Lake Wylie Today, Summer 2020

LakeWylie TODAY Summer 2020 | Issue 2

Safe Harbor

River Hills Marina serves Lake Wylie community on many levels

Gorgeous Giants Take a walk through some amazing sunflowers

Chamber Spotlight Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce news and information

WE GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE DESIGN, SELECTION, AND BUILD OF YOUR NEW HOME

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Ask about our Signature Home Series!

To all our Friends, Family, Clients, and Business Associates, As we enjoy the beautiful Summertime in our little piece of paradise called Lake Wylie, our hearts go out to all those who have suffered and may still be suffering from the Covid-19 Pandemic.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to patronize our local businesses and contribute where possible to support our amazing Community. We feel blessed to be a part of Lake Wylie for over 33 years and look forward to healthier days for all.

Sincerely, Laurie and Doug McSpadden

McSpadden Homes & McSpadden Design Center 548 Nautical Drive, Ste. 201 • Lake Wylie, SC 29710 704.825.7324 • McSpaddenHomes.com

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Our View

Our view for Summer 2020 N

By Susan Bromfield, President, Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

o one could have predicted what was to come in 2020 and how it would change things so quickly. This will definitely be a different summer, with precautions taken at home and in businesses.

We have seen an outpouring of caring from our community during this difficult time. The Clover School District has done a wonderful job of adapting to convert to do e-learning, operate school buses, deliver meals for students in need and provide internet access while the buses are parked in strategic rural areas where few, if any, have internet access. Volunteers have stepped up to deliver the meals to many.

Citizens, churches, community groups and businesses have stepped up to organize food drives to help the less fortunate and to deliver food to area healthcare professionals. Above all, when tough times come — and they always do — our community and its businesses reach out to help others.

The one thing we do know is we have a beautiful and caring community. We are in it together to help each other as neighbors and to support our businesses, and we will work to come through this challenging time even stronger.

This will be a different summer, for sure.

We will be more cautious, more wellness-conscious, and we may not want to travel far. We may want to stay closer to home and create summer experiences locally. We are fortunate to have so many recreational opportunities

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nearby. We don’t need to go to Italy, or to California to the Wine Country, for a wonderful agri-tourism experience. A drive through the countryside to see the orchards and visit farm stands, strawberry fields and produce locations can be easily done. This issue of Lake Wylie Today features a story about growing sunflowers and the cheer they bring. There is nothing better than enjoying the bounty of summer.

Lake Wylie and the surrounding area affords a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the lake lifestyle, recreational opportunities and sweet summer experiences. This may be a summer for staycations to be popular. It can be a drive through the country to South Forty Farm, located on Highway 274, to see the miniature horses and “designer chickens” while enjoying the authentic experience of buying farm-fresh produce. The Peach Tree, located in Filbert, a community located between Clover and York on Highway 321, also features local fresh produce and a large variety of peaches. The Peach Tree is a farm stand and ice cream shop reminiscent of days gone by. It is sweet and simple, a quaint building and outdoor farm stand filled with fresh summer produce. Bush N Vine offers homegrown tomatoes and vegetables. It’s a treat for all ages to enjoy that beautiful drive through the country to reach a local farm stand and experience the feeling of days gone by.

If you are not into farm fresh and a country experience, Lake Wylie is a summer playground for boating, waterskiing, kayaking,

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

canoeing and fishing. There are many ways to enjoy the lake in summer, with or without a boat. Social distancing and precautions for health and safety need to be followed.

Of course, it is summertime and the highlight of the season for many is the Lake Wylie Community Fireworks show, to be held this year on July 3. These are community fireworks so please send contributions to Camp Thunderbird Fireworks Fund, One Thunderbird Lane, Lake Wylie, SC 29710 to ensure this tradition continues.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the many summer festivals, events and large gatherings have been canceled. At the time of this writing, the many lake accesses, boat landings and launches, and state parks are open. Minutes away are parks such as Kings Mountain for a camping and hiking experience, and swimming on the lake at Ebenezer Park when it opens again. One can experience rural areas, water sports and camping all in a short drive.

For many with so much time at home, gardens are being planted and decks and patios spruced up for summer. The Food for Thought section features mojitos you can make at home and the dining guide has contact information for all the local restaurants to make ordering take out or checking hours of operation easy.

Support our local businesses this summer and enjoy time together whatever you do.

We invite you to enjoy reading this summer issue of Lake Wylie Today. LW

Contents Summer 2020

2 Our View Community unites to face challenge 8 Mailbag 16 Shoreline

River Hills Marina safeguards its future – and the lake’s, too

22 Food for Thought

Make your own and celebrate National Mojito Day

28 Garden Party

Lake Wylie resident grows mammoth sunflowers with plenty to share

34 Feature

Longstanding church adopts a new name to grow with Lake Wylie community

38 Feature

Lake Wylie mom mobilizes York County to strengthen foster families

44 Feature

20 things about Lake Wylie you didn’t know … but now you will

51 Development Update

LakeWylie TODAY

www.LakeWylieToday.com Published by SC Biz News Lake Wylie Today Editor - Jim Tatum jtatum@scbiznews.com • 864.720.2269 Creative Director - Ryan Wilcox production1@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3117 Graphic Designer - Andrew Sprague asprague@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3128 Advertising Sales - Jane DuBois jane@lakewylietoday.com • 704.287.8668

Contributing Editors Susan Bromfield President, Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce susan@lakewyliesc.com • 803.831.2827 Jane DuBois jane@lakewylietoday.com • 704.287.8668

Contributing Writers Susan Bromfield Michael Harrison Jan Todd Kathy Widenhouse Contributing Photographers Susan Bromfield Jane DuBois Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Jan Todd Kathy Widenhouse

The entire contents of this publication are copyright by NWS Company LLC with all rights reserved.

Any reproduction or use of the content within this publication without permission is prohibited.

54 Spotlight

The magazine of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

64 Southern Twang

A look at the Southern side by Jan Todd

Cover and Table of Contents photos by Jan Todd 4 www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

1439 Stuart Engals Blvd., Suite 200 Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 843.849.3100 • Fax: 843.849.3122 www.scbiznews.com

Drew Choate 803-818-0704 www.TheLakeWylieMan.com

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Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Mailbag Did you just catch a fish? Celebrate your 50th wedding anniversary? Are you participating in a charity event or community fundraiser? Where did you go on your last family outing? Whether you just celebrated a major milestone or are gearing up to give back, part of our goal with Lake Wylie Today is to provide a platform for our community to share what’s happening in the community through stories and photos. We want to celebrate with you, laugh with you and build memories with you. Please email photos and stories to smcdaniel@scbiznews.com .

Local Food Drive (From left) Carmen Quesada, Bobbie Otto and Ray Virella, all of Greater Lake Wylie Progressives, are thrilled with the community’s participation in GLWP’s food drive to benefit Clover Area Assistance Center. The drive, held on May 9, collected hundreds of pounds of food and a generous $3,500 in contributions. All will go directly to helping food-insecure folks in the Clover area who are especially affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yorick

Carpenter

Eagle Scouts Adrian Yorick – Adrian completed an Eagle project at Christ the King Church in Charlotte. He extended a patio/firepit area to add an 18’ X 26’ picnic area.

Garrett Carpenter – Garrett completed an Eagle Project at Holy Comforter Lu8

Scott

Nishimuta

theran Church in Belmont, NC. He added landscaping and a picnic table to their playground.

JJ Scott – JJ completed an Eagle Project at New River Church in Lake Wylie. He built a set of earth stairs leading to their amphitheater classroom. Benches were also installed.

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Nathan Nishimuta – Nathan completed

Fowler

an Eagle Project at Allison Creek Presbyterian Church. He cleared a section of woods near a waterfall at the church to add landscaping and leveling for a picnic area.

Zach Fowler – Zach completed an Eagle Project at Allison Creek Presbyterian Church. He redesigned a natural area in the parking lot at the church and added several landscape plantings based upon his design.

Mailbag

Graduation at Hounds Drive-in Clover School District will host graduation at Hounds Drive-In Theater in Kings Mountain, N.C., at 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 4.

Lake Wylie Community Fireworks Friday, July 3 What: Fantastic Fireworks Display

When: Friday, July 3, 2020

Time: Approximately 9:30 pm

Where: Lake Wylie by the Buster Boyd Bridge S.C. Hwy. 49 at Lake Wylie

Best Viewing: The Buster Boyd Bridge Boat Landing Papa Doc’s Shore Club on outside deck Rey Azteca deck at Lake Wylie Plaza Lake Wylie Italian and Pizza on patio at Lake Wylie Plaza Bagel Boat Long Cove Resort We all enjoy the fireworks each year. Since Lake Wylie Community Fireworks Display is funded solely through donations, your support of this wonderful event is really needed in order for the event to continue. Please send your contribution in any amount now to: Camp Thunderbird Fireworks Fund One Thunderbird Lane Lake Wylie, SC 29710

Thanks very much for your support!

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Mailbag Clover School District bus drivers (left) have played an integral part in helping Clover School District deliver meals through pandemic. Each day they assist the food services department to load meals on to their buses to meet the students.

Lending a hand

D

r. Quinn joined our outstanding volunteers to help hand out lunches to students within the Clover School District. Clover School District has handed out 86,272 meals to our students.

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Mailbag

From left, Josh the Otter (Zack Bordeaux, son of Rotarian Chad Bordeaux), President-Elect Anne Violanti, and President Amy Gulig Strong.

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he Lake Wylie Rotarians were very happy to get together (while practicing social distancing) to draw the winners of the Green with Rotary Raffle. The raffle was originally scheduled for March 17. Due to Covid19, they were unable to meet and the drawing was postponed. In mid-May, they were finally able to enjoy fun and fellowship while still social distancing to draw the winners. The grand prize was $5,000 cash and there were 25 additional prizes valued at $100 each. Our generous donors and the winners are listed on our website, lakewylierotary.org. Join us next year for a chance to win!

Banding Together

T

he food services department has risen to the occasion to help ensure the students of the Clover School District receive meals. They have not missed a day, including working through what would have been a regularly scheduled Spring Break.

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Mailbag

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New park to open in August

C

onstruction on the Lake Wylie Recreation Park, known as The Field Day Park at Lake Wylie, is nearing completion. Construction started on the park, located at 1101 Field Day Lane in Clover, in 2019.

The Field Day Park at Lake Wylie is a 32acre recreation complex in the Paddlers Cove subdivision. Opening in the summer of 2020, the park’s amenities provide numerous opportunities for individuals and families, as well as team sports.

The idea behind this park is to appeal a little bit to everyone. Baseball/softball fields and multipurpose (soccer, lacrosse, and flag football) fields provide numerous opportunities for youth and adult sports along with opportunities for parents and children just to come out to a field to play. Children will be able to enjoy a fenced-in playground with seating for parents.

In addition, pickleball courts are available.

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Mailbag

The park will have two shelters that may be used for any type of outdoor event. In addition a 2,800-square-foot community center that houses offices, kitchen/concession stand, bathrooms, and a 75-person capacity indoor venue and covered patio area with picnic table seating.

“This park will become the gold standard for sports parks. I attend many lacrosse and soccer tournaments throughout the East Coast, and now have the quality this one will have,” said Ed Lindsey, Sports Park Board Member.

Some amenities include: • Modern playground area • Three baseball/softball fields with synthetic infields and natural grass outfields • Three multi-purpose synthetic fields • Walking trails • Shelters • Building to house scorers, restrooms and concessions • Community building • Six pickleball courts LW Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Shoreline

Safe Harbor River Hills Marina Safeguards its Future – and the Lake’s

Story and photos by Kathy Widenhouse

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Shoreline Fishing boats, pleasure boats, house boats and personal watercraft fill 200plus slips at River Hills Marina.

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Shoreline

I

f you boat regularly on Lake Wylie, you know where to find River Hills Marina Club. It’s just off Lake Wylie’s main channel, three coves south of the Buster Boyd Bridge.

The stop has become a regular for boaters where they fill their gas tanks and the kids get an ice cream at the docks lining the marina’s Pier 88. But it’s also home for about 210 sailboats, power boats, houseboats, and jet skis moored in year-round slips. And 20 small business owners maintain offices at the

marina complex, where they take in the spectacular view each day at the office.

Even so, plenty of locals – even River Hills residents – aren’t aware of this hidden gem tucked away inside the community.

For more than four decades, its guardians have purposefully worked to preserve the marina’s tranquility and accessibility, as well as the health of the beautiful lake it fronts. And now they’ve put into place ways to sustain this peaceful oasis for many years to come.

Safeguarding the Marina’s Tranquility The marina complex opened in 1973 to much fanfare. Called Moore’s Landing, it included 178 boat slips and a gas dock, along with a convenience store, shower/locker room, and a club room for get-togethers. Regulars sat on rocking chairs outside the club room, facing the cove, and watched boats come and go. A clay court racquet club and pro shack rounded out the facility.

Five years later, owner Sea Pines Corporation prepared to sell the property. Concerned patrons who had enjoyed the marina’s quiet tranquility feared that in the hands of an investor, the property would become overrun with boat sales, condominiums, commercial enterprises, and a host of security issues.

Meanwhile, naysayers claimed that the peaceful waterfront mecca was too large and complicated to be operated by a volunteer nonprofit organization.

The naysayers were wrong.

A group of River Hills residents formed the “Committee to Save the Marina,” incorporated as the River Hills Marina Club, and raised funds to purchase the property title in November 1978.

The non-profit organization has continued to operate the marina ever since. Today, it is led by an all-volunteer nine-member board of directors.

Safeguarding the Marina’s Usability The Club’s current board president, Jake Taylor, retired to River Hills in 2007. When he went to the Charlotte Boat Show “just to look” and came home with a boat, Jake needed a place to dock it. He became a member of the River Hills in Marina Club in 2008 and was invited to join its board of directors in 2010.

The board oversees Club operations, which include managing covered and open mooring slips for sailboats, jet skis, bow riders, ski boats, bass boats, pontoons, cruisers and houseboats, offering round the clock security and protected dockage, and maintaining accessibility to a clubhouse and facilities on the waterfront property. When the board looked to the future, the directors recognized the need to create a sustainability plan to preserve the facility long term for the Club’s 220 members, Taylor said.

“We asked each other, ‘How can we run this Club for our membership, provide the amenities they appreciate, and keep fees as reasonable as possible?’” Taylor said.

One member suggested converting the main floor of the clubhouse, then used 18

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Shoreline largely as a meeting room, into a member center which could double as a rental venue.

That was about five years ago. “Once we decided to renovate, we moved pretty fast,” Taylor said. Board members advised about architecture, design, and furniture. Today, the member center, with its panoramic lake view, full caterer’s kitchen, and expansive deck offers a gathering place where members can relax after a day on the lake.

The center also provides an income stream for the club. Members, River Hills residents and non-residents alike rent the facility for events like day-long conferences, weddings, memorial services, baby showers, family reunions, birthday parties and more. The center accommodates parties of up to 140 guests.

“It’s an ideal venue, but many people don’t know about it,” Taylor said. “Our rates are reasonable, especially when compared with other venues. And it’s got a killer view.”

Part of the club’s renovation project included upgrades to the property’s Eddie Knox Pavilion, a covered facility with a spectacular main channel view, that can host catered events for 200. The pavilion, too, provides rental income for the club. And the marina complex renovation covered updates to the office spaces, which now accommodate twenty small businesses including a surveyor, water damage restoration firm, counselor, and attorney.

Dianne Cloer, the club’s dock master, manages both tenant and slip rentals, which are open to both River Hills residents and non-residents. “Before the renovation, very few of the offices were rented,” Cloer said.

“Now we are full and have a waiting list.”

Safeguarding the Lake

At top, the Pier 88 dock; at center, the River Hills Marina Club Member Center; and above and right, the Member Center caterer’s kitchen.

Self-described “river rats,” Paul and Rikki Herrmann want others to enjoy the lake as much as they do. Herrmanns operate Pier 88 in the marina complex, the only location on Lake Wylie with a full-service fuel dock.

Three-quarters of Pier 88’s business is from non-marina members.

“We get new customers every week.,” Paul said. “When they pull up, we offer dock lines and dock hands in case boaters want us to fuel their boat.”

Their love for the lake led Herrmanns to pursue South Carolina’s Clean Marina designation for the marina complex.

“The Clean Marina certification shows that the marina is a safe operation and cares about the environment,” Paul said. “It recognizes that the marina is doing its part to protect the Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Shoreline water quality and surrounding environment.”

To achieve the designation, a marina undergoes a rigorous inspection from top to bottom, including run off, pump out, and fueling procedures.

River Hills Marina was the first inland marina in South Carolina to be awarded the Clean Marina designation and undergoes review every two years to ensure that it is in compliance.

“We take a great deal of pride in that certification,” adds Board president Jake Taylor.

That and the safe harbor setting, situated in a protected cove and designated as a NoWake Zone, make the marina a favorite destination on the lake for families, one where children can get a snack while parents chat with friends. Pier 88 also offers pontoon boat and kayak rentals, free pump out service, The Ships Store with boating equipment and apparel, a casual café, and tow boat services.

“There’s nothing better than seeing families enjoy this beautiful lake,” says Paul Herrmann.

“We want to do our part to make that happen.”

Safeguarding the Marina’s Future River Hills Marina’s Clean Marina designation includes safe fishing line disposal.

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More than four decades ago, the Committee to Save the Marina placed the marina

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

in the capable hands of those who use it and set into motion a way to preserve its serenity, long-term viability, and its environmental cleanliness.

“I have seen almost all of the other marinas on Lake Wylie, and I can tell you that far and away, we’re the best on the lake,” Taylor said.

“This is my favorite place on earth.”

Thanks to the careful oversight of the marina’s stewards both then and now, the marina doesn’t advertise.

Its patrons do it instead. LW

FOR MORE INFO

River Hills Marina Club

54 Marina Road Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803-831-1802 www.riverhillsmarina.com

Pier 88

165 Heritage Drive Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803-831-0088 pier88yachtclub.com Drop By With Your Boat!

Shoreline

Where to…get your Fishing Licenses

A

fishing license is required for anyone age 16 or older when fishing in any public water, including coastal waters, in both Carolinas. Purchase NC licenses by calling 888248-6834 or at www.ncwildlife.org. SC licenses are available at www.dnr.sc.gov or by calling 803734-3833. A 7 day license can be purchased for out of state visitors. Must have a valid state ID.

Pendleton’s Sporting Goods 5930 Charlotte Highway Clover, SC 29710 (Highway 49 near “Five Points”) 803-631-5410

River Stop Food Mart 3900 Mt. Gallant Road Rock Hill, SC 29732 803-329-0002

Wal-Mart - Lake Wylie

… Rent A Boat April - Labor Day Pier 88

River Hills Marina Gas Dock 803-831-0088 • www.pier88yachtclub.com

Tega Cay Marina

175 SC-274 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803-831-2115

803-548-3715 • www.tegacaymarina.com

Wal-Mart - Newport

704-557-0848 • www.carefreeboats.com

CareFree Boat Club

4875 Old York Rd Rock Hill, SC 29732 803-323-2080

704-516-2674 • www.lakewylieboatrental.com

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Lake Wylie Boat Rental

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NEED A TOW? Sea Tow

www.seatow.com • 704-895-8699

Tow Boat U.S.-Lake Wylie

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Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Food for Thought

Mojito Magic

Make Your Own and Celebrate National Mojito Day Story and photos by Kathy Widenhouse

Muddy River Carolina Basil Mojito.

(Photo/ Caroline Delaney) 22

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Food for Thought

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Food for Thought

I

f you want a perfect mixed drink for summer days, make a mojito.

The traditional summer cocktail originated in the Caribbean to our south, but this refreshing combination of sweet and citrus, mingled with rum and sparking water and laced with fresh mint, is particularly suited to our long, hot Carolina season.

With National Mojito Day celebrated on July 11 and your garden’s fresh mint at its peak, you have an excuse to dig out your cocktail shaker and make a few mojitos to enjoy on your deck or patio. You can personalize your mojito with fresh fruits or mix a large pitcher to serve to friends.

You can even go local and use a rum made on the shores of Lake Wylie, just a few miles up the road.

A sampling of rums offered at Lake Wylie Liquors.

Making a Mojito: It’s Not Hard Bartenders claim that mojitos “take too long to make,” but that’s only in comparison to pulling a draft beer.

In reality, mixing up a mojito is simple, which means it’s the perfect cocktail to make at home. A traditional version has five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, club soda, and fresh muddled mint. If a specialty mojito calls for fresh fruits or herbs, those go into the shaker, too, before mixing it all together.

But wait. Lime juice, soda water, and sugar are simple to understand. But what is muddled mint … and what’s this business about rum that’s got to be “white”?

Muddled Mint and White Rum Two mojito ingredients deserve a bit of your attention.

The first is fresh mint. You’ll miss out on most of the flavor in your mojito if you simply pluck a spring of fresh mint from your herb bed and jam it into your highball glass.

Instead, up your freshness quotient by using a technique called “muddling.” Place mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, large metal cup, or metal bowl. Use a wooden cocktail muddler or wooden spoon to gently mash the leaves a few times, but not enough to crush them into a pulp. Muddling releases extract oils from the mint to bind with the rum and blend with the other flavors in your concoction.

With muddled mint in hand, why is “white” rum a mojito’s rum of choice?

Rum is made from cane sugar and its byproducts, produced in different grades when fermented, distilled, and aged in oak barrels.

Dark rums are aged longer and may be fla24

vored with caramelized sugar or molasses – hence, the darker color. Meanwhile, light rums, also referred to as “silver” or “white,” are filtered multiple times before bottling. A light rum’s sweet flavor is a perfect foil to the citrusy lime in a mojito.

“Anyone can make a mojito at home,” Matthew Mugavero of Lake Wylie Liquors said. “A good rum is the key. And we have excellent local versions.” Muddy Distillery in Belmont, featured in Travel & Leisure, CNN iReport, and GoCarolinas.com, produces six kinds of award-winning rum in its facility that fronts Lake Wylie. Several dozen additional brands of rum line Lake Wylie Liquor shelves with flavors ranging from banana to coconut, black cherry, mango, passion fruit, peach, raspberry, and vanilla bean.

If you’re in a hurry to make a mojito or if you don’t want to mess with the muddling and sweet syrup, Lake Wylie Liquors offers handcrafted premade mojito mixes. “For those, all you need to add is the rum,” Mugavero said.

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

“Mojito? You Should Try It” To understand the mojito’s origins, you need a quick history lesson. Slaves on the Caribbean’s sugarcane plantations discovered that molasses, a by-product of sugar cane, could be fermented into a zesty alcoholic precursor of today’s rum. Soon, distilleries sprang up across the islands and up and down the colonial America east coast to meet the demand.

Even George Washington insisted upon ordering a barrel of Barbados rum to serve to guests at his 1789 inauguration.

And while rum is exported from all points in the Caribbean, Cuba is considered the birthplace of the mojito cocktail — although its roots are somewhat sketchy.

At least three episodes are a part of the mojito’s legacy. The first links the drink to African slaves working in the Cuban sugar cane fields, where they developed a concoction from “aguardiente de cana” (literally, “firewater of the sugar cane”). Some prepared it as a medicinal drink made from a crude form

Food for Thought

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Muddy River Distillery on Lake Wylie produces six award-winning rums. of rum or “Cuban moonshine,” using fresh mint, sugar, and lime. The prefix mojo is an African form of the word “magic,” referring to a tribal medicine man. That term became associated with the mojito and added to its mystery.

Then English sea captain Sir Robert Drake and his privateers visited Cuba in the 16th century, where locals introduced him to the brew. Records show that a mixed drink called “El Draque” become popular after that time.

Fast forward to the founding of Bacardi’s distillery in Santiago de Cuba’s port in 1862 – opening up worldwide distribution – followed by Ernest Hemingway’s visit to Cuba in the 1920s. There, as the story goes, the mojito allegedly became the Nobel Prize-winning novelist’s favorite cocktail. Hemingway left a quote on the wall at Havana’s La Bodeguita del Medio restaurant that reads, “My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Florida,” which propelled the mojito to recognition.

As the Hispanic population in the U.S. grew in the second half of the 20th century, so did the popularity of its foods and drinks. Along came the new Latino food craze in the 1990s and soon, the mojito was mainstreamed.

More recently, the mojito has gained even more notoriety when the cocktail was featured in the James Bond film, “Die Another Day” (2002). In a famous beach bar scene, Agent 007 flirts with federal agent Jinx, saying, “Mojito? You should try it.”

Plenty of us take that advice, particularly on July 11. That’s when bartenders of all stripes roll up their sleeves and muddle some mint to make mojitos on National Mojito Day. Perhaps you should, too. LW

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25

Food for Thought

Mojito?

You Should Try It Try these mojito recipes from your local connoisseurs.

Lily’s Mojito

Courtesy of Jerry Simonini at Lily’s Bistro (Lake Wylie, SC) Muddle 1 lemon wedge, 1 lime wedge, and 2 mint leaves Add 2 ounces simple syrup, 1.5 ounces Muddy River white rum (go local!), and ½ ounce buffalo trace bourbon Top with soda Shake gently Pour over ice Garnish with mint leaves and lime wedge www.facebook.com/LilysLakeWylie

Muddy River Carolina Basil Mojito For variety, substitute basil and lemon for mint and lime Courtesy of Caroline Delaney at Muddy River Distillery (Belmont, NC)

26

Muddle 4 large basil leaves (the more the merrier) Add 2 ounces Muddy River Distillery’s Basil Carolina Rum Add ½ ounce lemon juice Top with club soda (you can substitute lemon-lime soda or lemonade) Shake gently Fill glass with ice and pour mojito over Garnish with a spring of basil or lemon wheel www.muddyriverdistillery.com

MORE MOJITO MAKING IDEAS Interchange mint with basil, rosemary, or your favorite fresh herb.

Substitute lime with another citrus fruit, such as pineapple, lemon, mango, or orange.

Try lemon-line soda or another sparkling beverage in place of club soda.

Make a “cojito” by adding coconut flavoring or using coconut-flavored rum.

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Dining Guide Jersey Mike’s

Pier 88 at River Hills Marina

511 Nautical Drive Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-5555

604 Nautical Drive, Suite 101 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0912

54 Marina Rd Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0088

Azteca Grill

Kochi Japanese Steakhouse

Pizza Hut

Arby’s

604 Nautical Dr. Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-8930

Bagel Boat – Bagels 4090 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-5995

Best China 5243 Hwy 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-5540

Bojangles 4927 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-9346

Cherry – Asian Cuisine 4034 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-9594

Christopher’s Bar and Grille 1500 Village Harbor Dr. Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2461

Copper Premium Pub 4516 Charlotte Highway Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 701-7021

Domino’s Pizza 125 E Evergreen Rd Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-7075

Dunkin Donuts 335 Vesla Lane Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 675-6044

Famous Toastery of Lake Wylie 5217 Highway 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 675-6000

Fast Frog Bakery 54 Highway 55E Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803)209-2065

5360 Highway 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 610-0146

Rey Azteca Mexican

Lake Wylie Bowl N Bounce

4052 Charlotte Highway Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-9277

4034 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2553

Lake Wylie Italian and Pizza 4074 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0855

Lee’s Hoagie House 312 Bulkhead Way Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 619-4046

Lily’s Bistro 4547 Charlotte Highway Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 701-7788

McDonalds 5262 Highway 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803)831-0577

Moe’s Southwest Grill 312 Bulkhead Way #105 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 398-1663

Panda Hut 144 Highway 274 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 631-1988

Papa Doc’s Shore Club 3990 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803-831-0043

Papa Johns 221 Latitude Lane Suite 101 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0101

5241 Hwy 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-1188

River Hills Country Club 1 Country Club Dr. Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2126

Starbucks 1201 Village Harbor Drive, #101 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (704) 591-5361

Subway 5245 Hwy 557 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0143

Sweetwater Grille 4582 Charlotte Highway Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-1788

Taco Bell at Lake Wylie 311 Vesla Lane Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 701-7068

Thai Fusion 125 Evergreen Road Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 746-5047

Waffle House 5013 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0315

Wendy’s 5188 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710-8099 (803) 831-2687

Zaxby’s 143 SC-274 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2634 LW Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

27

Garden Party Randy Conger’s sunflowers in full bloom. (Photo/ John Cosmas)

28

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Garden Party

Lake Wylie Resident Grows Mammoth Sunflowers with Plenty to Share

By Kathy Widenhouse

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

29

Garden Party

S

unflowers have become wildly popular in home gardens throughout the south, both for their beauty and their practicality.

And now, residents of Willow Pond in Lake Wylie have a front row seat to a glorious summer spectacle: sensational Mammoth sunflowers lining two hundred feet in front of Randy and Melanie Conger’s home.

The giants tower 12-15 feet high, a sight that’s enough to make neighbors slow their cars to gawk, stare, and even snap pictures throughout late June and into July.

“They’re beautiful,” Willow Pond resident Kim Yarmoluk said. “It’s such a treat to drive by and see them every day.”

Why Grow Giants?

Growing the gorgeous giants is fairly new to Randy Conger, in spite of his Iowa childhood on a cattle farm. Back then, he helped his father manage Red Angus and Hereford cross breeding schedules.

During the intervening decades, Randy has been busy running his chiropractic practice (Tega Cay Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic) and raising his five children with wife Melanie.

But now that the children have moved into young adulthood, Randy has been able to once again dig in the dirt – this time in his front yard.

“I love the taste of a fresh tomato, so I grow a few of my own tomato plants from seedlings,” Randy said. “And I have always wanted to grow giant sunflowers.”

His opportunity came a few years back when the Congers made a trip to Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Lake Wylie. “While we were busy buying zinnia seeds that our daughter wanted to grow for her wedding, Randy scanned the racks,” Melanie said. “He noticed the packs of sunflower seeds and tossed a couple into our basket.”

The first year, admits Randy, he did little more than drop the sunflower seeds into the ground late in the season and water the garden occasionally. “Those plants got to be just six feet tall or so,” he said.

Nevertheless, he had plenty of sunflowers for bouquets to take to his office. And when he saw how much pleasure the flowers brought to his staff and to his patients, Randy decided to get serious.

Sunflower seeds contain large amounts of natural oil which require extra water for germination. And since they’re fast-growing plants, they need extra moisture, too – more than most annuals. Although Randy’s giants 30

Clockwise from top: Randy Conger’s sunflowers from the road (Photo/Kathy Widenhouse); Randy shares his sunflowers with patients at his chiropractic clinic; Randy’s sunflowers bloom in large bunches; and Randy’s sunflowers bloom in abundance for several weeks in June and July. (Photos/Randy Conger and John Cosmas) were stunted that first year, he learned from that experience and became purposeful about planting and watering.

The next spring, he tilled a swath of soil along the entire west-facing front of his property, which captures plenty of sun. As the name suggests, sunflowers need full sun – at least 6-8 hours a day. Much to his neighbors’ pleasure, the sunflower strip faces the road.

Then, Randy amended the soil with an organic mix of peat moss and perlite given to him by friend and hydroponic farmer Mark

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Robinson, owner of Tega Hills Farm (Tega Cay, SC).

During Year 2, he installed drip hoses, which now run the length of the sunflower patch. The hoses are set on a timer to soak the soil around the flowers during the dog days of the Carolina summer, which coincides with sunflower blooming season.

“Sunflowers love sun but they need lots of water, especially during the heat of the season,” Randy said. Watering has made all the difference for his crop, as has the time-release

Garden Party fertilizer he sprinkles down the row every couple of weeks.

Giant Appeal In everyday conversation, the names “sunflower” and “common sunflower” refer to 70 members of the Helianthus Annus species.

They’ve got round, dark center flower heads and petals (“ligules” in horticultural-ese) that range from pale lemon yellow to gold, orange, and deep red.

Their appeal is legendary for both adults and kids because they are quick to germinate and they grow quickly. “Sunflowers rank No. 1 among all the flowers we sell, right up there with zinnias,” said Venelin Dimitrov, flower product manager for seed catalog giant Burpee, explaining that sunflowers come in all shapes and sizes. They take 80-120 days to grow to maturity, depending on the variety.

Which makes Lake Wylie and its immediate surroundings a perfect sunflower environment, given our 200-plus day growing season.

You can plant sunflower seeds directly into the soil in late spring or early summer, any time after our region’s last frost date on April 15.

Mammoth Sunflower, the centerpiece of Randy’s showcase, is the most popular giant sunflower variety in the home garden, thanks to its enormous seed heads that grow up to a foot in diameter.

Two other giant varieties have earned top ranked status among hobbyists. American Giant Hybrid, with plants reaching up to 16 feet tall, is the choice among growers entering competitions. Meanwhile, Skyscraper produces jumbo-sized blooms up to 14 inches across.

But if you don’t have the space for giants or acres to display dramatic numbers, never fear. You can choose and grow other sunflower varieties for your garden – even dwarf varieties – in yellows, oranges, reds, variegated, and bi-colors. These days Randy grows three or four other varieties in addition to Mammoths, planted in terraced rows so all heights can get sun.

Benefits Beyond the Bloom Whether giants or dwarfs or simply the common variety that reaches just five feet, sunflowers offer benefits beyond their dramatic midsummer color in the garden.

Randy and Melanie cut indoor bouquets for friends, patients, and members of the chiropractic office staff. They choose flower heads on the main stem, just before they open, which encourage side buds and allows for long-lasting blooms. Cutting flowers early in the morning

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31

Garden Party

Fields of Sunflowers in Our Backyard A bouquet of Conger sunflowers. (Photo/ Randy Conger) prevents wilting. The Congers place sunflowers in tall containers to support the heads.

Beyond cut flowers, sunflower seeds attract butterflies and birds in spectacular numbers throughout the summer – and beyond.

Cardinals, goldfinches, and woodpeckers congregate on Conger’s front fence for a daily feast. Yet even at the end of the first season, Randy was set to mow down what he thought were picked-clean, dead plants. When he did, a couple of dozen birds flew out of the debris.

“It was then that I realized that these flower heads produce so many more seeds than I first realized,” says Randy. Giants can produce up to 1,000 seeds per head.

Once the flowers are spent, Congers peel

the heads off of the plants and harvest the seeds, letting them dry for several weeks on tarps or in wagon beds. The leftovers fill a five-gallon bucket, which Randy and Melanie divvy out in packets to friends, neighbors, and visitors to Randy’s clinic.

Meanwhile, the Congers dream that their giant blooms and their open-handedness may begin a trend.

“Neighbors everywhere take time to put up Christmas lights every December, which we all get to enjoy,” says Randy. “Wouldn’t it be great if neighbors did the same in the summer with sunflowers?”

Which will only increase the popularity of this timeless flower. LW

D

raper Wildlife Management Area in Brattonsville is operated by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and offers two fields of sunflowers in a dramatic display each summer. Staff plant the crop as a way to attract resident mourning doves during the fall hunting season, explains Wildlife Technician Jordan Moses. Meanwhile, the midsummer blooms attract local residents and tourists for a stunning view of the common sunflower varieties across 25-30 acres. The sunflower fields are free and open to the public.

Draper Wildlife Management Area 1080 Brattonsville Road, McConnells Telephone: 864-427-5140 Admission and Parking: Free Hours of Operation: Daylight Restrooms are not available Bloom time: late June through early July, peaking around July 4

Clover Area Assistance Center

Continuing to serve the increased requests for help throughout the COVID-19 pandemic While many businesses have been closed and families have been quarantined, Clover Area Assistance Center has remained open to serve those in our community whose basic needs have been negatively impaired by the coronavirus pandemic.

CAAC is assisting those who were already struggling, those who were teetering on self-sufficiency or dependence, and those who have never had to ask anyone for help.

Your support is needed now more than ever before! Non-perishable food, fresh produce, dairy, and personal hygiene items are essentials.

Donations accepted Monday 9-4, Wednesday 9 -5, Thursday 8-3, or by appointment!

To make a donation, volunteer, or find out about how to get help, call or visit:

803.222.4837

1130 Highway 55 East | Clover, SC 29710 www.CloverAreaAssistance.org 32

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Lake Wylie

Garden Party

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Working Together Supporting Each Other

Staying Connected

We S u c c e e d THE BUSINESS OF A THRIVING COMMUNITY

Interested in joining this winning team?

Call Charlie at 803.831.2827 www.lakewyliesc.com Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

33

Feature

A Name to Grow On Longstanding Church Adopts a New Name to Grow with Lake Wylie Community

By Kathy Widenhouse

34 www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Feature

“W

e didn’t know this was a church.

Do you have to live in River Hills to attend?”

Those comments stunned Gayle Montgomery during her first year as lead pastor of River Hills Community Church (RHCC), located on Charlotte Highway in the heart of Lake Wylie.

“Twenty thousand cars pass by the church each day,” says Gayle. “But the majority of these people don’t know that our church is here and that we want to welcome them.”

The misperception bothered Gayle and church leaders more than a little.

Their concern led the church on a journey to reclaim its common unity – “community” – with Lake Wylie.

A Church That Was Planted By Accident Lake Wylie boasted just one traffic light in the early 1970s when the first River Hills Plantation residents moved in. A handful of the newcomers were from out of state, but a majority were transplants from across the Charlotte region.

Most drove 45 minutes or more to worship in their home churches in Charlotte, Clover, or Rock Hill, making it hard for them to be active in their local congregations and limiting the impact they could have in their new community.

“Why not worship right here?” they asked each other. On Easter Sunday 1973, residents set up 50 chairs on the patio at the then-new River Hills Country Club.

Nearly 200 people showed up.

“They realized they were a church,” said Gayle. “God had already planted it – without anyone knowing it.”

A Church That Grew Up with the Community

Unstuck Group (Atlanta, GA), the RHCC leadership team set out on a year-long evaluation to dismantle misconceptions about the church and reach the hundreds of new Lake Wylie residents that are pouring in the community each year.

“I’m really proud of this church,” says Tony Morgan, chief strategic officer at The Unstuck Group. “They’ve chosen to do the hard work of self-examination and change.”

The process led to streamlining operations to become more efficient, and more importantly, says Gayle, it led to a reawakening. The congregation focused on what brought them together in the first place – their commonalities in the Christian tradition and shared values that transcend denominational differences.

“We’re truly interdenominational,” says Martha Stein, Executive Minister. The congregation itself represents 26 different traditions and staff members hail from United Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Assemblies of God backgrounds.

Nowhere is that blend more evident in the church’s two weekly worship services – traditional at 9:00 AM and contemporary at 11:15 AM – which on any week may incorporate elements from the latest praise songs to black gospel to traditional high church liturgy. And in a departure from current church trends, generations of families worship together.

Great-grandparents who usually attend the traditional service come to the contemporary service to hear a great-granddaughter play keyboards.

In 1976 the group broke ground for a church building on a lot facing Route 49, just outside River Hills, and flung open its doors as soon as construction was finished. Local civic organizations used the new facility for meeting space – the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, homeowner associations, and 12-step groups – to the point that the church became known as Lake Wylie’s “de facto town hall.” In 1979, the church launched a preschool, now called The Day School, to serve local families.

Meanwhile, the congregation invested financial resources in local charities. Members cared for each other, building strong internal relationships. Some of the original founding members still worship at the church.

But as with most good things, that robust sense of family wielded a double-edged sword.

Lake Wylie’s population swelled, yet incoming residents didn’t know they were welcome in the longstanding church that had literally grown up with the community.

“This church has always been a very loving faith community,” says Gayle. “But not everyone outside our doors understood that.”

It was this very misconception Gayle and the Church Council, the congregation’s governing body, knew they had to address in order to continue its mission to be Christ-centered, community-minded, life-giving, and world-changing.

“The Clover – Lake Wylie area continues to grow in population,” says Doug Meyer-Cuno, council chairman. “In today’s world it is important to captivate these new young families A Church That Builds Community and the millennial generation.” With the help In 2014 and 2015, the church counof church consultant Amy Anderson and The cil addressed its deferred maintenance in a Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com 35

Feature A Church That Serves the Community

$1.4 million capital campaign to expand and update its original facility with an upgraded security system, secure child check-in, audio-visual technology, and a central gathering space.

That open area, in particular, has helped the church to strengthen its sense of community. People connect in between the two services, grab a cup of coffee, and talk. “We call it Meet in the Middle,” says Martha. “The time frame and the space allow people to build relationships, which is something people desperately need and want today.”

From there, congregation members transition to Community Groups, which include Bi-

ble study for adults and Community Kids for children in their newly-updated Clubhouse, a children’s worship area designed expressly with kids in mind. “We want to make the Clubhouse – and all of our family ministries – a place where young and old are encouraged to walk with Jesus, learn about Bible, and build family,” says Zach Leiner, Pastor of Family Ministries.

Members and visitors alike experience that sense of community. “I came to this church a couple of years ago when my mom died, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with the loss,” says member Susie Smith. “This church loved me back to life.”

“The church has considered a name change several times in its history,” says Gayle. “But this time, our renewed commitment to reach our community drove us to proceed.”

On September 15, River Hills Community Church (RHCC) became known as the Community Church at Lake Wylie (CCLW).

Yet both names – the old and the new – reflect the congregation’s enduring commitment to outreach, particularly in serving the local community.

“I have seen the church evolve,” says Doug, who was a member of its very first youth group, moved away as an adult, and now is back in Lake Wylie and at the church.

“It had become stagnant but now is full of energy, young faces and new families from all walks of life who are moving into the community.“ Eighteen church members serve as liaisons between the church and partner organizations in a list that reads like a local service agency “Who’s Who” and includes Palmetto Women’s Center, PATH York County, Stephen Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, and Kairos Prison Ministries.

Volunteers continue to serve at and

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803-684-3131 | www.tenderheartsinyork.org Check us out on Facebook.

Feature

“I have seen the church evolve. It had become stagnant but now is full of energy, young faces and new families from all walks of life who are moving into the community.”

– Doug Meyer-Cuno

resource Clover Area Assistance Center for local families in need, which the church helped to launch in the 1980s. More recently, the church provided seed funds for Clover’s Stellie J. Jackson Enrichment Center expansion, which will allow the after-school enrichment program to serve more elementary-aged children. Twice a year, members bake 4,000 cookies and package them in bags of a dozen to deliver to incarcerated prison-

ers. And the church offers a free community-wide concert series which attracts up to 1,000 guests three times a year.

These days, the church facility is in use seven days a week. Among those taking advantage of the meeting space are 130 participants of Community Bible Study, representing 30 local congregations, and St. James Anglican Church, which uses the facility for its Saturday worship services.

Which resonates well with the Community Church at Lake Wylie as it pursues its vision to serve and reach every generation with the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

Because this church – no matter what its name – has always been about community.

If you want to know more reach out to Community Church at Lake Wylie, 104 Hamilton’s Ferry Road, Lake Wylie, SC 29710, 803-831LW 1615, www.cclw.org.

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Feature Fostering The Family CEO Kim Trainer (from left), Administrator Kathryn Cohen and COO Betsy Ruch.

38 www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Feature

Fostering the Family Lake Wylie Mom Mobilizes York County to Strengthen Foster Families Story and photos by Kathy Widenhouse

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com 39

Feature Fostering The Family provides practical support and assistance to foster families in the Lake Wylie area.

L

ake Wylie resident Kim Trainer has always looked for ways to serve children and families.

So, when she was seated next to a county law enforcement official at a community luncheon, Kim decided to learn as much as she could.

“What is the biggest need in York County?” she asked.

The official’s answer stunned the happily married mother of five.

“Foster care,” he answered, explaining that 135 current York County children are fostered, and hundreds more are sent here when they cannot be accommodated in other South Carolina jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the number of available foster families is growing smaller and smaller. Fifty percent leave fostering after a year.

“My heart broke,” Kim said, as she heard stories of hunger, neglect – and worse. “As a mother, I felt a mandate to help these vulnerable children.”

year-old get off the school bus, get a snack, finish her homework, and play with her baby doll – all things that a normal nine-year-old should do.

“I thought of the foster children in this very community with no hope and no normalcy,” Trainer said. “Right then, I promised myself, ‘No more. I am going to help these kids.’”

As she has with other causes – pioneering the new Lake Wylie Athletic Park, garnering community support to buy 50 Christmas trees for single moms, mobilizing District 2 residents to help the Keep York County Beautiful Commission – Trainer dug into her wide network of contacts to learn as much as she could about local foster families.

And she found an important missing piece.

A Tale of Two Foster Families

Trainer observed foster care through the eyes of two friends and began to understand one root of the problem: sustainability. Foster families need support during the turmoil and rewards of fostering.

“I Am Going To Help These Kids” Betsy and Bill Ruch applied to be foster Later that day, Trainer watched her nine40

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

parents in a process that took more than nine months. Then late one evening, the couple received a phone call with their first placement.

Within minutes, a social worker delivered three siblings. Bill and Betsy had no beds, cribs, car seats, strollers, clothes, diapers, or bottles.

Trainer watched – and helped – as her friends scrambled to care for the three children and subsequently every time the phone rang with a placement. “They were doing it all on their own,” she said. “And they were burning out.” Bill and Betsy later admitted the strain took its toll on their marriage.

Yet the situation was entirely different when Trainer spoke with friends Luis and Angela, who live in a different state. They seem to take fostering in stride. Both continue to work full time while fostering.

Meals appear on their kitchen counters once a week. Respite babysitters give Luis and Angela a break and provide childcare for monthly date nights. And every time a foster child leaves their home, a team surrounds the couple with prayer and counseling.

Feature

Everyone benefits from the love and support given by Fostering The Family.

The support comes courtesy of a group of volunteers – a Care Community – from the couple’s church.

“Foster families want to help children, but they can’t do it alone,” Trainer said, citing the unique set of emotional, social, and academic challenges that foster families face in the wake of a child’s abuse, trauma and neglect. “They need practical and emotional support.”

It Takes a Community to Foster the Families Luis and Angela pointed Trainer to Promise 686, a nonprofit coalition that mobilizes and empowers local churches to support foster families with practical help.

She discovered there was not yet an affiliate in South Carolina.

The model was a natural fit for Trainer, who worked in ministry circles for two decades as a pastor’s wife alongside her husband Tony. Plus, raising five children equipped her with a mother’s heart, along with a good dose of organizational skills.

Under Promise 686’s guidance, Trainer

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Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Feature

Kim Trainer talks about her work and passion, helping foster families. launched a pilot program at her home church, NewSpring (Rock Hill, SC) to support Amy and Carl, a young couple caring for their biological toddler and three foster siblings. Social services approached the young couple with this question: would they take a fourth foster child – the sister of the three?

“If we were going to do this, we needed hands on deck,” Amy said. “We couldn’t take another child without support.”

Trainer partnered with Betsy Ruch – no longer providing foster care but now serving as guardian ad litem – to recruit a Care Community team that would support Amy and Carl with meals, babysitting, love, prayers, and other practical help.

“I saw firsthand how this Care Community surrounded Amy and Carl,” Trainer said.

“That’s when I knew this could work.”

From there, Trainer joined forces with Betsy to form a board of directors and launch Fostering the Family in South Carolina as an affiliate of Promise 686. Fostering the Family received its nonprofit status in early 2018.

42

Fostering a Plan to Support Foster Families “Our growth plan is to ignite local churches to build Care Communities,” Trainer said, following the Promise 686 model of conducting local ministry from the grassroots.

Her team meets with individual church leaders to introduce Fostering the Family.

Once a congregation decides to participate, the church sends representatives to an Advocate Clinic training event. Participants learn how to create a web of support for foster families and how to recruit Care Community members within their congregations.

Trainer’s goal is to hold two training events a year across South Carolina. Meanwhile, Fostering the Family provides ongoing accountability and support as each Care Community works with a foster family connected to their congregation.

The model appeals to volunteers, who may not be called to foster a child but are eager to provide dinner in a crock pot or offer a few hours of babysitting. Trainer, and husband Tony, for instance, have considered fostering three times in the last decade and anticipate pursuing it further

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

as their five children move into adulthood.

“Not everyone can foster,” Trainer said. “But many people want to help.”

Fostering the Family allows them to do so.

Seven churches in the upstate have already partnered with Fostering the Family and fifteen are preparing to join in. Currently, statewide systems seek out placements in York County because foster family recruitment is so bleak elsewhere. Trainer’s goal is to cultivate at least one partner church per South Carolina county because the need is so great.

Foster kids come from all places of trauma, Trainer said. They need a stable, loving family to get them the help they need to heal. Those families, in turn, need support in that special caregiving role.

Fostering the Family provides a sustainable solution, allowing those called to foster to remain in the system and even flourish.

“We can help sustain these families so they can care for and love these children,” Trainer said. “It just takes a community.”

And one energetic mom to mobilize them all. LW

Feature

Ways You Can Help Foster Families Introduce Share about Fostering the Family with your church leadership and offer to connect them to Kim and the team.

Volunteer Attend an Advocate Clinic training event. Coordinate or join a Care Community and support a foster family with meals, babysitting, respite care, mentoring, prayer, tutoring, guardian ad litem services.

Participate Attend a Fostering the Family Fundraising Dinner (March 24), Golf Tournament (May 18), and Fun Run (October 31).

Foster Consider becoming a foster family, providing a safe and loving home for children who cannot remain safely in their current home.

Learn More

Web: www.fosteringthefamily.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/fosteringthefamily Email: kim@fosteringthefamily.org Phone: 678-787-6003

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Feature

Twenty

things

44 www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Feature

about Lake Wylie

you didn’t know (but now you will)!

Story by Michael Harrison

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com 45

Feature

Lake Wylie through the seasons.

F

or a modest peninsula that is neither a town nor a city – or even a hamlet – Lake Wylie sure is packed with history and points of interest. The growing community that was known as a semi-secluded suburb of Charlotte, N.C., is making a name for itself just across the state line in York County, S.C. There was a time when fishing, boating, and hiking were pretty much the only activities available. Getting groceries or going out for a beer or a meal meant heading to Rock Hill, Tega Cay, or Fort Mill in South Carolina, or north to Charlotte. Even the nearby town of Clover was mostly a collection of farms and 46

woods. Now, Lake Wylie is bustling with retail shops, pubs and a variety of restaurants. Destinations such as Lake Wylie Bowl N Bounce offer fun for the whole family.

As development continues, more are sure to follow.

Sometimes change can occur so quickly, that you can lose sight of the past — or the big picture. Whether you are a longtime resident of Lake Wylie, new to our community, looking around for a new home, or a place to start a business, we thought you would appreciate a guide to some of the facts, figures and finer points about the peninsula. With that in

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

mind, we present the top 20 things you might not know about Lake Wylie: 1. Lake Wylie’s population now exceeds 12,000 residents – and still counting.

There were just over 8,000 in 2010. If incorporated as a city or town, Lake Wylie would be the third-largest in York County, behind Fort Mill (approximately 20,000). Rock Hill is the largest with more than 74,000 residents.

2. The first Buster Boyd Bridge, which connects the South Carolina side of

Feature the lake the community is named for to the North Carolina side, opened on Aug. 17, 1923. According to “Lake Wylie Yesterday and Today” by John Wilkerson, World War I flying Ace Col. Elliott White Springs (a member of the first family of Fort Mill and a legend in business and military aviation) flew under the bridge in a biplane as part of the celebration. The bridge was rebuilt in 1961 and widened in 2003.

3. Lake Wylie is the oldest Lake on the Catawba River, dammed in Fort Mill in 1904. Originally referred to as Catawba Lake, it was eventually named for Dr. W. Gil Wylie, one of the founders of the steam power company that eventually became what is now Duke Energy.

4. Duke Energy’s Catawba Nuclear Generating Station on Lake Wylie provides enough uranium-fueled electricity to power more than one million homes.

5. The Allison Creek lake access area comprises 113 acres.

Buster Boyd Bridge

NOW

OPEN! BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND BRUNCH. ALL AT ONCE.

5217 Highway 557 | Lake Wylie, South Carolina 29710 (in front of Food Lion) 803-675-6000 | famoustoastery.com | .

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Feature

Kids at Camp Thunderbird.

6. How low can you go? Lake Wylie averages about 20 feet in depth with a max depth of between 82-90 feet.

7. The Median age of Lake Wylie residents is just a tick under 42 years.

8. For every 100 females in Lake Wylie, there are 89.8 males.

9. The median income of the average Lake Wylie household is over $77,000 a year.

10. According to Lake Wyle Waterfront History, Belk House in River Hills is the oldest residence on Lake Wylie and is so named because it was owned by the Belk Department Store family.

McDowell Park Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden during the Christmas season.

11. In 1938 Curtis B. Johnston, then publisher of the Charlotte Observer, purchased more than 100 acres of land that would become a facility called the Fresh Air Camp. It’s now home to the YMCA’s Camp Thunderbird, billed by the Y as “the ultimate natural water playground” and “an amazing setting for life-changing camp experiences.”

12. The Catawba Yacht Club was formed in 1939, situated on what was then referred to as “Lake Catawba.”

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Crappie just hooked on Lake Wylie. (Photo/Brett Widenhouse

Feature 13. There’s only one public park on the lake for swimming — Ebenezer Park in Rock Hill. Windjammer is for Tega Cay residents, though permits can be obtained by anyone for a fee, and South Pointe Park in River Hills is reserved for residents of that community.

14. The North and South Carolina border splits down the middle of the lake — the west side is S.C. and the east side is N.C. Boating and fishing rules for the two states differ.

Goat Island, a favorite picnic spot across from Ebenezer Park.

15. A South Carolina state record was tied in 2007 when Roger W. Taylor of Rock Hill reeled in a 15.2-pound white perch from Lake Wylie 16. The lake is home to a diverse array of fish, from several varieties of carp to rainbow trout and striped bass.

17. On N.C. 49, on the Mecklenburg County side of Lake Wylie, just before you get to the Buster Boyd Bridge, is 1,108-acre McDowell Park, which offers hiking, camping various other activities, and spectacular scenery. located on N.C. 49 just as you approach the bridge.

18. Also on the N.C. side of Lake Wylie is the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Among the attractions is a 50-inch “corpse flower” so named because its aroma in bloom has been described as rotting flesh. It last bloomed in 2015 and it can take up to a decade between blooms.

19. You will see Lake Wylie Brewing Co. on the YoCo Brew Trail, but the brewpub is actually in Tega Cay! 20. Transplants from New York, or anyone else who appreciates a great bagel, will want to check out Bagel Boat. It’s not the only place on the peninsula to get a bagel, but it’s the only one owned and operated by someone who grew up on New York bagels! The unconfirmed rumor is they import New York water for that unique taste!

Well, here are you top-20 things about Lake Wylie you might not have been aware of. We hope this gives you a greater knowledge of Lake Wylie and some ideas of things to do and places to explore this spring and summer! LW Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Development Update This Lake Wylie waterfront home on Deep Cove Drive in Tega Cay was listed in early April, during the stay-at-home period, and went under contract after being on the market for just one day.

Coping with challenges

By Drew Choate

50 www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Development Update

A

t the end of the first quarter, the numbers for Lake Wylie area real estate were robust. York County home sales were up 10% over last year’s, and average prices were up 5%. On the lake, number of waterfront homes sold was up more than 40% over first quarter 2019 sales.

Our biggest issue, in the real estate world, was a shortage of listings. In a “sellers’ market,” properties in prime locations were selling at record prices and at record paces.

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com 51

Development Update How quickly the world changed! The sudden arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and the measures to contain it brought logistical and economic challenges that altered the outlook for real estate — at least temporarily.

As stay-at-home orders were enacted, construction that was underway continued — with workers still hammering away as “essential workers.” Properties that were under contract proceeded normally (for the most part) as real estate functions such as appraisals, inspections, and closing procedures were also deemed “essential.”

We continued to show and sell properties — but with restrictions in place, varying by county, and with out-of-town buyers limited in mobility, the number of physical showings were down significantly in the spring season in comparison to the norm. Mecklenburg County had the strictest restrictions, with showings not allowed in occupied homes — a ban that was lifted on May 1st. Resulting second quarter real estate sales will be a strange low blip in our trend lines.

While physical showings were down, however, we saw online activity, the number of video views, and virtual showings — realtors in the homes walking through and using video conferencing applications to show the property to buyers elsewhere — going through the roof. These measures showed that buyer demand and interest are still strong.

April sales numbers for York County and Lake Wylie were on par with last year’s, but the impact of pandemic restrictions and economic considerations will likely show up in the summer numbers.

Listing inventory is still very tight, which will protect price levels for sellers and emphasize the importance of buyer readiness.

Buyers should: • Be pre-qualified for loans.

• Have their homes active on the market if buying a new one is contingent on selling their current home.

• Have defined criteria for their new home, with a clear understanding of “must haves” vs. negotiable items.

• Enlist a realtor experienced in the buyer’s area of interest, to ensure new listings are brought to attention quickly and the value of properties are realized.

Summer brings a new normal to our world as we ease back into fewer restrictions on businesses and travel. It will certainly take some time for the economy to bounce 52

The number of online property views went “through the roof” as buyers continued to show interest in Lake Wylie real estate during stay-at-home orders.

While several new properties were introduced to the market in April, such as this luxury home on Rivergrass Lane in Handsmill on Lake Wylie, listing inventory is still at very low levels as we enter the prime selling season. back, and timing is uncertain. But as our community recovers from the impacts of the pandemic, Lake Wylie and York County should return to a robust real estate market.

Some forecasters predict that suburban locations such as York County should become even more attractive post-pandemic as people look for less densely populated living spaces. In fact, May Green Properties reported increased interest in new Clover-ar-

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

ea developments with acre-plus lots for that reason. The availability of natural resources such as Lake Wylie, along with parks and plentiful outdoor spaces, are also more desirable than ever before.

Drew Choate and The Lake Wylie Man team are specialists in Lake Wylie waterfront and lake community real estate. They have led the real estate market in waterfront sales each year for over a decade. LW

Development Update

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

53

Spotlight Spotlight

News of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

Summer 2020

Making a difference: Chamber celebrates 40 years of accomplishments

By Susan Bromfield, President of Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

A

s we reflect upon 40 years of growth and evolution of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce and the community we serve, there is much to be proud of and many accomplishments to celebrate.

In 1979, a group of local business people formed the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce with the purpose of giving identity to this fast growing community, to have representation on county boards and commissions and to give a voice for this area. Ambassador Mark Erwin was its founder, along with John Wilkerson, Mary Frances Coon, Jack Allen, Roberta Spampinato, Al Powell and other business owners.

S.C. Representative Herb Kirsh was the first speaker at a general membership meeting and Senator Strom Thurmond was speaker at the first Lake Wylie Chamber Annual Meeting and was house guest of The Erwins while here.

In the 1980’s, chamber efforts began to create the Lake Wylie identity for the area and to get a local post office or postal substation.

Within a short time, a local postal substation was then located in Home Federal Bank at Lake Wylie Plaza. Businesses were experiencing difficulties and extra costs with confusion with deliveries going to Clover and frustrated truck drivers needing to double back to deliver goods to Lake Wylie which had been known by locals as “the Rivah”, or a portion of the historic Bethel Community or rural Clover by zip code. The UPS drivers and trucks delivering to the area had many challenges causing time and money to them and the businesses. The Chamber got permission from Bell South and the U.S. Postal Service to call the 831 telephone exchange area “Lake Wylie.” So then Bell South added a sec-

tion in the phone book for Lake Wylie and over a decade or so people got used to calling this area, “Lake Wylie”, a community. Also during the 1980’s, the Chamber placed a sign identifying the area as Lake Wylie in front of what is now Quick Trip; it got representatives appointed on various boards in the county; and got a seat created for a representative of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce on the York County Economic Development board. The chamber role as “legislative liaison” was becoming important since elected officials were needed to accomplish goals and needs for this unincorporated community. It is still important to this day.

The chamber has continuously promoted and marketed the chamber, Lake Wylie and its members from its inception. It has worked for economic prosperity for its members and community. Growth in the area has doubled each decade. The last census showed a 189% population growth and among the highest per household income in the Carolinas. During the 40 years, Highway 49 has grown from having

2,000 vehicles per day to more than 40,000 vehicles per day traveling on it.

In the early 1990s, the chamber began the first Adopt a Highway program in York County on Highway 49 at the gateway into the county.

A sign was placed by the bridge recognizing the chamber and the Adopt a Highway program.

The chamber began efforts with recycling by having receptacles placed behind Lake Wylie Plaza. Later, River Hills began a successful recycling program that was the first project in recycling in York County.

“Infrastructure needs” were part of the goals for the chamber in the 1990’s. Highway 49 was 2 lane then and jam packed in the morning and evening so the chamber successfully lobbied to get Highway 49 widened. Committee Chairman John Wilkerson invited S.C. Highway officials to Lake Wylie for a visit and to present the local information and growth projections.

The highway officials experienced the traffic with trucks, school busses and local traffic at 3 p.m. and sent the car counter the very next week. Highway 49, based on usage and growth projections moved to the top of the list for priorities that year. Once the widening project was approved by the state, the chamber then successfully lobbied to have the bridge widened and raised. The chamber, with board member Diane Roberts and others, worked diligently to get the bridge widened, raised and rebuilt. Senator Thurmond and Senator Peeler were so supportive and instrumental in getting this huge bi-state project approved for us. The bridge required 90% federal support, and funding was arranged, personally, by Senator Strom Thurmond, with the remaining 10% divided into a

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

55

Spotlight bi-state commitment. This was an unbelievable achievement — largely due to the relationships the chamber had, and has, with its elected officials.

Water and sewer service needed to be expanded and improved in order for this area to grow and for property values to grow. At that time, River Hills had a water tower; sewage was treated locally and then placed into the lake, as was the case all around the lake. Wells and septic tanks were the source on many properties.

Water quality was an issue. The rust, minerals and sewage going into the lake was a huge problem that could have presented this area with a serious problem resulting in stopping growth.

The county council and Councilman Peggy Upchurch worked diligently to get a resolution to provide water and sewer service to the area.

The county approved a deal that would extend water lines and sewage treatment facilities that would enable growth and improve water quality and supply, along with transporting sewage out of the area to a more sophisticated plant.

Various property owners resisted selling rightsof-way to extend the lines, so the water lines criss-cross Highway 49, which still causes situations today that are costly and complicated to connect. Without the water and sewer deal of the 1990s, it would have certainly created water quality issues and stopped growth. Businesses would have not been able to launch, prosper and grow without an ample and safe water and sewer system.

In the 1990s, a piece of mail came to the chamber from the government saying, “would you like to have trees in your area and beautify your roads?” This piece of mail led to chamber member Don Long working with the county to apply for matching funds to get the Highway 49 beautification project with trees, sidewalks and plantings along the Highway 49 corridor.

The chamber also worked closely with SCDOT to get signage and ask for special needs for local businesses while improvements were made through the years. Representative Herb Kirsh was always a friend to Lake Wylie and a charter member of the chamber. He was influential and hands on with all the many local needs. As the community grew, so did the needs and technology, so the chamber also worked to help get cable service, internet and gas lines extended to the area. A lot happened in the 1990s and in the absence of a municipality, the chamber was very active with major community needs. The chamber was also part of Daniel Stowe’s advisory group when he was planning and creating the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, with board 56

Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

member Diane Roberts and chamber president Susan Bromfield serving on Daniel Stowe’s advisory group, then DSBG advisory committee.

The Lake Wylie Chamber and it president also assisted the new Catawba Riverkeeper with her efforts in organizing small groups to patrol and clean up areas of the lake.

In the 2000s, the chamber initiated and collaborated with the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation to launch the Annual Riversweep to begin an organized annual cleaning up of the lake and waterways and to create an awareness. A few years later, the chamber also collaborated with York County to launch the Adopt a Stream and drain marking program for our area. The chamber began engaging area businesses to use recycling, adopt a waterway, or highway section and to work towards a cleaner community. In 2007, the chamber launched a “Going Green” initiative that included efforts mentioned above and encouraged marinas and businesses to become more aware and to use clean, green standards. The Chamber also implemented many environmentally friendly efforts, with its new building built in 2007.

During the 2000s, the chamber office was having an increase and steady flow of visitors wanting to explore the area for business opportunities, relocation and investment. Often, the small rented office had people lined up at the door waiting to get in to get information.

A long-range goal for the chamber was to own a permanent location and have its own facility. By 2006, that opportunity came about with the help of Leonard Jackson when Lake Wylie Business Centre was built with office condominiums. With the help and support of Senator Harvey Peeler and the state, the chamber was

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

S.C. Senator Harvey Peeler and chamber president Susan Bromfield at the visitors center. able to purchase a facility to house the chamber, its visitor center and small business center. In late 2007, the chamber moved to its current location and created a beautifully decorated visitor center and in 2008 it created a small business center with fully furnished rental offices located at 264 Latitude Lane. This new small business center enabled many small businesses to launch, relocate or move to the area. It was used as a hiring center for Lowe’s where hiring for more than 100 newly created jobs was done.

More than 3,000 visitors per year were dropping by or calling the chamber to get information about the community for business, relocation or activities in the area for visitors.

It staffs a visitor center with a full selection of area and countywide information on this busy “gateway.” The chamber presents various events and activities to promote the area and its businesses. The Splash Dash, now in its 30th year, is a premier running event in the region. The annual holiday boat parade brings visitors to the lake in the off season to draw people to the lake to stimulate the economy in winter. The chamber works with YMCA Camp Thunderbird each year to help promote the

Spotlight

Blue Star Memorial sign in the Lake Wylie Gateway.

The Buster Boyd Bridge.

Runners enjoy friendly competition during the annual Splash Dash.

Lake Wylie Fourth of July Community Fireworks Display.

The Chamber collaborated with SC Biz News to launch Lake Wylie Today, an awardwinning magazine to promote the area and all the activities and diversity in the sur-

rounding area. The magazine is a tool used by the chamber and those who market and promote the area. This quarterly publication won first place in the magazine division of the S.C. Press Association twice. In 2018 the chamber collaborated with SC Biz to launch a beautiful full color newcomers guide that will help newcomers, promote the area and encourage newcomers to do business locally with our many retail, restaurant and service businesses.

The chamber has a very popular Business After Hours series enabling members to network to grow their business and to meet newcomers and connect. The Chamber’s popular annual golf classic held at River Hills Country Club is a favorite with members who enjoy participating to golf and/ or to sponsor with engaging activities throughout the event. Each spring the chamber presents a spring luncheon and fashion show with local models on Employee Appreciation Day so members have the opportunity to entertain and host those that help with throughout the year.

For 40 years, the chamber has had an office or facility where members and business and relocation prospects have come to learn about the community and get personalized service to

meet their individual needs.

The chamber also presents informational forums and meetings with timely topics and collaborates with the county, neighboring chambers and organizations as the community and its needs evolve.

For all these many years, the chamber and its president serve as an ambassador of the Lake Wylie Chamber and Community and as a successful legislative liaison. The Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce is proud to work with our elected leaders to accomplish needs and goals for the community.

The Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce has worked for the betterment of its members and the community and for economic prosperity for 40 years. It has maintained an office and telephone number since it is the only location for visitors and investors to get local info about the community.

The Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce is a dynamic business and community organization. It welcomes new members and works to actively promote and support its businesses and the community. For more information call the chamber at 803-831-2827 or e-mail lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com. Join the winning team!

T

he Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce is a private, nonprofit organization made up of nearly 300 member businesses in the Lake Wylie area in South Carolina. Whether you’re a Chamber member, a prospective member, a resident, a prospective resident, or whether you’re a one-time visitor to our area you’re important to us.

Mission Statement

“To build a business environment that creates economic prosperity for our members and our community by serving as the voice of the business community and by providing a support network for members.”

Vision Statement

“Leading the Lake Wylie area to become the premier place to live, work and conduct business in the Carolinas.”

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Spotlight

Business After Hours Thursday, March 12, 2020 • Carolina Trust Bank – Lake Wylie Sponsored by Carolina Trust Bank and Lake Wylie Liquors Photos by Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

Ann Skar, Clover Chamber President with Lori Robinson of Becky Tavenski wins a cash prize from CTB. CTB at the March BAH.

CTB team chat with Katie and Deb of Carolina Family Dentistry at the March BAH.

Neel Cyphers wins a prize at the March BAH.

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Alan Gregory wins a prize from Lake Wylie Liquors. Look at the happy face.

Jeff Ledford and Angel Neelands chat with Cindy Greer and Becky Travenski of Transitions with Care.

Ed Lindsey of Rotary of Lake Wylie wins a door prize from Lake Wylie Liquors.

Rick and Patsy Zioncheck of Lee’s Hoagies with Fred Kanos of Copper Premium Pub at the March BAH.

Spotlight

Lori Robinson and Martha Jean Starnes of Clover Cham- Fred Caldwell with his prize ber at the March BAH. from Lake Wylie Liquors.

Mark of Copper Premium Pub and Dianne Kehler.

Adina Ledford and her team from Carolina Selfies, a new New Member J.B. Jones wins a prize at the Larry Marraccini wins a prize Chamber member, sets up the photo booth.

March BAH. Who doesn’t like a cash prize? from Lake Wylie Liquors. Prizes galore.

Von and Tom of Carolina Trust Bank chat with Glenda Angel Neelands of CTB presents Winner, winner chicken dinner! Angel Williams of H&R Block.

Don Long with a cash door prize at Neelands presents Charles Wood with a the St. Paddy’s Day BAH. cash door prize.

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Spotlight

LAKE WYLIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1, 2020

ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC - REGISTRATION FORM Thursday, October 1, 2020 1p.m. Shotgun Start – Captain’s Choice River Hills Country Club

1 p.m. Shotgun Start Captain’s Choice

Contact Name:_____________________________________________________________

Held at River Hills Country Club

Company:________________________________________________________________

Play limited to 25 foursomes

Address:_________________________________________________________________

$125 per golfer - $500 per foursome

City:____________________________________State:___________Zip:______________

• Hole Sponsorships Available • Fabulous day of golf, hospitality, networking and fun • Prizes at almost every Hole • Featuring our special Hospitality on Holes • Prizes, box lunch and hospitality included

Daytime Telephone: ( )_________________________ Fax: ( )_______________________

Contact Lake Wylie Chamber at : 803-831-2827 or lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com for more information or to reserve a spot.

E-mail:___________________________________________________________________ Entry fee includes box lunch, driving range privileges, golf, cart, hospitality and great networking safely! All player spots are reserved upon receipt of payment and registration form. ________ Individual Golfer(s) @ $125 per person

Total $_______

________ Golf Team(s) – Four players @ $500 per team

Total $_______

Golfer’s Name:_______________________Handicap:___E-mail:______________________ Golfer’s Name:_______________________Handicap:___E-mail:______________________ Golfer’s Name:_______________________Handicap:___E-mail:______________________ Golfers Name:________________________Handicap:___E-mail:______________________ Optional… _____Mulligan (s) – Limit 2 per player $5 each Total $_______ _____Mulligan (s) – For the team $40 Total $_______ _____Hole Sponsorship - $200 (Includes sign at tee box or green, and recognition in Lake Wylie Today Magazine! _____I’d like to donate a raffle prize!

Please return this registration form with your check to: Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 5233, Lake Wylie, SC 29710 Phone: 803-831-2827 Email: lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com | Web: www.lakewyliesc.com

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Spotlight

Renewing Members investing in the chamber:

Welcome New Members As of February 1, 2020

Entertainment/Photography CAROLINA SELFIES Adina Ledford 168 Hwy 274 #348

February 1 – May 5, 2020

Lake Wylie, SC 29710

Businesses

adina@carolinaselfies.com

Anchor Self Storage Association Management Solutions Bethel Commons Associates LLC Carolina Homes Connection Carolina Risk Advisors LLC Culture & Heritage Museums Dental Care Of Lake Wylie Eason Roofing Fairway Mortgage Flanagan Heating and Air Glaza Chiropractic Joe Versen Appraisal Journey Fellowship KA Gregory Wealth Management LLC Lake Wylie Bowl N’ Bounce Lake Wylie Renovations Lake Wylie Wellness Rotary Club of Lake Wylie Sifford Stine Insurance Agency Stateline Chrysler Jeep & Dodge Stellie J Jackson Enrichment Center Total Bond Veterinary Upper Palmetto YMCA United Way of York County WalMart- Lake Wylie Waterjack

Individual Members Anne Violanti Sandee Wilkerson Melanie Wilson

704-222-0834 www.carolinaselfies.com

Restaurant COPPER PREMIUM PUB Fred Kanos 4516 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803-701-7021 copperpremiumpub@gmail.com

Painting Contractor PLATINUM PAINTING COMPANY LLC John Sander 16516 Flintrock Falls Lane Charlotte, NC 28278 678-558-8850 platinum-painting@hotmail.com

Non-Profit VFW6732 - AMERICAN LEGION POST 38 John Hill, Commander PO Box 206 Clover, SC 29710 704-813-2748 vfw6732@yahoo.com Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Spotlight

Lake Wylie Community Fireworks Friday, the 3rd of July!!!

What: Fantastic Fireworks Display When: Friday, July 3, 2020

We all enjoy the fireworks each year. Since Lake Wylie Community Fireworks Display is funded solely through donations, your support of this wonderful event is really needed in order for the event to continue. Please send your contribution in any amount now to:

Time: Approximately 9:30 p.m.

Where: Lake Wylie by the Buster Boyd Bridge S.C. Hwy. 49 at Lake Wylie Best Viewing: The Buster Boyd Bridge Boat Landing

Papa Doc’s Shore Club on outside deck

Rey Azteca deck at Lake Wylie Plaza

Lake Wylie Italian and Pizza on patio at Lake Wylie Plaza

Bagel Boat

Long Cove Resort

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www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

Camp Thunderbird Fireworks Fund One Thunderbird Lane Lake Wylie, SC 29710

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Spotlight Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce 2020 Board of Directors Jeff Ledford - Chairman

Business Suite Now Available For Rent

Charles Wood - Past Chairman Susan Bromfield - President Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Matthew Mugavero - Vice Chairman Lake Wylie Liquors Donna Bordeaux - Secretary Calculated Moves, PA Michaelyn Sherrill - Treasurer Home Companions Fred Caldwell, Fred Caldwell Chevrolet Jane DuBois, Lake Wylie Today Kim Conway, YMCA Camp Thunderbird Allan Gregory, K. A. Gregory Wealth Management Ed Lindsey, Rotary Club of Lake Wylie

Everything A Small Business Needs At Reasonable Rates!

Don Long, Retired, IBM Angel Neelands, United Bank

lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com | www.lakewyliesc.com

Fully and Beautifully Furnished Rental Office New Professional Business Center Includes High Speed Internet and WiFi Includes All Utilities Except Telephone Includes Reception Area & Mail Service Large Office Ample Parking Prime Lake Wylie Business Location Convenient Location Easy Access Save Fuel and Work Close to Home Includes Hospitality Area

2020 Chamber Champion Gold Member

Located at Lake Wylie Business Center 264 Latitude Lane Lake Wylie, SC

Stephen Nishimuta, Carolina Family Dentistry Sheila Quinn, Clover School District Ed Stewart, ML Ford and Sons

P.O. Box 5233 264 Latitude Lane, Suite 101, Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2827 | Fax: (803) 831-2460

For information or tour, call Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce (803) 831-2827.

Summer 2020 | www.LakeWylieToday.com

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Southern Twang

bag of goo

Summer of the ‘Rona

by Jan Todd

W

ell, here comes summertime, and most of us here in the Carolinas are wondering what happened to

spring.

Since the ‘rona hit, we’ve been hunkered down. It has been a strange time — with folks going to the Land of Nostalgia and doing things like working jigsaw puzzles and making friendship bread starter, then hiding out in a closet, bingeing on a Netflix tiger show.

It’s like a giant clash of comfort food, following up a plateful of biscuits and gravy with a side of sushi.

‘Course here in the South, some of y’all just call sushi, “bait.” I ain’t judgin’.

Speaking of food, my darlin’ husband, Tony, has been smokin’ up a storm while we’ve been in isolation. First it was his famous barbecue, then he decided to replicate some brisket that he recently tasted in Fort Worth. He pulled out

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his cookbook, entitled “Meatheads,” and proceeded to study the recipe for authentic Texas brisket — which included instructions to enjoy an adult beverage and some country tunes while watching for flareups at the grill. ‘Course that’s just common sense.

Cooking 14 pounds of meat may NOT be common sense when there are just two people in the household, isolating because of a pandemic, but several of our friends and neighbors were more than willing to accept a hot plate left at their doorstep, ring and run style.

One of my neighbors tried to reciprocate by offering one of those friendship bread starters. I can’t for the life of me figure out why it has friendship in the name. Giving someone a mushy bag of goo that requires constant feeding and squeezing and dusting?

It’s like a bad chain letter. I can’t keep a houseplant alive, y’all. Don’t be trusting me with

www.LakeWylieToday.com | Summer 2020

your heirloom bread starter.

All kidding aside, it has been a blessing watching folks sharing and caring, while at the same time wearing masks and keeping their distance. There are so many who are having a tough time, and I’ve seen folks go beyond blessing each other’s hearts and actually lending a helping hand.

As we head into summer of 2020, it might be a lot slower paced that we’re used to. We might not have some of the festivals or ballgames or concerts in the park. Beach trips might occur only in our minds. We might get weird tan lines from wearing masks. We might find ourselves panic-buying grits. It could happen — who knows?

We’re likely to see even more things we’ve never seen in all our born days. But one thing is certain — kindness will help us get through.

Bless our hearts. LW