Monthly Archives: October 2015
Museum to host costume contest on Halloween
PICKENS — The Pickens County Museum of Art and History will get the Halloween fun started early when it hosts an event Oct. 31 from 3:30-5 p.m. offering treats, popcorn and a costume contest.
The museum is partnering with Cannon Hospital and the City of Pickens for all of the Halloween fun and festivities.
The costume contest will begin at 4:30 p.m. Prizes will be handed out for all winners.
Plenty of parking will be available, and Main Street is only two blocks away, so the museum event is the perfect warm-up before the main event in downtown Pickens.
The program is part of the museum’s continuing effort to provide a variety of entertaining and educational programming for the community.
The museum is funded in part by Pickens County, members and friends of the museum and a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, contact the museum at (864) 898-5963.
Troop 51 to host 75th anniversary
A group of scouts from Troop 51 of Pickens recently took a kayak trip on Lake Keowee and are shown here stopping for lunch on one of the beaches. Pictured, from left, are Jayme Styles, Josh Froggatt, Tyler Benjamin, Tod Robitaille, Gabe Robitaille, Perry Gravely, Will Mahoney, Blake Mahoney and Bill Mahoney.
PICKENS — Pickens Scout Troop 51 will be celebrating 75 years of scouting on Sunday, Nov. 8, with an open house from 2-4 p.m. at the Scout Hut at 188 Blacksnake Road in Pickens.
All alumni and friends of Troop 51 are invited to the event. In addition to scouting exhibits, scouting memorabilia and tall tales from previous trips, a formal program and award presentation is scheduled for 3 p.m. Since parking is limited at the Scout Hut, guests are asked to park at the Old Teen Canteen on Cedar Rock Street, and a shuttle will be available to the Scout Hut.
Troop 51 was chartered on Nov. 30, 1940, with R.A. Cole serving as its first Scoutmaster. The Pickens Lions Club has been the chartered organization for the entire 75 years and will be a part of the celebration.
During the 75 years, more than a thousand scouts and adult leaders have been involved with the troop, with many of the scouts becoming important community leaders. Jack Gantt was Troop 51’s beloved Scoutmaster from 1945-1981 and was actively involved with the troop through 2005 and served as an important figure in the Pickens community and the scouting world during his tenure.
The troop currently meets every Monday night at 7 p.m., with monthly outdoor adventures including camping, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, cycling and service projects. Scouts is open to all boys between 11 and 18. For more information, contact Scoutmaster Perry Gravely via email at incourt2@aol.com.
Trick or Treat on Main returns to downtown Pickens on Oct. 31
PICKENS — It is that time of year again. Downtown Pickens will be filled with ghosts, ghouls and goblins — as well as plenty of princesses, ninja turtles and more — when Trick or Treat on Main returns on Oct. 31.
The event, hosted by Cannon Memorial Hospital and the City of Pickens, will be held on West Main Street from 5-8 p.m.
Families can enter the event through a marked entrance on the corner of Main Street and Ann Street. Trick or Treat on Main invites all families and the local community to come out for a fun night of trick or treating, free candy and a children’s costume contest, which will be set up near the end of the trail. Prizes will be awarded in several age divisions, and winners will be contacted by phone on Monday, Nov. 2.
“It’s great that the community comes out and works together to make a safe place for kids to trick or treat,” Cannon community relations assistant Amanda Cooper said. “Last year was our first costume contest, and with over 3,000 kids attending, this year we hope it to be even bigger and better. An event like this really shows how remarkable Pickens is.”
A variety of local businesses and agencies are teaming up to make this year the best yet. Spaces are still available for groups to join in the trick or treat trail. If interested, contact Cooper at Cannon Memorial Hospital at (864) 898-1334.
Free parking is available at the Pickens County Museum, the Pickens County Courthouse or Legacy Square. As a reminder, because of liability concerns, the event will be smoke- and alcohol-free. Due to the nature of the event, pets will also not be allowed. In the event of inclement weather, call (864) 898-1334 for more information.
For more, click on the community events calendar tab at cityofpickens.com.
Adopt-A-Highway
Easley High School Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) completed the first scheduled adopt-a-highway of the new school year on Saturday. Easley’s section of highway starts at West End Elementary School and continues south on S.C. Highway 135 for two miles. Most of the litter that was bagged consisted of 
cans and bottles, but many other interesting items were also collected, such as an old rusty bicycle, shingles and cardboard signs. The cadets who took pride in their section of highway were Pamela Rico, Joey Sigler, Colton Sheriff, Griff Von Schmittou, Kelsie Hart, Jordan Watt, Brandon Marsh, Brenda Lopez-Perez, Anthony Miller, Will Frazier, Jordan Burns, Greg Acatitlan, Alex Wilson, Brandon McGee, Rose Kwasniewski, Jay Scozzaro, Andrew Dover, Mark Lagunas, Cody Marshall, Chris Torres, Andrew Williams, Cameron Winchester, Madison Boling, Dalton Ostraco Haley Lane and Audrey Mangum. The community service event was led by instructors Lieutenant Commander Al Carden and Chief Mark Stauder.
PHS band earns honors
The Pickens High School Marching Band began its competition season on Saturday at the Pride of Pendleton Marching band classic. Due to all the rain this year, it was the band’s first competition. The 
band finished in the preliminary with high music, best color guard, high visual and first place in Class AAA and was one of eight bands to move into the finals. After the band competed in the finals, they took home the Principals Award for Leadership and Spirit, high music and third overall. Pickens band director Chaz Paxton was chosen favorite band director at the classic.
Pickens High Class of 1960
The Pickens High School Class of 1960 held its 55th reunion in Pickens on Sept. 19. Pictured are front row, from left, Doug Cassell, Tommy Stephens, Carolyn Golden, Deloris Henderson Burgess, Linda Turner Owens, Nancy Cantrell McConnell, Jeanette Cantrell
Smith, Juanita Morris Robinson, Martha Boggs Leslie, Nancy Childs McKinney, Julia Cantrell McConnell and Juda Brown Addis. Middle row: Joe Waldrop, David Hendricks, Connie Bowers, Larry Lark, Jack Reece, Floyd Cox, Sarah Welborn Rampey, Billy Looper, Ruth Ann Hudson Gilstrap, Ann Jones Day, Jerry Watson, Norma Yates Chastain, Jackie Gravely Broome, Carl Simmons, Rosemary Tretter Thomas, Sadie Nealy Lee, Jane Underwood Wychw, David Robinson, Doris Porter Watson, James Snow and Jimmy Joe Payne. Back row: Joe Ashworth, David Brezeale, Tony Slatton, Ben Greer, Smith Porter, Philip Craig, Richard Wood, Jerry Roberts, Charles Dalton and Monty Wiggins.
Faith Lutheran Chapel to host annual yard sale
PICKENS — The seventh annual yard sale of Faith Lutheran Chapel will be held Oct. 23-24 from 7 a..m. to 2 p.m. All proceeds from the sale will go to local charities.
Household items, clothing, craft items, books, furniture, holiday items and baked goods will be sold. Utilizing supplemental funds from Thrivent Financial, every dollar spent will provide $1.50 to the Gleaning House to purchase needed food for Pickens residents.
With a great many reasonably priced items and support from frugal area shoppers, the yard sale that began as a means of allowing a small, beginning church to help feed the hungry of Pickens now can financially help several other area groups.
The church is located at 729 W. Main St. across from Blue Ridge Co-op.
CAST to hold monthly meeting October 27
CLEMSON — Clemson Area StoryTellers (CAST) Guild will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at The Arts Center at 212 Butler St. in Clemson.
Have stories to share? Come and tell them where you have a captive audience.
Everyone is invited to an evening of family friendly stories, poetry or music. Attend as a listener or a teller — all are welcome.
For more information, visit explorearts.org, call (864) 855-6396 or email clemsonareastorytellers@yahoo.com.
Grace United to host annual fall bazaar
PICKENS — Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens will host its annual fall bazaar and luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 12.
The event will start at 7 p.m. Admission to the bazaar is free. A turkey and dressing lunch will be available for only $10 and will be served between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The dining room and Carryout will close promptly at 1:30 p.m.
The lunch will be dine-in or carryout. Delivery service is available for four or more plates and within a five-mile radius of the the church. Call the church office at (864) 878-2161 for tickets or a delivery.
The bazaar will include baked goods, candy, handmade jewelry, handmade crafts, wood crafts, holiday items, homemade jams, jellies, pickles and the like.
Grace United Methodist Church is located at 309 E. Cedar Rock St. in Pickens.
Let’s help teach them to fish
I know where I’m sleeping tonight. And so do most of you. It would be nice if everybody could say that, but in Pickens County, they cannot.
Years ago, when our first child was still a baby, we stood in the front yard and watched our home containing everything we owned burn to the ground. We lived in a rural area, and the fire truck wasn’t coming. We had no fire insurance. We were left with our lives and the clothes hung on the clothes line.
Fowler’s former high school agricultural education teacher came to our rescue and offered a place to live for a month to give us time to get ourselves together. It was a challenging time, but we were fortunate in that Fowler was employed and we had a car.
In our very own county, there are 1,900 school age children who are homeless. That’s not counting the rest of the family. They’re often hungry. The figure is shocking.
We have single mothers with children who camp out, bounce from relative to relative if there are any in the picture or live in cars, if they own one. We have veterans whose lives have been shattered by war.
In this county, as in many in the state without mass transportation, car ownership is the last vestige of security a family may have.
One major illness, death, job loss or loss of child care can mean the difference between whether or not you can feed your children or put them to bed in a home instead of a car.
Some families in these situations stay fairly transient, because the biggest loss of all would be to lose their children. So they hide out in plain sight.
There are many fragmented efforts made in attempts to help families in these situations. Most address one or more of the consequences of being homeless. But few if any have a plan to change the circumstances causing homelessness.
Until now. Family Promise of Pickens County is a year old now, and the organization is helping people change their lives.
It’s a clear demonstration of the old proverb, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Friday night, Cardboard Box City a first-time fundraising event for the homeless in Pickens County, will happen in Gateway Park next to Clemson Presbyterian Church in downtown Clemson. It’s sponsored by Family Promise of Pickens County, a nonprofit with volunteers from more than 14 churches of different denominations. Family Promise screens families and offers shelter, job training, food, transportation and counseling to homeless families. They help with finding affordable housing and in other ways to give families a way out of despair and into new lives where hope replaces desperation.
Anyone who wants to help can rent a space on site in Cardboard Box City and spend the night in a cardboard box of their own design. Although a space rents for $500, no amount of money will be turned down.
Schools, church groups, businesses and community organizations are all involved, putting together enough support to sleep in a box in the city.
A local businessman, who wants to remain anonymous, has challenged area businesses to sponsor a box home in Cardboard Box City. He has pledged $5,000 if his challenge is answered.
It’s not too late to get your name in the pot. If you don’t have time to build a box, there are some loaners on location. You can register online or at the site.
Meals on Wheels will be on hand running a public soup kitchen from 6-7 p.m. And there will be other special events before everyone goes to sleep.
For more information. visit familypromise.pickens.org or contact the event leader, Tom von Kaenel, at (864) 643-9197 or tom.vonkaenel@yahoo.com.
