ALL THIS RAIN AND THERE’S STILL A DROUGHT?
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By APRIL A. MORRIS | staff
Spartanburg, S.C. • Friday, August 24, 2012 • Vol.8, No.34
KEEPING UPSTATE KIDS HEALTHY
Organizations work to move South Carolina out of the nation’s top 10 most obese states.
Jayden Harder, 6, stands on one leg while playing on the lifesize game board "Race Through Space," part of The Children's Museum of the Upstate's CATCH exhibit. CATCH stands for Coordinated Approach to Child Health, a coordinated school health program designed to promote physical activity, healthy food choices and prevention of tobacco use.
Love of unhealthy food coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has again worked together to rank South Carolina among the top 10 most obese states in the U.S. for 2011. The Palmetto State tied with Indiana at No. 8, with 30.8 percent of South Carolina residents registering a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, according to an analysis by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Using numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the analysis determined that 12 states have an obesity rate above 30 percent. Mississippi topped the list with a rate of 34.9 percent and Colorado came in at the slimmest with 20.7 percent. Obesity has been linked with multiple chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer – which in turn drove up healthcare costs to the tune of $147 billion in 2006, the report said. Obesity costs South Carolina an estimated $1.2 billion, according to the state’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. The state has been working to tackle the problem, launching a variety of programs, including the Healthy South Carolina Initiative, to promote healthy lifestyles and help reduce chronic disease. One of the specific goals of the initiative is to reduce South Carolina’s obesity rate by 5 percent by the end of 2016. Many efforts are focusing on what experts call “environmental changes” to support residents in making individual changes. These broader changes include creating more connected communities and helping residents gain easier access to healthy foods, said Ned Barrett, OBESITY continued on PAGE 8
GREG BECKNER / STAFF
HOT DOG DREAMS COME TRUE DOWNTOWN. PAGE 13
AN OPEN DOOR:
Mindy Friddle joins other authors in Hub City mentoring program. PAGE 17 PHOTO BY PAUL MAHAFFEY / TOWN MAGAZINE
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Bowl-Making Event No matter your artistic or technical ability, you are invited to make a clay pottery bowl as part of the annual Hub City Empty Bowls project that raises money to feed hungry citizens in the Spartanburg area. The next bowl-making event will be…
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Professional instruction and materials (including clay) will be provided at no charge. The bowls that are made will be used on Soup Day, Saturday, Nov. 10. The soup will be donated by local restaurants and served in the finished bowls (painted, glazed and fired), which can be kept for souvenirs for a $15 donation. All of the money raised will be given to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. For more information, please call (864) 542-ARTS.
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2 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 24, 2012
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Worth Repeating They Said It
“It’s a sad day when the law disenfranchises the entire voter sentiment in a district.” Greenville lawyer Bob Ariail, after a Columbia judge ruled his client ineligible for the November ballot after winning the June primary.
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“That’s the kind of help from a landlord that makes it possible for a small business to get started downtown.” Will Rothschild, City of Spartanburg communications manager, on the willingness of the landlord for the Hub Diggity Dogs restaurant to halve rental costs during the restaurant’s start-up months.
“It can’t be a lovefest.” Author Mindy Friddle, a mentor with Hub City’s Open Door Critique Program, on the need for honesty when critiquing a manuscript.
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Petitions put Upstate candidates back on the ballot By jerry salley | staff
A few of the Upstate candidates whose campaigns for legislative and county offices were all but terminated this spring will appear on ballots in November. But instead of Republicans or Democrats, they will be marked as petition candidates. Tommie Reece of Greenville County and Kerry Wood of Spartanburg County, both of whom were decertified – along with nearly 240 other candidates – thanks to a state Supreme Court decision in May, are once again official candidates for their state Senate races, thanks to successful petition drives. In Laurens County, nearly 4,000 signatures put Rex Rice back in the race against incumbent Republican Larry Martin for his state Senate District 2 seat. Also back on the ballot will be Spartanburg County state House candidates Gaye Holt and Jim McMillan. And in Greenville County, Ralph Sweeney’s name will appear on the ballot as a petition candidate for a County Council seat. The Supreme Court decision disqualified candidates who did not properly file their financial disclosure statements. Candidates blamed confusing laws and conflicting advice for the mess. Soon afterward, disqualified candidates across the Palmetto State began their petition drives. To appear on the November ballot, candidates had to collect signatures from at least 5 percent of their districts’ registered voters by noon July 16. The South Carolina State Election Commission approved 36 petition candidates for state offices for the November general election. Only eight submitted petitions were deemed not valid. Those eight included previously disqualified candidates Ennis Fant and Tony Boyce of Greenville County and John Lewis of Spartanburg County. Spartanburg’s Evan Mulch, who was not previously a candidate, but started gathering signatures in early July to challenge incumbent Eddie Tallon for state House District 33, also failed in his petition attempt. The signatures on candidates’ petitions were verified by noon, August 15, by the Election Commission and county voter registration and election offices. Reece, who before her decertification ran as a Republican primary candidate against Chris Sullivan and incumbent Mike Fair for the District 6 state Senate seat, had 3,325 valid signatures, according
4 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 24, 2012
to the Election Commission’s Chris Whitmire. She needed only 2,950. Since there is no Democratic candidate for that seat, she will be the only opponent for Fair, who defeated Sullivan in the June 12 primary. In Spartanburg County, Wood, a former GOP candidate who was decertified in May, will challenge incumbent state Senator Glenn Reese, a Democrat, for his District 11 seat. Wood’s petition reportedly had 4,211 signatures, comfortably more than the 2,494 he needed. Rice reportedly gathered around 3,900 signatures, many more than the required 2,750. He will be the only opponent for Martin, who has served in the legislature for 33 years, starting in the House in 1979 and the Senate in 1993. In Spartanburg County House races, former Republican primary candidate Holt will face incumbent Republican Mike Forrester for the District 34 seat. District 36 incumbent Rita Allison, a Republican, will fight petitioner McMillan. However, the contest for Greenville County’s state Senate District 7 seat will remain between Democrat Karl Allen and Republican Jane Kizer, after officials found more than 150 invalid signatures in Fant’s petition. Greenville’s House District 25 candidate Boyce also had too few legitimate signatures – only 651 of the 1,122 he submitted were valid, according to Whitmire. Boyce is now challenging Leola Robinson Simpson as a write-in candidate. Democratic incumbent Harold Mitchell has no official challengers for Spartanburg County’s District 31 House seat after former Democratic candidate Lewis failed in his petition bid. However, Lewis told reporters he would oppose Mitchell as a write-in candidate. Meanwhile, Mitchell remains under suspension from the General Assembly due to four felony tax evasion charges. In addition to the legislative races, the Election Commission approved petition candidates in 32 South Carolina counties, including Greenville County. Petition candidate Sweeney will face District 25 County Councilwoman Lottie Gibson in November. In neighboring Laurens County, four petition candidates will challenge scandal-plagued Sheriff Ricky Chastain, who recently settled a lawsuit brought by his former mistress. Contact Jerry Salley at jsalley@thespartanburgjournal.com.
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
South Carolina still in drought Groundwater levels remain low despite wet Upstate summer By CHARLES SOWELL | staff
It may seem like a wetter-than-usual summer for the Upstate, but South Carolina is still feeling the drought that holds large swaths of the United States in its overheated grip. Groundwater levels are driving much of this year’s Palmetto State drought, according to state data and experts responsible for monitoring conditions. Meanwhile, the largest drought in 50 years and record heat has made headlines across the United States. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest report shows two-thirds of South Carolina in stages of drought ranging from exceptionally dry to severe. The eastern coastal plain is rated as drought-free. Differences can be attributed to the indicators used by Drought Monitor and
August 24
the state drought committee. The counties under severe drought – Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield, Aiken and Barnwell – have been affected by the exceptional drought plaguing central Georgia. The western Upstate and Midlands counties – Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Anderson, Laurens, Greenwood, Newberry, Saluda and Lexington – are in moderate drought through a combination of the Georgia drought and low groundwater levels. Rainfall across the state has been about normal this year, said Steve Travis, a meteorologist with AccuWeather, a commercial weather forecasting service located at State College, Penn. “You had a couple of months that were exceptionally hot, but have settled back into a pattern of near-normal conditions,” Travis said. “Rainfall levels have been near normal over the entire state.” Data from the National Weather Service office in Greer shows rainfall for August at 2.54 inches above normal and for the year at 4.38 below normal. The effects of rainfall deficits are spotty in the Upstate. Fields of corn in the Oconee County mountains can be seven
feet tall and lush, while a few miles away, fields south of Highway 11 look similar to fields in the drought-stricken Midwest. Dennis Chastain, a member of the state Drought Response Committee from Pickens, regularly walks the highlands along the North Carolina border. He is intimately aware of groundwater conditions there because he checks the small springs that serve as the ultimate source of every river that starts in the region. Chastain believes the lingering impact of nearly 20 years of dry, hot weather has had a cumulative effect on groundwater levels in South Carolina. “Groundwater levels have just never had an opportunity to recharge,” he said. “You can tell when groundwater has dropped. Pressure drives the groundwater system, and when it drops low enough all of the springs stop at once.” A few days after a heavy rain, the springs shut down because most of the rainwater runs off without soaking in. Record heat and drought may grab the headlines, but low groundwater levels can be a much larger threat because they control river and lake levels during
periods of drought, said Venkat Lakshmi, professor of hydrology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. “I’d say there is no substitute for direct observation of conditions in determining local conditions and ultimately conditions downstream,” Lakshmi said. However, weather conditions are changing in a way that could ease the drought problems of the Upstate and most of the nation, said Jake Crouch of the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration. “We appear to be shifting from a La Nina to an El Nino pattern in the central Pacific,” Crouch said. “Depending on how strong the El Nino becomes, we could see a significant shift in weather bringing more rainfall and cooler conditions across the South and Midwest.” La Nina and El Nino refer to cyclical variations in sea-surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Meteorologists say water is warmer than average in the tropical Pacific during the El Nino phase and colder than average during the La Nina phase. The El Nino caused record lows and snowfall in the Southeast during the winter of 2010-2011, Travis said. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.
PH YSICIAN UPDATE
GHS welcomes these new physicians and office sites! Bariatric Surgery Patricia Eichhorn, M.D. Bariatric Solutions 2104 Woodruff Rd. Greenville, 676-1072
Cardiology Andrea Bryan, M.D. Carolina Cardiology 877 W. Faris Rd., Ste. B Greenville, 455-6900
Dermatology Allison Brown, M.D. Carolina Dermatology 920 Woodruff Rd. Greenville, 233-6338
Family Medicine Karla Hirshorn, M.D. Laurens Family Practice
106 Parkview Dr. Laurens, 984-0571 David Hoenicke, M.D. Riverside FP–Eastside 215 Halton Rd. Greenville, 454-2700
Internal Medicine Sallie Areford, M.D. Cypress IM–Patewood 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. B460 Greenville, 454-2226 Megan Witt, M.D. Cross Creek IM 50 Cross Park Ct. Greenville, 797-7035
OB/GYN Carreen Drake, M.D. Premier Women’s Care 209 Three Bridges Rd. Greenville, 220-4209
Erin Thurston, M.D. Greenville Ob Gyn Associates 2 Memorial Medical Dr. Greenville, 295-4210
Pediatrics S. David Blake, M.D. Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. A200 Greenville, 454-5115 James Green Jr., M.D. Pediatric Surgery 890 W. Faris Rd., Ste. 440 Greenville, 455-5070 Another Office Site! Pediatric Associates– Spartanburg 500 Squires Pt. Duncan, 582-8135
Urology J. Erik Busby, M.D. UMG Regional Urology– Cross Creek 15 Park Creek Dr. Greenville, 797-7450
Vascular Medicine Stephen Chastain, M.D. Vascular Health Alliance 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. C300 Greenville, 454-VASC (8272)
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AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 5
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
OPINION VOICES FROM YOUR COMMUNITY, HEARD HERE
FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK
A disenfranchising election year There was a Greek chorus feel last week to Greenville lawyer Bob Ariail’s response to a Columbia court ruling that disqualified Greenville County Council candidate Mike Barnes and replaced him on the November ballot with the man he beat in the Republican primary. “It’s a sad day when the law disenfranchises the entire voter sentiment in a district,” Ariail told a Greenville News reporter. Parsing the blame for this train wreck of an election will continue for years to come. But Ariail is absolutely correct that wherever the blame rests, the loss belongs to the thousands of South Carolina voters disenfranchised by the debacle that chucked 250 candidates off this year’s primary and general election ballots. Barnes, a Greer businessman, won 56 percent of the Republican primary vote this June in District 18. Yet the incumbent whom a majority of those voters rejected will be the party’s nominee. Disenfranchised Greenville voters are hardly alone. Republican primary voters in Dorchester County chose challenger Sean Bennett over District 38 Sen. Mike Rose by a 60 percent margin, yet the courts are still litigating which one will represent the party in November. Over in Greenwood, the incumbent county councilman whom primary voters defeated after a heated scandal over council spending will be the Republican nominee, while the former Greenwood city manager they chose instead is a petition candidate. “The people spoke and their voice was taken away. I’m mad as hell,” a Greenwood voter told The State newspaper. State political reporter Adam Beam has dubbed this new class of politicians “the unelected” – people who, absent more legal upsets between now and November, could end up holding office against the original will of the electorate. As he noted, this raises unprecedented questions about the rights of voters versus the rule of law that judges across the state are struggling to weigh. The situation is virtually unfixable, created through a cascading series of oversights, errors and in some cases, deliberate choices to ignore the law – that combine to stretch the definition of “free and fair election” into farcical shapes. The chaos dates back to a May 2 Supreme Court order that disqualified 250 primary candidates for failing to file ethics reports according to state laws that overlap but do not conflict. The fault for that debacle lies with legislators who failed to reconcile old and new election laws and election and party officials who failed to read the whole law and led candidates into fatal mistakes. That was bad enough. But the real disaster began when party officials across the state played “let’s pretend” and kept candidates on the primary ballot who failed the filing test – thus giving voters an unlawful choice of candidates, and judges no choice but to disqualify more than a dozen winners in the lawsuits that inevitably followed. This is unforgivable. Whether carelessness, frustration or outright mutiny, party officials have flaunted the law and robbed voters who can be forgiven for wondering how any of this remotely qualifies as an election. That the body politic is fighting back is evident in the 36 petition candidates certified to appear on the November ballot. The unelected may end up unelected after all. Just as political parties must end up demoted. The Legislature cannot allow a debacle of this scale to ever happen again. Future candidates should file at county election offices where neutral professionals presumably know election law and intend to follow it. Then maybe, just maybe, South Carolina political leaders will begin to win back the public trust.
A positive step for immigration The Department of Homeland Security will soon have a tool that will allow long-standing immigrants to our country more time to gain full citizenship. As of Aug. 15, the agency can start exercising prosecutorial discretion to grant “Deferred Action” to individuals who entered the United States when they were children, either without a visa or with a visa that has since expired, and who have remained here, gone to school or into the military and have stayed out of criminal trouble. Deferred Action delays any removal of an individual and permits him or her to remain in the United States for two years, and may be renewed for additional twoyear increments. It does not give the individual a permanent lawful status. Deferred Action also permits the individual to apply for work permission, provided he or she can demonstrate “an economic necessity for employment.” This means a lot for our state as it allows immigrant workers more time here. Immigrants – both legal and illegal – are a major part of the South Carolina economy, but not in a negative way. Numerous studies show there is no correlation in the rise of immigrants nationally and locally with high unemployment rates. In fact, data from the American Immigration Council shows that immigration creates jobs through foreign-born workers buying goods and services from businesses here while also creating their own businesses to serve these new residents. That is money going into the economy as well as in property and sales taxes that help fund services for South Carolina residents. In order to qualify for Deferred Action, an individual must be able to prove he or she: Was under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012. Came to the United States before reaching his or her 16th birthday. Has continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time. Was physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making his or her request for consid-
IN MY OWN WORDS by RALPH GLEATON
eration of deferred action. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or his or her lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012. Is currently in school, has graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, has obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States. Has not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. All applicants will undergo a thorough background check to determine whether they are eligible. For example, individuals who have been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, or three or more other misdemeanor offenses not occurring on the same date and not arising out of the same act are not eligible to be considered for Deferred Action. Those who apply risk being turned over to Immigration Customs Enforcement for removal. While it is not necessary to engage an attorney in order to apply, the lack of review means people will likely have only one opportunity to apply. I recommend that any interested person engage an immigration lawyer to review their documents, including their criminal records, to determine whether they qualify and whether the documents gathered are sufficient to prove each element to the government. If a person qualifies, the attorney can draft all the necessary documents, file all of the paperwork and follow the case and respond to any requests for additional information. Ralph Gleaton is the managing partner of Gleaton Wyatt Hewitt, PA. The firm has been providing immigration services to clients in South Carolina and beyond since 1999.
IN MY OWN WORDS FEATURES ESSAYS BY RESIDENTS WITH PARTICULAR EXPERTISE WHO WANT TO TELL READERS ABOUT ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THEM. THE JOURNAL ALSO WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (MAXIMUM LENGTH OF 200 WORDS). PLEASE INCLUDE ADDRESS AND DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER. ALL LETTERS WILL BE CONFIRMED BEFORE PUBLICATION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL LETTERS FOR LENGTH. PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN SIMMONS AT SSIMMONS@THESPARTANBURGJOURNAL.COM.
6 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 24, 2012
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Cancer Centers of the Carolinas (CCC) Joins GHS CCC and GHS officially joined forces July 1. This acquisition combines the largest cancer care provider in the Upstate with 120621
AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 7
Prevalence of Diabetes and/or Obesity among South Carolina Medicaid Recipients in Greenville County by ZCTA (Quintile Categories) N = 3,693
journal community
Greenville
Obesity continued from Cover
Lunch and Learn about Obituaries You can learn a lot about a person from his or her obituary, and historian Winnie Walsh makes it her business to know all she can about Spartanburg’s dearly departed. She’s called the “Scribe of Death,” and she’ll share in her findings at this Lunch & Learn event, Friday, Aug. 24, 12:30 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center, sponsored by the Spartanburg Regional History Museum. $5. Don’t forget your lunch. Make a Pottery Bowl; Feed the Hungry No matter your artistic or technical ability, you are invited to make a clay pottery bowl as part of the annual Hub City Empty Bowls project that raises money to feed hungry citizens in the Spartanburg area. The next bowl-making event will be Saturday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center. Professional instruction and materials (including clay) will be provided at no charge. The bowls that are made will be used on Soup Day, Saturday, Nov. 10. The soup will be donated by local restaurants and served in the finished bowls (painted, glazed and fired), which can be kept for souvenirs for a $15 donation. All of the money raised will be given to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. Exhibits… • Still Life in the Spartanburg Art Museum. A whole lot more than pretty flowers on a table. Tues-Sat, 10-5. Ends: Oct. 20. • Four Hankie Triumph by local artist Ashley Holt in the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg’s gallery. Mon-Sat, 10-5, free. Ends: Aug. 28. • Racing Legends of Spartanburg in the Spartanburg Regional History Museum… all about Spartanburg’s major impact on international car racing history. Tues-Sat, 10-5. Ends: Sept. 1. • Shifting Plates… Original prints by 15 Upstate artists, who explore the many different aspects of this 2D art form. Tues-Sat, 10-5, in the Spartanburg Art Museum. • Student Exhibit… Spartanburg School Districts 3 and 4 display their students’ work, Aug. 29-Oct. 7. Mon-Sat, 10 a.m., free.
542-ARTS ChapmanCulturalCenter.org 200 E. Saint John St. Spartanburg
8 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 24, 2012
partnership coordinator of Spartanburg’s Partners for Active Living. Providing residents with opportunities to walk or bike allows them to make such activities a regular part of their day, Barrett said. “That’s the everyday activity that we’ve engineered out of our lives.” With that in mind, the city of Spartanburg has undertaken a new “road diet” project to reduce traffic lanes on West Main Street and create space for wider sidewalks, bike lanes and tree-planting, he said. Obesity is a key issue facing Spartanburg County, said Renee Romberger, vice president of community health, policy and strategy for Spartanburg Regional Health. “It’s the one area that we have consensus that it’s a problem and a passion to do something about it.” Environmental change is essential, she said. “We’ve been telling people to eat right and exercise for 30 years and the obesity rate is still rising.” According to the state, some barriers to healthy activity and nutrition are “food deserts,” a term experts use to describe a lack of access to affordable and healthy food combined with low availability of sidewalks, parks and recreation facilities. Food deserts are typically defined as areas where convenience or fast-food outlets outnumber fresh food groceries or markets 5 to 1. The rate in Spartanburg County is 8.5 to 1, Barrett said A positive way Spartanburg is combating food deserts is through the Hub City Farmers Market’s mobile market, which visits Woodruff, Pacolet, Boiling Springs and nearby businesses like Adidas, he said. Key statewide initiatives include a Farm
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85.9 - 104.7 85.9 - 104.7 104.8 - 375.0
Municipal Boundaries in 104.8 - 375.0 Highest Prevalence ZCTAs Population MunicipalNoBoundaries in FQHCs (60) ! ( Prevalence Highest ZCTAs ! ( RHCs (110) No Population ( !
! ( RHCsInformation (110) System, FY 2011. Created by the University of ! ( SC Medicaid Source: (! ! South Carolina, Institute for Families in Society, Division of Policy and (Research on
FQHCs (60) Diabetes cases type 1diagnoses and type 2 diabetes. Note: Number of cases based oninclude primary only. Some clinic locations have been generalized to increase map legibility. Diabetes cases include type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Note: Number of cases based on primary diagnoses only.
Source: SC Medicaid Information System, FY 2011.
Created by the University of South Carolina, Institute for Families in Society, Division of Policy and Research on Medicaid and Medicare, August 2012.
Union 0
2
4
Medicaid and Medicare, August 2012
Note: Number of cases based on primary diagnoses only. Diabetes cases include type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Some to School program to get more South Car- show the most need and duplicate the succlinic locations have been generalized to increase map legibility.
olina-grown foods onto school menus, the cessful programs that already exist across ABC Source: Grow Healthy Project to enhance the state. “We want to really address the SC Medicaid Information System, FY 2011. nutrition and physical activity in the state’s most critical problems where they are not Created by the University of South Carolina, ABC Institute child care centers,inand the Healthy otherwise for Families Society, Division of Policy and addressed,” she said. ( LiveWell Green! Medicaid and Medicare, August 2012. SouthResearch CarolinaonInitiative to reduce obeIn Greenville County, sity, tobacco use, heart disease and stroke. ville is helping to “make the healthy choice In 2011, two Greenville County and four the easy choice” through workplace proSpartanburg County schools participated grams, collaborating with schools and in the Farm to School program. afterschool programs and recreation proCatherine Templeton, director of grams. This summer, LiveWell partnered South Carolina’s Department of Health with Greenville Recreation to introduce and Environmental Control (DHEC), healthier foods at the county’s waterparks. said the agency wants to support those Greenville County Schools have also counties that don’t already have a hospi- implemented the CATCH program, tal or business spearheading communi- which coordinates health efforts among ty-wide healthy living initiatives. the classroom, physical education, food DHEC will use its resources to put a service and families. “surgical focus” on largely rural areas that “We recognize obesity is a community problem,” Romberger said. “ObeAccording to the newly released CDC data, part of the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor sity drives much of the chronic illness in Surveillance Survey, the obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were: Spartanburg County and 80 percent of the patients at the hospital each day are 1. Mississippi (34.9%) 18. Iowa (29.0%) 35. New Hampshire (26.2%) there because of chronic diseases.” 2. Louisiana (33.4%) 19. Delaware (28.8%) 36. Minnesota (25.7%) A bright spot on the national front 3. West Virginia (32.4%) 20. Pennsylvania (28.6%) 37. (tie) Rhode Island (25.4%) was a report earlier this month from the 4. Alabama (32.0%) 21. Nebraska (28.4%) and Vermont (25.4%) CDC that more Americans are walk5. Michigan (31.3%) 22. Maryland (28.3%) 39. Wyoming (25.0%) ing: Almost two-thirds reported taking 6. Oklahoma (31.1%) 23. South Dakota (28.1%) 40. Arizona (24.7%) regular walks. The Southeast showed the 7. Arkansas (30.9%) 24. Georgia (28.0%) 41. Montana (24.6%) biggest increase: 57 percent in 2010, up 8. (tie) Indiana (30.8%) and 25. (tie) Maine (27.8%) and 42. (tie) Connecticut (24.5%) from 49 percent in 2005. South Carolina (30.8%) North Dakota (27.8%) Nevada (24.5%) and New However, data from the U.S. Nation10. (tie) Kentucky (30.4%) and 27. Wisconsin (27.7%) York (24.5%) al Health Interview Survey says that Texas (30.4%) 28. Alaska (27.4%) 45. Utah (24.4%) Americans still have a ways to go: Nearly 12. Missouri (30.3%) 29. Illinois (27.1%) 46. California (23.8%) half of adults are not getting enough ex13. (tie) Kansas (29.6%) and 30. Idaho (27.0%) 47. (tie) District of Columbia ercise. For walking to be beneficial, peo(23.7%) and New Jersey (23.7%) Ohio (29.6%) 31. Oregon (26.7%) ple should be getting at least 2.5 hours 49. Massachusetts (22.7%) 15. (tie) Tennessee (29.2%) and 32. Florida (26.6%) of moderate-intensity physical activity, 50. Hawaii (21.8%) Virginia (29.2%) 33. Washington (26.5%) like brisk walking, each week. 17. North Carolina (29.1%)
34. New Mexico (26.3%)
51. Colorado (20.7%)
Individuals with a body mass index (a calculation based on weight and height ratios) of 30 or higher are considered obese.
Contact April A. Morris at amorris@thespartanburgjournal.com.
8
12 Miles
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
Jared Fogle to visit Upstate, inspire students and educators Subway spokesman speaks out against childhood obesity By APRIL A. MORRIS | staff
He’s been showing off his weight-loss results and his old 60-inch-waist jeans since 2000. Now Subway spokesman Jared Fogle is bringing his message to the Upstate to inspire students and teachers to fight childhood obesity. On Aug. 29 and 30, Fogle will be visiting the area and talking about his weight-loss journey. In addition to speaking to Sterling School students, he’ll visit the nation’s first CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) exhibit at the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. Fogle’s nonprofit, The Jared Foundation, has partnered with CATCH to promote this school health program implemented in 8,500 schools in the U.S. and abroad. More than 60 Greenville County schools participate in CATCH, a program that coordinates health efforts in the classroom, physical education, food service and family. The interactive exhibit will be at the Children’s Museum of the Upstate until Sept. 30.
August 24
According to the Jared Foundation, Fogle began to struggle with his weight when he was around eight years old. As a freshman in college, he weighed in at 425 pounds. His tale of how he shed 245 of them in a year, in part by eating Subway sandwiches, is now a familiar story nationwide. In 2005, after showing up in numerous Subway television commercials, Fogle began to bring his message against childhood obesity to schools across the country. “This is the first time that I’ve been able to bring the message of my foundation and tie it into what I do with Subway,” said Fogle earlier this week. “It’s very exciting for me and has
been a long time in the works.” September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and the Subway restaurant chain is marking it with the Fresh Start Challenge for children ages five to 14. Kids track their activity levels and healthy eating choices throughout the month and submit an entry form to receive a free kid’s meal or six-inch sub. In the Upstate, two student winners will be selected by random drawing to receive a sub party for their classes and a $1,000 fitness grant for their schools. “I think it (the
collaboration) will help the kids even more so in the Greenville area, more than going into other schools because they’re already so involved in CATCH,” said Fogle. “I think we all know childhood obesity is a huge issue, especially in the South … and CATCH is one of the solutions that we know is working,” he said. During the school visits, Fogle said he will be talking about what he did wrong when younger and how he ended up weighing over 400 pounds at 19 years old. “I want to share with them the mistakes I made when I was their age … I want them to look back and think, ‘I want to make sure that I never put myself in the situation to where I’m as big as Jared was,’” he said. “Between my story and the CATCH program, I think we’re going to be able to empower these kids to make better decisions,” he said. Contact April A. Morris at amorris@thespartanburgjournal.com.
N E W S T H AT Y O U C A N U S E
Parenting Class Tues., Aug. 28 • 6:30-8 p.m. • Jean M. Smith Library Branch (Greer) This positive discipline workshop for parents explores ways to discourage misbehavior. Free; registration required: Visit ghs.org/360healthed or call 1-877-GHS-INFO (447-4636).
Prostate Screenings Thurs., Sept. 13 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. • North Greenville Hospital Tues., Sept. 18 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • Hillcrest Memorial Hospital Tues., Sept. 25 • 5:30-8:30 p.m. • Greer Memorial Hospital Men age 50+ or those with a family history of prostate disease are urged to schedule an exam. Free; registration required: Visit ghs.org/360healthed or call 1-877-GHS-INFO (447-4636).
Be the Match! Save a Life! Thurs., Sept. 20 • 3-7 p.m. • Greenville Memorial Hospital Help a patient needing a bone marrow donor by joining the BE THE MATCH® registry! Just complete a registration form and give a cheek swab of cells. Must be 18-60 years old. Learn more at BeTheMatch.org.
the Upstate’s premier academic medical center. Learn more at ghs.org/cancer. Considering Hip Replacement? GHS Drs. Brandon Broome, Brayton Shirley, Brian Burnikel and Philip Wessinger are the region’s first surgeons to perform the anterior approach to hip replacement, which means less pain and faster recovery. Find out more at steadmanhawkinscc.com/joint.
InQuickER Holds Your Spot for ER & Urgent Care Save a place in line at any GHS MD360® or ER. Just register online at ghs.org/inquicker, wait in comfort, arrive at your projected time and see a nurse within 15 minutes! This optional service is for non-life threatening and minor emergencies.
ghs.org
Cancer Centers of the Carolinas (CCC) Joins GHS CCC and GHS officially joined forces July 1. This acquisition combines the largest cancer care provider in the Upstate with 120621
AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 9
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
Operation Lost Vote By CHARLES SOWELL | staff
Top Chef. Chart Topper.
Conservatives banned from the November ballot by the state Supreme Court’s ruling on pre-election paperwork and resurrected as petition candidates have a new headquarters in Spartanburg, said Harry Kibler, head of the RINO-hunt group in South Carolina. Spartanburg and Greenville Tea Party members opened the 3,000-square-foot storefront at 1529 Suite B, John B. White Sr. Blvd. on Saturday with a party of soft drinks and snacks. Kibler said the goal of RINO (Republican In Name Only) Hunt is to vote out all those whose voting records and political support prove inconsistent with the Republican Party platform. The new storefront “will be a place where conservatives from around the state, who were kicked off the ballot by the court, can
use as a headquarters or a phone bank to run their campaigns,” he said. The high court’s ruling before the GOP primary outraged conservatives around the state, Kibler said. “The way state election law is written, candidates were required to file online forms with the state Ethics Commission and paper forms with the Election Commission,” he said. “Those who only filed paper forms with the ethics commission were penalized for not filing electronically.” In this year’s election conservatives were unduly penalized and have been forced to run as petition candidates in most cases, he said. “This building will be used to get the word out that they’re still on the ballot, just not under the Republican Party’s banner,” he said. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.
COUNTY COUNCIL FROM THE AUG. 20 MEETING
Spartanburg County Council approved letting County Administrator Katherine Hubbard execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Spartanburg and Greenville County recreation departments after a contentious debate on Monday. The MOU is a natural outflow of this summer’s National Softball Association World Series held at Spartanburg’s Tyger River Park, where Greenville Rec pitched in to help handle overflow games at their parks and overflow visitors at Greenville County hotels, said Jim Campbell, interim Spartanburg recreation department director. That one event generated $4.2 million in economic impact for Spartanburg County, a study done by Clemson University found. Greenville saw $1.5 million spent across the county line. Councilman Roger Nutt said he worried the MOU might give Greenville an advantage in attracting tournaments, a fear echoed by Councilman Michael Brown. Campbell told council the two recreation departments complement one another, because they have different kinds of venues. “We have a splendid softball and baseball venue at Tyger River,” he said. “And Greenville County has a 16-field soccer complex at MeSA. There really is no competition.” Council went on to unanimously approve moving ahead with the MOU. In other action, council approved a fee-in-lieu of taxes pact with Spartanburg Rehabilitation Institute, Inc., on first reading. Also clearing council at first reading was a $12 million bond issue for the StartexJackson-Wellford-Duncan Water Commission for expanding the system and improving pipelines. Passing at second reading was an ordinance abolishing the Spartanburg County EMS Advisory Committee. Also approved was a fee-in-lieu of taxes pact with Polydeck Screen Corporation. The ordinance authorizing Spartanburg County to take over the town of Reidville’s elections passed at second reading. Spartanburg County Council next meets at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 in chambers at the County Administration Building, 366 North Church St. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.
10 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 24, 2012
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Local author Eric Diehl’s science fiction/fantasy novel, “Water Harvest,” was recently published by Double Dragon Publishing, a digital press. Diehl has self-published several other works and is encouraging fans of the genre to take advantage of a free download of his anthology, “24:01 One Minute After.” The short story collection is available at www.smashwords.com in all mainstream e-book formats, as well as in formats that can be viewed on a PC. For more information about and excerpts from Diehl’s work, links to author interviews and a link to the download site, visit www.ericdiehl.com.
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Wofford College is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The results, released in The Chronicle’s fifth annual report on The Academic Workplace, are based on a survey of more than 46,000 employees at 294 colleges and universities. In all, only 103 of the 294 institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium and large institutions, with Wofford included among the small institutions of 3,000 or fewer students. Wofford won honors in three categories this year: job satisfaction, teaching environment (faculty only) and tenure clarity and process (faculty only). This is the second year Wofford has been recognized in the survey, receiving honors in the 2011 program. Furman University was also honored. For more information and to view all of the results of the survey, visit http://chronicle.com/ academicworkplace.
The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced recently that 44,255 people attended the 2012 Carolina Panthers Training Camp at Wofford College, nearly 30 percent more than the previous year. The CVB’s research from last year indicated nearly 35 percent of those visiting were from beyond 50 miles away, and spent almost $2 million during their visit to Spartanburg. “This is yet another great example of how Spartanburg works together to make things happen,” said Will Rothschild, Communications Manager for the City of Spartanburg. He also thanked the State of South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT), which launched an aggressive public relations campaign prior to camp this year. Wofford College has been the home of the Panthers training camp since the team’s inaugural season in 1995. If you are sponsoring a community event, we want to share your news. Submit entries to: Spartanburg Journal, Community Briefs, 148 River St., Suite 120, Greenville, SC 29601 or email: spartanburgcommunity@thespartanburgjournal.com
JOURNAL BUSINESS
A hot dog dream Hub Diggity Dogs is a downtown success story By CHARLES SOWELL | staff
CHARLES SOWELL / STAFF
Bobby and Jill Beauvais, owners of Hub Diggity Dogs in downtown Spartanburg, in front of their store.
Dreams do come true in downtown Spartanburg, albeit with a lot of extra effort in an economy just starting to climb out of the doldrums left over from the Great Recession. Hub Diggity Dogs was Bobby and Jill Beauvais’ dream made possible – by the couple’s determination and elbow grease combined with a cooperative city government and a landlord who was willing to pitch in on rent and startup issues. The Beauvaises came to Spartanburg in 1990, Bobby to run an apparel business while Jill went to work in the office of a local elementary school. However, the couple first met in a small hot dog stand back home in Connecticut, and when he retired a couple of years ago, Bobby Beauvais decided to follow a dream that had been rattling around in his mind for years: to recreate
the kind of place where he first met Jill. After retirement, “I took a couple of months off and quickly got bored,” Beauvais said. “So I started planning a hot dog restaurant.” Hub Diggity Dogs is the result – a success story in a downtown struggling to fill storefronts, said Will Rothschild, communications manager for the City of Spartanburg. “In the current economic situation, money is tight with banks unwilling to make loans,” he said. “We’ve not been able to attract the big businesses yet. Local businesses have been our biggest success, but startups face high rents from local landlords.” Rothschild said the landlords often “want Greenville or Charlotte rents. That’s just not going to happen. The customer base just isn’t there yet.” The landlord at Hub Diggity Dogs HOT DOGS continued on PAGE 14
Spartanburg unemployment inches down Statewide jobless rate rose for 3rd consecutive month By DICK HUGHES | contributor
Unemployment rose for the third consecutive month in South Carolina to 9.6 percent in July. The rate inched down, however, in
Spartanburg County to 10.1 from 10.3 percent in June, and to 7.9 percent from 8.2 percent in Greenville. Lexington County has the lowest rate in the state at 7.3 percent, followed by Saluda County at 7.6 and Greenville and Charleston counties tied at 7.9. The unemployment rate has worsened in South Carolina since April, when it had reached a 10-month low of
8.8 percent. “The decline in payroll employment is typical for this time of year as educational institutions are on break for the summer,” said Abraham J. Turner, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. DEW reports that jobs in the education and health services sector were down 0.18 percent to 217,700 in July.
In April, employment in those combined industries was 219,900. But other sectors lost even more jobs between June and July. Most notable was the government sector, where more than 15,000 jobs disappeared. July employment in government, which had edged up in April and was above levels of a year earlier, was 500 positions below UNEMPLOYMENT continued on PAGE 14
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unemployment continued from page 13
325,500 in July of last year. Manufacturing also continued to leach jobs as the economic crisis in Europe has cut into exports. While still up 2.1 percent year to year, manufacturing lost 1,600 jobs in July. Construction work remains slow to
Jobless Rates in the Upstate County
July
Greenville Pickens Anderson Spartanburg Laurens Oconee Greenwood Abbeville Cherokee Union State
7.9 8.9 9.6 10.1 10.1 10.4 10.9 10.9 12.3 14.9 9.6
June July 2011
8.2 9.3 9.7 10.3 9.8 10.3 11.0 11.3 12.5 14.8 9.4
8.5 9.5 10.4 11.2 11.6 11.0 11.4 12.1 13.2 16.6 10.5
charles sowell / Staff
EW LtIhV e NE
was a different story: He saw the potential for the budding business and was willing to help the couple with the rent when they launched the Dunbar Street restaurant in the fall of 2010. “John Bauknight of Longleaf Holdings helped us a great deal in the beginning,” Bobby Beauvais said. “He virtually halved our rent when we were starting up, with the understanding that the rent would go up as we found our footing.” “That’s the kind of help from a landlord that makes it possible for a small business to get started downtown,” Rothschild said. “The city can always find startup grants for businesses, but we can’t tell a property owner how much to charge.” Ron Thomas, project director for economic development at the city, also played a crucial role in getting Hub Diggity Dogs off the ground, the couple said. “He found us a $1,000 startup grant,” Beauvais said. “That and the break we got from Longleaf was enough to get us up and running.” Even so, all the incentives in the world aren’t enough to make a business work unless the product is there, the couple said. “That’s why we added New Englandstyle lobster rolls,” Beauvais said. The rolls are on the menu every Friday, and “Friday is our busiest day. People come from as far away as North Carolina for the rolls.” The lobster roll is a sweet, buttery treat, packed with tail and claw meat on a New England-style bun. Southerners aren’t familiar with New England food, and the product was a risk for the young restaurant.
Hub Diggity Dogs offers a New England-style lobster roll in addition to hot dogs.
But Beauvais said he “always thought we needed foods here from other regions of the country. We’ve got foods from all around the world here. No reason not to try New England.” Since opening, Hub Diggity Dogs has seen a strong surge in business, Beauvais said. “We more than doubled the size of the store and now have enough space to store things and for people to eat in.” Beauvais works the store through the week with a couple of helpers and Jill joins him on the weekends. During the week, she still works at the elementary school. “Jill and I did all the remodeling work here,” Beauvais said. “She scrubbed for days to get it ready.” When full recovery hits downtown, Rothschild and Beauvais said businesses like Hub Diggity Dogs will be positioned to take full advantage. “We’ve seen an increase in business since we’ve opened. It’s been slow, but steady,” Beauvais said. The restaurant is located at 119 Dunbar St. For more information, see hubdiggitydogs.com. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com. gain traction and is down 2.7 percent from a year ago. At 9.6 percent, South Carolina is tied with North Carolina for the 46th worst unemployment rate in the nation. The nationwide rate is 8.3 percent. In its review of employment in regions where it has bank locations, TD Economics noted that “job growth in South Carolina’s high-skilled professional and scientific sectors is on an upward trajectory, but momentum in the manufacturing sector has stagnated.” The TD economists said “thanks to the state’s much improved budgetary position,” they expect state and local government jobs to return. Overall, TD Economics projects an improving South Carolina job picture, predicting an average unemployment rate of 8.7 percent when the year ends. Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ thespartanburgjournal.com.
JOURNAL BUSINESS
THE FINE PRINT BY DICK HUGHES
Polydeck Screen Corp., a family-owned and -operated business in Spartanburg, is expanding its manufacturing with an investment of $7 million, the company announced. Polydeck said it would add 32 jobs to its existing workforce of just fewer than 200. The company produces material screening systems for the aggregate, coal and mining industries. All of its products are produced in a 93,000-square-foot plant on Dewberry Road. Polydeck’s expansion includes acquisition of a neighboring facility on Dewberry Road, the addition of new state-of-the-art equipment and “several injection molding machines in order to produce a new line of screen media products.” Since opening its doors in 1978, the company said it has expanded its Spartanburg plant five times to keep up with “a growing demand for its products.” David Keating, human resources director, said Polydeck had revenue of $140 million last year and expects to have “significantly more than that this year.” Joining the company in announcing the expansion were Gov. Nikki Haley, Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt and David Britt, chairman of the Spartanburg County Council. “Polydeck chose Spartanburg as the location for its headquarters in 1978, and we have been blessed with steady growth since that time,” said Peter Freissle, president. He said Spartanburg’s “positive economic environment, the availability of a talented workforce and the cooperation of county officials” has enabled Polydeck to thrive.
Auto Supplier Adds Jobs
Dräxlmaier, the Duncan original-equipment supplier for automakers, is holding its first professional job fair in six years to attract applicants for 15 available jobs. The job fair will be held Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at its corporate offices at 1751 E. Main St., Duncan. Ralph Schwarz, corporate spokesman, said growth in the business has increased its Duncan workforce from 537 last August to 731 today. Last year, Dräxlmaier invested $22.4 million to add a 64,000-square-foot production facility and to upgrade existing facilities and automation to meet growing demand from automakers. The company said it is looking to hire a broad spectrum of professionals in program and project management, quality control, production supervision, procurement, sales, human resources and logistics. For more information, contact Lisa Cope, corporate recruiter, at 864-433-8910, ext. 1238. Dräxlmaier is a family-owned German company with 55 plants in 20 countries. It specializes in providing premium interiors, wiring harness systems and electrical and electronic components for high-end vehicles such as BMWs and Cadillacs.
Realtor Opens Greer Gallery
Coldwell Banker Caine has opened a real estate gallery on Trade Street in downtown Greer, its third walk-in facility featuring computers for agent use, TVs for viewing properties and meeting rooms for agents and clients. The new Greer facility is located in a 1950s building first used for Miss Alta Cunningham’s Fine Ladies Clothing store. The Braasch Building Group redeveloped the building as a LEED-certified green space in 2009. Brad Halter, president of Coldwell Banker Caine, said the galleries in high-traffic downtown areas accommodate changes in the way people use technology today to look for and purchase homes. A grand opening for the Greer gallery will be Sept. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. Coldwell Banker Caine opened its first two galleries on Main Street, Greenville, and Tanner Road, Mauldin.
New Arena for Riding Therapy
Roebuck Building Co. broke ground last week on the new arena for HALTER, the Spartanburg program using horseback riding as therapy for handicapped residents. The new facility is on the campus of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. HALTER is the acronym for Handicapped Athletes Learning to Enjoy Riding. Founded in 1987, it is a nonprofit organization promoting and providing riding therapy for handicapped students and residents of the Upstate.
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Journal Sketchbook
Hub City Writers Project opens door through critique program
Program matches published writers with those working on a manuscript By Cindy Landrum | staff
goals for a manuscript. Kari Jackson, assistant director of the project, said the program is ideal for writers who have a complete manuscript and would benefit from an experienced author’s close reading and critique of the work. Critiques are available for mainstream and literary fiction, creative nonfiction and memoir, young adult literature and poetry. The program was created in response to a Hub City Writers Project’s survey of writers who have attended conferences and workshops over the past few years, Jackson said. “A lot of people said they wanted feedback on their writing from somebody who they respect,” she said. “They want to know what’s good and what needs to be better.” open door continued on page 19
Paul Mehaffey / Town Magazine
Greenville author Mindy Friddle says it’s important for writers to have somebody who can be completely honest with them about their work. “If you’re lucky, you have a few people who really get you and they can be completely honest and look at your work as a very engaged reader,” she said. “It can’t be a lovefest.” Writing mentors can identify what works and what doesn’t, things that can be obvious to a reader but overlooked by a writer because of the respective distance writers have to their own manuscripts, she said. Friddle said she was fortunate to have several mentors while
she worked on her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Warren Wilson College, a couple of whom she still corresponds with about her writing, two published novels later. “I don’t think every writer needs an MFA, but I do think every writer needs a mentor,” said Friddle, who also considers her agent and members of the writing group to which she belongs mentors as well. And now Upstate writers have the chance to get their own mentor, thanks to the Open Door Critique Program, a new initiative launched by the Hub City Writers Project. The Open Door Critique Program matches emerging writers with experienced published authors to help achieve their writing
Author Mindy Friddle is one of the writing mentors in the Open Door Critique Program, a new initiative launched by the Hub City Writers Project.
Answering the call
Upstate painter fought fear to embrace his art By Jennifer oladipo | contributor
“Flower,” acrylic on wood by artist Chris Hartwick.
Since Chris Hartwick stopped avoiding the call to be an artist, he hasn’t looked back. “It was one of those things where I fought it all my life,” said Hartwick. “Everyone else knew I would be an artist but I kept saying ‘no, I wouldn’t.’ I just thought of it more as a hobby.” Hartwick said several hints were eventually too difficult to deny, and he switched from English to a graphic design major after his first semester at Bob Jones University. “I could kind of see that God was pushing me into art. One time I got an art portfolio from a college, but the funny thing was that I had requested one from
the English department,” he said. The Greenville painter and graphic designer has an eclectic style, but he says line is an important aspect in all of his work. “Linear painting style works for me,” he said. “People have said that I need to be more loose and painterly, but that doesn’t work for me.” Hartwick finds inspiration in many places. He has done series inspired by typography, a television perfume ad and his friends’ love of coffee, even though he doesn’t drink it himself. He has also done paintings inspired by particular Bible verses, although the style and use of color vary so much among the pieces that the relationship might be hidden to many viewers. Sometimes, though, he makes art just for fun. painting continued on page 18
AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 17
journal sketchbook
TOWN
Pick up the August issue at MAGAZINE these locations:
2 Chefs 2 Chefs 2 Go Greenville Automotive Barnes & Noble Bennett's Frame & Art Gallery Brew and Ewe Café at Williams Hardware Camille's Sidewalk Café Carlton Mercedes Carolina Consignment Carolina Furniture CertusBank Chocolate Moose cocobella Coffee and Crema Coffee to a Tea Coffee Underground Courtyard Marriott Dicks Brooks Honda Earth Fair Ethan Allen Even a Sparrow Fowler's Pharmacy Foxfire Fresh Market Garner’s Geiss and Sons Glow on Main Gold Collections Greenville County Library Gregory Ellenburg Hales Hampton Inn & Suites Harrison Lighting Hub City Book Shop Hyatt Regency Greenville JB Lacher JP Collections
Kitchen Arts & Pottery Labels on Augusta Lighting Showroom llyn strong Martin Nursery Massage Envy Mast General Store Mayme Baker Studio Millie Lewis Monkees of the West End Muse Shoe Studio Northampton Wines & Wine Cafe Old Colony On On Tri Pace Jewelers Paisley & Paper Petals Boutique Pickles & Ice Cream The Pickwick Pink Bee Pink Monogram Plaza Suite Postcard From Paris Proaxis Professional Party Rentals Roots Of Greenville Rowan Company Rush Wilson Limited Saffrons Café Saige Consignment Boutique Skin Kare Soby's on The Side Spill the Beans Strossner’s Sutton Shoes The Clothing Warehouse The Cook's Station The Lighting Center The Market @ The Reserve Tony's Liquor Twigs Vignettes Westin Poinsett Wild Birds Unlimited Wilson's on Washington Wish
“Light My Candle” by Chris Hartwick. Marker rendering. Painting continued from page 17
Hartwick said he has been drawing since he was six years old, but was reluctant to take his talent seriously. He suffered the common lack of confidence that many young artists have when comparing their work to others, but was also worried about the fact that he lives with a disability. Hartwick was born with arthrogryposis, a rare muscular disease that has left him without enough muscle in his chest and arms to use them normally. As a result, he paints and draws with his mouth, and does graphic design by manipulating a computer mouse with his feet.
PLUS Jeff Lynch
18 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 24, 2012
TOWN Magazine is available at over 200 locations. For a complete list, visit TOWNgreenville.com
Artist Chris Hartwick
“That was a fear when I first started off as an artist,” said Hartwick. “I wanted my work to sell because it was good, not just because of my disability.” His fear of prejudice turned out to be mostly unfounded. Using the workspace at the Artists Guild Gallery in Greenville, Hartwick has been able to watch patrons admire his work without knowing anything about him. The discovery that Hartwick painted a work by using his mouth tends to add to people’s appreciation of his talent, he said. Hartwick said he has not let his disability stop him from doing things he enjoys. He taught CPR for the American Red Cross, and practiced karate for several years. In his day job, he is a graphic designer at BJU. Work sometimes drains him of the desire to hone his own art at the end of the day, but other times he comes home charged and ready to do more. Membership in the Greenville Artists Guild also motivates Hartwick. He said sharing a workspace can be energizing, and the other artists often serve as sources of inspiration. His work is now showing at another group’s venue, through Sept. 16 at Spartanburg’s West Main Artists Cooperative’s first annual Artist Invitational. Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@greenvillejournal.com.
After getting some initial information and a sample of the manuscript, Hub City will match a writer with a critiquer. Within two months, writers will receive their manuscript with line editing, marginal notes and copy editing throughout, as well as a detailed critique letter with overall comments and specific suggestions for revision. The writer will meet with his critiquer face-to-face or over Skype for at least one hour. The cost to submit a manuscript is $3 per text page plus $50 per hour meeting. The program’s name comes from a quote by Stephen King in his memoir “On Writing”: “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” “Writing is hard, and revising is hard,” Jackson said. Friddle, author of “The Garden Angel” and “Secret Keepers” and two-time winner of the South Carolina Fiction Prize, said writers have individual strengths.
Some write dialogue well, others excel at imagery and scene setting. But no matter what their strong points are, all writers need feedback about their craft, she said. Friddle is one of eight published writers who will critique for the program. The others are Beth Beasley, a freelance feature writer from Hendersonville; G. M. Frazier, a Spartanburg lawyer who has been editing and writing fiction for 20 years; Luke Hankins, a poet who is senior editor at the Asheville Poetry Review; Lyn Riddle, author of four true-crime books, award-winning journalist and former editor of the Greenville and Spartanburg Journals; Alan Rossi, an associate editor for Juked, one of the longest-running online journals; Jan Scalisi, a freelance writer, editor and graphic designer; and Patrick Whitfill, a poetry and fiction writer.
AL U N
N
A d n 2
Presented by:
FRE EVE E NT!
Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.
scene. here.
the week in the local arts world
Ballet Spartanburg recently announced its 2012-13 season that includes a fall show for children, “The Nutcracker” at Christmas, and the annual spring performance of modern ballet, “DanSynergy V.” The season opens with a double feature of “Angelina Ballerina’s The Big Audition” and “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” both of which are ideal for children. Show times include: Friday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All performances will be in the David Reid Theater at the Chapman Cultural Center. “The Nutcracker” will feature more than 100 dancers, brilliant sets and snow falling in the audience during this magical show featuring Clara and toys that come to life. For a special event, young children can participate in a magical Nutcracker sweets party with the ballet characters, right on the stage before the performance. “The Nutcracker” will be performed at Twichell Auditorium at Converse College on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 and 9, at 3 p.m. . Call 864-583-0339 or 864-542-ARTS or visit www. chapmanculturalcenter.org for ticket prices or to reserve a ticket. Over the next three months, community-minded citizens can make soup bowls as part of Spartanburg’s fourth annual Hub City Empty Bowls project that will raise and donate money to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. At various scheduled bowlmaking events, the public will be invited to make clay bowls at either the Chapman Cultural Center or the West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg. The bowl-making events are free and professional instruction from members of the Carolina Clay Artists group is provided. The bowls will be made in preparation of Saturday, Nov. 10, when they will be used to serve soup to the general public at the Chapman Cultural Center. The soup will be donated by various restaurants in the region, and patrons will be asked to donate $15 for a handmade pottery bowl. All of the money raised through this project will be donated to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. Current bowlmaking events include: Saturday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. at Chapman Cultural Center; and Thursday, Sept. 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at West Main Artists Co-op. More bowl-making events will be announced. For more information, visit www. HubCityEmptyBowls.com or call 864-320-5358. Send us your arts announcement. Email: spartanburgarts@thespartanburgjournal.com
Downtown Greer August 24th, 6-10 August 25th, 10-10 Vendors will be sellin’ BBQ from 7 of our competition cookers, and anything from fresh squeezed lemonade to homemade ice cream. Little Piggies Kid Zone will have kids playin’ on carnival style kids rides. The stage will be rockin’ with a full lineup of live entertainment. Chew Chew Depot will be smokin’ where the KCBS competition only BBQ cookers will rev up their smokers for all night cooking and a chance at $6,500 in prize money. All you can ride Kid Zone Wristbands: $10 Friday and $15 Saturday
www.GreerRelief.org EVENT SPONSORS:
Bruce Grading & Land Clearing, Gwinn’s, STI, Tapps Commercial Cleaning Greer Memorial Hospital, Atkins Data & Telephone Services, AXA Advisors, DayStrong, Greer CPW Funds raised benefit Greer Relief & Resource Agency a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
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open door continued from page 17
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AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 19
journal sketchbook
LAST WEEKEND! Make your reservations now!
FEST
RESTAURANT WEEK Local restaurateurs have teamed up to bring you the 4th Annual Foodie Fest! This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better as restaurants will be offering one of the following...
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Visit UpstateFoodie.com or Facebook.com/foodiefest2012 for updates, menus, and more!
Feed Your Inner Food Enthusiast 20 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 24, 2012
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JOURNAL SKETCHBOOK
OUR SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES, AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
GREG BECKNER / STAFF
For the second consecutive year and fourth year in the last five years, Converse College has been awarded the annual Conference Carolinas Allan Sharp Award for academic excellence. The Sharp Award recognizes the Conference Carolinas member that graduates the highest percentage of student-athletes within six years of entering college. For the 2011-12 academic year, 91 percent of scholarship athletes graduated within six years of coming onto the Converse College campus. The award will be presented at the Sept. 13 Conference Carolinas Fall Meeting. The late Allan Sharp served for over twenty years as the Atlantic Christian College and Barton College Faculty Athletics Representative. Dr. Sharp championed the role of athletics as an educational activity and the importance of each athlete performing at the same level of excellence in the classroom as on the court or field. Converse College is the only women’s college in the nation competing at the NCAA Division II level. Youth For Understanding USA (YFU), a nonprofit educational organization, seeks volunteers and host families to mentor and host high school exchange students. Host families of all shapes and sizes welcome YFU students into their home as if they are one of their own children. YFU exchange students bring spending money and have health insurance. They come prepared to follow family rules and want to become a part of the community. Students and host family are supported by local YFU representatives who form a nationwide network of more than 1,500 volunteers. International programs for American students and volunteer opportunities with YFU are also available. To learn more, call 1-866-4-YFU-USA or visit www.yfu-usa.org.
Greenville (864) 235-1883 • Columbia, SC • Valle Crucis • Boone • Waynesville Hendersonville • Asheville, NC • Knoxville, TN • MastGeneralStore.com Parking available behind our store in the Richardson Street Garage. Use our back entrance.
Submit entries to: Spartanburg Journal, Our Schools, 148 River Street, Ste. 120, Greenville, SC 29601 or e-mail: spartanburgcommunity@ thespartanburgjournal.com
GOOD THRU AUG. 28
AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 21
JOURNAL HOMES F E AT U R E D H O M E S & N E I G H B O R H O O D S | O P E N H O U S E S | P R O P E R T Y T R A N S F E R S
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22 S P A R T A N B U R G J O U R N A L | AUGUST 24, 2012
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
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AUGUST 24, 2012 | S P A R T A N B U R G J O U R N A L 23
N E I G H B O R H O O D EAGLE
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NEIGHBORHOOD INFO
5 11
$1
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BUYER
ADDRESS
$519,000
PELLEGRINO, LISA S
IRVIN, LARRY
420 WATERTON WAY
$495,000
TD BANK NA
SC VENTURE PARTNERS LLC
200 INTERNATIONAL DR
$385,000
BAILEY, GREG
ARTHUR STATE BANK
255 AMANDA CT
LAKE EMORY
$335,000
KOROLCHUK, NIKOLAY N
CISLER, CARL DAVID
315 CAPTAINS LNDG
DILLARD CREEK CROSSING
$303,695
S C PILLON HOMES INC
DEJANOVIC, SUSAN
369 HARKINS BLUFF DR
CALHOUN LAKES
$288,000
BYERS, THOMAS M
SAAD, MICHAEL J
135 SHOREHAM RD
WALNUT ACRES
$245,000
FLOYD, PATRICK D
TURNER, KELVIN
309 LAWTONWOOD LN
WILLIAMS VIEW
$225,000
SPRIGGS, CYNTHIA JANE
RODGERS, DONALD L
291 BELCHER RD
OF DILLARD CREEK CROSSING
$210,967
S C PILLON HOMES INC
BONNER, KEVIN L
372 HARKINS BLUFF DR
SUNSET POINTE
$175,000
PAQUETTE, PAUL E
STEPP, CHRISTOPHER SCOTT
454 SUNSET POINTE DR
$167,000
M & M WASTE OIL LLC
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HILLBROOK FOREST
$163,000
HODGES, JAMES L
KING, PEARMAN J
812 THACKSTON DR
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$160,000
TROTTER, DENNIS L
HYATT, JAMES DANIEL
1407 OLD FURNACE RD
QUAIL RIDGE
$158,500
HUMPHRIES, JEFFREY M
DOULGASS SR, JOHN R
403 QUAIL RIDGE CIR
HARVEST RIDGE
$155,000
DOWELL CUSTOM HOMES
RAY, NICHOLAS W
523 CORNUCOPIA LN
GIBBS VILLAGE
$149,000
ASHMORE HOMES INC
DEYOUNG, JOSHUA A
447 GIBBS VILLAGE LN
HARVEST RIDGE
$140,900
MIKE SEAY CONSTRUCTION
SWANN, COZETTA R
135 HARVEST RIDGE DR
BRINKLEY PLACE
$140,000
HOLLIDAY, KENNETH D
EVANS, DEBORAH B
130 BRINKLEY PL
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$140,000
BEESON HENTHORN DEVELOPMENT BK RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION LOT NUMBER: 381,392
STONEWOOD CROSSING
$139,997
MUNGO, HOMES INC
WILKINS, KIMIKO
WESTGATE PLANTATION
$130,000
PATEL, VISABHAI H
HUMPHRIES, MARIANNE M
220 COLLINGWOOD LN
KENNEDYS MEADOW
$130,000
OWENS, DAREN K
AZZARA, KELLEN D
412 CARTER JOSHUA TRL
DOGWOOD FOREST
$128,000
LAWRENCE, JAMES J
SHAW, JUSTIN S
105 BENTWOOD DR
HILLBROOK FOREST
$127,500
CARTER, LOUISE M
MARTIN, ROBERT P
209 HARRELL DR
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$126,000
MCCLEER CONSTRUCTION CO
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$123,855
5205 POGUE STREET TRUST
EWING, LEE G
5202 POGUE ST
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$117,000
ODOM, NANCY R
LUNDSTEDT, ROBERT
81 FOREST OAKS WAY
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OMER, NANCY L
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FALCON RIDGE
$114,900
BIJEAU, ARLENE R
TAYLOR, THURMAN E
180 FALCON RIDGE DR
SHADY GROVE HILLS
$113,500
STOCK LOANSERVICES LLC
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129 ALBUS DR
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$112,914
OSWALD, RANDALL W
CITIMORTGAGE INC
3 MITCHELL T
WILLOWBROOK RIDGE
$103,236
FIDDNER, AARON F
NOBLES, AMY
770 COTTON BRANCH DR
CUMBERLAND WALK
$102,500
FISHER, ROGER D
SLOAN, EDWIN G
LOT NUMBER: 10
$89,000
HUMPHREY, BRENDA H
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120 OWENS AVE
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$88,900
REDUS SC HOUSING LLC
RAY, SHARON R
312 CARNAHAN DR
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$87,700
STEADMAN, DONALD O
PITTINGER, TIMOHY M
109 TWIN CREEK DR
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$86,000
BROWN, BARRY LEWIS
STANTON, CATHY L
184 GORDON DR
0
00 0 20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
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$77,111
VETERANS AFFAIRS
FARRELL, KATHRYN J
240 ASHLEY DANIELLE DR
$70,000
HOLLIDAY, DAVID N
SORIA, NICHOLAS A
390 W POINTE DR
PHEASANT HILL
$69,150
HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT ELDER, JONATHAN
374 E PHEASANT HILL DR
$69,000
LANE, TOM
LEVEL1 CARPENTRY LLC
246 WAXBERRY CT
WOODVIEW ESTATE
$67,900
ANGEL PROPERTIES LLC
DODGE, JACOB
325 WEST RD
MIDLAND ESTATES
$65,675
FROMAN, JEREMY E
CULBRETH, RICHARD
116 MIDLAND DR
CAMELOT
$65,250
PHELPS, LAKISHA SHERRY
FIFTH THIRD MORTGAGE COMPANY 117 RUNNYMEADE LN
GOWANS CROSSING
$65,000
BUFF, CYNTHIA K
BELL, TONY CURTIS
941 GOWAN RD
$65,000
RICE, RUBY L
IRBY, LESLIE LEE
269 ALEXANDER AVE
BISHOP HEIGHTS
$65,000
TOMES, ROBERT F
ANDERSON, SHAUN P
191 WATERS RD
MOUNTAINBROOK INC
$57,000
FANNIE MAE
I & I PROPERTIES LLC
707 ALBERTA AVE
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$51,000
HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT BARBARE, WILLIAM C
205 MILLWOOD LN
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$48,500
ZORTEA, ANNE
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449 TANGLERIDGE DR
HUNTINGTON WOODS
$45,000
VILAIVANH, SOMVANG
WELLS, WILBERT
110 LANDIS ST
$41,000
DAVIDSON JR, JAMES E
SEAY, TYSON L
604 S KENTUCKY AVE
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$35,000
DEPAUL, GARY D
GRACE UNLIMITED INTERNATIONAL INC 121 FORESTVIEW DR
MILL BROOK
$33,000
MILL CREEK DEVELOPERS LLC
SILL REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION 306 N PENDERNALE DR
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$30,000
MILLWOOD, THOMAS EDWARD
DRY JR, ROLAND L
310 TEMPLE ST
$19,500
ARTHUR STATE BANK
BULMAN, JEROME G
106 FAIRGROUND RD
$18,750
HUSSONG, GAIL
FIRST RATE CONSTRUCTION INC
308 GRAYSON DR
$18,000
FANNIE MAE
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110 ELLIOTT ST
$17,000
CINCO FUND I LLC
JUAREZ, MARIELA VERONICA
705 GRAY ST
$14,200
CRAWFORD SR, JERRY D
COOLEY, PATRICIA
1647 EZELL RD
$13,500
COURTYARD HOLDINGS LLC
BROWN, SHARON
724 S LIBERTY ST
$12,200
SHARONVIEW FEDERAL CU
SHR REAL ESTAE FUND 1 LLC
115 JETER DR
$12,000
YOUNG SR, JOHN W
CASE, CYNTHIA D
141 CASE RD
JACKSON HEIGHTS
$12,000
BLACKWELL, STEPHEN WADE
SEW EURODRIVE INC
MADISON AVE
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$10,000
OLIVE TREE PARTNERS LLC
HOLTZCLAW, TRACEY
534 WOFFORD ST
$8,000
VANG, LENG
HAYES, TONY R
265 YANG LEE DR
$7,500
SMITH, KELLY JONES
TUCKER, KENNETH SCOTT
997 MILLER TOWN RD
PINE OAKS
$5,000
WATKINS, JESSIE S
PARRIS JR, WALTER
LOT NUMBER: 15&17
RIVERDALE ESTATES
$5,000
GREYSON PROPERTIES INC
OSTEEN, DARLENE D
LOT NUMBER: 194
GREENBRIAR CREEK
$2,500
TREJO, GEORGE A
HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT 724 GRACE VALLEY RD
$2,200
ALEXANDER, EDDIER
BUFF, CD
203 SENECA CT
$2,200
BRANCH BANKING & TRUST
TBD CAPITAL LLC
705 TINSBERRY LN
$2,000
TRIPLETT, SYLVIA DARLENE
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CUMBERLAND WALK
Over 1,900 neighborhoods online at 24 S P A R T A N B U R G J O U R N A L | AUGUST 24, 2012
525 BRANCH WOOD DR
WEST POINTE AT OAK FOREST
00
,00
,0 00
PRICE
MILLS MILL
$136,500
$
0,0
$128,692
3 $1
,0
$116,402
45
2012
RIVER MIST
00
$132,709
Boiling Springs Elementary Boiling Springs Junior High Boiling Springs High School
$1
15-21,
SUBD.
SHENANDOAH III
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$139,900
12 Month Average Home Price: $132,000 Amenities: Common Areas, Swimming Pool
R EA L E STAT E T R A N SAC T I O N S
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
journal sketchbook
the week in photos
look who’s in the journal this week Wofford College head football coach Mike Ayers watches as freshman quarterback Taylor Bragg hands off to junior fullback Caleb Lucas (35) during a recent practice at Gibbs Stadium. Preparations continue for the Terriers’ season opener against Gardner-Webb in Boiling Sprigs on Sept. 1. The team’s home opener is against Lincoln University on Sept. 8.
Wofford College head football coach Mike Ayers walks around his team as they stretch out during warm-ups at Gibbs Stadium.
Wofford College defensive line coach Jack Teachey gives instructions to linemen E.J. Speller (97), Hunter Thurley (96) and Darius Burton (55) at practice.
Wofford College football players stretch during warm-ups at the beginning of practice.
Wofford College freshman quarterback Evan Jacks (3) leads players around Gibbs Stadium during conditioning drills at a recent practice.
Great New Arrivals Stop in & see what’s new!
Crossword puzzle: page 26
Sudoku puzzle: page 26
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J82
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AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 25
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26 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 24, 2012
Across 1 Swiss capital 6 Brand on shells 10 Fictional writer of “The World According to Bensenhaver” 16 Union contract stat 19 Outcast 20 Love god 21 Fruit finder of rhyme 22 Leia’s love 23 #1 on a motivational speaker’s reminder list? 26 Kawasaki Brute Force, e.g., briefly 27 Place to recover, for short 28 Many look forward to them regularly 29 Pearly coating 31 Disreputable 34 Ancient knowledge 35 Creator 36 Scrooge portrayer Alastair 39 Fair 40 Device for the Six Million Dollar Man? 42 Start of a pregame ritual 44 Architect Mies van der __ 46 Former Wrigley Field star 47 Early problem for the Wright brothers? 54 Half of Mork’s sign-off 58 Costly, as a victory 59 “Almost done”
60 “Let __!”: “Get going!” 61 “Son of Frankenstein” blacksmith 63 Battle of Normandy city 64 French cathedral city 65 Casper in the courtroom? 70 Largish jazz ensemble 72 List 73 Genesis creator 74 Makeup item 75 Rough up? 78 Feelings 83 Addams family spouse, affectionately 84 Hinted about a player swap? 86 Paris possessive 88 Disney president during the Pixar acquisition 89 Vaccine type 90 European capital influence? 97 Ewes’ guys 100 Global financial org. 101 Rush violently 102 Former Israeli prime minister Olmert 103 Brahms work 105 “Wicked Game” singer Chris 106 Dreamt things 108 Throat 112 WWII Sherman carrier 113 Say “Smile!” to Hugh Jackman during dinner?
117 Prussian pronoun 118 Less complex 119 Half a menu combo 120 Tropical plant with large foliage 121 Media mogul Turner 122 They may be crossed 123 Homeric creation 124 Chaos antithesis
Down 1 Resell in a week, say 2 San __: jet set resort 3 They’re on the phone 4 “Darn!” 5 Emeril specialty 6 Hi-__ monitor 7 Trajectory 8 Inane 9 Natl. Guard counterpart 10 Investor’s index 11 Like a June day, to Lowell 12 Aging, in Ontario 13 Lee and Landers 14 __ center 15 Union contracts? 16 Ballroom dance 17 Artist’s support 18 Turn upside down 24 Eyewear, in ads 25 Dough for spanakopita, perhaps 30 Sunken naval power, per Plato 32 Jam fruit 33 Get close, in a way 35 Taiwan Strait port 36 Bisque or broth
37 Car trip alternative to Geography 38 Bryn __ College 40 One doing hard labor 41 Analogy words 43 “Babi __”: Yevtushenko poem 45 Aetna offering, briefly
53 Fire, to 85-Down 55 Warrior god 56 “Little Birds” writer 57 “We <Heart> Logistics” co. 60 “Let me rephrase that ...” 62 Swab over 64 Beef cattle 65 They cause stirs on 10-Down: Abbr. 66 Northern Calif. landmark 67 Factual 68 Calvary letters 69 1943 Allied conference site 70 NCO with three chevrons 71 Actor Wallach 75 CDLI doubled 76 Polish writing 77 Winter quaff 79 Zagreb’s land, to the IOC 80 Dancer-turned-spy 81 Deli wheel 82 Note recipient? 84 “__ you big-time” 85 First-century emperor 87 1920s Hollywood breakthrough 90 “__ I alone did call upon thy aid”: Sonnet 79 91 Tasmanian, e.g. 92 Not for kids 93 “Out of Africa,” for one 94 Gradually eased (in) 95 Boring tools 96 Half of a major scale 98 Star seekers 99 Plaster finish 103 Maple product 104 Rite place 106 __ facto 107 Stood 48 Sounds mostly the 109 Swedish university same city 49 Try to unearth 110 Bird that fishes 50 Snarky reply to 111 Eye dropper? “Why?” 114 Gaping hole 51 Bold relative: Abbr. 115 Jackie’s second 52 Eponymous theater 116 Rank below cpl. mogul Crossword answers: page 25
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Sudoku answers: page 25
journal sketchbook
clueless in gramling with steve wong
What you might glean from peaches “Wow, look at those peach trees,” we marveled as we drove the back roads of our new old-home in Gramling, S.C. We were in awe of living in the shadow of Hogback Mountain. We rolled down the car’s windows to take in the sunshine and fresh air. The rolling countryside was so green, and so were we. “That must have been a really big storm – maybe a hurricane – to have torn up all those trees like that,” we reasoned. We were so young and so dumb when my wife and I first moved to Upstate South Carolina now some 25 years ago. After a brief and urban stint in St. Louis, we had decided to return to our home state – but this time to try our hand at the country life in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. When we told my sisterin-law and her husband about the uprooted peach trees we had seen seemingly piled up in the nearby orchards – and our assessment that “a really big storm” must have come through – they just about dropped to the floor in laughter at just how clueless we were about our new lives. “Do what?” they coyly inquired. “You think a hurricane came through Gramling and uprooted the peach trees, and then neatly piled them up?” They looked at us and then at each other and laughed some more. That was two kids, several jobs, and
a lot of peach seasons ago. Yesterday, one of those days in August, I walked through the orchard in my backyard in search of the very last peaches of the season. In the Bible, this is called a “gleaning,” where the leftover and left-to-rot crops are gathered, often by the poor. I’m not Ruth, and I’m not exactly poor nor religious, but I always consider it a sin to watch the last few and besttasting peaches of the season drop off the trees to become compost when all I have to do is walk out there and pick them up. I always know when it’s time for a gleaning because I can smell the overpowering sweet and vinegary odor of rotting peaches from my yard. When I get out of the car from a day at work, it is the first thing to attack my senses, followed by three big and two little dogs. I try to ignore it, knowing I don’t really need another basket of peaches to draw fruit flies in the kitchen, but it gnaws at me, saying, “You better get them now because they will soon be gone. This is your last chance.” Traipsing through the orchard in August can be surreal. It is still unbearably hot, and because the orchards have been commercially picked and are nearly spent, the grass has been allowed to grow waist-high. Row after row of trees creating a canopy of shadows overhang-
ing tractor-width paths, the pattern sometimes disrupted by a tree that has broken its branches under the weight of its fruit, the leaves and the peaches hanging limply under the blistering sun. It is quiet, except for the buzz of bees, yellow jackets and all kinds of stinging bugs, boring into the soft and spotted fruit. They will surprise you, if you happened to grab a peach that they have claimed, causing you to jump back, dodging and swatting the Kamikaze defenders of sweet rot. The ground is soft and littered with fallen peaches, all in varying stages of decay. It is impossible to step around or avoid stepping on them. And when you do, your heel will squish down in the slimy mush until it hits the hard pit, and you are thankful for good balance, for falling among the dead zombie peaches below would be the stuff of horror movies. And then you hear it: that faint drop, a sickening thud somewhere in the dense trees, and realize that another peach has met its demise. I found enough good peaches to make the last cobbler of the year. Had to climb a few trees and cut out a few bad spots. As I knew it would be, it was the best cobbler of the year. It won’t be long before I look out my back window and see bare branches, and I won’t be at all surprised if I see tractors and workmen
in the field, shackling the tree trunks in chains and ripping the trees out of the ground, dragging them toward a burn pile. This orchard is getting old and the harvest isn’t what it used to be. There is a life cycle to orchards and peaches in Gramling, S.C. And it’s all good until an imaginary big wind comes along and blows it away. Something extra – the world’s best peach cobbler recipe, from my wife’s family: Woodham Peach Cobbler: Peel and thin-slice enough very ripe peaches to nearly fill a deep-dish pie pan. Or use a casserole dish. One stick of real butter softened to room temperature. One cup of sugar. One cup of self-rising flour. Combine crust ingredients to form a crumbly dough. Sprinkle/scatter the crumbly dough over the peaches. Bake at 375 degree until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Real simple; real good. Steve Wong and his wife and their dogs and cats live in a peach orchard in Gramling, which is a quiet little rural community in northern Spartanburg County. He loves to get feedback on the stuff he writes: Just4Wong@gmail.com.
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AUGUST 24, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 27
Expert Care Now Includes GYN Oncology James Hunter, M.D. and David Griffin, M.D., Ph.D., have joined Gibbs Cancer Center in providing the most up-todate cancer care in the Upstate. Drs. Griffin and Hunter are now welcoming current patients and accepting new gynecologic cancer patients in Spartanburg, Greer, Greenville and the Seneca area.
Regional GYN Oncology Gibbs Cancer Center, Third Floor 864-560-1915 gibbscancercenter.com
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