Category Archives: Lifestyles
From the heart
YouTube channel gives flea market pickers online ‘shrine’
When you write a column called “Mountain Rhythms,” you can’t pass up a story like this: “Old-time Flea Market pickers live forever in the cloud.”
Old-time pickers happen to be one of my great interests in life — partly because I’ve become one of them myself. And the group that gathers every Wednesday morning to entertain bargain hunters at the Pickens Flea Market has become, like the Rolling Stones, an institution.
But it’s an institution that, sadly, is fading slowly away. At least that’s the way Chris DeJong felt
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TCTC students’ NCLEX scores surpass state, national rates
PENDLETON — Tri-County Technical College’s recent associate degree nursing graduates earned a 92.59 first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX).
Their performance on the exam surpassed both state and national pass rates.
According to the National Council State Board of Nursing, the state pass rate is 92.42 and the national average is 89.27.
Following May graduation, 54 first-time candidates took the computerized licensure exam, which tests a graduate’s basic nursing knowledge and decision-making ability on commonly encountered health-care situations. Graduates of Tri-County’s RN program
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Making memorable family moments
Educational activities ideal for making memories together
Family Features
ducational activities and plans that allow kids to flex their brain muscles in fun and creative ways can be ideal ways to spend family time that makes lasting memories.
While children typically gain invaluable knowledge and experience in the classroom, purposeful activities done outside of that setting can help encourage kids to keep learning and make family moments more enjoyable for everyone involved.
From planning trips that celebrate animals and the great outdoors to rainy day activities at home that inspire creative expression, these ideas can produce some family moments worth remembering.
1. Go on a scavenger hunt. From native species of plants, animals and insects to neighborhood landmarks, there are plenty of interesting things that can be found right in your own backyard. Organize a scavenger hunt and work together in teams of family members to search for each item on the list, then do more research on the things you found once you return home. For a real challenge, expand your hunt to the city limits of your hometown and make a day trip of the adventure.
2. Hang out with wildlife. Learn about different species of animals, how to help protect them and the importance of eco-friendly everyday practices by visiting a destination like an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo or aquarium. You can explore the challenges facing endangered species, discover how community programs are spurring positive
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Tips to keep your holiday happy and safe 4th of July
Independence Day is a celebration of the United States of America. The holiday is marked by fanfare and large parties, complete with barbecues, fireworks and parades.
As fun as July 4th festivities typically are, injuries, particularly those involving fireworks, are a concern that celebrants should not take lightly. An estimated 11,000 people visited the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries in 2016, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, fireworks aren’t the only danger this time of year. In order to remain safe, individuals can heed these tips.
• Do not drink and drive. Alcohol consumption may accompany Independence Day festivities. For those planning on using a car to get to and from parties, it is essential to designate a driver who will not imbibe. Otherwise, utilize any number of ridesharing services or available taxis.
• Swim smartly. Always swim with a buddy, and consider hiring a lifeguard if you’ll be hosting a pool party and cannot keep a watchful eye on guests in the pool. Adults also should not swim intoxicated, as it can impede the ability to stay afloat and may lead to risky behaviors.
• Leave fireworks to the professionals. Watch a public fireworks display instead of lighting fireworks on the street or in the backyard.
• Exercise caution with sparklers. Kids running around with sparklers in hand could be a recipe for disaster, as sparklers burn extremely hot. Make sure children do not wave them around or others can get burned. Keep a bucket of water handy to properly extinguish the sparklers.
• Review safe boating practices. If July 4th festivities find you out on the water, be sure that life jackets are worn and set boating and water safety rules for the family.
• Check in with a vet. The Fourth of July can be traumatic for pets not accustomed to fireworks and other loud noises or crowds. Behavior therapy, medication and ensuring that pets do not run away from home and get lost may be necessary.
• Watch food temperatures. Do not leave food out in the hot sun for too long; otherwise, harmful bacteria can grow and potentially cause foodborne illnesses. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service says to never leave food out of refrigeration for more than two hours. If the temperature is above 90 F, food should not be left out for more than one hour.
These are some of the safety strategies that can keep Independence Day celebrations both safe and enjoyable.
Easley FIRST Lego League team competes at invitational
EASLEY — A FIRST Lego League robotics team from Easley, the Thunderbolts, competed at the FIRST Lego League Razorback International Invitational at the University of Arkansas from May 17-19.
The Thunderbolts are one of many teams sponsored by BOSCH Anderson. They were elated to hear their team name called out as a Champion’s Award Finalist during a carnival Friday night, held in conjunction with the invitational. To be considered for a Champion’s Award Finalist was a huge honor. The Champion’s Awards are presented to those teams who excel in all four areas of the
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Fourth of July events planned across county
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — As Independence Day nears, Pickens County is preparing for a number of events celebrating America’s oldest holiday.
Clemson will kick off the festivities on July 3 with the 26th annual ClemsonFest. The event
will be held at Spittoono field, located at 1569 Eighteen Mile Road in Central. The cost of the event is $5 per person or $10 per carload.
The gate will open at 5 p.m., and the festival will continue until 10 p.m. Carolina Coast Band will provide live entertainment starting at 6 p.m. and will continue until the fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Following the fireworks, the band will continue to play until close.
According to organizers, problems with entry and exit that affected last year’s event have been remedied this year, as three gates will be open to get attendees inside and parked smoothly. At least 1,750 cars will be able to park on the grounds — 75 percent more than last year. More information
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Maximize your relaxation while the weather is right
Summer can fly by. Because summer can sometimes seem to come and go in a flash, it’s important for everyone to make the most of this relaxing time of year.
Vacations from work and school are great ways to make summer memories, and the following are some ways to get even more out of these relaxing breaks from the norm.
• Disconnect for a few days. Truly disconnect from electronic devices for a period of time to give yourself a mental break. Stop answering work emails, avoid
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Use these tips to help your child avoid ‘summer slide’
Summer vacation presents an opportunity for students to enjoy an extended break from the classroom. While this respite from routine may be a welcome change to youngsters, teachers frequently lament that valuable educational lessons seem to be forgotten 
each summer. Educators then face tougher hurdles when students return to school in the fall.
Such a phenomenon is sometimes called “summer learning loss” or “summer slide” but it can occur during any extended break from school. Scholars have realized for some time that students’ rate of academic development declines during summer vacation. Oxford Learning, a tutoring and education training group, offers these eye-opening statistics.
• Over the summer, students tend to lose 2.6 months of math skills and two months of reading skills.
• Summer learning loss can be seen in students as young as six.
• It can take up to two months from the first day of school to get students’
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‘Who lynched Willie Earle?’
By Dr. Thomas Cloer, Jr.
Special to The Courier
For four weeks we have reviewed some highlights from They Stole Him Out of Jail: Willie Earle, South Carolina’s Last Lynching Victim, the most comprehensive
book ever written about the subject. The book was written by Pickens County native and University of Denver professor emeritus William B. Gravely. The book was recently published by the University of South Carolina Press. The book is available for sale at book stores and online at uscpress.com, Amazon or other outlets.
The book has so much interesting information about how the religious and civic communities reacted in this segregated era of South Carolina’s history when a young African-American was taken from the old Pickens jail and brutally beaten, stabbed repeatedly and shot in the face with a shotgun. The murder was carried out by a mob of 31 men who were arrested, arraigned, tried and acquitted in 1947.
Reaction from Pickens County
Gravely writes in great detail how different individuals and groups from the religious communities in the town and county of Pickens
reacted. For example, the editor of the weekly Pickens Sentinel, Gary Hiott Sr., a Baptist layman and son of a minister, immediately after the lynching wrote a front-page editorial condemning the lynching and blatantly interfering with Earle’s right to a fair trial. He wrote about the shame the community would share because of this evil. How brave was Hiott to talk of how lynching violated the feelings of Christian people who had a responsibility to provide the protection any human should expect? In the next week’s edition of the Pickens paper, Hiott’s minister at First Baptist Church of Pickens, E.R. Eller, praised Hiott’s editorial, You must be logged in to view this content.
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No justice for Earle
Guilty go free as mob acquitted in state’s last lynching
By Dr. Thomas Cloer, Jr.
Special to The Courier
For the last two weeks we have been reviewing some highlights of “They Stole Him Out of Jail: Willie Earle, South Carolina’s Last Lynching Victim.” This most comprehensive book ever written on the subject is by Pickens County native, William B. “Will” Gravely (Will,) and is available from the University of South Carolina Press at uscpress.com or axland@sc.edu. Gravely, a historian and professor emeritus at the University of Denver, has written a book that should be a required textbook for any college course on
Southern history. There would be no better book for understanding Southern culture and how we have struggled with humanitarian progress in law enforcement, religious understandings regarding integration and civil rights for
all the different peoples of the South.
The State Versus the Mob
Last week we ended at the start of the trial for the mob that brutally beat, stabbed and shot 24-year-old Willie Earle at close range with a shotgun in February 1947. The mob took him from the old Pickens jail and murdered him just over the county line in Greenville County. At no point in the trial of the 31 defendants, with their 26 written confessions, did the Pickens jailer, Ed Gilstrap, suggest he had the responsibility of protecting his prisoner.
The defense team for the lynchers undermined the state’s case against the mob by bringing focus away from Earle to their fellow cab driver, World War I veteran and friend, Thomas Brown. He had been knifed by one or more assailants, and Earle had been accused in the death. Of course, Brown’s death was irrelevant by law to Earle’s death, but not to the clever defense lawyers.
Another wedge into the state’s case was driven by defense lawyer Thomas Wofford when he scowled that “for some unknown reason” the FBI had led the investigation. Wofford insisted
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