Lake Wylie Today - Spring 2024

As we enter the season of renewal and growth, it is an opportune time to ensure your financial goals are on track. Will you have enough to retire when you desire to and maintain your lifestyle? Is your current wealth management strategy ensuring that you are on the right path to achieving your goals? Having an objective perspective and seeking a second opinion from a trusted professional can provide valuable insights to help identify potential gaps in your plan.

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Spring:

Get outside and enjoy all that Lake Wylie has to offer

By Susan Bromfield, Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce President

Spring is in the air with all its beauty and blossoms. It’s the time of year to enjoy a walk or hike and breathe the fresh air and take in the beauty after a long, cold winter.

Look around and Lake Wylie is exploding with the natural growth of spring and commercial growth as we kick off 2024. Evidence of that growth can be found at Sunflower Springs, an assisted living community located on Latitude Lane; a new LW Well apartment community with a retail center and restaurants on Highway 274; a new Planet Fitness; and new medical and wellness businesses that opened last year.

It is a pleasure to introduce the Spring 2024 issue of Lake Wylie Today. This issue kicks off the 15th anniversary year of our award-winning magazine and it is full of information and interesting features. Lake Wylie Today is collaboration of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce and SC Biz News with a goal to publish a beautiful full-color magazine that helps to promote and market Lake Wylie and its businesses, real estate,

area attractions and events.

The real estate development update shows a strong local market with prices continuing to rise amid limited supply. It paints the picture of the start of a positive year ahead for Lake Wylie.

The Shoreline feature is about Paddle for the Cure, a kayak race event presented by the Rotary of Lake Wylie. Funds are raised for Alzheimer’s research efforts while having a beautiful event on the lake.

The Garden Party section highlights the area Master Gardeners and their activities. Growing vegetables and flowers in a community garden brings folks together outside and the chance to enjoy a special gardening experience.

Food For Thought features Clover Harvest, where there is an assortment of local and farm to table selections along with a beautiful patio and outdoor dining space. Also, guest writer Matthew Mugavero presents some tequila cocktail recipes for Cinco de Mayo and also tells us about the history and why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated.

The Mailbag is an eclectic collection of photos and items of interest from the Lake Wylie area and community. We encourage you to send your photos of charity events, special occasions or beautiful scenery to the Chamber to be featured in future issues. Email lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com to submit your photos and story ideas.

As the days get longer and the weather warms there are many adventures, excursions and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and the area attractions. Carowinds opens on March 9. There are also many beautiful scenic areas that enable people to hike, bike, boat and explore the scenery and nature trails. And of course, springtime is a beautiful time of year for a country drive to visit Bush ’n Vine, The Peach Tree, South Forty Farm, and other farm stands in the area.

It looks like we are off to a great start for 2024 with so many things happening all over the area.

Lake Wylie is a great place to visit, to live and to work. It is a pleasure to work every day to promote our beautiful area and its many attractions.

6886

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River Hills/Lake Wylie Lions Club annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

The River Hills/Lake Wylie Lions Club hosted their annual pancake breakfast with Santa on Dec. 9 at Camp Thunderbird.

A breakfast of pancakes and sausage was served along with plenty of activities for the kids including games, a balloon maker and cookie decorating.

Bethel Fire & Rescue Department was also on site giving the kids a tour of the fire engine. Arriving straight from the North Pole on their sleigh were Santa and Mrs. Claus. Photo ops were available and a chance to give Christmas wish lists to Santa.

Be sure to check out this great holiday event in Lake Wylie this coming December. And thank you to our local Lions Club for all you do in our community

DMcSpadden luxury project announced in Belmont

oug and Laurie McSpadden and the entire McSpadden team recently announced their newest project, Central Park South. The twostory, single-family home sites, located a half-mile from downtown Belmont, offer a variety of amenities, including exterior home maintenance, lawn service, green space and more.

For more information, go online to McSpaddenHomes.com.

Photos by: Dana Sipper | Sipper Photography

Hudson Sipper with Santa.

The McSpadden team holds a groundbreaking ceremony for its latest project in Belmont, Central Park South. (Photo/McSpadden Homes)

Get great service & great rates.

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You know I’m always here with Good Neighbor service. But I’m also here with surprisingly great rates for everyone. Call me for a quote to see how much you can save. You might be surprised.

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Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

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Lake Wylie, SC 29710

Seth Neely, Agent

Bus: 803-810-6152

4052 Charlotte Highway Suite 104

seth@sethneely.com

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Holiday boat parade lights up the lake

The annual Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Boat Parade was held in December. Crowds gathered along the lake as participating boats departed from and returned to the dock at Papa Doc’s Shore Club.

Festivities also included a visit from Santa Claus, warming huts with hot beverages and heaters and holiday music.

Mark Pringle’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town-themed boat won first place overall. List of all prize winners for 2023 is at right.

2023 Boat Parade Award Winners

1st Place: Mark Pringle – Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2nd Place: Ernest Tucker – Santa Airplane

3rd Place: Jim Schaefer – Charlie Brown

Most Creative: Regan Calvert –Gingerbread House

Most Festive: Chris & Sandi Fiehweg –Grinch and Whoville

Summer Celebration NEEDS Funds!!

Lake Wylie Community Fireworks

Thursday,

July 4, 2024!!!

What: Fantastic Fireworks Display

When: Thursday, July 4, 2024

Time: Approximately 9:30 pm

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

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

Since the 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!

Join River Hills/Lake Wylie Lions Club for the second annual Diabetes 5K Run for Life in Lake Wylie to benefit children with Type 1 Diabetes.

Lions Club to hold charity 5K on May 11 Officer Hines speaks to Pack

Runners will start at 8 a.m., May 11 at the River Hills back gate, 104 Hamilton Ferry Road, Lake Wylie. Lace up your running shoes, embrace the spirit of giving, and be part of a community coming together for a great cause!

Contact Ray Williams at 562-743-9801 or email Ray.Wesco@yahoo.com for more details and registration information.

333 Arrow of Light Scouts

Officer Josh Hines from York County Sheriff’s Office recently spoke to members of Cub Scout Pack 333 about his role in the community. Some of the boys knew him from Crowders Creek Elementary School, where he is the School Resource Officer. Officer Hines spoke to boys about bullying as they prepare to enter middle school next year.

The visit helped the Scouts finish their Arrow of Light requirement and crossover to Boy Scouts in March.

One convenient location. Three expert for your entire family. To schedule an appointment, visit caromonthealth.org.

Boating Club inducts leaders

The 2024 America’s Boating Club of the Catawba Bridge and elected leadership for the 2024 Watch Year is installed by District Treasurer and Past District Commander Paula Stewart.

Bart Kinzel accepts the H. Worth Parker Ambassador of the Year Award.

Kevin Toevs is presented the Gold Brick Award.

Donna Fletcher is presented with the prestigious Marvin L. Roberts Memorial Awards at the Chang of Watch.

SLocal

A Clover High School cadet celebrates getting her private pilot’s license.

Rileigh Franklin is surrounded by family and friends as she signs a National Letter of Intent to play collegiate volleyball at Spartanburg Methodist University.

CSD Board of Trustees selects school names, mascots and colors

The Clover School District Board of Trustees voted on identities for the three new schools that are scheduled to open in 2026.

The district’s second high school will be known as Lake Wylie High School. The selection of this name reflects the geographical location of the school. Lake Wylie High’s mascot will be the Chargers. The board chose to select a mascot that reflects the history of Lake Wylie, created by damming the Catawba River for generation of electricity. The school’s light blue and gold colors are a nod to the nearby lake and the sunlight reflecting off it.

The new middle school will be known as Roosevelt Middle School. The selection of this name pays homage to the segregated Roosevelt School that operated in the Clover community from 1952-

1970. Roosevelt Middle School will also carry its namesake’s blue and gold colors and Tigers mascot.

The new elementary school will be known as Liberty Hill Elementary. The name and school colors were selected to honor the historical significance of the school’s location. During the Revolutionary War, Col. William “Billy” Hill operated Hill’s Iron Works on the site. Col. Hill and his partner, Isaac Hayne, used iron from Nanny’s Mountain to manufacture cannons, ammunition and swords which they sold to patriot forces. The iron operation was destroyed by a British attack on June 18, 1780. The Patriot mascot selected for the school also comes from historical precedent. A group calling themselves the “Patriots of York

Allison Creek Presbyterian Church’s Kid’s Cooking Camp was featured recently on local television station WBTV.

County” met at the iron works and resolved to fight for independence, despite the British threats.

Give to Clover alumni scholarship fund

Since 2019, the Clover Schools Alumni Association has awarded $27,500 to 18 Clover High School seniors showing promise in the areas of academic achievement, school and non-school activities involvement, and leadership.

Scholarship funds are provided through private donations, named scholarship donors and fundraisers. Please consider joining and/or donating to the association by visiting our website at www.clover.k12.sc.us/alumni. For more information, call the association at 803-810-8027 or email us alumni@clover.k12.sc.us.

Kids Cooking Camp at Allison Creek Presbyterian

Exciting happenings for Allison Creek Presbyterian Church.

A Kid’s Cooking Camp series was kicked off last year and WBTV in Charlotte invited camp director M.L. Wolff to come to their studio to talk about the camps and to give a cooking demonstration of what the kids learn: making a complete ravioli dinner from scratch!

See the WBTV video at the church’s website, AllisonCreekChurch.com.

TThe Lake Wylie Newcomers Guide is available at area businesses and the Lake Wylie Chamber.

Newcomers Guide now available

he 2024 Lake Wylie Newcomers Guide is now available for free at businesses and other locations around the area.

The guide, published in partnership with SC Biz News, features in-depth looks at all the communities that border Lake Wylie, information on area schools, recreation and health care, as well as contacts for local utilities.

The guide can be found at locations such as banks, real estate offices and a variety of local businesses, plus the S.C. Welcome Center on I-77, the Clover Chamber, Visit York - The York County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center located at 264 Latitude Lane, Lake Wylie.

A digital version is on the LW Chamber website, www.lakewyliechambersc.com.

If you or someone you know is considering Lake Wylie as their new home, the Newcomers Guide is an invaluable resource to help in making that decision.

RHCC golf event raises $23,000 for veterans

Veteran Appreciation Golf Tournament Co-Chairs Shirley Morgan and Jen Webber presented Veterans Bridge Home representatives Steven Cole and Blake Bourne with a $23,000 check. River Hills Coun-

try Club members, employees, and vendors, plus generous support from others in the community made this significant donation possible. THANK YOU to our veterans and to all those who made this great event and generous donation possible!

A magical evening in Lake Wylie!

By Dana Sipper

It was a magical evening for the Brown and Lewis families on Nov. 30 at The River Hills Country Club.

The guests arrived with an invitation to celebrate the 100th birthday of Lake Wylie resident, Commander James (Jim) Brown. Little did they know that there would be a few other surprise events.

Following the birthday singing, Jim and Margaret Brown took the stage and surprised their guests with a vow renewal to celebrate 30 years of marriage together.

And for the grand finale, Jane Brown and Larry Lewis surprised everyone with their wedding as the couple said “I do” in front of all their special guests.

With three major life events happening, it truly was a night filled with surprise, magic and love!

Golf tournament co-chairs Shirley Morgan and Jen Webber present Steven Cole and Blake Bourne of Veterans Bridge with a $23,000 check. (Photo/River Hills C.C.)

Larry and Jane Lewis with Jim and Margaret Brown. (Photos/Dana Sipper | Sipper Photography)

Looking good for 100 years old. Happy 100th birthday to Jim Brown!

Larry Lewis, Jane Brown, Jim Brown and Margaret Brown arrive at the party.

PADDLE FOR THE CURE

Rotary Club of Lake Wylie becomes a Changemaker in its inaugural paddling event

By Kathy Widenhouse

Alzheimer’s disease: it’s the most common form of dementia, one that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. And since more than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it has affected so many residents and their families throughout Lake Wylie. Chances are good that you know someone who is impacted by the brain disorder, whether as a patient, caregiver, family member, or loved one.

But when one group of our neighbors started sharing their stories about Alzheimer’s, they did more than just talk about the devastation brought on by this insidious disease.

Together, they decided to do something about it. And in the process, they’ve launched a very special annual event in our community.

A powerful moment of sharing

It’s not unusual for members of The Rotary Club of Lake Wylie to share personal stories with

each other. This group of local business owners, professionals, and concerned citizens spends plenty of time together during their weekly meetings and in carrying out service projects, working together with the common goal of “doing good” in the community.

So members were all ears at an August 2022 gathering at Papa Doc’s when Rotarian Eric Thorpe explained his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s journey. In an informal poll at the table, two-thirds raised their hands indicating their families or friends had been affected by the disease.

The more they shared their stories, the more the group agreed: they wanted to make a difference in the Alzheimer’s cause.

And with their Rotary connection, they had a ready-made avenue for impact. CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) is a nonprofit that provides seed money for Alzheimer’s disease research grants, launched by South Carolina Rotarian Roger Ackerman in 1995. Rotarians across the nation and the world support CART by voluntarily emptying their pocket change during their weekly meetings.

Could the Lake Wylie club find a way to funnel more than their coins into research – and raise awareness about Alzheimer’s at the same time? With a lake in their backyard and a member who’d seen a successful kayak/paddleboarding event in Charleston, the answer was yes.

Create an event from scratch

You can create and conduct a large-scale community event with a group of volunteers in less than seven months. But “it takes a village,” says event organizer and Rotarian Paul Moran, with a chuckle. “And a bigger village than you think, especially when you’re starting out.”

Fortunately, the Rotarians have plenty of leaders and logistics specialists in their ranks to make it happen.

Two steps moved the project along. First, club members were able to recruit sponsors, which gave them seed money for the initial event expenses: Kaia and Cayden, AK Media, Express Sunrooms, Tailrace Marina, Buckeye Fire Equipment, and an anonymous sponsor who donated in memory of Ann Garavente.

Participants in the Rotary Club Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/Joe Ciarlante)

Courtesy of Paddle For The Cure/ Rotary Club of Lake Wylie

“Without that first group of people and businesses, we couldn’t have proceeded at all,” says Paul.

And they were lucky enough to find an open date on Camp Thunderbird’s calendar in April 2023, which provided lake access, plenty of room for racers to congregate, and special areas for guests, food, and vendors.

From there, the club set about to solicit support for its inaugural Paddle For The Cure. Few of the 28 members knew much about the kayaking and paddle boarding, but they were able to connect with local paddling clubs whose members are passionate about the sport: Goat Boater Lake Wylie Paddle Boarding in Tega Cay, Catawba Cruisers Paddling Club in Mount Holly, N.C. and Anchored Soul in Belmont, N.C.

The clubs help recruit racers and spread the word. The adult events followed a 5K course for all three divisions (including paddle board, sit-in kayak, and sit-on kayak), which started at Camp Thunderbird and followed south along the shoreline, so fans could cheer on the athletes. Once at River Hills Marina Pier 88, paddlers rounded a turnaround buoy and returned to their start at the camp. The youth division athletes (ages 12-17) raced for just 2K in a route within the adult course. Medals were awarded to the top 3 racers in each division.

Meanwhile, on race day, the U.S. Coast Guard provided oversight on the lake and America’s Boating Club of the Catawba manned safety boats. Food and vendors covered Camp Thunderbird’s grounds, all accompanied by music and cheers.

When it came to directing parking, unloading kayaks and paddle boards, setting up tables, selling T-shirts, serving food, and cleaning up, it was Clover’s youth who stepped up. About two dozen members each from Clover High School’s Interact Club (Rotary International’s student

arm) and the Clover High School Air Force Junior ROTC provided the needed manpower. “Those young people were fantastic,” says Paul.

But it was the Rotary Club members themselves who solicited more than 100 items for the silent auction, ranging from Whitewater Center day passes, memberships to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and the Clover School District YMCA to dozens of gift baskets, restaurant gift cards, kayak rentals, a Shutterfly Photo Equipment package – even a new 64 GB iPad and a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe car. All told, the silent auction provided about two-thirds of the events proceeds.

After all the boats were packed away, what did the racers think?

“This was a great event,” said one veteran paddleboarder who is a regular at the three-day Carolina Cup elite paddleboard race in Wilmington, N.C. “It’s a good opportunity to warm up for the rest of the race season.” Meanwhile, the youngest racer had this reaction: “I may need to take some ibuprofen, but I can’t wait to do that again. It was so much fun.”

One paddleboarder said her greatest thrill was getting to paddle with her daughter, who was participating in her first race.

Changemaker Award for a club – and a community

True to its motto of “Service Above Self,” the Rotary Club of Lake Wylie reaches deeply into the local community each year by partnering with Clover schools and Clover Area Assistance Center to deliver Thanksgiving meals to needy families … managing five Little Free Libraries … participating in two clean up days along the lake each year.

Now, the club’s inaugural Paddle for the Cure raised more than $18,000 – one of the

Join the Fun and Make a Difference

Paddle For the Cure

When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., April 20, 2024

Where: Camp Thunderbird, 1 Thunderbird Lane, Lake Wylie, SC

Web: www.paddleforthecurelw.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ LakeWylieRotary/Kayak and standup paddleboard races (adult and youth divisions)

Also: Silent auction, music, food and vendor booths

More information: 570-204-0291

The Rotary Club of Lake Wylie welcomes new members.

Meetings held at Clover Area School District Community YMCA, 5515 Charlotte Highway.

Web: www.lakewylierotary.org

group’s biggest events to date, according to Paul Moran. The funds were presented to CART last spring and are being used to fund grants that support innovative, cutting-edge Alzheimer’s disease research.

That gift – and the group’s novel approach to making a difference for Alzheimer’s – earned the Rotary Club of Lake Wylie a 2023 CART Changemaker award.

But club members are quick to credit the outpouring of support from Lake Wylie and its surrounding communities in making the event a success. And they’re ready to go once again for the second Paddle For The Cure, scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at Camp Thunderbird.

“Everywhere you go, everyone has an Alzheimer’s story,” says Paul. “The goal of CART is to work towards the day when no one has an Alzheimer’s story. Ultimately, we are their partners in trying to cure the disease.”

The Rotary Club of Lake Wylie found a way to make that difference. And they’re using kayaks, paddleboards, and community fun to do it.

A silent auction is part of the fundraiser. (Photo/Joe Ciarlante)

Paul Moran (right) presenting check to CART Fund Executive Director Tiffany Ervin (center) with Rotary District 7750 Governor Joyce Moran (left) looking on. (Photo/Rotary Club of Lake Wylie)

Students from Crowders Creek Elementary School sing the national anthem. (Photo/AK Media)

A paddleboarder heads for the water before Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/Joe Ciarlante)

Kayakers paddle along the shore during Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/AK Media)

A bird’s-eye view of Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/AK Media)

www.pier88yachtclub.com

Tega Cay Marina

www.tegacaymarina.com

CareFree

www.carefreeboats.com

Lake

www.lakewylieboatrental.com

www.duke-energy.com

Sea Tow

Tow Boat U.S.-Lake Wylie

www.towboatLKW.com 803-681-0911

Paddler with her daughter onboard. (Photo/Joe Ciarlante)

Paddleboarders at Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/ AK Media)

Kayakers prepare for Paddle for the Cure. (Photo/Joe Ciarlante)

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 888-248-6834 or at www. ncwildlife.org. SC licenses are available at www.dnr.sc.gov or by calling 803-734-3833. 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

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

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

Wal-Mart Tega Cay 1151 Stonecrest

Tega Cay, SC 29708 803-578-4140

Grab

NC 28278 704-587-0045

G D EATS

From farm to table to eco-friendly groceries, healthy ea ng op ons flourish in Lake Wylie

By Kathy Widenhouse

Sprouts produce section Image courtesy of Sprouts Farmers Markets

If you’ve been looking for eating options in addition to burgers, pizza, Chinese, or Mexican foods – and places to buy fresh, organic foods – then you’re living in the right area.

Lake Wylie has grown, and so have its eating choices.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a meat-eater, vegan, healthy foodie, sustainable farming advocate – or if you prefer to eat out or dine at home. These days, you can find more quality opportunities for healthful eating in and around Lake Wylie.

Farm-to-table dining comes to Clover

Vegetable-forward cuisine has gained momentum in the last decade, but it was on Alison Kim’s radar years ago when her father had his first stroke. “Vegetables are worry-free food for the heart,” her dad’s doctors advised. “Fill him up with them.”

The organic food bug hit her even harder a few years later when Alison attended a sustainable agriculture conference and learned ways local food systems can thrive – no surprise to her partner John Paoloca, who has worked in the food industry since he was 13 years old.

His work brought the couple to the Charlotte area three years ago. But it was their love for the country that led them to make their home in west Clover.

Their combined decades of experience in restaurant management and sales gave Alison and John the idea to marry the rich resources of Clover and surrounding area with their love of hospitality, food, and weaving community resources together.

So in 2023 when John was ready to leave the corporate life, the couple opened Clover Harvest at 1007 Old North Main Street, just off the main drag. “We didn’t move here to open a restaurant,” laughs Alison. “But you never know what can happen.”

The self-described foodies hired chef Lynsey Comalander to create vegetable-forward dishes that draw upon local sources: fresh produce from the Moses Farmstead, the Bush-N-Vine Farm, and Smith Farm to Table (Clover), microgreens from Fields of Revery (Lake Wylie), apples from Windy Hill Orchard (York), coffee from York Coffee Roastery (York), flowers from Indigo Iris Farm (Clover), cheese spreads from Thomas Family Farms (Clover) and locally produced ice cream and chocolate from Carolina Chocolate Company (Clover). “The closer your food is to you, the more nutritional value it has for you,” says Alison.

The results are menu items like Fall Salad (kale and roasted squash tossed in olive oil with citrus, pumpkin seeds, cheddar cheese, and apples), Veggie Hush Puppies (made in house and served with lemon aioli) along with customer favorites like Ko-

Healthy Eating Options

Clover Harvest

Farm-to-table restaurant

1007 Old N. Main Street, Clover

Telephone: (803) 810-6082

Web: mycloverharvest.com

Email: ajkfarmergirl@gmail.com

Hours:

Saturday and Sunday: 10:30 AM–3 PM, 4–9 PM

Monday-Friday: 4–9 PM

(closed Tuesday)

Bush-N-Vine Farm

CSA Food Baskets

1650 Filbert Highway, York

Telephone: (803) 684-2732

Web: www.bushnvinefarm.com

Email: info@bushnvinefarm.com

Sprouts Farmers Market

Bulk and eco-friendly groceries

14124 Steele Creek Road, Charlotte

Telephone: (828) 705-3910

Open Daily: 7:00 AM –10:00 PM

CSA program at Bush-N-Vine Image courtesy of Bush-N-Vine

Sprouts exterior Image courtesy of Sprouts Farmers Markets

Food for Thought

rean Style Chicken Sandwich (fried chicken tossed in house gochuchang sauce with jalapeno slaw and yum yum sauce) and the house shrimp and grits.

In keeping with serving local, the restaurant’s extras go to The Clover Community Fridge at the Bridge pantry. “We want to create community both inside our walls and outside our walls,” says Alison.

Buy produce from the source

Home gardening is on the rise, but you may not have the time, space, or inclination to grow your own fruits and vegetables. Buying local produce is one of the best ways to eat healthier. And at the same time, your eco-friendly shopping supports the local economy.

Our friends at Bush-N-Vine Farm make it easy. The Hall Family has been operating the farm since 1979, but the latest trend in healthy eating has been a boon in popularity for its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

CSA-supported farms took hold across North America in the 1980s, with 13,000 now in operation. The principle is simple. Consumers “subscribe” to a farm’s harvest for a specified period of time. The farm provides subscribers with its seasonal produce for that period. For Bush-N-Vine, that means four 8-week delivery seasons – one in the spring, two during the summer, and one in the fall – with deliveries running from April 1 to November 14 this year.

“A lot of people are looking for a way to buy local fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farmers,” says Susan Hall. “Our CSA program is a fun and convenient way to you can do that.”

Basket sizes range from extra-small (which serves one to two people) to large (accommodating five to six). Deliveries are made to 25 locations scattered across York County and even in Charlotte, allowing CSA participants to simply drive through and collect their fresh produce once a week.

Clover Harvest menu

Image courtesy of Clover Harvest

Food for Thought

Along with convenience, CSA subscribers get variety. Baskets are filled with fruit, vegetables, and herbs in season – some that consumers might not normally choose for themselves or may not have ever tried. In the spring and summer, that can mean asparagus, tomatoes, squash, peppers, green beans, corn, okra, melon, strawberries, raspberries, plums – even cilantro, basil, and crowder peas. Fall baskets offer lettuce, kale, turnip greens, squash, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, late tomatoes – even peaches and small, edible pumpkins (called butterkins).

Which means that as the calendar turns over from season to season, you can enjoy farm-to-table freshness in your own kitchen.

Stock up on eco-friendly foods – even on the go

Lake Wylie residents who want to buy minimally processed foods can find their fill at the new Sprouts Farmers Market just over the Buster Boyd Bridge in Rivergate.

The unique grocery experience remains true to its farm-stand heritage. Back in 1943, Henry and Jessie Boney borrowed $600 from her parents to buy a truck, which they used to haul produce to their fruit stand. Their little enterprise grew to

five fruit stands and subsequently a group of natural food grocery stores called Henry’s Farmers Market, all based in the southwest. Over the decades, the stores were sold a couple of times. They merged in 2011 with the Sprouts brand, moving east in the process.

Shoppers liken the Sprouts shopping experience to an open-air market, with barrels filled with coffee, nuts, grains, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, and cereals. That means less packaging in landfills and healthier, close-to-the-source options for customers. Plus, the store’s in-house culinary director oversees ready-to-cook dishes from the store’s deli, seafood, meat, and salad departments – vegetarian options, too – for consumers with less time but plenty of desire to eat for both taste and health.

Those healthy choices extend to Sprouts’ own teas, supplements, nutritional oils, aromatherapy, skin products, and homeopathic remedies.

The company’s eco-friendly philosophy is evident not only on its shelves and the reduced packaging, but also in its Food Rescue program. Sprouts diverts 90% of its waste from landfills. Edible but not sellable goods go to those in need via local hunger relief agencies. In the case of the Rivergate location, that’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, a local food bank that provides

wholesome food to families and individuals at risk of hunger.

Plenty of choices

Used to be that you’d have to travel outside of your community for healthy eating choices – whether at a restaurant, at a produce stand, or in the market. Not so anymore in Lake Wylie. They’ve come to you.

Chef Lynsey in Clover Harvest’s kitchen Image courtesy of Clover Harvest

Clover Harvest team

Image courtesy of Clover Harvest

Clover Harvest brunch

Image courtesy of Clover Harvest

Sprouts produce section

Image courtesy of Sprouts Farmers Markets

Food for Thought

Arby’s

511 Nautical Drive

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-5555

Azteca Grill

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

DINING GUIDE

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 675-6044

Famous Toastery of Lake Wylie

5217 Highway 557

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)675-6000

Fast Frog Bakery

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

Jersey Mike’s

604 Nautical Drive, Suite 101

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0912

Kochi Japanese Steakhouse 5360 Highway 557

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

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 John’s

221 Latitude Lane Suite 101

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0101

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 610-0146

Lake Wylie Bowl N Bounce

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

Dunkin Donuts

335 Vesla Lane

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 619-4046

Lily’s Bistro

4547 Charlotte Highway

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 701-7788

McDonald’s

5262 Highway 557

Pier 88 at River Hills Marina 54 Marina Rd

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0088

Pizza Hut

5241 Hwy 557

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-1188

Rey Azteca Mexican

4052 Charlotte Highway

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-9277

River Hills Country Club

1 Country Club Dr.

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2126

Starbucks

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-0577

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

ai Fusion

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

e Caddyshack

4052 Charlotte Highway Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 701-7295

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

Wa e 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 Highway 274

Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803) 831-2634

Zo.ra Food and Wine

1201 Village Harbor Dr. Lake Wylie, SC 29710 (803)-619-4047

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better service for home buyers and sellers in both South and North Carolina.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo like you know what you’re doing

By Matthew Mugavero

Why do we party like rock stars and celebrate Cinco de Mayo every year? Obviously, it’s the fantastic food and great tequila of course. Truth be told, most people think the celebration marks Mexico’s independence. Those are the same people that believe the world is flat and that we never landed on the moon or Evil Knievel made it across the Grand Canyon.

Way back in 1860, the fledging country of Mexico was in serious financial trouble and in debt to several European nations. In true Soprano form, the countries of France, Britian and Spain sent over their armies to collect. The three foreign countries settled on some of Mexico’s finest territory and began to apply even more pressure. The Mexican people were facing the possible loss of their country.

Fortunately for the citizens of Mexico, they elected an amazing leader by the name of Benito Juarez. He was able to negotiate a settlement with Britain and Spain that included the releasing of Mexican lands. However, Napoleon III ruled France at this time, and he was known to be quite the gangster himself. Refusing to make a deal with Juarez, Napoleon III carved out the vital naval port territory of Veracruz and claimed it for his empire.

Shortly after occupying Veracruz, the large French army was planning on taking control of the small town of Puebla. With over 6,000 troops, the French headed west with a plan to invade at daybreak. The day was May 5, 1862.

Mexican forces and all the able-bodied locals were not about to simply surrender to the French. They were informed of the French army’s intensions, and they were rightfully prepared. Having armed the city of Puebla with heavy artillery and 2,000 of the bravest

soldiers available, the Battle of Puebla was surely going to be historic.

Even though the Mexican army was outnumbered 3 to 1, their sheer will and love of country pushed Napoleon’s army back to the coast. The Battle of Puebla only lasted one day but completely changed how the Mexican people felt about their future. They were never more inspired to maintain their independence. From this day forward, no other territories were lost and the pride in the Mexican culture thrived.

Six years later, the United States was coming together and strengthening after a terrible Civil War. Furthermore, the United States was very interested in reestablishing a viable trade partner with its big neighbor to the south. France eventually withdrew from Veracruz because of the political and financial pressures of Mexico and America combined.

The May 5 Battle of Puebla did not actu-

ally “set free” Mexico as some people believe. However, it did spark the solidarity and unity of the Mexican people. Americans living in southern California really adopted the day of celebration in the 1960’s and took the party to the next level. Now, millions of people celebrate the amazing heritage and colorful history of the Mexican nation every May 5.

Fun Fact. Mexico’s Independence Day is Sept. 16 – marking the start of the Spanish-Mexican war of 1810.

Sources – History Channel, Wikipedia, Cocktail Wave, BBC Good Food

The In the Know Drinks

The Tequila Lime Grenadine Cocktail

Shake liquid ingredients with ice and pour over more ice in a highball glass. Add soda water to taste and garnish with a wheel and cherry.

- Lime Wheel

- Cheery

- 1 ½ Oz Blanco Tequila

- ¾ Oz Grenadine

- ¾ Oz Lime Juice

- Dash Angostrua Bitters

The Ranch Water

Fill a tall, chilled class with ice, add tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Stir in the ingredients and add sparkling water to your taste. Try using Topo Chico for the “rea” e ect.

- 2 Oz Blanco Tequila

- 2 Oz Lime Juice

- ½ Oz Orange Liqueur

- Sparkling Water (Topo Chico)

The Tequila Sunset

Fill Collins glass with ice, stir in tequila and OJ. Top with brandy and allow to layer (the sunset) thru the ice. Add the cherry on top to represent the setting sun.

- 1 Oz Blanco Tequila

- 4 Oz OJ

- ½ Oz Blackberry Brandy

- Cherry to garnish

GREEN THUMBS

130 Master Gardeners dispense knowledge and expertise that help local gardens thrive

By Kathy Widenhouse

Master Gardeners with Clemson Extension agent Paul ompson demonstrate the correct way to plant a tree.

You’ve got a tree on your property that you can’t identify … your azaleas have spots on their leaves, and you want to nurse them back to health … you wonder which types of tomatoes will grow best in your Lake Wylie garden …

You needn’t wonder at all. Just ask a Master Gardener of York County.

Master Gardeners are certified volunteers in all 50 states and eight Canadian provinces who share gardening knowledge and expertise with the public.

In York, Lancaster, and Chester counties, they’re 130 members strong. In fact, 12 Master Gardeners live right here in Lake Wylie and Clover.

Their mission is not to haul mulch for you or dig holes for your new maple trees or undertake the physical work needed to overhaul your home’s perennial patch. Rather, Master Gardeners have a defined goal: they foster awareness about healthy and environmentally sound gardening practices, answer your gardening questions, point you to information you need so you can experience the joy of gardening for yourself, and educate the next generation of gardeners.

Down the Master Gardener path

Judy Reed had spent 40 years in the workforce when she retired in 2018. After two weeks at home, she was bored. “I had a brown thumb, but I love being outside,” says Judy. So she enrolled in York County’s Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course (MGVTC) in honor of her dad, who’d had a home garden.

Judy had already been volunteering at Tender Hearts Ministries during her spare time when she completed the MGVTC classroom training. To fulfill the second component required for the South Carolina Master Gardener certification – 40 hours of volunteer educational service – her next step was simple. Together with center director Ainslee Moss, she helped Tender Hearts apply for and receive an educational gardening grant from Master Gardeners of York County. The funding is awarded to new or

ongoing garden projects in York, Chester, or Lancaster counties that educate community members about the healthful benefits of gardening. Tender Hearts could use its new garden to educate its residents about growing crops while simultaneously providing fresh fruits and vegetables to homebound seniors during monthly food deliveries.

Master Gardeners of York County display at Summerfest in York.

Poppie’s Empowerment Garden which is maintained by MGYC volunteers and Tender Hearts residents.

Judy’s fellow Master Gardeners helped her install the first four raised beds at Tender Hearts. Since then, they’ve added two more to “Poppy’s Empowerment Garden,” along with grapevines and a melon patch.

11,000 volunteer hours

To maintain annual certification, a South Carolina Master Gardener must complete 20 hours of educational service and 10 hours of continuing education each reporting year (July 1 – June 30).

For Judy, it’s been easy. She works in the Tender Hearts garden two days a week along with other Master Gardeners, Tender Hearts residents, and volunteer groups from local churches and community service organizations.

But Master Gardeners of York County have their helping hands in plenty of other plots of dirt across the tri-county area.

PAR and RHECG Gardens. In a special partnership with Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, the gardeners manage the Betsy McLean Plant-A-Row for the Hungry (PAR) Garden, which provides 5,000 pounds of fresh produce each

year for the Lake Wylie Community Café, Fort Mill Nutrition Center, and free meal programs at additional local food banks. And they offer expertise, advice, and manpower each Saturday from 9-10 AM at the Rock Hill Educational Community Garden (RHECG), working hand-in-hand with Winthrop University students and the 22 community plot renters who maintain individual plots. Extra produce from RHECG, totaling 1,100 pounds last year alone – from cabbages to collards to cauliflower to artichokes – is given to food insecure students at Winthrop and donated to community food pantries.

Ask A Master Gardener. If you’ve ever had a gardening or landscaping question, you’re among those who may have emailed or called the dedicated Ask a Master Gardener Hotline (803-324-4177) or stopped by Glencairn Garden’s Bigger House on Fridays (10 a.m.–1 p.m.) during the growing season. There, Master Gardeners circulate throughout the facility to help local residents with their gardening questions and distribute soil sample bags. The volunteers also point local residents

Master Gardeners of York County conduct several plant sales throughout the year.

Box 4422

Rock Hill, SC 29732-6422

Web: www.yorkmg.org

Ask a Master Gardener

Hotline: 803-324-4177

Email: info@yorkmg.org

In person: Fridays, 10 AM – 1 PM, March – November

Glencairn Garden’s Bigger House, 725 Crest Street, Rock Hill

HGIC Fact Sheets: hgic.clemson.edu/all-factsheets/ First Friday Free Gardening programs

Held the first Friday of each month

11 AM: Glencairn Garden Learning Center, 825 Edgemont Avenue, Rock Hill

2 PM: Clover Public Library, 107 Knox Street, Clover (reservations required)

MGYC Earth Day Plant Sale

Saturday, April 20, 2024 10 AM- 2 PM York County Material Recovery Facility 320 Recycle Center Road, York

Master Gardeners Volunteer Training Course (MGVTC)

August 7 – November 13, 2024

Glencairn Garden Learning Center, 825 Edgemont Avenue, Rock Hill

Garden Party

and

to appropriate Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center Fact Sheets, which cover nearly every topic a South Carolina gardener might raise from “aphid control” to “zoysia grass maintenance.”

Educational gardening programs. Master Gardener volunteers also plan and carry out their own MGYC’s annual educational Joy of Garden Symposium at the Richburg’s Gateway Conference Center. The sold-out event, now in its 18th year, attracts nearly 300 gardening enthusiasts annually – last year, from four states – who flock to hear national gardening subject matter experts and browse a curated collection of garden-themed vendors.

These dedicated volunteers find other ways to educate local York County residents about gardening techniques all year long. For instance, they organize First Friday free gardening programs in partnership with the Clemson Extension and the City of Rock Hill. Each month, one or more of our Master Gardeners offer an hour-long presentation on garden-related topics like understanding herbicides, choosing easy care small fruits, saving seeds, planting native plants for

shade, and pruning crape myrtles.

And it’s not just adults who benefit from MGYC’s formal educational efforts. As part of their efforts to educate the next generation of gardeners, 20 different Master Gardener volunteers work with 2,000 students at 9 York County schools as in its Junior Master Gardener– program. Special efforts are underway to create homeschooling resources at local libraries.

Plant sales. York County Master Gardeners accumulate additional volunteer hours is by serving at one of the organizations four local plant sales. The biggest is held on or around Earth Day in April. Proceeds are used to fund the MGYC’s educational garden grants and scholarships –$8,000 awarded last year alone.

All told, Master Gardeners of York County donated 11,000 volunteer hours in 2023, both in serving and educating the community about healthy gardening, says past president Brenda Martin.

Brown thumbs turn green

If you’re interested in Master Gardener training, you’re in luck. York County’s program is one of the biggest in the state and it’s

MGYC volunteers plant

maintain the Betsy McLean Plant A Row for the Hungry garden at Anne Springs Close Greenway.

close by. The 13-week course, offered by Clemson Cooperative Extensive Service, is held at Glencairn Garden in Rock Hill each year from August through November. Students from York, Chester, and Lancaster counties meet weekly to complete 40 hours of classroom training and field trips that cover all kinds of garden- and turf-related topics, including soil nutrition, plant physiology, vegetable gardening, woody ornamentals, lawn management, pests, diseases, landscape design, and problem solving.

Any prospective Master Gardener is welcomed to enroll, regardless of experience or ability. After completing the course and the required 40 volunteer hours, and you can boast the “Master Gardener” designation after your name. More importantly, you’ll join the ranks of those who help educate the public about healthy gardening.

But whether you take advantage of York County Master Gardeners’ many educational services or you decide to complete the course yourself, one thing is for certain: rub elbows with these folks, and your thumbs will turn from brown to green.

“We live in one of the best places to take advantage of gardening know-how, with the Clemson Cooperative Extension at our fingertips,” says Brenda Martin. “We hope the public can take advantage of the Master Gardeners of York County. We are one of the best kept secrets around.”

MGYG plant sale.

Yun

Teng Acupuncturist

Chiropractor & Acupuncturist

REJUVENATE AT LAKE WYLIE

Lake Wylie couple is on a mission to help you love the skin you’re in

Rejuvenate grand opening Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

By Kathy Widenhouse

When ancient Greeks needed to relieve aching joints or revitalize sagging jawlines, they’d stop by the local sulphureous springs for a curative bath. But those very first spa therapies were costly – and available only to royalty or the very wealthy.

Not so today in Lake Wylie, South Carolina.

Dr. Robert Latham and his wife, Tracy, have set about to make restorative treatments available to local residents. They’ve combined their 60 years of experience in the health and wellness industries to open Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie, a wellness med spa, in the heart of the community where they’ve lived and raised their family for three decades.

The couple’s goal? To help you be rejuve-

nated both inside and out

A second chapter in health

Dr. Latham, a family practice physician, moved to Lake Wylie in 1994 to staff the Piedmont Medical Center’s satellite office on Charlotte Highway. As a single dad and working professional he didn’t have much time to cook, so he often stopped to eat at the former T-Bones restaurant (now Papa Doc’s). That’s where he met Tracy, also a single parent, who was working as a waitress to put herself through nursing school.

Robert and Tracy married, blended their young families, and together raised five children – all who subsequently attended Clover schools.

In the years that followed, Robert practiced at Riverwood Medical Associates in Gastonia. Tracy focused on health and well-

Restore, Repair, Rejuvenate

Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie

1616 Village Harbor Drive, Lake Wylie

Telephone: (803) 619-4061

Email: contact@rejuvenatelakewylie.com

Web: www.rejuvenatelakewylie.com

Services

Facials

IV therapy

Botox & Juvederm

One-time injections

Cryo T-Shock & Pressotherapy

Semaglutide & Physician Weight Loss

Rejuvenate sta at the grand opening Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Faces

ness as a fitness instructor at the local YMCA – first, at the downtown Clover Y, and later at the CSD location when it opened in 2016. There, she worked as a personal trainer and led classes in spinning, cycling, kickboxing, weights, and Pilates.

“I saw firsthand how life took a toll on my students, especially women,” says Tracy. “They gain weight and become concerned about their skin.” Those concerns led Tracy to supplement her fitness practice with additional wellness services. She became a licensed esthetician (skincare professional) in 2019 and began treating patients in her home-based clinic.

As time passed, the Lathams talked about combining their medical and wellness skills in a joint venture. When their youngest child headed off to college, and Robert prepared to retire from his medical practice in early 2023, the couple took stock and decided it was time.

Two sides to wellness

Spa therapies have been around for thousands of years. But a medical spa – also called medi-spa or med spa – is a hybrid treatment center that combines traditional day spa services with medical expertise, all under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals. The first modern medical spas emerged in the 1970s and 1980s across the U.S. and Europe.

IV treatment at Rejuvenate Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Faces

In those early days, med spas focused primarily on providing cosmetic services such as hair removal, skin rejuvenation, and body contouring. But over the last couple of decades, patients have become more informed and proactive about their health. As a result, med spas have expanded to address concerns like chronic pain, stress, and insomnia. The industry’s growth has accelerated accordingly. Today, the global med spa market is valued at more than $16.3 billion, with estimates projecting quadrupled numbers over the next decade.

At Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie, the Lathams use their dual-pronged skill sets to embrace and address both sides of the med spa equation: medical and cosmetic. They focus on longevity – in Robert’s words, helping people “live healthier for longer.”

That’s why Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie provides a range of services. Tracy heads up the cosmetic team that oversees nine types of facials, Botox and Juvederm injections, and Cryo T-Shock to reduce cellulite and tighten skin tone. But internal wellness drives external, she says. Dr. Latham’s presence on staff – along with RNs – means the med spa can offer medical oversight and additional procedures that allow their clients to thrive.

Inside and out

Rejuvenate patients have access to medical services including physician-supported weight loss, Semaglutide treatment, and IV (intravenous) therapies for cognitive function, immunity, and performance recovery. IV infusions allow fluids, medications, and vitamins to be absorbed quickly into a patient’s bloodstream. They can make a difference in literally hours.

Such was the case for a recent patient – a truck driver who had been electrocuted when his vehicle encountered uninsulated power lines. The accident took part of his vision and left him with debilitating headaches, limited use of his hands, and host of neurological issues. Even a pain specialist could not help him find relief.

After a year, the 64-year-old ran out of treatment options. Workers compensation officials declared he could return to the wheel in spite of his injuries.

“He’d given up hope,” says Robert.

As a last resort, the patient’s wife contacted Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie. After an exam, the patient received an NAD+ IV infusion, a co-enzyme and vitamin combination that addresses cellular damage and boosts the neurological system.

here to help you

“The next morning the patient called and told me he was doing yard work – things he hadn’t done in years,” said Robert. “And he was virtually pain free.” The former truck driver continues to visit Rejuvenate once a month for maintenance infusions.

Whether it’s a dramatic transformation or a steady replenishing, both medical and cosmetic treatments have a positive impact on their clients, says Tracy. Some schedule a pampering facial. Others come for regular treatments to address accumulated wrinkles. And still others seek treatment in order to be their best in their day-to-day lives. One patient, a cabinet maker, is easily dehydrated from his manual labor, particularly during Lake Wylie’s dense summer heat. He schedules regular infusions to recover from fluid and mineral loss.

“We meet with a client, find out their goals, and create a treatment plan to get them where they want to be,” says Tracy.

Love the skin you’re in

Med spas have been popping up all over the country over the last decade, especially as stigmas associated with treating aging have di-

minished and wellness awareness is on the rise. Even so, the Lathams were surprised at how busy their med spa has become in such a short time. Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie grew to a staff of six after just three months in operation. “Our community has been so supportive,” says Robert. “Lake Wylie was ready for this.”

Dr. Latham and registered nurses handle the clinic’s medical procedures, while Tracy and another esthetician work with patients

who want healthier skin. Patients can also request thermography scans (which are read and reported on by physicians), wellness coaching, and supplements from Advanced Wholistic Solutions, operated on site by Angee Dabbondanza.

“I’m really having fun,” says Dr. Latham. “In the past, I just tried to keep people alive. Now, when my patients walk out of here, they feel better, they look better, and they’re happy.”

Cosmetic treatment at Rejuvenate Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Angee and Tracy Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Facial treatment at Rejuvenate Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Physician-assisted weight loss patient before/a er Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

The couple sees Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie as a way to use their skills to give back to their hometown. “We live in a community where wellness is on people’s minds, and we want to support them,” says Tracy. “We want people to love the skin they’re in.”

Facial treatment at Rejuvenate Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

Facial treatment at Rejuvenate Image courtesy of Rejuvenate

ATENDER HEARTS

Local ministry celebrates 20 years of transforming lives

By Kathy Widenhouse

inslee Moss never expected to be a single mom with two young children.

But that was the York resident’s reality in 2004. Her new circumstances forced her to work three jobs to keep her home. She applied for government assistance but was told, “You make too much money.”

ose personal challenges led Ainslee to start a nonpro t organization that has become Tender Hearts Ministries in York, serving men, women, and children, providing them with a safe environment and recovery resources, so they can move from homelessness and poverty into new lives.

20th anniversary by looking back at the 14,000 individuals whose lives have been changed because of the ministry – and by looking forward to how they can help many more.

A $12 start

is year, the agency celebrates its

Twelve local residents attended Ainslee’s rst speaking engagement. Each contributed a dollar. She used that money to open the ministry’s checking account and her father donated enough money to pay for checks.

Even with that humble start, the agency had enough resources and heart to assist its rst clients in 2005 – a re victim family. Just two years later Tender Hearts opened its rst transitional shelter for women.

provide diapers, wipes and formula for resident families. Today, Tender Hearts provides baby care supplies each week for 30 families in need – along with monthly food deliveries for 112 homebound senior citizens, these including fresh fruits and vegetables grown on site at Tender Hearts’ own garden.

New habits, new life

Along the way, the ministry helped

e original shelter turned into a 14bed men’s facility during the pandemic, when the demand for men’s services reached an all-time high. Meanwhile, the ministry continues to operate the women’s eight-bed House of Hope. Since 2011, the agency’s two-phase program – nine months of intensive residential support followed by two years of independent living with accountability – has yielded a

Want to Help?

Tender Hearts Ministries

145 Blackburn Street, York

Phone: (803) 684-3131

Web: tenderheartssc.org/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ tenderheartsministries

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ tender_hearts_ministries/

remarkable 100% success rate. ose who complete the program have not returned to homelessness.

“We teach them new habits and a new way of living,” explains “Ainslee. “ ey get in the habit of paying their bills and not using alcohol or drugs.” Some program graduates have gone on to become homeowners.

Yet Tender Hearts does not count those who are dismissed from the program as failures. “We look at our work as seeds planted,” says Ainslee. She grieved deeply when one participant was let go a er failing a random drug test. Two years later, that same lady dropped by the Tender Hearts o ce to show o the keys to her own home. “You were more broken over my drug addiction than I was,” she told the sta . “Your brokenness brought me back.”

Changed hearts, changed lives

More than 100 local churches contribute to Tender Hearts’ nancial support, supplemented by grants, corporate and community partners, individuals and proceeds from the ministry’s events and four thri stores in Clover, Chester, Rock Hill and York. All told, it takes about 70 sta to run operations. e majority of the positions are lled by shelter residents and part time workers deemed by many to be unemployable. “We work with them to get them on their feet,” says Ainslee.

And there are the 300-plus volunteers who keep the ministry’s 60,000-square-foot warehouse in order and provide support for its events throughout the year, from Cinderella’s Closet (prom gear for distressed youth), school backpacks for needy children, anksgiving meals for more than 100 homebound senior citizens, and a free Christmas toy store for disadvantaged families.

Looking ahead, Tender Hearts will host its 20th anniversary gala this fall with the goal of paying o its $650,000 warehouse mortgage.

But in Ainslee’s estimation, Tender Hearts’ true success is in whose lives are transformed by the ministry – like the elderly senior citizen who receives a box of much-needed Tender Hearts groceries each month but donated his pandemic stimulus check to the ministry.

“He wanted to give back,” said Ainslee.

Just as she had done so, all those years ago.

Ainslee Moss, center, receives gi for Tender Hearts from e MayDay Project

Volunteers from Faith Rising Church helping at the warehous

Elevation Church volunteers helping with backpack giveaway

Tender Hearts 5K

Christmas Toy Store for needy families at the Tender Hearts warehouse

Christmas Toy Store for needy families at the Tender Hearts warehouse

Tender Hearts backpack giveaway

Tender Hearts backpack giveaway

By Kathy Widenhouse

NHEAD TO TOE

Health care options come to Lake Wylie after decades of effort

eed a neurology consult? Physical therapy? X-rays or lab work?

Used to be that you’d have to travel to Charlotte, Gastonia, Pineville or Rock Hill for most of your health care needs. But not anymore. Concerted efforts by officials in Lake Wylie have brought a range of health care options to our community.

When you need urgent care

Local residents gave a collective cheer in March 2021 when CaroMont Urgent Care opened on Village Harbor Drive. An urgent care center in your backyard means treatment for time-sensitive medical situations when you can’t get an immediate appointment with your primary physician. Plus, the center’s launch just after the pandemic onset gave patients an option for COVID tests and treatment.

“Urgent care addresses a very specific need – receiving care without an appointment or outside of normal business hours,” says Ryan Campbell, Vice President of Operations for CaroMont Medical Group. “The new location in Lake Wylie offers convenient access and care for the entire family.”

When you need primary care

CaroMont’s new medical office complex on Nautical Drive opened in late 2023. It combines services of CaroMont Family Medicine, CaroMont Women’s Health, and CaroMont Pediatric Partners, all under one roof.

The facility also offers something else: a stateof-the-art design informed by the issues many care providers faced during the coronavirus pandemic. Designers used what they learned during the pandemic to address patient flow, hospital entryways and mechanical systems that were problematic

during the lockdown. The new facility’s separate waiting rooms and layout were designed to prepare for future health care challenges.

When you need specialty care

Specialty care is right across S.C. 49 at CaroMont Heart & Vascular, CaroMont Neurology, and CaroMont Endocrinology Associates.

And you can also get a local consult with a podiatrist at Complete Feet Care and an eye exam at Lake Wylie Eye Care … and a better smile at one of Lake Wylie’s nine dental offices sprinkled up and down Charlotte Highway, including specialists in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics.

When you need therapy

Plus, as you recover, local providers are working hand-in-hand with health care therapy professionals to accelerate mental and physical rehab. Lake Wylie Counseling, Emotional Wellness Counseling Center and Adamcik Counseling offer therapy for the whole family.

As for physical recovery, privately owned Lifestyle Physical Therapy came to Lake Wylie in 2008, to be joined in 2009 by Focus – now Ivy Rehab –and in 2019 by BenchMark Physical Therapy. Ivy Rehab’s staff includes PTs who concentrate in pelvic floor, hand and vestibular care.

Beginning in 2010, children finally had a place where they could be treated for developmental delays, sensory processing, balance and coordination through Stepping Stones Pediatric Therapy’s staff of PT, OT and speech therapists.

When you need holistic care

Clover School District YMCA, Anytime Fitness, CrossFit Lake Wylie, and the new Planet Fitness:

one look at Lake Wylie’s growing number of fitness options reveals our passion for wellness.

Residents are also seeking ways to achieve health naturally, with minimal use of drugs and surgery. For more than two decades, Lake Wylie’s alternative health options have been on the rise.

Chiropractic care has been one of the longest-standing services in Lake Wylie, beginning in 2001 with the opening of Lake Wylie Family Chiropractic – now Lake Wylie Wellness & Chiropractic Center. Additional chiropractic services have since been added, including Glaza Chiropractic Center and Lake Wylie Pain Relief Chiropractic.

Now Dragonfly Wellness also provides acupuncture, massage therapy, functional medicine, dietary consultation, IonCleanse detoxification, and an intersegmental traction table. It is that same holistic approach that led Dr. Robert and Tracy Latham to open Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie, a med spa that “treats patients inside and out” – while offering noninvasive testing thermal imaging at Advance Wholistic Solutions onsite, too.

Local retailers recognize the demand for holistic solutions. Since 2012, Lake Wylie Pharmacy has expanded its selection of natural health remedies and products from elderberry syrup to hemp extract –even providing custom compounding.

When you need care for life

In 2024, Lake Wylie Assisted Living will be joined by Sunflower Springs, an upscale assisted living and memory care facility under construction behind Publix Super Market.

“Having more health care locally has been a long-term effort of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce for decades,” says Chamber president Susan Bromfield. “And finally, we have options.”

CaroMont’s new facility upon completion

Photo courtesy of Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

JMassage for Health and Balance

ust the mention of the word “massage” and lots of voices answer “Yes! Please!”

We are so lucky that there are several types of massage available to us in our area. That is great news by itself, right? And, maybe you’d like to know more about these different types of massage and what issues they address?

Here are a few types of massage available around here:

Swedish Massage is a traditional massage with rubbing and kneading of your muscles.This is the one most people are familiar with. It is more gentle than Deep Tissue massage. Swedish Massage is often the go to for relaxation and stress relief.

Deep Tissue Massage is a more robust massage with the therapist using slow, forceful pressure to work

the deeper layers of both muscles and connective tissue. Many people simply prefer the more powerful kneading and rubbing of the muscles. Indeed, DTM can be relaxing, but it is most widely used for strains and sports injuries.

Neuromuscular Massage, as defined by Massage Magazine, “is a manual therapy for pain management, rehabilitation and prevention. It is a treatment for myofascial trigger points.” This massage is not typically relaxing, rather it is used to address a specific problem.

CranialSacral Massage Therapy is a very gentle, hands on method used to address health challenges such as TMJ, chronic pain, stress and tension related problems, and chronic fatigue

Wto name a few. It is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is beneficial for people seeking help with a wide range of healthcare challenges. The practitioner is a facilitator for the body’s natural and innate healing processes.

Massage is known around the world as a healing modality. Hopefully this information has made you feel more confident about including massage in your personal health toolkit!

Gwen Thompson

Massage Therapist SC LMT#1462

Healthee Touch

128 N. Congress Street, Ste. C York, SC 29745

HealtheeTouch.com

803.367.3718

Happy healthy pets? Yes, please!

e really love our animals, don’t we? Keeping them happy and healthy is one of our top priorities. Providing them with plenty of play time, lots of fun toys, and having them professionally groomed are some of the things we do for them. Pet nutrition is a vital piece to keeping our pets happy, healthy and full of energy!

The first step is picking the right food. It’s critical to choose one that meets your pets’ specific needs.

• Select a food labeled for life stage and condition.

• Follow feeding directions on the label for how much to give based on current weight in cups per day.

• Review ingredient panel when selecting a food. The first five ingredients are the most important for proper nutrition.

• The nutritional adequacy statement, usually found in small print on the back or side of pet food packaging,

is the key to determining if it is a good food.

Pet food should provide a dog or cat proper nutrition. Because dogs and cats have different nutrient requirements, pet food must be formulated for either a dog or cat. For example, cats require nutrients such as taurine that dogs do not.

Pet food should also supply a pet with a complete and balanced diet for their life stage and condition. “Complete” means the food contains all the nutrients required. “Balanced” means the nutrients are present in the correct ratios.

The recognized life stages for both cats and dogs are:

• Gestation/lactation (pregnancy and nursing)

• Growth (kittens and puppies)

• Maintenance

• All life stages Different quantities and ratios of nutrients as well as different feeding rates are recommended for life stages. An active

growing puppy or kitten needs nutrients in different quantities than a mature pet. Calorie-rich foods designed for young animals may make a less active adult dog or cat obese. On the other hand, a service, hunting or working dog or pregnant pet may not receive enough nutrition from a food designed for a sedentary adult pet.

Pet owners should remember that feeding directions are guidelines that may need to be revised based on an animal’s activity and condition. If your pet is gaining or losing weight, they are either getting too much or too little food and their intake should be adjusted. Kelly

Spring Cleaning – Ways to Get Your Financial House In Order

Spring is on the way, and with it comes an opportunity to get your financial house in order. Just as dust accumulates behind the couch, messes may be accruing in your finances too. Here’s how to clean them up.

1. Organize Your Spending

No one likes to clean windows, and no one likes to review spending. But both make things a little clearer. Pull your bank statements and credit card statements for the last twelve months. Highlight the less thoughtful purchases. This exercise is usually eye-opening. Most people don’t realize how much they’re spending on stuff they really don’t need or want.

2. Examine Statements for Mystery Charges

While you have your bank and credit card statements out, examine them for unfamiliar or forgotten charges. Make sure you’re not being charged fees you don’t know about, or paying for subscriptions or services you never use.

3. Throw Stuff Out

Experts advise hanging onto any financial document that pertain to taxes for seven years since there are situations that allow the IRS to look back for six. The FDIC suggests saving credit card and bank statements that don’t have tax significance for only a year. Other documents can be tossed as soon as you have verified they are correct on your financial statement. And by “throwing out” obviously we mean SHRED!

4. Tidy Up Your Investments

Your investments deserve a plan. A plan means you have made an intelligent decision about how much of your money should be in cash and how much should be invested. Evaluate your 401(k) or IRA allocations and rebalance where needed. This helps to side-step the common mistakes of being either too conservative or too aggressive with your investments.

5. Revisit your Insurance

Haul out your life, homeowner’s (or renter’s)

and car insurance policies and evaluate premiums, deductibles and coverage levels. Make sure life insurance beneficiaries are still up to date. Make sure your life insurance coverage is adequate – especially if you have children.

6. Hire Professionals When Needed

When you know it needs to be done, but you aren’t going to do it yourself, hire the right people to do it for you. Before you hire someone to get your finances in order, decide what you need from them. Financial planning, investment advice and retirement planning are separate and distinct services. While they ultimately all work together, knowing the key objective will help keep everyone focused on achieving your goals.

Angela Sloan

Sloan Financial Group, LLC

1474 Highway 55 East, Suite 500 Clover, SC 29710 803-222-2892

SloanFinancial.net

LHealthy, Wealthy and Wise? Start cooking!

ooking to eat healthier while not breaking the bank? Why not add a meatless soup to this week’s dinner lineup? There are lots of these types of soups - Minestrone, Red Lentil, Potato, Leek - to name a few. Letting the vegetables and legumes shine as the stars of a meal might be new to you. Or, maybe not. Anyone else remember “Meatless Monday?” Maybe it is time to give one a try.

Think about it: a delicious meatless soup once a week is Healthier with all the vegetables and Wealthier because it is cheap to make. Add those two together and find Wisdom! Let’s get started.

Super Simple Chickpea Lentil Soup

1 onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

2 carrots chopped

1 fennel chopped with fronds

1 poblano pepper chopped (optional

1 quart vegetable stock/broth

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cans chickpeas rinsed

½ cup of dried lentils

½ cup tiny dried pasta like fregula or barley

¼ cup Olive Oil (more for serving)

Salt, pepper, harissa or cajun spices to taste

Fresh lemon to serve Method

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a dutch oven or stock pot for 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery and fennel.

Add a pinch of salt, a little pepper, and at least a teaspoon of harissa or cajun spices. Stir in a friendly way, turn down to medium-low and let go for 15 minutes - stirring occasionally.

Add stock and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a slight boil. Add lentils and fregula. Simmer covered for 40 minutes. Next add the chickpeas. Return to simmer – add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a lemon squeeze.

Done! You did it! You ate healthier while saving money. Good job you!

Jane DuBois is a local foodie and home cooking enthusiast. Find her online at TheSoupAunt.com or Instagram.com/ thesoupaunt

The Priority of Education

As parents, we all understand the importance of investing our time and energy in our children’s education. As a former teacher, I know how hard teachers work to make sure they meet the needs of all their students. It can be a very challenging job. In any given classroom you will find a wide range of needs, personalities, learning styles, and abilities. Teachers must teach grade-level content to get prepared for state testing, so this often leaves little time to go back or slow down to teach prerequisite skills that weren’t mastered. In the same way, there is little time to challenge a student who is ready to move ahead.

What if you hear from the teacher that your child is behind? You may try to tackle the problem on your own. Sometimes you might not be sure how to help or what strategies to use to help your child understand. I also know from being a mother and teacher that working with your child at home can become an unpleasant struggle

in the evenings. Schoolwork is often the last thing a student who is frustrated at school wants to do at home. Maybe you have the opposite problem and feel that school is too easy for your child, and they need to be challenged. Understanding your child’s needs is the first step in making the best decisions about how you can help them.

Maybe your child is getting good grades, and everything seems fine. Even so, you need to be aware of the growing trend of grade inflation going on in many school districts. Since Covid, some grading practices in districts in our area have changed. Sometimes 50 or 60 percent is the minimum grade a teacher is allowed to give. Many districts also allow students to take tests over multiple times and turn in assignments late. While not debating the virtue of these practices, it is safe to say that students who may be doing well with these types of grading policies may not be prepared for college where these

grading policies are not in place.

We invest in our children all the time. Many parents invest in sports, with scholarships in mind. Sports are important, but it’s good to remember that unlike an academic scholarship, a sports scholarship could end with a single injury. This is just one reason investing in education is important.

First, discover where your child truly stands academically. Then, plan how to help your child reach their goals. Sometimes you can do it on your own and sometimes it takes a village. The good news is that there are many resources available to help you in our community.

Nancy Shrewsbury, M.A. Ed.

Sylvan Learning of Lake Wylie

4607 Charlotte Hwy, Ste. 110 Lake Wylie, SC 29710 803.631.1313

The Power of Preventive Care: Why Waiting Until You’re Sick Isn’t Enough

In our busy lives, it’s so easy to put off visiting a doctor until we’re feeling unwell.

However, delaying care can have serious repercussions for your long-term health. Instead, prioritizing preventive care through regular check-ups is one of the most proactive steps you can take for your well-being.

Preventive care is all about staying one step ahead of health issues. Here’s why it’s an essential part of maintaining your health:

• Early Detection: During routine check-ups, your health care provider can spot potential issues before they become serious. Catching problems in their early stages often means simpler, less invasive treatments and better outcomes. Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer can be more effectively managed when detected early.

• Personalized Guidance: Preventive care isn’t just about physical exams;

you’ll receive personalized guidance on everything from nutrition and exercise to stress management and mental health, empowering you to make healthier choices.

• Long-Term Wellness: Preventive care isn’t a one-time thing; it’s a lifelong commitment to your health and well-being. It’s about staying healthy, not just getting healthy. When you consistently prioritize preventive care, you’re making an investment in your future self.

Instead, consider:

• Schedule Regular Check-ups: Annual check-ups to discuss your health and receive guidance on preventive measures.

• Follow Recommended Screenings: Your healthcare provider will recommend screenings and vaccinations based on your age, gender, and individual risk factors.

Making Preventative Care a Priority

Waiting until you’re unwell to seek medical attention can mean that a problem has already progressed to a more serious stage. In some cases, it can limit the available treatment options and increase the overall cost of care. Many serious health conditions can develop silently without obvious symptoms.

• Stay Informed: Educate yourself about your own health. Ask questions during your check-ups, and don’t hesitate to seek a second opinion if needed.

Looking for a great doctor? CaroMont Health’s new medical office facility in Lake Wylie offers convenient access to great care. Learn more: caromonthealth.org/lakewylie

Sales slow but prices remain high

As we entered the new year, the real estate market in our area was beginning to cool down a little bit. But just like you might not notice when the weather outside drops from 99 degrees to 96 degrees, buyers aren’t seeing much relief when trying to purchase a home.

Prices are still high. Waterfront homes on Lake Wylie are selling for an average price of $1,325,000 — a 75% jump since 2019. Off the water, homes in our area are selling for an average of just over $500,000 — a 59% increase since 2019.

Prior to the pandemic, buyers would pay an average premium of $240,000 for a 3,000

This five-bedroom home in The Bluffs in Lake Wylie sold for $725,000 in late summer 2023. Featuring a gourmet kitchen, a luxurious primary suite with a spa-like bath, and large screened porch, this 3,580-square-foot house sold for $203 per square foot — about average for the area. (Photo/The Lake Wylie Man)

square foot waterfront home, compared to what they’d pay off the water. Today, the average price tag for a 3,000 square foot waterfront home is about $1,150,000 — over half a million dollars higher than a similarly sized home off the water. As buyers began to shop for lakefront homes, many find they need to adjust their expectations — and budgets — accordingly.

What can I buy on the lake for my budget?

In 2023, almost 70% of waterfront home sales exceeded $1 million in price. Less than 10% of sales were priced under $700,000 — and homes in that price range were on average more than 50 years old and under

1,500 square feet in size.

Waterfront homes priced $700,000 to $1 million, representing about 20% of sales in 2023, averaged 2,400 square feet and were 30-35 years old. This segment included some of the smaller, older homes in Tega Cay, homes in more remote locations on the lake, and homes tucked in the back of coves, with limited views.

Homes on Lake Wylie priced $1 million to $1.5 million averaged 3,500 square feet. These homes would be comparable to houses in the $500k-$700k range off the water — comfortable 3-4 bedroom homes, most built 20-30 years ago.

Homes with luxury features — such as

gourmet kitchens with high end appliances, covered porches with fireplaces or built-in grills, home theatres, pools — begin at $1.5 million and go up. Big open views, sandy beaches, and high-end docks command a premium price.

Before 2020, home sales over $2 million on Lake Wylie were almost unheard of. Last year, 10 homes sold for more than $2 million, with the highest priced waterfront home closing at $3.6 million — a six-bedroom home in the Clover School District on River Oaks Road. The home features big open views of the water, two boat docks, and garages to accommodate eight cars.

One of the first sales in 2024 was another home in the ultra-luxury price category. Also located in the Clover School district, this 4-bedroom home on Mallard Point boasts a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design, gourmet kitchen, home theatre, heated pool with a waterfall and spa, and second living quarters. It sold for $3 million.

Outlook for 2024

Inventory is still very tight, both on and off the water. In 2023, the average number of general market listings available per month were about half of inventory levels in 2019. Waterfront listings are down by 70%. Demand remains strong, with most homes selling within a month of listing — though time on market is beginning to lengthen a bit.

Mortgage rates are easing up as we enter the primary sales season for housing, which may entice buyers to purchase — if they can find an available home that meets their criteria and are able to move faster than other buyers competing for the same home. For the best outcome, potential buyers should:

• Offer cash or be preapproved for a loan.

• Be flexible with the closing date, according to the seller’s needs.

• Minimize contingencies (e.g. the sale of buyer’s existing home).

• Not expect seller concessions such as help with closing costs; inclusion of “extras”

Development Update

such as furniture, pool tables, etc.; home warranties and extensive repairs.

• Offer a fair price based on current market conditions — which may be full asking price or above in some cases.

An experienced Realtor who knows the neighborhood and type of home can assist a buyer immensely when the market is moving fast. The pricing of waterfront real estate includes consideration of factors unique to the lake — such as water depth fluctuations, shoreline restrictions, value of the view, shore stabilization and other features. A Realtor with knowledge of the lake can help ensure the best value for both buyer and seller.

Drew Choate and The Lake Wylie Man team are affiliated with Keller Williams Fort Mill. The Lake Wylie Man team has been the leader in Lake Wylie waterfront sales each year for over a decade. For more information on the market and recent sales, visit TheLakeWylieMan.com.

This waterfront home off Lake Wylie Road closed for $1.7 million in early 2023. The 6,170-square-foot house has a covered outdoor living area, a rec room and second kitchen, chef’s kitchen and big open view of the lake. (Photo/The Lake Wylie Man)

Spotlight light

News of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

From the President

By Susan Bromfield

Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce president

2024 is already becoming an exciting year for our area. New businesses have opened with more scheduled..A groundbreaking will be held for the new Lake Wylie High School and Liberty Hill Elementary School to be built off Highway 274. New health care facilities have been built and opened to provide for a growing community. There are lots of plans and investments in the works.

Lake Wylie is poised to grow more. The vision and foresight for planning the future is currently with York County since Lake Wylie is a census designated area and not incorporated area or town. Envisioning and guiding the growth for a balance of residential and business is essential to help with economic development, jobs, traffic flow and interconnectivity as more areas are developed.

A vibrant community needs a balance of business and residential and good paying jobs. The Lake Wylie Small Area Plan will help to guide the future growth. We can have some input, however, York County is the authority for the unincorporated areas.

Lake Wylie with its beauty, recreational opportunities, excellent schools and location near a major city, airport and two major interstate highways attracts folks from all over the country. The growth presents many challenges, yet many benefits that we all enjoy.

Jeff

Susan

Matthew

Donna

Whether it is a person, a business or community, “growth” is essential to move forward and prosper. The opposite is to decline and see businesses close, homes go unsold, taxes go up with fewer taxpayers paying for services. I think we may have all driven through a town that has boarded up windows, abandoned businesses and the appearance of decline visible.

Growth must be planned, managed, and requires investment for infrastructure, parks, and public places to maintain quality of life. Leadership at the county level is essential for all of York County to guide, plan and manage the growth that has and is coming.

The Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce, celebrating 45 years of service to our community, and its Visitor Center make a nice first impression and many times is the first point of contact for a business or future resident to come into South Carolina, York County and Lake Wylie area. The chamber is able to encourage and influence businesses to invest in our area and to do quality projects and elevate plans. Tens of millions of dollars are invested in our local economy each year. Jobs are created, homes are bought and sold, and new businesses open each year.

The Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce is known as a trusted, respected, and knowledgeable source for information in our area and an advocate for

Spring 2024

business. The Chamber has been and is a pillar of the Lake Wylie community, providing leadership and support from everything to Highway 49 road widening; Buster Boyd Bridge widening and raising; Sunday sales; launching Adopt a Highway litter cleanup in the 1980s; collaborating with the Catawba Riverkeeper to launch Riversweep; and supporting Pennies for Progress to fund area road projects and much more. The chamber works with area service groups and had also led charitable efforts in the area.

In the absence of a city government, the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce has stepped up to work for many community improvements and safety for all. The chamber is a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers to get things done and a champion for a thriving community.

Annual Meeting Holiday Gala

December 5, 2023

Held at River Hills Country Club

Photos by Dana Sipper - Sipper Photography

Citizen of the Year, Jim Pugh with his family at the holiday gala.

Dr. Robert and Tracy Latham, owners of Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie Med Spa.

e Classics, known as the Chamber band, played favorites and music to dance to.

Annual Meeting Holiday Gala

Fred and Vicki Caldwell at the gala.

Robert and Robin WIllis, owners of the Wet Vet, enjoy the holiday gala.

Mary Lewis and Huseyin Yem, 2023 Lake Wylie Business Person of the Year.

Violinist Christine Robinson playing holiday music.

Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

Huseyin Yem named 2023 Business Person of the Year

Huseyin Yem has been named the 2023 Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.

His restaurant, Lake Wylie Italian and Pizza, has been a local favorite since opening in 1995. He has since hired, trained and mentored many young people in our community and several of these individuals have continued in the food service industry.

He has operated a successful business for over 25 years as a stable neighborhood gathering place for friends, families and neighbors. What started out as a pizza parlor has now become one of the most successful Italian restaurants in the area and has been voted “best pizza in Lake Wylie” several years in a row.

He has been a continuous supporter of local charities in the Lake Wylie community. Those include Operation Hope’s golf tournament and All Saints Catholic Church’s festival, both of which help needy families, food kitchens, local youth scholarships and Special Olympics.

He has also supported the Knights of Columbus golf tournament and supported a fundraising effort by the Lions Club where he cooked grouper provided by three Lions Club members after a Florida fishing trip. He not only cooked the fresh catch but provided all the side dishes and utensils free of charge. This event netted almost $1,000 for the local Lions Club.

He is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and is an active member of the Charlotte Independence Harley Owners Group (HOG).

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, swimming, traveling and, of course, motorcycles.

Lake Wylie Business Person of the Year Huseyin Yem and Mary Lewis with Susan Brom eld, chamber president, and family.

Huseyin Yem, Lake Wylie Business Person of the Year, and Mary Lewis at the Lake Wylie Chamber gala.

Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

Jim Pugh named 2023 Citizen of the Year

Jim Pugh has been named the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

A resident of Lake Wylie since 1990, he volunteers his time with a variety of local service organizations and is among the most involved leaders of the Boy Scouts of America in our area. He has been an active leader of local troops and Cub Scout packs for over 50 years and was the winner of the prestigious Silver Beaver Award in 2019.

He developed a portion of his lakefront property into a campground that serves local scout groups. He has served as the Chartered Organization representative between Community Church at Lake Wylie and Pack 333 and Troop 333 since 2008. He teaches water sports, automotive maintenance, metalworking, welding, environmental science and scout heritage to scouts throughout the area.

Pugh helps to maintain the grounds for Clover Area Assistance Center as well as the Community Church at Lake Wylie. He also cares for the York County Daughters of the American Revolution site at Hills Iron Works Monument and helped to build and maintain its footpath. In addition

to volunteering his time, he endows a yearly college scholarship for track students at The Citadel in Charleston.

Pugh does not hesitate to offer aid to anyone needing assistance. For example, on Sundays he drives individuals from Lake Wylie Retirement & Assisted Living to church and lunch. He recently has been helping a disabled woman with maintenance, as well as providing her with eggs and taking her dog for veterinary visits. He is mentoring a Ukrainian boy who recently moved to the area with his mom by getting him involved with Cub Scouts and activities on the lake. After major storms, you will see him on his tractor helping neighbors with cleanup.

Jim graduated from The Citadel and after serving in the United States Air Force, he moved to Charlotte with his wife, Anne, and their three children. In 1988 he founded Harrell Industries, a chemical manufacturing company located in Rock Hill where he continues to serve in an advisory capacity.

Chamber chairman Je Ledford (le ) and board member Stephan Nishimuta present Jim Pugh the 2023 Lake Wylie Citizen of the Year award.

Jim Pugh (center), Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, with his family at the chamber gala.

Scenes from the Lights on the Lake

Lake Wylie Holiday Boat Parade

Photos by Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce

2023 Boat Parade Award Winners

1st Place: Mark Pringle – Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2nd Place: Ernest Tucker – Santa Airplane

3rd Place: Jim Schaefer – Charlie Brown

Most Creative: Regan Calvert – Gingerbread House

Most Festive: Chris & Sandi Fiehweg – Grinch and Whoville

THANK YOU TO SPONSORS OF THE HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE Comporium and Papa Doc’s Shore Club

e rst-place boat, Mark Pringle’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Jim Shaefer took third place with his Charlie Brown-themed display.

Scenes from Lights on the Lake

Second place went to Earnest Tucker’s Santa Airplane.

Chris and Sandi Fiehweg won the Most Festive award.

Regan Calvert’s Gingerbread House won the Most Creative award.

Welcome New Members

October 15, 2023 – February 7, 2024

Event and Wedding Venue

Camelot Meadows Event Venue

Michelle Lidsky

1335 Armstrong Road Belmont, NC 28012

704-277-6275

michelle@camelotmeadowsevent.com

www.camelotmeadowsevent.com

Financial Services

Kelly Financial Solutions

Kristin Kelly 410-206-6003

kristin@kellyfinancialsolutions.com

www.kelly-financialsolutions.com

Lawn Care, Drainage, Sod and Seeding

Welch Turf Solutions LLC

Brandon Welch 803-610-5853

welchturfsolutions@gmail.com

Photography

Scott Clinton Photography / Framed Films

Scott Clinton Lake Wylie, SC 29710 704-916-9749

studio@scottclinton.com www.scottclinton.com

ACE

Adagio

AK Media

Allison

Atrium Health

Bank of York

Clover Area Assistance Center

D&D Sanitation

Dragonfly Wellness

Duke Energy

Real Estate Sales

Sophie Karsch Real Estate Agent

Sophie Karsch 703-380-3095

sophie@carolinahomesconnection.com www.carolinahomesconnection.com

Kimberly Magette Group

Kimberly Magette

219 Main Street #206 Fort Mill, SC 29715 803-322-1426

kimberly@kimberlymagettegroup.com

www.kimberlymagettegroup.com

Watch/Jewelry Sales and Service

Pavel’s Jewelry

Natalie Starominsky

13000 South Tryon #I Charlotte, NC 28278 704-566-8833

pavelacustomjewelry@gmail.com pavelsjewelry.com

Fred Caldwell Chevrolet

Lake Wylie Athletic Association

Lake Wylie Business Center

Lake Wylie Pediatric Dentistry

Lake Wylie Travel

McSpadden Home

Mullooly Wealth Planning

Portable Restroom Trailers LLC

Publix

River Hills Country Club

The Goddard School of Lake Wylie

The Wet Vet

Total Bond Veterinarian Hospital

VFW 6732 and American Legion Post 38 Individuals

Andy Kane

Ann Violanti

Ribbon Cuttings and more

2024 Chamber Champion

Je Ledford, chamber chairman, and the Charlotte Ski Boats Team at the November ribbon cutting.

Dr. Robert and Tracy Latham and the team at Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie grand opening.

Je Ledford, chamber chairman, with Joe and Nancy Shrewsbury of Sylvan Learning of Lake Wylie.

Ribbon cutting at Sylvan Learning of Lake Wylie located at 4607 Charlotte Highway #110 held on Feb. 1.

Dr. Robert and Tracy Latham cut the ribbon at Rejuvenate at Lake Wylie grand opening held Nov. 14.

Je Ledford, chamber chairman, presents a $1,000 check from proceeds raised at the chamber golf event to Cameron Hurst, executive director of CAAC.

•

•

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ursday, March 14, 2024

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Lake

Business After Hours

ursday, April 18, 2024 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Sponsored

Business After Hours

ursday, May 16, 2024 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Held at Joyner Marina

THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY BANK IN AMERICA IS RIGHT HERE IN YORK COUNTY

Now, more than ever, trust is the foundation of any successful relationship. As a leader in banking since 1839, our commitment to building personal relationships with our customers and communities is deeply embedded in who we are. With local bankers you know and trust, it’s no wonder businesses and individuals throughout the Carolinas continue to choose United Bank.