Daily Archives: 11/30/2016
Adult acting workshops set for Easley
EASLEY — The Fine Arts Center of Easley will offer adult acting workshops taught by Maury Reed on Thursdays, Dec. 1, 8 and 15, from 6-8 p.m.
Each standalone workshop covers a different topic to build your acting skills. Call (864) 442-6027 for more details and to register.
Clean, cook, eat; Clean, cook, eat
The Thanksgiving weekend goes by quickly. The preparations for it take longer than the day itself, but it’s worth it. Although the meal is a meaningful ritual, there are other things about the day I love.
Having our scattered family together for a few days is wonderful. One of my favorite things is cooking together. Now that Fowler deep fries the turkey, the oven is available for heavy-duty baking. Each year is a little different from the last.
For the first time ever, I had too much broth for the gravy and dressing. That’s never happened in my lifetime, but it wasn’t wasted. We just used more bread crumbs for the dressing to soak it up.
I’m thankful I had enough sense when I was much younger to write down the recipe for the Bethea dressing that my Uncle Walther used to make. It came down from his mother, who was a Bethea and learned it from her mother.
And so the dressing goes on. Yes, it is a lot of trouble, but nowadays we have a food processor to chop the onion and celery, and there should be no reason for complaints. Of course, that doesn’t stop anybody from complaining about how hard it is. That’s part of it.
We couldn’t get Atlantic oysters this year, and that’s the only kind I’ll use. They probably had them somewhere, but when it got down to the wire there just wasn’t time to look for them.
So, for the first time in many years, we had no scalloped oysters on the table. But it really didn’t matter.
We had the turkey, rice and gravy, sweet potato casserole, English peas, green beans, cranberry sauce, dressing, carrot cake, heavenly hash and five kinds of homemade cookies. The cookies were a gift from my sister-in-law who is an outstanding baker.
No matter how many people show up for the meal, we always prepare for a crowd. Although it doesn’t all get eaten up on the day itself, it always gets eaten before the weekend ends.
The day after Thanksgiving, I was able to lie out in the yard in my gravity chair, and it was wonderful. This was a well-deserved break. No shopping for any of us.
The men were busy in the tractor shed. I don’t know what they were doing. Man stuff, probably. The ladies lounged in the yard talking, drowsing and leafing through pages of Southern Living looking at the pictures.
Frankly, that was about all we were fit for. The calves of my legs ached from standing at the stove all day, and my feet don’t bear discussing. Even my sous chefs were exhausted. They worked just as hard as anyone else.
It’s amazing how many times the kitchen has to be cleaned up during food preparation.
Some say to just wait till you finish, but we can’t do that because there aren’t enough bowls and pans available to make that possible.
All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and we enjoyed all of it. It’s hard to see those dear faces leave at the end, but they all have other lives now far away from here. I hope we gave them roots and wings for the lives they have now.
Pickens concert choir to premiere Friday night
PICKENS — The Pickens Concert Choir will open its season with performances this Friday evening, Dec. 2, and Saturday evening, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Hagood Community Center’s newly renovated auditorium under the direction of Carla Padgett, a noted area musician. The auditorium is located at 126 School House Road in Pickens.
The concert choir, which formed in September, will present a program of Christmas music, including “Carol of the Bells” and a selection of classical carols in German.
The Pickens Concert Choir prepares for its first concert at the newly renovated Hagood Center Auditorium on Friday.
Some selections will be performed acapella, but others will be accompanied by Padgett on the center’s newly acquired piano, courtesy of donations. Donors include Daniel P. Andrews, Faye and Joe Padgett, Wesley, Robert and Cindy Wood, Debbie Carmical, Robin Giddings, Wayne Kelley, June and Rocky Harden, Dot Jackson, Lucy Harward, Betty and Ed McDaniel, Marianne Holland and Ann Shock.
Singing soprano are Faye Durham, Marilyn Gromlovits, Gaye Mouritzen and Donna Simms. Singing alto are Debbie Carmical, Tina Ehlies, Debbie Hendricks, Debbie Teeple and Cindy Wood. Singing tenor are Daniel Andrews, Jeff Holder, Ron Jones and Steve Pace. Singing bass are Jim Blalock, Wesley Bolding, Terry Gromlovits, Orville Hendricks and Robert Wood.
Admission is $5 at the door.
Grace United Methodist helps feed firefighters battling mountain fires
PICKENS — Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens answered the call to help out the firefighters on Pinnacle and Table Rock Mountain. The Men’s Club barbecued 350 chickens and took a complete meal to serve to firefighters on Nov. 22. Many church members made pies, cakes, brownies and cookies to serve for dessert. The church bus was packed with food, cleaning supplies, socks, bandanas, toboggans for their heads and hand warmers.
Pinnacle Mountain firefighters enjoy some downtime and a meal provided by Grace United Methodist Church.
The group met firefighters who came from Utah, Oregon, California and Idaho. Most of them had never had barbecued chicken, boiled peanuts, or grits (served every morning as part of their breakfast). All of them were very appreciative of the southern hospitality they have received while in Pickens County. Many hugs were given and received. One man said he would have to go on a diet when he got back home. The good home cooking had been hard to resist, especially all of the desserts.
Grace continues to collect items needed by the firefighters as well as praying for greatly needed rain! James McCoy-Bruce is the senior pastor of Grace.
Old Fashion Christmas set for Thursday in Six Mile
SIX MILE — Six Mile’s annual Old Fashion Christmas will be held this Thursday, Dec. 1, at Six Mile Town Hall.
The schedule includes a 6 p.m. performance by the Hot Foot Cloggers, Ridgeland Drive Baptist Church taking the stage at 6:15 p.m., violinist Collin Davis at 6:35 p.m., Hot Foot Cloggers again at 6:45 p.m., Six Mile Elementary students performing at 7 p.m., and a town singalong and tree lighting at 7:30 p.m.
The festival will feature free entertainment, refreshments and a visit from Santa Claus, so local residents are encouraged to bring a camera.
Courier Community Calendar 11-30-16
• Tabor United plans yard sale/bazaar
Local residents will be able to get into the holiday spirit this year by attending Tabor United Methodist Church’s Christmas Bazaar and yard sale from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. this Saturday. The event will include a breakfast and hot dog sale. The Christmas Bazaar will be held at the church, which is located on Ireland Road in Pickens.
• Norris to host event with Santa
The Christmas season is right around the corner, and with it comes chances for youngsters to visit with the jolly old elf himself — Santa Claus. This year the town of Norris is offering just such an opportunity with a special event called “Cookies and Milk with Santa.” The meet and greet with St. Nick will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Norris Community Building at the park located at 612 Norris Highway. It all starts at 10 a.m. and continues until noon. Parents are encouraged to bring a camera or cellphone to capture the moment when their little one is in Santa’s lap telling him what they would like for Christmas. For more information on the event, call Norris City Hall at (864) 639-2033.
• Master gardener class set for January
A 16-week master gardener course will meet each Monday, Jan. 23 through May 15 from 9 a.m.-noon in the main conference room of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources office. A copy of the S.C. Master Gardener Training Manual is included. In order to earn S.C. Master Gardener certification, participants will need to complete the training course and provide 40 hours of volunteer service. Registration closes on Jan. 13. Registration fee is $300. Enrollment is limited and is based on a first-come first-served basis. For more information or questions on the course offering, contact LayLa Burgess or visit clemson.edu/extension/mg/counties/pickens_oconee_anderson/index.html.
• Family Discovery Project set by 4-H
Those interested will be able to learn about their family history, customs and quirks in an online family project sponsored by 4-H. There are no meetings, and the project can be taken as fast or slow as participants wish.
Cost is $10 for 4-H families and $20 for non-4-H members. Contact Pickens County Extension at (864) 878-1394 to sign up.
• ‘Bike or Bust’ event set for 5-Point Church
5 Point Church will be hosting the church’s second annual “Bikes or Bust” this Thursday, Dec. 1, and Friday, Dec 2. Last year, individuals, businesses, fire and police departments in Easley stepped by to rally around this effort and raised 256 bikes. The church’s goal this year is to raise another 250 bikes to help children in need at Crosswell and East End Elementary schools, as well as The Santa Shoppe at the The Dream Center. The church will begin broadcasting live at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, and end at midnight Dec. 2. There will be interviews throughout the weekend with WYFF’s Geoff Hart, former Clemson football player Eric Mac Lain and many more, with Trivia Night on Dec. 1 and a corn hole tournament on Dec. 2. On Friday night, from 6-9 p.m., there will be a craft fair with more than 25 vendors to choose from to purchase that special Christmas gift for your family or friends. The church prefers new bikes that are 20 to 24 inches for boys or girls. Monetary donations can be made online at 5point.tv, through giving, by selecting “Bikes or Bust.”
For more information, call 5 Point Church at (864) 850-0580 or visit 5point.tv/bikes.
