Lehnhoff said four stations – Dutchman Creek, Mitford, Southeastern and Ridgeway – responded to the call, along with the Fairfield County chapter of the American Red Cross and Duke Power, which removed a downed power line from the scene. Lehnhoff said the home was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived. No one was at home at the time of the blaze and no injuries were reported from the fire. The 760-square-foot home was a total loss, Lehnhoff said.
FAIRFIELD – County Council voted 5-0 during a special called meeting July 17 to hire Milton Pope as a consultant to serve as the County’s interim Administrator. Pope sat in on his first meeting with Council Monday night.
“With the experience he’s had at a big county like Richland, I don’t think we’ll encounter anything he hasn’t already encountered,” County Council Chairman David Ferguson (District 5) said this week. “Milton has a lot of experience, he knows a lot of people and he knows how to get things done.”
Pope is a principal with Parker Poe Consulting of Columbia and leads the firm’s local government division. Prior to joining Parker Poe, Pope served as the Richland County Administrator, managing 2,000 employees and a $700 million budget. Pope was also Richland’s Assistant County Administrator for more than seven years, managing multiple departments, including Emergency Services, the Register of Deeds and the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Terms of Pope’s contract, released to The Voice this week, call for him to serve with the County for a period of up to 180 days, effective July 19. The County has agreed to pay Pope $10,833.33 per month as compensation. Pope will report to County Council, the contract states, and “perform the functions and duties as the County Council shall assign.”
Ferguson said Pope will also assist with Council’s search and recruitment for a full-time Administrator, and added that Pope has made it clear that he was not interested in a permanent position with Fairfield County.
“We’re not floundering in the water now,” Ferguson said. “We’re dealing with things we need to be dealing with. Hopefully, he’ll have a calming effect on us. We need to all pull together and do what we can, and we’ve been having some problems with that.”
Characters from “Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood” include the Big Bad Wolf (John Russell), King (Rob O’Connor), Queen (Corrine Reed) and the Fairy Godmother (Grace Wilder).
Pine Tree puts Doo-Wop twist on classic tale
Start with the 1950’s doo wop group Sha Na Na. Now tell them to put on a performance of Little Red Riding Hood and you have some idea of what to expect from the upcoming Pine Tree Playhouse production of the children’s musical, “Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood.”
Director Matt Swanson explains that “Doo Wop” is the story of Red Riding Hood with a twist – it takes place in the 1950s, in a 1950’s style household and with 1950’s style costumes and technology references.
It also has 1950’s style music, hence the ‘Doo Wop’ in the title. “There’s doo wop, rock and roll and even some Calypso music – like Harry Belafonte might sing,” said Swanson.
But this isn’t your grandmother’s Red Riding Hood story. For one thing, the Big Bad Wolf is a vegetarian. And he’s also an Elvis impersonator, complete with spangled Vegas-style jumpsuit.
Swanson has assembled a talented cast of kids from ages 4 to 18 to tell this crazy, Daddy-O fairy tale.
“Putting on a show with kid actors during the summer months when they’re out of school brought some special challenges,” Swanson said.
The largest challenge has been the absence of large parts of the cast during the rehearsals due to summer activities like church camps, Vacation Bible Schools and family vacations.
“I’ll be working with half the cast on any given rehearsal day, while the other half is not in town,” Swanson said. “That’s a real challenge. Some kids can get their blocking (movement on stage according to the script and the director) and their lines at one rehearsal, and then the next week other kids will pick up their blocking and lines while we fill in for the ones who are gone.
“Fortunately,” Swanson quipped, “the kids learn the material very quickly.”
Swanson said he has a very talented cast with several strong singers. While there are no solo songs in the show, there are solo parts to some of the songs.
“That’s made it easier, and it should make the quality of the show pretty darn good, too,” he added.
The kids have really enjoyed the off-beat, upbeat nature of the show, Swanson said.
“A lot of kids’ shows are based on classical literature or the classical model, which are usually rather serious plays,” Swanson explained. “This is not a serious retelling of the Red Riding Hood story at all. The material is fun, the music is snappy and the story is sassy.”
Sounds cool, Daddy-O.
Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood opens on Friday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. and continues with 8 p.m. performances on Aug. 3, 9 and 10. Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m. on Aug. 4 and 11. Call the Pine Tree Playhouse at 803-635-6847 or email pinetreeplayhouse@gmail.com for reservations. Tickets are $8 ($6 for students).
Some say Folly Beach is South Carolina’s best beach and a growing number of people agree. Just 8 miles south of the Holy City, the “Edge of America,” as Folly Beach bills itself, is indeed a special place. I grew up in eastern Georgia far from the coast and one of the great places in my Hall of Fame is Folly Beach. I spent summer vacations there as a boy and “Folly” (one-word status like Elvis!) has reigned special ever since. Nothing’s worse than growing up landlocked once you’ve had a taste of the sea.
Well you can get a taste of the sea and more by making a 153-mile drive to Folly Beach. Yes, not quite three hours of travel will take you to a 7-mile-long barrier reef that offers much to people of varied interests: super waves for surfing, an old lighthouse, a great restaurant for the health conscious and a place popular with pet lovers. I know because a highly reliable but secret source emailed me: “One place I’ve newly discovered and just love because it is extremely dog friendly is Folly Beach. It totally embraces dogs (in the hotel, on the beach, etc.). There are dogs everywhere and wonderfully behaved.”
There’s even a Lost Dog Café in this place referred to as one of the last real American beach towns. That and more. My source continued, “There’s this little beach shop area close to the hotel that reminds me of Five Points in Columbia. Plus I am a vegetarian and there is a wonderful vegetarian place there, Black Magic, with about 50 kinds of fresh fruit smoothie combinations. They mix the fruit as you wait.”
My journalist from the field points out that you’ll find “many good eateries in the little five points place.” Those who prefer more formal eateries will find those, too; plus Charleston is close. My source loves Folly because it “has everything a big beach resort has” so don’t be surprised if you don’t make it to Charleston.
Now about that name, “Folly.” We all know about Seward’s Folly, that foolish purchase that gave us Alaska and its wonderful resources. Like Alaska, neither is Folly Beach bedeviled by a “foolish” perception. When early settlers in their creaking ships first saw the pristine, tree-lined coast here, it was their first sight of trees in a long, long time. Rejoicing, they christened their newfound Eden “Folly.” Why? Because “Folly” is an old English word meaning cluster of trees or thicket. So there.
No, there’s nothing foolish about Folly Beach. In fact it’s just the opposite. It is the new cool place to go. You can relax and take in nature. You can spend a dog day afternoon on the beach, surf, catch a glimpse of loggerhead turtles, bicycle, kayak or drop a line from the fishing pier. Just be sure you go earlier than later. It’s good to beat the crowd when you’re headed to the Edge of America.
If You Go …
• Official Website of Folly Beach:
www.southcarolinaparks.com
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.
RICHLAND — The Richland 2 Charter School reported during the Richland 2 School Board’s regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night at Longleaf Middle School that the school is open to junior and senior students who have good standing in discipline and academics. Thirty-four of the 40 seniors graduated this year with the same standards that all public high school students must meet. The on-line program offers academic classes, tutoring and counseling in a flexible schedule. Dr. Henry Lovett, principal of the Richland 2 Charter High School, has requested that the Board consider amending the school’s charter to include ninth- and 10th-graders. While stating that this program is not for everyone, former Superintendent Katie Brochu had sent letters to the District’s high school principals for their thoughts and it was thought the principals had been favorably inclined. Dr. Debbie Hamm, Interim Superintendent, will re-poll the principals, at the suggestion of the Board, and get the principals’ new feedback. The Charter School operates with the permission of the School Board/District but is funded with the local and state dollars that are attached to each student. The expansion of the program does not impact the budget of the District but the District does determine if the goals of the Charter School are a match for the objectives of Richland 2. A vote on the expansion of the lower high school grades will be a future item.
The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program was modeled in Richland 2 a dozen years ago — flowing from the high schools to the middle schools and now to six of the elementary schools. High school students spoke of the merits of being in a program that supported them from sixth grade to graduation – giving them the skills to organize their work, prioritize their free time and practice public speaking. Their academic work improved and life skills were developed. Ridge View AVID teacher Tracy Skinner, herself an AVID graduate, spoke to the life-changing work of the program. Students selected are performing at a level below their potential. In some way in their life, they are underrepresented. Skinner had 18 seniors in her class. All of her students graduated and went on to college – earning more than $300,000 in scholarship money for their freshman years alone.
Hamm had accepted the Interim Superintendent position effective July 1. District Staff and teachers report that her leadership of the District actually began the day Brochu resigned, June 13. The Board approved the employment conditions of her Interim position: a supplemental $5,000 a month salary and $800 per month for auto expenses.
The Budget that was written in April in a special called meeting had awaited approval until local and state funding had been approved. With that known, the Board voted 6-1 to accept the $223 million general fund budget, with Barbara Specter casting the lone dissenting vote.
During closing statements by Board members, it was mentioned by several that the joy in the District for the coming year was contagious. When Hamm spoke of experiencing the same joy with the teachers in professional development earlier in the day, the audience broke out in spontaneous applause. On that note the Board broke for a second executive session to attend to personnel, legal and contractual matters. No vote was to be taken. The next Board meeting is Aug. 13 at Longleaf Middle School.
BLYTHEWOOD – Members of the Town’s Committee on Athletic Fields learned at a meeting on Tuesday evening that the Richland County Recreation Commission is backing away from promises it made to the committee last January to spend $500,000 to build a baseball/softball four-plex next year on 8 acres behind Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School in downtown Blythewood. The project was to be funded with money allocated for Blythewood recreation from a County bond. The Richland 2 School District has agreed to lease the 8 acres to the County Recreation Commission for construction of the four-plex.
During a meeting with the Recreation Commission last week, however, Athletic Fields Chairman Bob Mangone said he was told by the Commission Chairman, James Brown Jr., that the Commission could no longer afford to fund four fields at the Bethel-Hanberry site because a portion of the $500,000 is now earmarked for several upgrades to the current Blythewood baseball/softball fields on Boney Road, including restroom renovations, the installation of lights on the tennis courts and a fence around the park.
Mangone reported that Brown suggested the upgrades could take as much as half of the $500,000. He said Brown said the Commission was still committed to building fields at the Blythewood site, but that the Commission might only be able to afford to build two fields right now, not four. Brown could not be reached for comment before press time.
Mangone said he plans to meet with Blythewood County Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson next week to discuss the issue and find out if the County might be able to cover the upgrades to the current fields with other revenue sources. Committee member Paige Brown suggested that, before proceeding further, the Blythewood committee should get something in writing as to the Commission’s intentions for building the four-plex, the total cost for the project and a timeline.
“At this point,” Mangone said, “we really don’t know how much it costs to build a field. If the Commission doesn’t have enough money to build four fields, we will have to look at some other options to raise the money.”
One option, he said, would be to go to the businesses for additional funds. He said there are also various grant possibilities. Mangone said Richland 2’s Chief Planning Officer Fred McDaniel has also offered his staff and the District’s grant writer to find grant money for the four-plex.
At press time, Dickerson had not returned a call to The Voice. Dickerson is scheduled to attend the Town Council meeting on Monday, July 29 at the Manor.
RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway Town Council heard from Gregory Sprouse, of the Midlands Council of Governments, who gave a presentation during the July 11 meeting on models of how a proposed regional water authority might be governed. Sprouse presented the council with condensed versions of four different models, ranging from a model that retains the current structure, to a limited joint system, a wholesale joint system and a retail joint system. Apart from the current structure, which entails no change in the way the county’s five water entities are governed, the proposed models present a varying range of change in how the entities are managed.
Council members will complete a survey on their preferred form of governance before next month’s meeting of the Water Steering Committee.
Phyllis Gutierrez, Chairwoman of the Ridgeway Historical/Cultural Committee, shared with Council that the Arts on the Ridge committee will be purchasing two 32-gallon trashcans for the town. This will provide a place for shoppers to dispose of their trash while helping to keep the streets a littler cleaner.
In Major Charlene Herring’s report she announced that Denise Jones from the Cotton Yard Market is the new chairwoman for the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, and Over the Top Emporium, owned by Tina Johnson, was names Small Business of the Year. Her report concluded with capital improvement suggestions for 23 street signs, replacing the lettering on the Police Station, replacing the blinds and tarring the roof of the little police station.
WINNSBORO – Town Council voted on Tuesday evening to make several improvements to the town, including adding a street light to North Zion Street as requested by Councilman Jackie Wilkes. Councilman Danny Miller asked for some attention to the upkeep and maintenance of Fortune Springs Park. He said there’s erosion, broken sidewalks, deteriorating planters and other problems. Town Manager Don Wood said the Town Maintenance Department is currently making some improvements in the park with grant money, but that he would try to find out if more work is needed than what is planned.
Mayor Roger Gaddy presented Council with an estimate for painting the concrete planters on Congress Street. For the 26 planters, the cost would be approximately $2,500. Councilman Clyde Sanders said he felt that was too expensive and the issue died for lack of a motion.
Councilman Sanders made a short presentation on behalf of the Fairfield County Animal Shelter, saying it was in desperate need of foster homes for its animals.
“They are overcrowded over there and really need people in the community to help out by fostering pets,” Sanders said.
Wood mentioned that the Shelter would provide food for the pets if they could just find good homes, even on a temporary basis.
The old saying is, ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ but don’t tell that to the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce or the towns of Winnsboro, Blythewood and Ridgeway, because they’re cooking up an awesome 43-mile-long yard sale dubbed The Big Grab.
“This is an aggressive effort by our Chambers and towns to increase last year’s 25-mile yard sale to 43 miles,” said Fairfield Chamber President Terry Vickers.
The Big Grab will be a two-day event, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 7. Basically, it’s the ultimate yard sale – table after table of yard sale items along a 43-mile route that stretches from exit 24 on I-77, through Blythewood, into Ridgeway, on into Winnsboro and back to Blythewood.
The Grab is in the planning stages right now and the organizers are looking for sponsors – individual or business – willing to kick in $50 per sponsorship. The money will be used for advertising and signage at the various locations of the Big Grab.
Plans are to not only supply locations in the downtown areas of Blythewood, Winnsboro and Ridgeway where yard sale tables can be set up, but to find locations along the rural part of the route as well, Vickers said.
There will be no set up fee for yard sale participants, but they will need to supply their own tents and tables, Vickers said.
The Big Grab group also plans to invite food vendors to set up along the route. There may be a small fee involved, but any food truck or vendor is sure to make back that fee from all the hungry bargain hunters during those two days.
“We’re hoping our restaurants and convenience stores will also see an increase in business,” Vickers said.
There will be volunteer booths set up along the route to direct bargain hunters to the next locations.
The Chamber is currently taking the names and phone numbers of people interested in being a part of the Big Grab.
Denise Jones with the Ridgeway Merchants is one of the founders of the first Big Grab last year,
“The Grab was a big hit last year, especially in Blythewood and Ridgeway; it was good for Winnsboro too, but I don’t think they saw as much traffic last year,” she said.
“They will this year,” she added.
The route will be a big loop around the three towns and into the rural areas between.
The Big Grab route begins at exit 24 off of I-77. Take S.C. Highway 21 all the way through Ridgeway, then follow S.C. Highway 34 to Winnsboro. Pick up Highway 321 Business, take the right fork at the Bi-Lo to Congress Street, then turn left onto S.C. Highway 200 then to Highway 321 Bypass south through Winnsboro, to Blythewood Road and into Blythewood, Jones explained.
“We want to emphasize that when setting up their yard sale tables in the rural areas, bunch four or five groups get together. The bigger venue will mean more people will stop,” she said.
Jones, the new president of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce board, believes that the Big Grab will be good for local businesses all along the route.
“I think, economically, for this area — Blythewood, Ridgeway and Winnsboro — this has had the biggest overall impact of anything we’ve done.”
Jones’ vision for the Big Grab is for bargain hunters to see a “nearly continuous yard sale. This is a great opportunity for us to show off our three towns,” said Jones.
“We want to bring people to Winnsboro, Ridgeway and Blythewood and show them how charming these towns are. We want to give them a reason to come back again.”
For information about selling, buying or sponsorships, call one of the following:
