TOWN Nov. 2020

You do almost everything you can to live healthier.

As our name suggests, PartnerMD shares wholly in your commitment to optimal health. We provide the medically advanced tests you want, the highly skilled physicians you need, and the personalized attention you deserve. Much more than concierge medicine, PartnerMD provides unmatched expertise and care to help you achieve your goal of lifelong health.

THIS IS WHAT GREENVILLE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR

Simply put, nothing compares to Hartness. Here are 440 acres — including a 180-acre protected nature preserve — where every square inch is devoted to extraordinary living. And it’s all just minutes from downtown and GSP.

No other community in Greenville offers you more. The list of world-class amenities begins with recreational options like kayaking, swimming, tennis, and bocce continues on to a

clubhouse with a spa, a boutique hotel, and tops off with a Village Center offering fine dining and convenient services.

Woven into this tapestry of pleasures are manor and estate homes living side by side with charming cottages. Along the pathways, green spaces, and trails, you’ll meet neighbors of all ages and interests.

THE WAIT IS OVER.

YOUR TOUR BEGINS NOW.

HARTNESSLIVING.COM / 864-920-0375

THE COTTAGES AT HARTNESSVILLAGE HOMES AT HARTNESSESTATE HOMES AT HARTNESS

Take in the work of greater Greenville’s talented artists during Open Studios, November 7–30; (clockwise from far left) Meredith Skinner,

The Secret, mixed media, 18”x24”; Erin Hughes, Emiline, photo encaustic, 11”x24”; Kelli Emig, Breather, oil, 9”x12”; Melinda Hoffman, Coastal Maine, acrylic on canvas, 48”x30”; Nathan Bertling, The Librarian, oil on linen, 24”x30”; Julie Hughes, Nature’s Rhythm, mixed media on canvas, 60”x48”.

SAFE HAVEN

Through Pet Commander Kennels, Jonathan and JoDee Watkins have established a nationally renowned dog training program. But it all began out of a desire to provide an inclusive place for their daughter to work.

by john jeter

“They’re so unconditionally accepting, and that can be a life-changing influence on anybody.”

Cover: Joseph Bradley, Owls on Gold, mixed media, 24”x24”. Photograph of artwork provided by the artist.

Photograph by Paul Mehaffey

Draw a crowd. Escape the wind.

The toned physique is intriguing. Its details are iconic. The Star anchors the forward-leaning grille. The clean profile slices through the air and the clutter of other cars. The Star on the outside is earned inside: Power/memory front seats. Dual-zone, double-filtered climate control. Panorama roof. And options from ventilated seats to a hands-free trunk opener. Clean lines, LED lighting and an aggressive stance aim for admiring eyes. An ultramodern, premium cabin can captivate you for years to come.

EXILE opens with innovative cocktails, an inclusive menu, and a posh, intimate interior. by andrew huang

Nashville’s southern sister, Franklin, Tennessee, is full of heart, soul, history, and art, not to mention a brand-new boutique hotel, The Harpeth.

These croc’ and ’gator belts will amplify any autumn outfit; find the

gift in our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide.

Presented by the Community Foundation of Greenville, this year’s Charitable Giving Awards honor our area’s outstanding, altruistic individuals and organizations.

Sip a funky fresh cocktail at the West End’s new bar, EXILE; spice up holiday staples with local maker Stroud Seasonings;

over the in-laws this Thanksgiving with our scrumptious baked mac and cheese.

Photograph by Will Crooks

Photograph by Paul Mehaffey

If we seek light, then it multiplies. Joy expands. We’ve nothing to do but spread it.

LIGHT WORKERS

Call it what you will. The Year of the Pivot. A New Era. A Life Altering Moment. The words of 2020 don’t seem to match its energy, import, and paradigm-shifting weight. Life can switch on a dime.

The pandemic has impacted us all, though in varying ways—loss of work, school, money, health, and, tragically, of life itself. What a sobering time—a global awakening.

This year is like a stripping away, exposing our dependence on the whole, and—if we’re lucky—that we have people in our lives and communities who care. Though it’s been a challenging time, the pandemic has allowed us to shift into something different, to see life anew. To appreciate the gifts we have. To make important, life-affirming changes. To remind us of our inherent creativity and adaptability. If we seek light, then it multiplies. Joy expands. We’ve nothing to do but spread it.

Every November, we dedicate our issue to the topic of giving, paying special tribute to the individuals and organizations who are transforming lives—by their example and the generosity of their

time, talent, and treasure. Along with the Community Foundation of Greenville, we celebrate ten years of honoring those who serve our community. This year’s recipients, from the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, to OnTrack Greenville, to the South Carolina Children’s Theatre, to our Visionary Leadership Award honoree, Carl Sobocinski, are a varied and illustrious group, individuals who are natural leaders, who’ve enjoyed great success in their careers.

But they go beyond personal achievements, embracing the call to serve, knowing that lifting up the community means bettering everyone. We are all connected, as the pandemic has reminded us. We are cells of the same body. We are as healthy, and as vibrant, as our neighbor.

As we draw the shade on 2020, the year that smacked us awake, it’s important to remember that we can do more. We can help. It’s a daily choice—and when we give of ourselves, we ensure that we all have the higher view.

Blair Knobel, Editor in Chief blair@towncarolina.com

Photograph by Kimberli McMillin

Artwork, television, movies, and memories - The Frame showcases them all on a beautiful QLED screen.

Every piece of content is displayed in stunning 4K resolution and accented by a customizable, stylish bezel that seamlessly complements your home’s décor.

WORTH THE WAIT.

An internationally recognized figure in the Impressionist movement, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) is revered for her intimate depictions of women, especially mothers with children. She was the only American artist to be embraced by the original French Impressionists and the only one invited to participate in their first exhibitions in Paris. Cassatt’s pastel titled Clarissa,Turned Left, with Her Hand to Her Ear is a classic example of this iconic artist’s colorful and spontaneous technique, and we are pleased to add it to the GCMA Collection as part of our 2020 Art for Greenville acquisitions.

Clarissa, Turned Left, with Her Hand to Her Ear was completed around 1893—a time when Cassatt’s work had reached maturity and her career was peaking. In 1891, her first of several one-person exhibitions was held at the prestigious Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, and she was commissioned the following year to create a large mural with the theme of “Modern Woman” for the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. Cassatt, herself, was truly a modern woman, who at the age of 16, enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Six years later in 1866, she emigrated to Paris for more study.

A longtime supporter of women’s rights, Cassatt was an ardent advocate for women’s suffrage and in 1915, she exhibited eighteen artworks in an exhibition organized to promote the cause. Five years later, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, securing for women the right to vote. We hope you will join us, along with our Corporate Partner United Community Bank, in celebrating the centennial of women’s suffrage by supporting our new acquisitions. To learn more, visit gcma.org/support.

Corporate Partner

Greenville County Museum of Art

420 College Street Greenville, SC 29601 864.271.7570

gcma.org

Temporarily closed for construction

Mary Cassatt, 1844-1926

Clarissa, Turned Left, with Her Hand to Her Ear, circa 1893 pastel on paper

THE LIST

THE MONTH’S MUST-DOS

GREENVILLE OPEN STUDIOS

This year, Open Studios runs for more than three weeks to account for social distancing and allow the opportunity to visit artists throughout the month.

Sponsored by the Metropolitan Arts Council, the self-guided studio tour will feature 133 artists, all located within a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville. Artists will set their own hours, be available for appointments, or will participate virtually.

Various locations including Greenville, Easley, Greer, Simpsonville, and Travelers Rest. Nov 7–30. Days & times vary. Free. (864) 467-3132, greenvillearts.com/greenville-open-studios

The List

SOUTH CAROLINA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

FALL PLANT SALE

With four distinct seasons, the Upstate boasts a wide variety of native plants. The South Carolina Native Plant Society has made it their mission to educate the public on the importance of conserving these diverse homegrown species, while cultivating hard-to-find South Carolina plants in their nursery. It’s the best time of the year to buy ferns, indigo, and sunflowers, all of which are available at the Fall Plant Sale. Paint on your green thumb and order online for quick, lowcontact pickup, or make an appointment to shop in person. Either way, get growing. Upstate Native Plant Nursery, 180 Lakewood Dr, Greenville. Thru Nov 7; times vary. (864) 908-4461, scnps.org/event/fall-2020-plant-sale

VIRTUAL MUTT STRUT

Every fall, the Mutt Strut gets a big paws-up from pet owners and their pups alike. And while the Strut must go on in 2020, this year it will be virtual. That means it’s easier than ever to take your pooch for a two-mile walk or run at your convenience and raise money for the homeless animals at the Greenville Humane Society. Besides a T-shirt, all registrants receive a free one-topping pizza from sponsor Papa John’s. Greenville. Nov 1–8. Race registration, $30. (864) 2423626, ghsmuttstrut.com

FALL FESTIVAL & HOLIDAY MARKET

The Greenville Classical Academy’s holiday market offers a unique and family-friendly holiday shopping experience. Peruse wares from local artisans and craftsmen to find a gift for that person on your list who seems to have everything. Bring the kids, and chow down on tacos and burritos, barbecue sandwiches, kettle corn, and homemade pies and cakes. Due to the pandemic, there will not be a KidZone at the festival this year.

Greenville Classical Academy, 2519 Woodruff Rd, Greenville. Sat, Nov 7, 10am–3pm. Free. (864) 329-9884, greenvillefallfestival.com/about

they all said wow...

Photography courtesy of Festival vendor, Twist & Knot

WHITE CHRISTMAS: THE EXHIBITION

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, this new exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum should do the trick. Celebrating the Academy Award–winning Irving Berlin song, first sung by Bing Crosby in 1941, and the eponymous musical that followed in 1954, the 2,000-square-foot exhibit displays the film’s legendary costumes, props, replica backdrops, and sheet music. The beloved story of two WWII vets who team up with singing sisters to save a failing Vermont lodge, White Christmas still ranks as the highest-grossing musical of all time.

Upcountry History Museum, 540 Buncombe St, Greenville. Nov 14–Jan 30. Tues–Sat, 10am–5pm. $10. (864) 581-2298, upcountryhistory.org/exhibitions-events/changingexhibits/white-christmas-the-exhibition

UCB ICE ON MAIN

Greenville’s answer to Rockefeller Center, the winter ice-skating rink on the Village Green (adjacent to the Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown) opens just in time for the holidays. Grab the family, lace up your ice skates (or rent a pair on-site), and brush up on those camel spins and double axels. Before you leave, warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and other seasonal sweet treats.

206 S Main St, Greenville. Nov 13–Jan 31. Mon–Thurs, 3–8pm; Fri, 3–10pm; Sat, 11am–10pm; Sun, 11am–8pm. Adults (13+), $10; children (4–12), $8; age 3 & under, free. (864) 467-5751, greenvillesc.gov/1654/ UCB-Ice-on-Main

INDIE CRAFT PARADE: THE SHOP EDITION

Rather than cancel the Indie Craft Parade this year, the Makers Collective reimagined the event for 2020 as a hybrid of their wildly popular annual fall festival and holiday pop-up shop. The Indie Craft Parade Shop will be open weekends through December 20, with outdoor mini-markets on November 7 and 21, so you have plenty of opportunities to find that perfect handmade gift by one of 100 artists whose work is featured. 2909 Old Buncombe Rd, Greenville. Thru Dec 21. Fri–Sun, 11am–5pm. makerscollective.org/indiecraftparade

Photograph courtesy of 20th Century Fox Studios

The List

Quick HITS

VIRTUAL DINNER PARTY WITH CHEF VIVIAN HOWARD

z Chef, restaurateur, and author Vivian Howard of PBS’s A Chef’s Life will dish about her new book, This Will Make It Taste Good, with Ashley Warlick of M. Judson Booksellers in a virtual dinner event. Tickets to the Zoom meet-up include a copy of Howard’s book, plus dinner for two created by Table 301 chef Rodney Freidank. Tack on a bottle of wine, and cozy up for a winning Friday night.

Nov 6. Fri, 7pm; food pick-up from Soby’s, 2–6pm. $85, dinner for two, plus a copy of book; $15 extra for a bottle of wine. mjudsonbooks.com

NEW SOUTH COMEDY FESTIVAL

z Couldn’t we all use a good laugh about now? Well, fortunately, the Alchemy Comedy Theater is hosting the New South Comedy Festival online this year. Tune in to see side-splitting improv, stand-up, and sketch comedy by performers from around the South. There will even be online weekend workshops for those novices who want to sharpen their own funny bones. Pandemic or not, surrender to laughter—it just may be the best medicine of all.

Nov 12–14. $10 (covers all event shows); workshops, $50 each. (864) 256-1467, alchemycomedy.com

HARTNESS HALF MARATHON & 5K

z Finally, a race you can run with other people—socially distanced, of course. Located right off Highway 14, the Hartness Half Marathon course weaves across paved roads, dirt trails, gravel roads, and grassy fields through the Hartness Property, one of Greenville’s newest planned communities. Whether you choose to participate in the 5K, the 13.1mile run, or the half-marathon relay, you’ll be running for a good cause. Registration fees benefit the development center at A Child’s Haven. Hartness, 3500 S Hwy 14, Greenville. Sat, Nov 14, 8am–noon. 5K registration, $35; half marathon, $80; half-marathon relay, $115. hartnesshalf.com

TREES UPSTATE TURKEY DAY VIRTUAL RUN

z These days, Trees Upstate needs your support more than ever, so make plans to burn off that turkey dinner by running this virtual 5K. No worries if you can’t participate on Thanksgiving Day; the beauty of the virtual run is that you can do it at your leisure any time—and anywhere you choose—that weekend. The best part? All of the proceeds from the event go directly to Trees Upstate’s programs to plant, protect, and promote trees around our area.

Nov 26–29. Thurs–Sun. Registration, $25. (864) 313-0765, treesupstate.org/turkeyday

ANDERSON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

z For the past 27 years, Anderson Lights of Hope has been illuminating the holiday season with more than 3.5 million lights covering 160 displays across 45 acres. Although COVID-19 has put a kibosh on the event’s traditional Christmas Village this year, the entrance fee allows you to take the 2.5-mile drive as many times as you like. So if you need a little Christmas, lift your spirits by heading for this twinkling holiday wonderland.

Enter on Martin Luther King Blvd, at the corner of Woodcrest Dr (across from Anderson Civic Center), Anderson. Nov 26–Dec 25. Sun–Thurs, 5:30–9pm; Fri–Sat, 5:30–10pm. $10/car. andersonchristmaslights.org

Christmas at Biltmore

No matter how many lights you string across your house and yard, it’s never going to compare to the 100,000 twinkling lights that illuminate Biltmore Estate at Christmastime. The good news is, you can take in all the holiday magic either by day or by candlelight in the evenings at George Vanderbilt’s Gilded Age estate. In addition to a self-guided tour of the house, admission fees give you access to the estate grounds, shops, and winery.

1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC. Nov 6–Jan 10. Daytime visits daily, 10am–5pm; Candlelight Evenings daily, 5:30–11pm. Daytime tickets start at $84; evening tickets start at $114. (800) 411-3812, biltmore.com

Photograph courtesy of Biltmore Estate

What started as a visionary idea soon flourished into reality when the Peace Center celebrated its Opening Gala on November 19, 1990.

Since then, the Peace Center has helped shape and transform Greenville—enriching our community, fueling the local economy and creating joyful memories for those who step through the doors. And while it’s a little quiet at the moment, the lasting impact of those live experiences continues.

Thank you, Greenville, for making your Peace Center possible.

Please renew or become a Peacekeeper today!

peacecenter.org/donate • 864.679.9202

Peace Center Construction 1990

Diana Ross

Peace Center 1991

Dolly Parton

The Lion King Premiere 2012

John Legend

Jerry Seinfeld

Peace Center Today

Inspired to help you stay amazing, at every age

Between kids, career and everything else you’d like to accomplish, it’s important to stay healthy. That’s why we offer advanced care at every stage of life — from adolescence and young adulthood to motherhood, menopause and beyond. With a full range of OB/GYN services and 40+ locations, we’re offering more quality care across the Midlands and Upstate. More expertise for women — to help you be your healthiest you.

PrismaHealth.org/women

weddings COUPLES & CELEBRATIONS

By Cameron Budove Photography

In a sweet hometown ceremony, BRITTANY NORMAN AND COREY BENNETT celebrated their start to forever.

BRITTANY NORMAN & COREY BENNETT

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

Corey was studying biology and playing baseball at Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina, when he first met Brittany through her older brother, Bradley. He and Corey were teammates, and the more Bradley got to know Corey, the more he thought his friend would be the perfect match for his little sister. It turns out he was right, and a few evenings into her brother’s matchmaking, the pair found themselves lost in conversation for hours. Just over two years after they started dating, Corey asked Brittany to meet him after work at their special place—the secluded spot in the woods where they would go to snuggle in the bed of Corey’s truck, watch movies, and eat an entire box of Krispy

Kreme doughnuts. When Brittany arrived, she found Corey down on one knee at the end of a path lined with candles and rose petals. Their ceremony was held at Zion Hill Baptist Church, Corey’s childhood church, where the couple are now members. The celebration at Forevermore Farm kicked off with an ode to the Carolina Gamecocks (Corey transferred to USC to get his engineering degree). As the couple entered the reception, a mix of “2001” and “Sandstorm” rang through the speakers as guests—in true USC style—waved their white towels, which were personalized for the wedding. The pair now lives in Chesnee, South Carolina.— Kathryn Norungolo

By Cameron Budove Photography

Weddings

KELLYN COX & WARREN MCCARTER

AUGUST 29, 2020

Sometimes a chance setup is all you need to secure forever. Nearly two years ago, Kellyn and Warren connected on a blind date, and as they say, the rest is history. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Warren was ready to propose to Kellyn and wasn’t about to let anything stop him, even though most places were closed for business. Determined to make the moment special, Warren planned a hike with a picnic in tow to a beautiful waterfall where he asked Kellyn to spend her life with him. Just months later the couple held their ceremony at First Baptist Spartanburg, where Kellyn wore a dream gown she found just in time on the clearance rack at the the Castle Prom and Bridal in Spartanburg. The pair, along with their close friends and family, celebrated with a reception at Starry Nights Venue. They now live in Boiling Springs. KN

By McKenzie Norman with M. Marie Photography

DIANE JLELATY & LUKE DEROCHERS

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

This couple’s first real conversation took place as they walked up Mount Lycabettus in Athens, Greece. Diane and Luke were both undergraduate students at Georgia Tech, and in January 2013, the two officially connected while studying abroad in Metz, France. The years to come would prove to be an adventure, much like their early days of dating, and four years after their sojourn to Greece, Luke was ready to ask Diane to marry him. His plan involved a private boat tour out of Charleston, then docking on the shore to pop the question. The special moment nearly came unmoored, as halfway through his speech, their craft started to float away. In a panic, they ran to catch the boat. That incident spooked Luke enough that he waited until they were safely on the balcony of the Anchorage 1770 inn in Beaufort to try again. Diane couldn’t say “yes” fast enough, and two years later, they were married at Victoria Valley Vineyards, overlooking Table Rock. The couple now lives in their dream home in the historic West End of Atlanta, where Diane is a civil engineer, and Luke is a transit planner. KN

By Julia Madden Sears

Over $9M Volume Sold 2019

864.660.3925

Grace@ JHA-SothebysRealty.com

Instagram: @HomesWithGrace

Sallie first spotted David across the room at an engagement party for mutual friends, and just had to know who he was. Their friends set up a game night for the couple to officially meet, and shortly after that, they went on their first date. Nearly two years later, on a walk downtown before Sallie’s birthday dinner, David asked her to be his bride on the Liberty Bridge. COVID-19 necessitated rescheduling the big party the couple had planned, but they couldn’t wait to be married. In the backyard of the home they had just purchased together, David and Sallie said their vows in front of immediate family, with Sallie beaming in the dress meant for her rehearsal dinner. Afterwards, they celebrated with savory fare from Henry’s BBQ and cake from Brick Street Café. The couple lives in Taylors; Sallie is a project manager at the Cargo Agency, and David works at Utility Partners of America. KN

By Red Apple Tree Photography

KATELAND SATTERFIELD & MICHAEL MITCHEM

JULY 11, 2020

Although Kateland and Michael knew of each other in middle school, it wasn’t until Kateland graduated from Clemson that the couple got together. She was getting ready to move to Atlanta when Michael told her he was passing through Greenville for work, and they decided to meet; they’ve been together ever since. The couple dated for three years before getting engaged during a dinner at Kateland’s parents’ house. Michael had cleared the dinner plates from around the firepit and was washing them inside, taking what Kateland thought was an incredibly long time. After Kateland’s mom disappeared to check on him (secretly trying to contact Kateland’s dad via FaceTime), her daughter began to get suspicious. In the middle of this mayhem, Michael came out and dropped to one knee. Wearing a gown from Bridals by Lori, the Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta store, Kateland married Michael at Covenant United Methodist Church, where her family has belonged for more than 20 years. The couple lives in Easley, close to their work: Kateland as a project manager at Indexx, Inc., and Michael as an assistant golf superintendent at The Cliffs. KN

By Red Apple Tree Photography

EMILY MOORE & KYLE PORTER JULY 4, 2020

When you know, you know, and for Emily and Kyle their connection was immediate. It was love at first sight when Kyle arrived for his physical therapy appointment at Proverb Fitness and was paired with Emily as his therapist. The two soon realized they were from the same hometown, and nine months later, Kyle was down on one knee. Emily is a hard one to surprise, so under the guise of going wedding-venue shopping for his brother, Kyle took Emily to Pretty Place to pop that all-important question in a spot that was beautiful, even in the rain. Although the Fourth of July always brings a big celebration, that date is even more special for this pair, because Emily’s great-grandparents were also married on this day in 1940. At Secona Baptist Church in Pickens, the backdrop for all of Emily’s family weddings, the couple said, “I do.” They now live on a charming little farm in Pickens and commute to their jobs: Emily as a physical therapist with ATI, and Kyle as an Epic analyst at Prisma Health. KN

By Red Apple Tree Photography

hearing wedding bells? TOWN Magazine wants to publish your wedding announcement. If you currently live or grew up in the Upstate and were recently married, please write to us at TOWN Magazine, Attn: Weddings, 581 Perry Ave, Greenville, SC 29611, or e-mail weddings@towncarolina.com. Due to space constraints, inclusion is not guaranteed.

Personalizing the Right Care for You

Whether safely in our clean facilities or virtually from the comfort of your own home, we’re creating the personalized solutions you need, to meet you where you need us. Because no matter how the world around us changes, we believe your health care should always revolve around you. Visit bonsecours.com/primarycare to connect with a primary care provider today. PRIMARY

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INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS

Teenage artist DAVID BRAZIER captures national vistas through his impressionist landscapes.

A QUIET PLACE

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD LANDSCAPE PAINTER

DAVID BRAZIER ADDS HIS BRUSH TO THE MAKERS COLLECTIVE LINEUP

by Abby Moore Keith • portrait by Will Crooks

Crisp pines against a mountain range. Plum-peach clouds of a coastal sunset. Boulders tumbling into a stormy, gray ocean.

David Brazier’s loose landscapes ignite something inside— perhaps it’s nostalgia, or wanderlust, or simply a desire to rest in the beauty of a wild place.

David is new to the Makers Collective artisan lineup, showcased this fall through the Indie Craft Parade: Shop Edition. At fifteen, the Greenville native is a bit of a wunderkind. When his older brother began dabbling in watercolors four years ago, David decided to experiment as well. But instead of formal training, his abilities and techniques have been acquired digitally.

“He just started painting,” says David’s mother, Rebekah. “And then kept painting, and kept painting, and kept painting.”

“I started watching YouTube tutorials,” David adds. “When I felt comfortable, I started to find my own stuff.”

Currently, his own stuff is a collection of impressionist landscapes, largely inspired by childhood road trips. The Braziers have embarked on two separate cross-country excursions, hitting all 48 contiguous states and exposing David and his three older siblings to a host of national scenery.

A scroll through his Instagram feed reveals forest scenes from the Pacific Northwest to marshland vistas along the Atlantic coast. He’s amassed quite the following, too, and utilizes the platform to connect and learn from artists he admires.

David’s preferred hues on the palette bleed into his

Greenville native David Brazier began painting four years ago at age 11, developing his technique through YouTube tutorials. In between running his online Etsy shop and popular Instagram account, he fits in homeschool classes, and, of course, creative time in his bedroom-based studio.

personal style (an earthy green jacket is a near match to the trees in his Yosemite painting), but his faith influences his aesthetic as well (many of his pieces are named after worship songs). The young artist also seems older than his fifteen years—perhaps it’s his professionalism, quiet humility, or his passion for old-school TV shows.

While right now the paints have to wait until after he’s finished history class, David has plenty of time to grow. He hopes to venture into still life, take more lessons, and when he graduates, pursue art full-time. Whatever life entails for him—the future feels as wide as the open skies he so eloquently captures.

For more of David’s work, visit @davidbrazierart on Instagram, or stop by Indie Craft Parade: The Shop Edition at 2909 Old Buncombe Rd, weekends through December 20.

FEMALE LEAD

LOCAL NONPROFIT GIRLUP GVL BRIDGES THE RESOURCE GAP FOR ADOLESCENT WOMEN

by Charlotte Ward • portrait by will crooks

On a Wednesday afternoon, the smell of teriyaki chicken wafts from a house off Anderson Road in Greenville. Inside, four high school girls are recreating a recipe they found via TikTok, preparing the dish in a scooped-out pineapple.

The young women are learning, laughing, and enjoying themselves in the process. It’s an intentionally fun moment for a group of girls who bear a lot on their young shoulders. All are recipients of GirlUp GVL’s free programming to enrich in-need middle and high school girls with education, empowerment, and life skills.

“These girls carry a lot of responsibility at home,” explains Kim Mogan, 32, a Greenville native and GirlUp founder. “They are caring for younger siblings, helping brothers and sisters with their schoolwork, or from singleparent households with a mom who works nights. It’s just hard. These challenges can prevent them from pursuing education like they could and the freedoms that come with childhood.”

Many nonprofits begin with a vision, and then, in time, the momentum begins. Mogan, by contrast, did everything at record speed. She knew the girls already, having mentored them through after-school programs at nonprofit the Frazee Center. With no programming available as they grew older, she quickly mobilized to provide it, despite her own commitment to pursuing a bachelors in human services at Anderson University. “I started off as this rogue lady in the community,” she smiles. “Then I formed a nonprofit.”

A year into operation she has opened a GirlUp Greenville house for learning, employed a program assistant, Rebecca McClure, and provided computers and a safe, socially distanced space for GirlUp recipients to undergo remote learning, three days a week.

“We recognize that racial injustice creates barriers that prove harder for these young women to get through. We want to do all we can for them to have an equal opportunity.”

Mogan’s venture has been powered by community donations and her close relationship with every girl who comes under her wing. She keeps the numbers low—presently 17 girls, aged 11–18, attend programs— so that she and McClure can invest ample time in each individual’s growth.

The GirlUp crew receive whatever they need— mentorship, help with homework, exam prep or financial literacy, advice for first jobs or college decisions, transportation, driving instruction, or even swimming lessons. Mogan says her own experience as an unconfident teenager, the middle daughter of three children, shaped her vision.

“My parents worked hard, but they didn’t have a lot of money or time,” she says. “When it came to life decisions, I didn’t have a lot of support or confidence. Looking back, outside mentoring would have helped a lot. We recognize that racial injustice creates barriers that prove harder for these young women to get through. We want to do all we can for them to have an equal opportunity to reach their goals and dreams regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomics.”

Two girls recently headed to college with Mogan setting up a GoFundMe account to help fund their tuition. She calls them all the time.

“I told them, ‘I’m going to have to call you every day for the first two weeks!’” she laughs. “I’m hoping that through the years they’ve learned how to overcome obstacles, but my heart wants to protect them. I can’t imagine ever turning away from trying to help them.” For more information about GirlUp GVL, visit girlupgvl.org.

Kim Mogan (left) started GirlUp GVL when the young women she mentored through the Frazee Center aged out of programming. The nonprofit provides everything from exam prep to life-skills training for middle and high school students; photograph (opposite left) courtesy of Kim Mogan.

SAVING GRACE

PRISMA HEALTH ALS CLINIC COORDINATOR SUZY HOBBS WORKS AROUND THE CLOCK TO PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES

by Libby McMillan Henson • photograph by Will Crooks

Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge, when people across social media had ice water dumped on their heads to raise money for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)? That groundbreaking campaign raised about 120 million dollars. “To the best of my knowledge,” says nurse practitioner Suzy Hobbs, “the vast majority of funds went directly to research, but nothing trickled down to direct patient care.”

To Hobbs, the clinic coordinator of the Prisma Health ALS Clinic here in Greenville, patient care is what keeps her up at night. Despite managing her own multiple sclerosis, she helps nearly 100 ALS patients, their families, and

caregivers all navigate the quick-changing gauntlet of the unimaginable disease nicknamed Lou Gehrig’s.

“Most ALS treatment centers provide excellent medical care,” says Hobbs. “But at our clinic, we recognize that ALS is more than just medicine. Ask any family member—there’s so much to manage. You get used to a new normal, and then tomorrow that’s not normal anymore.”

The progression of the disease is quick: in two to five years, patients typically transform from experiencing mild symptoms to becoming totally paralyzed, all while their minds stay sharp. Many lose the ability to swallow and talk early on. ALS is considered a fatal disease.

Patients and families who are blessed to have financial resources have less stress during their diagnosis, though average out-of-pocket costs can still run $110,000–$115,000 per year after insurance. Clinic patients, who range in age from 17 to their late 80s, receive services like physical therapy, speech therapy, nutrition, and mental health.

Suzy Hobbs is the clinic coordinator at the Prisma Health ALS Clinic, where she advocates for patients in need of medical tools and resources to help them adjust to the disease’s difficult symptoms.

“I lie awake at night knowing there are people suffering, that a simple tool would make a difference—the difference in existing and living—and I can’t provide it.”

“But of course, that’s only if they can get there,” reveals Hobbs. “Many have no transportation. Ambulance transport is $500. And some are even trapped in their homes, if not their bedrooms, because of no resources for basic tools like wheelchairs and ramps.”

Without insurance or savings, patients rely on what Hobbs can provide. Even formula for a feeding tube is expensive. She and the clinic team have spent the years since the clinic’s 2014 establishment trying to build up a simple “loaner closet” of tools for patients and their families to borrow. There’s no funding for high-tech tools like $15,000 eye-gaze communication devices, but even items like hospital beds, Hoyer lifts, and reclining wheelchairs turn an intolerable situation into a life with dignity for families touched by ALS.

“Donations toward research are wonderful for future generations,” says Hobbs. “But working with Upstate families on a daily basis—who are coping with so much— underscores the significance of how an angel donor could change things for so many families. I lie awake at night knowing there are people suffering, that a simple tool would make a difference—the difference in existing and living—and I can’t provide it. I lose a lot of sleep.”

Hobbs says she feels blessed to work with Dr. Sandip Jain and Dr. Eduardo Cortez-Garcia, both of whom she calls “amazing physicians.” As referrals to the clinic continue to increase, the need for funding weighs heavy. “Nearly everyone knows someone touched by ALS in the Upstate,” says Hobbs. “The hardest thing for me is that the needs are so many and my resources are so few.”

How does a woman with her own MS to manage worry about hundreds of Upstate residents on a daily basis? “I pray a lot,” she says. “Once, I had to go to three patient funerals in one day. I’d be a goner without God.”

Hobbs diminishes her own challenges when asked how she copes with it all. “I don’t see my disease as remotely significant compared to what an ALS patient deals with,” she says. When pressed, she admits the stress doesn’t help her situation, but her focus will not be deterred. “A respite fund for the patients would be the greatest gift ever,” she says, her hopes directed toward a better, brighter future for others.

Author Libby McMillan Henson lost her father to ALS nine months after he was diagnosed in 2015. He was particularly fond of Suzy Hobbs, his primary healthcare resource. For more information, or to donate to the Prisma ALS Clinic, visit bit.ly/touchedbyALS.

Please Join Us for the 10th Annual

Hope and Help for the Holidays and Beyond

A Grief Seminar providing comfort & education

Offered Virtually, the Week of November 9-13, 2020

12:00 pm M-F • 7:00 pm Tu-Th

For anyone who has experienced loss and grief in their own life, as well as professionals who help grieving individuals and their families.

Keynote Speaker – Monday & Friday: Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD

Schedule for the Week:

Monday

12-1:30 pm - When Grief Goes Viral: Navigating Grief and Loss Through the Pandemic and the Holidays

Tuesday

12-1 pm - Tending to What Hurts with Self-Compassion & Self-Care (RAIN meditation practice)

7-8 pm - Grief 101: The Basics of Grief

Wednesday

12-1 pm - Losing Your +1: Life After the Death of a Partner

7-8 pm - (For those who are grieving) Grief Recovery Group

Thursday

12-1 pm – When It Hurts to Hope: Coping with Loss Through the Lens of Faith

7 pm – A Time to Remember: Service of Remembrance Remembering the loved ones we have lost, by name and photo. If you wish to participate, you will be asked to email us the name of your loved one. You may also include a photo if you’d like.

12-2:15 pm – (For Professionals) Intervening in Meaning: A Masters Class in Grief Therapy

Our teams have been honored to come together each year to provide this education, hope and healing to our community. We consider it a privilege to provide this at credits (CEU’s) for professionals are included.

To register, please visit by

After registering, you will be sent a link a few days ahead that you will use to virtually attend the sessions. No app, username or password will be necessary. It will be an interactive event, where you will be

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BY THE PAW

SHELTER PUPS GET A NEW LEASH ON LIFE THROUGH NOBLE DOG HOTEL’S THERAPY PROGRAM

by m. linda Lee •

by Karen Schipper

Aruddy hound mix bounds toward me in the waiting area at Noble Dog Hotel in Hampton Station. In her joy to meet a new friend, Gertie, as she’s called, leaps excitedly on Jen Hanna, who is holding the pup’s leash. Leader of the pack, Hanna opened Noble Dog Hotel in 2017. She brings Gertie over, and the two-year-old trains her soulful brown eyes on me and licks my hand as I attempt to pet a moving target.

Gertie is one of three dogs recently adopted into the Canine Healing Project, Noble Dog’s nonprofit arm that Hanna established in 2018. Jen retrieved Gertie and two other dogs— Ginger, a fawn-colored 10-year-old who recently had puppies, and “Grandpa” Drew, a deaf senior cattle dog mix with a saltand-pepper muzzle—from Greenville Animal Care in early September. As part of the program, they will live at Noble Dog and receive training in basic obedience and good canine manners so they can be matched with an appropriate family, and possibly become a therapy dog.

Jen Hanna, owner of Noble Dog Hotel, provides shelter animals with a second chance through the Canine Healing Project, where they are trained to become therapy dogs.

That was Hanna’s goal in establishing the program. A pro golfer in her former life, the Furman alum has been active in therapy work with her own dogs for ten years now—a cause that’s near and dear to her heart. “I knew I wanted to do a dog hotel,” she says, “but I also wanted to have an impact on the community through our training program.” For her, the Canine Healing Project fulfills that purpose.

To date, the program has rescued 39 dogs and found homes for all of them except the three currently in training. Hanna and her staff strive to match the right pup with the right family and encourage adopters to become certified in therapy work. Dogs in training stay at Noble Dog as long as they need to. The length of training depends on the individual dog. “It takes three weeks to a month just to find out who they really are,” Hanna says. “But when you pull a dog from the shelter and work with them and see them come out of their shell, that’s what’s rewarding—just knowing we can change these dogs’ lives.”

At the end of the day, the Canine Healing Project is a winwin: dogs get a new lease on life, adopters get a good dog, and, Hanna hopes, the community will be enriched by having more therapy dogs. “If you have a dog that can provide comfort or stress-relief to others, it’s great to share that,” she notes. It’s paws-up all around.

To fill out an adoption application for dogs in the Canine Healing Project, go to caninehealingproject.org.

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REGIONAL PLACES & GLOBAL DESTINATIONS

Just outside Music City, THE HARPETH HOTEL in Franklin, Tennessee, hits the right key.

A HIGH NOTE

FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE, PLAYS AN OLD-SCHOOL RIFF WITH A BRAND-NEW SOUND

by Blair Knobel

Nashville needs no introduction. The Music City is now a cultural mecca, the epitome of vintage style and all-around coolness. Go there to be inspired, electrified, and entertained. But if you’re craving a place close to the action yet away from it all, Franklin, Tennessee, is the ticket—and where many of Nashville’s music glitterati make their homes. Named for Benjamin Franklin, the city, founded in 1799, came to prominence before the Civil War. During the war, Union troops occupied it for three years—and it took the city more than a century to reestablish its thriving economy.

If Nashville is hipness, Franklin is heart. Think farmer’s markets, antique shops, and a local bookstore; decades-old restaurants turning out fried chicken and all the fixin’s; a corner coffee shop

in a Victorian house complete with a porch swing. And, yet, the spillover from Nashville’s legendary boutique and artisan scene is apparent. Franklin’s Main Street is lined with the artsy, refined, and oneof-a-kind, and The Factory at Franklin, a renovated stove factory, now houses art studios, shops, and a food hall (including Five Daughters Bakery, which practically reinvented the doughnut).

I’d heard of Franklin on previous trips to Nashville, but I didn’t make it outside of the city proper until this fall when I stayed at Franklin’s brand-new hotel The Harpeth—named for the Harpeth River that flows next to the property into town, past Civil War sites and historic homes.

Traveling during this time isn’t without concern, but The Harpeth’s focus on safety is paramount. The hotel is under the umbrella of Hilton and part of its Curio Collection, marrying the brand’s elite reputation and style with local character and approachability. The staff is keen to show their appreciation and take care

Photography courtesy of Crowe PR

The whiskey lit me with a tingling warmth while I enjoyed it under the stars.

of any request. I felt pampered in my modern suite, with a floor-to-ceiling walk-in glass shower and sizable balcony. The hotel has taken extra precautions, such as removing traditional items from rooms like a mini refrigerator. When I needed the fridge to hold leftovers from the hotel’s restaurant, it was delivered in no time.

Dinner at The Harpeth’s 1799 was a highlight of my trip. Named for the year that Franklin was founded, the restaurant’s interior is decidedly more modern, with a dramatic wood spiral in the center and chairs in Kelly green. Along the periphery are private banquettes with curtains to enjoy a more intimate experience. The chef focuses on American cuisine, with hints of the South, such as an inspired small plate featuring fried quail and dollar-size pancakes. Other standout dishes during my meal included the Caesar salad, with kale instead of romaine, and a tuna ceviche that I was happy not to miss.

The restaurant’s cocktails are popular, but I opted to cap off the night with bourbon. Though the bartender had just locked away his finest bottles, I asked if he had my favorite brand, Weller. He gave me a knowing nod and an eye-crinkle suggesting a smile, and set a gorgeous tumbler in front of me. The whiskey lit me with a tingling warmth while I enjoyed it under the stars.

Nashville may top the charts, but Franklin is the songwriter—or, to continue the metaphor, side B of the record. And, like side B, Franklin has memorable and moving tunes that you can’t stop playing.

Old and new notes harmonize in Franklin, Tennessee, from the historic downtown (above) to the polished spaces inside The Harpeth Hotel (above left and opposite).

STAY & PLAY:

While in Franklin, stay at The Harpeth Hotel, a refined and relaxed new part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. Don’t miss dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, 1799, or coffee and fresh pastries from its café, McGavock’s. 130 2nd Ave N, Franklin, TN. (615) 206-7510, harpethhotel.com

For a jaunt farther afield, head to the rural village of Leiper’s Fork, about 8.5 miles southwest of Franklin. The picturesque drive delivers you to art studios, restaurants, and off-thecharts coffee served up in a tiny home. If you have an afternoon, grab lunch at Puckett’s, then head over to Leiper’s Fork Distillery for a whiskey tasting. visitfranklin.com/seeand-do/leipers-fork

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PET COMMANDER KENNELS blends high-caliber training with a philanthropic focus.

SAFE HAVEN

J

onathan Watkins, wearing black cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat, is “fixin’” to drive his 18 English pointer bird dogs down to King Ranch, the near-mythological cattle empire whose South Texas acreage exceeds the size of Rhode Island, and whose history stands among some of the most colorful legends of the American West. The rest of the year, he runs the kennels he and his wife, JoDee, built just three years ago, a place for their special-needs daughter to work on their 106acre spread in Laurens County.“I think it’s amazing because I get to grow up learning: learning how to do bird dogs and do pet dogs,” AnneDee says, her smile full of braces. “I really like that my mom and dad had this idea to build this area for me, this place.”

On a cloudless fall day as warm as their welcome, mother and daughter stand across the counter from each other in the lodge-like headquarters of their Pet Commander Kennels.

“She’s chief excitement officer,” her mom says of AnneDee’s role among the kennels’ three full-time employees and its four workers with

62 NOVEMBER 2020 I towncarolina.com

intellectual disabilities. The Watkinses have four children and recently took in two of JoDee’s niece’s kids.

AnneDee named Pet Commander Kennels after her beloved boxer, who died when she was three. After her father broke the news, she says, “I started crying until midnight.” A high-functioning 14-year-old with a rare disorder akin to Down syndrome, she works four hours a day, three days a week—when she’s not riding their bay, Peaches, or taking violin lessons.

The kennels offer boarding and grooming, along with obedience and hunt training services, and can accommodate 60 dogs, including Jonathan’s. Three months each year, he takes his dogs to Texas, where he guides hunts in the mesquite-studded 238,000-acre Norias Division of King Ranch’s 825,000 acres. The family often joins him. “We all go to Texas to help Jonathan with his dream,” JoDee says. He got the job from the guide who no longer wanted it, the man who trained him to train bird dogs.

he considers Jonathan one of his finest alumni. “There are people that come through our program, and some really shine, not only in their ability to read and train a dog, but in their integrity,” he says, “and Jonathan’s one of those guys.”

People anthropomorphize (Smith’s word) their pets, but a pointer has one job: finding and flushing out coveys. Pet Commander keeps a pigeon house with homing birds used to train for this specific reason. “We can really see a dog and love that dog for what that dog is. I think that’s what sets Jonathan apart,” Smith says.

Jonathan discovered his passion for work dogs during his 13-year law-enforcement career in Virginia, where he enjoyed spending time with the Fairfax Police Department’s K-9 unit. He’d always dreamed of being a Secret Service agent—“I was supposed to be protecting the president by this point, at age 40”—but text here

Ronnie Smith is widely considered the leading instructor in the country. From his eponymous kennels in northern Oklahoma, he says

Jonathan Watkins (left) has found his calling training bird dogs on the 106 sylvan acres in Gray Court where he sited Pet Commander Kennels.

an agent suggested that if Jonathan wanted a life, he wouldn’t have one constantly on the road.

He also met JoDee, at that time, a cardiac nurse. They married 15 years ago. In 2014, they settled on these verdant pastures, ultimately renovating an 1893 farmhouse on property coincidentally just a quartermile from his boyhood home.

“You know people send their dogs for Jonathan to train from all over the country? And we’re in this little Gray Court, South Carolina,” says Anna Cruse, who lives in the Five Forks area and drives the 30 miles each way, twice a day, to the farm.

She fell in love with the place, the people, and Jonathan’s threemonth-long training regimen. Later this fall, she hopes to take Ruger, her German shorthaired, to hunt tests, which measure a dog against itself, and perhaps to field trials, where dogs compete against other dogs.

Of the kennels’ owners, she says: “They’re just so welcoming to everybody that comes through the door and, you know, they try to get to know these people. They certainly know the dogs that just come for day care or come in for obedience or bird-dog training.”

Kennedy White, who joined the kennels two and a half years ago as an obedience trainer, echoes others’ sentiments about life on the farm. “They are my people, I mean, they are like my family,” the 23-yearold says, confiding that she’s found a safe place far from her troubled childhood; she’s planning to get married here soon. “This is where I want my two daughters to be able to grow up and hang out and be at work. If everything goes to plan, this kennel is probably my forever home.”

Asked about her special-needs coworkers, she says, “You learn a whole lot from them. They’re always happy, they’re always smiling, everything is positive to them.”

Cruse, who, in turn, exudes her affection for Kennedy, adds about the Watkinses: “They’re so unconditionally accepting, and that can be a life-changing influence on anybody.”

For more information, visit petcommanderkennels.com.

Given Wings

JBW Farms, the parent company of Pet Commander Kennels, sows compassion. In addition to Haven House, a five-bedroom cottage that shelters women, Given Wings, the Watkinses’ nonprofit, aims to provide service animals for people who can’t afford the $40,000 training.

And once completed, the $1.5 million CHASE Equestrian Center will offer therapeutic riding to wounded warriors, people with birth defects, and survivors of trauma and sexual assault. “This is what we feel like our calling is,” Jonathan says. JoDee adds, “I love everything that we’ve tried to create—a safe haven for people.”

Dubbed “chief excitement officer” by her mom, AnneDee Watkins (above) devotes three days a week to helping her parents with their canine charges, including the family’s 18 English pointers.

“There are people that come through our program, and some really shine, not only in their ability to read and train a dog, but in their integrity. Jonathan’s one of those guys.”

JOIN US IN OUR FIGHT TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN THE UPSTATE

The LIVE event will be streamed on our Facebook page Friday, November 20 at 8 pm.

Tune in starting November 16 via facebookfor a VIRTUAL SILENT AUCTION as well as more Gala week videos and information!

For more information, call 864.350.0281 or email info@switchsc.org

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BLAIR’S BELTS in Athens, Georgia, supplies handcrafted accessories made in the South.

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by

Fall means football, and for stylish fans, it’s an easy excuse for creative accessorizing. Whether your preferred palate is crimson, garnet, or Tiger orange—Blair Beskin has a high-end belt for you. Beskin brings her extensive fashion design background to bear in Blair’s Belts, an elegant collection of handmade alligator and crocodile skin belts, cuffs, and card cases. Fashioned right here in the States, Beskin’s various styles—for men and women—are customizable with your belt buckle of choice. Stop by her Athens, Georgia, brick-and-mortar shop, or peruse her options online.

Blair’s Belts, 269 N Hull St STE 400, Athens, GA. blairsbelts.com

AUTHENTIC ALLIGATOR AND CROCODILE SKINS ARE THE HALLMARK OF BLAIR’S BELTS

Abby Moore keith • photography by Paul Mehaffey

With a degree in fashion merchandising and business from the University of Alabama, Blair Beskin moved to New York City to work at Spanx, then relocated to Atlanta for a job at Rebecca Boutique. She and her father dreamed up the concept for Blair’s Belts with a family friend who’s been a longtime belt maker. Beskin’s vision harkens back to 1920s “Gatsby” style, her authentic accessories made in the South for the modern man or woman.

(opposite left) Candler crocodile belt in green, $325; (above) Filbelts woven with 5-hole alligator tabs, $175.

THE NEARLY NEW SHOP

DO GOOD, FEEL GOOD ― AT ITS CORE, THIS IS THE IDEA THAT IF YOU DO GOOD FOR THE WORLD AND OTHERS, YOU WILL FEEL GOOD.

What if you could do good for the community, feel good about who you are serving and treat yourself? Sound too farfetched? Not at The Nearly New Shop.

The Nearly New Shop is the Junior League of Greenville’s resale store, and its three-fold mission offers the opportunity to do good, feel good and treat yourself.

• Do good — provide funds that support the many programs and projects of the Junior League of Greenville, Inc. These funds have contributed to supporting more than 300 different agencies and awarded nearly $3 million dollars in grants over the League’s 91-year history.

• Feel good — to serve as a training ground for our members. The Nearly New Shop staff is comprised of several employees and JLG Members who donate their time. It serves almost 2,000 customers per month and over 20,000 customers every year.

• Treat yourself — to provide an outlet for the community to purchase fabulous clothing and household goods at nominal prices.

‘Tis the time of year for seasonal decorating and gift giving, and at The Nearly New Shop you’ll find the perfect pieces to bring holiday cheer to your home and gifts for one and all.

Looking for another way to get involved?

Donations to The Nearly New Shop provide the store’s inventory and ultimately allow the League to continue giving back to our community. The Nearly New Shop accepts donations of new or gently used clothing, jewelry, shoes, linens, children’s toys, seasonal items, luggage, books, furniture and small appliances.

In 2020, the need for The Nearly New Shop in the Greenville community has only grown as we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the shop has been able to safely accept donations and is adhering to strict safety and sanitation guidelines to ensure that shoppers and staff stay safe.

These days we could all use a little doing good, feeling good — and who has ever turned down treating themselves? Come check out the latest inventory at The Nearly New Shop, where every purchase makes a difference!

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Handmade in Atlanta, Georgia, this hand-cut leather drawstring bucket bag is large enough to hold your essentials hands-free, but small enough to take anywhere without being bulky. The black oil-hide leather, treated with a mixture of oil and wax during the tanning process, makes for graceful aging. $270; Custard Boutique , 718 S Main St, Greenville. custardboutique.com

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SOUTHERN GATES SOUTHERN OAK PENDANT WITH CHAIN

An iconic symbol of strength, family, and longevity, the intricate tree-of-life design adorns this lovely necklace. The sterlingsilver pendant (on page 75) is part of the Southern Gates Series, and is shown with a 20-inch 1.2mm rounded box chain with an adjustable smart bead. $85; Ponthieux’s Jewelry Design Studio, 1818 Augusta St, Ste 101, Greenville. ponthieuxs.com

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FORESAIL QUILTED VEST

Premium polyester fabric gives Coast Apparel’s Foresail Quilted Vest a soft look and feel. The moss-green zipfront men’s vest is finished with a crab logo on the left chest pocket, while outside pockets and inside pockets add convenient storage. $85; Coast Apparel, 324 S Main St, Greenville. coastapparel.com

HARD BRIM HAT

Fashioned from 100 percent Australian wool, Wyeth’s “River” hard-brim hat will take you through the fall and winter in style. The hat, available in grey or tan and trimmed with a suede tonal band, comes in medium, but you can easily downsize it using the ribbon adjuster tucked into the sweatband. $80; Muse Shoe Studio , 2222 Augusta St, Greenville. museshoestudio.com

GUILTY PLEASURES VARIETY PACK

Please a range of palates with Wicked Weed’s shareable four-pack : Weed Brownie imperial stout with hemp-like flavors; Milk & Cookies imperial milk stout with golden raisins and vanilla; S’mores imperial stout with chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon; and German Chocolate Cake imperial stout with chocolate and coconut. $13; Wicked Weed Brewing, 91 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC. wickedweedbrewing.com

CAROLINA CREAM

Made in the Upstate, Six & Twenty Distill ery’s Carolina Cream is a crowd favorite. A blend of the distillery’s 5-grain whiskey with natural cream, rum, and spices, Caro lina Cream is great in coffee or poured over ice cream. $24; Six & Twenty Distillery , 3109 Hwy 153, Powdersville. sixandtwentydistillery.com

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Locally owned, Palmetto Olive Oil Co. features more than 70 varieties of the freshest ultra-premium extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars . Palmetto’s oils are sourced from around the world, while the balsamic vinegars are produced in Modena, Italy, where they are barrel-aged from 12 to 18 years. $12–$30; Palmetto Olive Oil Co. , 2243 Augusta St, Greenville. palmettooliveoilco.com

SMITHEY IRONWARE DUTCH OVEN

Made in Charleston, Smithey Ironware’s 5.5-quart Dutch oven with its domed lid is designed to retain and redistribute moisture to your food throughout the cooking process. The kitchen workhorse features Smithey’s signature polished, non-stick interior. $350; The Cook’s Station , 515 Buncombe St, Greenville. thecooksstation.com

C.O.R.E. GROW STRONG

Confidence, optimism, resilience, and energy are the four pillars of C.O.R.E., the fitness studio and fashion-forward athletic boutique that Currie Gossett opened a couple of years ago. Using a combination of Pilates, yoga, plyometrics, and body weight exercises, C.O.R.E. promotes a healthy lifestyle through mindful movement and a plant-based market. 2 W Washington St, Greenville. coregrowstrong.com

ANDI GO INK CAMO CROSS-BODY BAG

FRESSKO BAMBOO TRIP FLASK (450ML)

FRESSKO LAGOON FLASK (500ML)

LOLË GLOW YOGA MAT

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE town

YELLOW GOLD HOOP EARRINGS WITH DIAMOND STAR DROPS

There’s no better time than the holidays to show off these stunning yellow gold hoops with sparkling removable diamond stars, which were individually designed by Doves by Doron Paloma to be a one-of-a-kind treasure. $3,750; Hale’s Jewelers , 532 Haywood Rd, Greenville. halesjewelers.com

LOVELY (HORSE PAINTING)

An original painting (4ft x 4ft) by local artist Cindy Roddey, this evocative image of a horse will add grace and beauty to any home. $1,850; Cindy Roddey Fine Arts , 10 Central Ave, Greenville. 10centralave.com/cindy-roddey

LEOPARD SNEAKERS

Kick up your heels in Dolce Vita’s cool white and black embossed leopard sneakers . Leopard accents and an adjustable zipper take these high-tops to the next level. $143; Muse Shoe Studio , 2222 Augusta St, Greenville. museshoestudio.com

HAND-PAINTED OYSTER SHELL

Hand-painted by Mélange Studio founder Paula McCallum, these oyster shells are available in multiple patterns. Each back and interior rim is lined with gold, and every piece is sealed with a protective clear coat. $48 ; Mélange Arts Studio & Gallery , 1607 Laurens Rd, Ste 109, Greenville. melangearts.com

BILTMORE WINERY 35TH ANNIVERSARY CHARDONNAY

Handcrafted from grapes grown in Biltmore’s own vineyard, this special Chardonnay celebrates the winery’s 35th anniversary. This barrel-fermented and barrel-aged wine is soft and smooth, with a subtle acidity. $35; Biltmore Wines , on Biltmore Estate, One Lodge St, Asheville, NC. biltmorewines.com

ABACUS CUFFLINKS

Showing off a design inspired by the abacus, these square tuxedo studs add fun to formal wear with their freely moving 14-karat gold and black hematite beads. $300 (set of 2); MAKE MADE Jewelry , 241 N Main St, Ste C, Greenville. makemadejewelry.com

GVL BRACELET

Handmade by designer and owner Donna Adams, this bangle-style hook bracelet is crafted of .925 sterling silver, and $25 from every purchase goes to local charities $186 ; Wild Ice Jewelry , Greenville. wildicejewelry.com

“GREAT PERSONAL STYLE IS AN EXTREME CURIOSITY ABOUT YOURSELF.”

RECYCLED GLASS HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER

RECYCLED GAZEBO FEEDER

BIRDS UNLIMITED

From bird baths to bird seed, if it’s related to our feathered friends, you’ll find it at the Greenville satellite of the country’s largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores. Stop by Wild Birds Unlimited to stock up on avian supplies and get expert advice on how to turn your backyard into a bird-watcher’s paradise.

626 Congaree Rd, Greenville. greenville.wbu.com

*Feeder stands are props only.

THE DECORATIVE FUNCTIONAL FEEDER

WILD

ECOTOUGH® CLASSIC FEEDER

COPPER TUBE FEEDER

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE town

AMBER ORANGE SOY CANDLE

A blend of essential oils create a warm, comforting aroma when you light this hand-poured soy candle in your home. The soy is so pure that you can wash and use the glass container for drinking after the candle is gone. $22; Nourish Natural Bath Products, 103 N Main St, Greenville. nourishsavannah.com

MONSIEUR CRUCHOT PITCHER SET

Get inspired by a comic character from French film, whimsical Monsieur Cruchot pitchers by Louis de Limburg for Serax are bound to spark smiles around your table. Available in white or taupe, these ceramic carafes are not limited to serving beverages; this gentleman also graciously assumes the role of a watering can or a flower vase. $107 (set of 2); DZN Home, 23 Falls Park Dr, Greenville. dznstudio.com

MAKING PORCHES BRIGHT

Make your front door festive this holiday season with this personalized doormat by Board and Brush. The Merry and Bright design comes in three sizes and is the perfect way to greet your guests. Buy it pre-made or make it yourself in a DIY doormat workshop at the studio. $50, pre-made; $40, workshop. Board and Brush , 1411 Laurens Rd, Greenville. boardandbrush.com/greenville

CLASSIC ANKLE SOCKS (COLOR: BRICK)

Available in men’s and women’s sizes, Kentwool’s new F/W 2020 Limited Edition Collection of merino wool ankle socks are not only super-soft, but durable and unmatched in comfort. $20; Kentwool Performance Apparel, 135 S Main St, Ste 800, Greenville. kentwool.com

BIG GREEN EGG

The Big Green Egg cooks everything from appetizers to desserts. The natural hardwood charcoal heats up quickly, and the stainless-steel cooking grid allows easy clean-up. Free assembly and delivery. Duncan’s Hardware, 1506 Augusta St, Greenville. acehardware. com/store-details/05932

TRAEGER PRO SERIES 575 WOOD

PELLET GRILL

The Cadillac of wood-pellet grills , the versatile Traeger Pro Series burns hardwood pellets to impart a smoky, wood-fired flavor to all your meats. Grilling on the new Pro 575 is as easy as using an oven, and the WiFIRE-enabled controller allows you to monitor and adjust the temperature remotely via the Traeger App. $799; Je Lynch Appliance and TV Center, 17 Roper Mountain Rd, Greenville. jefflynch.com

“WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, BUT WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE.”

WINSTON CHURCHILL

THE LANDMARK PROJECT

Spawned from a one-man print shop that artist and owner Matt Moreau set up in his spare room in 2007, The Landmark brand commemorates America’s great outdoor places. The popularity of the team’s first state park tees spurred them to expand the line, and in honor of the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service, they began including designs of parks from all over the U.S. Today, working toward their goal of replacing the entire garment line with sustainable fabrics by the end of 2021, The Landmark Project produces tees, hats, mugs, and more.

The Landmark Project, 207 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville. thelandmarkproject.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE town

SCRIPTURE BANGLES

An inspirational gift, these lovely bracelets by Bangles from Heaven are engraved with a variety of scriptures or motivational sayings on the outside and the verse reference on the inside. Available in sterling silver or fine silverplate. $45-$95; Julie’s Jewels and Gifts , 301 Haywood Rd Suite 3, Greenville. juliesjewelsandgifts.com

LABRADORITE PEBBLE NECKLACE WITH STERLING TENDRIL CLASP

Featuring individually shaped labradorite beads that shimmer with blue hues as they catch the light, this unique necklace is sure to be a standout in your jewelry wardrobe. It is secured with a one-ofa-kind solid sterling-silver toggle clasp that is cast from a wild grapevine. $1,200; Tanya Stiegler Designs , 111 Henry St, Greenville. tanyastieglerdesigns.com

POLLYANA CONTE WATERCOLOR

This original watercolor of the Liberty Bridge by Brazil-born artist Pollyana Conte will brighten up a desk, table, or even your Christmas tree. The painting comes in three sizes (1-, 2-, and 3-inch squares), with a brass frame and its own stand. $20 (1-inch); $30 (2-inch); $40 (3-inch); Mélange Arts Studio & Gallery , 1607 Laurens Rd, Ste 109, Greenville. melangearts.com

ESSEUTESSE FRINGE RUNNER

These handmade Italian leather shoes perfectly combine comfort and style. Crafted with love, each pair becomes more comfortable the more you wear them. The lightweight sole and arch-support insert ensure you can go for miles while looking chic. $380; Monkee’s of the West End , 103 Augusta St, Ste A, Greenville. monkeesofthewestend.com

RECYCLED SKATEBOARD HOOPS

These lightweight, eco-friendly hoops are handmade from recycled skateboards in Portland, Oregon. Wear them with the bold side out, or the natural side out, for two different looks. $48; Custard Boutique 718 S Main St, Greenville. custardboutique.com

780 BED SWING

The design of this sturdy porch swing invites relaxation. Arm rests are intentionally made just wide enough for a coffee cup in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening. Deck it out with the twin-cushion package, which comes with a Sunbrella fabric-covered twin-bedsized cushion and four Sunbrella pillows. $2,500; Twenty Eight Eleven, LLC , Greenville. twentyeighteleven.com

ommunity Journals and the Community Foundation of Greenville are pleased to honor the recipients of this year’s Charitable Giving Awards. Celebrating 10 years of collaboration, it is with great excitement that each year we get to recognize the individuals, companies and nonprofit organizations in our community who are making a difference through their devotion to service and giving. Please join us in celebrating the 2020 award recipients:

EVENT SPONSORS:

Ms. Bea Wright

BLAME GAME

SAVING FACE IS ABOUT OWNING UP AND LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

Time after time, our faithful dogs have unwittingly taken the fall for us. Blamed for eating homework, digging up the garden, and countless other transgressions, poor innocent Fido is a natural scapegoat, there to accept the undeserved blame for us.

Blame-shifting is a regular practice for children as they are figuring out the ropes of life. From the children’s perspective, they love their parents and don’t want them to be mad. Even though kids don’t mind pushing the limits of proper behavior, they will do all in their power to avoid getting caught. Phrases like, “He started it,” “She made me do it,” and “Not me!” are typical of wee blame-shifters. Good news, though— with decent parenting, these habits can be nipped in the bud.

Part of growing up is learning that we must assume responsibility for our own actions. After all, the best of us will experience defeat, setbacks, and failures in our personal and professional lives, and not just once. Whether the blunder is a mere hindrance or a cringe-worthy fiasco, your response to it exposes a defining choice—either we make excuses and assign blame, or decide to be accountable for our own actions that led to the trouble and opt to make changes.

Maturity commands that we put away childish habits and stop the blame game. We all know the sort of person I am talking about—those who habitually blame others for everything negative that happens in

their lives. Inevitably, these unremitting fault-finders will earn reputations as untrustworthy. Let’s face it: who wants to be in a relationship (personal or professional) with someone knowing that, at the first (and every) hiccup, she will be quick to throw you under the bus.

A “blamer” is all about saving face and will avoid looking into a mirror to figure out what went wrong. This self-focused behavior is not only self-serving, it is short-sighted. Blaming fosters distrust, signals weakness, and stunts personal growth. When you blame others, you cede control of your own ability to succeed by completely bypassing the opportunity of learning from your mistakes. This is precisely the lesson that your parents were trying to teach you—mistakes are opportunities for personal growth and self-improvement.

Accountability is the opposite of blame, marking a preference to learn from mistakes and take ownership of our own actions. Being accountable focuses on the future and embraces a choice to make improvements after a misstep rather than to assign undeserved punishments to others. Accountability breeds respect and spurs personal development. To accept responsibility requires courage. My advice— choose the better path and claim the rewards of fessing up.

I’m here if you need me. Until then, y’all behave.

BEAUTIFUL

has a welcoming foyer that leads into a spacious living room and dining area with tall ceilings, wood floors and custom window treatments. The gourmet kitchen has Silestone countertops, tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, tall cabinetry and new hardware. The master suite includes a spacious bedroom with custom shutters on the windows, plush carpet, double closets with closet systems, and a spa-like bathroom. The second bedroom also features a custom closet system and an adjacent hall bath with ceramic tile tub/ shower, new vanity, new glass shower door, and new fixtures.

155 Riverplace is located just steps from Falls Park, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the Peace Center, art galleries, shops and restaurants. Building amenities include secure entrances, elevator, private trash pickup and one parking place in the Riverplace parking garage.

SPACE CASE

IN THESE EXTRAORDINARY TIMES, THE MAN REVISITS A CHILDHOOD FEAR OF EXTRATERRESTRIALS

by Steven Tingle

When I was a kid, my mother used to sit on our back porch during the warm Smoky Mountain evenings and look at the stars. She wasn’t searching for the Big Dipper or trying to discern the outline of Cassiopeia. She had no interest in astronomy. She would do it for the sole purpose of trying to terrify me. After staring at the sky for a few minutes, my mother would squint her eyes and tilt her head. “What is it?” I’d ask. She’d let the tension build for a long moment then slowly turn to me with a grave look and say, “I think I saw a UFO.” At this point, I would run upstairs and crawl under my bed.

In a list that includes snakes, elevators, electricity, propane tanks, my eyeball popping out of its socket, and a whole host of other fears, aliens are up near the top. Some say it’s an irrational fear, especially since I’ve never actually seen an alien, nor do I personally know anyone who has. But I also don’t know anyone who has fallen into a collapsed septic tank while mowing their yard, yet that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

What started with my mother’s pranks on the back porch only intensified when I was in college and made the mistake of seeing the movie Communion. In the film, which is supposedly a true story, a man is captured by aliens then taken to their spaceship where he is probed

in the most disagreeable way imaginable before being teleported back to his bedroom. While I don’t believe aliens will visit us just to give us colonoscopies—if they’ve figured out how to travel faster than the speed of light, then the human digestive system can’t be all that baffling—I do fear they will have unpleasant motives.

If you think I’m being ridiculous, then you’ve probably been lulled into a false sense of security by the popular depictions of friendly aliens, the likes of Alf and E.T. But the notion that aliens are bumbling dolts with big hearts and great senses of humor is nonsense. If aliens are able to travel to Earth, it will mean they are of superior intelligence. And how do we treat life forms not as intelligent as us humans? We keep them as pets, put them in zoos, or eat them.

My fear of being devoured by an extraterrestrial is just one of several topics Jess strongly encourages me not to discuss while in a social setting. I’m not exactly sure why, but it might be because when you announce the fact that you have a completely sensible fear of aliens, you are automatically lumped in with the kinds of people who believe in Bigfoot or think Elvis is still alive. It’s an unfair comparison, because those people obviously have no grasp on reality.

DUE SOUTH

A STRONG-WILLED TEENAGER NAVIGATES THE PATH TO ADULTHOOD IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA

by Scott Gould

The college kid selling encyclopedias was the only surprise in a day that was supposed to be boring and long. Missy Belue’s parents had driven to Augusta for one of her mother’s appointments and wouldn’t be back to Kingstree until almost dark. They didn’t worry. Her mother said she was old enough to stay by herself, “especially with your attitude.” Her daddy smiled when he heard that. He was proud of his daughter’s backbone. And he cultivated it every chance he got. He called her an old soul. “My Missy, thirteen going on twenty,” he said.

Missy eyed the fellow through a crack in the curtains. His broad forehead glowed with sweat, and his white shirt was wet and wrinkled like he’d been dunked in a swimming pool. He had a heavy bag slung across one shoulder. She decided that he was harmless, that the evil people of the world did not sweat like that. Plus, he was rail thin like a prisoner of war, with glasses thick enough to start fires.

Missy tried to sound older than her years, so she lowered her voice a little and asked him through the door what he wanted. He told her he was working his way through medical school selling encyclopedias. He held up a little brochure of some kind toward the small glass pane in the door.

“What kind of doctor do you want to be?” Missy asked.

“The kind of doctor that knows a little bit about a lot of things,” came a muffled reply.

She had to open the door when she heard that because Missy was a big

fan, even then, of people who knew a great deal about useless topics.

“I thought you’d be older,” he said when the door swung open and he got a look at the girl in the threshold.

“I thought you’d be drier,” she told him back, and the salesman plucked at the front of his damp shirt. He told her he couldn’t come in without an adult on the premises.

“Company rule. I think they had some trouble somewhere once upon a time.”

Missy said her parents were up in the bed with smallpox and couldn’t really walk what with the way the disease was taking its toll. He backed away from the door a bit and grinned. His teeth were skinny too, the size of corn kernels.

“People don’t get smallpox anymore. At least not in the United States of America. You can learn things like that in the World Book Encyclopedia nineteen sixty-eight edition.” He held up the brochure again. “How old are you, anyway?”

No one could ever guess Missy Belue’s age. Hair that hung almost to her waist made her look like she could be as young as ten, or closer to nineteen. She was tall for her age, with long feet, too long for her legs. Her face was the problem, if looking older was a problem. Missy had eyes that were deep and brown and, like her daddy said more than once, eyes that suggested she had seen a great deal of what the world had to offer. But it was all a lie. Missy rarely stepped foot outside of Kingstree.

“I’m twenty,” she said, sucking in a swallow of air.

“If you’re twenty, I’m Paul Newman,” the salesman said back, mopping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. “And in case you’re keeping score, I ain’t no Paul Newman.” His eyes lit up a little behind the Coke-bottle lenses.

Missy liked him better once he made fun of himself, but she didn’t ask him to come inside, and he didn’t take a step forward. Instead, he dug in the big canvas bag hanging on his skinny shoulder. Missy didn’t offer him anything to drink because she thought people should have to ask for the things they needed.

“Do you like ess ?” he said finally.

“Ess what?” she said.

“The letter S. Do you like the letter S ?” He kept digging in the bag.

“I suppose of all the letters, it’s in my top five or ten,” she said.

He pulled a volume out of his bag. “Well, good then. This here is the S volume of the nineteen sixty-eight World Book Encyclopedia. It’s the thickest letter in the set. It is packed with the most up-to-date information in the world that begins with the letter S that you can fit between two covers. Now, of course, we have volumes for all the letters in the alphabet, but I am going to leave this one with you overnight. I want you and your sick momma and daddy to take a look.” He laughed. “You can even look up smallpox. I’ll come back tomorrow and sign you up for the rest of the letters. Consider it a little loan on your future knowledge. We have monthly payment plans that are truly reasonable.”

He took a breath like the sales pitch had worn him out. Missy thought he might pass out on the porch. She wasn’t quite sure what to do if a damp encyclopedia salesman fainted on her porch with her parents miles away in Augusta.

This excerpt, “Prologue,” is from Whereabouts by Scott Gould. Copyright © 2020 by Scott Gould. Used by permission of Koehler Books.

For more about Scott Gould or to purchase a copy of Whereabouts, visit scottgouldwriter.com, or stop by M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville.

He passed the book through the door and made his way back into the street without another word. Inside, Missy turned the radio up. It was a Supremes song, and she started dancing her way around the room with the book out in front of her. She had, of course, come across encyclopedias before, in school when she had to work on projects. But she’d never had one of her own, even if the S was on loan from a skinny college-boy salesman.

Missy settled on the couch. Casper the white cat weaved around her shins while she flipped through the pages. She finally settled on an article. The salesman was right. Smallpox was all but gone. She flipped some more and read quietly while the next song from WKSP leaked out of the kitchen radio on the shelf above the toaster. This time it was Lynn Anderson. Missy read aloud to Casper that sharks have to keep moving or they would die. She turned to the listing on sex and stopped talking to the cat. At the end of the listing, it said, “For human beings sex is more than a merely physical problem. It is involved with moral teachings and with intense psychological problems. See also REPRODUCTION.” All of a sudden, Missy felt every bit of thirteen.

She didn’t tell her mother and daddy about the salesman and the overnight loan of the book when they walked through the door from Augusta. She didn’t want to fill in all the blanks they’d have. Her momma was, as usual, worn out from a full day of making up answers to questions from the doctors and counselors. Her daddy was tired from pacing the halls of the clinic. She knew they would be mad she’d opened the door. She decided when the skinny guy showed up tomorrow with the twenty-five other volumes, she could pretend she’d never seen him. Make him sound like the crazy one.

But he never showed. There was never a knock on their door. Missy kept the S to herself for months, tucked under some sweaters in her closet. She read it at night before she went to bed. Her favorite section was always the one on sharks. She kept returning to it. She loved the way sharks kept moving and moving, night and day. That seemed like a good life. Finally, Missy put the encyclopedia on her bookshelf in plain sight, and her mother never noticed. That was no surprise. Her mother always had other things on her mind. After a while, Missy lost track of that book, but she never forgot about those sharks, the way they love to move, day and night.

A two-time winner of the SC Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose, Scott Gould is the author of the story collection, Strangers to Temptation (Hub City Press) and the novel, Whereabouts (Koehler Books). In March 2021 his memoir, Things That Crash, Things That Fly, will be published by Vine Leaves Press. He teaches creative writing at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities.

Photograph (Gould) by Escobar Photography; book cover courtesy of Koehler Books

Producing picture-perfect moments since 1987.

For 34 years, South Carolina Children’s Theatre has been privileged to serve the children of Upstate South Carolina by delivering on the three tenets of our mission: high quality theatre performances, year-round education and accessible outreach initiatives.

We are honored to be named the recipient of the 2020 Charitable Giving Leadership in Arts Award. For nearly three and a half decades, we have been allowed to introduce countless young people from across the Upstate to the transformational power of live theatre. There is no greater reward than the opportunity to spark joy, foster empathy and ignite imaginations. Thank you to the Community Foundation of Greenville and Community Journals for this award, and to all of the young people and their families who have made us who we are.

To learn how you can help SCCT in this, our time of greatest need, please visit scchildrenstheatre.org/give

2020 CHARITABLE GIVING AWARDS

This defining year, along with the Community Foundation of Greenville, we commemorate ten years of celebrating those who give so freely, generously, and intentionally. This is a time of seeing what matters, of stripping life to its essential meaning. Each of these individuals and organizations lives by a guiding light that shines From the Inside Out.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Eli Warren BY Beth Brown Ables, Kathryn Davé, John Jeter, Jennifer Oladipo, Angie Toole Thompson, and Stephanie Trotter

“

Care Givers

THANKS TO HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS, THE GREENVILLE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC PROVIDES LIFE-CHANGING SERVICES TO THOUSANDS IN NEED

BY Kathryn Davé

They are your neighbors. They see you in the grocery store, care for your children, and pass you at the park,” says Suzie Foley. As executive director of the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, Foley is pointing to the hundreds of local volunteers who serve at the clinic. But with the same words, she’s also describing the thousands of uninsured patients who receive care at the medical center each year.

Foley explains that the nationally recognized clinic exists primarily as a safety net for the forgotten lowwage workers who fall through the gaps in healthcare coverage. This group consists of adults, ages 18–64, who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford other coverage. “The goal is to have a healthier population,” says Foley. “We want our patients going to work. We want our patients to have access to medication so they can continue to be self-sufficient and take care of their families.”

Founded in 1987, the Greenville Free Medical Clinic is a community-funded comprehensive health facility offering primary, preventive and specialty care, pharmacy dispensation, dental and mental health services, ophthalmology, and health education. Each year, about 3,000 patients receive care and access to $8 million worth of free prescription medications at the clinic. But how does a small medical facility come to offer such an expansive range of services at no cost to its patients? Only through the twin engines of collaboration and community spirit.

“I am just amazed at the love of the volunteers who come to serve. This is a calling in their life and they give it all,” says Dr. Palmira Snape, a family physician and volunteer medical director at the clinic. Nearly 600 volunteers, from nurses, dentists, and specialists to administration and maintenance personnel, give of their time and expertise.

The web of cooperation extends beyond individuals to other organizations, most notably through partnerships with Greenville’s two major health systems. By providing quality care to those who can’t access it otherwise, the clinic alleviates the strain on emergency room services at Prisma Health and Bon Secours. The health systems give back by providing free diagnostic services to the clinic’s patients, rounding out the spectrum of care. Other nonprofits also contribute to the clinic’s whole-life approach to healthcare, such as Loaves & Fishes, which brings a free weekly market of healthy fruit, vegetables, and meat to the clinic—resulting in improved blood sugar, hypertension, and eating habits for patients.

The coronavirus pandemic has laid a number of challenges on the clinic—new safety protocols, dwindling resources, fundraising hurdles, reduced volunteer force— but hasn’t dampened its fierce commitment to providing exceptional care. “This is a place you could choose for your own family and feel good about it, feel confident that they were getting quality, compassionate care,” says Dr. Snape. “That kind of atmosphere and acceptance goes a long way toward keeping people healthy.”

“IBERIABANK AND FIRST HORIZON HAVE COME TOGETHER AS ONE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION THAT REMAINS COMMITTED TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES. WE ARE HAPPY TO HONOR THOSE WHO SHARE OUR VISION AND SERVE AS A SPONSOR OF THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GREENVILLE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC FOR BEING THE 2020 AWARD WINNER!”

—Sam Erwin, executive vice president / regional president of the Carolinas, IBERIABANK

THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD IS GIVEN TO AN OUTSTANDING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS VITAL PROGRAMS AND THROUGH ITS EXCEPTIONAL EFFORTS TO COMMUNICATE AND PARTNER WITH OTHER NONPROFITS.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD / GREENVILLE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC

As executive director of the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, Suzie Foley works tirelessly with a cadre of volunteers to provide quality healthcare to those who otherwise could not afford it.

THE EDUCATION SPIRIT AWARD RECOGNIZES AN INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE BETTERMENT OF YOUTH AND THE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE FOR THE UPSTATE.

EDUCATION SPIRIT AWARD / ONTRACK GREENVILLE

Academic Achievement

THROUGH A WHOLE-CHILD APPROACH, ONTRACK GREENVILLE SUPPORTS AT-RISK MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WITH TAILORED RESOURCES TO HELP THEM SUCCEED

BY Beth Brown Ables

If the pandemic’s made anything clear, it’s the value of the public school system. A school building doesn’t serve simply as a space for learning, but also as a community hub for nutritional support, emotional and social growth, and health services.

When schools remained primarily online for the start of this school year, a typical middle-class family could solve myriad issues by creating a learning pod with neighborhood kids and, if needed, hire a tutor. Yet for a student experiencing poverty, these are luxuries. Without a network of parents, resources, healthcare, and technology, our neediest children— especially those facing the critical middle school years—find themselves on a rickety raft of isolation with no safe harbor on the horizon.

In 2015, OnTrack Greenville sought to break though these barriers using a “Collective Impact” model as a framework. The approach links arms with community initiatives, families, and teachers to create a network of resources focused on keeping kids engaged in school. Today, five area middle schools utilize OnTrack, including Tanglewood Middle, where for the last decade, Dr. Edward Anderson served as principal, fully embracing the school’s motto: “It Takes a Village.”

“I grew up poor in Greenville, but I didn’t feel poor,” he says. “We had a roof over our head, we ate every night, and if something went wrong, we had family to support us. As a kid, I never knew when there was struggle because there was always someone to help.”

Understanding the importance of a communal support system for children stayed with Anderson during his tenure at Tanglewood, where he worked closely with OnTrack to improve academic achievement, increase attendance, and reduce disciplinary referrals. And in July, he furthered his

experience when he accepted the role of executive director at OnTrack.

OnTrack’s holistic approach begins with an Early Warning Response System meeting. Using technology provided by the Greenville County School System, a child is flagged for drops in attendance, behavior, or grades. While words like “database” and “digital flagging” carry a whiff of the impersonal, OnTrack injects the system with humanity.

“Say a student is off track because they’ve received 10 disciplinary referrals,” says Dr. Anderson. He explains that when a social worker and parent coordinator work together, they can better identify any instability happening in the home. Once “we know the root issue, the team wraps around the family, connecting them with resources to help them find stability,” he says.

Being an OnTrack school means a child receives direct interventions: summer programs, school-based healthcare from Prisma Health, Communities in Schools specialists, and a mental health counselor.

“The mental health counselors are the heartbeat of the whole process,” Dr. Anderson shares. “They look at the data every week and determine which kids are going to be discussed. They lead those discussions and figure out how we’re going to work together to get them back on track.”

For many, COVID-19 magnified issues no computer data can fix: hunger, problems at home, and lack of resources that leave many children adrift. A Chromebook doesn’t do much unless there’s Internet access and a caregiver to keep track of assignments—a caregiver who most likely has their own job to manage.

“This time requires us to truly act as a community,” says Dr. Anderson. And indeed, now more than ever, it truly takes a village.

“ONTRACK GREENVILLE DEMONSTRATES HOW THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY CAN EMPOWER STRUGGLING STUDENTS TO STAY IN SCHOOL AND SUCCESSFULLY LEAD THEM ON THE PATH TO GRADUATION. MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A TIME WHEN STUDENTS FACE MANY CHALLENGES THAT LEAD THEM TO DISENGAGE ACADEMICALLY. THE CAPITAL CORPORATION IS HONORED TO RECOGNIZE THIS ORGANIZATION FOR THE SUPPORT IT PROVIDES TO STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS.”

C. Dan Adams, president and CEO, The Capital Corporation

Creating a communal support system for at-risk students is the goal of OnTrack Greenville, and the life’s work of its executive director, Dr. Edward Anderson.

Keeping Up the Act

THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN’S THEATRE REMAINS STEADFAST IN ITS MISSION TO EDUCATE AND IMPACT YOUTH THROUGH THE PERFORMING ARTS

BY Angie Toole Thompson

There’s a guiding principle in the art of acting, a rule of acceptance revered by all players that builds on a shared, predetermined reality. It’s called the “Yes, and . . .” rule. Used in improvisation, the notion urges all to accept the world presented by one player (yes) and add to the fabric of that world (and).

South Carolina Children’s Theatre is no stranger to saying “Yes, and . . .” —both in classroom performance exercises and in its service to the community. Maybe it’s trite to use an acting metaphor to talk about the merits of a professional theater, but it’s nonetheless true. The beloved Greenville institution helps all children who walk across its stages to explore the magic of performing arts.

As with countless nonprofits impacted by the pandemic, SCCT has had to act smart and improvise this past year, navigating the opening of a brandnew performance space and the challenges of virtual programming. Notably, the efforts of the resilient and adaptable cadre resulted in one of the theater’s best summers ever.

“This is the year of the pivot,” says executive director Debbie Bell. “We were able to host summer classes on-site, [and] the protocol that was in place to make the classes work was pretty intense.” Continuing programming through strict safety protocols is achievement enough, but to also open a newly built facility is no small feat. The SCCT relocated from an 11,000-square-foot warehouse to a beautiful 36,000-square-foot theater on Augusta Street.

“We moved April 6,” Bell says, adding if there was “a blessing in all this,” it was the extra time to unpack piles of costumes and large sets.

Despite overcoming unprecedented challenges in unprecedented times, Bell points to the theater’s biggest point of pride: the children whose lives they’ve impacted since 1987. It’s the joy felt when a child delivers the lines they worked so hard to nail down and seeing the confidence that beams from their smiling cheeks. This is what SCCT truly deals in: impactful arts education that builds self-esteem. “We are able to help young people whether or not they end up in the arts,” Bell says. “I just want children to grow up to have self-esteem.”

But SCCT isn’t just impacting the kids who can afford the time or expense of such an extracurricular activity. “We have for many years [been in] the schools, development centers, the cancer center, the Meyer Center. We are all over the community, bringing the arts to children who are sick, less fortunate, or have special needs in any capacity.”

“[SCCT] has been a vital part of the Greenville arts and education community,” says supporter Minor Shaw. “They are committed to providing quality familyoriented theater and theater classes to our community and beyond.”

As Bell knows well, it takes as much mettle to keep a community institution like SCCT running as it does to be a child on a stage, but she and her crew are up for the challenge. “It is really important to us,” she says. “The arts are transformational in so many different ways.”

“WE ARE HONORED TO CELEBRATE THE CREATIVE WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN’S THEATRE. THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF DEBBIE BELL, THE SCCT AFFECTS THE LIVES OF SO MANY CHILDREN AND UPLIFTS OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.”

—Rick Pennell, president & CEO of Metromont Corporation and capital campaign co-chair for the South Carolina Children’s Theatre

If all the world’s a stage, Debbie Bell plays a starring role. Executive director of the South Carolina Children’s Theatre, Bell transforms young lives through the performing arts.

THE LEADERSHIP IN ARTS AWARD RECOGNIZES AN ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH OUTSTANDING ARTS LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING, THEREFORE ELEVATING THE ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

LEADERSHIP IN ARTS AWARD / SOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN’S THEATRE

THE RUTH NICHOLSON AWARD IS THE HIGHEST HONOR PRESENTED BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION EACH YEAR AND HONORS THE VOLUNTEER WHO HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GREENVILLE COMMUNITY THROUGH VOLUNTEER WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OR TO ONE OF ITS PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, OR AREAS OF EMPHASIS.

RUTH NICHOLSON AWARD / MARIE MONROE

You could say community service runs in Marie Monroe’s DNA. Following her mother’s and grandmother’s examples, this attorney lifts up the community through her volunteer work with local nonprofits, especially the Community Foundation.

Higher Calling

THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BESTOWS ITS HIGHEST HONOR, THE RUTH NICHOLSON AWARD, TO A WOMAN USING LESSONS LEARNED FROM HER FOREMOTHERS

BY Stephanie Trotter

Some mothers pass down recipes or perhaps a favorite engagement ring. But the heirloom passed from one matriarch to another in Marie Monroe’s family isn’t a thing, but a thought: a deepseeded dedication to community service. “My mother was a social worker and my grandmother was a nurse,” the Greenville lawyer explains. “I would visit my mother at work and it was eye-opening. The aspect of wanting to do my part in helping, I get that from my mother and grandmother.”

The only child of divorced parents, Monroe grew up in rural Laurinburg, North Carolina. Her mother died when she was 11, leaving her grandparents to raise her. “It was unconventional, but I wasn’t unhappy,” she shares. “If I did complain, my mom and grandmother would say, ‘Reach outside of yourself and see what you can do to help the community.’” It was a mantra molded upon her heart, as she watched her mother help the hopeless and her grandmother start a hospice.

Accustomed to change, Monroe headed to Maine for college, where she met her husband, Jeff Dunlaevy. They eventually landed in South Carolina, where Dunlaevy attended law school, and by 2001, the two attorneys had set up a home and careers in Greenville. Once established at Merline & Meacham, Monroe knew it was time to follow through with the Monroe matriarchs’ life lessons.

Her first stop: a position on the board of Gateway House. “For me, it was a great learning opportunity about all these groups in Greenville and the great

things people are doing,” she explains. “I got my feet wet and learned how a nonprofit should run and what the issues are.” Her next service post was the erstwhile YWCA. The estate-planning lawyer’s volunteer obligations soon grew to include the Community Foundation.

The busy mother of two just wrapped up serving six years on the foundation’s board of directors, where she particularly enjoyed making site visits for a grant committee. “I’m just a curious person,” she admits. “I love going to places and taking tours. It’s so very meaningful to these organizations to get that money.” Marie enjoys operating behind the scenes, where her legal and budget acumen are needed to keep philanthropic service groups running smoothly.

Francis Patterson, a shareholder of Elliott Davis, has served alongside Marie for almost a decade. “She’s a great addition to any nonprofit board, because she really digs in,” the CPA says. “She’s a very strategic thinker in addition to being empathetic, and that’s an excellent combination for the type of works she’s done.”

In addition to working with Meals on Wheels, the long-time animal lover now holds a seat on the board of directors for the Greenville Humane Society and has also assisted with The Chandler School, which serves children with language-based learning difficulties.

Greenville is lucky to have adopted this attorney, who is committed to sharing her skills to help others. Says Monroe, “It’s like my mom and grandmother said, ‘You need to concentrate on the bigger picture, and there’s no bigger picture than helping people who need help.’”

“MARIE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR WORK IN SO MANY WAYS. AS CHAIR OF THE GRANTS REVIEW COMMITTEE, SHE PERSONALLY REVIEWED HUNDREDS OF GRANT APPLICATIONS. SHE THEN LED A GROUP OF BOARD MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE THOUGHTFUL INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY, STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND MARKETING TO INCREASE THE IMPACT OF LOCAL NONPROFITS. SHE IS A SMART AND CARING PERSON.”

—Bob Morris, president of the Community Foundation of Greenville

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Medical Mission

AS BOTH A PRACTITIONER OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND A NATIONAL HEALTH LEADER, DR. SCOTT SASSER TREATS PATIENTS WITH A MULTIFACETED APPROACH

BY John Jeter

If a physician were to make house calls, one could say Dr. Scott Sasser is at home all over the world.

Treating patients from around the globe, he calls his work “missional,” and nowadays, from his post at Prisma Health, he leads the community fight against the coronavirus.

That’s why the Community Foundation of Greenville honors Sasser with its annual Healthcare Transformation Award—recognition, he says, that belongs more to Prisma Health and the region’s entire healthcare system than it does to him.

“This is a community award; it’s everybody coming together in a whole community response to this,” says Sasser, CEO of Prisma Health Medical Group and, until recently, physician incident commander for Prisma Health’s COVID-19 response.

Among the team’s aggressive—and early—moves: working to ensure supplies of personal protective equipment, or PPE; pivoting from in-person doctor visits to virtual ones (nearly 400,000 to date); forming a task force with university and business partners to meet front-line challenges; participating in clinical trials on COVID-19 treatments, which the FDA approved for emergency use; and testing nearly 200,000 people so far, according to Dr. Angelo Sinopoli, executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Prisma Health.

“Dr. Sasser was unwavering that ‘if vulnerable individuals cannot come to us for testing, we are taking the test sites to them,’” says Mark O’Halla, Prisma Health’s president and CEO, of Sasser’s initial response to the pandemic. “Those are the words of a true community steward.”

In 2014, Prisma Health hired Sasser as the inaugural chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, and Sasser is a clinical professor of emergency medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. He’s received funding that provided him opportunities to work with the Centers for Disease Control, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Institutes of Health, among other marquee organizations here and abroad. With his background in EMS, those experiences, he says, also prepared him for crisis preparedness. The doctor has worked as a resident at a mission hospital in Kenya, worked in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East, in Prague, the Czech Republic, and with the government ministry of health in Mozambique.

“Dr. Sasser brings internationally recognized expertise right here to Greenville,” says Dr. Matt Bitner, the current chair of emergency medicine for Prisma Health in the Upstate, who adds, “You can always count on him to listen.”

“Amid multiple demands,” says Dr. Christy Keyes, who works in Prisma Health’s emergency departments, “he can give you his full attention and focus. In doing so, when he makes people feel heard, he also makes them feel respected and cared for.”

Dr. Jim Ellis, an emergency medicine colleague who is president of the Prisma Health Medical Group in the Midlands, hails Dr. Sasser’s deep-seated virtues: “He has a sense of humor while leading in an open, honest, and transparent way, showing vulnerability that most leaders are afraid to reveal.”

“DR. SCOTT SASSER IS A TRUE COMMUNITY STEWARD AND A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER WITH TREMENDOUS PASSION FOR OUR PATIENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY. HIS DRIVE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THOSE HE SERVES IS RELENTLESS, WITH THE PATIENT AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING HE DOES.”

—Mark O’Halla, president and CEO, Prisma Health

CEO of Prisma Health Medical Group, Dr. Scott Sasser brings his background in emergency medicine to bear in serving global communities as well as managing the Upstate’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

THE HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION AWARD HONORS AN OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION THAT ACTIVELY AND COMPASSIONATELY WORKS TO TRANSFORM THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH CONTRIBUTIONS OF TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE.

HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION AWARD / DR. SCOTT SASSER

PHILANTHROPIC

AWARD HONORS AN OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION THAT FOSTERS CHARITABLE GIVING AND IS DEDICATED TO GIVING BACK TO THE UPSTATE IN A SIGNIFICANT MANNER.

THE

SPIRIT

PHILANTHROPIC SPIRIT AWARD / BILL PELHAM

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In addition to running his firm, Pelham Architects LLC, Bill Pelham serves on boards to help build sound foundations for local art and educational organizations such as Camperdown Academy and the Fine Arts Center.

Brick by Brick

KNOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG FOUNDATION, BILL PELHAM HELPS ART AND EDUCATION NONPROFITS BUILD CREATIVELY

BY Jennifer Oladipo

The most valued volunteers and philanthropic supporters possess a specialty or two. They might offer industry expertise or an extensive resource network. They might have a wealth of institutional knowledge or a knack for finding solutions. Then, there are the visionaries.

Over decades, Bill Pelham has brought all these traits to his passionate support of organizations at the heart of art and education. The beneficiaries see his ability to crystallize and realize a vision as a defining factor of his community impact.

Pelham never stops seeing like an architect. President of his eponymous architecture firm, he understands the importance of foundations—of history—and helps organizations build creatively and ambitiously upon them. Such grounded focus on the future emerges in his steadfast support for educational organizations with complex needs.

For example, he’s spent more than a decade supporting Camperdown Academy with his time, energy, expertise, and resources. His daughter attended the school for three years, but his loyalty continues well after.

“He can turn an artistic eye to a design element of a new school while keeping in mind the challenges of the dyslexic learner at the same time,” says Dan Blanch, head of school at the academy. Blanch says Pelham was integral to creating Camperdown’s new campus. “His personal sense of style is incredible, and he used that gift to help us choose everything from brick patterns to window styles to the color of stain used on accent walls,” says Blanch.

Meanwhile, Pelham remembers the capital campaign that funded the construction as one of

the biggest challenges in his long history of board leadership. To its success, he credits a strong board, responsive community, and help from “lots of parents and grandparents” with securing the needed funding.

Before that, Pelham helped The Fine Arts Center (FAC) establish the first four-year high school architecture program in the country tied to a university (Clemson University, his alma mater). Now, FAC students can graduate from a Greenville County public school with portfolios advanced enough to replace the first year of a college architecture program. Once they arrive at Clemson, they’ll likely continue benefitting from Pelham’s generosity as a result of his gifts to Clemson’s architecture programs.

Pelham’s board leadership was also key to elevating the FAC Partners program from a dedicated booster club to a nonprofit organization akin to those supporting performing arts high schools nationwide, says Vee Popat, FAC director.

Popat says Pelham’s involvement brings a certain gravitas to an initiative. Pelham’s was one of the first names he heard when joining the school in 2019 and seemingly one of the most important. Yet despite Pelham’s apparent eminence, Popat found him a “quiet, humble, extremely generous, and approachable person. He couldn’t have been more gracious in welcoming me and offering support for the school,” says Popat. “I can go to him for the history of the school, and I can go to him for the future of the school.”

“THROUGH HIS HUMBLE ACTIONS AND GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT, BILL PELHAM CONTINUES TO IMPACT YOUNG LIVES AND TRANSFORM OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE HONORED TO CELEBRATE HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.”

NOVEMBER 2020 I 105

A PIONEER IN GREENVILLE’S FOOD AND PHILANTHROPY SCENE CARL SOBOCINSKI DEDICATES HIS TIME AND TALENTS TO THE BETTERMENT OF THE WHOLE.

By M. Linda Lee /

Photography

by Paul Mehaffey

by M. Linda Lee / photography by Paul Mehaffey

A pioneer in Greenville’s food and philanthropy scene, Carl Sobocinski dedicates his time and talents to the betterment of the whole

Carl Sobocinski, recipient of this year’s Visionary Leadership Award, leads his company and city through his commitment to generosity, encouragement, and an unwavering focus on the success of others.

IF YOU’VE LIVED IN GREENVILLE

on the south end of Main Street was a risky move. “We were bold and willing to come down here,” Carl says. “We had the foresight that the city would grow up around us.”

Chef Rodney Freidank, corporate chef for Table 301, who has worked with Sobocinski since 1994, maintains that his boss has always treated him—and the rest of his team—like family. “The most important thing about Carl is that he genuinely cares about our customers and about our staff,” Freidank declares. From giving a young aspiring chef a tour of the kitchen, to helping a team member who has fallen on hard times, Table 301’s founder does his darnedest to make people feel appreciated. “If Carl can touch someone and make their life better, he just does it,” the chef shares. “It doesn’t matter if it’s through food and beverage or by mentoring them and giving them inspiration.”

for any length of time, you no doubt recognize Carl Sobocinski—at least by name, if not by face. Maybe you’ve spotted the restaurateur with the twinkling blue eyes shopping with his daughters at the TD Saturday Market, which he helped establish 17 years ago; chatting with customers at one of his seven downtown restaurants; or perhaps socializing at Euphoria, the annual food, wine, and music festival he founded with singer/songwriter Edwin McCain in 2006.

“I always say that whatever work I do, I want it to be impactful and meaningful,” Carl tells me, and to say the New Hampshire native has made a difference in his adopted city doesn’t begin to cover it. To date, his Table 301 Restaurant Group has donated more than $2 million to the community. Through Local Boys Do Good, the nonprofit that he and McCain formed in conjunction with Euphoria, Sobocinski has distributed $347,000 worth of grants to area charities. He even reached beyond the community in 2005, when he established Brunch for a Cause to help victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. More recently, Carl has spearheaded an effort to provide subsidized housing for hospitality workers, and has given out more than 16,000 meals to those in need in the Upstate through Connect for Good, his new project with software consulting company Advoco Inc.

A Passion for People

But for a need of extra cash during his junior year at Clemson, where he was pursuing a degree in architecture, Sobocinski’s path would have taken a different turn. In the spring of 1989, a lack of funds prevented the student from joining his buddies on spring break. A few friends who were staying on campus and working at Keowee Country Club suggested Carl come work with them. “So they introduced me to their manager, I filled out an application, and he hired me on the spot,” the restaurateur reminisces. “I got a job as a busboy, and worked my way up to waiter, bartender, and eventually, manager.”

That experience whetted the young man’s appetite for the hospitality industry, and by the time he graduated from Clemson, architecture no longer enticed him as a career. By then he had risen to the rank of food and beverage director at the Keowee Country Club, and he was hooked by a passion for people that was best served in restaurants. In 1993, he became a partner in Greenville’s 858 restaurant, and four years later he opened Soby’s New South Cuisine in a renovated mid-nineteenth-century building in downtown Greenville with chef and partner David Williams. At the time, putting a restaurant

That generosity extends to his alma mater, where Sobocinski has donated not only money but time, teaching classes and speaking to students about entrepreneurship. In 2019, he established the Carl S. Sobocinski ’90 Scholarship

Nearly 30 years ago, Carl Sobocinski began opening restaurants in downtown Greenville, helping to facilitate the city’s growth through the success of Table 301, Euphoria, and his philanthropic endeavors.

"Carl has always had a vision for delivering exceptional customer experiences, and our community has been the beneficiary of his ability to create unique opportunities through his vision."

—Rick Davis, CEO, Elliott Davis

NOMINATED BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND VOTED ON BY A COMMITTEE MADE UP OF EXECUTIVES REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE AND TOWN MAGAZINE , THE VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AWARD HONORS LIFELONG SERVICE TO OTHERS THROUGH BOTH INDIVIDUAL ENDEAVORS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND IS A GIFT THAT SPANS A LIFETIME.

Endowment at Clemson’s College of Business. “I’m a big fan of Carl’s,” crows university president James Clements, who considers the restaurateur a friend. “He’s a selfless guy with a big heart. Service is an integral part of who Carl is.”

Faith & Family

Between his participation on boards, community projects, and the Euphoria festival, Sobocinski estimates he spends about a third of his time on philanthropy. And that doesn’t count the responsibility of having two daughters, ages 12 and 15. “That’s the other two-thirds of my time,” he notes with a laugh. When I ask him why it’s so important to give back to his community, he refers to a passage he read that morning in Dare to Be Uncommon Every Day, a book of daily devotions by former NFL coach Tony Dungy: “To those who much is given, much is expected.” It’s a philosophy that spills over to his staff. Through Carl’s encouragement, Table 301 employees volunteer an average of 3,200 hours of community service each year.

That’s also the message he imparts to his daughters. “We talk a lot about kindness and treating others the way you want to be treated. I tell them if you’re in school and you see someone sitting in the cafeteria alone, go and sit with them. Be the example and be the leader that recognizes that everybody is important and everybody needs to feel valued.”

Grounded in a Catholic upbringing and his Christian faith, Sobocinski has reached an enviable place in his life. “I’m very comfortable in where I am, who I am, and what I’m doing,” he states. “And being a dad is my most important job and responsibility.” This July, Carl added to that responsibility when he married Karen Lopez Jordan and gained a 12-yearold stepdaughter in the process.

Rising to the Challenge

Despite the trials of being a restaurant owner during the pandemic, Carl remains optimistic. “This year has put us to the test and it’s challenged us,” he says. “But it’s done so many positive things . . . like draw us closer to the people around us. We have to make sure that when this is over, we don’t forget all those important lessons we learned . . . and maybe live our lives a little more intentionally.”

During the early months of the COVID-19 quarantine, he began writing down what was on his mind and heart, based on daily devotional readings. “I would send [the letter] to the [Table 301] leadership team and ask them to forward it to our customer base.” As positive feedback came pouring in, he was inspired to continue sending missives as a way to lead during a tough time. “Carl’s letters lifted people’s spirits and reminded them of what’s important,” reports Freidank. Rather than dwell on the difficulties, which included having to furlough 85 percent of his staff this past spring, Carl encouraged folks to reach out to those who needed help.

The Road Ahead

Ask Sobocinski what his proudest professional accomplishments are, and he’ll tell you about the program he’s set up to help Table 301 associates become independent business owners. He hopes to leave behind a series of successful restaurant operators—such as Jorge Barrales at Papi’s Tacos and Michael Kramer at Jianna—as he sets the table for the next generation of chefs and entrepreneurs. After nearly three decades of living and doing good in Greenville, Carl has garnered a bevy of awards, including The Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor granted by the State of South Carolina. Although both this accolade and the Visionary Leadership Award recognize lifelong service to others, Sobocinski insists he is far from finished.

“I don’t think of myself as being as old as I am,” the 52-year-old confesses. “And I don’t think of myself as having accomplished enough yet, though I’m deeply honored to receive the Visionary Leadership Award. I’m happy that our work has been meaningful, and this just gives me more inspiration and drive to continue making a difference every day.”

eat drink

FOOD FINDS & CAN’T-MISS DISHES

Photograph by Paul Mehaffey

From creative cocktails to classic brews, EXILE has a little something for everyone.

ALL IN ONE

EXILE ALLURES WITH VARIED DRINK OPTIONS AND A LAID-BACK VIBE

by Andrew Huang • photography by Paul Mehaffey

Iimagined my twenties would play out like a sitcom. I’d be living in some unfamiliar city, working a job that barely paid. I’d become friends with someone impossibly cool. They’d have impeccable taste in music and live in a cool apartment furnished with great care and aesthetic intention. They’d also say things like, “Here, try this cocktail. I’ve been playing around with homemade bitters,” even as I rummaged in the fridge for PBR. Invariably, they’d graciously host house parties for all their incredibly diverse and interesting friends—a modern salon, really.

My twenties definitely didn’t play out that way, but it doesn’t matter because EXILE exists.

Stephen Phillips and Nick McSherry—the owners of EXILE—are the impossibly cool and generous friends from my fantasy, and they’ve created a bar that oozes the lived-in familiarity of a casual house party. It helps that EXILE feels like one big living room. Low, midcentury modern couches and coffee tables are set up in little vignettes, not unlike the corners of a house where you might go to escape the party’s thrum.

“Comfort and community is really what we’re looking for,” says McSherry. “We wanted to go beyond being approachable,” Phillips adds. Both owners are transplants to Greenville, and the focus on comfort and community is a nod to their outsider status. EXILE, in name and concept, is intended to be a place you can belong when you don’t belong anywhere else.

In practical terms, that means there’s no pretense about what you can or should drink at EXILE. Cheap beer, classic cocktails, inventive house creations, and mocktails share equal space on the menu. It’s an intentionally democratic take on the drinking experience. “If you can get an organic, locally sourced meal on a Tuesday, why can’t you get a nice cocktail on any old Wednesday?” Phillips says.

I think what made my imagined sitcom so appealing was that the rootlessness of living somewhere new underpinned blooming confidence and limitless possibility.

And while I’ve grown out of that naivete, EXILE manages to capture the best of it: the opportunity for serendipitous convergence, easy and excellent drinking, unpretentious familiarity, the good vibes. It’s my favorite kind of nostalgia—the kind that comes without baggage.

EXILE, 9 Anderson St, Greenville. Open Wed–Sat; exilegvl.com

With its cool and comfy mid-century modern interior and imaginative cocktails, EXILE bar presents a welcoming watering hole in the West End.

CLASSIC COCKTAILS

The Last Word (gin, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo, lime juice): “The Last Word for ten bucks? Come on, that’s unbeatable. That’s a steal,” McSherry says of his favorite drink. Boozy, tangy, herbal (above opposite).

The (H)opening (Old Tub, Old Overholt bonded, spiced syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, orange bitters, Combier, smoked Palo Santo): A nod to the cascade of delays that preceded EXILE’s opening; presented with glass capped by shaker, and removed to release the Palo Santo smoke (above right).

Specials ($6-$7)

Bang, meet buck. With the Stoop Kid or the Shot o’ Beer, it’s variations on a theme: a shot of house whiskey or rye paired with a 10oz pour of Birds Fly South beer. Drink however you please, but Phillips and McSherry recommend knocking back the shot and sipping on the beer. With the I Know the Owner (a shot of rye and a shot of Fernet), it’s best to sip on both at your leisure.

EXILE Cocktails ($8-$11)

I Dream of Jiro (Beefeater, St. Germaine, Jiro shrub, Peychaud’s & orange bitters): The house-made Jiro shrub (made with cactus and yuzu) owes its name to the first JapaneseAmerican cowboy. Clean, crisp, cute, and pink (pictured on page 113).

WORTH ITS SALT

STROUD SEASONINGS MIXES PRESERVATIVE-FREE BLENDS TO SPICE UP EVERYDAY DISHES

by M. Linda Lee • photograph by Paul Mehaffey

Alove of cooking and clean food led former salesman Don Stroud to his present career. When Don couldn’t find tasty seasonings without chemical additives in grocery stores, he decided to spice things up by making his own blends. In 2018, his kitchen experiments resulted in Stroud Seasonings, the business he created with his wife, Melissa, while pursuing his MBA at Clemson.

“The main reason I did this is I’m a control freak in the kitchen and I want to make things quickly,” the Greenville native explains. “I got tired of having to blend all

Don and Melissa Stroud started experimenting with making seasoning blends for use in their own kitchen. After months of research and positive feedback from friends, the couple launched Stroud Seasonings as a retail line (not pictured below, the House BBQ Seasoning).

the seasonings myself . . . and when I tried to save them, the spices would cake together and I couldn’t reuse them.” Through months of research, he figured out a natural way to keep his spices from caking, and before he knew it, he had his own seasoning line.

Of their four versatile blends, each boasting a four-year shelf life, the couple recommends using Fail Safe on everything from chicken and steak to vegetables and salads. The House BBQ Seasoning flavors any type of smoked or grilled meat, while the Chili Spice complements Southwestern dishes like guacamole and tacos. Don’s pride and joy, Shore Thing, was the last— and most complicated—blend he developed. A Charleston-style seafood seasoning with a Caribbean flair, Shore Thing perks up shrimp and grits, grilled fish, or a Lowcountry Boil.

The Strouds designed their seasonings to make life easier and healthier for the home cook. “We had chili the other night and our Chili Spice is the only seasoning I used,” Don notes. “That’s the great thing about our seasonings—everything you need is in one little bottle.”

Find Stroud Seasonings at Revival Butchery and Augusta 20 in Greenville, Farmacy in Easley, Square Roots in Laurens, and Kitchen Emporium in Anderson; or purchase them online at stroudseasonings.com.

chili spice

Salt, garlic, onion, sugar, and a proprietary list of spices go into this Southwestern seasoning, which is great on guacamole.

fail safe

When in doubt, fall back on Fail Safe, which was designed to spice up all sorts of savory fare.

shore thing

Don hit just the right balance in his seafood seasoning with lemon, paprika, and celery punching up the flavors of any fish dish.

A Child’s Haven • Allen Temple CEDC

• Alston Wilkes Society

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Upstate • Blue Tent • Camp Opportunity • Camp Spearhead • Camperdown Academy • Carolina Family Services • Catholic Charities, Diocese of Charleston • Center for Developmental Services

• Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas • City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department • City of Greenville Police Department • Clarity

• Clement’s Kindness Fund for the Children • Conestee Foundation • Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts • FAVOR Faces And Voices Of Recovery • Feed & Seed • Foothills Family Resources • Fostering Great Ideas • Friends of the Reedy River • Furman University Bridges to a Brighter Future

$6.5 million in grants to 82 organizations in 14 years

• Gateway House • Generation Group Homes of Greenville • Girl Scouts of SC, Mountains to Midlands • Graduate Greenville • Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network • Greenville Center for Creative Arts • Greenville County Schools Food & Nutrition Services • Greenville County Schools Lifelong Learning • Greenville Free Medical Clinic • Greenville Literacy Association • Greenville Theatre • Greenville Rape Crisis & Child Abuse Center • Greenville Zoo FoundationHArvest Hope Food Bank • Greer Community Ministries • Habitat for Humanity • Harvest Hope Food Bank • Homes of Hope • Jasmine Road • Julie Valentine Center • Legacy Charter School • Legacy Early College High School • LiveWell Greenville • Loaves & Fishes • Meals on Wheels of Greenville • Mental Health America, Greenville County • Metropolitan Arts Council • Meyer Center for Special Children • Mill Community Ministries • NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness, Greenville • Naturaland Trust • Pendleton Place • Phillis Wheatley Association • Pleasant Valley Connection • Project HOPE Foundation • Project Host • Public Education Partners Greenville County • Rebuild Upstate • Safe Harbor • Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club • SC First Steps to School Readiness • Senior Action • Soteria at Work • South Carolina Children’s Theatre • Speech, Hearing and Learning Center • St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School • Surgeons for Sight • SWITCH • Taylors Free Medical Clinic • The Family Effect • The Frazee Center • The Generous Garden Project • The Music Club of Greenville for Tanglewood Middle School • The Turning Point of South Carolina • The Warehouse Theatre • TreesGreenville • Triune Mercy Center • United Ministries • Upstate Forever • Urban League of the Upstate • Washington Center • Welvista • YMCA Teen Services Branch • YouthBASE • YWCA

Giving Collectively | Granting Strategically | Growing a Greater Greenville

For more information or to join Greenville Women Giving, go to our website at greenvillewomengiving.org

The Legacy Continues.

Since 1913, the McAfee family has been part of the Greenville community. Tommy and John McAfee are proud to introduce the fifth generation of the firm.

Downtown Chapel

(864)

(864)

thomasmcafee.com

John McAfee, Jay McAfee, Elizabeth McAfee and Tommy McAfee

YEARS IN A ROW 6

Maggie Aiken Toler

SIDE SHOW

THIS CREAMY, INDULGENT MAC AND CHEESE MAY STEAL THE THANKSGIVING SPOTLIGHT

by Kathryn Davé • photograph by Jivan Davé

The best “Southern” baked macaroni and cheese recipe I know originated north of the Mason-Dixon line. Creamy, cheesy, savory, with a perfectly browned lid of cheese on top—as soon as I tasted my college roommate’s mac and cheese, I knew it was the one.

There are as many ways to make mac and cheese as there are moments to enjoy it. I even believe there are moments in life that call for the kind of mac that begins with a cardboard box and a shower of powdered cheese. But for an important meal like Sunday lunch or Thanksgiving, only a true Southern mac and cheese—served in a pan no smaller than a 9x13—will do.

The common denominator of a good Southern mac and cheese is creaminess. And that means you’re probably going to need to make a béchamel. What Southern grandmas and church potluck ladies might have called a basic “white sauce” is one of the five French mother sauces that my college roommate—a biology major who grew up cooking in her dad’s restaurant— had mastered. She then amped the flavor by incorporating sautéed sweet onions, paprika, and sour cream into her recipe. The additions may be deviations from the standard Southern recipe, but they are delicious ones, giving the baked pasta a creamy heft.

There is one part of the recipe she got wrong. She calls for penne pasta, but I can’t fathom abandoning the elbow-shaped macaroni noodles that give this delicious pasta its name. It’s fitting, though: the Southern table is constantly evolving. This Thanksgiving, I see no reason why we shouldn’t welcome a new mac and cheese to ours.

For an important meal like Sunday lunch or Thanksgiving, only a true Southern mac and cheese served in a pan no smaller than a 9x13 will do.

Serves

Mac and cheese may be the king of comfort food, but this refined recipe, perfectly creamy and garnished with paprika, makes it fit to grace any holiday table.

CLASSIC BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Yield: One 9x13 casserole

INGREDIENTS:

6 Tbs. butter

1 sweet onion, diced

½ cup flour

3 cups whole milk, warmed

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1 lb. elbow macaroni

4 cups sharp cheddar, grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Paprika, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. Add macaroni and cook until 3 minutes shy of al dente, according to package directions. Drain and reserve.

3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven or deep sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until very tender, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour warm milk into butter and flour mixture, whisking frequently until smooth and thickened.

4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne, and sour cream. When smooth, add about a third of the grated cheddar and Parmesan to the sauce and stir until melted.

5. Add the cooked noodles to the sauce, mixing to incorporate. Pour half of the macaroni mixture into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese. Add remaining macaroni and top with the last of the cheese. Sprinkle paprika over the pasta and place in oven. Bake 30–40 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and browned.

FOR MORE RECIPES: TOWNCAROLINA.COM

SESAME TUNA WITH SOBA NOODLE SALAD

2•0•2•0

READER’S LENS

PHOTO CONTEST

The Greenville Journal invites you to share your best photos of what the Upstate has to offer.

Each month one Editor’s Choice winner will win a $50 gift card to an Upstate business.

Three honorable mention photos will also receive a $25 gift card to an Upstate business.

Winning entries will be published in the Greenville Journal.

NOVEMBER 2020 THEME: NO SHAVE NOVEMBER

For details on each month’s contest, or to submit your photo and vote, visit: GreenvilleJournal.com/ReadersLens

FOCUS: Apparel & Accessories

ADDRESS: 324 S. Main St., Greenville EST.: 2009

Coast Apparel collections bring ease, style, charm, and dignity to men’s dressing.

We do this by designing capsule collections that:

• Care deeply for the details

• Are grounded in classics and tethered to color stories

• Are sensible for any situation

• Are delivered with ease to fine men’s retail, through online experiences, and our own retail stylists.

This spring we’ve crafted a line that embraces the seasons’ colors. The line will play perfectly through summer too. The products span from bu ery soft slub tees and Pima co on tees, to a range of fresh woven bu on downs, new 5 pocket stretch twill pants, jackets, vest, polos, quarter-zips and more.

Coast Apparel FA/WI19 collection is available at our own Main St. and Augusta St. locations as well as over 40 preferred shops.

To find a location near you go to CoastApparel.com

PRICE: Varies by product

WEB: CoastApparel.com

Dining Guide

THE BEST BARS, CAF É S & RESTAURANTS

AMERICAN

The Anchorage

With a focus on local produce, Chef Greg McPhee’s globally influenced menu changes almost weekly. A hoard of fresh harvest arrives daily from area growers, like Horseshoe Farm in Travelers Rest, which informs McPhee’s creative dishes. The restaurant’s menu and stellar cocktail program is updated regularly, and now The Anchorage is offering a weekly online market featuring pantry items, wine, and more. $$-$$$, D, SBR. Closed Mon–Tues. 586 Perry Ave. (864) 219-3082, theanchoragerestaurant.com

Augusta Grill

Augusta Grill is a Greenville institution featuring upscale comfort food. At the bar or in the intimate dining room, patrons can enjoy dishes such as the wild mushroom ravioli with pancetta and roasted garlic cream, or the sautéed rainbow trout with crabmeat beurre blanc. The lineup changes daily, but diners can always get Chef Bob Hackl’s highly sought-after blackberry cobbler. $$$-$$$$, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 1818 Augusta St. (864) 242-0316, augustagrill.com

Bacon Bros. Public House

You might think you know what meat lover’s heaven looks like, but if you show up at Bacon Bros. Public House gastropub, you’ll know for sure. From a board of cured, smoked, and dried meats, to a specialty sandwich, there’s no shortage of mouthwatering selections. The drink menu mirrors the food, featuring whiskeys, bourbons, bacon-infused liquors, and even smoked sorghum syrup. $$-$$$, L, D. Closed Sunday. 3620 Pelham Rd. (864) 297-6000, baconbrospublichouse.com

The Burrow

The comfort of a home-cooked meal, plus the ease of an elevated dining experience: the newest restaurant from Josh Beeby of Barley’s and Trappe Door fame does it all. A cozy setting encourages conversation and gathering, while artful dishes and cocktails serve a sense of indulgence. You can’t miss with the chargrilled octopus or the whiskey sour. $$, D, SBR. 2017A Augusta St. (864) 412-8677, theburrowgville.com

Fork and Plough

The quintessential farm-to-fork partnership between Greenbrier Farms and Chef Shawn Kelly, with its casual, familyfriendly feel, Fork and Plough brings a butcher shop, market, and restaurant to the Overbrook neighborhood. Chef Kelly masterminds an ever-changing roster of locally sourced dishes. $$$, L, D, SBR. Closed Tues. 1629 E North St. (864) 6094249, forkandplough.com

Foxcroft Wine Co.

Charlotte-based Foxcroft Wine Co. transformed the West End space vacated by Brazwells Pub into a lovely wine bar decorated with warm woods, a barrelvaulted ceiling, and racks of wine. On the menu are tasty flatbreads and truffle fries, as well as signature lamb sliders and pan-seared scallops to pair with a generous list of wines by the glass. $-$$, D (Tues–Sun), shop open 10am–11pm (Tues–Sat). Closed Mon. 631 S Main St. (864) 906-4200, foxcroftwine. com/greenville

GB&D

The restaurant’s description itself—Golden Brown & Delicious—tells you all you need to know about this joint. Locally sourced dishes of American favorites— like the killer burger on a house-made brioche bun—star at lunch. Check out the extended menu at dinner, which features an impressive repertoire of creative dishes, from its new location at The Commons. $$-$$$, L, D, SBR. Closed Tues. 147 Welborn St, Ste B1. (864) 230-9455, eatgbnd.com

Halls Chophouse

The renowned Charleston steakhouse puts down roots along the Reedy River with a selection of wet- or dry-aged steaks (USDA Prime beef flown in from Chicago’s Allen Brothers). Try a Durham Ranch elk loin with root vegetable hash, and don’t miss the lavender French toast at brunch. $$$$, L (Fri–Sat), D, SBR. 550 S Main St. (864) 335-4200, hallschophousegreenville.com

Larkin’s on the River

Located between the Peace Center and the Reedy River, Larkin’s balances upscale dining with comfort. Start with the shecrab soup, then select an entrée from the day’s offerings—or opt for an aged filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Enjoy the river view on the enclosed outdoor patio and the extensive wine list $$$-$$$$, L (Mon–Fri), D (daily), SBR. 318 S Main St. (864) 467-9777, larkinsontheriver.com

Northampton Wine + Dine Linger in the relaxed atmosphere of Northampton’s wine bar, where elegant bar bites accompany wines by the glass or bottle. Or, stay for dinner and select from an ever-changing menu, which includes seafood, beef, and wild game. The outdoor patio is a relaxing location for a meal or a glass of wine. $$-$$$$, L, D. 211-A E Broad St. (864) 271-3919, northamptonwineanddine.com

Oak Hill Café & Farm

A former faculty member in Furman University’s environmental science department, Lori Nelsen blazes a new trail in the restaurant world with co-owner

Chef David Porras. The duo fulfills a long-time dream of creating a healthy, sustainable, and quality dining experience with an on-site farm and culinary research lab. Lovers of food innovation will not want to miss their multicourse tastings, an ode to nature’s bounty. $$-$$$$, D (Wed–Sat); L, SBR (Fri–Sun). 2510 Poinsett Hwy. oakhillcafe.com

Restaurant 17

Restaurant 17 blends contemporary European bistro with Blue Ridge bliss. The menu changes seasonally, but expect dishes from Executive Chef Haydn Shaak (formerly of The Cliffs) like the woodfired octopus with pine nut romesco, baby beets, and Georgia olive oil or the Johnny Cake with country-style prosciutto. $$$-$$$$, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 10 Road of Vines, Travelers Rest. (864) 516-1254, restaurant17.com

Rick Erwin’s West End Grille

Traditional surf-and-turf meets upscale dining at Rick Erwin’s. The dining room is decorated in rich, dark woods that, along with low lighting, create an intimate, stylish atmosphere. Entrées from Chef Scott Kroener range from sashimi-grade tuna and panseared sea bass, to certified Angus beef. $$-$$$$, D. Closed Sun. 648 S Main St. (864) 232-8999, rickerwins.com

Soby’s

Local flavor shines here in entrées like crab cakes with remoulade, sweet corn maque choux, mashed potatoes, and haricot verts. Their selection of 700 wines guarantees the perfect meal complement. Featuring different weekly selections, the Sunday brunch buffet showcases the chefs’ creativity. $$$-$$$$, D, SBR. 207 S Main St. (864) 232-7007, sobys.com

Tandem Creperie & Co eehouse

Tandem lures Swamp Rabbit cyclists with aromas of Counter Culture Coffee and a happy stomach guarantee. Try The Lumberjack (cornmeal crêpe, ham, bacon, eggs, cheese, bechamel, and maple syrup) or the tasty banana nut crêpe. Stuck between savory and sweet? Split one of each with a friend in the Tandem spirit: “Together is best.” $, B, L, SBR. 2 S Main St, Travelers Rest. (864) 610-2245, tandemcc.com

Topsoil Kitchen + Market

If they can grow it, locally source it, or make it in-house, they will. Located in the former Williams Hardware space in Travelers Rest, and just off the Swamp Rabbit Trail, this restaurant and market combo serves up fresh and modern veggie-driven dishes. Find unique wines and cocktails on the menu, too. $-$$$, D. Closed Mon–Wed. 13 S Main St, Travelers Rest. (864) 517-4617, topsoilrestaurant.com

Urban Wren

This newcomer in the historic Markley Station fashions a chic city atmosphere where the food takes its cues from the restaurant’s carefully curated wine selection. Round up some friends and share a selection of seasonal small plates, such as cauliflower drop dumplings and rye whiskey beef short ribs.

$$$-$$$$. D. Closed Tues. 116 N Markley St. (864) 867-1081, urbanwrenwinery.com

Woodside Bistro

Down-home comfort food gets a fresh spin here, where portobello burgers, wedge salads, pesto chicken sandwiches, and rainbow vegan bowls color the menu. A casual go-to spot, Woodside aims to be a welcoming dining destination for all— whether you’re a vegan or meat lover. $, L. Closed Sun. 1112 Woodside Ave. (864) 203-2333, woodsidebistro.com

BARS & BREWERIES

13 Stripes Brewery

Providing patrons and patriots alike with a wide porch area and spacious interior bar, 13 Stripes rotates a loaded arsenal of aptly-titled suds—including the Rise & Fight Again IPA and the Sgt. Molly American wheat—and rolls out session beers, IPAs, porters, and other seasonal kegs that pair perfectly with one of 13 Stripes’ “ration plates,” laden with freshcut meats and cheeses. Taylors Mill, 250 Mill St, Ste PW 3101, Taylors. (864) 3491430, 13stripesbrewery.com

Bar Margaret

This craft-cocktail bar takes over the former Village Grind and GB&D space on Pendleton Street with a funky fresh vibe and an eclectic variety of drinks, paired with bar bites. Try the Damn Good Burger featuring double beef patties, American cheese, onion rings, and Mars mayo on house-made brioche, served with a spicy pickle spear. Mixologists Sarah Cochran and Chris George shepherd the cocktail program, and while curated creations are their speciality (try the cOlá fashioned), patrons can find approachable brews, wine, and non-alcoholic bevs. $-$$. L, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 1269 Pendleton St, Greenville. barmarg.com

KEY : Average price of a dinner entrée (lunch if dinner isn’t served): Under $10 = $ $10-$15 = $$, $16-$25 = $$$, $25+ = $$$$

Breakfast = B Lunch = L Dinner = D Sat or Sun Brunch = SBR

TAXI HOUSE WINES

The bright yellow sliver of a building in the Village’s plaza was once the neighborhood taxi stand, hence this curated shop’s moniker, Taxi House Wines. Now, in collaboration with The Anchorage, the vino destination offers more than 80 unique wine selections, chosen from small, family-owned wineries that focus on sustainability. Stop by for a bottle, or two, or peruse the collection online. Closed Sun & Mon. 586 Perry Ave. Tues–Sat, noon–8pm. (864) 207-0685, taxihousewines.com

Photograph by Andrew Huang

Birds Fly South Ale Project

Birds Fly South Ale Project has come home to roost in Hampton Station. Though closed for production Monday through Wednesday, the open-air taproom is the perfect end-of-week place to drain a cold glass while noshing on local food truck fare. Expect to find a rotating roster, such as the People Power saison, or the I Think It’s Gonna Be imperial IPA. 1320 Hampton Ave Ext. Closed Mon & Tues. (864) 412-8825, bfsbeer.com

Enjoy the delights of autumn with good friends and good beer at Carolina Bauernhaus. Now open in the new Poe West area, this brewery sports an impressive tap list, as well as wicker picnic tables, hanging chair swings, and a smorgasbord of yard games. Take a load off in their outdoor patio space while

$, L, D. Closed Mon & Tues. 556 Perry Ave. (864) 553-4371, carolinabauernhaus.com

The Community Tap / Tap Trailside Convenience, expertise, and atmosphere collide at The Community Tap. Choose from a wide selection of local, national, and international brews—or have a glass from one of the ever-rotating beer and wine taps. Check out their second location at The Commons and enjoy a glass with food from Automatic Taco, GB&D, or Methodical Coffee. 217 Wade Hampton Blvd. (864) 631-2525; Tap Trailside at The Commons, 147 Welborn St.

There’s a new bar in town, with nary a television or wing in sight. If you’re craving an expertly crafted cocktail (or a local beer) in a space with style, this will become your go-to spot. Ideal for a predinner stop, an after-work drink, or for a Closed Sun–Tues. 9 Anderson

Fireforge brings a boozy twist to the phrase “small but mighty.” The smallbatch craft brewery made a home for itself in downtown Greenville in late June 2018, and founders Brian and Nicole Cendrowski are on a mission to push the boundaries of beer. We recommend The Fixer Smoked Baltic Porter—a smooth lager with a hint of cherrywood-smoked 311 E Washington St. (864) 735-0885,

Piney Mountain Bike Lounge

Part taproom and part full-service cycle shop, Piney Mountain Bike Lounge offers the perfect pit stop after a long day of riding the trails. Local craft brews, wine, and cider complement a regular food truck schedule of popular mobile eateries. Kids (and adults) can enjoy the pump track out back. 20 Piney Mountain Rd, Greenville. (864) 603-2453, pineymtb.com

Quest Brewing Co.

Eco-minded Quest satisfies your beer cravings and environmental enthusiasm in a single sip. Grab a pint of QBC’s signature West Coast–style Ellida IPA, packing a punch of flavor, or venture to the dark side with the Kaldi imperial coffee stout (crafted with locally roasted beans). Stop by for an afternoon tour, then follow up with an

evening full of food truck fare and live music. Wed–Sat. 55 Airview Dr, Greenville. (864) 272-6232, questbrewing.com

Swordfish Cocktail Club

The term cocktail club calls to mind a time in history when pre- (and post-) dinner drinks were not only expected but revered among friends for an evening of fun. Swordfish resurrects this perspective in downtown Greenville, with a classic collection of handcrafted cocktails and small plates that are as stunning as they are delectable. $$, D. 220 E Coffee St. Thurs–Sat, 5pm–12am. (864) 434-9519, swordfishcocktails.com

Tasting Room TR

Wind down on the weekend at this combination gourmet wine shop, beer tap, and sampling space. With nearly 200 wines and 150 craft beers for sale, there’s something to satisfy every palate. Not sure what vino revs your engine? Taste-test a few by the glass and pick up a favorite. Enjoy cheese and charcuterie while you sip. $$, L (Sat–Sun), D (Wed–Sat), Closed Mon–Tues. 164 S Main St, Ste C, Travelers Rest. (864) 610-2020, tastingroomtr.com

The Whale

Originating in Asheville, this craft joint comes to South Main with a plethora of whale brews—rare and sought-after beers like the exclusive Spreadsheets and Deadlines hazy IPA, brewed just up the mountain in North Carolina. Having a hard time choosing? Knowledgeable staff are on hand to help you find the beer just for you.

1108 S Main St, Ste #116. (864) 263-7529, thewhalegvl.com

CAF ÉS

Bridge City Coffee

A coffee shop with a mission, Bridge City’s philosophy is all in the name. The local roaster seeks to uphold community values by partnering with area organizations to offer employment opportunities for underresourced teens and adults. The fresh space presents a variety of drinks crafted with inhouse roasted beans. Getting hangry? A selection of treats is also available. $-$$. B, L. Closed Sun. 1520 Wade Hampton Blvd. bridgecity.coffee

Coffee Underground

Coffee Underground boasts a wide selection of specialty coffees, adult libations, and dreamy desserts like the peanut butter pie with graham cracker crust and a peanut butter and vanilla mousse. If you’re craving more substantial fare, choose from a splendid breakfastanytime option, sandwiches, soups, salads, and more.

$-$$, B, L, D, SBR. 1 E Coffee St. (864) 2980494, coffeeunderground.info

Dobrá Tea

Tea is the new coffee at this cheery café in the Village of West Greenville, where you can choose among more than 100 different types of tea from around the globe. Pair your favorite cup with a gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian snack from the list of sweets and savories. $-$$. B, L, D. 1278 Pendleton St. (864) 520-1832, dobrateasc.com

Due South Coffee Roasters

Birds Fly South Ale Project no longer has a monopoly on cold brews now that Due

South has set up shop in Hampton Station. In their new digs, the coffee shop sports a café vibe, with baked goodies like Swamp Fox Doughnuts complementing espresso drinks and cold brew nitro (infused with nitrogen). Beans, sourced from around the globe, are roasted on-site. $, B, L. 1320 Hampton Ave Ext, 4B. (864) 283-6680, duesouthcoffee.com

Grateful Brew

A brew joint where you can enjoy both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic varieties, Grateful Brew provides guests with made-to-order Counter Culture espressos, pour-overs, and locally crafted brews. Enjoy food trucks most nights, or bring your own grub. The Brew welcomes every member of the family, even those of the four-legged sort. $, B, L, D. Closed Sunday. 501 S Pleasantburg Dr. (864) 558-0767, gratefulbrewgvl.com

Kuka Juice

Created by nutrition mavens Abigail Mitchell and Samantha Shaw, Kuka doles out coldpressed craft with health-minded passion. Grab the ginger binger juice, or dig into the Taco ’Bout It bowl with romaine, walnut meat, salsa fresca, black beans, avocado, and pepitas with cilantro lime vinaigrette. Paninis, bowls, soups, toasts, smoothies, and more are also available. $, B, L. 580 Perry Ave, Greenville. (864) 905-1214, kukajuice.com

Methodical Co ee

Whether it’s the white marble countertops or the gleaming Slayer espresso machine, Methodical is a coffee bar built for taste. Coffee guru Will Shurtz, designer Marco Suarez, and hotelier David Baker ensure there’s plenty of substance to go with style. With single-origin espressos, wine varieties, and now a café menu, it’s all worth the rave. $-$$, B, L. 101 N Main St, Ste D; 207 Wade Hampton Blvd; 147 Welborn St. methodicalcoffee.com

Mountain Goat Greenville

A destination for brews and bikes, Mountain Goat proudly serves Methodical Coffee, along with more than 40 types of beer and wine. The sleek, industrial space provides a friendly atmosphere to sip on your beverage of choice, but be sure to check the food truck schedule. Plus, every purchase helps provide tutoring, mentoring, and job opportunities for at-risk youth in the community.

$-$$. B, L, Closed Sunday. 120 Shaw St. mountaingoatgvl.com

O-CHA Tea Bar

A trip to O-CHA will have you considering tea in an entirely new light. This sleek space, located right on the river in Falls Park, specializes in bubble tea—flavored teas with chewy tapioca pearls. For a more intense cooling experience, try the mochi ice cream. The dessert combines the chewy Japanese confection (a soft, pounded sticky rice cake) with ice cream fillings in fun flavors: tiramisu, green tea chocolate, mango, and more. $, B, L, D. 300 River St, Ste 122. (864) 283-6702, ochateabaronline.com

Old Europe

Located in the West End, Old Europe satisfies your sweet tooth with dozens of decadent pastries and desserts. Éclairs and cookies pair well with an extensive coffee selection, while savory breakfast items are always on hand. Sink into a slice of opera cake, paired with a glass of Champagne. $, B, L, D. 716 S. Main St. Sun–Thurs, 8am–

9pm, Fri–Sat, 8am–11pm. (864) 775-0210, oldeuropedesserts.com

Southern Pressed Juicery

A healthy-eaters haven, Southern Pressed Juicery offers super-food fans organic smoothies, bowls, juices, and more. Try a power-packed energy bowl like the dragon blood, a hot-pink concoction of dragon fruit, almond milk, banana, layered with buckwheat granola, raw honey, coconut chips, kiwi, and bee pollen. $-$$, B, L. 2 W Washington St. (864) 729-8626, southernpressedjuicery.com

Sun Belly Café

The chefs at this health food joint on the Westside plan lunch specials daily, based on what their farmers harvest in the morning. Week by week, the full plantbased menu changes to accommodate seasonal dishes and fresh, wholesome ingredients. The wild mushroom pho is all the rage, but if you’re on the go, pick up a tasty $6 vegan salad. Options for meal prep and family-sized lasagnas mean healthy cooking is always on the table. $-$$, B, L. Closed Sunday. 1409 West Blue Ridge Dr. (404) 309-7791

Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery

Grocery store, neighborhood café. Local produce, delicious food. These intersections are what make the Swamp Rabbit Café a staple. But new to the operation is wood-fired pizza. Sourcing every ingredient from area vendors, the ever-changing toppings feature local cheeses and fresh-from-the-farm produce. Beer taps flow with excellent local suds. $, B, L, D. 205 Cedar Lane Rd. (864) 2553385, swamprabbitcafe.com

The Village Grind

Tucked between art galleries and eclectic shops in the heart of Pendleton Street, The Village Grind is a cheerful, light-filled space for java lovers. Emphasizing community, the coffeehouse brews up beans by a variety of local roasters and serves flaky treats. $, B, L. 1258 Pendleton St. (864) 915-8600

Two Chefs Catering & Café

Count on this deli for fast, high-quality food, from homemade soups to a traditional grinder and a turkey melt. Grab “crafted carryout” entrées and sides, or impress last-minute guests with roasted turkey and Parmesan potatoes. Choose from the menu, or check back for daily specials. $-$$, B, L, D. Closed Sun. 644 N Main St, Ste 107. (864) 370-9336, twochefscafeandmarket.com

Upcountry Provisions

Serving up gourmet sandwiches on freshmade bread, Upcountry Provisions is well worth a trip to Travelers Rest for breakfast or an extended lunch break. Snack on the shop’s daily crafted cookies, scones, and muffins, or bite into a devil dog BLT with hormone-free meat on just-baked white focaccia. $, B, L, D. Closed Sundays. 6809 State Park Rd, Travelers Rest. (864) 8348433, upcountryprovisions.com

ETHNIC

Asada

Asada, a brick-and-mortar taqueria on Wade Hampton Boulevard, serves traditional Mission-style fare. Grab a bite of flavor with the grilled sweet potatoes & leeks sopes, a savory vegan dish served

QUIET CONFIDENCE.

WHEN YOU’RE BUSY MAKING A DIFFERENCE, IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

on scratch-made sopes topped with homemade charred red peppers and guajillo romesco salsa, and queso fresco for the dairy-inclined. $-$$, L, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 903 Wade Hampton Blvd. (864) 770-3450, asadarestaurant.com

Asia Pacific

Deemed the largest Asian supermarket in Greenville, Asia Pacific also doubles as a restaurant with a host of authentic cuisine. The menu is pages long, with more than 100 options and a multitude of soups, noodles, and combinations. If you’re planning a visit, be sure your stomach is as big as your eyes. $-$$, L, D, Mon–Sun 10am–9pm. 420 N Pleasantburg Dr. (864) 603-1377, asiapacificgreenville.com

Kairos Greek Kitchen

This Charleston-originated spot serves up heaping portions of traditional Mediterranean cuisine, like slow-roasted kabobs that explode with flavor even before you dip them into the tzatziki sauce. Their choose-your-own approach leads to creative salad combos, and you can also turn any meal into a pita wrap, bowl, or platter. $-$$, L, D. 1800 Augusta St. (864) 520-1723, kairosgreekkitchen.com

Lemongrass Thai

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT. NATIONAL FOOTPRINT.

At Fox Rothschild, we evolve to meet our

By joining with Smith Moore Leatherwood, we added offices throughout the Southeast and expanded the firm to 950 lawyers. But some things should never change.

We continue to give clients the focus and service of a boutique, now with the reach and resources of a full-service national firm.

This Main Street institution’s long, lofty interior sets a calming tone for its authentic Thai cuisine. The menu features standards like pad Thai and outstanding curries, but also chef’s specials like Soft Shell Crab and Clay Pot Seafood. $-$$, L, D. 106 N Main St, Greenville. (864) 241-9988, lemongrassthai.net

Mekong

Taste the nuances of fine Vietnamese cuisine at Mekong. Favorites include the grilled pork vermicelli: marinated pork, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, cilantro, peanuts, and crispy shallots, and the spring and summer rolls. Also try the Vietnamese crêpes or the pho, which is flavored with fresh herbs from the restaurant’s home-grown herb garden. $, L, D. Closed Mon. 2013 Wade Hampton Blvd. (864) 244-1314, mekongrestaurantgreenville.com

Pita House

The Pita House has been family-operated since 1989. Inside, it’s bare bones, but the cognoscenti come here for tasty Middle Eastern fare such as hummus, falafel, kibbeh, and shwarma. And save room for baklava and other Mediterranean sweets for dessert. Also, check out the grocery in the back of the restaurant for some homemade inspiration. $, L, D. Closed Sun. 495 S Pleasantburg Dr, #B. (864) 271-9895, pitahousesc.com

Sacha’s Café

950 attorneys nationwide

1180

CHARLOTTE

GREENVILLE

2 W. Washington St. 864.751.7600

TOD HYCHE thyche@foxrothschild.com 864.751.7623

Bright walls and a long, inviting bar make a sunny backdrop in which to chow down on Colombian food at Sacha’s. Arepas are available with ingredients like beans, chorizo, avocado, shredded beef, and more stuffed inside (rellenas) or piled on top (encima). The patacones, or deep-fried plantains, are thick and sweet. Hungry groups can order the fiesta platter, a sampler that serves six people. To drink, try one of the natural fruit juices, or the imported cervezas $. L, D. 1001 N Pleasantburg Dr. (864) 232-3232, sachascafe.com

Swad Tucked off of Laurens Road, this venerable family-run Indian restaurant hones in on vegetarian cuisine. South Indian specialties such as idli (steamed rice cakes) and dosas (thin rice crepes) served with sambar (lentil stew) delight regulars, while those biding their budget go for the value meals that come with basmati rice or naan. $, L, D. 1421 Laurens Rd. (864) 233-2089

TruBroth

TruBroth is an establishment that takes healing arts and blends them seamlessly into deliciously crafted meals. Appease your curiosity with a visit to this Travelers Rest gem, which offers a detailed mix of Vietnamese staples and health happy bites. $$, L, D. 36A S Main St, Travelers Rest. Sun–Thurs. (864) 6100513, trubrothcoffee.com

EUROPEAN

Bake Room

The final addition to The Commons food hall, Bake Room provides a tasty touch. Naturally leavened breads and handmade pastries are baked in Wade Taylor’s German deck oven and Swedish rack oven, and are the perfect complement to a coffee at Methodical, strategically placed right next door. $, B, L. 147 Welborn St, Greenville. Wed–Sun, 8am–3pm. @sc_bakeroom

Jianna

With stellar views of Main Street from its wrap-around terrace, this modern Italian osteria offers patrons daily house-made pastas, the region’s freshest seasonal ingredients, and, of course, oysters—all led by famed chef Michael Kramer. Grab a cocktail or a glass of wine from the 40-foot bar, and nosh on pasta dishes like potato gnocchi, radiatori, or tonnarelli with local tomatoes, corn, and chanterelle mushrooms. $$-$$$, L (Sat–Sun), D. 207 S Main St. (864) 720-2200, jiannagreenville.com

The Lazy Goat

The Lazy Goat’s tapas-style menu is distinctly Mediterranean. Sample from the Graze and Nibble dishes, such as the crispy Brussels sprouts with Manchego shavings and sherry glacé For a unique entrée, try the duck confit pizza with a sour cherry vinaigrette and a farm egg. An extensive variety of wine is available in addition to a full bar. $$-$$$, L, D. 170 River Pl. (864) 679-5299, thelazygoat.com

Limoncello

This latest Larkin’s spot serves up Italian cuisine out of the former Playwright space on River and Broad streets. The menu ranges from pesto pizzas to chicken marsala to classics like spaghetti and meatballs—but the real winner is an all-Italian wine list, curated from awardwinning vineyards across the region. After you’ve had your glass, grab a bite of the housemade limoncello gelato $$$$$, L, D. 401 River St. (864) 263-7000, limoncellogvl.com

Pasta Addict

This Italian haven satisfies at West End outdoor food hall Gather GVL. From gnocchi to tortellini, indulging in cheesy goodness is easy out of their iconic cone

Proudly managing the Meals on Wheels of Greenville endowment.

containers. Pair your favorite bottle of vino with a bowl of fresh spaghetti alla chitarra, featuring San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, toasted breadcrumbs, and Addict oil. $, D, Sun lunch. Closed Mon. 126 Augusta St. (864) 404-0095, pastaddict.com

Ristorante Bergamo

Open since 1986, Ristorante Bergamo focuses on fresh produce and Northern Italian cuisine: fresh mussels sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and white wine, veal with homegrown organic herbs, and pasta creations such as linguine with shrimp and mussels. The bar fronts 14-foot windows along Main Street, making it a prime location for enjoying a glass while people-watching. $$$, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 100 N Main St. (864) 271-8667, ristorantebergamo.com

Stella’s Southern Brasserie

Boasting French flair and fare, this sister to Stella’s Southern Bistro is the second of Jason and Julia Scholz’s eateries. Stationed in Hollingsworth Park, French staples like blue-black mussel shells with smoked tomato broth, Marsala-spiked onion soup gratinée, and roasted game hen are served up daily in a lively, chic environment. Don’t miss the breakfast pastries. $$-$$$. B, L, D, SBR. 340 Rocky Slope Rd, Ste 100, Greenville. (864) 6266900, stellasbrasserie.com

PIZZA

Coastal Crust

Now in the Village of West Greenville, these Neapolitan-style pizza pies are baked in a wood-fired brick oven and topped with local produce from Reedy River Farms. Check out the aptly-named West Village pie, a classic pepperoni pizza punched up with burrata, caramelized onions, sautéed peppers, and sausage. $$, L, D. 1254 Pendleton St. (843) 654-9606, coastalcrustgreenville.com

D’Allesandro’s Pizza

Hailing from Charleston, D’Allesandro’s brings dough heaven to Greenville. The D’Allesandro brothers’ philosophy is simple—if the pizza is good and the beer is cold, people will come. Created with quality ingredients, the shop pushes out pies in the North Main area, where guests can enjoy savory pizzas, calzones, and even signature CalJoes. $$, L, D. 17 Mohawk Dr, Greenville. (864) 252-4700, dalspizzagvl.com

Sidewall Pizza Company

This pizza joint is a fast favorite with its handcrafted, brick-oven pies made from local ingredients. But their salads are nothing to ignore, not to mention dessert: the homemade ice cream will make you forget about those fellas named Ben & Jerry. $$, L, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 35 S Main St, Travelers Rest, (864) 610-0527; 99 Cleveland St, (864) 558-0235; 3598 Pelham Rd, (864) 991-8748, sidewallpizza.com

Stone Pizza

Serving both Neapolitan- and New York–style pizzas, this spot is ideal for a classic family outing or catching the game with a few friends. Stone and its fireinspired pies are crafted with house-made mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, Caputo flour, and baked in a wood-fired oven. $$, L (Sat & Sun), D. 500 E Park Ave. (864) 6094490, stonepizzacompany.com

Vic’s Pizza

The sign that says “Brooklyn, SC” at this family-run walk-up/take-out joint makes sense when you see what you’re getting: piping hot New York–style pizza, served on paper plates. Purchase by the slice, or have entire pies delivered (as long as your home or business is within three miles) $, L, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 12 E Coffee St. (864) 232-9191, vicspizza4u.com

World Piece

From the owners of downtown’s beloved Coffee Underground, World Piece brings Chicago-style pizza to Stone Avenue. Offering a line-up of draft beers and menu features like buffalo chicken wings, salads, burgers, french fries, and, of course, savory pies, this pizza joint ensures there’s something for everyone. $-$$. L, D. 109 West Stone Ave, Ste A1. (864) 568-5221, worldpiecemenu.com

TACOS

Automatic Taco

Since 2015, Nick Thomas has delivered new wonders and old favorites from his food truck, treating the tortilla as a work of art. From its new brick-and-mortar spot in The Commons, Auto continues to serve up creative takes on tacos, with standout chips and guacamole, salsa, sides, and cocktails. $-$$, L, D. 147 Welborn St. (404) 372-2266, automatictaco.com

Farmhouse Tacos

Hand-crafted and locally sourced, this TR taco joint is the love child of Mexican cuisine and Southern soul food. Start the meal with a few small plates—try the fried green tomatoes—then dig into pure taco bliss with the Travelers Rest hot chicken. Go a little lighter with a farm-fresh salad, and end with the campfire s’mores. $-$$, L, D, SBR. 164 S Main St, Travelers Rest. (864) 610-0586, farmhousetacos.com

Papi’s Tacos

Jorge “Papi” Baralles brings family tradition and the familiar childhood flavors of Cuautla, Mexico, to this walk-up taqueria on the Reedy River. The menu is short and to the point. Get your tacos with shrimp, barbacoa, al pastor, carne asada, carnitas, or chicken and chorizo, or sample some gelato in the display case. $, L, D. 300 River St. (864) 373-7274, eatpapistacos.com

White Duck Taco Shop

White Duck sets up shop at Hampton Station in the Water Tower District, and feels right at home next to Birds Fly South Ale Project. Try the Bangkok shrimp taco or the mushroom potato with romesco, and pair with their fresh peach sangria or an ale from Birds Fly South’s rotation. $-$$, L, D. Closed Sun & Mon. 1320 Hampton Ave, Ext Ste 12B. whiteducktacoshop.com

Willy Taco

Much like its Spartanburg-based sister, Greenville’s Willy Taco is a straight-up Mexican fiesta. Housed in the former Feed & Seed, the atmosphere pairs perfectly with its festive food presentation. Choose from a variety of taco flavors; we suggest the mother clucker—topped off with a margarita. $-$$, L, D. Closed Mon. 217 Laurens Rd. (864) 412-8700, willytaco.com

Design and Build the Ultimate Backyard Experience

SPECIALIZING IN SOME OF THE MOST IMAGINATIVE & UNIQUE POOL DESIGNS COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL EXPERTISE

“This is the second pool we have built. We used another pool company the first time and we were much happier with Genco pools. Todd, our pool designer, and Doug, the project manager, were easy to work with. We were building a new home at the same time. Things often got very hectic. Genco was great at taking care of everything concerning the pool. Todd has also been very good at responding to questions since the pool was finished. That is something we did not experience the first time. I think my pool is beautiful, and I am very happy with the finished product!”

Town Scene

Tuesdays at Fireforge | Nov 3–24

NOVEMBER

Thru Dec 31

SERVICE FOR ALL

To honor the sit-ins and the determination of the African-American community who helped open our libraries to all of the city’s citizens— regardless of race—the Hughes Main Library is sponsoring an expanded online version of its exhibit Service for All. Visit virtually through December 31.

Hughes Main Library, 25 Heritage Green Pl, Greenville. Free. (864) 527-9258, greenvillelibrary.org/service-for-all

Thru Dec 21

INDIE CRAFT PARADE: THE SHOP EDITION

Rather than cancel the Indie Craft Parade this year, the Makers Collective reimagined the event for 2020 as a hybrid of their wildly popular annual fall festival and their holiday pop-up shop. The Indie Craft Parade Shop will

be open weekends through December 20, with outdoor mini-markets on November 7 and 21, so you have plenty of opportunities to find that perfect handmade gift by one of 100 artists whose work is featured.

2909 Old Buncombe Rd, Greenville. Fri–Sun, 11am–5pm. makerscollective.org/ indiecraftparade

Thru Nov 7 SOUTH

CAROLINA NATIVE PLANT FALL SOCIETY PLANT SALE

With four distinct seasons, the Upstate boasts a wide variety of native plants. The South Carolina Native Plant Society has made it their mission to educate the public on the importance of conserving these diverse homegrown species, while cultivating hard-to-find South Carolina plants in their nursery. It’s the best time of the year to buy ferns, indigo, and sunflowers, all of which are available at the Fall Plant Sale. Paint on your green thumb and order online for quick, low-contact pickup, or make an appointment to shop in person. Either way, get growing.

Upstate Native Plant Nursery, 180 Lakewood Dr, Greenville. Times vary. (864) 908-4461, scnps.org/event/fall-2020-plant-sale

Taco

Photograph courtesy of Fireforge

1–8

VIRTUAL MUTT STRUT

Every fall, the Mutt Strut gets a big paws-up from pet owners and their pups alike. And while the Strut must go on in 2020, this year it will be virtual. That means it’s easier than ever to take your pooch for a two-mile walk/run at your convenience and raise money for the homeless animals at the Greenville Humane Society. Besides a T-shirt, all registrants receive a free one-topping pizza from sponsor Papa John’s.

Greenville. Race registration, $30. (864) 2423626, ghsmuttstrut.com

3–24 TACO TUESDAYS AT FIREFORGE

Beer and tacos, now that’s a winning combination. Round up some friends and join your fellow craft-beer lovers on Tuesdays at Fireforge Crafted Beer, when chef/owner Dayna Lee turns out tacos, quesadillas, and nachos, hot off the grill. Pair your pick with one of the 15 house-brewed beers on tap,

then stake out a seat in the outdoor biergarden and make an evening of it.

311 E. Washington St, Greenville. Tuesdays, 5–8pm. Prices for food and beverages vary. (864) 300-4809, fireforge.beer

6–Jan 10

CHRISTMAS AT BILTMORE

Face it, no matter how many lights you string across your house and yard, it’s never going to compare to the 100,000 twinkling lights that illuminate Biltmore Estate at Christmastime. The good news is, you can take in all the holiday magic either by day or by candlelight in the evenings at George Vanderbilt’s Gilded Age estate. In addition to a selfguided tour of the house, admission fees give you access to the estate grounds, shops, and winery.

1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC. Daytime visits daily, 10am–5pm; Candlelight Evenings daily, 5:30–11pm. Daytime tickets start at $84; evening tickets start at $114. (800) 4113812, biltmore.com

Christmas at Biltmore | Nov 6–Jan 10

Photograph courtesy of Biltmore Estate

7–30

GREENVILLE OPEN STUDIOS

This year, Open Studios runs for more than three weeks to account for social distancing and allow the opportunity to visit artists throughout the month. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Arts Council, the selfguided studio tour will feature 133 artists, all located within a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville. Artists will set their own hours, be available for appointments, or will participate virtually.

Various locations including Greenville, Easley, Greer, Simpsonville, and Travelers Rest. Days & times vary. Free. (864) 4673132, greenvillearts.com/greenville-openstudios

7 FALL FESTIVAL & HOLIDAY MARKET

The Greenville Classical Academy’s holiday market offers a unique and family-friendly holiday shopping experience. Peruse wares from local artisans and craftsmen to find a gift for that person on your list who seems to have everything. Bring the kids, and chow down on tacos and

burritos, barbecue sandwiches, kettle corn, and homemade pies and cakes. Due to the pandemic, there will not be a KidZone at the festival this year. Greenville Classical Academy, 2519 Woodruff Rd, Greenville. Sat, 10am–3pm. Free. (864) 329-9884, greenvillefallfestival.com/about

12–14

NEW SOUTH COMEDY FESTIVAL

Couldn’t we all use a good laugh about now? Well, fortunately, the Alchemy Comedy Theater is hosting the New South Comedy Festival online this year. Tune in to see side-splitting improv, stand-up, and sketch comedy by performers from around the South. There will even be online weekend workshops for those novices who want to sharpen their own funny bones. Pandemic or not, surrender to laughter—it just may be the best medicine of all.

$10 (covers all event shows); workshops, $50 each. (864) 256-1467, alchemycomedy.com

Jo Carol Mitchell-Rogers, Flight School artwork courtesy of the artist

13–Jan 31

UCB ICE ON MAIN

Greenville’s answer to Rockefeller Center, the winter ice-skating rink on the Village Green (adjacent to the Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown) opens just in time for the holidays. Grab the family, lace up your ice skates (or rent a pair on-site), and brush up on those camel spins and double axels. Before you leave, warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and other seasonal sweet treats. 206 S Main St, Greenville. Mon–Thurs, 3–8pm; Fri, 3–10pm; Sat, 11am–10pm; Sun, 11am–8pm. Adults (13+), $10; children (4-12), $8; age 3 & under, free. (864) 467-5751, greenvillesc.gov/1654/UCB-Ice-on-Main

14–Jan 30

WHITE CHRISTMAS: THE EXHIBITION

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, this new exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum should do the trick. Celebrating the Academy Award–winning Irving Berlin song, first sung by Bing Crosby in 1941, and the eponymous musical that followed in 1954, the 2,000-square-foot exhibit displays the film’s legendary costumes, props, replica backdrops, and sheet music. The beloved story of two WWII vets who team up with singing sisters to save a failing Vermont lodge, White Christmas still ranks as the highest-grossing musical of all time.

Upcountry History Museum, 540 Buncombe St, Greenville. Tues–Sat, 10am–5pm. $10. (864) 581-2298, upcountryhistory.org/ exhibitions-events/changing-exhibits/whitechristmas-the-exhibition

14 HARTNESS HALF MARATHON & 5K

Finally, a race you can run with other people—socially distanced, of course. Located right off Highway 14, the Hartness Half Marathon course weaves across paved roads, dirt trails, gravel roads, and grassy fields through the Hartness Property, one of Greenville’s newest planned communities. Whether you choose to participate in the 5K, the 13.1-mile run, or the halfmarathon relay, you’ll be running for a good cause. Registration fees benefit the development center at A Child’s Haven. Hartness, 3500 S Hwy 14, Greenville.Sat, 8am–noon. 5K registration, $35; half-marathon, $80; half-marathon relay, $115. hartnesshalf.com

26–29 TREES UPSTATE TURKEY DAY VIRTUAL RUN

These days, Trees Upstate needs your support more than ever, so make plans to burn off that turkey dinner by running this virtual 5K. No worries if you can’t participate on

Thanksgiving Day; the beauty of the virtual run is that you can do it at your leisure any time—and anywhere you choose—that weekend. The best part? All of the proceeds from the event go directly to Trees Upstate’s programs to plant, protect, and promote trees around our area. Thurs–Sun. Registration, $25. (864) 313-0765, treesupstate.org/turkeyday

26–Dec 25 ANDERSON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

For the past 27 years, Anderson Lights of Hope has been illuminating the holiday season with more than 3.5 million lights covering 160 displays across 45 acres. Although COVID-19 has put a kibosh on the event’s traditional Christmas Village this year, the entrance fee allows you to take the 2.5-mile drive as many times as you like. So if you need a little Christmas, lift your spirits by heading for this twinkling holiday wonderland. Enter on Martin Luther King Blvd, at the corner of Woodcrest Dr (across from Anderson Civic Center), Anderson. Sun–Thurs, 5:30–9pm; Fri–Sat, 5:30–10pm. $10/car. andersonchristmaslights.org

Hollowed Earth Pottery by Mark and Sarah Batory

NEW CREATION

WITH AN EXTENDED SCHEDULE, THE METROPOLITAN ARTS COUNCIL’S OPEN STUDIOS TOUR CONTINUES TO ALLOW ACCESS TO LOCAL ART

In a year riddled by upheaval, art may seem irrelevant. But its powers to express, to engage, and to heal are more necessary now than ever. The Metropolitan Art Council’s Open Studios returns to greater Greenville this fall, with an extended schedule allowing flexibility for participating artists. The self-guided studio tour is based on each artist’s preference—virtual, by appointment, or drop-in hours—encouraging social distancing and a more intimate, in-depth encounter with the outstanding creatives in our community.— Abby Moore Keith

Open Studios will take place November 7–30. Artists will choose their own hours, be available for appointments, or participate virtually. Download the Open Studios app and explore participating artists at greenvillearts.com/greenville-open-studios.

(left to right) Alice Allen, Superpower Cuff , sterling silver, 24K gold, and leather, 2 inches; Sarah and Mark Batory, Batik Teapot , ceramic, 8.8 x 5 inches.

2020 Guide to Giving

“Asbury Hills develops the whole child, focuses on spiritual growth, love for the Lord, and the traditional camp experience. Overall, it is an experience that will last a lifetime.”

Our mission is to serve all people for Christian birth, growth, and renewal. We strive to live out that mission no matter who walks through our gates, sleeps in our cabins, hikes our trails, sails on our zip lines, or swims in our lakes. Sleep away camp has proven over and over to provide most of the essential growing characteristics that our kids need today. Help us say yes to children calling out for such an experience regardless of their ability to pay.

Our Vision…

A Community Where All Individuals with Disabilities Flourish.

Our Vision…

A Community Where All Individuals with Disabilities Flourish.

Our Vision…

Individuals with disabilities flourish when we see people with disabilities as people first: people who have talent, people who want to be employed, people who want to enjoy life, people with rights, and people who are no different in the areas that matter most.

A Community Where All Individuals with Disabilities Flourish.

Individuals with disabilities flourish when we see people with disabilities as people first: people who have talent, people who want to be employed, people who want to enjoy life, people with rights, and people who are no different in the areas that matter most.

Individuals with disabilities flourish when we see people with disabilities as people first: people who have talent, people who want to be employed, people who want to enjoy life, people with rights, and people who are no different in the areas that matter most.

Join us and together we will serve as champions for individuals with disabilities.

Join us and together we will serve as champions for individuals with disabilities.

Join us and together we will serve as champions for individuals with disabilities.

www.BarbaraStoneFoundation.org

Learn more about Barbara Stone Foundation’s mission, our work with Greenville CAN and other successful initiatives.

www.BarbaraStoneFoundation.org

www.BarbaraStoneFoundation.org

Learn more about Barbara Stone Foundation’s mission, our work with Greenville CAN and other successful initiatives.

Learn more about Barbara Stone Foundation’s mission, our work with Greenville CAN and other successful initiatives.

BLOOD SAVES LOCAL LIVES

WHAT IT MEANS to give local

Today, if anyone receives blood in a hospital in the upstate of South Carolina, it was provided exclusively by your community blood center . . . The Blood Connection. Your decision to give with The Blood Connection impacts the availability of blood in the community where you, your family, coworkers and friends live. Thank you for giving back to your neighbors by sharing life. It’s simple. There’s only one true way to donate local and that’s with The Blood Connection. Your donation matters. So, ask for us by name and help us spread the word about the life-saving mission of your community blood center.

The following hospitals are reliant on The Blood Connection for 100% of their blood supply needs:

Abbeville Area Medical Center

AnMed Health

AnMed Health Cannon

Baptist Hospital Easley

Barrow-Northeast

Georgia Medical Center

Cherokee Medical Center

Elbert Memorial Hospital

Greenville Downtown

Greenville Eastside

Greenville Memorial

Greer Memorial

Hillcrest Hospital

Laurens County Hospital

Newberry County

Memorial Hospital

Oconee Memorial

Patewood Hospital

find a blood drive near you and to make an appointment.

Pelham Medical Center

Self Regional Hospital

Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Greenville

Spartanburg Medical Center

Spartanburg Medical Center – Mary Black Campus

Stephen’s County Hospital Union Medical Center

YOU CAN HELP SAVE A CHILD’S LIFE BY JOINING

OPERATION 180TurnAround

Asking individuals, groups, companies, churches, and more to add their name to the list.The money will help place more of the Electronic Detection K9s with Law EnforcementAgencies that deal with high levels of child abuse, trafficking, and child pornography.

OUR GROWING TASKFORCE WITH OVER 30 MEMBERS LED BY THESE PARTNERS. ADD

PREMIERE PARTNERS.ADD YOUR NAME OR COMPANY TO OUR LIST.

• CLEMSON DABO’S ALL IN TEAM FOUNDATION

• HALL’S MANAGEMENT GROUP

• THERMAL RESOURCE SALES

• INTERNATIONAL PLASTICS

• PROSECUTES OFFENDERS

• IDENTIFY AND RESCUE CHILDREN

• THERAPY FOR VICTIMS

• THERAPY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

• FIGHTS CHILD ABUSE

South Carolina Moves Forward To Lead InPreventingCrimes Against Children

Electronic Detection K9s are making a direct impact. The more donated to law enforcement to assist in searches, the bigger impact against child abuse, trafficking, and child pornography will be made. We need your help in our mission to make South Carolina the leader in having the most electronic detection k9s working to fight crimes against children.” Every search that is conducted without the assistance of an electronic detection k9 is an opportunity missed to help save a child’s life.

The K9s have the ability to locate hidden evidence that helps rescue children and stop the offenders.The evidence they are able to locate includes, laptops, hidden cameras, burner phones, thumb drives, micro SD cards, and more. The devices are so small that they are easy for the officers to miss during their search.One device found by the K9s can have the information to lead the officers to rescue a child.

The Family Effect works to reduce addiction as a leading cause of family collapse and harm to children in Upstate South Carolina. We accomplish this goal by raising funds and recruiting volunteers for effective, research-based programs for families and children at The Phoenix Center of Greenville. Learn more about the programs we support.

If you or someone you know needs treatment, call The Phoenix Center helpline at 864-467-3790.

“I’m no longer dreaming of the future. I’m living the dream.”

In the midst of a steady career as a truck driver, Rafael’s life was changed forever when a severe spine injury left him jobless. Without a high school diploma, he knew there was little gainful work to be found. That’s when he contacted Greenville Literacy Association. Overcoming physical and emotional barriers, Rafael finished his GED in 2019. Rafael will earn his Bachelor’s Degree this year and pursue a career in the information technology industry. “GLA gave

me a second chance at life,” he says. “I’m no longer dreaming of the

Julie Valentine Journey of Hope and Healing: A Virtual Fundraiser

JAYCEE DUGARD

GUEST SPEAKER

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped by two strangers from a bus stop in her hometown of Lake Tahoe in 1991. After surviving 18 years of abuse at the hands of her two assailants, she was finally reunited with her mother and family in 2009. Jaycee is now the author of two New York Times Best Sellers: A Stolen Life: A memoir (2011) and Freedom: My Book of Firsts (2016).

Reuniting with her family required an extensive, multi-disciplinary approach to get through a very difficult transition in their lives. They needed protection, expertise, support, and the ability to make choices as they started their healing journey. Jaycee believes that families who survive major life traumas need and deserve the kind of support her family received. Because of this belief, Jaycee and her family formed The JAYC Foundation (Just Ask Yourself to Care). The JAYC Foundation mission is to be of service to families and individuals that have experienced a severe crisis, challenge or conflict through a major life disruption.

PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH AT NOON FOR THE 11TH ANNUAL EVENT VIRTUAL • RSVP BY JANUARY 31

PRESENTING SPONSOR THE CASTELLANI FAMILY

JAYCEE DUGARD

Celebrating 35 years of partnership with Greenville County Schools and community allies to strengthen public education

Celebrating 35 years of partnership with Greenville County Schools and community allies to strengthen public education

ELEVATING TEACHERS

ELEVATING TEACHERS

When teachers feel supported by the community, they are more likely to feel satisfied in their work and effective in their practice. Since 1985, PEP has supported teachers and the broader Greenville County Schools community by investing more than $1.3 million in quality education grants. We have also helped place 70 new teachers and dozens of mentors in classrooms by collaborating with GCS through the GATE program and other pathways. In a year that brings many new challenges, we will continue to focus on teacher retention and morale initiatives, including professional development opportunities and celebratory events.

EMPOWERING ADVOCATES ENGAGING COMMUNITY

When teachers feel supported by the community, they are more likely to feel satisfied in their work and effective in their practice. Since 1985, PEP has supported teachers and the broader Greenville County Schools community by investing more than $1.3 million in quality education grants. We have also helped place 70 new teachers and dozens of mentors in classrooms by collaborating with GCS through the GATE program and other pathways. In a year that brings many new challenges, we will continue to focus on teacher retention and morale initiatives, including professional development opportunities and celebratory events.

EMPOWERING ADVOCATES ENGAGING COMMUNITY

Public education needs people like you. We have built a space for the community to learn, engage, and lift their voices in support of public schools. PEP is engaging on critical issues by growing a corps of community advocates, informing equitable and inclusive policy decisions at the state and local level, and empowering new leaders. Since 2018, nearly 2,000 education champions have signed up for our action alerts and sent more than 3,500 letters to their representatives. Our annual Policy Priorities and award-winning website InformEdsc.org are powerful tools that empower people to confidently advocate on behalf of Greenville’s public schools.

Public education needs people like you. We have built a space for the community to learn, engage, and lift their voices in support of public schools. PEP is engaging on critical issues by growing a corps of community advocates, informing equitable and inclusive policy decisions at the state and local level, and empowering new leaders. Since 2018, nearly 2,000 education champions have signed up for our action alerts and sent more than 3,500 letters to their representatives. Our annual Policy Priorities and award-winning website InformEdsc.org are powerful tools that empower people to confidently advocate on behalf of Greenville’s public schools.

Fostering strong, authentic connections in our community is key to supporting Greenville’s students, teachers, and public schools. PEP’s Make Summer Count family literacy initative has reached more than 135,000 children and distributed over 1.2 million books to reduce summer slide and grow home libraries. Our strategic partnerships with programs like OnTrack Greenville keep middle schoolers on the path to high school graduation, and our involvement in Ten at the Top Education Spectrum connects 35 years of expertise and insights to identify crosssector issues and develop solutions.

Fostering strong, authentic connections in our community is key to supporting Greenville’s students, teachers, and public schools. PEP’s Make Summer Count family literacy initative has reached more than 135,000 children and distributed over 1.2 million books to reduce summer slide and grow home libraries. Our strategic partnerships with programs like OnTrack Greenville keep middle schoolers on the path to high school graduation, and our involvement in Ten at the Top Education Spectrum connects 35 years of expertise and insights to identify crosssector issues and develop solutions.

OUR MISSION

OUR MISSION

Public Education Partners leads our community in acting collectively to support, strengthen and advance public education and student achievement in Greenville County Schools.

THANK YOU

Public Education Partners leads our community in acting collectively to support, strengthen and advance public education and student achievement in Greenville County Schools.

THANK YOU

We would like to thank all of the donors who have supported Public Education Partners in 2020 and in years gone by. If you would like to support our work, contact our Director of Development, Kristin Garner, at kristin@pepgc.org or visit pepgc.org/donate.

We would like to thank all of the donors who have supported Public Education Partners in 2020 and in years gone by. If you would like to support our work, contact our Director of Development, Kristin Garner, at kristin@pepgc.org or visit pepgc.org/donate.

REMEMBERING FOUNDER HAYNE HIPP

REMEMBERING FOUNDER HAYNE HIPP

Together with Max Heller and Bill Page, Hayne Hipp founded The Alliance for Quality Education (today’s PEP) in 1985. Hayne was a bridge builder, and we are grateful to continue his vision and honor his legacy –especially in this critical moment for students, teachers, and public schools.

Together with Max Heller and Bill Page, Hayne Hipp founded The Alliance for Quality Education (today’s PEP) in 1985. Hayne was a bridge builder, and we are grateful to continue his vision and honor his legacy –especially in this critical moment for students, teachers, and public schools.

““Hayne knew that Greenville could do more to connect our private sector to public schools. With more than $8 million invested in Greenville County Schools’ students and teachers through the programs of what is now called Public Education Partners, clearly he was right – a visionary as usual.”

Hayne knew that Greenville could do more to connect our private sector to public schools. With more than $8 million invested in Greenville County Schools’ students and teachers through the programs of what is now called Public Education Partners, clearly he was right – a visionary as usual.”

–

Grier Mullins

– Grier Mullins

PEP Founding Executive Director

PEP Founding Executive Director

2020 BY THE NUMBERS

2020 BY THE NUMBERS

30,000

30,000

BOOKS DISTRIBUTED TO STUDENTS

THROUGH MAKE SUMMER COUNT

BOOKS DISTRIBUTED TO STUDENTS THROUGH MAKE SUMMER COUNT

2,400

2,400

EMAILS SENT TO LEGISLATORS

THROUGH PEP’S ACTION CENTER

EMAILS SENT TO LEGISLATORS THROUGH PEP’S ACTION CENTER

$24,863

$24,863

AWARDED TO TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS THROUGH GRANT PROGRAMS

AWARDED TO TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS THROUGH GRANT PROGRAMS

21 TEACHERS JOIN

21

TEACHERS JOIN

NEWEST GATE COHORT & NINE TEACHERS COMPLETE

NEWEST GATE

COHORT & NINE TEACHERS COMPLETE

“The Jolley Foundation has supported Public Education Partners’ mission for nearly 30 years, and its recent investment in our policy and advocacy work has been a game changer that will reap benefits for Greenville’s public schools and students for years to come. We are honored to celebrate their longstanding partnership and commitment in this landmark year in PEP’s history.”

“The Jolley Foundation has supported Public Education Partners’ mission for nearly 30 years, and its recent investment in our policy and advocacy work has been a game changer that will reap benefits for Greenville’s public schools and students for years to come. We are honored to celebrate their longstanding partnership and commitment in this landmark year in PEP’s history.”

– Catherine Schumacher, PEP President & CEO

– Catherine Schumacher, PEP President & CEO

The Jolley Foundation is a family foundation that envisions a Greenville that is just, compassionate, and vibrant. The foundation’s mission is to advance efforts to eliminate the root causes and effects of poverty and discrimination – a goal Public Education Partners shares. Visit our website to learn more or buy tickets for the 2020 Partner of the Year event.

The Jolley Foundation is a family foundation that envisions a Greenville that is just, compassionate, and vibrant. The foundation’s mission is to advance efforts to eliminate the root causes and effects of poverty and discrimination – a goal Public Education Partners shares. Visit our website to more or buy tickets for the 2020 Partner of the Year event.

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD

AtProjectHost,ourmissionistousefoodasatooltonourishthehungry andtraintheunemployed.We believefoodinsecuritycanonlybe addressedbythewholecommunity,andweengagethepeopleof Greenvilleineverystepoftheprocess.

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD

AtProjectHost,ourmissionistousefoodasatooltonourishthehungry andtraintheunemployed.We believefoodinsecuritycanonlybe addressedbythewholecommunity,andweengagethepeopleof Greenvilleineverystepoftheprocess.

SoupKitchen

The need has always been there. This year, it happens to be greater.

With more people facing poverty and fewer Red Kettles to help them, your $25 monthly gift helps rescue Christmas for the most vulnerable. Join the Army that’s doing the most good by texting “Kettles” to 41444 or by visiting our website at SalvationArmyGreenville.org.

Why Choose Us

Experience

Home to

Award Winning

Repeated recognition for outstanding Patient Experience by Press Ganey and recipient of the Certified Zero Harm Award for patient safety by the South Carolina Hospital Association.

From Routine to Rare

Shriners

Thank you to all of our Sponsors, Donors and Volunteers that supported us in 2020.

We are dedicated to improving the health of women through education on the warning signs of ovarian cancer, support of those diagnosed with the disease and promotion of ovarian cancer research.

www.SCOvarianCancer.org email: info@scovariancancer.org

Festival Of Trees

Festival Of Trees

Martinis & Mistletoe

Martinis

THURSDAY,

Festival Of Trees

Festival Of Trees

Festival Of Trees

& Mistletoe

Virtual Event featuring a live performance by artist Jared Emerson

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3

7:00-9:00 P.M.

New! Toy Drive Only

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Bon Secours Wellness Arena Drive-thru drop off

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

7:00 P.M.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 1:00-3:00 P.M.

$50 PER PERSON

$50 PER PERSON

Martinis & Mistletoe

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 7:00-9:00 P.M. Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

220

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Teddy Bear Luncheon

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

$15 Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

THURSDAY,

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 7:00-9:00 P.M.

Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

7:00-9:00 P.M.

7:00-9:00 P.M.

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get a photo with Santa.

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 7:00-9:00 P.M. Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220 $50 PER PERSON

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220 $50 PER PERSON

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

$50 PER PERSON

$50 PER PERSON

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 11:00 A.M.

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get a photo with Santa.

Any

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Studio 220

$15 Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

$15 Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

$15 Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

$15 Adults | $10 Children (ages 3-12)

All proceeds from the 2020 Bon Secours Festival of Trees will support Areas of Greatest Need at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get a photo with Santa.

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get a photo with Santa.

Any child who donates a new stuffed animal will get a photo with Santa.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

View trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville.

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

All proceeds from the 2019 Festival of Trees will benefit the Bon Secours St. Francis Neuroscience Program.

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite. For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

View Trees December 1-30 at Courtyard by Mariott® Greenville Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton® Greenville Downtown Riverplace, Hampton Inn & Suites Riverplace and Hyatt Regency Greenville

Tickets available at MandM20.givesmart.com or by calling (864) 255-1040.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite. For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite. For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

Tickets available at stfrancisfoundation.com or Eventbrite.

For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

For more information, call (864) 255-1040.

YOU’VE SEEN THE DARKNESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. This is a horrible issue, hidden in the darkness. You want to make a difference in the lives of trafficking survivors. It’s hard to know how to tackle something so hideous. We see the same issues, but we know how to address them. We have helped hundreds of survivors.We have the heart, knowledge and experience to help them put their lives back together again. But we can’t do it without you. Partner with us. You are the missing piece on this path to freedom.

If we each bring what we have to the table, together we can stop this and create a new reality for trafficking survivors in our community. Our participants find their purpose, see their lives transform, and regain hope for the life they always dreamed of living…and you know you helped make this possible. GIve today.

Because Everyone NEEDS An Address

United Housing Connections connects people at-risk for or currently experiencing homelessness with safe, sustainable and affordable homes.We provide housing solutions for families, people with disabilities, domestic violence victims, the elderly, Veterans and homeless youth.

You can help! Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week is November 15th-22nd and we are hosting several Cold Weather donation drives.

DONATE Drive-thru drop off at the B.S. Wellness Arena on November 18th from 11:30am-1:30 pm.

HOST a donation drive - Find a list of need items on our website www.unitedhousingconnections.org

We provide housing solutions for families, people with disabilities, domestic violence victims, the elderly, Veterans and homeless youth.

Mark k Your r Calendars Greenville

Open Studios

November 7 - 30

Instead of set hours during our annual weekend event, this year, Greenville Open Studios will take place from November 7 – 30. The 133 participating artists will choose their own hours, schedule appointments or only participate virtually through the new “Greenville Open Studios” YouTube page.

Hours and appointment contact information will be listed on the website, in the app and with the videos on YouTube. Videos will go live on November 7th.

Sunny

Pelham