Monthly Archives: April 2018
175 to lose jobs in plant closure
Alice Manufacturing announces plans to shutter last Pickens County facility
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — More than 150 local residents will lose their jobs after Alice 
Manufacturing announced Monday the Ellison Plant will close half a century in operation.
According to a release issued Monday, the company is phasing out operations at the Ellison plant effective June 30.
The plant, located near the intersection of S.C. highways 183 and 135 near Dacusville, currently employs 175 people.
Alice Manufacturing has produced high-quality griege fabric and yarn in Easley for 95 years, the release said.
In the release, Alice Manufacturing chairman E. Smyth McKissick III
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All Aboard for Fun
Central Railroad Festival is this weekend
Special Edition in the week’s Courier
CLICK TO READ THE RAILROAD FESTIVAL EDITION
Welcome to the 10th annual Central Railroad Festival! We’re glad to have you and your family with us and hope that you will have a wonderful, fun-filled day. If you’ve been to the Railroad Festival before, we appreciate your continued attendance and support. If this is your first time with us, you’ve got a lot to see, do & enjoy: great food, craft vendors, and a wide variety of free entertainment and attractions. Best of all, WE HAVE TRAINS!
This insert is your guide to everything you and your family need for an unforgettable day of fun. We’ve included maps, schedules and information about the day’s exciting activities. You’ll also see details about our sponsors, who have once again helped us present this
Azalea fun in the sun
Downtown Pickens came alive over the weekend as thousands took advantage of the beautiful spring weather and flocked to the city for 
the 34th annual Azalea Festival. Friday night’s festivities featured the annual classic car cruise-in and a night of music, while the fun reached the next level on Saturday with more live music, food, arts and crafts and fun and games for the whole family. To see more photos, visit Facebook.com/PickensCountyCourier.
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Man sentenced to 15 years in sexual assault
PICKENS — An Easley man was found guilty last week of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 2016, 13th Circuit solicitor Walt Wilkins 
said in a news release.
Matthew Jamie Bryant, 36, of 100 Hidden Acres Drive, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct in April 2016, when police said he forced the teen into a bedroom at a home in Easley, threw her onto a bed and assaulted her against her will.
Bryant was found guilt and sentenced to 15 years in prison and a lifetime on the sex offender registry, according to the news release. Wilkins added Bryant won’t be eligible for parole until he serves at least 85 percent of his 15-year sentence.
Wilkins’ news release said Bryant denied being at the girl’s home when
he was interviewed by Pickens County Sheriff’s Office investigators, but DNA testing later proved he committed the assault.
Busy schedule ahead for Six Mile
SIX MILE — The historic Town of Six Mile will be buzzing with happenings over the next week, as the public is invited to attend a dedication ceremony for a historical marker for the Cherokee Trading Path on Tuesday, April 30.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. and feature many guest speakers, including Ehren Foley of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, James B. Jeffries of the Clemson University Department of History and Geography, associate director of the USC Lancaster Native American Studies Center Christopher Judge, Pickens County Historical Society president Ken Nabors and Dennis Chastain, a well-known local historian.
The marker will be unveiled by Six Mile Town Councilman James Atkinson and Nabors.
On display will be a collection of 1720-1760 British Army artifacts found at researched camps located along the Cherokee Trading Path presented by Russ Hebert III.
Light refreshments will be offered afterward by Select Bank in
recognition of the four-year anniversary of Our Bank in the Six Mile Community Room. There will also be tours of Our Bank and other refreshments at the bank site downtown as well.
This Thursday, April 26, things will get started leading up to the marker dedication with the season opening of the Six Mile Farmers Market. The market will offer fresh, locally grown vegetables, fruits, plants, goat milk and cheese, fudge, crafts and other locally produced farm items. The event will kick off at 4 p.m. and run until 7 p.m. with music and free food. The farmers market will continue until September every Thursday. Spaces are available for $5 per week or $25 for the full season. Contact Rita Martin at Six Mile Town Hall at (864) 868-5078 or visit sixmilesc.org for more information about getting a space.
On Friday, April 27, the Six Mile Music Festival — part of the Clemson Music Festival — will kick off at 6 p.m. with Buffalo Barfield. The Eric Scott Band will take the stage at 7 p.m. The event will benefit the town and is a free event, with donations for a plate supper.
SC 153 extension project underway
EASLEY — A long-anticipated project to extend S.C. Highway 153 in Easley is finally getting underway.
The purpose of the extension is to alleviate congestion on U.S. Highway 123 and to provide an alternate route through the eastern and northern portions of the city of Easley, according to South Carolina Department of Transportation officials.
The project is scheduled to connect S.C. 153 from its current ending
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Group shows support for sexual assault survivors
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Local men endured some temporary discomfort last Thursday evening in order to raise awareness about a serious cause.
The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event was the first such event hosted by the Pickens County Advocacy Center, executive director Shannon Lambert said.
“No complaining,” she said during her opening remarks. “You guys can take a little pain for a few more minutes.”
Around 75 people signed up to march around the village green at Patrick Square in Clemson wearing women’s heels.
“Tonight we are standing by survivors of sexual violence in a fun but also serious manner,” Lambert said. “These men are going to get a little uncomfortable wearing high heels. We’re showing support and solidarity and having a good time and making sure that during Sexual Assault Awareness Month that we’re bringing more light and more
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EHS grad dazzles for Gamecocks
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — Facing the fearsome bats of the 19th-ranked LSU Tigers would be a challenge for any collegiate pitcher, but for Easley High 
School graduate Logan Chapman, it was just another step in a successful freshman season at the University of South Carolina.
Chapman, who signed with the Gamecocks after being named the South Carolina Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017, dominated the Tigers on the mound to the tune of 6.2 shutout innings and six strikeouts in an11-0 win on Friday to open a weekend sweep.
But the Gamecocks have come to expect that kind of play from the freshman. Chapman, who currently leads the team in ERA and has a spotless 3-0 record through nine starts, started the season as the
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Summer camp registration now open at Pickens Rec
PICKENS — Pickens Recreation Summer Day Camp 2018 is now being planned.
The camp will be eight one-week sessions starting in June. Weeks will be June 4-8, 11-15, 18-22 and 25-29, July 9-13, 16-20 and 23-27, July 30-Aug. 3 and Aug. 6-10. There will be no day camp from July 2-6.
Day camp will be held at the Pickens Recreation Center at 545 Sangamo Road in Pickens.
Camps will be for ages 6-12 (completed 5K kindergarten through rising
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City of Easley creates new facade improvement grant
EASLEY — The city of Easley’s new facade improvement grant program is intended to stimulate improvements to the exterior of commercial buildings within the city.
The program provides financial assistance to commercial property owners and business owners within the city’s Tax Increment Finance district boundaries. The purpose of the program is to support the revitalization of the city’s core, historic downtown, by stimulating
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