2016 Palmetto Tournament 9U Volleyball Champions — Pickens Sparks — Kneeling: Lily Clarkson and Kate Lyda. Middle: Ashlyn Knight, Kinslee Whitcomb, Cianne Shumway, Tayla Church, Lexi Stokes and Kylie Thornall. Back: Coaches Pamela and Zander Clarkson.

2016 Palmetto Volleyball 12U Tournament Champions — Pickens Shock Waves — Front: Coach Jenny Lyda, Anna Beth Duncan, Caroline Lyda, Jenna Lyda and Allison Moore. Back: Alyssa McWhorter, Madison Smith, Faith Clarkson, Tensley Gowens, Olivia Bates and coach Jeff Lyda.

2016 Palmetto 14U Volleyball Champions — Pickens No. 4 — Zoe Hester, Avery Martin, Meggie Porter, Sophie Sawyer, Kylee Mae Holmes, Stefani Gillespie and coaches Jodi and Drew Holmes.

2016 Palmetto Volleyball 17U Champions — Pickens Warriors — Front: Blake Breton. Back: Breanna Walters, Coach Wayne Breton, Dani Zucchi, Maddie Daves, Adalyn Moore, Sierra Lollis, Coach Kelly Breton and Dakota Mills. Absent: Kristen Terhune.

2016 Palmetto Tournament 9U Volleyball Runners-Up — Pickens Panthers — Kneeling: Bella Aleman and Kimberly Hyder. Standing: Kelsey Perry, Jessie Gillis, Aven Slusser, Julia Thompson, Breanna Adams and Sydney Burnett. Back: Coaches Jaimon and Kelly Perry.

2016 Tri-County Volleyball 12U Tournament Runners-Up — Pickens Dominators — Front: Jayden Harden, Abby Lesley and Lee Kathryn Thompson. Back: McKenzie Daves, Rylie Swett, Shelby Parvis, Ava Westhart and coach Jennifer Parvis. Absent: McKenzie Barlet and Ella Grace Lawton.

Palmetto Volleyball Tournament 14U Runners-up — Pickens No. 3 — Front: Sierra Walters, Coach Eddie Wade and Meredith Turner. Back: Coach Patty Roach, Hannah Suarez, Morgan Henry, Karen Kay, Cassy Roach, Mallorie Doty and coach Scott Hanson

2016 Palmetto Volleyball 17U Tournament Runners-Up — Pickens Hurricanes — Front: Cheree Roscoe, Michaela Stegall and Kathryn Ross. Back: Breanna Santillo, coach Thomas Santillo, Cheyenne Davis, coach Harry Blair, Bailey Keasler, Alyssa Scott and Meaghan Blair.

Naturalists hoping animal brings friends back to county

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS COUNTY — Like many who come to Pickens County, a new visitor is considering relocating to the area permanently.

Only this visitor has four legs and antlers.

There have been numerous sightings of an elk in Pickens County in recent weeks. According to a release from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the elk was first sighted on Oct. 21 at Camp McCall, a South Carolina Baptist Convention camp on U.S. Highway 178. The following day, the elk was seen at the post office in Sunset. It was also been seen in the Nine Times xommunity and on a golf course, The Reserve at Lake Keowee.

Greg Lucas with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said the latest sighting put the elk off Stewart Gin Road near Liberty on Monday morning.

The elk is “a young bull that’s been run off from the herd” in the Great Smoky Mountains, local naturalist Dennis Chastain said.

“He’s looking for new territory,” he said. “He’s looking for a place where there’s no other bulls that can whip his rear end.”

Brandy Karr/Photo

Brandy Karr spotted this elk outside her home on Stewart Gin Road in Liberty on Monday morning.

After mating season is over, the young bull will rejoin the herd, Chastain said. But the local naturalist and others are hoping he’ll come back to this area — and establish a herd of his own.

“He’s making a mental map,” Chastain said. “He has apparently found Pickens County to his liking. He won’t forget it. He’ll need a place to have his own harem. We’re looking forward to the day that we do have an established population here.”

An animal lost to this area for so long coming back “never happens in your lifetime,” Chastain said.

“It’s an incredible phenomenon,” he said. “I think he got a warm reception. He’ll be here for a while.”

A man who later became the governor of Virginia was among the last people to see the Eastern Elk in our area, Chastain said.

William Byrd was surveying the North and South Carolina border in 1728. His diary provides “an historic first-person account” of the elk, Chastain said.

One of Byrd’s party found a pair of elk antlers and the tracks of the animal that had shed it.

“By 1728, it was rare to sight one in North or South Carolina,” Chastain said. “They had migrated north due to hunting pressure.”

Byrd’s diary describes the elk’s color as “something lighter than that of the red deer.”

He also describes their “swift speed” and keen sense of smell.

“They wind a man at a great distance,” Byrd writes. “For this reason they are seldom seen.”

He also recorded that the elk’s smell wasn’t very pleasant to encounter.

“That is priceless information,” Chastain said. “We just don’t have a lot of first impressions of what the elk looked like.”

By 1900, the population of elk in North America had dropped to the point that hunting groups and other conservation organizations became concerned that the species was headed for extinction, according to a DNR release.

Reintroduction of elk into Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in 2001. The population around the Great Smoky Mountains is estimated at 150 elk, and there have been numerous unconfirmed sightings in Upstate South Carolina in recent years, the release said.

Chastain has been up to see the herd several times.

“It’s quite a sight to see the herd right here in the Carolinas,” he said.

As the Great Smoky Mountains herd began to expand, concerned parties began preparing for the animal’s eventual foray into Pickens County. A number of years ago, Chastain was contacted by Dr. Carl Walsh, president of the South Carolina chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

“He said ‘We need to do something in advance before the elk shows up,’” Chastain recalled. “It was inevitable that that would happen.”

Chastain began bringing interested parties to the conversation, to help prepare for elk arrival.

“Everybody agreed what a wonderful thing it would be if they should show up,” he said.

Chastain said the elk of days gone by were probably smaller than the elk of today.

“A mature elk in the west is going to weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds,” Chastain said. “That’s getting in the range of a horse. A mature bull (elk) then probably weighed in at more than 800 pounds. That’s a large animal for this area. An extraordinary deer weighs 200 pounds — we think of that as just a hog.”

The elk was an important animal to the Cherokee of this area, Chastain said.

“One elk would feed a tribe of Cherokee for a week or more,” he said.

Portions of the animal’s meat would be mixed with various fruits to create pemmican.

“That mixture would last forever,” Chastain said. “It wouldn’t mold, it wouldn’t rot. The citric acid in the dried fruits would help preserve things. There was certain wisdom to these Native American dietary practices.”

When an elk was killed, “everybody would descend on it,” he said.

“It was a communal affair,” Chastain said. “They used every part of the elk.”

Bone marrow was an important part of the Cherokee diet. The animal’s hide would be part of the roof of a Cherokee dwelling.

“It was an important animal to the early Native Americans,” Chastain said. “It was a big blow to them when it disappeared.”

Should the elk return with a harem to Pickens County, and that herd grow to sufficient numbers, it is possible a limited hunting season could be established to help control the population.

“For now, we certainly don’t want anybody shooting them,” Chastain said.

While they’re hoping the elk stays — and brings back friends — wildlife officials warn residents not to get too close to the four-legged tourist, who probably weighs in around 700 pounds.

“People get a false sense of security, because elk don’t mind being approached,” N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Justin McVey said in a release put out by DNR. “But they are still wild animals and can be very dangerous. All it would take is for that elk to swing its antlers, and it could really hurt somebody.”

Motorists are also advised to use caution when driving on Upstate roads where the elk might be roaming, especially at sunrise and sunset.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS COUNTY — After an election cycle that has seemed unusually long, Election Day is finally almost here.

According to the Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Pickens County, absentee voting is well underway. In-person absentee voting ends at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7.

The in-person absentee voting precinct is available at the county administration building at 222 McDaniel Ave. in Pickens between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, Monday through Friday, and the office will also have special Saturday hours this week from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

According to figures provided on the county voter registration office’s website, as of Oct. 25, the elections office had mailed 1,525 absentee ballots and 1,644 voters had voted in person at the elections office. Elections office personnel had also emailed 91 ballots to military and overseas citizens who qualify under federal voting laws.

Absentee voting figures are on par with recent presidential general elections, according to the elections office.

Pickens County had a total of 5,377 absentee voters in the 2008 presidential general election.

In the 2012 presidential general election, Pickens County had a total of 5.483 absentee voters.

A list of general election voting locations and sample ballots can be found at the elections office website at pickenselections.org.

The presidential and vice presidential race includes several candidates who have not received national media attention.

Voters will choose from the tickets of Democrats Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine, Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Libertarian Party candidates Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, Green Party candidates Jill Stein and Amaju Baraka, Constitution Party candidates Darrell Castle and Scott Bradley and American Party candidates Peter Skewes and Michael Lacey.

Although they are permitted to do so in other races, South Carolina voters are not allowed to write in candidates for the offices of president and vice president.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican, faces several challengers in the race to keep his seat. Thomas Dixon is representing both the Democratic and Green parties. Bill Bledsoe is representing both the Constitution and Libertarian parties. Rebel Michael Scarborough is the American Party candidate.

Congressman Jeff Duncan will face opposition from Democrat Hosea Cleveland in the District 3 race, and voters are allowed to write-in candidates for this office.

Rex Rice faces no other opposition in the S.C. Senate District 2 race after defeating incumbent Larry Martin in the Republican primary this year.

S.C. District 1 Sen. Thomas Alexander also faces no opposition.

There are several State House of Representative races on the general election ballot.

District 3 Rep. Gary Clary faces opposition from Libertarian candidate Travis L. McCurry., while District 4 Rep. Davey Hiott will face Libertarian Joey Lum.

District 5 Rep. Neal Collins will be unopposed after defeating Rick Tate in the Republican primary.

For the S.C. House District 10 seat, incumbent Republican Joshua Putnam faces Democrat Anna Brown.

Clemson Mayor J.C. Cook faces no opposition in his race for another term, but seven candidates are vying for three seats on Clemson City Council. Incumbents Crossie Cox, John Ducworth and Jim Oswald will try to retain their seats against the challenges of Mark Cato, Eunice Lehmacher, Drake McNeary and Christine Minor.

There is only one contested Pickens County School Board race. Incumbent Alex Saitta faces Shannon Haskett for the District 3 seat. Two other candidates are running unopposed — Betty Garrison for the District 5 seat currently held by Judy Edwards and Betty Bagley for the District 1 seat, left vacated by the death earlier this year of Dr. Herb Cooper.

Many county office holders faced no opposition in the June primary and are running unopposed in the general election. Clerk of court Pat Welborn, treasurer Dale Looper, auditor Brent Suddeth and coroner Kandy Kelley face no opposition. Sheriff Rick Clark also faces no opposition after defeating Tim Morgan in the Republican primary.

Having defeated their opponents in the primary, four Pickens County Council candidates face no opposition on the November ballot. Wes Hendricks (District 3), Roy Costner (District 4), Chris Bowers (District 5) and Carl Hudson (District 6) are running unopposed.

George Bryant is running for Soil and Water District Commissioner.

Some county voters will vote for watershed commissioners.

There are two seats to fill on the Brushy Creek Watershed District Commission. Eric McConnell, Gary Nevil and Scott Smart are running for the seats.

There are three seats to fill on the Georges Creek Watershed District Commission. John H. Cutchin faces Remsen Stewart Bauknight, who filed as a write-in candidate.

There are two seats to fill on the Oolenoy Watershed District Commission. David R. Gilstrap and Drake Curry are running.

There are three seats to fill on the Three and Twenty Watershed District Commission. J. Mark Bishop, W.H. McAbee III and Phil Tripp are running.

Some county voters will get to weigh in on referendums.

Residents of the Shady Grove Rural Fire District will see this question on their ballots: “Shall the fire tax millage rate for the Shady Grove Rural Fire District be increased by 4.6 mils in order to correct the current operating deficit, and provide additional manpower and improve fire protection and emergency response for the District?”

Two Pickens County municipalities will vote on Sunday alcohol sales.

Central voters will see the following ballot question: “Shall the South Carolina Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in this Central, SC for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours to allow the possession, sale, and consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink to bona fide nonprofit organizations and business establishments authorized to be licensed for consumption-on-premises sales and to allow the sale of beer and wine at permitted off-premises locations without regard to the days or hours of sales?”

Easley voters will also vote on Sunday alcohol sales. Their ballot questions reads as follows: “Shall the South Carolina Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in the City of Easley for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours to allow possession, sale, and consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink to bona fide nonprofit organizations and business establishments authorized to be licensed for consumption-on-premises sales and all the sale of beer and wine at permitted off-premises locations without regard to the days or hours of sales?”

Krystal Lynne Whitmire was born in Binghamton, N.Y., on March 9, 1987. As a young child, she lived in Fishs Eddy, N.Y., before moving to Brooklyn, N.Y. A short time later her stepfather and mother moved to the Poconos in Pennsylvania.

When Krystal was 11 years old, her family moved to Liberty. She attended Liberty Elementary School. She graduated from Liberty High School in 2005. While she was in high school, she worked at Krystal, which was in Liberty. She worked there until it closed down.

After she graduated from high school, she started working at Runnymede, located in Pickens. That is where she met her husband, Christopher Whitmire. They have one daughter, Emma, who is 7 years old and is in the second grade at Liberty Elementary School.

Carol Baker/Courier

Although Krystal Whitmire was born in New York, she has called Pickens County home since she was in the sixth grade and said she would never want to live anywhere else.

Although Krystal has lived in several states, she says that she considers Liberty her home. She said she would never want to live anywhere else.

Krystal was a stay-at-home mom for one year before going to work at Confluence Watersports, a company that makes kayaks. She worked on the assembly line there for two years until the company moved from Easley to Greenville.

Her next job was at BI-LO, which was located on U.S. Highway 123 in Easley. When the store closed, she was transferred to BI-LO in Pickens. She said that when she first learned she would be moved to the Pickens store she was nervous. She was nervous about working there because she did not know any of the employees. She said that it didn’t take long before she became friends with all of them. She said she has also gotten to know many nice customers. She has been working there for a year and a half.

Krystal’s position at BI-LO is assistant bookkeeper. Her job consists of being responsible for balancing the tills and making deposits. She also works at the service desk. When needed, she works as a cashier.

Krystal’s hobby is arts and crafts. She paints statues and gives them to family members. These statues are placed outside in their yards. She also likes to make hair bows for her daughter.

One of her favorite things to do is cook. She likes to try out new recipes.

Once a year, Krystal, Christopher and Emma go on a vacation. They like to go to Florida. Their favorite places to go there are Daytona Beach and Pensacola. This past July, they went to Disney World.

Krystal owns two pet dogs — Princess, a Shih Tzu-Dachshund mix, is 12 years old, and Little Man, a Shih Tzu-Pekingese, is 8 years old. She takes good care of them and said they are like family.

Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@thepccourier.com.

PICKENS — Health care has undergone many changes over the past 24 years, and Cannon Memorial Hospital CEO Norm Rentz has been part of the changing landscape.

When Rentz came to the hospital in 1992, Cannon had a small emergency room with only a part-time physician. By the late ‘90s, the Pickens community and Cannon Foundation board raised funding to more than double the size of the ER and added full-time physicians to the rotation. Other campaign drives allowed Cannon to purchase a state-of-the-art digital mammography machine, room renovations and upgraded equipment. With Rentz as lead, and with a highly qualified staff at his side, Cannon Memorial has continued to fill a crucial need for emergency needs, outpatient services, and in-patient care for the Pickens community.

As technology changed the medical arena, Rentz worked to ensure that Cannon Memorial continued to offer the most advanced technology appropriate for the hospital.

“Technology continues to grow at an amazing speed,” Rentz said. “Today, everything from a patient’s electronic records to our equipment requires advanced technology to stay ahead and continue to offer the best care to our patients. I am proud to say that we have been able to offer that at Cannon.”

Pickens mayor David Owens, left, presents retiring Cannon Memorial Hospital CEO Norm Rentz with a proclamation from the city at a retirement celebration held in his honor last week.

While as CEO, Rentz helped facilitate a relationship between AnMed Health and Cannon that dates back to 2009. An agreement in 2014 further integrated the systems. Since then, leaders in nursing, business services, human resources and other functions have implemented changes that have aligned the two organizations’ standards of care and business practices. On Monday, Cannon Memorial Hospital officially changed its name to AnMed Health Cannon. The relationship also enforces a shared commitment to providing seamless, high-quality health care services to residents of Pickens and surrounding communities.

The staff and Pickens community celebrated Rentz’s retirement on Oct. 25.

“I am proud of this hospital and staff,” he said. “It has been an honor to work for the hospital and help keep our community healthy by meeting their needs. I am looking forward to retirement and spending time with my family and friends. I wish to thank those who came out today for this retirement party. It humbles me that so many took the time to be with me today.”

Rentz will continue to be involved in the hospital as he transitions to a consultant role with the Cannon Memorial Foundation.

“The Cannon community has supported this hospital since it began in 1947,” Rentz said. “As our hospital continues to move toward the future, we plan to continue to engage those who see the need for us to remain a quality service for our area. Our future looks bright, and we plan on being here for our community and its health care needs.”

PICKENS — Motorcycle riders will join together on Nov. 6 to help children at the Pickens Toy Run.

The event, which will begin at 2 p.m. at Legacy Square, will send riders out at 2:30 p.m. for a 50-mile ride.

Those participating are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to the Country Santa program in Pumpkintown.

The event is sponsored by Freedom Biker Church, Foothills Scenic Biker Apparel and Pickens County Abate.

For more information, call (864) 810-0325.