Monthly Archives: September 2019
Clemson chamber to offer ATAX training
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The Clemson Chamber of Commerce hopes to help county officials educate applicants on the accommodations tax process.
In recent months, county council members have expressed their frustration with a lack of requested data regarding accommodations tax applications.
ATAX funds are intended for programs and events that draw visitors to Pickens County from at least 50 miles away, who will stay in local hotels.
During council’s recent 19 committee of the whole meeting, acting county administrator Ken Roper gave an update on
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State DSS head: Group homes not long-term answer
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The new director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services believes that group homes should only be a temporary measure.
Department of Social Services and foster care were the main topics of a recent Pickens United meeting.
“Group homes are fine, for the right child,” SCDSS director Mike Leach said. “There’s a lot of research to show that now. The federal government is forcing states to move forward and say ‘Use it, let’s make it sure it’s quality when used, use it for the right kids and don’t use it for too long.’”
Long-term group residency can create “disconnect from the community,” he said.
“That child loses access to their family a lot of times,” he said. “It does more harm than good. A lot of young people do thrive in those settings … but we need to make sure it’s only for the right young people.”
Leach said DSS “is the hardest job in state government,
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Veteran begins statewide walk at Sassafras Mountain
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Greg Quarles is walking across South Carolina to help raise awareness for the sports opportunities available to injured veterans.
Quarles kicked off his walk Thursday morning atop Sassafras Mountain.
“We’re going 357.4 miles over 14 days, from here to Patriots Point down in in Charleston,” he said.
He’ll finish his walk on Sept. 11.
Quarles is the executive director of Arrows for Heroes and the chapter president of South Carolina Arrows for Heroes, a nonprofit that specializes in helping “injured and ill veterans overcome their
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Board recognizes SkillsUSA winners
The School District of Pickens County board recently recognized several students from the Pickens County Career and Technology Center who participated in the national SkillsUSA competition this summer. Jacob Campbell (above) was crowned national champion in the CNC technician competition. Campbell is now senior at Pickens High School and still has one year of eligibility to compete. The district’s mobile robotics team (below) also won silver at SkillsUSA. The team’s members were 2019 Liberty High School valedictorian Isaac Cook and Pickens High School senior Brady Reece. CTC teachers Brian Aiken and LaMarr Brooks coached the students to success at the highest levels of competition.
Working hard for our county
My first summer job was as the groundskeeper at Flat Rock Baptist Church. I had a Sears riding lawnmower to cut the 
lawn, a Briggs and Stratton push mower to cut between the cemetery plots, and an International Cub Tractor to bush hog the field between the church fellowship hall and the parsonage. I had different tools to accomplish different tasks, which allowed me to get the job done more effectively. I remember it as being hard work, and thinking back, I hope I did a good job for the church.
As the years went on, my jobs changed, and so did the tools I used. I used hand trucks to move refrigerators when I worked for Nalley’s Furniture. I used a soldering iron when I worked for Sangamo on the mini shift. Once I entered college and law school, I traded in those tools for books and libraries. And my senior
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The sad tale of Butch
Butch was a great little guy. We hung together for a couple of years when I was a teenager. Although he was much younger than I, he was one of my best friends.
There wasn’t much we could not talk about. He was a great listener, but usually just wanted to play. As I recall, he 
loved the water. We would go swimming together in Daddy’s lake. He could swim much better than I. He could out run me. As a matter of fact, he could do a lot of things better than me. Brother Fred always said that he was better looking than me. Even though I did have large ears and a large nose, that’s debatable. However, Brother Fred is a pretty astute observer and wise individual.
Did I mention that Butch was a bulldog? A thoroughbred boxer, to be exact. But he didn’t know that, and I didn’t tell him. He thought he was human. I never knew his mom, but his dad was Rex and belonged to Brother Bobby. Since Butch and I favored so much, he decided to give him to me.
Now dogs back in the ‘60s did not enjoy the family status of today’s dogs. Nor did they have the privileges of today’s dogs. They had to stay outside
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Was Ernest T right?
Ernest T. Bass is a character on the beloved “Andy Griffith Show” who burst upon the scene in the ‘60s. When Ernest T. came into Mayberry on occasion, he’d announce his presence by throwing a rock through a window and cackling an 
rnest T. Bass is a character on the beloved “Andy Griffith Show” who burst upon the scene in the ‘60s. When Ernest T. came into Mayberry on occasion, he’d announce his presence by throwing a rock through a window and cackling an insane laugh, yelling out, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s Ernest T.”
Ernest T. had a somewhat limited view of life. He had grown up in an area cut off from much of the outside world.
In fact, he was illiterate, and the boundaries of the world as he knew it consisted of Old Man Kelsey’s Woods and Old Man Kelsey’s Creek.
In many ways he was like a wild animal, but he did live by a code. Free from peer pressure or the need to fit in, Ernest T. was completely free.
He lived off the land, hunted and fished and
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Staying at home as you get older
Aging in place means that we remain in our home as we get older. Many of us want that … to stay where we’re comfortable and things are familiar. With enough advance planning and a few changes, it’s possible, but it means anticipating what our needs will be as we face the challenges of age.
For example, if you know you’ll be staying in your home, there are some things you’ll need to do in advance, basics like moving the master bedroom to the first floor, making the outside safe with better lighting and adding grab bars in the shower.
What about all the daily tasks you’ll no longer be able to handle — driving and mowing, meals and shopping — that you’ll need to hire others to do.
But what if you want to move first because your current environment isn’t what you’ll need? Many of
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Hagood Mill hosting 23rd annual fiddling convention this month
PICKENS — As autumn approaches and the leaves turn their brilliant colors, it signals the time for fiddle music in the mountains.
On Sept. 20-21, vintage fiddle music will fill the hills and hollers around Hagood Mill as the mill once again hosts the annual Old Time Fiddling Convention. Some of the best fiddlers in the Southeast will gather to compete for the title of South Carolina’s State Champion Fiddler. The traditional contest goes back to the 1920s, when Clemson University opened the doors of stately Tillman Hall to the local musicians
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Suicide prevention workship offered Sept. 13 in Clemson
CLEMSON — Help end the second leading cause of death of people 15-34 years old in our state by attending a free one-day suicide prevention/intervention workshop on Friday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Clemson. All participants are welcome, and five hours of professional learning credit is accredited for this course.
Email suicidehalt@gmail.com or call Tom von Kaenel (864) 643-9197 to register or for more information.
