Jen Trammell was recently hired as Liberty High School’s new competition cheer coach, taking over for Lauren Hudson. Trammell is a 2010 graduate of Liberty High School. Trammell cheered for LHS for six seasons and was a part of four state championship teams.

She earned All-State honors in 2009. After graduating from LHS, she attended Southern Wesleyan University, where she earned a degree in special education in 2014. Trammell has been teaching in the LIFE Program at LHS for two years. Since beginning her teaching career at LHS, she has been head support cheer coach, assistant competition cheer coach and assistant softball coach.

Recently, Boy Scout Troop 51 of Pickens welcomed six new scouts who crossed over from Pack 51 after earning their Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouts. New scouts, who are pictured in the front row, from left, are Benjamin Poore, Timmy Williamson, Jacob Santeler, Justin Lipscomb, Dominick Maritato and Alex Malone. Also pictured are current Scouts and leaders of Troop 51. Chartered in November 1940, Troop 51 recently celebrated its 75th anniversary in the Pickens community. The troop meets every Monday night at its Scout Hut on Black Snake Road.

PICKENS — Pickens High Blue Flame football supporters are ready to hit the links, as the annual Pickens Touchdown Club Golf Tournament is set to get underway at The Rock golf course this Saturday, May 21.

The event will kick off with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. It will feature a four-man captain’s choice format, with a $300 per team entry fee.

The fee includes breakfast before the tourney and lunch after the tourney. “Cheater packages,” — including one throw, one red tee and one Mulligan — are included for each person, and there will be door prizes, a putting contest, longest drive and closest to the pin prizes.

To get your team registered, call the pro shop at The Rock at (864) 878-2030.

Corporate sponsorships are also available. If you own a business and want to support Blue Flame football, call Michael Burgess at (864) 270-0918.

UPSTATE — Duke Energy has been powering South Carolina for more than a century, and continues to power the minds of its students by investing in innovative education programs and initiatives across the state.

Through the Duke Energy Foundation, $500,000 in grants will go to initiatives across the state that emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as programs that increase childhood reading proficiency.

“Supporting effective education programs that focus on fields related to science and technology are a critical focus for our company,” said Clark Gillespy, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president. “These initiatives will help strengthen the pipeline of highly skilled workers that fuel the economic engines that drive South Carolina.”

Duke Energy’s education grants this year include:

Clemson University Women in Science/Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention (PEER): To provide continued support to programs that provide camps for minority engineering majors, and to provide camps, encouragement and support to women pursuing careers in science and math.

S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics: To support summer training for teachers in Pickens, Florence and Kershaw counties with hands-on STEM activities and curriculum, and summer camps that focus on STEM topics.

iMAGINE Upstate: To support pre-event activities focused on science and engineering for students leading up to the STEM-focused community festival.

Junior Achievement of the Upstate: To provide kits that will help middle school children in Greenville County understand STEM career paths.

School District of Oconee County: To support a district-wide initiative of accelerated professional development for the implementation of STEM curriculum.

School District of Pickens County: To provide literacy teacher training for all kindergarten through 5th grade teachers.

United Way of Greenville County: To support afterschool programs for students from underserved neighborhoods that engage in hands-on STEM activities.

United Way of Pickens County: To expand the successful “Camp iRock” summer literacy program countywide.

Upcountry History Museum: To support literacy development through the Upcountry History Museum Book Club.

Winthrop University: To support internships for students pursuing STEM majors.

“Camp iRock is an innovative educational program in Pickens County that addresses summer literacy loss in students advancing to second, third and fourth grades,” said Julie Capaldi, president of the United Way of Pickens County. “More than 200 struggling readers will experience intensive literacy instruction from highly qualified teachers in a fun camp atmosphere this summer thanks to Duke Energy.”

“Our portable training program is designed to improve student outcomes by empowering middle-school math and science teachers with quality, hands-on lab experiences that integrate useful technologies into standards-based curriculum,” said Kim Bowman, CEO of the Governor’s School for Math and Science Foundation. “Duke Energy’s investment in our statewide outreach programs will have a tremendous impact this summer on teachers and students in Florence, Kershaw and Pickens counties.”

In addition to these grants, Duke Energy and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s largest children’s literacy organization, recently announced a partnership to minimize the summer slide and improve the reading proficiency of more than 3,000 current second graders in South Carolina. The $400,000 program will be available in 36 Title I elementary schools in the Pee Dee region in northeast South Carolina.

The grants are administered through the Duke Energy Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to address the needs vital to the health of its communities, with a focus on education, environment, economic and workforce development and community impact.

The foundation annually funds more than $25 million to communities throughout Duke Energy’s six-state service area. Last year, the foundation donated more than $1.7 million to nonprofit organizations throughout South Carolina.

PICKENS — The Pickens County Museum of Art and History has announced the opening of J. Michael Johnson’s photograph show “Unseen: Street Scenes.”

An opening reception for the show is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, from 2-4 p.m., and the show is scheduled to continue through Sept. 9.

The show is a brief glimpse at the humor, flamboyance, passion and dedication of the motorcycle lifestyle from an award-winning photojournalist.

Johnson uses both black and white and color to capture these very special moments in his photographs. This is a large exhibit consisting of more than 45 works depicting pride, joy, sorrow, festival events and even a wedding celebration during bike week in Daytona. Johnson will be on hand and available to meet during the opening reception on June 19.

Johnson was born and raised in East Tennessee and has been taking photographs of the motorcycle lifestyle since 1997. His photographic and written works about Daytona’s Bike Week were featured in Easyriders, Biker and In The Wind magazines. Lehman Trikes of Canada has published Johnson’s work in its Pride Matters magazine.

Johnson continues to provide commercial photography services to various companies in the motorcycle industry.

The Pickens County Museum of Art and History is located at 307 Johnson St. in Pickens, at the corner of Johnson Street and U.S. Highway 178, two blocks south of Main Street. The museum’s hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and Saturday, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

For more information, call (864) 898-5963 or visit visitpickenscounty.com.

SIX MILE — Mile Creek Baptist Church, located at 104 Lakeside Drive in Six Mile, is currently holding its May Days revival.

Preacher Chris Haizlip will be featured this Tuesday, May 24, and Preacher Joe Arthur will deliver the message on Tuesday, May 31.

Local choirs will be singing each night.

The Pickens Recreation Center recently hosted its single-elimination end-of-the-season volleyball tournament, featuring teams from Clemson/Central, Liberty, Dacusville and Pickens. Not pictured are the 13-14-year-old winning team from Dacusville and runners-up from Clemson/Central.

 Pamela and Zanders Clarkson’s team, from left: Pamela Clarkson, Kamryn Hostetler, Julia Thompson, Gracie Hollman, Lily Clarkson, Britain Dunn, Alyssa Black, Lee Kathryn Thompson and Kate Lyda.

The Dacusville Savages, coached by Kaci Bennefield.

 Jeff Wood’s team, from left: Carson Hatcher, Aryn Nalley, Haley Bearden, Coach Jeff Wood, Julianna Blackwell, Maddy Butler, Hannah Bowen, Julie Nalley and coach Morgan Mavis.

 Celia Bridges and Patty Roach’s team, from left: Celia Bridges, Sadie McKinney, Emma Adams, Naomi Bridges, Hannah Kelly, Addie Roach, Emerson McCall, Rhiannon Erwin, Sadie Sawyer and Patty Roach.

Carrie Sutherland and Heidi Covey’s team, from left: front row, Sarah Allison and Emily Chappell. Middle row, Nicole Hickey, Faith Gravley, Autumn Barnhardt and Stefani Gillispie. Back row, Heidi Covey ,Carrie Sutherland, Calie Covey, Miracle Russell and Chandler Sutherland.

Van Long’s team, from left: front row, Ivy Long, Haylee Dryman and Kayla Dryman. Back row, Tiffany Patterson; Faith Fowler, Coach April Strickland, Van Long, Makayla Readette and Abbie Roach.