Monthly Archives: May 2015
Easley hires Steese as new admin
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
Stephen Steese
EASLEY — Easley city council members met last week and decided to hire Stephen Steese as city administrator, according to mayor Larry Bagwell.
Steese was selected from 47 applicants to replace departing administrator Fox Simons, Bagwell said.
“According to our form of government, I can actually hire the administrator myself,
Ceremony planned in Revolutionary War soldier’s honor
Long-time local history enthusiast Una Welborn has planned a service to honor local Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Barton at his gravesite at Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Pickens.
By Lynda Abegg
Special to The Courier
news@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Una Welborn is amazed at how her little “project” has grown into an event.
It all began when some of Benjamin Barton’s relatives from Georgia contacted her because they wanted to visit their ancestor’s grave.
Barton had fought in the Revolutionary War. Welborn, a long-time history enthusiast, is a member of the Fort Prince George Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and recently became a Colonial Dame. She told them she knew where Barton was buried. After all, he was her husband’s five-times great-grandfather. Her husband, Harold Welborn, currently owns land previously owned by
Blue Ridge members celebrate a milestone
Photos by Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Pickens-area resident Geraldine Chapman receives her gift — a cast-iron skillet emblazoned with a 75th anniversary logo — from Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative employee Rickey Parker at the co-op’s annual meeting of members last week.
PICKENS — An estimated 5,000 people turned out last Thursday for Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting of members, hosted at the utility’s Pickens equipment facility.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative president and CEO Charles Dalton, left, greets director Mendel Stone of Oconee County at last week’s annual members meeting.
The nearly 3,000 members who registered for the event each received a cast-iron skillet embossed with the cooperative’s 75th anniversary logo.
Preliminary entertainment for the evening featured the Sweet Potato Pie Kids and Doyle Burton and the Silver Dollar Gang. The headline act was the Chuck Wagon Gang, who came on stage after the adjournment of the business session.
A good part of the program was devoted to observance of the cooperative’s 75th anniversary. Members of the Oconee and Pickens legislative delegations presented a concurrent resolution passed by both houses of the S.C. General Assembly. The resolution commended
Blue Ridge Fest set for Friday
PICKENS — The 18th annual Blue Ridge Fest will take place Friday at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s headquarters in Pickens.
BLUE RIDGE FEST
The festival boasts the largest classic car cruise-in event in the Upstate, along with a Beach Night show and dance.
Special entertainment will feature Johnny Tillotson, The Shirelles with Shirley Alston Reeves and The Swingin’ Medallions. In 2014, Blue Ridge Fest attracted more than
Pickens golfer Harkins inks with Emmanuel
Pickens High School’s Lauren Harkins signed Monday to play golf at Emmanuel College. Pictured, from left, are Brenda Harkins, Lauren Harkins, Evie Harkins and Donnie Harkins.
PICKENS — Pickens High School senior golfer Lauren Harkins signed on Monday to take her game to the next level at Emmanuel College.
Being able to earn a spot at Emmanuel was the culmination of many years of work for Harkins.
“I worked many hours on this, so I am very excited about it,” Harkins said.
Maybe the most attractive thing about going to Emmanuel is that Lauren’s sister,
Meeting to introduce new Pumpkintown fire chief
PUMPKINTOWN — The board of directors for the Pumpkintown Fire Department will hold a town hall meeting from 8:30-10 a.m. on May 9 to introduce the department’s new fire chief, Lee McJunkin.
The meeting will be held at the Pumpkintown General Store. Free coffee and doughnuts will be served, and the usual breakfast fare may be ordered.
The purpose is to reveal the goals of the fire department for the future and have an opportunity to hear McJunkin’s vision for the department going forward.
Azalea Fest committee thanks City of Pickens
Members of the Pickens Azalea Festival Committee recently presented the City of Pickens with a commemorative award for the help the city gave during the 2015 Pickens Azalea Festival. Pictured are council members Carlton Holley, Pattie Welborn, Fletcher Perry and Pickens Mayor David Owens along with committee members Russ Gantt and Jeff Hogan.
Courier Letters to the Editor
Discord in Pickens Co.
Dear Editor,
Has anyone noticed how hostile Pickens County has become? In more than 30 years, I’ve never seen so much discord. The county seems to be fighting with everybody right now, suing cities, individuals and even the press. Their actions continue to embarrass
Neither a bird nor a plane
The pansies in the planter were getting pretty scraggly, and their glory days were clearly over.
It was a pleasant afternoon, and I began taking them out of the planter and replacing them with coleus and begonias. The dogs were sprawled, relaxing in sunny spots in the grass around me.
They looked asleep but apparently were just resting their eyes as some noise, too faint for human ears, galvanized them into alertness.
All five sprinted to the nearby dogwood tree and stood at attention beneath it, looking up and barking. Clearly there was something going on. At first I assumed they’d spotted a squirrel, although those nut collectors aren’t often
Courier Obits 5-6-15
Frances Elizabeth Masters Bigby
Pickens — Mrs. Frances Elizabeth Masters Bigby, 74, of 115 Henderson St., Pickens, loving wife of Jesse Bigby Jr., went home to be with her savior on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens.
Mrs. Bigby was born on Oct. 5, 1940, in Oconee County to the late Dewey and Ina Cannon Masters. She graduated from Tamassee DAR School and attended Tri-County Technical College. She retired from the Pickens County DSN Board and enjoyed
