South Carolina Living August 2012

Pier Review AUGUST 2012

Catching fish is only half the fun

SC SC E N E

The Soda Pop Co-op SC STO R I E S

Life’s a peach

HUMOR ME

When zombies attack

THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS Vol. 66 • No. 8 (ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240) Read in more than 450,000 homes and businesses and published monthly except in December by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. 808 Knox Abbott Drive Cayce, SC 29033 Tel: (803) 926-3 1 75 Fax: (803) 796-6064 Email: letters@scliving.coop EDITOR

Keith Phillips ASSISTANT EDITOR

Diane Veto Parham FIELD EDITOR

Walter Allread

August 2012 • Volume 66, Number 8

FEATURE

16 Catch of the day

For anglers across the Palmetto State, nothing beats pier fishing along the Grand Strand—where actually catching a fish is only part of the fun.

PUBLICATION COORDINATOR ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang DESIGNER

Susan Collins

4 CO-OP CONNECTION Cooperative news

6 ON THE AGENDA

PRODUCTION

Andrew Chapman WEB EDITOR

Van O’Cain COPY EDITOR

Susan Scott Soyars Contributors

Becky Billingsley, Margaret Buranen, Mike Couick, Jim Dulley, Hastings Hensel, Carrie B. Hirsch, Jan A. Igoe, Charles Joyner, Megan McKoy-Noe, Mark Quinn, S. Cory Tanner

Join 45,000 of your closest friends for a weekend of fun at York Summerfest. Plus: A veteran lineman retires after 52 years on the job.

POWER USER DIALOGUE

10 Memories of summer

Publisher

Lou Green ADVERTISING MANAGERS

Tel: (800) 984-0887 Dan Covell Email: dan@scliving.coop Keegan Covell Email: keegan@scliving.coop National Representation

National Country Market Tel: (800) NCM-1181 Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication.

If you encounter a difficulty with an advertisement, inform the Editor.

ADDRESS CHANGES: Please send

to your local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above.

Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, S.C., and additional mailing offices.

ENERGY Q&A

12 Create kitchen comfort

Can’t stand the heat?

Then remodel the kitchen.

SMART CHOICE

14 All in for outdoor fun

Turn your backyard into the ultimate playground with these outdoor toys.

Home run

15 The speed of light(ing)

LEDs are at the forefront of efficient lighting technology.

SCENE

22 The Soda Pop Co-op

South Carolina high school students form their own cooperative during a memorable week on the Washington Youth Tour.

GARDENER

26 Grow your own sponges

Luffa gourds make a wonderful addition to your home garden.

TR AVELS

28 In the land of cotton

The South Carolina Cotton Museum in downtown Bishopville offers plenty of hands-on history.

RECIPE

30 Taste sensations

Four-layer peach delight Zucchini Parmesan T-bone with sauteed mushrooms Scallops mornay

28

CHEF’S CHOICE

32 Pour Richards:

An open kitchen and plenty of fresh Lowcountry ingredients add up to a unique dining experience.

HUMOR ME

Pier review AUGUST 2012

Catching fish is only half the fun

38 Yeah, bring on the zombies SC SC E N E

The Soda Pop Co-op SC STO R I E S

Life’s a peach

22

Crossbow at the ready, Jan Igoe has no fear of the coming zombie apocalypse.

HUMOR ME

When zombies attack

34 MARKETPLACE 36 SC EVENTS

30

Donn a Mou lton

Brunson Cook shows off his catch of the day at Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach.

Photo by Milton Morris.

Member of the NCM network of publications, reaching more than 7 million homes and businesses

Life’s a peach for Clemson University professor Desmond Layne.

Dinner and a show

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING is brought to you by your member-owned, taxpaying, not-for-profit electric cooperative to inform you about your cooperative, wise energy use and the faces and places that identify the Palmetto State. Electric cooperatives are South Carolina’s — and America’s — largest utility network.

Printed on recycled paper

STORIES

21 The peach doctor

Ma rk Qu inn

© COPYRIGHT 201 2. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor.

Maybe it’s time for our kids to put down the iPads and pick up a cane fishing pole.

SC LIFE

Milton Morris

Pam Martin

On the Agenda For a listing p m co lete s, see of Event 6 page 3

Highlights

AUGUST 25

Summerfest

South Carolina’s largest one-day festival, Summerfest, brings 45,000 visitors to historic downtown York for plenty of family-friendly fun. Highlights include a car show featuring “hot rods, old Studebakers, Model Ts, the Corvair Club, … virtually brand new cars that have been overhauled and souped up,” says Paul Boger of the Greater York Chamber of Commerce. Up-and-coming singing stars will battle at the Texaco Country Showdown, vying for an ultimate $100,000 national prize, and the festival wraps up with a Saturday-night concert by the Lakeside Drive Band, co-sponsored by York Electric Cooperative.

For details, visit greateryorkchamber.com or call (800) 866-5200.

TOP PICK FOR KIDS

SEPTEMBER 7–8

Jazz Under the Stars

A balmy evening, a manicured lawn, excellent jazz—it all adds up to sweet music at Jazz Under the Stars in Columbia.

Tenor saxophonist Skipp “Pops” Pearson, South Carolina’s jazz ambassador, headlines his annual event designed to introduce new fans to jazz. Joining him on the north lawn of the State House will be professional musicians and young artists mentored by the nonprofit SKP Jazz Foundation. Concerts are free, but donations benefit the foundation. Both evenings start at 6 p.m. A special VIP After-Party Masters Jam Session ($20 in advance, $40 at the door) is planned at Le Cafe Jazz at 903 Laurel St. For details, visit skpfoundation.org or call (803) 400-1879.

SEPTEMBER 13–15

Bluegrass in the Woods

Bluegrass devotee Rudy Lowe has passed away, but the festival he launched in 1997 on a 60-acre Belton farm is still thick with good people, great food and first-rate bluegrass. Three days of entertainers—including Goldwing Express, Mike Eades and the Battle Creek Boys, The Little Roy and Lizzy Show—will perform under a 5,000-square-foot, opensided shed. “People come and camp all week, have picking sessions in the campground and bring their children and dogs,” says Rudy’s son, Stephen, who now organizes Rudy’s Bluegrass in the Woods Autumn Festival. Daytrip bluegrass lovers can bring lawn chairs and enjoy their music with barbecue, boiled peanuts, fried pickles and funnel cakes.

For details, visit rudysbluegrass.com or call (864) 356-3444.

SEPTEMBER 14–16 AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 9

Upper S.C. State Fair

Bring your best hootin’ and hollerin’ to the Upper South Carolina State Fair’s exciting rodeos, clunker-car Enduro race and demolition derby. Kids will ooh and aah at the acrobatics of Fantazia Circus and Wambold’s exotic animals. Midway thrills include the all-new G-Force ride.

Find it all—plus foods, games, animals and exhibits—at the fairgrounds off US 123, between Greenville and Easley.

For details, visit upperscstatefair.com or call (864) 269-0852.

Yemassee Shrimp Festival

Considering Yemassee’s colorful role in the evolution of shrimp baiting, it’s only natural that its hometown festival celebrates shrimp. Count on sampling tasty local shrimp that’s been boiled, fried, paired with rice or patted into burgers, but save room for the famous gumbo prepared by the ladies of nearby St. Helena Island.

Local cooks face off in a Shrimp Battle Cook-off, tackling “everything from shrimp gravy to shrimp spaghetti.”

The shrimp-themed parade is complemented by the festival’s pet fashion show and a 2,000-strong mud run.

For details, visit yemassee.net/festival or call (843) 589-2120.

6

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Email COMMENTS, QUESTIONS AND Story suggestions TO LETTERS@SCLIVING.COOP

Bidding farewell MCEC lineworker says goodbye after 52 years

Road to the

Minor league players with big league dreams

SC SC e n e

Honor Flight’s ongoing mission SC Sto r i e S

One tough competitor Humor me

Throwing a tantrum

SC SC e n e

Keep your cool

SC Sto r i e S

July 2012

The pipes are calling

Humor me

The world is your doily

Update

On the road

Shortly after the July issue of South Carolina Living went to press, Cody Buckel—the Myrtle Beach Pelicans ace featured in our cover story “Road to the Show”— was called up to the Double-A Frisco Rough Riders. The former Pelican earned his first Texas League win July 4 on the road against the Arkansas Travelers by throwing six shutout innings and four strikeouts.

Virgil Leaphart, who retired at 73 as a Line Tech A for MCEC, gets a pat on the back from Mark Kyzer, an Apparatus Tech A for the co-op.

knowledge, reliability and ever-positive attitude.

“We’re real proud of Virgil and the many years of service he’s given the co-op,” says MCEC CEO Jack F. Wolfe Jr. “He truly embodies the best of the electric cooperatives.” —WALTER ALLREAD

energy efficiency tip

S.C.RAMBLE!

By Charles Joyner, See Answer ON Page 35

Domi-No.s

Solve this multiplication problem and write your answer in the box tops, one digit to each box. Then match boxes to find a hidden word in your answer.

3

9

7

4

6

8

S

U

A

G

T

D 2 M

Show

WALTER ALLREAD

On the first day of his retirement, Virgil Leaphart got up at 5:30 a.m. and walked three miles in the building heat of a summer morning.

It was what he had done for the past 20 years and why, when he retired from Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative after 52 years of service, he was almost as hale and hardy as many of MCEC’s far younger lineworkers. Leaphart climbed poles from when he was hired in 1960 as an apprentice lineman to his last month of work at age 73 as a Line Tech A. His advice to the younger set?

“For one thing, they’re going to have to stay healthy,” he says, “and they need to work safe, too.”

During his career, Leaphart saw MCEC grow from 4,770 members to about 52,000. Along the way he earned the respect of his peers and the many members he helped for his

Look to your windows for energy savings. Use weather stripping on old windows, and, if you can, add storm windows. In hot climates, add solar film screening to west-facing windows to catch heat. For new homes, consider installing double-glazed panes. Find more ways to save at togetherwesave.com.

Source: Touchstone Energy Cooperatives

Correction Our July SC Travels article on the Oconee Veterans Museum in Walhalla contained incorrect information. John Busch, a Vietnamera veteran, is vice president of the museum’s board. A.J. Smith is the president. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged. For more information on the museum, call (864) 638-5455 or visit oconeeveteransmuseum.org.

Web extra on

SCLiving.coop

Washington Youth Tour: What happens when 48 of South Carolina’s top high school students invade Washington, D.C.? Find out in our exclusive video.

Like us on Facebook

Explore our state’s “smiling faces and beautiful places” with 35,500 (and counting!) fellow fans of the Palmetto State. Join the fun at facebook.com/SouthCarolinaLiving.

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

7

On the Agenda Letters

A swing and a miss I enjoyed the cover story in your July issue (“Road to the Show”) but must note what I consider an omission. Since you’ve opened the door to out-of-state teams with the Charlotte Knights, please furnish your readers with info on the Augusta Green Jackets.

Those of us on the South Carolina side of Lake Thurmond and the Savannah River

Write SCL Letters to the editor

We love hearing from our readers. Tell us what you think about this issue, send us story suggestions or just let us know what’s on your mind by writing to Letters, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033.

You can also email us at letters@scliving.coop or send a note by fax to (803) 796-6064. All letters received are subject to editing before publication.

don’t have far to go to Lake Olmstead Stadium to see this team play in a very nice venue spiffed up when Cal Ripken bought the franchise. An evening watching the Jackets is not only pleasant, but a bargain, too.

Bob Stockton, McCormick

Augusta Green Jackets League: South Atlantic (Class A) Affiliation: San Francisco Giants Ballpark: Lake Olmstead Stadium

(seats 4,822) Contact: (706) 922-9467

Remembering our veterans I cried when I read about the South Carolina veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., on the cooperativesponsored Honor Flight (“We honor their service,” and “Walking with heroes,” May 2012). I was sad because I know my

husband, Jason McSwain, would have loved going on such a trip.

Jason passed away in July 2007. He served his country well in the U.S. Army for four years and in the National Guard here in Clover for 16 years. My husband was at Richard Campbell Nursing Home when he passed away. When he entered their care, I told them if they wanted his attention to call him Sgt. McSwain and he’d answer every time. I still wear his 20‑year pin with pride.

I really enjoyed reading about the World War II veterans and their trip to Washington in South Carolina Living.

Jean B. McSwain, Clover

GONE FISHIN’ The Vektor Fish & Game Forecast provides feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour.

Minor peaks, ½ hour before and after.

Minor

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Minor

PM Major

August

17 — 6:22 7:22 12:52 18 1:22 7:07 7:52 1:22 19 1:52 7:52 8:22 1:52 20 8:37 2:37 2:37 8:37 21 9:37 3:22 3:07 9:07 22 10:52 4:07 3:37 9:37 23 — 5:22 1:07 10:22 24 — 6:37 3:37 1 1 :22 25 — 8:07 8:52 4:37 26 1:07 9:22 10:07 5:07 27 2:52 10:22 10:52 5:37 28 3:52 1 1 :07 1 1 :37 6:07 29 4:52 1 1 :52 12:07 6:37 30 — 5:37 6:52 12:22 31 — 6:22 7:07 12:52

September

1 7:07 2 7:52 3 8:22 4 9:07 5 10:07 6 11:22 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 1:22 11 2:52 12 3:52 13 4:52 14 5:37 15 — 16 7:07

8

AM Major

1:07 7:37 1:22 1:37 1:52 7:52 2:22 2:07 8:07 2:52 2:37 8:22 3:22 2:52 8:52 4:07 2:52 9:07 5:22 — 9:22 6:37 6:07 9:37 8:07 9:52 4:52 9:22 10:22 5:07 10:07 10:52 5:22 10:37 1 1 :07 5:37 1 1 :22 1 1 :37 5:52 1 1 :52 12:22 6:07 6:22 6:37 12:22 12:52 1:07 7:07

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9

Dialogue

Memories of summer When my children look back on the summer of 2012, I wonder what they will remember most.

Kids today have a lot of things to help fill their leisure days—iPads, Nintendo DSis, cable television—but I worry they are missing out on the experiences that I enjoyed as a child. Growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I was fortunate to spend parts of my summers with grandparents, and I still cherish the memories.

Unity community, upper Lancaster County, with my paternal grandparents: l Falling asleep to a chorus of frogs on the branch below the house. They seem to harmonize with the crickets and cicadas. No hermetic seal to the house. Nothing but the window screen between me and the big outdoors. l Waking up to my grandmamma humming Bible Songs.

Her favorite, number 144, was “My Heart Was Glad to Hear the Welcome Sound.” The thump of a rolling pin, the sizzle of country ham, the clump, clump, clump of grits boiling and the mellow rhythm of a stove-top coffeepot. l The scorch of the sun on my back as I did “gofer” duty for my granddaddy when he helped a neighbor fix his house, barn or shed. Tools pulled from a wooden toolbox well-worn to a sheen. Watching him measure twice and cut once. Around 10:30 a.m., I could already taste what grandmamma had tucked in my lunch bucket—ham biscuits, leftover pork chops, sweet potato pie. Old-fashioned 6.5-ounce contoured bottles of Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Cheerwine and RC Cola, waiting in the ice chest. l Bream fishing with a cane pole and a cricket. Fish cleaned, cooked and eaten within an hour of being caught. l Picking blackberries—beware of chiggers, gnats and snakes. I pick three berries and eat one. Why does my pail get full so slow? l The cool of the smokehouse. Salted hams hanging from the rafters. A rainbow of canned goods on the shelves.

Crock jars of kraut curing. Gravelled new potatoes. l Cows. Hereford. Baleful eyes that seem to look right through me. Withers quivering as the horseflies bite.

Tails swishing, they follow me in the falling evening light toward the barn. l A mule named Pearl.

Bethel community, upper York County, with my maternal grandparents: l Sorting tomatoes on the back porch. Carefully laying them onto old editions of the Rock Hill Enquirer and Clover Herald. Watching my granddaddy read his favorite literary works: The Market Bulletin, Living in South Carolina and The Bible. Khaki shirt, khaki pants, both stained by the sweat of a morning’s work. He was a level-headed man—tobacco juice ran down the corners of both sides of his mouth. l Pulling a watermelon from under the house. Splitting it with a butcher knife on a picnic table under a shade oak.

A shake of salt. Face smeared with juice and seeds, washing off under the hose. l Visitors stopping by in the early evening to sit in the yard swing and catch the latest news of trouble in Washington, “relatives feeling poorly” and who got a rain shower last night. l Lightning bugs come out. I grab a washed Duke’s ­mayonnaise jar and go on the attack. l Grandmother’s kitchen. Sticky buns. Fresh buttermilk.

Baked sweet potatoes. Cold fried chicken. Country-fried potatoes. l Saturday nights, as with all nights, hearing my granddaddy go to his knees and pray out loud. My name seemed to be mentioned, but I couldn’t hear what he asked for. l Sunday mornings. The croaker sacks come off the Ford sedan when it is pulled into the yard and no longer needs protection from roosting chickens or curious cats. l Cows. Hereford. Baleful eyes that seem to look right through me. Withers quivering as horseflies bite. Tails ­swishing, they follow me in the falling light toward the barn. l A mule named Maude.

The summer of 2012 is slipping away, and I’m grateful that my kids have already been up to the farm and had the chance to forge a few memories of their own with their grandparents. With luck, maybe next time they’ll put down the iPads long enough to pick up an old mayonnaise jar and chase a few fireflies.

Mike Couick President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

10

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

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scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

11

EnergyQ&A

BY jim Dulley

Create kitchen comfort Can’t stand the heat?

Then remodel the kitchen

Q

My kitchen gets uncomfortably warm during summer, even with air conditioning. How can I remodel the kitchen to keep it comfortable and efficient?

A

A kitchen remodeling project is an excellent opportunity to improve your home’s summertime comfort and efficiency. As you plan the renovation, your goal is to make sure you use as little heat as possible to prepare your meals. You can do this by following two smart strategies—developing an intelligent kitchen layout and installing highefficiency appliances.

The kitchen triangle

When designing the floor plan for your new kitchen, use the “kitchen triangle” concept for both efficiency and convenience. The three areas used most often are the sink, range and refrigerator. Try to locate these in an equilateral triangle. If your kitchen is relatively small, you may need only a step or two to get from one to another.

Cool cooking tips n Whenever possible, use a toaster oven or slow cooker instead of the large oven. Heat buildup in the kitchen will be much less. n Match the size of the pot to the size of the burner or heating element to reduce heat loss. n If your refrigerator is seldom full, put several jugs of water in the back. This holds the temperature steadier and reduces air loss when the door is opened. n Set the refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees and the freezer around zero. Setting them too cold just wastes electricity.

12

It might sound obvious, but don’t put hot appliances, such as the range or dishwasher, immediately next to the refrigerator. Even though a refrigerator has heavy wall insulation, it will use more electricity to stay cold if there is a range beside it roasting a turkey for hours. Likewise, a dishwasher gives off warm, humid air, which reduces the refrigerator’s efficiency.

Do not place the range under a window that is used for natural ventilation. Even a small breeze can carry away the heat that should be going into the pot. The space under a window is a great place to locate a sink, offering natural lighting and an escape for warm, humid air without running an exhaust fan.

Choosing efficient appliances

The refrigerator and range/oven are the two greatest energy consumers in the kitchen, so look for the most efficient models you can afford. For all appliances, compare efficiency information on the yellow energy label, and look for Energy Star-rated models. The Energy Star designation is earned by appliances that meet efficiency guidelines set by the federal government.

When shopping for a refrigerator, choose the smallest model that

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

It sure looks nice, but what’s wrong with this kitchen remodel? Ovens placed beside the refrigerator require the fridge to work harder; the microwave over the cooktop has an exhaust fan, but it vents into the room, not outside; and the “kitchen triangle” is interrupted by a large island.

satisfies your needs. Refrigerators with more surface area absorb more heat from the room, and the ­compressor has to run longer to keep it cold inside. As a rule, top-freezer designs are the most efficient, but consult the energy label for exact comparisons.

Choose your dishwasher and range based on the energy label and the features you need. A range with a convection oven will cook more efficiently than a standard oven. The up-front cost is higher, but you’ll see savings in the long run.

The Energy Star label also comes in handy when identifying efficient vent hoods for ranges. Look for a range hood with about 50 cfm (cubic feet per minute) of airflow per linear foot of the range top. Install it no more than 30 inches above the cooking surface.

If the range hood is too small or too high, it will run much longer to vent the hot, humid air—if it can at all.

Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, email energyqa@scliving.coop or fax (803) 739-3041.

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13

SmartChoice

By Becky BILLINGSLEY

All in for outdoor fun When warm days and soft South Carolina summer evenings lure families out of the house and into the yard for playtime, these toys will provide plenty of entertainment and adventure.

ON THE FLY PERSONAL DRONE Part stunt copter, part HD videocamera, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Quadricopter is a heaping helping of remote-controlled fun. Download the free control application to a smartphone or tablet, and steer the craft by simply tilting the device. The AR.Drone 2.0 has hovering and barrel-roll capability, an HD 720p 30fps camera with a wide-angle lens and a range of 165 feet. $300. (800) 843-2665; barnesandnoble.com.

POWER KITE No wind? No problem—if you have the Motorized Stunt Kite from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Wireless controls let the operator execute loops, dives and climbs in a 500‑foot range. A gimbal-mounted engine and propeller enable agile, multidirectional maneuvers. A lithium battery provides flights up to eight minutes and recharges in 20 minutes. $200. (800) 321-1484; hammacher.com.

SOUNDS OF SUMMER OUTSIDE VOICES Backyards in summer call for noisy fun. The Light-Up Big Bang Rocket meets that challenge with safe and satisfying results. Simply cut newspapers into squares, place them in the cap, toss the rocket in the air and wait for the BANG! Multicolored animated lights deliver a visual treat, in the air and on impact. $20. (888) 282-7115; perpetualkid.com.

SOLAR FLAIR Here’s an outdoor sound system with the staying power to deliver tunes through a full day of fun in the sun. Self-powered with a high-efficiency solar panel, the Eton Rukus Solar speaker box works with any Bluetoothenabled smartphone, tablet or computer and plays for eight hours on a charge—plenty of entertainment for the park, a tailgate or an outdoor game of musical chairs. The rugged four‑pound unit also has battery and AC power options. $150. (877) 798-7774; etoncorp.com.

LAWN AND POOL GAMES SNIPE HUNT Many a parent has distracted restless kids with an impromptu hunt for the elusive snipe. Such searches now come prepackaged and ready for indoor/outdoor fun with the Snipe Hunt Game. Similar to hide-and-seek or a treasure hunt, each game comes with two snipes—Biela and Smartin—to be hidden. Players hunt on their own or as teams; the first to return the snipe to its nest wins.

Undiscovered snipes reveal their whereabouts with chirps and eyes that light up. $25. (231) 599-2763; store.educationoutdoors.net.

RAINY DAY PLAY Can’t play outside? Transform your living room into an air aquarium with Air Swimmers—heliuminflated sea creatures that fly around by remote control. Steer a clown fish, shark or flying bass gracefully to the left, right or forward.

Since they’re lightweight, wall crashes are no problem. You supply the helium. $38 each. (323) 284-5288; mandmtoys.com.

LOGGERHEAD JAM Young swimmers ages 5 and up can race and chase the animated Rainbow Reef Turtles from SwimWays. These brightly colored pool pals will swim on their own and bob their heads to your pool tunes, powered by two AAA batteries. $18.

(800) 889-7946; swimways.com.

SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY It’s a bounce house, climbing wall, water slide and a wading pool all in one! The inflatable Crocodile Isle Water Slide by Blast Zone is big enough for five children to scale the alligator’s side, slide down his tail or snout and splash around in the roomy pool. $600, includes blower, stakes and patch kit. (888) 216-6040; blastzonebouncehouses.com.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

By MEGAN McKOY-NOE

HomeRun

The speed of light(ing) lighting tech­ nology evolved at a pretty steady pace. Now, spurred by tighter standards for energy efficiency, the technology is leaping forward, with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) leading the charge.

Emerging options like LEDs promise to help consumers adapt to changing federal standards for lightbulbs. A bit of price shock still accompanies some of these innovations, but savings show up in longer product life span and reduced energy consumption.

“If you remember when the first CFLs [compact fluorescent lights] came out, they started off bumpy, but we got over that,” says Michael Smith, manager of energy programs for Central Electric Power Cooperative.

CFLs moved beyond early problems with low light output, erratic life span and high prices and are now more affordable and efficient.

“LEDs are coming out of that bumpy phase,” Smith says, but “as far as light replacement, they’re on par with improvements in CFLs.”

Over the last century,

Shifting standards

Congress enacted improved energyefficiency standards for incandescent bulbs under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. New rules, which began to take effect this year, mandate that lightbulbs using between 40 and 100 watts must consume at least 28 percent less energy than traditional incandescents, saving Americans $6 billion to $10 billion in lighting costs annually.

Lightbulbs must become 70 percent more efficient by 2020.

Time-tested 100-watt incandescent bulbs will disappear from stores this year. As the next wave of standards

LEDs blaze trails for efficient lighting technology kicks in, 75-watt incandescents will be gone as of January 1, 2013, and 40-watt and 60-watt versions will vanish as of January 1, 2014.

How do LEDs deliver more energyefficient light? Traditional incandescent bulbs create light using a thin wire (filament) inside a glass bulb—a delicate connection that can easily be broken, as frustrated homeowners can attest. Most convert only 10 percent of the energy they consume into light; the remaining 90 percent produces heat.

In contrast, LEDs are at the forefront of solid-state lighting. Two conductive materials are placed together on a chip (a diode). Electricity passes through the diode, releasing energy in the form of cooler light.

By 2030, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates, solid-state lighting technologies could cut the electricity used for lighting by half, saving up to $30 billion a year in energy costs.

For homeowners who want to try LEDs, Smith recommends starting with directional lighting—one of the strengths of LEDs. Recessed downlights in ceilings or task lights over work spaces such as countertops are ideal spots to experiment.

“They’ll use 15 to 20 percent of the energy used by an incandescent bulb, they’ll generate less heat and, quite frankly, I think it’s a better light,” he says.

Smith also recommends buying LEDs from a major manufacturer to ensure the best possible experience.

Consumers who bought the cheap, early CFLs were often disappointed in the results and blamed the technology, when a poorly designed bulb may have been the real problem. Start with a high-quality LED, he advises, even if it costs a little more, and judge whether the light is worth the expense.

“You may drop $30 on a bulb, but it will last a long time,” Smith says.

Making the move to LEDs

To motivate manufacturers to design bulbs that would ease the transition as incandescents are phased out, the DOE established the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize. The Philips LED lamp that won the prize last year meets all DOE standards and more. But since coming on the market in April, it has not attracted consumers with its $50 price tag. Other LEDs are already available at less than half that cost.

GetMore Shedding light on LEDs Curious to know if LEDs are right for you?

The U.S. Department of Energy offers a website complete with all the basics about solid-state lighting, plus how to compare conventional lighting with LEDs. Learn more at eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl.

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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atc C h

day of the

The neighborly sport of pier fishing along the Grand Strand

BY HASTINGS HENSEL | Photography by Milton Morris

If Chester Doyle ever subscribed to anything like an angler’s creed, it might be what he told me when I met him one winter morning at his regular spot on the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach.

“The only two things I love more than fishing? Jesus and my wife,” he said.

There are the casual pier anglers—the families on vacation who fish for a week every summer—and then there are the die-hards—those who come out more than five times per week, every month, for years.

Chester Doyle of Conway is a regular at the 2nd Avenue Pier. “The one thing my wife never bugs me about is my fishing.”

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Family friend Olivia Chamberlain peers at the croaker 5-year-old Will Kaiser, in his lucky fishing shirt, and dad Bill caught off the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach.

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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They brought the fish up and onto the pier, where it spun from the hook and caught the eyes of the hungry seabirds and the strolling, curious tourists.

Chester Doyle, a member of Horry Electric Cooperative, is perhaps the quintessential diehard. Tall and broad-shouldered, with the imposing stance and clipped speech of an ex-Marine, he’s been fishing the 2nd Avenue Pier for more than 20 years, and he only aims for two species: speckled trout in the winter and sheepshead in the spring and summer.

“He sure can catch ’em,” his regular fishing buddy and fellow Horry Electric Cooperative member, Ronnie Hunter, said.

Indeed, Doyle possesses a kind of insider’s knowledge about all things related to pier fishing, including an abundance of stories—“I won the rodeo back in ’89 for speckled trout”—and a comic disdain for newbies and tourists. He has the phrase, “$1 to look” inked in black marker on the top of his cooler.

Doyle’s success did not come easily. He is adamant about the fact that he honed his technique by learning from three 2nd Avenue Pier icons—Roy Brigham, Buck Scott and Derrick Rogers—and now he fishes at least five days per week, going through nearly three gallons of barnacles in that time.

Yes, Doyle fishes with barnacles for bait. He drives 30 minutes down from Conway, scrapes them off the jetty rocks, collects them in a

Grand Strand Fishing Rodeo The Grand Strand Fishing Rodeo is a seven-month tournament open to anyone fishing on the piers from April to October, and there are two divisions—the pier fishing division and the offshore division. Neither division requires you to sign up; all you need to do is catch the “Fish of the Month” and weigh it in at one of the seven participating piers (2nd Avenue Pier is the only pier that does not participate). You may also weigh-in any offshore fish at Captain Dick’s Marina in Murrells Inlet. Prizes are awarded each month.

The rodeo’s pride and joy, however, is its popular “Take A Kid Fishing Tournament” which is held every year on the last weekend in October.

For more information, visit grandstrandevents.com/fishingrodeo or facebook.com/grandstrandfishingrodeo.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

bucket, pierces the hook through one, drops it down and waits. And waits some more.

“I’ve got patience for this stuff,” he said. “The one thing my wife never bugs me about is my fishing.”

And if the fish aren’t biting, then Doyle doesn’t sweat it. He and Hunter have been known to enjoy the leisurely pace of not catching any fish by engaging in boyish pranks— super-gluing someone’s rod tip to the pier, for example—or simply relaxing and sitting there quietly, taking their minds off everything.

But Doyle never takes his eyes off his rod, even if he’s talking to Hunter or to an inquisitive tourist, because there always might be that hard yank and that new personal record—a ninepound sheepshead—on the other end of the line.

A remarkable thing about fishing piers is the

fact that die-hards like Chester Doyle can coexist as neighbors with vacationing families like the Kaisers and Chamberlains from North Carolina.

In fact, a few benches down from Doyle, 5‑year‑old Will Kaiser was nearly as confident as the master himself. He was going to catch not one, he said, but four fish on the 2nd Avenue Pier. It was only the Kaisers’ second-ever fishing outing as a family, but Will was wearing his lucky fishing shirt—a fluorescent tie-dye tee—and he was focused on the task at hand, bent over the pier railing and watching the line as it ran into the ocean.

His mother, Regina, however, was not so sure.

She was content to see it more as a family outing than a fishing adventure.

“Fishing and waterslides. You come to Myrtle Beach, and those are things you want to do. Here it’s nice because it’s so high and you can look down, and there’s so much more you can look at,” she said, nodding toward a string of hotels and beachgoers and the new Sky Wheel spinning and towering in the distance. “And they rent the equipment.”

But sure enough, not an hour after breakfast, the rented rod tip twitched, the line started spooling off the reel and the Kaiser family had one on. Will’s father, Bill, set the hook and started reeling it in.

But then 15 seconds passed, and they weren’t making much progress. Nothing was coming up, and the line didn’t seem to be getting any closer.

Seeing what was happening, regular pier fishAt the Springmaid Pier, my ­n eighbors were erman Kelly Maddox hurried over and tightened another father-son team, Bruce and Brunson the drag for them, and they brought the fish up Cook of Union, members of Broad River Electric and onto the pier, where it spun from the hook Cooperative. and caught the eyes of the hungry seabirds and “We came down here this morning to get the strolling, curious tourists. some fishing in before his brother and sister And even though it wasn’t a state or world woke up,” Bruce told me as his son Brunson sat record—no 11-pound Spanish mackerel (a state beside him and held the rod between his knees. record caught in 1983 on Springmaid Pier) nor a They were accustomed to freshwater ponds in the Upstate, but every year they make a trip to 1,780-pound tiger shark (a world record caught the beach and try their hand at saltwater fishing. in 1964 on the Cherry Grove Pier)—it was a It was a cool spring morning—the tide low family record, and Will stood there proudly with his catch. and falling, the sun ripening on the horizon—but “A croaker,” Maddox said, identifying the all anyone seemed to be catching were stories species. “Croaks like a pig. Hear it?” about the past or promises about the future.

The two families gathered around the fish and “Tuesday we caught some spadefish and some held their ears to it, startling back when the fish perch,” Bruce Cook said. croaked.

“I almost caught a crab this morning!”

“We’ll have to let it go!” Olivia Chamberlain Brunson Cook chimed in. cried. “But I want to touch it!”

Still, the experience was far from dull. There Before either of these things could happen, is rarely a dull moment on a Grand Strand however, Maddox had another idea. fishing pier, as the waiting is almost always inter“That’s good eating right there,” he said. “We’ll rupted by something in the water—a brood take it.” of jellyfish or a shark that glides by as quickly The Chamberlain and Kaiser families looked as one of the airplanes overhead. And there is at each other, as if debating what to do. The fish almost always the opportunity to sit back and wasn’t eligible to be entered into compose a litany of excuses for the “Fish of the Month” diviwhy you are not catching any sion of the Grand Strand Fishing fish—the sharks are scaring them Rodeo—May is the month for off, the water is too warm, the wind is too strong, the fish aren’t bluefish—and they had originally moving like they used to, the bait planned just to throw it back is wrong, the rig is wrong. anyway, so they agreed to give the Beside us, Mike Huggins, who fish to Maddox as a token of their was vacationing with his family appreciation. from Dallas, N.C., looked like he Fishing piers, after all, are was using the right rig. It was places of exchange. They are coma much longer pole—12 feet munity gathering sites where, on most days, you can see everyone long—and he was constantly Kelly Maddox displays a swapping ideas, advice, stories and jigging it up and down, almost speckled trout, aka dinner. occasionally even a fish or two. like he was keeping time to an

Earl Huggins, visiting from Dallas, N.C., with his son’s family, shows off a ribbonfish caught at the Springmaid Pier.

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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GetThere Apache Campground Pier

The Pier at Garden City

Cherry Grove Fishing Pier

2nd Avenue Pier

Myrtle Beach State Park Fishing Pier

Springmaid Pier

9700 Kings Road, Myrtle Beach (843) 449-7323 Admission: $1 ($2 to park) Daily fishing pass: $8.50 for two rods Rod rental: $22 Bait: $4.50 per container Summer hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

3500 N. Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach (843) 249-1625 Admission: $2 Daily fishing pass: $6 per rod Rod rental: $20 ($13 after 3 p.m.)

Bait: $5.15 per container Summer hours: 6 a.m. to midnight

110 S. Waccamaw Drive, Garden City Beach (843) 651-9700 Admission: Free Daily fishing pass: $9 per rod Rod rental: $9 per rod Bait: $5 per container Summer hours: Open 24 hours for fishing 110 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach (843) 445-7437 Admission: $1 Daily fishing pass: $9 per person Rod rental: $25 per package (includes fishing pass, rod and one container of bait) Bait: $6 per container Summer hours: 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.

4401 South Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach 3200 Springmaid Blvd., Myrtle Beach (843) 238-5325 (843) 315-7156 Admission: Free with park pass ($5 per person) Admission: $1 Daily fishing pass: $5 for two rods Fishing pass: $9 per person Rod rental: $7.50 per rod Rod rental: $10 per rod Bait: $5 per container Bait: $5.40 per container Summer hours: 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Summer hours: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

14th Avenue Pier

1304 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach (843) 448-6500 Admission: $1 Daily fishing pass: $7 per rod Rod rental: $14 Bait: $5 per container Summer hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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Surfside Pier

11 S. Ocean Blvd., Surfside Beach (843) 238-0121 Admission: $1 Fishing pass: $9 per person Rod rental: $9 per rod Bait: $5.99 per container Summer hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

unheard melody. It was a strategy I’d seen others successfully using at the end of the pier, where they were bringing up silver, eel-like ribbonfish.

“Most of the time when you catch anything with these, you foul hook it,” he said to me. “But I’ve had real good results with them.”

His rig consisted of nine gold hooks, set eight inches apart, with a sinker weight on the bottom, and he was aiming for Spanish mackerel, who are fooled into thinking that the gold hooks are shiny minnows in the water. There is something nearly primitive about catching a fish on an empty hook without bait, and there have been times when Huggins has caught multiple fish at once. But this particular morning he was only pulling up a few ribbonfish and a few greenbacks that he tossed back into the water.

As insurance, he also kept a standard pier rig beside him, the kind you rent in the tackle shops and the kind that I was using—two shrimp-baited hooks with a pyramid sinker—and he advised me, like the Cooks had, to drop my bait as close as possible to the barnacle-covered pilings.

It was a strategy that began to work for the

Cooks, who pulled up a pinfish and playfully bantered with one another.

“I got you beat today!” Bruce Cook boasted.

“No, you just hooked it, and I caught it!”

Brunson corrected him.

And then, unbelievably, it was a strategy that worked for me. I felt a “tap-tap” of the rod, and I gently set the hook, cried “Fish on!” and reeled it in.

Doyle’s lessons about patience had paid off.

It was my first fish of the year, and even though it wasn’t a fish to frame on the tackle shop walls, nor even a rodeo fish, it was my fish—​ a pinfish—small and slippery in my hands.

I thought about something that Chester Doyle had told me.

“I’m sure there are better people at it,” he said about fishing. “But no one loves it more.”

So I held the pinfish for a moment.

I smoothed back its dorsal fin, unhooked it and threw it back into the ocean. It was time to open the plastic container of shrimp, bait two more hooks, cast the line back out—and start dreaming of the next catch.

SC Life

SCStories

The peach doctor

Milton Morris

Tiger fans often claim they “bleed orange,” but Clemson University professor Desmond Layne says of himself, “I bleed peach.”

His father was a breeder of peaches for Canada’s national agricultural agency, and Layne’s first job—at 14—was picking peaches for $2.15 per hour. Since then he’s earned a Ph.D. in horticulture, produced the definitive textbook on peaches, lectured around the world and been featured in national newspaper, radio and television interviews.

Layne earned the moniker “Dr. Peach” for his work testing different cultivars South Carolina growers use to extend their commercial season from May to mid-September. While 80 percent of the state’s crop is shipped elsewhere, Layne’s other professional mission is to remind South Carolinians we have the privilege of enjoying tree-ripened peaches throughout the summer.

“Our peaches don’t have to travel thousands of miles to get to the market, thus they can be picked at a later stage of maturity making them sweeter and a better eating experience,” he says. “The July-August harvest window is when the fruit has the best eating quality.”

But like lazy summer days, juicy, perfectly ripe peaches are only around for a short time.

“Peaches are a summertime treat and they should be enjoyed in the summertime,” Layne says. “The best way to do that is at the local farmer’s market or roadside stands getting tree-ripened fruit. That way you’re guaranteed a satisfying eating experience. Let it drip off your face, off your elbow, onto your shirt. It’s part of the joy of summer.” — margaret buranen

Get More Visit Desmond Layne’s “Everything about Peaches” website at clemson.edu/peach to discover which varieties of South Carolina peaches are at peak perfection this week. Or follow the professor on Twitter (twitter.com/peachdoctor) and Facebook (facebook.com/peachdoctor).

Desmond Layne AGE:

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Seneca Clemson University professor, peach evangelist HOBBIES: Deer hunting, hiking and photography FAVORITE PEACH VARIETY: Winblo. “It has a perfect creamy, melting texture and a fabulous blend of sugar and acidity.”

HOMETOWN:

OCCUPATION:

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SCScene

By Mark Quinn

S.C. students form their own cooperative during a memorable week in Washington, D.C. Washington Youth Tour is an annual, week-long event during which

1,500 rising high school seniors from electric cooperatives across the United States convene in Washington, D.C., to learn more about government, electric cooperatives and leadership. Coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina (ECSC), local electric cooperatives select outstanding high school students to represent their service area as well as the entire state of South Carolina.

South Carolina cooperatives sent 48 students to Washington this summer, where they met with members of the state’s congressional delegation and toured the capital’s museums and monuments. This year’s trip also provided an opportunity for students to learn more about the cooperative business model by forming the Soda Pop Co‑op.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Between visits to historic sites including Mount Vernon and the Washington Monument, South Carolina Youth Tour students met with U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint. The 48 rising high school seniors were selected by their co-ops based on academic and extracurricular performance. “I can honestly say this group of kids is really the best of the best,” said chaperone Erin Reichert, a history teacher at Bluffton High School.

Outstanding students, future leaders Two of the students selected for the 2012 Washington Youth Tour have also been recognized individually for their academic success and leadership potential.

To ur ph ot os by Ma rk Qu in n

Tourist attractions take a toll on the wallet,

especially when you’re a high school student on a shoestring budget. A quick glance at the price list of a street vendor’s cart can be enough to instill a deep sense of sticker shock.

“Five bucks for bottled water! Is that for real?” asked an incredulous Grace Westbury, a rising senior at Holly Hill High School and one of 48 students who represented South Carolina at this year’s Washington Youth Tour. “I can’t believe people pay that,” she said, shaking her head as she stood in front of the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

When it came to refreshments on the five-day trip, Grace and the rest of the South Carolina contingent didn’t pay “tourist” prices. Instead, the group formed the South Carolina Soda Pop Co-op to control costs and provide a service they all wanted.

“We weren’t sure how it was going to go because we had never done this before,” said Van O’Cain, director of South Carolina’s Youth Tour.

“But we thought this was the perfect opportunity to give the group some real-life experience with how a cooperative actually works.”

Toward the end of their first afternoon in D.C., O’Cain laid out the parameters of the program and what it would entail: election of a five-member board of directors, the hiring of a manager and assistant manager to handle business operations and the collection of a $1 membership fee from anyone who wished to join the Soda Pop Co-op.

“One of the seven cooperative principles is open membership,” O’Cain said. “We didn’t force anyone to join, but all of them did; even our chaperones.”

Because demand to join the board of directors was so great, five random names were drawn from a hat. ll

Kira Fuller believes it’s her calling in life to “help people.” The honors student at Ridgeland High School will receive some help of her own after she was named this year’s recipient of the R.D. Bennett Scholarship. Each year, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina offers the $2,500 scholarship—named in honor of the first chief executive of the statewide association—to one of the Youth Tour participants. Fuller, who currently ranks number one in her graduating class of 110 students, plans to attend the University of South Carolina and begin studying to become a doctor. “What I’d really like to do is become an OB-GYN so I can help women make healthy choices in their life,” said Fuller, whose Youth Tour trip was sponsored by Palmetto Electric Cooperative.

Fuller was chosen on the basis of a written essay, her school achievements and the way she interacted with her peers on the Youth Tour trip. “There is something special about Kira,” said Youth Tour Director Van O’Cain. “When you’re around her, you know this is someone who knows what she wants and will work hard to get it.” Fuller has a busy routine outside of school and her impressive number of extracurricular activities. In addition to being active in her church, she also volunteers at the Jasper County Boys and Girls Club.

For Devin Oliver, involvement in Youth Tour will continue into his senior year of high school. The battalion commander for Bluffton High School’s Junior ROTC program was chosen by his peers to represent South Carolina on the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). He returned to Washington, D.C., on July 21 to attend the week-long YLC Conference with 41 other Youth Tour representatives from around the country. “It’s an amazing opportunity at this point in my life,” Oliver said. “I’ve worked real hard to be a leader at my school, and I think being a part of this program is only going to help me grow as I get ready to graduate.”

The week-long conference agenda includes leadership and teambuilding exercises, meeting with congressional staffers who are alumni of Youth Tour, and a competition to select the NRECA’s National Youth Spokesperson. Oliver, who hopes to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point or The Citadel in Charleston, is looking forward to the opportunity to spend another week in the nation’s capital. “I can’t wait to spend a week with people that have similar goals to mine,” he said. “I think it’s a group where everyone really hopes they can make a difference.” In February 2013, Oliver and the other members of the YLC will reconvene in New Orleans to participate in NRECA’s Annual Meeting, taking part in more leadership and educational activities. “It’s hard to believe I’ll be doing all these things because of my co-op [Palmetto Electric Cooperative],” Oliver said. “To think they invest so much in young people like me kind of blows my mind. But I sure am grateful.” scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SCScene

Youth Tour alumna crowned Miss South Carolina

Scott Martin, a special education teacher at Seneca High School and a chaperone on the trip, volunteered to help oversee the new enterprise.

His first task: convene a hotel-room meeting of the Soda Pop Co-op board to interview candidates who wanted to manage the cooperative.

“Impressive,” Martin said of that meeting.

“We gave them two minutes to tell the board why they should manage the business, and you could really feel the enthusiasm. I’m telling you, they were into it.”

Chase Toler, a student at Dutch Fork High School, was elected manager.

Blake Ward of Sumter High School was brought on as the assistant. For their efforts, Toler agreed to be paid

GetMore See pictures from the 2012 Youth Tour by clicking on the South Carolina tab at http://photos.youthtour.org/2012YouthTour.

Soda Pop Co-op Manager Chase Toler (left) and chaperone Scott Martin prepare to stock the co-op coolers with sodas and bottled water.

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For information on applying for the 2013 Youth Tour, contact your local electric cooperative.

Teachers interested in serving as chaperones on the 2013 Washington Youth Tour should contact South Carolina Youth Tour Director Van O’Cain at (803) 739-3048, van.ocain@ecsc.org.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Gwinn Davis photos

The newly crowned Miss South Carolina 2012, Ali Rogers, can trace at least part of her fan base to the 42 fellow S.C. high school students who joined her on the 2009 Washington Youth Tour.

Rogers was the reigning Miss Laurens County Teen that year, the same summer Ali Rogers, she served as the Laurens Electric Miss Laurens Cooperative delegate to Washington, County, left, was crowned D.C. Just weeks after returning from Miss South Carolina Washington, she went on to win the 2012 on July 14 by title of Miss South Carolina Teen 2009. 2011 Queen, Bree Boyce.

“All my friends on the Washington trip were pulling for me,” Rogers said. “We had just been on this amazing trip together, and then I was in the pageant, and they were all supporting me.”

With a love of history and an interest in politics, Rogers was overwhelmed by the opportunity provided by the Youth Tour to explore America’s past, visit monuments and meet with congressmen during her week in Washington. As Miss South Carolina, she will spend the next year promoting her platform—making a difference for children with disabilities—and proudly representing her home state and county.

“That’s what it’s all about—giving back to your community and the people who supported you,” Rogers said. ––DIANE VETO PARHAM

$10 a day. Ward’s salary was set at $5.

On the evening of the trip’s first day, the tour bus pulled up to a local supermarket and the managers began using membership fees to buy soda and water at prices much lower than the students would find in the hotel or area tourist attractions. The board had given the managers latitude to select the prices cooperative members would pay. They settled on 50 cents for bottled water, $1 for each soda.

The allocation of resources was “a little trickier than I expected,” said Toler, who was responsible for purchasing the right mix of water, regular soda and diet soda.

Ward discovered that product distribution—serving up cold refreshments for a thirsty mob of members at each stop of the tour—was “kind of chaotic,” but after a day and a half, with the initial kinks worked out, the managers were ready to reinvest the proceeds and go on

“ The membership advised us they’d like to have snacks, so we added chips to the mix at 50 cents a bag.” a second shopping spree. This time, they went armed with more money and more information from their members.

“The membership advised us they’d like to have snacks, so we added chips to the mix at 50 cents a bag,” Toler said.

“Each night we’d regroup at the hotel and the guys would tabulate the day’s sales,” Martin said.

“By the last day of the trip when we sold out of drinks, we knew we’d done well.”

On the final night of Youth Tour, the South Carolina group gathered for a farewell pizza party. Dissolving the Soda Pop Co-op and disbursing the profit (capital credits) was the first order of business. After paying salaries to managers and a small bonus to the board, the cooperative netted more than $220. Toler stood up and proudly told the group, “The co-op has been profitable and all of you are basically getting $4 back.”

“I’d say it was a big success,” O’Cain said. “The students saved a bunch of money on something they all needed, and it was an easy, instructive way to show them how cooperatives work in the business world every single day; including their local electric cooperative back home.”

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jj Pawleys Island Real Estate & Rentals jj S.C. National Heritage Corridor jj S.C. Apple Festival, Westminster jj McCormick Gold Rush Festival jj Alpine-Helen/White County, Ga. jj Historic Bennettsville jj Irish-Italian Festival, N. Myrtle Beach jj Island Travel Virtuoso jj Carnival Cruise Lines jj Concours d’Elegance, Hilton Head Island jj Lowcountry Tourism jj Aiken’s Fall Steeplechase jj Pawleys Pier Village, Pawleys Island

jj Audubon Center at Beidler Forest jj Carolina Foothills Heritage Fair, Fair Play jj Cafe at Williams Hardware, Travelers Rest jj Towns County, Ga. jj S.C. Farmers Markets’ Flower Fest jj Santee Cooper Country jj Pendleton Historic District jj Country Inn and Suites, Helen, Ga. jj Village Tavern & Pizzeria, Helen, Ga. jj Eutawville Village Festival jj Aiken’s Historic Rose Hill Estate

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scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

25

SCGardener

BY S. CORY TANNER

Grow your own sponges Natural sponges come from the sea,

right? That’s true for most absorbent sponges, but one popular scrub sponge can be grown in your own backyard.

Luffa (sometimes spelled loofah) sponge gourds are easy to grow in South Carolina. Closely related to cucumber and winter squash, they thrive in the same conditions.

To perform best, luffa gourds will need a site with full sun, rich, welldraining soil, ample moisture and a sturdy trellis to climb. Luffa plants require a long season to produce usable gourds. They are best grown from seeds planted indoors four to six weeks before the average last-frost date in your area.

Luffa seeds are slow to germinate, but soaking them in warm water for 24 hours will hasten germination.

Plant two seeds a half-inch deep in peat pots, and, if both seeds germinate, remove one to give the other room to grow. As your young plants grow, prepare your garden soil based on soil-test results. After the danger of frost is past and the soil is warm, plant the transplants outside with three to four feet between plants in a row.

Vigorous luffa vines will require plenty of water and fertilizer, so water deeply once or twice per week if rainfall is inadequate. As the plants begin to run, train the vines up a trellis or other sturdy structure. Keeping the fruits off the ground will reduce fruit rot and lead to straighter, more attractive sponges. When the first blooms appear, side-dress each plant with three tablespoons of calcium nitrate.

One or two more side-dressings may be needed, depending on your soil type or if heavy rains occur.

Luffa sponge gourds are generally pest-free. Cucumber beetles and spider mites may occasionally become 26

From garden plant to soapy scrubber: With a little effort, a homegrown luffa gourd can become a handy bath accessory that “lasts for years.”

The “sponge” part of the gourd is the fibrous interior of the fruit. a problem. An insecticide containing carbaryl that is labeled for vegetables can be used to manage cucumber beetles. Insecticidal soap is an effective treatment for spider mites.

If all goes well, you can harvest usable sponges in early fall, about 130 days after transplanting. A healthy plant will produce 10 to 20 gourds that may be up to 18 inches long and weigh as much as three pounds each when green. As the gourds mature, their interior fibers begin to harden, and the green skin will start to yellow and then turn brown. Harvest the fruit once they are brown, lighter in weight and mostly dry. At this point you can process the gourds into their finished product, or you can allow them to dry completely and store indefinitely

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

in a dry, ventilated location.

The “sponge” part of the gourd is the fibrous interior of the fruit.

To make it usable, you will need to remove the skin, seeds and adhering pulp. Start by removing the bloom end of the fruit—it will pop off easily—and shake the seeds out.

If there was no cross-pollination from other crops like squash, pumpkin or other gourds, you can save the seeds to plant next year or share with friends. Next, soak the gourd in warm water for five to 20 minutes to loosen the skin, and then strip it from the fibers. It should come off easily.

You could leave the sponge its natural color and it would be fine for scrubbing, but most people prefer to improve its appearance by soaking in a 10 percent chlorine bleach solution for 15 minutes or until it reaches the desired color. Finally, rinse the bleach from the sponge with clean water and air dry. Once the sponges are dry, they can be cut into desired shapes and sizes and put to use as scrubbers in the bathroom, the kitchen or the garden shed.

These natural sponges are extremely durable and will last for years. I use one in the shower every day. If they become dirty, simply bleach again or throw them in the washing machine. is an area horticulture agent and Master Gardener coordinator for Clemson Extension based in Greenville County. Contact him at shannt@clemson.edu.

S. CORY TANNER

TAKE A SEAT

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scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

27

SCTravels

BY DIANE VETO PARHAM

In the land of cotton Bishopville’s S.C. Cotton Museum offers hands-on history We wear cotton, sleep on it, towel

off with it. Cotton rescued the U.S. economy after the American Revolution; it did the same for the South after the Civil War. More than just fluffy white balls, cotton actually comes in seven different colors and can be found in products as diverse as ice cream, eyeglasses, lipstick, X-ray film and dynamite.

Janson Cox has a passion for cotton, and is proud of his museum’s exhibits, including cotton bales from 1935 and a three-foot-high model of the crop’s scourge, the boll weevil.

GetThere The South Carolina Cotton Museum is located at 121 West Cedar Lane, Bishopville. Take exit 116 off Inter­ state 20 in Lee County. Follow Highway 15 North two miles into downtown Bishopville, and turn left at the third traffic light onto West Cedar Lane. The museum is on the left.

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

HOURS:

Adults, $6; Senior Citizens, $4; Students, $3. Contact the museum for educational group programs and admission fees.

ADMISSION:

DETAILS:

28

(803) 484-4497; sccotton.org

If he were so inclined, Janson Cox—a professional historian, gifted storyteller and executive director of the South Carolina Cotton Museum— could meet you at the front door of his Bishopville museum and bend your ear for hours about what you don’t know about cotton.

Instead, Cox gives his visitors ample room to meander. Answers and anecdotes are always nearby if desired, but this is an adventure of discovery for those who like to explore at their own pace. Tour guides are absent—the exhibits themselves tell the intriguing story of cotton in this state.

Visitors may prowl the 16,000square-​foot museum at their leisure— sink hands into bins of cotton lint, peer into historic and modern cottonprocessing machinery, watch a miniature mule-powered cotton gin at work and imagine themselves in times and places past.

“When people go into a museum, they don’t want ‘virtual reality’—you can do that at home on your computer,” Cox says. “People want to see real objects, touch real things.”

The eye-catching entry exhibit is

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

a four-foot-tall cotton bale, wrapped in burlap and still tagged with its metal IRS marker from 1935. Here is a first chance to lay hands on cotton and learn why it has flourished in South Carolina and been a cornerstone of the state’s economy and history since the 1700s.

Travel a chronological path to see scales that weighed picked cotton before it was sold and to compare evolving models of cotton gins. Under signs that read “Please touch!” ­visitors can dig fingers into raw cotton fibers and feel seeds still buried tightly inside, imagining the chore of separating seeds by hand before gins were invented.

Just two miles from I-20, the Cotton Museum is a highlight of downtown Bishopville and the must-see first stop on the S.C. Cotton Trail through the Pee Dee. More than 9,000 visitors— from nearly every state and some other countries—enjoyed the museum in 2011.

What they enjoy is time to explore artifacts that are rapidly disappearing—spinning wheels, looms, a cropdusting plane with spinning propeller, a tenant farmer’s shack and more.

One favorite is a three-foot-high model of the destructive boll weevil. If you want to see the six-millimeter real thing, Cox owns the last boll weevil captured in South Carolina. Ask, and he’ll show it to you, preserved in a small tube.

Why should modern-day South Carolinians care about something as plain-Jane as cotton? Cox, the museum’s chief advocate for 13 years, explains.

“Cotton is as important today to your daily life as it has ever been,” he says. “To understand the current life of cotton, you have to know the history, geography, politics and science of cotton.”

333 HELEN-WWHITE COUNTY CVB_FP_AD 6/22/12 5:28 PM Page 1

333 HELEN-WWHITE COUNTY CVB_FP_AD 6/22/12 5:28 PM Page 1

Come to the NORTHEAST GEORGIA MOUNTAINS to cool off this summer.

51st Annual

SOUTH CAROLINA

APPLE FESTIVAL

Historic Main Street, Westminster, SC

September 4-8, 2012

Look for Our Fall Travel Sections in September, October & November!

To advertise, contact Dan or Keegan at 800-984-0887 • ads@scliving.coop

• click on “Advertise” at scliving.coop

Sept. 4: Golf Tournament Sept. 5: River Float Sept. 6: Music on Main & Apple Baking Contest Sept. 7 & 8: Festival Music • Food • Arts & Crafts Classic Car Show • Kiddie Rides Rotary Club Luncheon • Parade 5K Fun Run Race • Children's Activities • IPRA sanctioned Rodeo Call Westminster Chamber of Commerce 864-647-5316 or 864-647-7223 for more information

Enjoy tubing down the Chattahoochee River that runs through the middle of Alpine Helen... Enjoy the taste of the many Wines the Region offers on a hot day either inside a winery or under the shade of the beauitful forest and the many Waterfalls that surround this wonderful Bavarian town.

VISIT HELENGA.ORG for more information or call

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THIS AD PAID FOR WITH OCONEE ATAX FUNDS.

scliving.coop | August 2012 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

29

Recipe

Edited by Carrie Hirsch

Taste sensations Debbi Smirnoff

2 cups self-rising flour 1 cup nuts of choice, chopped 2 sticks butter, melted

Second layer

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 2½ cups powdered sugar 8 ounces whipped topping

Third Layer

4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces

Fourth Layer

1 cup granulated sugar 4 tablespoons peach Jell-O powder 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup water

Scallops Mornay T-Bone with sauteed mushrooms SERVES 2

Zucchini Parmesan SERVES 10

6 large zucchini, sliced 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided ½ cup Italian bread crumbs Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups marinara sauce 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated Cooking spray

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, nuts and butter.

Spread into a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 15–20 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool before adding next layer. This layer will not brown. Do not overbake.

Second layer: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Then stir in whipped topping. Spread over first layer and refrigerate for 1 hour minimum.

Third Layer: Spread peach pieces evenly over third layer.

Fourth Layer: In a medium pan, mix sugar, peach Jell-O powder and cornstarch, then stir in water.

Simmer, covered, over medium heat until thick and clear. Allow to cool completely. Spread over peaches, cover and refrigerate overnight for optimum flavor.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large, lipped baking sheet with cooking spray. Place zucchini slices in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

Combine half of the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Dip each zucchini slice into bread crumb mixture, coating well. Place zucchini slices in one even layer on baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes or until crisp and browned. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Coat a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish with a half cup of marinara sauce. Layer one-third of the zucchini slices over sauce. Repeat layers, ending with final topping of grated mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

julie b. corbett, tamassee

tina hunter, conway

First layer:

30

Elzbieta Sekowska

SERVES 12

First layer

Donna Moulton

Four-layer peach delight

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Steak

2 T-bone steaks Salt and pepper to taste

Mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 8-ounce package fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon dry sherry ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

SERVES 2

1 ½ tablespoons butter 1 ½ tablespoons flour ¾ cup milk ¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled ¼ cup Swiss cheese, chopped ¼ cup sherry wine 8 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked 6 large scallops (if frozen, defrost before cooking) Parsley, chopped, for garnish

Preheat grill. Grill steaks over direct heat 6–8 minutes. Turn and season with salt and pepper. Grill 6–8 additional minutes or to desired doneness. Remove from grill, cover with foil and let stand 2–3 minutes before serving. While steaks cook, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat on stove top. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes.

Stir in butter, sherry and thyme.

Saute 5 minutes, stirring often, until glazed and lightly browned. Serve steaks topped with mushrooms.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, then add flour and stir over low heat until smooth. Stir in milk, Gorgonzola cheese, Swiss cheese and sherry wine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and continue cooking on low boil for 2–3 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions.

In a medium pan, add water and boil large scallops, covered, for 4 minutes. Arrange pasta on serving plates, add scallops, top with sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

nikki cartee, york

edward verville, georgetown

Send us your original recipes!

We welcome recipes for all seasons: appetizers, salads, main courses, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Selected recipes win a $10 BI-LO gift card.

Please specify ingredient measurements. Instead of “one can” or “two packages,” specify “one 12-ounce can” or “two 8-ounce packages.” Note the number of servings or yield. Recipes are not tested.

Submit recipes online at SCLiving.coop or send to South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or by email to recipe@scliving.coop.

Entries must include your name, mailing address and phone number.

“There were at least eight times I should have been dead, but God was watching over me.”

Henry C. Fitzgerald elgin, S.C.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and the Berlin Airlift—they’re all here. From the foxholes of Belgium to the engine rooms of Navy destroyers to the cockpits of P-38s, this 212-page book will absorb you with the profiles, period photos and portraits of 100 South Carolina World War II veterans.

Read

the fascinating stories of 100 World War II veterans who are also your neighbors.

Order your copy of Honor Flight today!

to order Honor Flight, complete and return this form with a check made payable to electric Cooperatives of S.C. PLEASE Print CLEARLY YouR nAmE AddRESS

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SCChef’sChoice

BY CARRIE HIRSCH

Pour Richard’s: Dinner and a show Two chefs cook in tandem at Pour Richard’s, performing something like ballet in the kitchen—no words, just perfect choreography. After years of working side by side in narrowly configured kitchens, they have memorized each other’s movements.

“Steve Collier, my longtime chef, and I are like poetry in motion,” says head chef Richard Canestrari, smiling.

He credits his culinary team for the restaurant’s blend of entertainment, efficiency and enticing entrees featuring fresh, local ingredients.

Twelve customers take front-row seats at the chef’s counter, and 48 more in the dining room can watch Canestrari and Collier pan sear, saute, Favored items on the dinner menu braise, fry and plate. Their open are the flounder and quail, but nightly kitchen—a show specials with seasonal grouper, triggerfish, soft-shell in itself—adds a Pour Richard’s crabs and local cobia vie for bonding element to 4376 Bluffton Parkway top choices. A prime beef the Pour Richard’s Bluffton, SC 29910 special topped with “natural dining experience.

(843) 757-1999 hollandaise”—a lightly fried pourrichardsbluffton.com egg, the yolk blending with a Serving dinner Monday POTATO RISOTTO lemon beurre blanc—helped through Saturday, 5:30 SERVES 4–6 Canestrari and Collier to 10 p.m. Reservations 3 Idaho potatoes take second place in the strongly recommended.

1 sprig thyme Iron Chef Challenge at the ½ cup heavy cream Historic Bluffton Arts and 2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano, grated Seafood Festival last fall.

3 tablespoons butter Featuring “Lowcountry ingredients Salt with global flavors,” the entrees and Freshly ground black pepper small plates offerings change several times a year with the availability of Peel and julienne potatoes using a mandolin or a sharp knife; keep potatoes submerged in water. seasonal ingredients.

Cut the julienned strands of potato into ¼-inch “We’ll use as much fresh as pospieces (should be the size of a grain of rice). Just sible, whatever may be available in a before cooking, drain the potatoes in a fine-mesh week in Beaufort or Jasper or somestrainer and allow them to sit for five minutes to where else in the area,” Canestrari remove any excess water. In a medium saucepot, says. “If you want the best quality, it’s cook the potatoes in the cream and thyme over not all going to be in one place.” medium heat until al dente (about six to seven Canestrari studied at Johnson and minutes), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Wales University in Rhode Island and Remove from the heat, and add cheese and butter. held diverse jobs—including a stint Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. building submarines in Connecticut

32

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

Head Chef Richard Canestrari and Pastry Chef Ally Rogers serve up friendly smiles and unique specialties— including prime beef topped with “natural hollandaise.”

for five years—before becoming a full-time chef. But he knew he would open his own restaurant someday. As a child, he watched his parents and grandmother cook; when he was 6, he began making omelets and harvesting from the garden to pickle vegetables and fruits.

Sweet treats at Pour Richard’s are the handiwork of Canestrari’s partner and pastry chef, Ally Rogers. A native of Ridgeland and pastry arts graduate of Johnson and Wales in Charleston, Rogers creates her desserts from scratch. Favorites include her strawberry rhubarb creme brulee, chocolate almond chess pie and cinnamon roll bread.

Canestrari attributes the success of Pour Richard’s to his guiding philosophies of “honesty in menu and truth in menu” and “highest quality, local ingredients.”

“Yes, it costs more, but in the long run, our guests know quality food,” Canestrari says. “I don’t believe we should use imported seafood and other ingredients if we raise them here in South Carolina. I believe in our country.”

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

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35

Calendar of Events Please confirm information before attending events. For entry guidelines, go to SCLiving.coop.

Bishopville’s mysterious Lizard Man usually makes an appearance at the Lee County Cotton Festival, scheduled for Sept. 14–15.

SEPTEMBER

UPSTATE AUGUST

18 • Flight of the Dove hospice cycling fund-raiser, Bailey Memorial Stadium at Presbyterian College, Clinton. (864) 833-6287.

18 • Musgrove Mill Anniversary Celebration, Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, Clinton. (864) 938-0100.

19 • Andrew Wyeth: The Greenville Collection, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville. (864) 271-7570.

23 • Slavery and Civil War lectures, Spartanburg Regional History Museum, Spartanburg. (864) 596-3501.

24–25 • Spring Water Festival, Mineral Spring Park, Williamston. (864) 847-7361.

24–26 • Upstate Women’s Show, TD Convention Center, Greenville. (864) 250-9713.

25 • The Beach Ball, The Hartness Estate, Greenville.

(864) 334-6223.

25 • Summerfest, downtown, York. (800) 866-5200.

25 • National Parks Founder’s Day, Cowpens National Battlefield, Gaffney. (864) 461-2828.

26 • Portraiture demonstration, Suzy Hart, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville. (864) 271-7570.

30–31 • Upper S.C. State Fair, fairgrounds, Easley/ Greenville. (864) 269-0852.

31 • Midnight Flight run, Anderson Area YMCA, Anderson. (864) 716-6809.

31 • Comin’ Home to Cross Hill Festival, Cross Hill Town Park, Cross Hill. (864) 998-4453.

36

1 • Harvest Day, Living History Farm, Kings Mountain State Park, Blacksburg. (803) 222-3209.

1 • Comin’ Home to Cross Hill Festival, Cross Hill Town Park, Cross Hill. (864) 998-4453.

1–2 • Dacusville Farm Days, Robinson Field, Easley. (864) 836-6893.

1–9 • Upper S.C. State Fair, fairgrounds, Easley/ Greenville. (864) 269-0852.

7–8 • South Carolina Apple Festival, various venues, Westminster. (864) 647-7223.

13–15 • Rudy’s Bluegrass in the Woods, 110 Smith Motors Rd., Belton. (864) 356-3444.

15 • McCormick Gold Rush Festival, downtown, McCormick. (864) 852-2835.

15 • South Greenville Fair Antique Engine and Tractor Show, City Park, Simpsonville. (864) 430-1412.

ONGOING

Daily • Art Gallery at the Fran Hanson Discovery Center, South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson. (864) 656-3405.

Daily • Trail Riding, Croft State Natural Area, Spartanburg. (864) 585-1283.

Daily through Aug. 16 • The Landscape in Painting, Pickens County Museum of Art & History, Pickens. (864) 898-5963.

Daily through Aug. 16 • Steven Bleicher: Route 66, Pickens County Museum of Art & History, Pickens.

(864) 898-5963.

Daily through Aug. 16 • Selvage: New Works by Jim Arendt, Pickens County Museum of Art & History, Pickens. (864) 898-5963.

Tuesdays–Saturdays through Sept. 1 • Racing Legends of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Regional History Museum, Spartanburg.

(864) 596-3501.

Thursdays and Saturdays through Sept. 1 • Farmers Market, Old Town, Rock Hill. (803) 326-3838.

Saturdays through Sept. 1 • Bluegrass on the Mountain, Hillbilly Grounds, Mountain Rest. (864) 638-9070.

Saturdays through Nov. 3 • Mac-Dufus Dinner Theater Variety Show, Pumpkintown Mountain Opry, Pickens. (864) 836-8141.

Second Saturdays • Music on the Mountain Bluegrass Jams, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878-9813.

Saturdays and Sundays • Museums open 1–5 p.m., Andrew Jackson State Park, Lancaster. (803) 285-3344.

MIDLANDS AUGUST

17–18 • Prosperity’s Hoppin’, downtown, Prosperity. (803) 364-2622.

18 • Jubilee: Festival of Heritage, Mann-Simons Site, Columbia. (803) 252-1770, ext. 26.

19–25 • Schuetzenfest, downtown, Ehrhardt.

(803) 267-5335.

20 • Ken Gabriel, Hopelands Garden, Aiken. (803) 642-7631.

22 • Savannah River Site Public Tour, Center for Hydrogen Research, Aiken. (803) 952-8994 23 • Lunch and Learn Series: Civil War, Sumter County Museum, Sumter.

(803) 775-0908.

24–25 • Sandy Oaks Pro Rodeo, Lazy J Arena, Edgefield. (803) 637-5369.

25 • Aiken Arts Alive, Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken. (803) 641-9094.

25 • Last Saturday at the Park, Living History Park of North Augusta, North Augusta. (803) 279-7560.

27 • Aiken Concert Band, Hopelands Garden, Aiken. (803) 642-7631.

30 • Savannah River Site Public Tour, Center for Hydrogen Research, Aiken. (803) 952-8994 31 • Fifth Friday, The Alley, Aiken. (803) 641-1111.

SEPTEMBER

2 • Main Street Latin Festival, Main Street, Columbia. (803) 348-0749.

7–8 • Jazz Under the Stars, State House lawn, Columbia. (803) 400-1879.

7–8 • Aiken’s Makin’ Festival, The Parkways of Park Avenue, Aiken. (803) 649-1200.

8 • Trash to Treasures yard and sidewalk sales, throughout town, Elloree. (803) 897-2821.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

13–16 • Columbia’s Greek Festival, corner of Sumter and Calhoun streets, Columbia. (803) 461-0248.

14–15 • Lee County Cotton Festival, ball park, Bishopville. (803) 484-5145.

15 • Palmetto Aeroplane Classic, Woodward Field, Camden. (803) 420-8214.

15 • Bike with a Park Ranger, Lee State Park, Bishopville. (803) 428-4988.

15 • Animal Enrichment Day, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Columbia. (803) 978-1113.

ONGOING

Daily • Trail Riding, Kings Mountain State Park, Blacksburg. (803) 222-3209.

Daily • Trail Riding, Lee State Park, Bishopville. (803) 428-5307.

Daily • Trail Riding, Poinsett State Park, Wedgefield. (803) 494-8177.

Daily, except Thanksgiving & Christmas • SOS Planet Showing, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden’s 3-D Adventure Theater, Columbia. (803) 779-8717.

Daily, except Mondays • Living History Days, Historic Brattonsville, McConnells.

(803) 684-2327.

Daily, except Mondays • Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 799-2810.

Daily, except Mondays and major holidays • Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site, Camden. (803) 432-9841.

Daily, through Oct. 6 • Blooming Butterflies, Edventure Children’s Museum, Columbia. (803) 779-3100.

Second Tuesdays • Family Night $1 Admission, Edventure Children’s Museum, Columbia. (803) 779-3100.

Fourth Thursdays • Tales for Tots, Edventure Children’s Museum, Columbia. (803) 779-3100.

Saturdays • Behind-theScenes Adventure Tours, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Columbia. (803) 978-1113.

Second Saturdays • Children’s Art Program, Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter. (803) 775-0543.

Last Saturdays through August • 18th-Century Life Interpretations, Living History Park of North Augusta. (803) 279-7650.

Saturdays and Sundays • Gallery Tour, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 799-2810.

Sundays • Sunday Brunch & Jazz Series, Senate’s End, Columbia. (803) 748-4144.

Daily, by appointment • Overnights and Night Howls, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Columbia. (803) 779-8717, ext. 1113.

LOWCOUNTRY AUGUST

18 • Charleston Pub Crawl, downtown, Charleston. (843) 991-1418.

18 • Reggae Nights, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 795-7275.

18 • Pier Tournament, Folly Beach Fishing Pier, Folly Beach. (843) 762-9946.

19 • Bulls Island Beach Drop, Bulls Island Ferry & Ecotour, Awendaw. (843) 884-7684.

23 • Yappy Hour, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 795-7275.

24 • Movies at the Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795-4386.

24–25 • Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival, Embassy Suites, North Charleston. (843) 814-0101.

25 • Race for the Ark, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Summerville. (843) 832-2357.

31 • Hilton Head Island Celebrity Golf Tournament, various golf courses, Hilton Head Island. (843) 842-7711.

31 • Edisto Beach Fish & Shag Fest, Bay Creek Park, Edisto Beach. (843) 869-3867.

31 • Labor Day Weekend Trail Ride, Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Johns Island. (843) 768-5867.

SEPTEMBER

1 • Edisto Beach Fish & Shag Fest, Bay Creek Park, Edisto Beach. (843) 869-3867.

1 • Cooper River Challenge Pier Tournament, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795-4386.

1–2 • Hilton Head Island Celebrity Golf Tournament, various golf courses, Hilton Head Island. (843) 842-7711.

1–3 • Labor Day Weekend Trail Ride, Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Johns Island. (843) 768-5867.

8 • South Carolina’s Largest Garage Sale, Myrtle Beach Area Convention Center, Myrtle Beach. (843) 918-1235.

8 • Shaggin’ on the Cooper, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795-4386.

13–16 • Mozart in the South, various venues, Charleston. (843) 763-4941.

14–16 • Yemassee Shrimp Festival, downtown, Yemassee. (843) 589-2120.

15 • Aynor Harvest Hoe-Down, downtown, Aynor. (843) 358-1074.

15 • Charleston Scottish Games & Highland Gathering, Boone Hall Plantation, Mt. Pleasant. (843) 884-4371.

15 • Coastal Island Horse Show, Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Johns Island. (843) 768-5867.

ONGOING

Daily • Trail Riding, Cheraw State Park, Cheraw. (843) 537-9656.

Daily, except Christmas • Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-6000.

Daily, except major holidays • Parris Island Museum, Beaufort.

(843) 228-2166.

Daily • Nature Center, Hunting Island State Park, Hunting Island. (843) 838-7437.

Daily, except Christmas • Self-guided Colonial tours, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852-4205.

Daily, through Oct. 28 • National Sculpture Society Annual Awards Exhibition, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet. (800) 849-1931.

Tuesdays, through Aug. 28 • 10 p.m. fireworks, Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach. (843) 444-3200.

Tuesdays, through Oct. 16 • Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, Coleman Boulevard, Mount Pleasant. (843) 884-8517.

Tuesdays–Saturdays • Education Center displays and programs, Myrtle Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach. (843) 238-5325.

Fridays through Dec. 8 • Hilton Head Farmers Market, Historic Honey Horn, Hilton Head Island. (843) 785-2767.

Saturdays–Tuesdays • Mansion Tours, Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, McClellanville. (843) 546-9361.

Saturdays through October • Lawn Mower Racing, MCK/Cyclone Speedway, Bennettsville. (910) 334-6638.

SCHumorMe

By Jan A. Igoe

Yeah, bring on the zombies I overheard a conversation (OK, I was eavesdropping) between my daughter and her boyfriend, who is reading everything he can get his eyeballs on about the Zombie Apocalypse. He knows it’s coming— faces are already being slurped in Florida—and he wants to be ready.

My daughter, on the other hand, thinks he’s nuts. (She has a six-figure I.Q. and he is, well, awfully cute.)

“OK, but when they’re eating your face off, you’ll be glad I’ve got my crossbow ready,” Boyfriend says with sincere, slobbering affection.

My daughter remains totally expressionless, advising him to stop getting his news from stupididiot.com, but it’s too late. The latest zombie e-blast has imprinted intense phobic fear on Boyfriend’s acquiescent brain, which also readily absorbs tweets about vampire attacks.

Here’s what’s he’s been tracking in Florida: l A dozen high school students broke out in a mysterious, perhaps zombie-induced rash. Now in my day, cold sores and potentially fatal infectious diseases were the school nurse’s purview. Her entire medical cabinet consisted of six tongue depressors and a box of Band-Aids. But it didn’t really matter. Whether we were diagnosed with head lice or broken legs, she’d blame the cafeteria meatloaf, which was usually a safe bet. Today, schools

38

call HazMat, three fire departments, six mayors and the Centers for Disease Control, who still couldn’t figure out what caused the rash. But nobody’s ruled out meatloaf. l A mysterious chemical caused breathing problems for five passengers, closing an international airport

terminal and screwing up another 9,732 unaffected travelers. Best guess is a spray can exploded, affecting all five noses within sniffing distance.

But Boyfriend recognizes the work of zombies with aerosol weapons when he reads it. l An anesthesiologist was pulled over by the highway patrol only to fail a sobriety test. Even if it were graded on a curve, this guy flunked big time.

Getting comfy for his free ride to jail, the sleep doc decided to bang his head until he slurped enough gushing

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | August 2012 | scliving.coop

blood to spit at the arresting officers.

Now everybody knows that zombies always end up in hospitals ­infecting all the astute medical ­professionals who didn’t graduate at the top of their class. Boyfriend says they’re the first to go. To a zombie, this guy was Dr. Appetizer.

There have also been random reports of bath salts causing cannibalism, if you’re stupid enough to eat them. I tried to reassure Boyfriend that my mom spent years marinating in a tub of Calgon, since it was the only brat-proof—if not zombie-proof—fortress in the house. And to the best of my knowledge, she never ate anyone.

Boyfriend still wants to play it safe and has my daughter promise to shower, not soak.

Personally, I’m just glad this stuff is happening in Florida and not South Carolina. Zombies are never good for business. It’s tourist season and we don’t need any uninvited carnivores making canapes out of cashpaying guests from Iowa. We have sharks for that.

Meanwhile, I’m staying close to Boyfriend and his weapons, just in case. If you haven’t got a crossbow handy, you might want to avoid meatloaf. is a writer and illustrator from Horry County. Share your best zombie survival tips with her at HumorMe@SCLiving.coop.

Jan A. Igoe

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