Category Archives: Lifestyles
CAST and Arts Council set to hold 8th annual Celebration Of Story
CLEMSON — Imagine unplugging from everyday distractions and cares to be whisked away by the art of storytelling, through spoken word and music. It was through oral communication that our ancestors taught life lessons, kept their history alive, and spread the news. Today, these traditions are alive and well.
[cointent_lockedcontent]In honor of the age old customs, the Clemson Area StoryTellers (CAST) in cooperation with the Arts Center present The Eighth Annual Celebration of Story: Celebrate Story through Spoken Word and Music on Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center, 212 Butler St., Clemson. Young and old alike are invited to an evening of stories through music and spoken word.
Spoken word artists for the evening are Lisa Eister, Jim Foote, Lane Hudson and Judy Seeley. All are members of CAST, a local guild dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling. The tellers gather on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center, where they share stories. Listeners and storytellers are always welcome.
Music will be performed by the folk duo Padenrich Station (http://padenrichstation.com). Acoustic arrangements, duo harmony, vivid lyrics and an admiration for the tradition of folk storytelling gives this band its fun sound.
Music begins at 7 p.m. and tales to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart begin at 7:30 p.m. For directions go to http://explorearts.org/, and for more information email clemsonareastorytellers@yahoo.com or judy_seeley@hotmail.com.
Admission is free and donations are accepted. The Eighth Annual Celebration of Story is both a free community event and a benefit for Clemson Community Care (CCC). Clemson Community Care is a non-profit organization providing food, shelter, utilities, and other support services to people in difficult circumstances in the Clemson, Central, and Pendleton areas of South Carolina. Attendees of the Eighth Annual Celebration of Story are asked to bring canned goods, especially canned meat and fish, canned vegetables, and pasta sauce. Donations of boxed powdered milk, cereal, toiletries, pasta, rice, and instant potatoes are also welcome. During March and April, all donations to CCC will be proportionally matched by the Feinstein Foundation.
Seating and parking at the Arts Center are limited. Groups of 10 or more may call (864) 855-6396 or (864) 276-2166 to request reserved seats.
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Courier Community Calendar 1-27-16
• Cannon to offer Wellness Wednesdays
Cannon Memorial Hospital will be offering a February Wednesday Wellness Special at the Cannon Annex each week in February from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. No appointment or doctor’s order needed. Participants can receive a discounted Lipid panel for $15 (regularly $24) with results back within a week. Free blood pressure screenings. For more information, contact Wellness at (864) 898-1331.
• Auxiliary to host white elephant sale
Cannon Memorial Auxiliary will hold a white elephant sale from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, and Friday, Jan. 29. Jewelry, household items, furniture and more will be available in the classroom at Cannon (located near the Outpatient Entrance).
• Classes offered at Hagood Center
New Fiber Room Center activities at the Hagood Center in Pickens have been scheduled for January and February.
The sixth annual Fiber Arts Expo sponsored by Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists takes place next Saturday – January 30 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Historic Johnson Farm.
There will be additional new activities scheduled throughout the next few months. Pre-registration and lists of the supplies are not available. In January, the center will offer self-binding receiving blankets with Sara. Cost is a $5 donation for the center.
On Feb. 1 and 8, enjoy an introductory painting on silk three-day class with Cheryl. All supplies will be provided at the cost of a $10 donation to the center.
A new weaving class will be held each Tuesday from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This class will continue each Tuesday for approximately three months. During the class the participants will complete three weaving projects: a teacher orientation practice project, a teacher directed color-scamp project, and a student designed project. At the completion of the class, the participants should be able to weave “on your own.” The participants will be expected to purchase a book and minimal supplies for a total cost of approximately $20.
Below is a list of the center’s regular activities:
Monday: 10-11:30 a.m. — cathedral window quilts with Jacquie
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat; 9-11:30 a.m. — doll clothes with Jacquie; 10-11:30 a.m. — yo-yos with Irene and prayer shawls and cancer caps with Sharon (in the library). Wednesday: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat (in the heritage room); 10-11:30 a.m. — knitting with Tally.
Thursday: 10-11:30 a.m. quilting with Sara; 1:30-3:30 p.m. — rug hooking with Cheryl.
• Grace UMC plans 5th Sunday Singing
The community is invited to Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens as it will host a 5th Sunday Singing in its fellowship hall at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31.
Each “5th Sunday Singing” at Grace will include special music and your favorite songs to sing along to.
• Camp Creek moves Sunday services
Camp Creek Baptist Church will move its Sunday service to the Rosewood Center in Liberty for the next few weeks. The move is temporary due to the remodeling of the church’s sanctuary. AWANA clubs will still be held at the church in Central as usual, in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights.
Courier Community Calendar 1-20-16
• Classes offered at Hagood Center
New Fiber Room Center activities at the Hagood Center in Pickens have been scheduled for January and February.
There will be additional new activities scheduled throughout the next few months. Pre-registration and lists of the supplies are not available. In January, the center will offer self-binding receiving blankets with Sara. Cost is a $5 donation for the center.
On Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 and 8, enjoy an introductory painting on silk three-day class with Cheryl. All supplies will be provided at the cost of a $10 donation to the center.
A new weaving class will be held each Tuesday from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This class will continue each Tuesday for approximately three months. During the class the participants will complete three weaving projects: a teacher orientation practice project, a teacher directed color-scamp project, and a student designed project. At the completion of the class, the participants should be able to weave “on your own.” The participants will be expected to purchase a book and minimal supplies for a total cost of approximately $20.
On Jan. 14 and 21 will be the “self-binding receiving blanket” with Sara. It is an all-day participation class beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 2:30 p.m., with a break for lunch around 11:30 a.m. The cost for the class is a $5 donation to the Pickens Community Center. Please have your squares of flannel cut before class. Supplies you will need include one 40-inch square of flannel, one 30-inch square of contrasting flannel and thread to match.
The center does have a few sewing machines which have been donated, but you may prefer to bring your own.
Below is a list of the center’s regular activities:
Monday: 10-11:30 a.m. — cathedral window quilts with Jacquie
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat; 9-11:30 a.m. — doll clothes with Jacquie; 10-11:30 a.m. — yo-yos with Irene and prayer shawls and cancer caps with Sharon (in the library). Wednesday: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat (in the heritage room); 10-11:30 a.m. — knitting with Tally.
Thursday: 10-11:30 a.m. quilting with Sara; 1:30-3:30 p.m. — rug hooking with Cheryl.
• Grace UMC plans 5th Sunday Singing
The community is invited to Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens as it will host a 5th Sunday Singing in its fellowship hall at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31. Each “5th Sunday Singing” at Grace will include special music and your favorite songs to sing along to.
• Pickens Church of God plans breakfast
Pickens Church of God’s community breakfast will resume this month from 8-10 a.m. on Jan. 23. The church will also host a car wash during the breakfast to raise funds to take the youth to WinterJam next month.
• Camp Creek moves Sunday services
Camp Creek Baptist Church will move its Sunday service to the Rosewood Center in Liberty for the next few weeks. The move is temporary due to the remodeling of the church’s sanctuary. AWANA clubs will still be held at the church in Central as usual, in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights.
Beekeepers association plans spring 2016 class
PICKENS — If you have ever wondered about the workings of a colony of honeybees, the Pickens County Beekeepers Association has just the class for you.
PCBA will be offering an introductory beekeeping class this spring. The four Saturday sessions will cover all of the information needed for anyone to start keeping bees.
The first class session will be held on Jan. 30 at the Fellowship Hall of the Pickens Presbyterian Church, located at 311 W. Main St. in downtown Pickens, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. There will be opportunities during subsequent classes for the students to get hands-on experience with beekeeping equipment and to see the inside of an active bee colony. Experienced beekeepers will cover honeybee biology, nectar and pollen gathering, honey bee pests and diseases, hive components and assembly, products of the hive and marketing honey.
The cost of the class is $50 per person and includes course materials and a textbook. Youth 14 and under (accompanied by an adult) may take the class for $25 per person. Those completing the class may take an examination to become a beekeeper certified by the South Carolina Beekeepers Association. Registration also includes membership in the Pickens County Beekeepers Association, whose members offer support and mentoring to its members.
For more information and to receive registration forms, contact Cyndi Banks at pcbanews@hotmail.com. The deadline for registration is Jan. 23. People interested in beekeeping are invited to join the association, which meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month at the Pickens Presbyterian Church. Visit the PCBA website for more details.
Soapstone set to host fundraiser at church
PICKENS — Soapstone Church invites everyone to a special fundraiser at the church, located at 296 Liberia Road in Pickens, this Saturday, Jan. 16.
The event will feature fine cooking and will be held from noon-8 p.m.
Visitors will enjoy true Southern cooking, including a fish fry, barbecue and fried chicken with all the fixings right from Mrs. Mabel’s kitchen.
For more information, call (864) 414-8470.
Hagood Mill to celebrate new year in music Saturday
PICKENS — Traditional musicians from the area will gather on Jan. 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate a new year with music old and new from the mountain culture that surrounds our beloved Hagood Mill.
The Blue Ridge Mountains begin right here in South Carolina at Hagood Mill. When you leave Pickens on U.S. Highway 178 west and cross the beginnings of the Twelve Mile River, you approach Hagood Mill, and you’re in the very first mountain community of the historic Blue Ridge.
The event at Hagood Mill will feature Three Creeks Over, a homegrown bluegrass/gospel band of three friends who have been playing music together in Pickens since 2012.
Heartstrings will lead off the event around 11:30 a.m. with its traditional roots, gospel and bluegrass music. Listeners will be delighted by the unique sounds created by instruments such as the autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, stand-up bass, guitar and mandolin.
There will be lots of other things to see on Saturday as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folk life and traditional arts demonstrations. There will be blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flint knapping, chair-caning, moonshining, broom-making, basket-making, pottery, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, metal-smithing, bee keeping, leather-working and more. You can ask questions of the artists and make a purchase of their Traditional Arts to take home.
The centerpiece of the Hagood Mill historic site is the water-powered 1845 gristmill. It is one of the finest examples of 19th-century technology in the Upcountry and operates just as it has for the last century-and-a-half. The mill will be running throughout the day. In the old mill, fresh stone-ground corn meal, grits, and wheat flour will be available. In addition, rye flour, Basmati rice flour, oat flour, oatmeal, popping corn meal, and grits, organic yellow corn meal and grits, and buckwheat flour are produced and may be available. Hagood Mill cookbooks and a variety of other mill related items are also available.
Saturday’s event at Hagood Mill will feature Three Creeks Over, a homegrown bluegrass/gospel band.
There is a $5 parking fee for the day, but admission is free to the Hagood Mill Site ,as well as the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. All proceeds from parking will go to help the Hagood Mill.
Food from the GateHouse Restaurant in Pickens will also be available.
The Hagood Mill historic site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. all year long. The mill operates, rain or shine, for a special festival the third Saturday of every month.
The Hagood Mill is located just three miles north of Pickens off U.S. Highway 178 or 5.5 miles south of Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway 11 just off Highway 178 at 138 Hagood Mill Road.
“Music in the Mountains 2016” is sponsored by a private benefactor. For additional information, contact the Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 or visit visitpickenscounty.com/calendar.
Member of the Month
The Pickens Chamber of Commerce Member of the Month for January is 
Southern Appalachian Outdoors. Located at 506 W. Main St. in Pickens, Southern Appalachian Outdoors offers a wide range of sporting goods. from hiking and fishing equipment to kayaks and boating equipment. Marty Fields, pictured above, invites everyone to come by and see what Pickens’ newest business has to offer.
Courier Community Calendar 1-13-16
• Classes offered at Hagood Center
New Fiber Room Center activities at the Hagood Center in Pickens have been scheduled for January and February.
There will be additional new activities scheduled throughout the next few months. Pre-registration and lists of the supplies are not available. In January, the center will offer self-binding receiving blankets with Sara. Cost is a $5 donation for the center.
On Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 and 8, enjoy an introductory painting on silk three-day class with Cheryl. All supplies will be provided at the cost of a $10 donation to the center.
A new weaving class will be held each Tuesday from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This class will continue each Tuesday for approximately three months. During the class the participants will complete three weaving projects: a teacher orientation practice project, a teacher directed color-scamp project, and a student designed project. At the completion of the class, the participants should be able to weave “on your own.” The participants will be expected to purchase a book and minimal supplies for a total cost of approximately $20.
On Jan. 14, a “one-day special event” will be the “self-binding receiving blanket” with Sara. It is an “all-day” participation class beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 2:30 p.m. with a break for lunch around 11:30 a.m. The cost for the class is a $5 donation to the Pickens Community Center. Please have your squares of flannel cut before class. Supplies you will need include one 40″ square of flannel, one 30″ square of contrasting flannel and thread to match.
The center does have a few sewing machines which have been donated, but you may prefer to bring your own.
There will be no activities on Jan. 18.
Below is a list of the center’s regular activities:
Monday: 10-11:30 a.m. — cathedral window quilts with Jacquie
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat; 9-11:30 a.m. — doll clothes with Jacquie; 10-11:30 a.m. — yo-yos with Irene and prayer shawls and cancer caps with Sharon (in the library). Wednesday: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat (in the heritage room); 10-11:30 a.m. — knitting with Tally.
Thursday: 10-11:30 a.m. quilting with Sara; 1:30-3:30 p.m. — rug hooking with Cheryl.
• Hot dog fundraiser date to be announced
The hot dog plate fundraiser planned at the Hagood Community Center in Pickens on Jan. 15 has been postponed. Watch the Pickens County Courier for the next scheduled date.
• Grace UMC plans 5th Sunday Singing
The community is invited to Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens as it will host a 5th Sunday Singing in its fellowship hall at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31. Each “5th Sunday Singing” at Grace will include special music and your favorite songs to sing along to.
• Pickens Church of God schedules breakfast
Pickens Church of God’s community breakfast will resume this month from 8-10 a.m. on Jan. 23. The church will also host a car wash during the breakfast to raise funds to take the youth to WinterJam next month.
• Camp Creek moves Sunday services
Camp Creek Baptist Church will move its Sunday service to the Rosewood Center in Liberty for the next few weeks. The move is temporary due to the remodeling of the church’s sanctuary. AWANA clubs will still be held at the church in Central as usual, in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights.
Bridges, Hallberg united at St. Mary’s
Kathleen Elizabeth Bridges and Christopher Edward Hallberg were united in holy matrimony on September 12 at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenville. Deacon George Tierney presided.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Joseph Bridges Jr. of Pickens. She is the granddaughter of the late Mrs. Annise M. Grott of Naples, Fla., and the late Mr. Chester W. Grott of Springfield, Ill. She is also the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Joseph Bridges Sr. of Evanston, Ill. She received her B.S. degree in graphic communications from Clemson University. She is presently employed by State Farm Insurance Company in Charlotte, N.C.
The Groom is the son of Mr. Dean Hallberg of Raleigh, N.C., and the late Mrs. Deborah Ann Hallberg. He is also the stepson of the late Mrs. Collette Maria Hallberg. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hallberg. He received his B.S. degree from East Carolina University in organizational communications. He is presently an agent for State Farm Insurance Company in Charlotte, N.C.
The bride was escorted by her father, wearing a silk A-line gown with a box pleated skirt which flowed into a chapel length train. The pleated bodice featured a sweetheart neckline. The bride chose a touch of sparkle at the waist.
The bride’s sister, Jessica Bridges Martin, was the matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Jennifer Malee Richardson, Kaitlyn Michelle Davitt, Tina Barta Bridges, Mary Margaret Andrews Bridges and Chloe Ann Hallberg. Junior bridesmaid was Josie Elizabeth Martin.
Serving as the best man was the groom’s father, Dean Leonard Hallberg. Groomsmen were Mark Edward Boggess, Christopher Edward Miller, Patrick Joseph Bridges III, Marcus Daniel Bridges and George Alan Martin Jr. Junior groomsman was Weston Bridges Martin. Ushers were George Alan Martin III and John Patrick Martin.
Readers were James Michael Finneran and Rosemary Finneran.
Flowers were designed by “Flowers by Virginia” in Pickens. The wedding cake was provided by Walnut Bakery in Seneca.
Following the ceremony, a reception was held at the Westin Poinsett Hotel in Greenville. Reception music was provided by The Party Machine. Photographer was Angel Ruff.
A bridesmaid luncheon, hosted by Mrs. G.A. Martin, Mrs. Earle Youngblood, Mrs. James Finneran and Mrs. David Richardson was held at the Commerce Club on Friday, September 11.
After their honeymoon, the couple will reside in Charlotte, N.C.
Career expo planned at Tri-County Tech
UPSTATE -— Those interested will be able to learn about short-term job training and scholarships that can fund it at Tri-County Technical College’s career expo set for Friday.
The expo will be held at the Industrial and Business Development Center on the Pendleton campus from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
“We now have funding available for scholarships for QUICKJOBS courses and we invite the public to attend this career expo. The scholarships are for short-term training that is linked to jobs in our community so if you know someone who is unemployed or underemployed, encourage them to attend,” said Teresa Young, operations manager for the college’s Corporate and Community Education Division.
Attendees will interview with companies, learn about the QuickJobs career training programs and how the training can impact their lives. They also can apply for the scholarships.
For more information, call 864-646-1700 or visit www.tctc.edu/LEARN.
