SO June'18

Warmer weather is finally here,

SO GET OUTSIDE

JUNE 2018 SO IT’S SUMMERTIME LAKE GREENWOOD – LAKE GREENWOOD IS ALL ABUZZ WITH NEW EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

SO CREATIVE

GREENWOOD COUPLE USES TALENTS TO TRANSFORM HOMES

SO COMPASSIONATE EARCELIA PAUL-HILL

SO SCENE SPRINGFEST

SO TOMATO SEASON IS UPON US LOCAL FARMERS AND CHEFS TALK ABOUT THE SUMMERTIME DELICACY OF THE SOUTH

SO IN LOVE

YOUNG COUPLE REFLECTS ON THEIR FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE

SO ENGAGED ASHLEY + CHASE AUTUMN + JUSTIN

SO WHAT

COUCH SURFING

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SO Contents

what’s inside?

8 14 18 22

SO IT’S SUMMERTIME

Lake Greenwood is all abuzz with new events and activities

BY EMILY WARNER PHOTOS BY PATRICK DURKIN

SO CREATIVE

Greenwood couple uses talents to transform homes

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY PHOTOS BY MATT SPROUSE

SO IT’S TOMATO SEASON

Local farmers and chefs talk about the summertime delicacy of the South - locally grown tomatoes

BY EMILY WARNER PHOTOS BY TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY AND EMILY WARNER

SO COMPASSIONATE

Earcelia Paul-Hill – Abbeville native and businesswoman finds her calling in helping others cope

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY

39 45 52 SO IN LOVE

Young couple reflects on their first year of marriage

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY WEDDING PHOTOS

BY CAROLINE JENKINS

SO ENGAGED

Ashley + Chase Autumn + Justin IMAGES BY TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY

SO WHAT

Couch Surfing

BY CHRIS TRAINOR

SO SCENE

24 28 33 36 SO SCENE

Springfest, Uptown Greenwood

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June 2018

SO SCENE

Dancing with the Greenwood Stars

SO SCENE

Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood celebrates recent renovations

SO SCENE

Abbeville Spring Festival

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JUNE 2018 SO IT’S SUMMERTIME LAKE GREENWOOD – LAKE GREENWOOD IS ALL ABUZZ WITH NEW EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

SO CREATIVE

GREENWOOD COUPLE USES TALENTS TO TRANSFORM HOMES

SO COMPASSIONATE EARCELIA PAUL-HILL

C O N TR I B U T I N G W R I TE RS ST.CLAIRE DONAGHY CHRIS TRAINOR EMILY WARNER ADAM BENSON DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ

C O N TR I B U T I N G P H OTO G R A P H E RS PATRICK DURKIN MATT SPROUSE TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY

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June 2018

SO SCENE SPRINGFEST

SO TOMATO SEASON IS UPON US LOCAL FARMERS AND CHEFS TALK ABOUT THE SUMMERTIME DELICACY OF THE SOUTH

SO IN LOVE

YOUNG COUPLE REFLECTS ON THEIR FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE

SO ENGAGED ASHLEY + CHASE AUTUMN + JUSTIN

SO WHAT

COUCH SURFING

C OV E R I M A G E

COVER PHOTO BY PATRICK DURKIN TAKEN DURING THE PADDLE SEASON KICK-OFF AT LAKE GREENWOOD STATE PARK.

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SO, IT’S SUMMERTIME

SO,

| Lake Greenwood

IT’S SUMMERTIME

Have you been to the lake lately?

Lake Greenwood is all abuzz with new events and activities, and you don’t have to own a boat to get out and enjoy the water!

BY EMILY WARNER PHOTOS BY PATRICK DURKIN

Lake Greenwood

If you visit the Connect Lake Greenwood website, the first photo in the slideshow on the site’s homepage is an aerial view facing the trestle bridge spanning the deep-blue water surrounded by redand golden-leaved trees. The words VISIT LAKE GREENWOOD: The Destination of the South are stamped in white across the background of the water. The homepage also includes Connect Lake Greenwood’s interlinking anchor logo, and the

top menu includes options for “Events”, “Info”, and “Paddle Day”. A visit to the website tells me that someone behind this Connect Lake Greenwood group obviously loves the lake and wants to make it more accessible to everyone.

That someone is Jimmy Peden. It seems like anyone who is familiar with Lake Greenwood knows Jimmy, or has at least heard of him - even though my mother had never met him, she commented, “That’s the man who’s done so much with the lake.”

Connect Lake Greenwood was organized in 2014 after a series of Greenwood Chamber of Commerce meetings during which Peden and Kelly McWhorter, Executive Director of the Greenwood Regional Tourism and Visitors Bureau, brought up concerns regarding community involvement and access to Lake Greenwood. As the Connect Lake Greenwood co-founder and Chairperson, Peden is in charge of overseeing and carrying out the “lake master plan”, as he puts it.

I was able to talk with Peden at the Connect Lake Greenwood Paddle Day Kick-Off event on Friday, May 4. Peden stood on the bank in front of the sign-in table and watched as kayakers and paddle boarders settled in and set out for the afternoon.

I asked him for background on what Connect Lake Greenwood has done for the community and the

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June 2018

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Corridor. Grace is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Heritage Corridor, and Anna is the Director of Advertising and Creative Design.

SO Lakelands: What other Paddle South Carolina events have y’all been to?

Grace Nelson: [Heritage Corridor] helps to put together the website for the event, so we’ve been to Lake Jocassee, the Edisto River, things like that. But we’re just starting to get [the event] out there, so hopefully there will be more. This is really the first official kick-off they’ve done at Lake Greenwood.

Anna Joyner: [Lake Greenwood] is such a beautiful location that it makes it easy. There’s a good mix of everything here. You can’t get any better than the view. types of events the organization hosts.

Peden: In the last five years, Connect Lake Greenwood has pulled together numerous events, which actually brings people to the lake in a more organized fashion.

SO Lakelands: Is this the first event of its kind on Lake Greenwood?

Peden: South Carolina does this every year. But Lake Greenwood was picked as the kick-off event, and this is the first one that I know of that’s organized on the lake. [The event] brings exposure for paddling and

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the enjoyment of getting out and paddling in kayaks and canoes. We’ll probably do an event at the Saluda [river] in the summertime. We’re doing some group jet-ski rides. Our premiere event is Lights on the Lake, which is around July 4th. There’s probably eight or ten thousand people who attend.

Since Paddle Day is a statewide event, several organizations help to sponsor and carry out the event - Upstate Forever, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Heritage Corridor. I talked to Grace Nelson and Anna Joyner, both with the South Carolina Heritage

And what a view it was - walking down the hill at Lake Greenwood State Park to watch the paddlers set off, I could see a huge metal structure floating out on the water. The colorful signs attached to it read “Jungle Float”, one of Lake Greenwood’s hottest new attractions this season. The Jungle Float is a mobile waterpark and is complete with two trampolines, a curvy green “Jungle Slide”, a high jump from the top, and a “Tarzan swing”. The parent company, Jungle Float Mobile Water Park, is based in Tennessee, where the structures are built, and have been available for purchase since August 2015, according to the Jungle Float website.

Louis said that he brainstormed fun ideas for kids on the lake, explaining that his wife came across the idea of a Jungle Float.

Troy Louis: We talked to probably a dozen or more people who own them across the country, and then last summer we spent a day with the folks that do it on Lake Murray, and we said, yep, we’re gonna do it.

SO Lakelands: What influenced your decision to bring the Jungle Boat to Lake Greenwood?

I had a conversation with Troy Louis, who, with his wife, Cole, has brought the Jungle Float to Lake Greenwood - one of only two in South Carolina (the other is on Lake Murray). The Louises, moved to the area with their three young children from Illinois about a year and a half ago.

Troy Louis: You can pick small, medium, or large. We took large. What we actually did last summer on the lake was the ice cream boat, the Lake Greenwood ice cream boat. So we had a bunch of people saying, oh hey, you should do hot dogs, you should do this, you should do that. They’d be like, is this your full-time job? So then we said, what else can we bring to the lake that’s fun? And our company name is Fun on Lake Greenwood.

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Louis family has also taken over managing Skipper’s Marina.)

SO Lakelands: Is there always a lifeguard on the Float?

Troy Louis: Yep, we have lifeguards on duty any given time it’s in operation. That’s one thing about it that was really important, that nothing about it is dangerous, but it can be used dangerously. So we do our best to coach people on how to use it.

SO Lakelands: Is there a fee to play on the Jungle Float?

Troy Louis: How we were embraced by the community with the ice cream boat - the lake really feels like it wants something like this. And we also live on the lake.

SO Lakelands: What other activities would you like to see on Lake Greenwood? Do you think there’s enough to do, or would you like to see more things happening?

Troy Louis: This [the Jungle Float] is only one of the five or six things our company does. We’re going to continue to do the ice cream boat, but never want to just have one foot in the water, we want to jump all the way in. So we’ve got kayaks, paddleboards, and then we’re also renting jet-skis.

SO Lakelands: Are you based on the lake?

Troy Louis: Yeah, we’re at Skipper’s [Marina, Cross Hill]. (The

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Troy Louis: There are a couple different pricing options. Just regular play, is $12.50 per hour. If you want to do a private party, it’s $250 per hour. Through the end of May we’re gonna be selling season passes for $100.

As Troy was telling me about the Jungle Float and his ice cream boat, I could not help thinking that I would have loved growing up with a stronger connection to Lake Greenwood. Sure, my family would visit the lake a couple times every summer, but only because we had friends who lived near the lake. We did not have a boat, or a lake house, and to our knowledge, there were no events like Paddle SC five or ten years ago, and definitely not a Jungle Float.

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I asked Greenwood resident Susan Hollister, a friend of the Louis family and an attendee of the Paddle Day event, what she thought of all the recent activity on Lake Greenwood.

Susan Hollister: I love it. So excited over the Jungle Float. I wish my kids would have had it. We never came to the lake [when they were younger].

We’ve been here 26 years and never came to the lake because there was nothing to do. We didn’t have a boat, we didn’t do it. We love the water, but we never even knew that you could rent pontoons until Troy and his family moved to town last year and started renting pontoons. This is my third time ever coming to the [State] Park. But I love it, and I think it’s great.

From the newest arrivals in Greenwood to families who have been here for generations, it is exciting to see the growth and stimulation arriving in the community through events like Paddle SC and local residents’ interest in and care for the lake.

Katie Hottel, the GIS coordinator for Upstate Forever, an organization that partnered in presenting Paddle Day, shared that outdoor events like Paddle Day on Lake Greenwood are important because they provide opportunity for community engagement in activities that may not have been available to them otherwise. Making sure that events like Paddle Day are public, inclusive, and announced well are essential in creating a well-rounded, involved community.

“Attending these events gives community members first-hand experience with the beautiful waterways of the Upstate, which can foster a sense of ownership, community pride, and therefore care for the quality, status, and future of our limited water resources,” Hottel says. “The more a community cares about a resource, the more they will be willing to engage in efforts to keep those resources clean, healthy, and a community asset.”

All the fun at Skippers Restaurant Across the lake from the State Park 1085 Lakeshore Dr. Cross Hill, SC 29332

SO CREATIVE

| Greenwood couple uses talents to transform homes

SO

CREATIVE Greenwood couple uses talents to transform homes

Sunroom

Kitchen

Show houses are calling cards for husband and wife design team Dion and Suzanne Deason of Greenwood.

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY PHOTOS BY MATT SPROUSE (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

One of the most talked-about rooms among guests during the home tour was the newlycreated laundry/craft/art room, which was formerly a bedroom.

Dining room

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June 2018

The view from the kitchen, which now opens up to the family room.

Formal living room

“I

“It shows our work and what we do,” Dion said.

“It’s kind of a good way to get out there and for everybody to see it.”

It’s somewhat risky, Dion said, to purchase a house, gut it and completely redo it.

“But, it’s very effective for us,” Dion said.

The two completed their second designer show house -done as a benefit for the Humane Society of Greenwood - in April, at 106 Rutledge Road in the Forest Hills subdivision.

The first was done in 2015 at 113 Crescent Road in the Kimbrook subdivision.

Dion, who grew up in Greenwood, and Suzanne, a native of Michigan, own Design Elements/Sofas and More.

The business is a one-stop shop for interior design, furnishings and more.

“You can buy something off the showroom floor or we can custom order,” Suzanne said. “Walk-ins are welcome.”

The Deasons purchased R.J. Sprott’s Inc. - a longtime furniture and interior design business located in the stately Baker House in Greenwood, at the corner of East Cambridge Avenue and Grace Street.

The Deasons got into doing interior design,

renovation and construction roughly three decades ago, in Indianapolis, Indiana and in Florida, while they were working full-time as fashion models, a career in which they are still involved. Dion also has a background in race car driving.

“Since I was a kid I’ve had a knack for painting and doing things,” Dion said. “We had been buying and renovating houses on our own for a while before we got into it as business.”

Their acquaintance with a woman who owned a furniture store in Indianapolis, Indiana, led to their eventual foray into furniture and interior design.

“She saw a house we had renovated and sold and she hired us to go to market and do her furniture buying for her store,” Dion said. “This was probably more than 20 years ago. We were still modeling full-time.”

The Deasons later rented their own space for a shop and went to market for themselves.

“Our store in Indiana was a hit from day one,” Dion said.

Completely renovating homes, furnishing them and hosting open houses is how the Deasons developed their show house savvy.

Suzanne said it was a “creative outlet” for them while steadily modeling.

Modeling, they said, is a job, but design and houses are a passion.

“Everybody is not going to redo a whole house,” admits Suzanne. “Some just want us to redo a master bedroom. But, with a show house, they can see all that we can do. They can think about what they need and approach us.

“With what we’ve seen and experienced in travel, we’ve picked up on different styles and craftsmanship from different cultures and countries,” Suzanne added. “It’s all brought us to this point.”

The Deasons included “before” photos of many of the transformed rooms to give guests a better perspective of how much work had been done during the renovation.

June 2018

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The Deasons have been in business in Greenwood nearly 11 years.

“It’s kind of a fluke we landed here,” Dion said. “Our business got bought out in Indianapolis. We had bought a house in Palm Beach, about eight months before that happened. When we got bought out, we went to Palm Beach. We needed a break. It was nothing for us to have more than 20 houses or projects going at one time.”

Within a few months of moving to Florida, the state got hit by multiple hurricanes - Rita, Katrina and Wilma, Dion said.

“I had to close on my grandmother’s property here, so I had come up,” Dion said. “I happened to go by the Sprott’s building and there was a sign on the door.”

Dion Deason, left, and his wife Suzanne, right, presented Karen Pettay, executive director of the Humane Society of Greenwood, with a check for $12,000 from their business, Design Elements, after the couple hosted a showcase home tour event this spring for a house they flipped in Greenwood’s Forest Hills subdivision.

Submitted photo

After guests toured the home, they were invited to enjoy refreshments and live music in the garage and driveway. A rainy weekend did not dampen the home tour, which raised $12,000 for the Humane Society of Greenwood.

Dion called one of the owners and looked at the Sprott’s property before going back to Florida.

A short time later, Dion decided to buy the building and talked with Suzanne about opening an interior design business in Greenwood.

“It wasn’t a planned deal, but it is cool to be from here and to come back and do what we do,” Dion said. “This is a different place than Greenwood was thirty years ago.”

they are buying and they are all computer-savvy,” Dion said. “I’m not a cookie-cutter kitchen and master bathroom designer. I don’t like doing two things the same. I take a lot of pride in what I do.

“We’re self-taught in everything we have done,” Dion added. “A lot of what plays into the way I do things is my experience from living all over the world. I think those different ways of seeing things gives me an advantage. I hand draw things. I don’t sit at a computer with a CAD system.”

Show homes, Dion said, give people a chance to see his craftsmanship up close - such as box paneling, beams, columns and stacked molding.

Building relationships and trust with clients is key, the Deasons said.

“Younger people today are very conscious of what

Clean and modern, Suzanne said, is a design concept that gives you “a canvas you can accessorize or dress

Dion Deason, left, speaks with one of the many guests who attended a home tour event for the show house that Deon and his wife, Suzanne, recently renovated in Greenwood.

Proceeds from the home tour were donated to the Humane Society of Greenwood.

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up or dress down how you want.”

Suzanne and Dion recommend embracing neutrals and earthy textures that you like. They suggest adding pops of color and trends with accents that can be easily changed, to avoid interiors that look dated.

“It’s a cool thing for people to see a house completely furnished,” Dion said. “With show homes we have done, people have made offers on mirrors, lamps and tables. It gives people ideas on how to coordinate.”

With this most recent show house, every inch of the 1960s home was transformed. Dion said one of the biggest changes for him was converting a former bedroom into a laundry/craft/art room.

“Other big changes including adding a master bedroom, bath and closet at the opposite end of the house and moving an entryway,” Dion said. “This house had been well-maintained, but it had never been changed. I just came in and started ripping walls out. Of course, you’ve got to know what is structural and what’s not.”

Suzanne said separation of the master suite from the rest of the house allows for more privacy, particularly when hosting house-guests.

“We’ve given it a cleaner, urban feel, but there is still traditional woodwork and the bones of it are transitional,” Suzanne said. “Furniture makes the difference and you can make it want you want. I like keeping the original flooring on the porch. It reminds you of the era the house was built and the texture of it works.”

Those who attended the preview night for the Rutledge Road show house said it was nice to be

able to see a home makeover in person, where you could touch and feel things.

“The house is amazing,” said Ginny McManis. “I like how they took a very traditional house and made it look contemporary. The utility room by bedrooms at one end of the house is a great idea, because it’s convenient, and it can also be a space for art and craft projects.”

One woman touring the house remarked that the only thing missing from the multi-function utility/ craft room was a wine fridge and that it reminded her of a she-shed on the inside of a home.

A master bedroom suite on the opposite end of the house also received rave reviews, as well as an enclosed porch that is heated and cooled and offers spacious outdoor views.

“I actually live in the neighborhood and have been watching the work on this house for months,” Mandy Cleveland said. “It’s beautiful.”

Dion and Suzanne Deason with their dog, Pixar, in front of the home they remodeled in Forest Hills. The Deasons adopted Pixar from the Greenwood County Animal Shelter in 2011.

Photo by St. Claire Donaghy

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SO tomato season is upon us

SO, tomato season is upon us Tomayto – Tomahto – Mater – No matter how you say it, it’s one of the South’s most coveted summertime crops

BY EMILY WARNER PHOTOS BY TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY AND EMILY WARNER

Local farmers and chefs talk about the summer delicacy of the South –

BY EMILY WARNER PHOTOS BYgrown TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY locally AND EMILY WARNER tomatoes

Will Metts, farmer and owner of Metts Organix, stands in between rows of tomatoes he’s growing on roller hooks, a method he prefers to using cages or trellises, to maximize his production. Photo by Emily Warner

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Photo by Trinity Photography

Southerners try to escape the heat for most of the summer - the weather seems to affect our moods and behavior, and limits what outdoor activities we can do. While we blast the AC and hope that autumn comes early, one plant not only survives, but flourishes in the 90 degree-plus temperatures and smothering humidity. This is the tomato plant, and it continues to be one of the most popular crops among Southern farmers and anyone with a backyard or extra space on the patio.

Southerners have always had an affinity for the tomato plant - even before the United States came into being (and before “The South” was even an identifiable region), Thomas Jefferson cultivated tomatoes at Monticello, in Virginia, and encouraged fellow Americans to do the same. As Jefferson put it, “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.”

Local farmer Will Metts would likely agree. Metts owns and operates Metts Organix, a sustainable farm located five miles south of Greenwood on Chipley Road. This year’s harvest was still in the works at the time of our interview, bu pictures on the Metts Organix website from last year’s harvest display perfectly round, gleaming red tomatoes.

He’s found success growing tomatoes using what he calls a “lean and lower” method, instead of cages or trellises. Metts explained that by planting a single tomato stalk on a roller hook (clips attached to string, which helps support the stalk), the tomatoes grow tightly spaced, which yields larger, more flavorful tomatoes. He also plants his tomatoes with basil as a flavor enhancer and harvests them vine-ripe.

All of these are important tricks of the trade, as Metts stated that, as a market gardener, tomatoes are the most profitable crop to grow in the Southeast. He explained that, “you want to assign value per foot per space in the rows. Tomatoes bring a higher dollar amount per foot space.”

Metts showed me the small greenhouse where he clones tomato plants, the ground beds where he tills horizontally instead of vertically (this method is better for soil), and the long hoop house where he grows his tomatoes. He fastens the plants, placed eighteen inches apart, spaced about half a foot apart, to lines of string, which reach to the ceiling.

Metts says that his plants will grow to more than twenty-six feet.

Penny Parisi of Parisi Farms in Abbeville also described her scrupulous method of planting Grape, Sungold, Biltmore, Cherokee purples, Roma, Mr. Stripey and Brandywine varieties of tomatoes.

“We grow all of our tomato plants from organic seed. We start them in January and start hardening them off the last week of March. Hardening them off is a process where we take the plants outside a few hours each day to get them used to the outside weather prior to planting them. They are then planted when all cold weather has passed.

Planting takes so much time so we cannot take any risk of frost. The tomato plants are planted on raised beds, black plastic mulch and drip irrigation on a timer system. The plants are planted approximately twenty-four inches apart. Once all the tomato plants are planted we then put in the tomato stakes. After the stakes are all in place we then do what is called a Florida Weave to keep the fruit off the ground so they’ll be safe from fungus, bugs, and critters. We irrigate the tomato plants on drip irrigation, giving water only to the roots of the plant. We usually run the irrigation at night for an hour on each row. We do not use any pesticides or chemicals on our tomatoes, so we cannot allow them to get vine ripe. We harvest our tomatoes as they are just starting to show color. If we leave them on the vines pests will cause damage.”

“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.”

– by Thomas Jefferson

Michelle Parisi of Abbeville’s Parisi farms sets out Florida-grown heirloom tomatoes at Greenwood’s Uptown Market in late May. These are always one of the first crops to sell-out at local markets, as are the locally grown varieties when they’re harvest mid-tolate June.

Photo by Trinity Photography Parisi detailed the organic fertilizers used at Parisi Farms: Alfalfa meal (good nitrogen source), Blood Meal (good nitrogen source), Bone Meal (good phosphorus source), compost (good nitrogen source) and Fish Emulsion.

While many farmers and agriculturalists alike believe organic and all-natural methods cause the least damage to crops, animals, humans and the environment, “organic” can be a tricky term to define. It is even trickier for farmers to earn a “Certified Organic” title. Both Metts, an all-natural farmer with prospects of becoming organically certified, and Paul Coleman, a local farmer based in Hodges, have felt the effects of large-scale farming industry.

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes - Grits and Groceries, Belton 4 c fresh okra, small 2 ½ inch size 3 T bacon drippings (or butter) 1 lg onion, chopped 4 fresh tomatoes (or 1 16-oz can Rotel tomatoes) ½ tsp salt Salt and Pepper to taste

Will Metts Photo by Trinity Photography

Local farmer, Will Metts, helps a customer at the Uptown Market. Photo by Trinity Photography

Wash the okra (do not cut off the stems so the okra does not become slick when cooked). Place in a colander and drain. In a large saucepan, heat the bacon drippings and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the okra, tomatoes, salt and just enough water to cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 6-8 servings

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One of the most popular menu items for Belton’s Grits & Groceries restaurant are their individual tomato pies. In case you can’t make it to Belton, Grits and Groceries also brings their show on the road to Greenwood’s Uptown Market throughout the year, where these little delicacies are available for purchase, as are many fresh, locally raised crops and meats. Check Uptown Market hours by visiting: uptowngreenwood.com/uptown-market Photo by Grits & Groceries

Hattie Mae’s Tomato Pie - Grits and Groceries Yield: 6 servings 4 sliced tomatoes 1 9-inch pie shell, chilled 1 c. finely diced onions ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, oregano, parsley, basil Salt and Pepper, to taste 1 c. mayonnaise 1 c. grated cheddar cheese -Preheat oven 350 degrees Place tomatoes on a cookie sheet and season with salt.

Allow to sit for a few minutes until some of their water is drawn out. Rinse under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Lay one-third of tomatoes in pie shell.

Top with half of the onions, one-third of the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Add the remaining tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Combine remaining herbs with mayonnaise and cheese in a small bowl. Spread this mixture on top of the pie.

Bake until golden brown.

Green tomatoes hang heavy on a tomato plant in late May at EarlyBird Farms on Highway 25 North in Hodges. Photo by Emily Warner

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Clyde Cunningham, one of the chefs at Kicker’s in Greenwood, shows off one of his award-winning fried green tomato sandwiches. Photo by Emily Warner

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich - Kicker’s, Greenwood Ingredients: 2 slices rye bread Bacon Lettuce Ripe tomato slices Pimento cheese 1 green tomato On one slice of rye bread, place thick layer of pimento cheese. Deep-fry green tomato, then place in broiler. Put on top of the bread and pimento cheese, add lettuce, bacon, and a slice of ripe tomato, add more pimento cheese on top, then add second piece of rye.

The Mill House’s local summer salad.

Photo by Emily Warner

Simple, Fresh & Local Summer Salad - The Mill House, Greenwood Includes fresh watermelon, cucumbers, local grape tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese, and choice of balsamic or raspberry vinaigrette.

Metts is in a three-year transition period of converting his formerly pesticide-ridden fields into habitable organic land, and Coleman has detached from the strict organic label to focus on sustainability. Coleman shared that before he started Early Bird Farm fifteen years ago, he had a stirring experience in his local Piggly Wiggly. He noticed that the organic meat and produce he usually bought came from Mexico, Canada and Peru - produce, meant to be fresh, came from thousands of miles away.

After asking Coleman what he thought of organic labeling, and if he hopes to make Early Bird Farm certified organic, he responded that he was, “Quick to say no. If you’re gonna say you’re organic, you’ve got to have that certification to back it up. I think I’m more leaning toward sustainable...We manufacture all our own food [at Early Bird]. We run about two and a half acres year round.”

Of tomatoes, Coleman says, “I think they’re a staple because they do really well [in the] moisture, humidity. It’s a good hot weather crop. I think that was important back in the old days. We’re limited to certain crops down here.”

Metts agrees that tomatoes have always been both a staple crop and a traditional food of the South, saying that they were, “what everybody waited for.

People love tomato sandwiches, stewed tomatoes with okra, tomatoes with creamed corn.”

Penny Parisi attests to tomato plants’ lucrativeness in the Lakelands, stating that, “Homegrown tomatoes are very popular in Greenwood. Every year we sell all that we grow. We have a very large following for our heirloom tomatoes. Cherokee purple is a very acidic tomato and the most popular.”

Metts also lists the Cherokee tomato as a popular growing variety in the South, among Marzanos (perfect for sauce and salsa), Giant Slicers, and Brandywine.

The only thing more rewarding than growing tomatoes and watching them flower is eating them.

I spoke with chefs Travis Major of The Mill House, Clyde Cunningham of Kickers, and Heidi Trull of Grits and Groceries, who provided me with some of their favorite summer tomato recipes. The local tomato crops should be coming to market midto-late June, right as this article publishes. You can shop at Greenwood’s Uptown Market, the Farmer’s Market, or directly at many of the local farms for your fresh, local tomatoes. Whether you purchase your tomatoes from a local farmer or you’ve grown some yourself, you’re sure to enjoy them in these delicious recipes. Or, save yourself the trouble, and go straight to the source – these restaurants feature these dishes on their summertime menus. Many of the ingredients our area chefs use are fresh and local, sold from farms five or ten miles from their respective restaurants.

Kickers Fried Green Tomato Sandwich Photo by Emily Warner

The farmer has as close a relationship with the consumer as the chef they sell to. A close farmerchef-consumer dynamic promotes healthy eating and living, as well as knowledge of the Lakelands community and where our food comes from.

Metts, Coleman and Parisi have designed and carried out their plans for responsible, sustainablydriven agriculture - something the entire community can be proud of and involved with.

A customer makes a selection from tomatoes available at Greenwood’s Uptown Market in late May. Local tomatoes weren’t yet ripe at the time, but Parisi Farms makes Florida-grown heirloom varieties available for shoppers who just can’t wait to get a bite of one of the South’s favorite summer fruits. Photo by Trinity Photography

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SO Compassionate | Earcelia Paul-Hill

SO

Compassionate Earcelia Paul-Hill

Abbeville native and business-woman finds her calling in helping others cope

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY

E

Earcelia Paul-Hill, 45, says she was drawn to helping others, after watching the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her paternal grandfather.

Paul-Hill, from Abbeville, is owner and founder of Synergy Counseling of Greenwood LLC. Paul-Hill is a licensed professional counselor supervisor candidate. She began a private practice in 2013.

“When I was a junior in high school, my grandfather was going through the phases of what we now know was Alzheimer’s or dementia,” Paul-Hill said. “It took a real toll on all of us because he was the one who held our family together.

“My grandma and grandpa were baby-sitters for all of us kids,” Paul-Hill added. “They would look after us when our parents were working. They basically really raised us. When my grandfather became ill, it was confusing.”

There were instances, Paul-Hill recalled, when her grandfather wandered away from home.

“There was one time when he traveled from Abbeville, to his old family home in Anderson,” Paul-Hill said.

“He was found in the house, doing things he did as a child. I just couldn’t grasp what was going on.”

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When Paul-Hill graduated from high school and went to college at University of South Carolina, she wanted to study gerontology, the scientific study of old age, and one day, have her own adult day care facility.

But, her career path eventually took a different turn. She majored in psychology and sociology and now, counsels people of all ages.

SO LAKELANDS: What is the scope of Synergy Counseling LLC? PAUL-HILL: “I have more than me here,” Paul-Hill said. “I have licensed interns and a couple who are in the process of taking their exams to become licensed. We have a diverse group of counselors and we work with a number of populations: couples, play therapy with kids, survivors of domestic violence, batterer intervention and parenting classes. We counsel people from age 5 to 75. Once a week, we also have a psychiatric nurse practitioner.”

SO LAKELANDS: What educational and licensure requirements are necessary in this line of work?

PAUL-HILL: “I have a masters in counseling and I had to go through licensure and supervision then, for two years,” Paul-Hill said. “I had to have 1,500 hours of client contact and I had to attend two hours per week of supervision during that process, to become licensed. You have to take a state exam to become licensed and then go through supervision. Once you become licensed, you can get on different insurance panels and have a private practice.”

SO LAKELANDS: What are the challenges of private practice?

PAUL-HILL: “Everything I’ve learned in different facilities before coming here taught me how to deal with diverse populations, whether someone is coping with oppositional defiance, grief, anxiety, depression or drugs and alcohol. The hardest part of private practice was starting off by myself, doing the counseling and business part.

God has placed the right people in my path to help. A friend told me it’s like building Noah’s ark, build it and they will come. You don’t have to know everything to succeed, but you need to surround yourself with people who know what you need to know.”

SO LAKELANDS: What types of jobs have you had leading up to this?

PAUL-HILL: “When I started applying for jobs, especially after I received my counseling degree, the ones I received positions for were working with kids. My first counseling position was in Greenwood with Beckman Mental Health, as a child and adolescent counselor. The next year, I was with BowersRodgers Home. After that, I went to John de la Howe.

Then, I ended up working at Cornerstone, the drug and alcohol abuse commission.

Finally, I was an assistant director of counseling at Lander University, for about eight years, before Synergy.”

SO LAKELANDS: How do you avoid emotional and job burn-out?

PAUL-HILL: “There are times you do have to unwind,” Paul-Hill said. “I’m not the kind to watch any drama on TV. Spend time with your family. Read a book. Watch a comedy.

Eat a meal. The same information we give our clients with regard to self-care, we should do ourselves. It’s good that we have other staff here. We have treatment team meetings once a week. We are here to help one another and it stays confidential.

“To unwind, I enjoy going to the movies with my 8-year-old son, and spending time with my husband and family My favorites are Marvel movies. That’s how I de-stress. Popcorn and the big screen, to have the full effect.”

SO LAKELANDS: What’s one of the most memorable situations in which you have been able to help through counseling?

PAUL-HILL: “A young person, had someone close die suddenly.

Then, the young person was raped and didn’t want to tell anybody.

This young person ended up using drugs. With drugs, there’s almost always underlying factors. This person is making strides, working through the trauma, continuing to get better. Success is going forward.”

SO LAKELANDS: What’s the most fulfilling part of your work?

PAUL-HILL: “To me, it’s when someone is still coming in for counseling, whether they are having problems with marriage, drugs or post-traumatic stress, and I see small steps are being made,” Paul-Hill said.

SO LAKELANDS: What advice do you give people considering working in mental health?

PAUL-HILL: “Do your homework,” Paul-Hill said. “If you want to go into a certain area, find someone who is already doing that. Find out what classes they took and where they did their internships. Be mindful of self-care. If you get burned out, you can’t help anyone else. Don’t expect to be paid for every internship or learning opportunity. Learn about running a business, insurance and charting and documentation, in addition to counseling.”

SO LAKELANDS: In today’s society, what are some of the more common things for which people seek counseling?

PAUL-HILL: Anxiety and depression.

SO LAKELANDS: Do you still see gaps in health insurance coverage?

PAUL-HILL: “You would be amazed by how many people still do not have health insurance. In some cases, teens who are not in school or working might not have insurance. We do offer a sliding fee scale, based on income, but it is capped at a certain number. The worst thing you can do is tell someone no when they are seeking help.”

Earcelia “CeCe” Paul-Hill

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SO SCENE | Uptown Greenwood Springfest

SO Scene

Springfest, Uptown Greenwood April 12th

PHOTOS BY LAURA BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY FOR UPTOWN GREENWOOD

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Uptown Greenwood hosted its annual Springfest event on Thursday, April 12th featuring local musical talent, including Ashby Stokes, Becky Greene, Keller Ridgeway, Pope & Bert, Bad Weather States, and The Jake Bartley Band. Greenwood Mayor, Welborn Adams, presented Jake Bartley with a proclamation commemorating Jake’s late father, Hack Bartley, who was instrumental in organizing Greenwood’s Uptown Live concert series, and who made a big impact on the Lakelands in many wonderful ways. Springfest 2018 was sponsored by Harley Funeral Home and Crematory, and WCFIBER.

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SO SCENE | Dancing with the Greenwood Stars

Scene SO

Team Lonza

Dancing with the Greenwood Stars, supporting Beyond Abuse Saturday, April 14, 2018 Medford Center, Piedmont Technical College

BY ADAM BENSON

(Article originally published in the Index-Journal on Sunday, April 15th)

PHOTOS BY ADAM BENSON AND BY ELIZABETH WISE FOR BEYOND ABUSE Overall winner of the group category, Lonza.

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The team from Carolina Health Centers.

Beyond Abuse Executive Director, Cathy Miller, with husband Judge Lee Miller

W

When Beyond Abuse Executive Director Cathy Miller set out to create a fundraiser for her nonprofit four years ago, she could hardly imagine the creation would become a highlight of Greenwood’s spring social calendar.

But that’s exactly what Dancing with the Greenwood Stars has become – as well as contributing nearly a quarter million dollars’ worth of contributions to Miller’s agency, Beyond Abuse, a service provider for victims of child abuse and sexual assault in Abbeville, Greenwood and Laurens counties.

The event was emceed by Bettie Rose Horne, center, and Jim Medford, right, who were joined on stage briefly at the opening of the show by Executive Editor of the IndexJournal, Richard Whiting, left.

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“Four years ago, we decided this would be the event of the year for Greenwood, and this is a testament to that,” Miller told a crowd of nearly 800 on Saturday night at the Medford Events Center at Piedmont Technical College before a dozen teams representing local businesses and churches took the stage for two-minute dance routines.

Performances ran the gamut, from a tap dance number to Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack” to a salsa inspired interpretation of “Havana” by Camila Cabello. This year’s theme was “A Night at the Grammys.”

Linda Dolny, a past Dancing with the Greenwood Stars performer, was a guest judge for the April 14th event. She, like everybody else on stage and in the audience, had kind words for Beyond Abuse and the festive occasion that it has introduced to the region.

“I love the message, which is why we’re here tonight,” she said.

Miller and Stephen Gilbert, executive director of the Greenwood Community Theatre, also used the night as an opportunity to announce a new fundraiser that will jointly benefit both nonprofits: A lip sync battle to be hosted at the Uptown venue in January.

Sheree Hill and Brian Pinson were named grand champions of the sixth annual Dancing with the Greenwood Stars fundraiser.

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Grand Champions, winners of the couples category, and Producer’s Choice winners, Sheree Hill and Brian Pinson.

A full list of winners follows:

•• Director’s Choice: Trudy and Steve Sherard •• Producer’s Choice: Sheree Hill and Brian Pinson •• People’s Choice Couples: Trudy and Steve Sherard •• People’s Choice Group: Lonza •• Second Runner-up Couples: Kayla Clare and Drake Calo •• First Runner-up Couples: Tina Konsek and Greg Gurley •• Winner Couples: Sheree Hill and Brian Pinson •• Second Runner-up Group: Crossfit •• First runner-up Group: Fujifilm •• Winner Group: Lonza •• Grand Champion: Sheree Hill and Brian Pinson

Drake Calo and Kayla Clare.

Second runner-up in the Group category, CrossFit Greenwood.

Denise Manley and Brandon Smith

First runner-up in the group category was the team from Fuji.

Second runner-up in the couples category, Drake Calo and Kayla Clare.

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Director’s Choice and People’s Choice Couples winners, Steve and Trudy Sherard.

Team Fuji ended their performance holding a banner spelling out a poignant message.

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SO SCENE | Railroad Historical Center

SO

Scene Deck and water tower and gardens

New Water Tower, Deck, Concrete pad and bathrooms.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY KAREN JENNINGS

Railroad Historical Center April 20, 2018 908 Main St., S, Greenwoo

Charlie Herndon, for whom the Water Tower was dedicated, entertained the guests with a song.

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The Greenwood Railroad Historical Center celebrated recent renovations April 20th at a reception, where guests were able to tour the center. The entire project included $100,000 worth of renovations, including three newly refurbished cars, a wheel chair lift built underneath a water tower, and a deck, making the center handicap accessible. Representatives from Sage Automotive Interiors were on-hand to receive recognition for the upholstery the company provided for the renovation of the Seaboard Coach Passenger car and the Pullman Sleeping car.

Funding for these most recent upgrades was sourced from a $50,000 grant from the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, an $8,000 contribution from city hospitality tax dollars and $42,000 worth of private contributions.

Charles Herndon III Water Tower

The Railroad Historical Center opened for the season in May. Tours are available 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturdays through October. Tours are $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12 and free for children ages 4 and younger.

Charlie Herndon with new lift at the RRHC in April.

Representatives from Sage - Lee Matthews, Chrissy Matthews, Mike Mikina, Anna Locke, Sidney Locke.

Deck and Executive Car

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SO SCENE | Abbeville Spring Festival

SO

Scene 37th Annual Abbeville Spring Festival

May 3rd-5th in Historic Abbeville

BY DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ

(originally published in the Index-Journal on May 6th)

PHOTOS BY DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ

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Whether it was the scent of fair food, the screams of thrill-seekers or the music blaring from the square, the 2018 Abbeville Spring Festival had something for everyone.

Bands took the main stage to entertain the crowd that packed into the square, while more than 90 vendors’ tents lined downtown and sold crafts of all kinds. For children and teens, 16 rides provided spinning, sliding and rocking good times, while those looking for a bite to eat had fair foods, barbecue and even stir-fry to choose from.

“It’s just about giving back to the community,” said Abby Evans, the city’s special events coordinator. “Every place I’ve gone into in downtown today has been crowded.”

Other attractions, like performances from the FIYA Dance Group and The Swingin’ Medallions and the Wheels of Time car show provided entertainment for the crowd of natives and visitors alike. Among the vendors, Elberton, Georgia-based Jim and Sonya Corder were selling custom birdhouses and wood decorations.

“I like just getting out where I can actually interact with customers,” Jim said. “I had a guy who came out here and said he bought something from us last year. He bought something else just today.”

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SO in Love

| First Anniversary

SO in Love Young couple reflects on their first year of marriage ‘Always date your spouse’ and other words of wisdom from the first year of married life

BY ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY WEDDING PHOTOS BY CAROLINE JENKINS

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Until very recently, for decades, June has been the most popular month for couples to tie the knot. October has now taken that top spot, but for Greenwood natives Anna Mills Polatty and Dennis James “D.J.” Cox, June was their top pick. The couple will mark their first wedding anniversary June 17.

Their first year has been filled with adjustments: establishing a home, job changes, travel schedules and more. They were sweethearts at Emerald High School in Greenwood and married after college.

“We started dating when I was a junior and Anna Mills was a senior,” D.J., 25, said.

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The two were friends before dating and met in geometry class.

The couple says those close to them have given great advice on married life.

“Dad said to never stop dating your spouse,” Anna Mills, 26, said.

D.J. said he and Anna Mills reserve Thursday nights as date nights.

“Scheduling a date night actually helps keep that in focus, especially with work,” D.J. said.

D.J. is a software consultant and Anna Mills is a national recruiting specialist for an insurance company.

“We were having pizza on Sunday nights, but our diets didn’t do well with that,” Anna Mills said. “Every major holiday or accomplishment, we do eat off a plate that says, ‘You are special today.’ D.J. just completed his masters of business administration, so we did that.”

Anna Mills said the plate tradition started with her and her parents, Keith and Jean Ann Polatty.

“When Anna Mills went off to college at Carolina and D.J. was a senior in high school, I thought, ‘This will never last.’” Jean Ann said. “Well, it did.”

Although they had a little bit of a long-distance relationship challenge, Anna Mills and D.J. stuck it out.

“Even after college, I traveled quite a bit with my work, spending time in Pennsylvania and England,” D.J. said. “We found a way to stay in touch.”

Enter technology: they used Skype a lot to communicate when apart.

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“When together, we are very intentional on spending time with each other,” Anna Mills said.

“D.J. was on a project in Indiana and I was on a trip in Chicago and we met in Chicago for a fun weekend.

We had deep dish pizza and went to a (Chicago) Blackhawks game and got to ice-skate in the snow.”

While dating, D.J. changed his collegiate team allegiance from Clemson to University of South Carolina, Keith added. (D.J. graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in mathematics.)

Business travel has been a big part of their early married life. The day after they returned from their honeymoon in Mexico last summer, Anna Mills had to go to Wisconsin, came home for a few days and had to travel again.

“I was getting a little homesick,” Anna Mills said. “I had to go to Kansas City for work. When I got off the plane, D.J. was waiting on me in Kansas City. It was a surprise.”

In establishing a home in Lexington, D.J. said he has learned that “everything in a house has its place.”

“Prior to Anna Mills and I living in the same space, belongings had areas, but now they have specific places,” D.J. said. “Organization is good.”

About two and a half years before marrying, D.J. bought a house.

“There were deer antlers on the wall and now those are in the garage,” Anna Mills said. “He compromises very well.”

Anna Mills admits she’s not a talker in the morning, but D.J. “wakes up singing and humming.”

Keith admits “it was a little weird” for him as a dad the first time Anna Mills and D.J. shared a room on a trip home to Greenwood after the wedding.

“D.J. joked that Dad would probably have a pallet made for him on the floor,” Anna Mills said.

It’s nice, Keith said, that both sets of in-laws live in Greenwood and everyone can get together for holidays.

D.J. enjoys cooking and Anna Mills enjoys hosting get-togethers for family and friends.

“I knew I wanted to get married at 11 a.m. and I knew I wanted the ceremony to be the focal point, with certain musicians and pieces of music,” Anna Mills said, noting she minored in music in college. “I wanted to spend it with family and friends.”

“Our church is fairly large,” Anna Mills said. “We had a church reception immediately following the ceremony for everyone. That night, we did dinner and dancing with our closest friends.”

D.J. said dividing the festivities in that way allowed the wedding party ample time for photos and time rest before dinner and dancing.

“I make him sing or hum in the shower so I can’t hear,” Anna Mills said, laughing.

“We got lots of great china as wedding gifts and I love to decorate my table for every season,” Anna Mills said.

The two say they’ve found common ground in a Sunday school class for young married couples that encourages keeping Christ central in relationships.

Their engagement lasted nine months and much planning went into the wedding day.

Keith said he and Jean Ann planned the wedding and directed up through the rehearsal, but on the wedding day, they delegated responsibilities to others with experience.

With a mom and dad who direct weddings, Anna Mills said she has seen many ceremonies and had definite ideas about her own wedding day.

“Between close friends and the local and area vendors we used, we were able to turn it loose,” Keith said. “It allows you to enjoy the day.”

“You pray for your child to have a spouse and a family and I could not ask for anyone better,” Jean Ann said.

June 2018

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SO

Engaged

Ashley Newman Chase Pridgen

IMAGES BY TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY

anything of it. I found myself looking for him, wondering where he went when he wasn’t around that night. I was subconsciously drawn to the kind of guy he was, maybe it was because he wasn’t paying me much attention.

He was a mystery to me, and I liked that.

I was in no way looking for a relationship, but I loved having new friends. I was gearing up for my career, and I knew it was a possibility that I could be moving away.

When the night was over, we all went back to a friend’s place to hang out. It was a fun night, as we sat around and talked and laughed.

Ready to leave, Chase offered to walk me to my car, and he kissed me.

We kept in touch for the next few weeks, and he eventually asked me to go get ice cream with him. I was terrified of the word “date.” It’s like he already knew me, so of course I would say yes to ice cream! We went to Bruster’s, and had our first “date.”

Wedding Date: September 8, 2018 Wedding Venue & Reception: Cedar Ridge Plantation, Bradley, SC

PHOTOS BY: TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY

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SO Lakelands

June 2018

F

From the Bride’s perspective…

One night on May 1st, 2016, a girlfriend invited me come along for a night out with her and some of her friends. One of the friends was this tall, blonde-haired, blueeyed guy, named Chase. Chase and I knew of one other through mutual friends, but we didn’t know each other formally. That night, Chase and I started talking, and he seemed really fun. We flirted a little, but I didn’t think

That night, we talked until Bruster’s closed.

We both knew, after that date, that we were the one for each other. I came home that night thinking, “Boy am I in deep trouble!”

There was no question we were meant to be together, but I was so hesitant of a relationship, that I held off. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t deceiving myself before my heart was invested.

Fast forward a few months later, after hanging out almost every day, on July 20th, he took me to the baseball field, where he coaches, and we laid in the middle of the field and watched the stars. At that moment, he asked

me to be his girlfriend. I had never been happier to be with someone, because I was sure of him in a way I’ve never been before.

Since then, our relationship has been centered around God, our family, complete love, and selflessness. Nine months later, Chase proposed on the exact same baseball field where he’d asked me to be his girlfriend. I was so excited and overcome with joy! I could not stop smiling! Chase is my best friend, comforter, and safe haven, but most importantly, he is my soul mate. We are blessed to have been brought together by God, and we cannot wait to start our life together!

From the Groom’s perspective…

Ashley and I had known of each other all through high school and had some mutual friends. I will never forget the first time we actually met for the first time. It was May 1, 2016.

One of my friends from college invited me and some other friends over to hang out at his girlfriend’s apartment. He kept telling me that his girlfriend had invited one of her friends over, but I didn’t think too much of it. Ashley showed up and immediately caught my attention with how beautiful she was. The girls were upstairs getting ready while we were downstairs watching a game. When the girls finally finished getting ready, we decided to leave and go out.

All of the guys jumped in one car, but I said, “I’m riding with the girls.”

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While we were out, I would nonchalantly flirt with Ashley and give her a smile. At one point, I was outside with some friends and Ashley came out to join us. She sat down next to me and I spilled a drink on her lap. I guess my nerves kicked in, or maybe I’m just that clumsy. I immediately ran to the bathroom to get her some paper towels. As the night went on, we talked and laughed like we had known each other for more than a few hours.

When the night came to an end, I walked Ashley to her car and kissed her. A few days later, I sent Ashley a text just to catch up and we would talk periodically for the next couple of weeks, until I finally ashed Ashley if she would like to get some ice cream (not thinking she would agree). Much to my surprise, she did agree, and we sat at Brusters for over three hours talking. It was as if we had known each other for our entire lives. From then on, we hung out on a daily basis and fell in love with one another. I couldn’t find myself not wanting to be with her. I would stay at her house until one or two in the morning, even when I knew that I had to be at work at six o’clock the next morning.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016, I finally got enough courage to ask Ashley to become my girlfriend. I fell head over heels in love with her. Nine months later, on April 29, 2017, I asked the girl of my dreams to marry me.

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June 2018

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50

SO Lakelands

June 2018

Wedding Date: July 28, 2018 Ceremony & Reception: Sundance Gallery

WRITTEN BY: AUTUMN HORNE PHOTOS BY: TRINITY PHOTOGRAPHY

J

Justin and I met late one night in the coffee shop at Erskine College.

I was doing my best to study when Justin threw his backpack down on a chair near me and walked to the counter to order a drink. To this day, I’m not sure why, when he picked up his backpack to go study elsewhere, I stopped him with a “Why don’t you just stay here?” We had never spoken before that night. I didn’t even recognize him, and on a college of only 600 undergraduates, these are impressive feats.

But as fate would have it, Justin did stay. That night, absolutely no studying got done. We talked in the coffee shop until three in the morning when he finally walked me back to my dorm.

Over the next several years together, Justin and I grew closer and closer as we went on hiking and rock climbing trips, hosted dinner parties with our friends, watched TV shows we both loved, and, being students, spent long hours in study sessions together. Whenever Justin wanted help with an assignment (I was a year ahead of him in classes) or just someone to keep him company while he worked, he would send me these longwinded, grandiose emails that always contained some hidden message (popular choices were I LOVE YOU or SORRY I PROCRASTINATED) written acrostic-poem- style down the left side. A little over two and a half years after we met, on February 9, 2018, Justin wrote me another longwinded, grandiose message, but this time it wasn’t to ask for a study date. This time, it was to say how much he loved us and wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together, and in true Justin fashion, the words WILL YOU MARRY ME were spelled out down the left side. Even though I knew this moment would be coming soon, I still cried when he put his grandmother’s diamond ring on my finger.

When I think of the people—and the couple—we have become since meeting each other that night in the coffee shop, I feel a profound sense of gratitude to our families and friends who have, in big and small ways along our journey, made us who we are. Most of all, I feel unspeakably blessed to have met my forever dinner party co-host and adventure partner, the one person I will always be glad to talk to until three in the morning.

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SO WHAT

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BY CHRIS TRAINOR

I have to give my wife some credit here: I recently traveled out of town for several days, and she didn’t authorize any major renovations to our house or make any life-altering purchases while I was gone.

As former longtime Index-Journal sports editor Jim Joyce used to say, “Miracles still happen.”

If you’ve been reading this SO Lakelands column, or my weekly Sunday morning musings in the Index-Journal, with any regularity through the years, you’re likely aware that my wife often waits until I leave town to launch into major projects and other shenanigans. This usually occurs when I’m traveling with my brother and buddies to various ballgames, when she knows I’ll be good and distracted.

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bought a new puppy. This after I had spent the previous weeks insisting we not get a dog. He was allegedly a “designer” dog, but he’s really just a fuzzball my wife bought from some folks in the Abbeville countryside.

He eats everything, including all my flip-flops. He’s got a particular taste for flip-flops. My wife and daughter call him Ollie. I call him the Kansas City Dog.

For instance, there was the time that I left for St. Louis for several days, to see the St. Louis Cardinals play baseball. Upon my arrival back home, I found that she, without consulting me whatsoever, had the master bathroom ripped out and completely remodeled while I was gone. There’s really nothing like that brand-new-bathroom-you-never-saw-coming feeling, let me tell you. That was a good one.

Through the years I’ve returned home from out of town trips to find freshly painted rooms, scores of new furniture and various other previously undiscussed upgrades and additions to the house. Simply put, if I take off across state lines there’s a good chance my wife is going to surreptitiously launch into a project, undertake a remodeling or make some quasi-significant purchase while I’m gone. It’s at once maddening and endearing.

And there was the time I went out to Kansas City to catch a couple Royals’ games and my wife (with some cajoling from my daughter) went out and

This was on my mind recently as a I traveled with my brother and some good friends to Colorado to attend a Rockies game. It was a nice four-day

SO Lakelands

June 2018

trip, so I figured I’d arrive back home to find a crew building a mother-in-law cottage in my backyard, my wife wearing a hard hat and barking out instructions.

But I was wrong. When I got home from out West, she had not contracted out any renovations or made any big purchases. But she had **started the process** of a big purchase/ room makeover. Specifically, she had gone to a fancy furniture store over in Columbia and brought home a bag full of fabric samples, with the idea being that she would soon be deciding which of the fabrics would be best for the new couch and chairs she intends to put in our living room.

(This would be a new couch and chairs that would replace our current sectional couch that she — wait for it — bought a few years ago while I was away at a USC-Arkansas football game. I’m not making this up.)

In what could only be described as an ill-advised move, she asked me to go back to the fancy furniture store with her to have a look at the new couch she wants. I just appreciated the fact that she actually asked my input for once.

I’m guessing it’s a move she likely regrets.

See, when we got to the fancy furniture store — I think there were people in there actually having tea and crumpets, with their pinkies raised — it became clear that my wife and I had distinctly different ideas about what we should be looking for in a new sofa.

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Her foremost concerns seemed to be aesthetic in nature. How the couch looked, how big it was and how it would fit in the room (she even had a tape measure at the store), what color it was and how it would complement other aspects of our house. You know, sensible concerns.

Meanwhile, there was only one metric by which I judged the prospective new sofas: comfort. I can’t stand a firm, uncomfortable couch. Looks? I don’t care if it’s fuchsia with lime green spots and has a likeness of Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers stitched in the side. But a couch needs to be soft and squishy. The kind of thing you fall asleep on while watching “Big Trouble in Little China” on a Sunday afternoon.

And so, while my wife measured couches for how they’ fit in the room and fussed over whether or not they’d match this rug or that paint color, I set

about lying on every sofa in the store. Test driving them, so to speak. I was going to ask for a pillow and a blanket, but the clerks were already giving me the stink eye.

In the end, we ended up leaving the fancy furniture store without making a decision, and we were both exasperated because she wanted a pretty couch and I wanted a comfy one. The debate rages on.

As it turns out, my wife’s usual method is probably a lot easier for both of us. I think I’ll head out of town to a ball game soon and she can get the couch she likes. I won’t be mad, even if it doesn’t have a likeness of Flea stitched on it.

Chris Trainor is a staff writer for Columbia’s Free Times and a columnist for the Index-Journal. He lives in Lexington.

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