***ONLINE EXCLUSIVE *** Blue Flame head to Columbia in quest for 17th State Championship
By Bru Nimmons Sports Editor bnimmons@thepccourier.com PICKENS — For the first time since 2021, the Pickens High School volleyball team More »
Prisma to build hospital in Easley
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com EASLEY — Prisma Health plans to build a new $138 million inpatient behavioral health More »
Blue Flame roll past rival Daniel to advance in Class 4A playoffs
By Bru Nimmons Sports Editor bnimmons@thepccourier.com CENTRAL — After dropping two five set battles to rival Daniel in the regular More »
Swearing in
Members of the Pickens County’s Legislative Delegation take the oath of office on the Pickens County Courthouse steps in Pickens More »
This week in FOOTBALL FRENZY only in PICKENES COUNTY COURIER
LIONS OVERCOME SLOW START AGAINST SENECA TO WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT REGION TITLE; EASLEY DROPS FINALE TO GREENVILLE; RED DEVILS FALL More »
Selugadu set for this weekend at mill
PICKENS — Every November, the Hagood Mill Historic Site observes Native American Heritage Month by holding the Native American Celebration. More »
Easley’s Anna Kretzmer graduates from Harding
SEARCY, Ark. — Anna Kretzmer of Easley is one of more than 800 students who received their diploma and will be recognized as a Harding University graduate during a virtual ceremony on Aug. 15, 2020.
Kretzmer received a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering.
Graduates include students from the College of Allied Health, College of Arts and Humanities,
Courier Letters to the Editor 7-22-20
If you have a heart, wear a mask
Dear Editor,
When it comes to the issue of people refusing to wear a mask to slow down spread of the coronavirus, it’s nothing new.
Going back to the Old Testament, there was a man named Noah. For 120 years, he preached to the people that a great flood was coming. None paid him any attention. Why should we? Ain’t no such a thing as rain! Not a single soul saved, except Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives, along with the animals that were on the ark.
Until the late 19th century, when people were admitted to the hospital for surgery, 50 percent would
Supporting the right to survive
Ron Barnett’s recent column hit the nail squarely on the head. To make things clear, everyone who refuses to wear a mask should be issued a T-shirt printed with the sentence, “Your life doesn’t 
matter to me.”
All those who wear masks should wear a T-shirt imprinted with the words, “Your life does matter to me.”
No matter what your beliefs are, most Christian denominations do teach that it is important to love your neighbors and to be kind.
And most religions preach kindness to others. Apart from devil worshippers — and although I am not familiar with their belief system, I am assuming they care about somebody. Or at least they may love their dogs.
Years ago, there was a country song that asked, “Would Jesus wear a Rolex if he came to Earth
Moving won’t solve social isolation
Our experiences with the coronavirus have changed many of us. We’ve been locked down, scared to 
shop, startled at the number of people who refuse to wear a mask in public, and worse, we’ve been socially isolated.
Now we want something new. My email confirms it: Many of us believe we want to live in a different
Former State House District 4 Rep. Teddy Trotter passes away
PICKENS — Former state representative, the Honorable Teddy Norman Trotter, died early
TROTTER
Wednesday morning, July 15, 2020.
Mr. Trotter was born in Pickens County, a son of the late Ocie and Sally Hayes Trotter. A farmer at heart, Teddy owned and operated Trotter’s Strawberry Farm, as well as Teddy’s Gas & Fuel in downtown Pickens.
He served as state representative in Pickens County from 1993-2004, where he served on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and later on the House Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Trotter was a member of Griffin Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Lisa Durham Trotter; two daughters, Lynzie B. Trotter (Christopher Kelley) of Greenville and Lexis R. Trotter of Pickens; a son, Tyler Ocie Trotter (Heather) of Pickens; a granddaughter, Kenlie Rae Trotter; and a grandson, Ezra Hampton Trotter. Also surviving is a sister, Mickie Morse of Greenville.
In addition to his parents, Teddy was preceded in death by his brother, Tommy Trotter.
A message of condolence may be expressed to the Trotter family by visiting dillardfunerals.com.
Those desiring may make memorials to cadasilfoundation.org.
A private service will be held at a later date.
Courier Obituaries 7-22-20
DON LEMOIN WINCHESTER
EASLEY — Donald “Don” Lemoin Winchester, 86, widower of Ann Dalton Winchester, passed away 
on Saturday, July 18, 2020.
Born in Six Mile, he was the son of the late Willoughby “Good” and June Abercrombie Winchester.
Mr. Winchester served his country as a member of the United States Army during the Korean War. Prior to his retirement, Don spent more than 35 years as a dedicated employee of Ace Hardware, where he managed both the Pickens and Powdersville stores. He was an active member of Rock Springs Baptist Church.
He is survived by a daughter, Miriam Payne, and her husband, Jeff; son, Chip Winchester, and his wife, Lulu; granddaughter, Jordan Payne, and her wife, Yeoman; grandson, Jed Payne, and his wife, Kaeli; granddaughter, Kaleigh Winchester; great-grandson, Quin Payne; great-granddaughter, Elliot Payne; and sister, Bert Clark.
Mr. Winchester was proud to be called “Popeye” by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed keeping busy, spending time outside and tending to his yard. He excelled at cooking. Mr. Winchester received great joy from serving others and was
County rolling out new brand
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY —
Pickens County rolled out new branding last week following a presentation from the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.
County community relations manager Jamie Burns said in a release that a new slogan — “Adventure Starts Here” — was adopted as part of the rebrand, along with a new county logo modeled after the county seal with mountains, lakes and four stars representing the four Medal of Honor recipients in Pickens County.
Beginning earlier this year, Pickens County parks, recreation and tourism staff oversaw the branding process in collaboration with the National Heritage Corridor, Burns said.
SC National Heritage Corridor president and CEO Michelle McCollum gave a presentation to county council members at their July 13 meeting.
“My team has had a blast doing this project,” she said, before hitting the highlights of a branding
EFNEP program now in county
COUNTY — The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is a program offered 
by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.
Since 1969, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has successfully served low-income families by influencing nutrition education and the importance of physical activity. Through a community-based and hands-on educational approach, EFNEP impacts obesity, economic, and food insecurity challenges that hinder nutritional health and well-being.
EFNEP’s current program promotes a healthy lifestyle by incorporating nutrition education and fun, hands-on learning activities for children and youth to prevent childhood obesity and chronic diseases. EFNEP’s mission is to help children and youth to acquire skills necessary to select and prepare low-cost nutritious food, change behaviors that lead to healthier eating habits and a more physically
Facility opens at the Rock
The Rock recently celebrated the grand opening of their new facility and amenities being offered. Pictured are manager Justin Smith, events coordinator Chelsey Crawley, owner Tommy Biershenk and senior superintendent David Greene. The Rock features a challenging 18-hole course, event space, wedding packages, overnight accommodations and golf memberships. The clubhouse has been expanded to include a tap room, where they launched their Sam Patch Presidential Wheat Ale created by 13 Stripes Brewery. A putting green has been installed next to the clubhouse, and several hiking/riding trails to multiple waterfalls, petroglyphs and the beginning of the old toll gate road have been cleared. The Rock offers guided horseback riding tours, and the trails are open to the public. Visit therockgolfclub.com for more details.
Rogers scholarship winners recognized
The Charles F. Rogers Scholarship committee is proud to announce this year’s selections for the Charles F. Rogers Scholarship Award. Kaylee Gillespie and Jake Alexander are the 2020 recipients of the Charles F. Rogers Scholarship Award. Kaylee and Jake will receive a $1,000 scholarship to put toward their college education. “Congratulations to Kaylee and Jake for representing our basketball program and for their perseverance to achieve success on and off the court,” the scholarship committee said in a news release.
