# HeresWhatsHappening

Snapshots from SCRPA amember agencies

“Smart Drivers” in Aiken County

Charleston County Parks hosted a sold-out Fairy House Festival in January. Children made their “homes” from items they found around the park. Other entertainment included costumed fairies, face-painting, a food truck, and a special story time with help from our friends at the Charleston County Public Library.

St. Andrew’s Parks and Playground has tapped into the world of Esports! Our program consists of up to two teams of 6 practicing twice a week for 10 weeks.We compete against other recreational esports teams in games such as Overwatch 2, Valorant, and more! St. Andrew’s offers state of the art gaming equipment and experienced coaching right here at our administration building.

Florence County Equestrian Facilities

Florence County Parks & Recreation has begun a project to construct equestrian facilities that include an arena and trails. In addition, the existing campground will be redesigned to specifically accommodate equestrian visitors. A new campground will be constructed comprised of 20 pull through sites with water and electrical hookups. Completion is expected by August 2023.

The City of Myrtle Beach’s E-Z Garden Club members are out and about in local greenspaces. This free club has a blast improving our recreational gardening community, meeting new friends and sharing gardening techniques. The club meets monthly, donating one hour of time to add to our communities’ beautiful parks and gardens.

Service Breakfast in Charleston

“On January 26, the City of Charleston held a Service Breakfast to honor service years, retiring staff, customer service nominations, and Employee(s) of the Year awards. Our Recreation and Parks staff brought home some amazing awards! Larry Potts, Custodian/ Maintenance Worker at Bees Landing Recreation Center was rewarded with a customer service award for keeping the center spotless and maintained, no matter what program is happening or how old the building is. Ieashya Duncan, St. Julian Devine Facility Manager and Mark Laskowski, Tennis Specialist, volunteered to be on call during the holiday break (December 23-26) to help transport individuals to warming shelters and was awarded a customer service award. Shameka Hicks, Recreation Leader at St. Julian Devine, and Troy Williams, Playgrounds Recreation Coordinator, were dubbed Employees of the Year for recently assisting a man who had fallen off the sidewalk and was unable to move. They acted quickly and flagged down a policeman, called EMS, and stayed with the man until he was given help. Congrats to our amazing, selfless employees!”

Skills and Drills Clinic in Richland County

On Sunday, January 22, nominees for Richland County High School Player of the Year-Girls Basketball facilitated a free Skills and Drills Clinic at St. Andrews Park for more than 80 children, ages 5-14. The nominees ran drills and games, and coached the kids to improve their basketball abilities. Richland County High School Player of the Year-Girls Basketball celebrates the top senior girl’s basketball athletes from the county high schools as nominated by their coaches. The Player of the Year will be announced in a ceremony on Thursday, March 23, 2023.

Greer Monarch Butterfly Education Stations

Monarch caterpillar eggs were collected from Milkweed plants from butterfly gardens in various City of Greer parks. An Education Station was set up in the office to provide a safe place for the caterpillars to hatch. The entire office was invested in the journey of the caterpillars.

North Myrtle Beach Daycations

Members of the community get to explore neighboring cities in the Carolinas with the “Daycations with North Myrtle Beach,” program. Trips are offered monthly and focus on different attractions and historical sites in various cities. Our Fall trips included Georgetown, Wilmington, and Florence.

Chrysalis Phase- The caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis to emerge as a butterfly. Several staff members were present to witness the beautiful butterflies emerge. Release Day- A pop-up exhibit and butterfly release took place at Benson Automotive Kids Planet. A total of 14 butterflies were released.

AGENCIES: SUBMIT YOUR UPDATES! Submit a brief for a future issue of SCRPA magazine. Send your text (70 words or less) plus up to three high resolution photos to: Kristen Guilfoos at kguilfoos@spartanburgcounty.org.