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  • At Roundtop Elementary, it’s Paws with a Cause

    Joining Lady in a reading group at Round Top Elementary School are: D.J. Barnes, Lane Broderick, Kaylyn Boyd, Carson Buie and Amanda Hill.

    Blythewood’s Round Top Elementary School welcomed an unusual 7-year-old to school this fall – Lady, a yellow Labrador Retriever and former seeing-eye dog, who reports eagerly to homeroom in Mrs. Holly Threatt’s classroom each day.

    Lady enjoys her new role as a learning helper at Round Top. She listens attentively when students practice reading aloud, and is surely proud that by January, every first grader in the school will have read a story to her.

    Threatt, who teaches reading in grades K-3, adopted Lady last summer.

    “She had just retired as a guide dog, and clearly had the qualities of a great therapy dog,” Threatt said. “Our family’s other dog, Elvis, goes to work with my husband every day, and I didn’t want to just leave Lady home alone. Plus, I could see that she was itching for a new job to do!”

    So Threatt spoke with Principal Jeaneen Tucker about ‘employing’ Lady as a learning helper, and they decided to give it a try.

    “We introduced her slowly and carefully to the students,” Tucker said. “We knew that some children might be apprehensive around dogs, but it’s turned out that often those very kids who had some apprehension have become great friends with Lady and go out of their way to pet her or give her a smooch.”

    In Threatt’s classroom, the opportunity to take Lady on a walk around the school is a coveted reward.

    “When students achieve their weekly reading goal, they can choose from a variety of rewards,” Threatt said. “A little quality time with Lady is one of the most popular choices.”

    Tucker said that Lady helps students not only academically, but that her presence also helps to develop the compassion and humanity that is kindled through fun, friendly relationships with animals.

    Though Lady spends a comfortable chunk of class time snuggled into her cozy bed, she still manages to keep up with her extracurricular activities such as leading the school’s Pawfest Dog Parade in October. She also happily accepted an invitation recently to visit with students at nearby Blythewood Middle School.

    And, of course, Lady has a stylish side! She proudly wears a different fashion collar with her pink leash each day, and went trick-or-treating as – what else? – a Ladybug. Her classmates were delighted that she gamely dressed as a terrific (yet humble) Wilbur the Pig for the school’s Charlotte’s Web party.

    “Lady is amazing with the kids,” Tucker said. “She’s well-behaved, and seems to understand that even difficult moments can be teachable situations. For instance if a child does something that Lady doesn’t like, such as pulling at her tail, Lady will move away. So we use that opportunity to illustrate that if you act unpleasantly towards a friend, it makes that friend not want to be around you. But when you treat people (and animals) nicely, they will react in kind.”

    Tucker said that Lady is especially gifted at comforting children who are having a bad day.

    “She’s a gentle spirit – you can see it in her eyes,” Tucker said. “One day a student came to school very sad because her family’s dog had just died. She asked to spend some time with Lady, and it helped to console her through a very difficult time.”

    Lady’s easygoing personality encourages the children’s affection and supports their good work habits.

    “She has added a wonderful element to our school,” Tucker said. “The kids absolutely love her.”

  • Voice Photographer Tapped to Cover Winter Games

    Voice photographer and Winnsboro attorney Ross Burton in his natural environment. Burton will head to Russia in 2014 to cover the Olympics.

    You’ve seen his work, right here in these pages. Images from Westwood High School’s inaugural football and volleyball seasons crisp and sharp, the action frozen in time. Now, the man behind the camera on so many Redhawk sidelines will have a much bigger venue to cover, and in a much colder climate.

    Ross Burton is going to Russia to cover the 2014 Winter Olympic Games–specifically, his beloved biathlon event.

    For those not familiar with the event, the biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country trail system, with the trail broken up by either two or four shooting rounds (half in the prone position, the other half standing). Depending on shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant’s total skiing distance or time. Skiers carry a small-bore rifle which uses .22 caliber ammunition. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets. Each target missed must be “atoned for” by either skiing a penalty loop, having one minute added to the skier’s total time or having to use an extra cartridge to finish off the target (only three extra cartridges are available for each round, and a penalty loop must be made for each of the targets left standing).

    Burton knows the event well, and in the 1970s was a competitor on the U.S. team.

    “But then I grew up and had to earn a living,” he said. “So I joined the Army.”

    Burton, at 64, is a former “Army brat” himself, having been born in Boston and following his father across the country during the elder’s career.

    “I don’t really have anywhere I can say I am from,” Burton said. “My father was in the Army, so we went where he went. Then I spent 20 years in the Army.”

    During his time in the service, Burton was stationed in Michigan at the University of Detroit’s ROTC program. He took advantage of the free credit hours and began work on his law degree, which he continued at the New England School of Law while stationed in Burlington, Mass. during the Gulf War and finished several years later back in Detroit. One of his stops along his military career landed him at Fort Jackson in Columbia.

    “South Carolina seemed a congenial place with a great climate and a low cost of living,” he said. “I decided this was where I wanted to be when I retired.”

    Burton bought a house in Winnsboro in 1991 and when he hung up his uniform in 1995 made it his home. In 2001, he married his wife Betsy, who, he said, has been very tolerant of his biathlon mistress — because all that time, Burton never forgot his true love, even though it was virtually impossible to keep pace with it in America.

    “It’s such a small sport in the U.S., there was really no way to keep up with it,” he said. “Then, in the early 1990s, the Internet changed everything. Suddenly, you could watch world news on biathlon events.”

  • It’s Christmas Time in Blythewood

    ‘Twas the month before Christmas and all through the Town, everyone was getting ready for the holidays.

    In Blythewood, the Christmas season begins with Carolighting at the Town Hall. This year was a little different – the tree was lit before dark, the cookies were store bought and the grounds around Town Hall were a mess with grading and gravel.

    Nevertheless, the townsfolk kicked off the season just the same, and now it’s on to shopping (locally), cooking, visiting and decorating.

    Next up is the annual Christmas parade on Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. And if the rumors around town are true, Blythewood’s Santa may once again ride into town atop one of his favorite mules.

    Members of the community gather in front of the Town Hall for the annual tree lighting ceremony.

    Traditionally held on the second Sunday of December, the parade is always well attended, featuring bands, floats, horses, dogs tractors and dancing girls.

    Parade entries and sponsorships are being accepted through Nov. 30. There is no parade entry fee, but participating units should be family friendly and be decorated for the season.

    Participants must submit a parade entry form to be included in the line-up. Sponsors donating $250 or more will receive a complimentary framed, numbered, and customized print by Blythewood artist Harold Branham. Parade sponsor and entry forms are available on the Chamber website, www.blythewoodcoc.com, and Blythewood Town Hall.

    The parade route starts at the corner of Oakhurst Road and Main Street (near the Fire Station), turns right onto Main Street, proceeds south and turns right onto Blythewood Road, turns right onto Boney Road and ends at Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School. Parade stands and emcees will be stationed on Main Street at the intersection of Langford Road and on Boney Road near Trinity United Methodist Church.

    Grand marshal for this year’s parade is former S.C. high school and college football coach and Blythewood resident Art Baker.

    For more information, contact the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce at 803-712-3806 or blythewoodcoc@gmail.com.

  • Griffins Thwart Revenge-Minded Braves, Advance to Upper State

    Griffin quarterback DeAndre Belton on the keeper.
    Damien Bell (9) makes the cutback.

    Fairfield Central head coach Demetrius Davis said he was expecting to see a different football team get off the bus from Cheraw than the team that took a lick and laid down back on Sept. 21, when the Griffins thumped the Braves 43-8. And that’s what he got.

    These Braves were seasoned, hungry and relentless, and had the Griffins down 3-0 in the second quarter. These Braves found a way to put the brakes on Fairfield’s juggernaut offense, play keep-away and slow the tempo down. But the Griffins found their legs before the half and stretched out a win in the second chapter, 27-10, to advance to the upper state championship game next week.

    “It’s the first time we’ve trailed since Union (Sept. 14),” Davis said. “I think to be able to play in the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to face a little adversity and still have the confidence to win. At the end of the day, you have to believe you can win and our kids believe they can win.”

    After dueling to a scoreless draw in the first quarter, the Braves got on top with a 32-yard field goal by James Davis with 7:32 left in the second. The drive, which began with 28 seconds to go in the first quarter on the Cheraw 36, could have ended much differently. Having chewed up the Griffin defense to drive the ball to the Fairfield 10, the Braves lined up to go for a fourth-and-1. An illegal procedure penalty on the delayed snap cost the Braves 5 yards, however, and forced the kick.

    The Griffins responded with a clock-consuming drive of their own, starting at their own 27. Riding largely on the back of Damien Bell, the Griffins marched to the Cheraw 30 before the Braves forced a crucial third-and-10. Then Fairfield quarterback DeAndre Belton hit Kewaun Squirewell with a 27-yard pass, all the way down to the Cheraw 3, setting up Bell’s 1-yard touchdown run moments later.

    The Griffins had an opportunity to add to their 6-3 lead late in the half, but Belton coughed the ball up at the end of a 19-yard run at the Fairfield 45.

    “(Belton) had a big fumble right there at the half, and I hate to see that,” Davis said. “He’s such a good player, I want him to be free at all times and I don’t want him to have stuff in his mind, so I went to him and told him to move on and just play. He was able to shake it off. I’m so happy he’s on my team and I get to coach him again next year.”

    Stymied on a fourth-and-goal from the Cheraw 3 on their opening possession of the second half, the Griffin’s relied on their defense to hold the Braves deep. Compton Walker fielded the punt at the Braves’ 41 and returned it to the 17, setting up a three-play drive that Belton finished off with a 6-yard run. Walker’s kick put the Griffins up 13-3 with 5:37 left in the third quarter.

    But the Braves were not going to collapse in round three of the playoffs the way they had in week five of the regular season, and an unusual turn of events put them right back in the ball game.

    Facing a fourth-and-7 from their own 48, the Braves lined up to punt the ball away. The punt was blocked by Mitchell Crosby and rolled deep into Cheraw territory. Following a wild scramble, the officials ruled that a Griffin had, momentarily, recovered the ball, but had fumbled it back to Cheraw, giving the Braves new life on their own 17. It was the opening they needed, and the Braves capitalized, driving 83 yards in 17 plays to close the gap to 13-10 on a 2-yard run by Justin Chapman with 9:26 left in the game.

    The Griffins responded once more, with Daniel Maple taking the ensuing kick at his own 35 and returning it to the Fairfield 47. Belton and the Bells drove the ball to the Cheraw 22 before the Braves forced a fourth-and-2 and Davis rolled the dice. The Braves bit on the long count, jumped off sides and gave the Griffins a first down at the 17. Still, the Cheraw defense hung tough, putting the Griffins in another fourth down situation, this time 5 yards shy at the 12. Belton rolled out in the bootleg and hit Larry G. Bell with a touchdown strike to put Fairfield up 20-10 with 4:45 remaining. Bell would hammer in the final nail one minute later with a 20-yard run against a gassed Cheraw defense.

    “That’s a good football team there,” Davis said of Cheraw. “We were fortunate tonight. I’m glad our kids were prepared for a tough football game, because we were able to respond. I told them it’s tough to beat a team twice. They’ve got all the film they need just from watching the last game. We probably could have done a few things differently here and there, but at the end of the day, we won.”

    The Griffins will host Newberry next week for the opportunity to represent the upper state in the title game Nov. 30. Newberry beat Central 21-14 Friday night.

     

    FC 0-6-7-14  27

    CH 0-3-0-7  10

    Second Quarter

    CH – James Davis 32 FG. (7:26)

    FC – Damien Bell 1 run. Kick failed. (2:32)

    Third Quarter

    FC – DeAndre Belton 6 run. Compton Walker kick. (5:37)

    Fourth Quarter

    CH – Justin Chapman 2 run. Davis kick. (9:26)

    FC – Larry G. Bell 12 pass from D. Belton. C. Walker kick. (4:45)

    FC – L.G. Bell 20 run. Josh Bell kick. (3:46)

    Team Stats

    FC                           CH

    First Downs                        12                           13

    Rushes/Yards                    40-188                   37-140

    Passing Yards                     90                           69

    C-A-INT                            6-7-0                      9-23-0

    Penalties/Yards               6-55                       4-26

    Fumbles/Lost                    2-2                          1-0

    Individual Stats

    RUSHING: FC—Damien Bell 23-92. DeAndre Belton 10-60. Larry G. Bell 7-36. CH—Justin Chapman 21-71. Deion Sanders 1-3. Xavier Taylor 7-24. John Cooks 2-4. Randall Watson 1-12. Robert Pitts 5-26.

    RECEIVING: FC—Damien Bell 1-(-5). Kewaun Squirewell 2-80. Kevin Workman 1-3. Larry G. Bell 1-12. Javaris Cook 1-0. CH—Justin Chapman 5-36. Winston Martin 2-10. John Cooks 2-25.

    PASSING: FC—DeAndre Belton 6-7-0INT-1TD-90 yards. CH—Robert Pitts 9-23-0INT-0TD.

    RECORDS: FC – 5-0/10-2 CH – 4-1/7-5

  • Fairfield County School District Results Mixed on State Reports

    The Fairfield County School District saw its Absolute Rating improve from a Below Average mark in 2011 to Average in 2012, according to district and school report cards released Tuesday by the S.C. State Department of Education. It is the highest Absolute Rating the district has received in the last five years. The district’s Growth Rating dropped from Excellent in 2011 to Good on the current reports, while schools across the district showed mixed results on the 12th annual report cards.

    The Absolute Rating is based on a school’s academic performance on achievement measures for the current school year while the Growth Rating is the level of growth in academic performance when comparing current performance to the previous year’s performance.

    A battery of numbers on the reports show the district performing close to or better than similar districts. On PASS Test results, the Fairfield County School District had a higher percentage of students scoring “Met or above” than in similar districts in every subject but Writing, in which Fairfield was off by only 1.5 percentage points. Likewise, the percent of students scoring “Exemplary” also bested those of similar districts in every subject but Writing, which Fairfield missed by 0.2 percentage points. In HSAP results, the percent of Fairfield students passing two subjects was 63.4 percent, compared with 65.2 percent in similar districts. More significantly, 10.2 percent of Fairfield students passed no subjects on the HSAP tests, versus 16.1 percent of students in similar districts. Fairfield’s overall HSAP passing rate as of spring 2012 was 84.1 percent, while in similar districts that number was 86.2 percent. Fairfield’s End of Course test passing rate outpaced similar districts by nearly a full percentage point, 49.5 to 48.6 percent, while Fairfield’s on-time graduation rate was 76.6 percent, compared to 74.8 percent in similar districts. The dropout rate shrank from 2.7 percent last year to 1.5 percent this year, while the attendance rate fell from 97.5 percent in 2011 to 96.2 percent in 2012. The district received an overall grade of B on last spring’s Federal Accountability Rating System.

    Fairfield Central High School

    held steady at Average for the third consecutive year on its Absolute Rating, while its Growth Rating improved from Below Average in 2011 to Good in 2012. Compared to similar high schools, Fairfield Central’s HSAP passing rate was better by more than 3 percentage points, 84.1 to 80.5. Fairfield Central’s on-time graduation rate was 76.9 percent, compared to 66.9 percent in similar high schools. Fairfield Central showed slightly better numbers in English and Biology than similar high schools on the End of Course tests, and slightly lower numbers in Algebra. Fairfield Central’s performance in U.S. History was significantly lower than similar high schools, bringing their overall End of Course numbers down to 43.4 percent, versus 47.1 percent in similar high schools. Money spent per pupil at Fairfield Central rose 10.5 percent in 2012 to $9,174. Parent attendance at teacher conferences was down from 87.69 percent in 2011 to 85.3 percent in 2012. The student-teacher ratio improved slightly from 24-1 in 2011 to 22.2-1 in 2012.

    Fairfield Middle School

    also held steady at Average on both its Absolute and Growth ratings. Money spent per pupil also held steady at $10,274, and the student-teacher ratio of 16.2-1 also saw no change. Parents attending conferences fell slightly from 100 percent a year ago to 99.9 percent in 2012.

    Fairfield Elementary School improved to Below Average on its Absolute Rating, up from At-Risk in 2011 and 2010. Its Growth Rating remains at Below Average, where it has been since 2010. Money spent per pupil was down slightly this year to $8,308, a decrease of 0.3 percent, while the student-teacher ratio remained at 18.1-1 and parents showed 100 percent attendance at conferences again this year.

    The Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science improved from Average in 2011 to Good in 2012 on its Absolute Rating, while its Growth Rating remained at Excellent for the second year in a row. Money spent per pupil rose 1.7 percent to $7,754 and parents attending conferences improved from 88.8 percent a year ago to 100 percent this year. The student-teacher ratio increased significantly in the past year, from 8.9-1 to 18.3-1. That ratio is still lower than similar schools, whose average ratio is 19.1-1.

    Geiger Elementary, while retaining its Below Average Absolute Rating, saw its Growth Rating fall from Average last year to At-Risk this year. Although the student-teacher ratio improved from 17.4-1 last year to 11-1 this year, the amount of money spent per pupil decreased 6.7 percent to $8,090. Parent attendance at conferences was also down from 96.6 percent to 34.1 percent.

    Kelly Miller Elementary held its Absolute Rating of Average for the third consecutive year, but saw its Growth Rating fall from two straight years of Excellent to Average. Money spent per pupil increased 3 percent to $9,420 and the student-teacher ratio improved to 11.5-1 from 13.5-1 last year. Parents attending conferences held at 100 percent.

    The Absolute Rating at McCrorey-Liston Elementary fell from Average in 2011 back to its 2010 rating of Below Average, while its Growth Rating remained at Average for the third consecutive year. Money spent per pupil rose 1.1 percent to $10,136, while the percentage of parents attending conferences fell from 94.5 to 91.4. The student-teacher ratio for MLE was not reported.

  • Ridgeway Gets Ringing Endorsement from CPA; Council Offers Lease on Old Town Hall

    The economy may be on hard times, but the town of Ridgeway appears to be in great shape, having received an “unqualified” opinion on a recent audit, conducted by Howard Nichols, CPA.

    “That’s what you want, an ‘unqualified’ opinion,” Nichols told town council Thursday night. “That’s the best you can get.”

    Nichols said the town had a total of $721,509 in cash investments, compared to $482,192 in expenses.

    “Cash-wise, you’re in really good shape,” he said. “You could go a year and a half without receiving any money.”

    After receiving an overview of the preliminary report, Mayor Charlene Herring wanted one final confirmation from their CPA.

    “My question always to Howard Nichols is, ‘Are we fiscally sound?’” Herring asked.

    “Yes,” Nichols answered. “Ya’ll are in good shape.”

    Council also gave first reading to an ordinance amending the tax rate paid by insurance companies to 6 percent on premiums sold inside the town limits. A similar ordinance was passed last week by the Winnsboro Town Council, and is required to keep municipalities in line with recently passed state legislation.

    Following an executive session, council voted unanimously to offer a lease on the Old Town Hall building to restaurateurs Elisseos Mergianos and James Miller.

  • Congressman Addresses Fairfield County Council

    Earmarks are a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean counties and municipalities are being completely hung out to dry by Washington, D.C. That was the word from U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-5th District) to Fairfield County Council Monday night as he presented a brief review of the state of affairs in the nation’s capital and encouraged Council members and the public to reach out to him for assistance.

    “I wish that I could come and tell you that I had my finger on the pulse of Washington, D.C., and I could tell you where I thought things were going to go in the next couple of weeks,” Mulvaney told Council. “I don’t have that feel, yet. I hear what everyone’s been saying on T.V. about more willingness to compromise and discuss things and possibly moving forward. I don’t know yet if that’s empty rhetoric or if it’s actually going to happen.”

    Mulvaney, who was re-elected to a second term to Congress Nov. 6, met with Council in a work session prior to Monday’s regular meeting where the discussion centered largely around the state of federal aid to the local level. Mulvaney rehashed the highlights at the podium during Council’s regular session.

    “I cannot foresee a circumstance where federal grants and aid to political subdivisions like counties and towns will go up dramatically,” Mulvaney said. “I can foresee a circumstance or two where they might drop dramatically. But really, I think what you should be planning for for the next couple of years, at least the next two years, is pretty much the status quo. Unless there is some outside shock to the economic system, pretty much you should see a generally similar approach over the course of the next two years.

    “Earmarks are gone,” Mulvaney continued, “grants are not. Earmarks and grants are not the same thing. Competitive grants, where we actually try to apply for them without political influence but with some political support, are very much alive and well, and something we participate in a lot with my office on a regular basis.”

    Mulvaney said Council, or the public, should feel free to call his Rock Hill office at 803-327-1114, his cell phone at 803-246-1001, or his Washington office at 202-225-5501 if they needed assistance.

    “The office we run in Rock Hill is not a political operation,” Mulvaney assured Council. “The office in D.C. is not a political operation. We do not ask if you are a Democrat or a Republican. We do not even ask you if you have voted. We are in the constituent service business.”

    Addressing another looming political concern, Terry Vickers, President of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, asked Council for a letter of support to be sent to Washington encouraging President Barack Obama and budget axe wielders to spare Midlands area military bases from potential cuts.

    Fort Jackson in Columbia is the largest Army training facility in the nation, Vickers said, and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter is home to the Third Army. These bases represent an economic impact of some $7.1 billion in the Midlands, Vickers said, including revenue from local businesses generated by the troops and their families, as well as the associated supporting civilian jobs.

    “The President is looking at cuts to our defense spending,” Vickers said. “What I am asking from County Council tonight is your consideration of a resolution and also letters to our delegation to let them know how strongly we feel that we do not need to have the impact of sequestration (withdrawal/retirement), the defense cuts, at our Midlands’ bases.”

    Vice Chairman Dwayne Perry said he was skeptical of any suggestion that Washington might shut down its largest Army training facility.

    “I clearly don’t see how our president would make that kind of decision,” Perry said, “and I don’t think our congress or anyone else would let him do that.”

    “I feel the same way,” Vickers said, “but I would really feel more comfortable having that cushion of support there letting whomever has the red pen know that we stand united with our military bases and what they can do for us and what we can do for them.”

    David Ferguson, Council Chairman, instructed County Administrator Phil Hinely to look over the draft letter Vickers had provided and make it available to Council for their signatures at the next regular meeting.

  • A ‘Corny’ History of Little Candies

    Eaten a lot of these lately? Don’t feel bad: they’re fat-free!

    Well, we have one of the fall holidays behind us, Halloween. Are you wondering how many calories you ate with those little candy corns? It is hard to keep track when you grab them by the handfuls. Put your mind at rest: each tiny candy has only 3.57 calories per kernel. Even though it tastes rich, it is fat free.

    We eat these sugary little spikes known as candy corn year around, but they are most popular and mainly associated with Halloween. Actually Oct. 30 was National Candy Corn Day. They have been around for a very long time, invented in the year 1880 by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company. This company in Philadelphia was the first to go into commercial production. It was later introduced to the mass market around 1898 by the Gustav Goelitz Confectionary Company in Cincinnati (which would later make the jelly bean) and quickly became popular thanks to its innovative multicolored look.

    Making candy in those days was much more difficult than it is today with all the machinery available now. In those early days, large kettles were used to cook the basic ingredients of sugar, water and corn syrup. Marshmallow was later whipped in to make it softer. The hot candy mixture was then poured into hand-held buckets called ‘runners.’ Each runner held 45 pounds of the hot mixture. Men called ‘stringers’ walked backwards pouring the steaming candy into trays of cornstarch in kernel-shaped molds. A pass was made with the white, then orange and then the yellow. The last process is a glaze applied to make it shine. This was one of the few candies made in different colors and people were fascinated, adding to its popularity. The candy was so popular that other companies tried other vegetable shapes, such as turnips. Did not think that would go over and I notice there are none around. The candy was originally sold in bulk containers, packed in wooden buckets, tubs and cartons and delivered by wagon and train. Distribution of any distance was limited because of being perishable.

    During World War I, Herman Goelitz, son of Gustav, moved to California and started his own company. Sales went down considerably during the recession and war times. In the 1970s when the price of raw sugar was so high, the company had to borrow money to keep afloat. While many other companies went out of business, the demand for candy corn kept the Goelitz Company from bankruptcy. You might better recognize the name that the Goelitz Company in later years changed to. It is now known as the Jelly Belly Candy Company. This little candy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years, although today machines do most of the work. Halloween accounts for 75 percent of the candy production and over the years the company has come out with reindeer corn (red, green and white), Indian corn (chocolate and vanilla flavored), Cupid corn for Valentine’s day (red, pink and white) and bunny corn for Easter (pastel colored).

    Candy corn produced this year will amount to close to 35 million pounds. That is about nine billion individual kernels of corn. It is very popular in the United States and Canada. Brach’s is the main retailer of candy corn and sells enough candy each year to circle the earth 4.25 times if the kernels were laid end to end.

    So if your trick-or-treater brought home many of the candy corns, just remember the 3.57 calories and enjoy them.

  • Downtown Offers Fun Under the Stars

    Flashback: The Party Band will provide the soundtrack for Shaggin’ in the Street in downtown Winnsboro, Friday, July 13, starting at 8 p.m.

    Put your dancing shoes on and come downtown tonight, June 13, for the Town of Winnsboro’s second annual Shaggin’ in the Street, from 8:30 – 11 p.m. The street will be closed off in front of the Town Clock to make way for purveyors of the official State Dance who will swing to the sounds of the Flashback Party Band.

    Don’t know all the steps? Don’t worry. Spectators are welcome as well. Just be sure to bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the tunes under the stars.

    For more fun under the stars, come downtown next week for the Chamber of Commerce’s second Third Thursday event of the summer, July 19. This month’s outdoor movie feature is “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial,” Steven Spielberg’s 1982 smash hit that made Drew Barrymore a household name and sent the sales of Reese’s Pieces candy through the roof!

    The movie rolls at 8:40 p.m., but come early to shop, eat, shop some more and secure the best viewing spot next to the Town gazebo.  Again, bring lawn chairs.

    Pre-movie events will include a musical warm-up act, as well as a hopscotch contest for the kids. Downtown shops will be open late in the run-up to the film, and Abba’s Sweet Treats will have their popcorn machine on site and will also be serving sodas and snacks.

    If you can’t beat the heat, join it in downtown Winnsboro and have some fun before school starts back!

  • Controversy Continues over Ashley Oaks Construction Methods

    During a rainfall on Monday, May 28, a river of mud and water swept rocks and gravel off the cleared lots and down the street.

    Some Ashley Oaks residents said one of their worst nightmares was realized on Memorial Day when a flood of muddy water carrying rocks and gravel flowed down Winding Oak Way and into wetlands behind the lots at the lower end of the road. (more…)