Lakeside February March 2013

LAKESIDE THE GOOD LIFE ON LAKE MARION, SOUTH CAROLINA • FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013

Spring Fishing comes early

Mountains in

Sumter’s back yard

A Trail Runs Through It SANTEELAKESIDE.COM

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 1

I Y F

CLARENDON COUNTY

Named for the Earl of Clarendon, Clarendon County has been a welcoming place for visitors and residents for more than 150 years. With a population of more than 34,000 people as of the 2010 Census, Clarendon County was one of the few areas in South Carolina that saw population growth in the last decade, with a 7.6 percent population surge mostly in the Summerton, Wyboo and Manning areas surrounding Lake Marion. The county is one of the birthplaces of the Civil Rights Movement, having been home for the landmark desegregation case Briggs v. Elliott that helped end school desegregation in the United States when it was filed with four other cases as Brown v. Board of Education with the U.S. Supreme Court. Council members are elected from three districts, with two elected from the largest district covering Manning. A council chairman is elected at-large.

Cities and towns: Manning, Paxville, Summerton, Turbeville.

Population: Est. 34,400 County seat: Manning Administrator: David Epperson Council Chairman: Dwight Stewart Jr. Sheriff: Randy Garrett Fire Chief: Frances Richbourg Auditor: Patricia Pringle Treasurer: Matt Evans Clerk of Court: Beulah Roberts Coroner: Hayes F. Samuels Probate Judge: Kathy Geddings Administrative Office 411 Sunset Drive, Manning (803) 435-0135 www.clarendoncountygov.org

ORANGEBURG COUNTY

Like its close neighbor Clarendon County, Orangeburg County was a hotbed of the Civil Rights Movement during the mid-20th Century, with South Carolina State University at its epicenter as students protested unfair treatment in the Orangeburg community throughout the 1950s and 60s. The county was chartered as Orangeburg Judicial District in 1769 from unorganized land between the Congaree and Savannah rivers. About half of this district was separated into Barnwell in 1800, and the area was fully incorporated as Orangeburg County in 1868 when the South Carolina Constitution remade districts into counties, with officials elected by resident voters rather than state officials. A small western portion was annexed to the newly former Aiken County in 1871, and in 1908 yet another portion was ceded to Calhoun

2 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

County. A change in 1910, with a small western portion of Berkeley County near Holly Hill and Eutawville being given to Orangeburg, brought the county to its current size. Council members are elected from seven singlemember districts and then choose a chairman among themselves after each election cycle.

Cities and towns: Bowman, Branchville, Elloree, Eutawville, Holly Hill, Neeses, North, Norway, Orangeburg, Santee, Springfield,Vance and Woodford Population: Est. 92,243 Administrator: Bill Clark Council chairman: Johnnie Wright Sr. Sheriff: Leroy Ravenell Auditor: Roger Cleckley Coroner: Samuetta B. Marshall Clerk of Court: Winnie A. Clark: Treasurer: J. Steve Summers Probate Court: Pandora Jones-Glover County Administrative Center 1437 Amelia St., Orangeburg www.orangeburgcounty.org

SUMTER COUNTY

Revolutionary War Gen. Thomas Sumter is commemorated in the name of Sumter County, which is the home of Shaw Air Force Base and the 9th Air Force Headquarters, the Third Army and the 20th Fighter Wing.

With a population of more than 115,000, Sumter County is the second-largest of the Santee-Cooper lake counties by population. Council members are elected from the county’s seven districts and then select a chairperson among themselves.

Cities and towns: Dalzell, Horation, Mayesville, Oswego, Pinewood, Privateer, Rembert, Shiloh, South Sumter, Stateburg, Sumter and Wedgefield Sheriff: Anthony Dennis Fire Chief: Karl Ford Assistant Chief for City Operations: Ernie Dollard Assistant Chief for County Operations: Doug Mathis Administrator: Gary Mixon Council chairman: Eugene Baten, District 7 Vice-chairman: Larry Blanding, District 6 Assistant Administrator: Lorraine Dennis Auditor: Lauretha McCants Clerk of Court: James C. Campbell Coroner: Harvin Bullock Administrative Office 13 E. Canal St., Sumter, third floor (803) 436-2102 sumtercountysc.org

IN THIS ISSUE

40

GENERAL MANAGER Gail Mathis

gail@theitem-clarendonsun.com

PUBLISHER Jack Osteen jack@theitem.com

ARTICLES & RESEARCH Robert J. Baker bbaker@theitem.com Sharron Haley

sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com

LAYOUT & DESIGN Cary Johnson

9 12

cjohnson@theitem.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Robert J. Baker Sharron Haley

22 LANDMARKS AND LANDSCAPES

4

WILD GAME BACK For 11th year

28

MOUNTAINS IN Sumter’s back yard

9

ROW, ROW, ROW Your boat

30

DAYVENTURE Tour Historic Charleston

12

SHORESCAPING

33

ON THE LAKE

34

THE FISCAL CLIFF

16

39

A STITCH IN TIME

18

ARE YOU WHO You think you are?

SPRING FISHING Comes Early

21

TAKE A HIKE

40 42

A TRAIL RUNS Through it

22

A NEED IN THE Fishing Industry

2010 Award Winning Magazine 2011 Award Winning Magazine

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Earle Woodward, John DuRant, Ray Winans, Yana Mathis, Carll Field, Rick Carter and Jolie Brown For ads, call Gail Mathis at 803-435-8511; for stories, call Bobby Baker at 803-774-1211 or Sharron Haley at 803-435-8511 Cover photo: Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle Camp Trail. Photo by Jim Huff

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 3

LANDMARKS AND The Santee Cooper lakes and their counties provide numerous recreational opportunities for those who love the outdoors in small or large doses. In Williamsburg and Clarendon counties, the Black and Santee rivers offer similar outdoor adventures. For those people looking to pursue more in these areas than government meetings and cotillions each individual town cherishes, this compiled list should help explorers see what else is going on.

BERKELEY

The Berkeley County Blueways consist of 175 miles of waterway comprised of 23 paddling trails in Lake Moultrie, lower Lake Marion, the Santee River and Francis Marion National Forest.

Operated primarily by the Berkeley Soil and Water Conservation District, with funds from Berkeley County government and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the blueways are always viewed as an open invitation for recreational paddlers to experience and enjoy this region’s beautiful lakes, rivers, streams and wildlife. For more information, visit www.berkeleyblueways.com, email berkconsdist@homexpressway.net, or call (843) 719-4146.

The Cypress Gardens, located on S.C. 52, eight miles east of Moncks Corner, provides a 250-acre park that features a 24,000-gallon freshwater aquarium and flat-bottom boats, which hold up to six people, that meander through a designated path in the swamp. As long as they have at least one adult present, groups can take the tours to see alligators and other wildlife.

Francis Marion National Forest was practically destroyed in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo, but the young growth that survived on its 252,368 acres situated in Charleston and Berkeley counties has emerged to make it a popular tourist attraction. The forest itself contains the towns of Awendaw, Huger, Jamestown and McClellanville, and its headquarters are in Columbia, as are those of Sumter National Forest.

Recreational opportunities include campsites, rifle ranges, boat ramps, hiking and biking trails and the famous Palmetto Trail.

Mepkin Abbey, a community of Roman Catholic monks, was built in 1959 on the Cooper River, S.C. 402, north of Charleston, where historic Mepkin Plantation once stood. Guided tours of

the church are provided at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday; and 3 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The abbey is closed to visitors on Mondays. Groups of 10 or more visitors are asked to make reservations by calling (843) 761-8509.

Old Santee Canal Park will hold Time for Tots: Story Time and Crafts monthly through December at the park, 900 Stony Landing Road in Moncks Corner. Times are 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 13, March 20, April 10, May 8, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 18, Oct. 30, Nov. 20 and Dec. 11. Come enjoy special time with your children ages 3-5 as we do a variety of things. We may read a book, watch a movie, do some seasonal-related arts and crafts or maybe go out on the boardwalk to catch a view of a dragonfly or turtle. Cost is $5 per child. For more information, call (843) 899.5200, email parkinfo@santeecooper. com or visit www.oldsanteecanalpark. org.

CLARENDON COUNTY

The Clarendon County Museum and History Center, operated at 102 S. Brooks St., Manning, by the county’s Historical Society, is open 1-4 p.m. ThursdayFriday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, excluding holidays. The museum

Francis Marion National Forest

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Old Santee Canal Park

ndon County • Orangeburg County • Sumter County & Williamsburg County features permanent exhibits dedicated to war memorabilia and the county’s agricultural history as well as an early 20th century kitchen furnished with an antique wood stove, cast-iron water pots and oldfashioned china and cutlery.

The Francis Marion Living History Days will be held 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 23 at Camp Bob Cooper.

The Junior Chamber Oyster Roast will be held from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on February 25th. Advance tickets are required, and the roast will feature steamed oysters and Frogmore stew. For more information, call (803) 435-4405.

The Manning Commercial Historic District, which features more than 40 businesses within a nine-block radius in downtown Manning, was put on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2010. The district features gift shops, a museum, the Clarendon County Courthouse and Manning City Hall, photography studios, the Clarendon County Archives and Historical Center and several department stores.

Santee National Wildlife Refuge, located in North Santee and Summerton, was first

Berkeley County Blueways

Swamp Fox Murals

opened in 1941. Of its 13,000 acres, only 4,400 are owned by the refuge, with the remaining acreage managed through a lease agreement with the South Carolina Public Service Authority, also known as Santee Cooper. The refuge manages 10 conservation easements on private lands, totaling 458 acres in Bamberg, Barnwell, Clarendon and Orangeburg counties. The refuge serves as a major wintering area for ducks and geese and a stopover area for neo-tropical migratory birds, raptors, shore birds and wading birds. Endangered and threatened species at the refuge include the American alligator and the wood stork.

The public may use the Visitor’s Center, which features exhibits, walking trails, an auto-tour route, wildlife observation and hunting and fishing opportunities. The Visitor’s Center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. The refuge trails and grounds are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 31; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., April 1 to Aug. 31. For more information, call (803) 478-2217, or email santee@fws. gov.

The Swamp Fox Murals are spread throughout Clarendon County and feature depictions of Gen. Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion and his soldiers fighting the British in Clarendon and surrounding areas. The

newest mural, completed in June 2010 by Terry Smith, is located at Geddings Do It Best Hardware, 110 N. Brooks St., Manning.

Taw Caw Park, located off Wash Davis Road in Summerton, has an extensive set of boardwalks around Taw Caw Creek, which empties into Lake Marion.

A popular spot for fishing, the area has a playground, picnic shelters, volleyball courts and is free and open to the public during daylight hours. A $5 rental fee is required for the picnic shelter. For more information, call (803) 473-3543.

Weldon Auditorium, North Brooks Street, Manning, is a newly refurbished, state-ofthe-art concert facility that was originally built in 1955; in 1967, the building was renamed from the Manning High School auditorium to the Weldon Auditorium after a former superintendent of Clarendon School District 2. The building was sold to Clarendon County in 2006, and remodeling began in early 2008. The site hosts concerts featuring national and local artists, and also features dance groups like the Columbia City Ballet and other performing arts groups. The Clemson University Singers will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 8. For more information and a schedule of events, visit weldonauditorium.

Taw Caw Park

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org.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY The music and drama departments of Claflin University will perform Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” at 7 p.m.

April 12-13 and 3 p.m. April 13-14 at Stevenson Auditorium, 979 Middleton St., Orangeburg. Tickets are $10, $5 for students with ID. For more information, call (803) 531-6186.

The Edisto Memorial Gardens and Home Wetlands Park, off Seaboard Street in Orangeburg, is host to the Memorial Gardens, where less than 600 Confederate soldiers gathered to defend Edisto River Bridge. A marker honors this site, which they eventually abandoned for Columbia. The gardens were first developed in the 1920s with azaleas planted on five acres of land. A greenhouse was added in 1947, followed by a rose garden in 1951. The gardens displays past and current award-winning roses from the All-American Rose Selections, with more than 4,000 plants representing at least 75 labeled varieties on display. The annual Festival of Roses, held in late April each year, is a popular gardens attraction.

The Elloree Heritage and Cultural Museum is located on Historic Cleveland Street in downtown Elloree, about seven miles from Santee off Exit 98 at Interstate 95. Started in 1998 as part of the downtown area’s revitalization efforts, the museum boasts a rotating series of exhibits in its 10,000-square-foot facility and specifically focuses on rural

life of the past. The museum opened Oct. 5, 2002, with its Farm Wing being the first part open to the public. For more information, call (803) 897-2225 or visit elloreemuseum.org.

Haynsworth St. in Sumter. America’s Big Band is the official touring big band of the U.S. Army, featuring a 19-member ensemble formed in 1969. For more information, visit www.sscca.info.

The Festival of Roses Street Dance will be held from 8-11 p.m. May 3 at Memorial Plaza in Downtown Square in the 1200 block of Russell Street in Orangeburg.

Put on your dancing shoes and join us for an evening of free entertainment and fun. Dance to the rhythms of Riptide.

Bring your lawn chairs and blankets.

Streets around the square will be closed to traffic, and we’ll dance in the street.

Popcorn and soft drinks will be available.

Admission is free. For more information, call (803) 531-6186.

Downtown Friday’s Classic Movies Series will continue at 7 p.m. March 8 with “Never Say Never Again,” to be followed monthly afterward with movies from 1983, at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Admission is $2.50 per person. For more information, call (803) 436-2640 or visit www.sumtersc.gov/ downtown-friday-nights-classic-movies. aspx.

The Miss Black South Carolina Organization will host its inaugural Get Healthy: Mind, Body and Soul Walkathon from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Edisto Gardens Disc Golf Course, 300 Andrew Dibble St., Orangeburg. For more information, call (803) 942-2215.

SUMTER COUNTY

42Five, an “instrumental band with no instruments,” will perform at 7:30 p.m.

April 16 at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St, featuring the voices of five guys creating a new form of entertainment by singing songs we all love from the 1960s to tunes of today. For more information, visit www.sscca.info.

The Rhythm in Blue Jazz Ensemble Military Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19 at Alice Drive Baptist Church, 1305 Loring Mill Road, presenting a highly entertaining and versatile 13-piece ensemble that performs the American musical art forms of jazz, blues and funk. For more information, visit www.sscca.info.

The Army Jazz Ambassadors will hold a Heritage Band Military Concert at 7:30 p.m. April 3 at Patriot Hall, 135

The Sumter County Museum and Historical and Genealogical Research Center and Backcountry Homestead,

Edisto Memorial Gardens

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The 4th annual Quilt Extravaganza will be presented by the Swan Lake Quilt Guild from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 16 and 1-4 p.m. March 17. Admission is $5 per person. Quilts in every color, shape and size will be on exhibit, along with vendors, door prizes and more. For more information, call Betsy Stewart at (803) 905-1221 or email mabeygal@hotmail. com.

42Five

located at 122 N. Washington St., Sumter, sits in a southern mansion built in 1916. The museum is popular for its living history demonstrations and its Backcountry festivals, which appear each fall and spring. From Feb. 21 through April 6, the museum will host Lincoln and the Constitution, a traveling exhibit from the American Library Association.

For more information, call (803) 775-0908 or visit www.sumtercountymuseum.org.

SumterFest will be held March 15-17 at Dillon Park, 1210 Clara Louise Kellogg Drive in Sumter, with renowned musical entertainment, unique arts and crafts, dance exhibitions, rides, games, a rockclimbing wall, car show, delicious food and children’s activities. The event will start 5 p.m. Friday, and will continue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.sumterfest. com.

Center with conference/reception space for 125 people. Tables are located throughout the grounds, and a large playground features an antique fire engine perfect for climbing. The Bland Gardens feature a boardwalk, on which visitors may meander through a cypress swamp, and a gazebo popular for spring weddings. Call (803) 778-5434 for more information about reservations for any of the park’s facilities or email tourism@ sumter-sc.com.

The Trial of Goldilocks and Once Upon a Shoe will be presented at the Sumter Little Theatre, 14 Mood Ave. in Sumter, from March 21-24 and 28-31. Times will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors and military; and $6 for children younger than 6. For more information, call (803) 774-2150 or visit www.sumterlittletheatre.org.

Swan Lake Iris Gardens, one of the premier swan observatories in the world, is located on West Liberty Street in Sumter. Its renown is due in part to its status as the only public park in the United States serving as home to all eight species of swans, including black necks, royal white mutes, coscorobas, whoopers, black Australians, whistlers, bewicks and trumpeters. The park began in 1927 as a private fishing lake for wealthy businessman Hamilton Carr Bland, who began landscaping his garden with Japanese Iris flowers. The park has an open-air Garden Street picnic shelter, the covered Heath Pavilion that seats 200 comfortably and the enclosed Visitor’s

The University of South Carolina Chamber Orchestra will perform 6:30 p.m.

March 15 at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. The orchestra is an elite group of the most talented graduate and undergraduate string students at USC in Columbia, many of whom hold responsible positions in the larger USC Symphony Orchestra and play in the state’s other professional orchestras in Columbia, Greenville, Charleston and Hilton Head. Tickets at the box office are $25, and $5 for students with valid ID. For more information, call (803) 499-4032 or visit www.sscca.info.

The Kingstree Historic District contains 48 different buildings on Main, Academy and Hampton streets that make up Kingstree’s downtown commercial area. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1982, the district features the Williamsburg County Courthouse, a library, a railroad station and numerous businesses.

The Salters Plantation House was built

by Williams Salters before he died in 1833, and has had many renovations since. An important example of 19th century domestic architecture, which combined national and local trends, the building was primarily influenced by the Greek Revival, while its front porch is relatively common among similar porches across the Pee Dee during the time period. The plantation, home of Capt. John Alexander Salters, eventually served as the land for Salters Depot, upon which the town of Salters was built. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2000.

The Williamsburg County Historical Museum, 135 Hampton Ave., Kingstree, is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, and features a room depicting a turnof-the-century drug store. For more information, call (843) 355-3306 or email history1@ftc-i.net.

Compiled by Robert J. Baker bbaker@theitem.com

WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY

Kingstree Historic District

Swan Lake Iris Gardens

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8 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

Poinsett State Park has

‘mountains’ in Sumter’s back yard

by ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

A

unique combination of history and mixed ecosystems makes Poinsett State Park more than just a special place in the woods.

The rural Sumter County park’s setting in the High Hills of Santee, where the Midlands sandhills meets the coastal plains, has given rise to unusual sights like mountain laurel festooned with Spanish moss.

The park’s former home thousands of years ago – underneath ocean water – provides the equally striking sight of small sea shells and other coral fossils in the composition of the beautiful coquina stone used to conduct Poinsett’s bathhouse, water fountains and the fireplaces in the cabins and picnic shelters.

Called the Mountains of the Midlands, Poinsett’s 1,000 acres yield a high degree of biodiversity, along with the Palmetto Trail, which winds through Manchester State Forest and crosses all of South Carolina to connect “the mountains to the sea,” according to markers that dot the 25-mile-long trail.

Poinsett began on land a little less than half its current size nearly eight decades ago. In 1934, Sumter County purchased 522 acres from Lily and Ferdinand Levi and combined it with other plots bought from the Protestant Episcopal Church, H.J. Windham and Katherine Benenhaley. The county immediately donated the combined acreage to the state and took quick action to assure the park’s construction, ultimately scuttling a similar project in Richland County that had been in the works for more than two years.

Company 421 of the Civilian Conservation Corps began work in 1935, toiling with picks and axes on the edge of what was then dense swampland. Work was halted for about six months when this group was moved to Rock Hill in August of that year. Company 2413 restarted the project in February 1936, landscaping extensively and installing spillways, power and water lines and five miles of roads and foot trails that still provide Sumter residents and their neighbors unfettered access to pristine wilderness from 9 a.m. to dark each day.

Part of the company’s work included taking the unique coquina rock and using it to create park features that blended seamlessly with their surrounding environment. One of the park’s trails is named for the stone: The 1.5-mile Coquina Trail wraps around the park’s 10-acre lake, in which visitors can fish during daylight hours. Jon boat rentals are also available. The

lake spills from a gorgeous waterfall close by the park’s main office.

History buffs can skip right to the park’s preserved grinding wheels, kept from the pre-Revolutionary War grist mill operated by the Singleton family when part of the land was known as Melrose Plantation. For recent history, visitors need only look at the park’s five cabins, four of which are original structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Though renovated since their completion more than 75 years ago, the cabins retain the rustic feel their original designers’ intended.

The park’s unique style extends to its wildlife, with the more common alligators, ducks and deer joined by both harmless and venomous snakes and even the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat. Common throughout the southeastern United States, as far west as eastern Texas and as far north as southern Indiana in the Mississippi River valley, the bats have formed a traditional reliance on cypress swamps.

The cypress’ hollow-tree roosts give the bats a stable internal environment, along with protection from predators. The space also serves as a well-insulated area that forms a hot-air trap that is essential for rearing the Rafinesque’s young. In recent years, the bats have moved their maternity roosts to old buildings and attics, as much of their home swamplands have been drained and their trees harvested.

But at Poinsett they are safe to hibernate in the park’s dark and secluded coves during the winter, and emerge in the spring and summer to forage on small, nocturnal insects, especially moths. While not inherently dangerous, bats should be left alone when encountered in the wild, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, due to the risk of rabies.

And the critters rarely fly out of their hiding places during the day, the time when the park is free and open to the public.

Those wishing to extend their stay at the park, either by camping or setting up in one of the cabins, can make reservations up to 11 months in advance. Camping reservations made less than one day in advance of check-in must be made directly through the park, however. Fees for services and reservations vary.

For more information, call 1 (866) 345-PARK (7275), visit southcarolinaparks.com, or contact the park directly during your visit.

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 9

Get up,

Get Out!

by EARLE WOODWARD

W

ell, we’ve hit that part of the year that really drives a lot of hunters and fisherman nuts. Deer season has been over for several weeks and by the time this publication hits the stands, duck season will be a thing of the past as well, adding to that, according to the calendar, the fish really haven’t started biting yet. So, what’s a guy or gal to do?

As a young boy, I delighted in spending time in the woods trying to find just one squirrel to shoot at. Most of the time I came home empty handed, but every once in a while, I’d find one and my dear grandma, who cooked wild game for my granddad for most of their married life, would cook the squirrel up for me. For those that have that ugly shriveled up look on their

GREGORY POINTE at DEERCREEK PLANTATION

faces right now, let me tell you, squirrel is pretty darned good. It’s right up there with rabbit.

Anyway, I loved to chase a squirrel and learned a lot about the woods and hunting while chasing after the things. Later, when I became a Dad, and Robert wanted to go hunting with me, we’d settle down under a big oak somewhere and wait on the squirrels, we had some great mornings doing that.

I say all of this as a roundabout way of saying, hit the woods with a .22 or 20 ga. and chase a squirrel or two, it’ll get you out of the house and you’d be surprised how much you can learn about a piece of property by slowly slipping along in the early morning or late in the afternoon.

This time of year, the leaves are off all of the trees and that includes the short undergrowth.

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10 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

deer trails and rubs on trees, you can get a leg up on next year’s deer season.

With the openness of the woods without leaves, it’s also a lot easier to spot turkey scratching, which will help you narrow down the locations to use come the spring turkey season.

Perhaps the best reason for an afternoon squirrel hunt is that it will get you out of the house and keep your wife from losing her temper about the stupid things you’ve done.

You see, a hunter’s wife is not used to having her husband home on Saturday, so by having him in her way all day, well, that just creates a “great disturbance in the Force.”

Perhaps you know someone with a good pair of bird dogs that would like to spend some time chasing some quail, or maybe a brace of rabbit beagles?

I can tell you from experience, there isn’t much out there that can compare to hearing a pack of beagles run a rabbit.

Most of the time we don’t even shoot the rabbits, we just let them run on by. The dogs get some exercise, the rabbits run off some energy, and the hunters have a blast watching it all.

If you like a little wild rabbit, lightly browned and smothered in gravy and onions, then shoot one, I usually do, I just limit what I take home to what I can eat in the next few weeks.

And while the calendar may say that it’s winter time, I think that we can all agree that this winter has been extremely mild.

With that, the water temperatures have not fallen as fast and as far as in past winters, which means there are still fish to be

caught.

I have had some pretty good reports of crappie being caught around brush piles in medium depth water and a couple of reports of fish biting up in Sparkleberry Swamp.

Sparkleberry has also produced some good stingers of Largemouth Bass this winter.

I stopped in and spoke to Stevie Pack at Pack’s Landing, in Rimini the other day and they are beginning to gear up for the Striped Bass run. Stevie feels like with the higher water temps, the striper run may well take off earlier than normal and they are going to be ready when it does.

Sometime in mid-February one of my favorite activities will start, and that’s shad fishing on the Santee River and Re-Diversion Canal. Shad begin their spawning migration usually in the middle of the month, but I’m kinda like Stevie, with the water a degree or two warmer this winter, they may just start early.

While I am not all that fired up about shad on the table, I must say that they are superb fighters on a light rod. All my shad are catch and release.

So, while we may think most of what we like to do is over, there really is a lot to do outdoors if we’ll just stop and think about it for a few minutes. Just these few things that I’ve mentioned here should use up enough time to get you to the springtime crappie bedding, or perhaps turkey season.

So, give the wife a break, get up and get out!

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Dayventure

Take a harbor tour of Historic Charleston and end the excursion with a carriage ride through The Holy City

by SHARRON HALEY

Sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com

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L

iving on the shores of Lake Marion means a bountiful array of South Carolina’s history is easily within reach.

Looking for a great one-day excursion that won’t take you all day to get there? Pack up the family or grab a close friend and head about an hour east on Interstate 26 to the historic city of Charleston.

Beginning Feb. 15, Charleston Harbor Tours offers daily Harbor of History tours, where you’ll climb aboard a true southern lady, the Carolina Belle, for your 90 minute tour of Charleston Harbor.You can watch for dolphins frolicking alongside the boat or off in the harbor.You’ll see historic Charleston from a unique perspective – the deck of a boat while passing by some of the oldest homes in the Charleston area.

“While on the tour, you’ll receive a narrated history of the area,” said Drew Yochum, director of sales for the Charleston Harbor Tours.“It’s family-friendly and loaded with historical facts and points of interest.”

Your tour guide will point out Fort Sumter, a popular landmark in Charleston Harbor where the first shot of the Civil War was fired.You’ll cruise past the USS Yorktown and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, where the members of the church painted the steeple black so that it would not be an easy target during the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

You’ll see the beautiful stately homes along the Battery that have been symbols of Southern elegance and perseverance for centuries.You’ll cruise under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, a state-of-the-art bridge span that can accommodate the largest ships in the world. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll also be able to catch a quick glimpse of dolphins skimming the harbor’s waters and watch pelicans diving into the harbor’s waters for a quick snack or meal.

The graceful Carolina Belle and her classic lines offer tourists the choice of two decks: a climate-controlled main salon and the more adventurous open observation deck, or you can divide your time between the two.

On Feb. 16, Charleston Harbor Tours is hosting a Blues and Barbecue Cruise aboard the Carolina Queen.You’ll board at 7:30 p.m. and, for the next two hours, you’ll cruise the Charleston Harbor while enjoying a barbecue buffet and a live band.

On a Wednesday night in April, Charleston Harbor Tours is hosting a murder mystery cruise aboard the Carolina Queen.

You’ll board at 7:30 p.m. and, for the next 90 minutes, you will join others in attempting to solve a fictitious murder that occurred on the boat.

Along with the Harbor of History tours, Charleston Harbor Tours offers a combination of land and sea excursions. The tri-combo offers the cruise, a carriage ride and a tour of Boone Hall Plantation or you can choose the combo tour with a

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cruise and either the carriage ride or the tour of Boone Hall Plantation.

Carriage rides through The Holy City are one hour long and can be arranged between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the spring and summer months, and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. during the winter months.

From now until March 10, Boone Hall Plantation is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday. From March 11 until Labor Day, Boone Hall Plantation is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Beginning in mid-March, you’ll be able to board the Schooner Pride, an authentic 84-foot tall ship in Charleston’s historic harbor.

With the engines turned off and the sails full, the Schooner Pride silently glides along the waters of the harbor allowing its guests the opportunity to relax and enjoy the salty twang of the sea breezes.

You can also try your hand at helping the crew with the sailing or just sit back, relax and enjoy the cruise.

The Schooner Pride allows only 49 passengers, so you’ll need to call early to make sure your party can be accommodated.

Harbory of History tours are offered daily at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. On March 10, a 3:30 p.m. tour will be added to that schedule, and from April 1-30, you can choose from four daily tours: 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. All passengers must board 10 minutes before departure time.

The Carolina Belle dock and ticket office are located at the Charleston Maritime Center, 10 Wharfside St. For more information on tickets and a complete schedule of events, call (843) 722-1112 or log onto www.charlestonharbortours.com.

TBOHB020-3655Lakeside_Layout 1 1/29/13 8:44 AM Page 1

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Livin’ Lakeside

The Fiscal Cliff

Did you fall off?

by YANA K. MATHIS Special to Lakeside

F

irst of all, Happy New Year! The transition from 2012 to 2013 was a nail biter for sure.

For those of you that follow me on Facebook, you know that in the last hours when it looked as Congress was going into the 11th hour without a vote, I went to the grocery store and bought myself a big ‘ole T-Bone steak.Yep, I figured that it might be awhile before I’d be splurging, so I nestled in with my big hunk of meat, hamburgers for the dogs, and the TV going to watch the ball drop.

Of course, I fell asleep and awoke at 12:08 a.m. The ball sure dropped, but not the one in New York. Our politicians in Washington, D.C., decided yet again to kick the can down the road for a little bit longer. I’m still unsure how what has happened will affect the real estate industry, but all the reports I see show a gradual climbing in the right direction.

I guess we’ll figure it out as time goes on.

Luckily, I am a member of the National Association of Realtors, which has a powerful lobbying group that fights for the benefits of homeowners.

16 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

According to our industry publications, it appears that numerous good things were kept in place or at least adjusted to help 99 percent of us.

Congress extended the Mortgage Cancellation Relief until Jan. 1, 2014. If I understand this correctly, qualified primary residents who lost their homes – their mortgages were cancelled – would be relieved of the usual tax burden. In the past, before 2007, a homeowner who defaulted on their mortgage would receive a 1099 showing the difference in the loss as income. Per the IRS,“Up to two million of forgiven debt is eligible for this exclusion.”This applies if the debt that was reduced or forgiven is “directly related to a decline in the home’s value or the taxpayer’s financial condition.”

So, if you listen to some, they will tell you we avoided the cliff. Personally, I think we’re hanging on with the big knot we’ve been given. I myself work another job in addition to real estate; I would certainly starve right now if I depended on the current market and the difficulties of would-be buyers trying to get a decent mortgage. It’s not that the rates are bad, they’re still fantastic! It’s qualifying for the loan that’s so DANG hard!

These days, you should strive to have 20 percent down and a good credit score to get the best deals. I’m not saying that you can’t do it with less down, but the days of a “fair” score getting you a loan for a home or just vacant property are gone.

Now, this other job I was telling you about: I got a two percent raise a couple of months ago, and now they are mandated to take an extra two percent from me to pay Social Security. So if gas, taxes and insurance don’t go up – I must be dreaming – I guess I’m where I started over a year ago.

Wait, I forgot inflation!

The buying and selling of real estate can be fun and profitable if you buy low and sell high. It’s always called a “non-liquid” asset for a reason: When you need your money fast, too bad.You have to wait it out until the market improves.You can ask for a high price all day long, but if the market won’t support your price, you have to either dump it for a lower price or wait things out.

So, as I’ve been chirping for a couple of years now: It’s still a buyer’s market.

If you’re anticipating needing to sell your home, please take this time to fix things up and do an early spring cleaning. Please remember how important curb appeal is.

Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Hopefully the water level at Lake Marion will be up in time to greet our busiest season, which will be upon us very shortly.

Happy spring cleaning and pruning!

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1/21/13 12:07 PM

A stitch in time Manning girl, 11, nets state award for quilt

by ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

C

arrie Rickenbaker doesn’t know where she came by her penchant for stitchery, particularly the quilting that has won her state awards.

“I don’t know why I like it so much,” the 11-year-old Laurence Manning Academy fifth-grader said.“It’s just something I like to do.”

Like most kids her age, Carrie enjoys her school, hanging out with her friends and playing softball. She’s not too crazy about soccer, she said, but she is getting “more into basketball this year.”

18 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

“But I probably work on my quilts and knitting about 40 percent of my time,” Carrie said in December as she worked on her newest project, a birthday-cake inspired quilt she plans to give to her mother, Julie.

“The thing is, for her age, she’s just so good,” said aunt Ginger Martin.“No, she’s exceptional. She truly is.”

The Home and Craft Department of the South Carolina State Fair agreed last year, adding two more quilting awards to the one Carrie won in 2011. Carrie won in October 2012 in the Creative Stitchery category, and received the ultimate Purple

Ribbon for best entry overall in the “Fancy Work – 11 and Under” division. She also nabbed a Blue Ribbon for her knitting, a notch above the 2nd place Carrie received in 2011 for the same division.

“The first year, I didn’t do the actual quilting part, where you put it all together,” Carrie said.“I sewed all the parts, but someone else helped me get it all together. This year, I did all of it. I think that made the difference.”

The nine-month project, started roughly this time last year, is a testament to Carrie’s affection for the Carolina Gamecocks.

“I really just liked that pattern,” she said.“And I like the Gamecocks.”

Martin said Carrie’s 2012 entry also showed a wide range of skill.

“This one is more of a sampler,” she said.“It’s different patterns sort of stitched together. I think it shows different levels of skill throughout.”

The quilt was Carrie’s fourth project completed on her own.

She can’t remember how many overall sewing projects she’s completed in her four years at the needle.

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“I don’t know where it came from,” Martin said of Carrie’s interest.“She asked me for a sewing machine that I had. It just took off from there.”

Most afternoons, when she can, Carrie darts up the stairs of her aunt’s home near Wyboo on Lake Marion and holes up in her makeshift sewing room. She’s on her second machine, she said, but she doesn’t remember what made her want the first one.

“That’s just what I wanted,” she said.“I guess I just watched (Martin) and was interested in it.”

Carrie said she doesn’t remember how long exactly, but that she quickly outgrew her first machine. By 2011, she had learned everything about quilting except the actual stuffing process, which was handled for her 2011 entry by a professional in Charleston. Last year, Carrie said she wasn’t “old enough to do that yet.”

“But this year, I did it,” she said.“It wasn’t so bad. It just takes a long time.”

Carrie admits while quilting probably takes up the majority of the “40 percent of her time,” she is also branching out into

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knitting.

“I have a friend who’s really into crafts and she helped me get into knitting really,” Carrie said.“I like knitting. It’s something you can do anywhere, anytime. With sewing, you need a machine. Knitting is something you can do more in, like, a car. It’s a lot easier.”

Martin marveled at Carrie’s focus when she’s working on a project. Martin said her niece is a perfectionist, though Carrie denies that.

“Carrie, when she sews, a seam can be the tiniest bit off, and she will stop and fix it,” Martin said.“I’m talking an eighth-of-an-inch off. That’s unusual in children. Most children don’t even notice that. For her to notice it and not be happy with it, for her to have to have it exact: that’s a sharp focus and determination. There are lots of things where that’s good.”

Carrie said “everyone calls me one, but I don’t think of myself as one.”

“I just like them (sewing projects) a certain way,” she said.

Julie Rickenbaker said she enjoys watching her daughter work through the quilting process,“from using the sewing machine, the long-arm quilter and the rotary cutter, to selecting the patterns and fabrics to be used in the design.”

“I am thrilled that Carrie has had such talent and patience to succeed in quilting,” Rickenbaker said.

“Quilting is a hobby that will hopefully give Carrie much enjoyment for the rest of her life. I am very thankful that my sister has given Carrie the opportunity to learn this timeless art form.”

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Hello Again, Santee Country...

Spring fishing

comes early

by RAY WINANS

Special to Lakeside I would like to start by asking who pushed the spring button on the season selector?

Not that I’m mad, but I did have to switch from duck hunting to fishing really quickly, and I wasn’t ready yet.

I was having some fun days shooting woodies when, all of a sudden, I heard that the bass were coming shallow. Well, you know me: When a big ole bucket mouth needs to be caught, I have my priorities. I had planned on writing about the fun I was having wading through the thigh-high water, standing by a tree in 30-something degree weather looking for that magic moment when those whistling, feathered rockets come whizzing by your head at the speed of sound.

Your heart beats rapidly as you hear shots from a distance in anticipation of them missing, and the prey appears within shooting range long enough to get off a couple of well-placed shots.You watch as the feathered bounty folds into the water, and then slowly walk over and pick up the day’s reward. Oh, who am I fooling? The bass are shallow and I’ve got better stories to tell.

There it was, mid-January and weather close to 80 degrees. I want to tell you about my first trip fishing this year, but there is something I just need to get straight. I keep hearing people tell of the fish they are catching but it seems I can never get a straight answer from them. They won’t tell me where, how or when they are catching these fish.

Being an honest fisherman, I just want to tell you all about my first adventure this year. I had a really successful first day. A good friend and I journeyed out on the lake early. It was foggy, so I’m not sure that I could explain where we were. We stopped on a point that had trees around and this guy – whom I really don’t know very well – asked what I was going to fish with.

I picked up a crank bait and started to throw at the brush pile we pulled up on and, all of a sudden, the jig got heavy. When I set the hook, it was a fish well over 8 pounds. We took pictures of the fish – so everyone would believe I caught it – and released it back into the grass that it came from.

As we continued down the bridge pylons, I was throwing a spinner bait and, all of a sudden, I felt a giant thump. I fought the fish and thought he was going to throw the crank bait before I could get him to the boat. The fish was over 9 pounds. Once again, we took pictures – so everyone would believe I caught it – and released the fish right beside the tree he came off of.

We continued through our day and caught several fish just casting around the flat we had started on. It was a great day on the water with a person I had never met before.

Does this story sound familiar? I think everyone gets these stories from people who just don’t want to tell you anything. All I can say is that you need to get good at story twisting if you ever start catching a bunch of fish or catch big fish.

The reason is, everyone is going to ask you 1,000 questions, and I know for a fact you’re not going to give away your secrets.

I will tell you that I did have a great day my first trip, and I did at some time catch a fish on each of the baits mentioned in the story. All you need to do now is stop duck hunting and get your priorities straight.

Spring fishing has arrived early and may not last.You know as well as I do that winter is not over yet. Get out there and take advantage of the opportunity. Who knows, you might even be able to spin a good story by late winter if you practice now.

Until next time, God bless and be safe.

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 21

22 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

A

Trail

Runs Through It The Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail

by KEVIN F. LANGSTON photography by JIM HUFF The Santee Cooper Lakes span more than 450 miles of shoreline and occupy more than 160,000 acres in Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter counties. They were the result of the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric and Navigation Project, which sought to electrify rural South Carolina by connecting the Santee and Cooper rivers through two man-made reservoirs.

W

hen construction began in 1939, it was the largest land-clearing project in United States history as well the largest public works project in the nation.

By the time Santee Cooper produced its first electricity in February 1942, the project had created South Carolina’s largest lake in Lake Marion; its sibling, Lake Moultrie, is the Palmetto State’s third largest.

In the decades following their impoundment, the Santee Cooper Lakes have become one of the region’s most cherished natural resources and a popular recreational destination. The lakes system provides 15,000 acres of federally managed land and water at the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, and an additional 18,250 acres are managed as Wildlife Management Areas by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

“People are very passionate about these lakes, and they always have been,” says Susan Welch, supervisor of inspection and compliance with Santee Cooper’s property management department.

“To the people who don’t get their electric bill from us directly, the name ‘Santee Cooper’ is synonymous with these lakes.”

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Recreational opportunities on the Santee Cooper Lakes abound, and in recent months a handful of state and local agencies have collaborated on something new.

The Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail winds through lakes Marion and Moultrie and highlights their historical and natural significance while also utilizing the dozens of islands and primitive campsites throughout. The trail represents a collaborative effort involving Santee Cooper, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the Berkeley County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Located on Lake Moultrie just north of Santee Cooper

Above: (Left to right) Archie Thompson, Susan Welch and Stan Stanley gather at Camp Moultrie to discuss the route of the Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail.

Left: The Santee Cooper Lakes feature dozens of islands with primitive campsites.

They are called “primitive” because they lack amenities like electricity and running water.

Below: One of the goals for the Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail is for Boy Scout troops to adopt some of the islands and remove any litter.

26 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

Recreational opportunities on the Santee Cooper Lakes abound, and in recent months a handful of state and local agencies have collaborated on something new.

The Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail winds through lakes Marion and Moultrie and highlights their historical and natural significance while also utilizing the dozens of islands and primitive campsites throughout. The trail represents a collaborative effort involving Santee Cooper, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the Berkeley County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Located on Lake Moultrie just north of Santee Cooper headquarters in Moncks Corner is the Boy Scouts’ Camp Moultrie. Stan Stanley has been its camp ranger for more than 10 years.

“I know Santee Cooper has been involved with Camp Moultrie since before I came here, and we’ve always had a terrific relationship,” Stanley says.

About eight months ago, Stanley and Archie Thompson began discussing the idea of plotting a 50-mile paddle trail through the lakes. Thompson volunteers with the Boy Scouts and is also an associate commissioner with the Berkeley County Soil and Water Conservation District, which worked previously with Santee Cooper and SCDNR on the development of the Berkeley County Blueways trail program that identifies more than 175 miles of paddling trails in the county.

“Stan and I bounced the idea back and forth over several months before I brought it to the Berkeley County Soil and Water Conservation District,”Thompson says.“Once they were on board, I went to Santee Cooper, and it’s carried on from there.”

The origin of the Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail actually dates back to the Swamp Fox National Recreational Trail, which was developed in 1968. Named for Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, the trail took advantage of a 300-mile network of railbeds constructed by logging companies before the U.S. Forest Service purchased the property and in 1936 designated the 258,864 acres as the Francis Marion National Forest.

Much of the Swamp Fox National Recreational Trail was eventually incorporated into the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail, a project conceived in 1994 to establish a network of more than 420 miles of hiking and cycling trails connecting the mountains of the Upstate with the sea in the Lowcountry. The Swamp Fox Passage is approximately 47 miles long, representing the longest portion of the Palmetto Trail. It begins just north of Moncks Corner and ends in Awendaw.

“The Palmetto Trail was designed for hiking and cycling, and so Archie and I had the idea to parallel it with an aquatic trail that’s as close as possible to the Palmetto Trail,” Stanley says.“Our goal is to get it all the way up into the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Once Santee Cooper agreed to support the Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail, Welch reached out to her contacts at SCDNR. “There’s hardly a week that goes by when we aren’t working with SCDNR on something,” she says.“If the lakes were children, Santee Cooper and SCDNR would be the mother and father.”

“Santee Cooper and SCDNR have always worked well together,” says Sgt. Thomas Spann, SCDNR Law Enforcement for Region IV. Spann says one of SCDNR’s requests was for the GPS coordinates of the islands along the trail to be recorded.“This will help SCDNR respond quickly to any emergency,” he says.

The Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail can be used by paddling enthusiasts of all stripes, but it was actually designed with a Boy Scout patch in mind.

“The troop must complete the 50 miles

over five consecutive days and put in 10 hours of community service along the way,” Stanley says.“We wanted to give the scouts stewardship over the primitive campsites along the trail.”

Thompson compared it to the Adopt-a-Highway program.“Our goal is for the scouts to eventually adopt these campsites.” He says one troop has already adopted Coon Island on Lake Moultrie.

“These campsites have been here for a long time, and it’s nice that they can be used for something positive,”Welch says.“We’re happy that people enjoy using these campsites, but they don’t always take care of them. It’d be great if this trail could help raise awareness and encourage people to take better care of these campsites.”

Beyond its natural offerings, Thompson says the trail also features some significant historical landmarks. Eutaw Springs in Orangeburg County was the location of the last major engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas and is considered one of its bloodiest.

“There’s also the lumber mill at Ferguson, the cemetery on Church Island, the Santee Indian Mound and Fort Watson site, and, of course, the Old Santee Canal,”Thompson says.“We could probably come up with a scout patch just from the historical sites along the trail. Scouts live for that stuff.”

No scout troop has attempted the trail so far, but Stanley says the first troop is scheduled to have a go over the Christmas holiday. Before the first scout can even launch his canoe, he will have had basic swimming and be familiar with boating safety.

“We want them to enjoy the experience, but they need to take this trail seriously. They need to be safe,”Welch says.

Thompson says the average paddler can go about two miles an hour under ideal conditions.“So you’re looking at an average of five hours each day of just paddling. Then there are the two hours of community service that are required.”

First Sgt. Angus MacBride, SCDNR Law Enforcement for Region IV, says SCDNR and Santee Cooper have had several meetings involving all aspects of lake usage, and safety is something they discuss every time.

“Any boater, no matter the size of the vessel, must follow SCDNR safety guidelines,” MacBride says.“They have to have a wearable lifejacket for everyone on board. They have to have a sound-producing device, like a whistle. And, if they’re caught on the water after dark, they have to have an all-around white light.”

Thompson says scouts are required to wear a lifejacket.“The majority of the trail is along the shore, so they won’t be in open water,” he says.

In the event of an emergency, MacBride says the best way to reach SCDNR is through 911.“Berkeley County knows to automatically contact SCDNR immediately if there is a situation on the water,” he says.“We encourage people to use the Operation Game Thief number, which is 1-800-922-5431, but in cases of emergencies, 911 will get you to a game warden.”

From conception to fruition, the Swamp Fox Paddle Trail has taken a little more than eight months.

“I think that speaks to the relationships we have with each other,”Welch says.“Whether it’s through our daily management of the lakes or through community outreach, we have a lot of positive interaction with each other. This paddle trail has been no different.”

MacBride says when the outcome of a project like the Swamp Fox 50 Mile Paddle/Camp Trail is the benefit of a child, you see organizations want to pull in the same direction.

“These kids are a first priority,” Stanley says,“and this trail will give them an incredible experience.”

This article by Kevin F. Langston of Santee Cooper Corporate Communications is reprinted with permission from Santee Cooper’s PowerSource magazine.

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 27

H

Wild Game

Back for 11th Year

by SHARRON HALEY

Sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com By Robert 28 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

e’s going to talk fishing, maybe a little hunting.

He’ll focus on a few life experiences. But most importantly, Chris Wells is going to share the Gospel with everyone present.

Executive director of Wellspoken Ministries, Wells will be the guest speaker at the 11th annual Men’s Wild Game Supper on March 21 at Bellview Farms near Goat Island in Summerton.

Since its inception, the Men’s Wild Game Supper has served to bring men from all walks of life together to share the love of Jesus Christ and His Gospel message. The event began after Dennis Craven, a Manning businessman, and the Rev. Rob Pierce, former pastor of Summerton Baptist Church, attended a similar event in Beaufort.

“The purpose of the supper is to reach out to the men in this area ... for Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Bob Ashba, associate pastor of Summerton Baptist Church, which has partnered with several other community churches to host the event. Craven, the owner of Stokes Craven Ford and Stokes Craven Chrysler Jeep Dodge, previously sponsored the event.

“All men and their sons are invited,” Ashba said.“We believe by reaching men and by strengthening their relationship with the Lord, we will make better homes and better communities.

We’re after changing lives.”

The Men’s Wild Game Supper annually draws men from Clarendon and its surrounding counties, and even those from out-of-state, to fellowship with other men and to hear the Word of God as it relates to the men of the church. Guest speakers have included Chuck McAlister, Phil Robertson of Duck Commander and the A&E TV show “Duck Dynasty” and Hank Martin and “Rick” from the nationally syndicated radio talk show “Rick and Bubba.”

“We always try to bring in a strong male speaker to lead our fellowship,” Ashba said.“And, we always try to get a person with an outdoors appeal.”

Wells grew up near the shores of Lake Marion in Summerton. A graduate of Clarendon Hall and Francis Marion University, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

His ability to communicate the Gospel to young adults during college and after allowed him to serve several churches and organizations through youth ministry.

That ability developed into a full-time speaking ministry, and in 2004, Wells, now based out of Greer, launched Wellspoken Ministries. Greer is now home to Wells, wife Pam and sons Stephen and Wesley.

In 2008, Wells joined the Bassmaster Elite Series as its chaplain. While touring with the professional anglers, Wells hosts Bible studies and he’s there as pastor for all events.

Wells’ love of the outdoors, particularly fishing, gives him plenty of anecdotes to keep the men in the audience entertained and relaxed.

“I try to tell stories that relate to men where they are,”Wells said about his approach to speaking to an all men’s group.“I am one of them. I’m nothing special. I’m nothing righteous.

I’m nothing holy. Jesus Christ changed my life and I’m here to preach the message and the word of God.” Wells uses a combination of humor, passion and intensity to get his message across to the men in the audience.

“I tell funny stories to get them to relax and then I move into the message,” he said.“I tell them that the Bible relates to life, real life. The Bible shows us how to live the real life.”

Wells has developed a video devotional series for men with three to five minutes of teaching every day.

“I could be delivering the message that day from a deer stand or a bass boat,” he added.“You never know where I might J. Baker be.”

bbaker@theitem.com

Wells said he wants men to become disciples of Christ.

“It’s not enough to just convert,” he said.“You need to become disciples. By changing your life, your community, family and world will change.”

Wells said he wants the men to realize that God has a plan for their lives.

“He saves us to use us as He sees best,”Wells added.“Jesus is real and Jesus can make a powerful difference in your life.”

Wells message will come with a great meal. Last year, attendees feasted on perleau, pork barbecue and all the trimmings.

Live music is usually a part of the festivities as well. And though the farm’s late owner, Ralph Bell, died in 2011, the event will once again be held in a big barn on his property near Goat Island.

Four years ago, Bell told The Clarendon Sun that he continued to support the supper because he wanted “to bring more people to the Lord.”

“And those men who already know the Lord, I want them to have a stronger relationship with him,” Bell said.

The event is free to men of all ages; however, a ticket is necessary for admission.

The event will be held rain or shine. Even a monsoonal rain a few years ago didn’t keep the crowd total from reaching close to 2,000 attendees, Ashba said.

For more information or free tickets, call (803) 485-6023.

Reach Sharron Haley at (803) 825-4640.

Men’s Wild Game Supper 6 p.m. March 21 Bellview Farms 9230 Wash Davis Road, Summerton (803) 485-6023 Admission is free, but tickets are necessary.

Guest speaker: Wellspoken Ministries’ Chris Wells

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Row, row, row

your boat

by SHARRON HALEY

Sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com

30 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

F

or almost two decades, rowers from across the northeast have been migrating to Summerton’s Camp Bob Cooper for a couple of weeks each spring to train on the placid waters of Lake Marion in South Carolina’s warmer temperatures.

The rowers use long, sleek boats that are built for speed. The extremely fit rowers use a combination of arm and leg strength to propel the boats through the water. Each boat has a coxswain to keep the rowers working in tandem.

Long before the sun’s rays first streak across the horizon each morning, the rowers are up getting ready for a day of training. They grab a quick breakfast and get in some stretching exercises along the shores of Lake Marion before heading out for an hour or so of competitive rowing and training.

As they prepare to launch, the rowers lift their sleek racing boats over their heads, walk down the pier and then place the to four-man or eight-man boats in the water.

Their coaches are already seated on a Jon boat ready to trail the crews. The coaches offer encouragement and tips as they glide alongside the teams racing back and forth in long stretches on the lake.

According to Pam Bryant, up to 1,500 rowers from colleges in New York,Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts,Vermont and other northern states will spend one week and sometimes two enjoying the amenities at the camp, which include dormitories that sleep at least 600, an eat-in cafeteria with complete meals, classrooms, an auditorium for large groups, a gymnasium and a weight room.

Formally known as Clemson University’s R.M. Cooper 4-H Leadership Center, Camp Bob Cooper is situated on a peninsula and surrounded on three sides by Lizzie and Wyboo creeks. Several trails traverse the camp, including a survivor’s trail.

Bryant said rowing teams will be seen training almost daily at the camp from Feb. 23 through early April. She said on the rare days when the water’s unusually rough, the teams train in secluded coves or settle for the camp’s gymnasium and weight room.

Bryant said teams come each year because they can’t wait for their hometown rivers and lakes to thaw out to begin their training seasons. She said for many teams, the 18-hour-plus trip is worth it for that reason alone. She said the coaches like the camp’s close proximity to local restaurants and retail stores.

Local doctors are also used for colds, sprains and minor emergencies, which

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contributes to Clarendon and Orangeburg counties’ local economy. While it has only been needed on a rare occasion, having the state-of-the-art Clarendon Memorial Hospital nearby is also a plus.

Some colleges, Bryant said, have made the trip for nearly the entire two decades the camp has offered its services, while each year, newer colleges and high schools travel hundreds of miles to train their rowers on Lake Marion’s peaceful waters.

Two weeks in mid-March are the busiest for the facility, which will welcome five new schools this year. Bryant said Lake Braddock High School of Burke,Va., is one of them.

“They have mapped out the total rowing mileage and all of the coordinates,” Bryant said.

“They’ll be simulating a row from (their) hometown to Camp Bob Cooper. They have mapped out the coordinates. That is so neat.”

32 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

She said Bowdoin College from Brunswick, Maine, the longest-attending school, will return once again this year.

“We shuttle them to and from the airport and they do a daytrip to Charleston,” Bryant said.

“We have teams that do day trips for fun and history.”

Bryant said the rowers and even the coaches enjoy a type of celebrity-status while visiting the camp. Boaters and anglers alike, give them a wide berth when passing them on the lake, while waterfront homeowners gather outside on their piers to wave at the rowers. Many offer shouts of encouragement as they glide past their homes.

Having the rowers in Clarendon County is a “win-win,” Bryant said. The county gets additional revenue, more than $1 million during the course of a training season, she added. And it’s always great to expose one of the county’s hidden jewels.

Shorescape Your Lake

Property

by JOLIE ELIZABETH BROWN Special to Lakeside

S

outh Carolina is known for its abundance of natural resources. Among them, South Carolinians enjoy lakes, creeks, swamps and various other waterways.

These waters can be used for recreation, drinking or household chores like washing dishes or your car. Our water is precious and important to our day-to-day life, and we need to protect this valuable resource. One way we can protect our water is by implementing practices that help filter runoff before it re-enters our water systems.

A great way to accomplish that filtration is through planting that will establish a shorescape.

Shorescaping is the practice of landscaping a shoreline using attractive plants to protect and beautify the waterfront.

Shorescapes will not only enhance your shoreline, if designed correctly, but they can also protect your area from invasive weeds, erosion and can even serve as a deterrent to certain pesky wildlife. Not naming any names, but I’m thinking of you, Canada geese!

You should keep three things in mind when designing your shorescape. · You should use the right plant for the right space. Make sure you are not putting a water-loving plant on the upland slope of your design. There are four planting zones. The littoral zone is the area below the water line. Be extra careful not to plant any invasive species in this zone, as they can lead to fish kills and clogged outfalls. The next zone is the emergent zone.

This area is part of the bank slope but is still in the shallow

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water. The riparian zone is the area above the water surface, but the soil here remains permanently wet. The area above this is known as the upland zone. It is in this area that you may use plans commonly used in your typical yard landscaping. · Don’t plant any invasive species or creeping plants that could potentially take over your site. · Keep maintenance in mind. Maintaining your shorescape will involve more than just water and fertilizer.You should try to avoid herbicides and other chemicals all together; they could potentially wind up in a nearby water source. If you must apply herbicide, use one with an aquatic label. But the best way to maintain your shorescape is by good old-fashioned, put-your-back-into-it weed-pulling! Either way designing your shorescape will likely be the most important and hardest part of the process.

And if you need help, you can always contact your friendly, local Clemson University Extension Agent for help and information. Our Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic, is also helpful.

Jolie Elizabeth Brown is Sumter County’s newest Clemson Extension agent, serving as the area’s expert in water-quality issues. She currently serves Sumter and Williamsburg counties, along with 4H and Carolina Clear. She can be reached at (803) 773-5561 in Sumter and (843) 355-6106 in Williamsburg, and by email at Jolie2@clemson.edu.

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On the Lake...

Left: Photo submitted Jessie Korn of Summerton spotted this beautiful waterfall at Poinsett State Park off S.C. 261 between Pinewood and Wedgefield on a glorious fall afternoon.

Below: Photo submitted by Harriett Rawlinson of Manning Santa Claus had a special treat for Bubba Davis under the Christmas tree last year – a January cruise to the Caribbean with two of his three sisters, Marie Buyck and Harriet Rawlinson, who said this was her brother’s first cruise. At one of the stops along the way, Davis had the opportunity to kiss Kelly, whom Davis called a diva dolphin.

Bottom: Photo submitted Summerton resident Jessie Korn took a picture of this storm off U.S. 15 between Summerton and Paxville one recent afternoon.

Please submit to gail@theitem-clarendonsun.com or Sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com Deadline for submissions for the next edition is March 11, 2013.

34 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

Top: Erick Hodge saved this German shorthaired pointer, Nell, from a rescue shelter in Lexington County. He said she thinks she’s a model.

Right: On a recent afternoon, I discovered a baby osprey nestled down in its nest in the Goat Island area of Clarendon County. Photo taken and submitted by Jessie Korn of Summerton.

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SUMTER 15

38

sparkleberry landing

CALHOUN

Pack's landing

37

1

low Falls landing

rIMInI

lonestar 33

elliott's landing

6

36

Carolina king retreat & Marina

267

Cameron

34

28

arBUCkle's lanDInG

Poplar Creek landing

Elloree

3

32

4 santee state Park

elloree 36

ORANGEBURG

eaDYtoWn

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36 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

25 29

La Mar

Mill Creek Marina

Vance

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lakeside Marina & resort

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6

453 210

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Goat Island resort

lake Marion resort & Marina

36

Bowman Orangeburg - 25 miles Florence - 56 miles Sumter - 30 miles 178 Summerton - 5 miles Manning - 8 miles

Polly's landing

26 taw Caw Campground & Marina

john C. land III Boating Facility

Santee 6

176

27

30

267

301

taw Caw Creek landing

santee lakes Campground

31

6

taw Caw Park

Cooper's landing and Guide service

33

267 176

CLAREND

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10 Hide-a-way Campground Marker 79 Marina

Blo la

Eutawville 8

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Bell’s Marina

eUta sPrIn

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Holly Hill 453 176 311

Harleyville

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Alex Harvin Landing

22B

Lil N8’s

4

SANTEE DAM WMA

8 7 6

10

WEE TEE WMA

CANAL WMA

MOULTRIE WMA

HATCHERY WMA

9

FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST WMA

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 37

Lake Marion Map Information

33 8 14 11 15 35 31 36 29 18 10 16 34 23 25 5 7 21 22

Arbuckle’s Landing..................................... 803-478-5260 Bell’s Marina.............................................. 803-492-7924 Big Oak Landing & Campground................ 843-753-2285 Blount’s Landing........................................ 803-492-7773 Canal Lakes Fish Camp.............................. 843-753-2271 Carolina King Retreat & Marina................. 803-478-2800 Cooper’s Landing and Guide Service.......... 803-478-2549 Elliott’s Landing......................................... 803-452-5336 Goat Island Resort...................................... 803-478-8165 Harry’s Fish Camp...................................... 843-351-4561 Hide-a-way Campground........................... 803-492-9695 Hill’s Landing............................................. 843-753-2731 Jack’s Creek Landing.................................. 803-478-2793 J&J Marina.................................................. 803-478-2490 John C. Land III Boating Facility................. 803-854-2131 Lake Marion Resort & Marina..................... 803-854-2136 Lakeside Marina & Resort.......................... 803-492-7226 Lake Vue Landing....................................... 803-478-2133 Lighthouse Pointe Family Campground...... 803-478-2138

Santee Quick Lube Wash & Tire Tune-Ups

1 17 6 37 30 3 20 12 32 4 24 38 13 2 26 27 28 9

Low Falls Landing...................................... 803-826-6050 Mac’s Landing & Camp.............................. 843-871-1224 Mill Creek Marina....................................... 803-492-7746 Pack’s Landing........................................... 803-452-5514 Polly’s Landing........................................... 803-478-2351 Poplar Creek Landing................................. 803-897-2811 Randolph’s Landing....................................800-BIG-CATS Rocks Pond Campground........................... 803-492-7711 Santee Lakes Campground......................... 803-478-2262 Santee State Park....................................... 803-854-2408 Scarborough Marina................................... 803-478-2184 Sparkleberry Landing................................. 843-761-4068 Spier’s Landing.............................................................NA Stump Hole Landing................................... 803-826-6111 Taw Caw Campground & Marina................ 803-478-2171 Taw Caw Creek Landing................................................NA Taw Caw Park................................................................NA Marker 79 Marina....................................... 803-492-8200

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Are you who you think

you are?

by JOHN DURANT Special to Lakeside

A

s everyone knows the S.C. Department of Revenue was hacked and the Social Security numbers and bank routing and account numbers of more than 3 million citizens were stolen by foreign thieves.

The question now is what should be done to protect your identity, in addition to signing up for the monitoring service provided by the state?

First, you must be aware of potential other areas of concern that have not been discussed in the media. The loss of your Social Security number and related information puts your driver’s license, medical, Social Security, IRS and character/ criminal identities at risk. Driver’s licenses are easily sold on the black market and relatively easy to obtain. If your identity is stolen to take out loans in your name, you could suddenly have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt that you couldn’t possibly pay back.

For instance, if you are on Medicare, your Medicare ID number is your Social Security number.You need to watch all Explanation of Benefits (EOB) each month – with both private insurance carriers and Medicare – to insure you are not being charged for services you have not received, or by medical providers you have never seen.

This could not only affect you financially: As health records are computerized and connected, you need to ensure their accuracy so that your treatment is based on your health history, not someone else’s. It could be disastrous if you receive penicillin due to someone else using your Medical ID when you are actually allergic to it.

Medical identity theft and other forms of identity theft often show up as well in credit reports so look there as well.

Medicare/Medicaid Fraud is the No. 1 area of loss dollars through fraud by the federal government; No. 2 is unemployment insurance; and No. 3 is identity fraud in tax returns. One individual in South Carolina went to file for unemployment benefits and was denied because two other people were already filing under his Social Security number, reducing drastically his weeks of benefit eligibility.

Because of the huge loss of information in SC you need to remain vigilant regarding tax fraud. The IRS is reporting a breathtaking increase in fraudulent returns, from 52,000 in 2008 to 2.6 million in 2011. Overall, fraudulent returns involve more than $5.2 billion dollars. An article published in January in the “Wall Street Journal” claimed the IRS Identity Protection Unit has a backlog of 650,000 cases. Additionally, state tax fraud is

exploding. Georgia reports up to 4 percent of its returns are from identity thieves, with no massive loss such as the one that occurred in South Carolina.

Tax fraud can be as simple as someone filing a return under your Tax ID number and receiving the tax refund.

As many of you now understand from receiving and reviewing your own credit reports, the documents are difficult to decipher and even harder to correct when errors are detected. Up to half of credit files have errors. Errors in your credit report can raise the costs of your auto, home, life and health insurance and even your ability to purchase those services and obtain loans.

Folks, this is scary stuff. The theft of your Social Security number, Medical ID, criminal history or driver’s license can have possibly disastrous consequences for you and your family. At the very least, the average amount of time it takes to get your name cleared is 500 hours. Can you afford that much time off from work?

Once a stolen ID is entered into any database such as Social Security, DMV or others, it can be connected to hundreds of additional databases. Attempting to clear your name from all those databases will be daunting at best.

If you signed up for Experian, which was offered by the state in the recent breach, you may think that’s all you need to do.

What you need to know is that Experian is basically a monitoring service that simply watches the credit bureaus and sends an alert that something may be fishy with regards to your credit. It does nothing to restore your identity. Would you know what to do in the event you did receive a legitimate alert from Experian?

At our agency we offer a restoration service that not only alerts you, but will also work to restore your credit and good name until it’s resolved.

Unfortunately, we live in an entirely different world than the one I grew up in with regard to personal security. We have to have an entirely different mindset and be ever vigilant against cyber thieves. I’ve devoted this column to personal identity theft. In a later column, I will discuss the problem from a business point of view. Let me give you a hint – cyber theft is not included under your general liability policy.

John DuRant is owner of DuRant Insurance in Manning. He can be reached at (803) 435-4800 or john@durantinsurance. com.

SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 39

Take a

I

Hike

n the back woods of Sumter, Clarendon and Orangeburg counties, there’s a new movement as winter slowly rolls into spring.

This movement is equal parts body and mind, a literal exercise that can provide stress relief after a long work day or entertainment on a lazy afternoon. When hiking, one needs only a location, a map and a few necessities, according to Lt. Tim Baxley of the state Department of Natural Resources.

“We have so many great places in this area for people to experience the outdoors,” Baxley said.

Just 20 years ago, outdoors enthusiasts were hard-pressed to find safe, quality hiking trails. These days, they have Santee National Wlidlife Refuge, Santee State Park, Poinsett State Park, Manchester State Forest and numerous wildlife management areas (WMAs). Those looking for a particularly lengthy journey 40 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

by ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

can trek the portions of the Palmetto Trail that pass through all five counties that surround the Santee Cooper lakes. “(The Palmetto Trail) runs through the Hickory Top WMA, it’s posted the whole way for walking all the way up to Elliott and all the way straight on through Manchester (National Forest),” Baxley has said of the trail running across South Carolina that connects the “mountains to the sea.”

But even if you simply want to try one of Poinsett State Park’s small, meandering pathways, Baxley said you always need a plan. He said hikers, much like boaters, should let at least one person know where they are leaving from, where they are going, when they expect to be back and to where they are coming back. A person hiking by themselves should share this plan with DNR and a friend.

“That way, we have a reference from Point A to Point B as to

where you should be, in case we have an emergency situation where you didn’t come back or you needed to be contacted,” Baxley said.“Say you fell and broke your leg and you weren’t able to get in. We’re going to need to know where to look for you.”

Specificity is key, he added.

“You can’t just say something like,‘I’m hiking in Manchester,’” he said.“That’s hundreds of acres.”

Baxley said families bringing children along should also caution them about trail wildlife. It’s easy to walk into a stray spider web while hiking, he noted. And a dangerous snake poses an unwitting curiousity for small children.

“Most people will tell you snakes aren’t going to hurt you, a snake is more afraid of you than you are of it, but you know how curious kids are,” he said.“With any animal, if you aggravate him or explore a little too close to him, then they may very well bite you. Poinsonous snakes are in our area. We have cottonmouths, we have rattlesnakes, and you need to be very, very careful.”

Hornets and other biting insects can provide a hazard as well.

“Hornet and wasp nests are in the willow trees,” he said.“Everybody needs to be aware of their surroundings when they’re outdoors.”

A first-aid kit, Baxley said, will provide a quick solution for any hikers encountering such dangers. Aside from the kit, a hiker’s best remedy for an immediate injury is to remain calm.

“If you were to get bit by anything or have an accident, break your leg, suffer a deep cut or anything, the main thing is to stay calm,” Baxley said.“I know that’s really hard to do, but you need to stay calm or keep the victim calm and then minimize movement, keep them as comfortable as possible and then seek help.”

“If you have something with an open wound or anything, of course you want to stop severe bleeding,” Baxley continued.“If it’s a snake bite, I know it’s very beneficial, and almost a necessity, for the hospital to know what kind of snake bit you, because they have an antivenom and they need to know what to treat you with.”

A cell phone can, in some cases, mean the difference between life and death. Though the area’s trails are often remote, service can be found at higher points, Baxley said.

“Have the phone with you anyway because you may hit a spot where you could call if it was an emergency,” he said.“A cell phone is a great thing. If we had them a long time ago, you’d probably have fewer tragedies.”

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Hiking can be a great and inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors, and the state Department of Natural Resources offers the following tips to make your next trail walk a success.

• Plan ahead. Map out your hike and take a compass to help guide the way. A good topographical map, if available, can help you know the contours of a particular trail. A simple map can help you find water, campsites and an emergency exit route in case of an accident.

• Bring sunscreen and a hat, even on cloudy days.

• Stay hydrated. Make sure to have enough water to last the entire hike. Two liters of water per person on an 8- to 15-mile hike is standard.

• Snack. A few small morsels here and there will be more likely to keep your energy up and replenish reserves rather than a big lunch or supper. Plan your nutritional needs and those of your party, and then take extra food. A lengthy detour, an injury or difficult terrain may keep you out longer than expected. A few ounces of extra food will help keep up your energy and morale.

• A first-aid kit should include aspirin or ibuprofen, a few bandages of varying size and some antibacterial cream.

• An emergency kit should include waterproof matches or lighter and a small flashlight with extra bulbs and batteries, just in case you’re caught out after dark.

• Bring a cell phone. Service can be found even in remote areas, particularly near the east coast.

• Know how to spot and avoid poison ivy, oak or sumac.

• Monitor weather forecasts in the days and hours leading up to your hiking adventure.

• That said, the weatherman ain’t always right. Rain gear and extra clothing come in handy.

• Waterproof your belongings when you pack them. Place perishable items in plastic baggies, and put sleeping bags in heavy duty plastic garbage bags if you’re going overnight. Store clothes in waterproof bags. Water is essential, but deadly when combined with cold on the trail. Avoid cotton clothing as cotton holds moisture close to the body.

• Take photo ID and insurance and credit cards.

• If hiking with a large group, plan a trip suitable for everyone. Let the slower person set the pace.

• Take an army knife or multi-purpose tool. These enable you to cut strips of cloth into bandages, remove splinters, fix broken eyeglasses and repair malfunctioning gear.You can also use them to cut food and open cans.

• Notify a friend and DNR that you will be hiking. Give them your full and specific outdoors itinerary.

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A need in the

fishing industry

by SHARRON HALEY

Sharron@theitem-clarendonsun.com

N

estled on the eastern side of S.C. 260 about halfway between Manning and the Wilson Dam sits a very nondescript group of buildings. They have a name that’s recognized throughout the United States, parts of Europe, Canada and the soundstages of Hollywood and New York for unique, sometimes one-of-a kind fishing accessories, squirrel-proof bird feeders and microphone booms used in the entertainment industry – Black River Tools.

Founded in 1982, Black River Tools was the brainchild of Calvin Baynard who was then an employee of Santee Coo42 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

per Country. Almost on a daily basis, Baynard would see avid anglers rigging their own rod holders so that they could work more than one fishing rod at a time.

In a shop behind his home located just north of the small community of Jordan and less than five miles from Lake Marion, Baynard began developing a variety of rod holders and fishing accessories. His wife, Melva, would work all day at a Manning bank and then with her husband until late each night, getting up the next morning for her day job.

“I got into the production at a good time,” Baynard said a few years ago.“Around that time, striper fishing was beginning

to really take off and fishermen were looking for accessories to hold their rods.”

Today, 31 years later, Black River Tools is managed by the Baynards’ son, David, an engineer who returned to the family-run business about 15 years ago.

“I graduated from high school in 1983, the year after the business was started,” David Baynard said.“I’m an engineer by trade. I told my parents that I would go out on my own until the business was able to sustain me and my family, too, and then I’d return. Now, my two sons work here for me. I guess you could say we’re the poster child for a family owned and operated business.”

Over the more than three decades that Black River Tools has been operating, the company has diversified, keeping in touch with the demand of its popular products while looking into other avenues for additional revenue. Along with its first products, fishing accessories sold under the name of Driftmaster, Black River Tools has produced gardening tools under the name Weed Ox. At the present time the company is selling squirrel-proof bird feeders featuring a lifelong guarantee under the name Father Nature.

“It takes everything to make a living these days,” David Baynard said in January.“We work hard for a modest income. All of our products are made right here in Manning. We don’t see as much of a profit because we don’t use 50-cent labor like in foreign counties. Most of our employees have been with us a long time.”

The younger Baynard said the company is constantly tweaking its products to make them better.

DRIFTMASTER

Driftmaster has been the signature product of Black River Tools since its inception in 1982.

Over the years, the Driftmaster products have been improved with additional products added to the lineup. The most popular product from Black River’s Driftmaster line is the T-250 trolling bar system.

“It’s mostly used for crappie fishing and anglers can control four fishing rods at one time,” David said.“Anglers usually set it up so that it will bring the fish to them without them having to move around the boat reeling in the various rods. An angler can sit in one location and fish from four rods.”

Another big selling point for the Driftmaster line of products is that they can be easily removed and then replaced.

“If someone wants to use the boat for skiing, they can take the rod holders off in a matter of minutes,” Calvin added.“Going fishing that night? They can add the rod holders back on with-

out any problems.”

Like fish, anglers come in a variety of sizes; making a onesize-fits-all product doesn’t really fit every angler.

Calvin Baynard said one customer who was small in stature was having difficulty with one of the Driftmaster products.

“All David did was cut down on the size, the length, and it was perfect for the shorter man,” he said.“That man got his own customer made rod holder that fit him exactly. Not too many companies who take the time or the effort to do that for a single individual. We do.”

Calvin Baynard said one of the company’s proudest features is its ability to personalize items to a customer’s needs without breaking the bank.

“Everyone enjoys fishing and almost every person has his or her own technique,” Baynard added.“There aren’t too many products offered for anglers that are one-size-fits-all. Each product needs to fit that particular angler’s needs and we can do that.”

Driftmaster products also offer a lifetime warranty. The metal used in the rod holders is shipped to Black River Tools in 20foot lengths. Black River Tools cuts it, bends it, attaches it, welds it and dips it in plastic before shipping the finished product to the consumer.

“Anglers, especially professional anglers, are loyal to a particular brand,” David said.“When they find a product that is reliable and doesn’t break down, they’ll keep coming back for additional products.”

David said that during a tournament, pro anglers have “a lot on their minds” and “a lot can go wrong.”

“They could have a flat tire or a dead battery,” David said.“If they know they have a product that never gives them trouble, they’ll stay with it because it’s one less problem they’ll have on tournament days.”

David said it’s very humbling for professional anglers and even amateurs to have so much faith in the products they design and produce.

The entertainment business also uses Black River Tools Driftmaster rod holders as boom holders.

“We ship them out without our trademarked name on them,” David said.“Several shows that are shown here at home, like sitcoms, use our product as a microphone boom. That’s pretty cool.”

WEED OX

In 2002, Black River Tools decided to diversify the 25-year-old manufacturing operation to include the production of gardening tools under the trademarked name Weed Ox. SANTEELAKESIDE.COM 43

The triangular-shaped tools are made of solid steel to help them cut efficiently and to take the work out of digging.

The hometown manufacturing operation marketed four different tools, including the Cultivator, featuring a two-blade head designed for large outdoor projects; the Critter, a small handheld device perfect for flower boxes and small gardening areas; the Bossy, a long-handled version of the Critter featuring a fourfoot handle; and the Bully, a heavy-duty robust version of the Bossy that allows the consumer to tackle heavy outdoor jobs.

FATHER NATURE BIRD SEEDERS

In 2002, Black River Tools also launched its squirrel-proof bird feeders made from aluminum and galvanized steel.

“Our bird feeders protect the seed from the weather, from waste and from spillage by larger birds,” David Baynard said.

“We just changed the perches and poles on our bird feeders to stop the larger birds from staying at the feeder for long periods of time.”

Baynard said he’s received some heat from customers when he touts his bird feeders as squirrel-proof.

“It’s hard to convince some people that our bird feeders are squirrel-proof, but they are,” he said.

“When you make a product that does what it’s supposed to do, you typically don’t get good feedback.”

Baynard said that several local customers have been enjoying their bird feeders for years.

“The squirrels simply don’t come around anymore,” one customer said.

Nationally, there are between 60 and 80 million American who feed birds in their yards, Baynard said.

“It’s a huge market and we have the best product.”

Baynard listed four problems with typical bird feeders: • Squirrels can hang on and eat the seeds • They allow moisture to get into the bucket and mildew the seeds • Large birds like blue jays and black bird sling feed off the feeders • Most wooden and plastic feeders only last two seasons “We don’t have any gimmicks,” Baynard said.“There are no batteries. We use the right materials and geometry to develop a bird feeder that will not allow squirrels to snitch the seeds.”

The buckets on Father Nature bird feeders are made of galvanized steel. The gallon-sized buckets tilt for each access and the over sized tray beneath the bucket allows smaller birds to eat seeds that have fallen from the perch. The lids are made of aluminum and slanted to allow for easy water runoff. There is a seed float beneath the budget that tells the customer at a glance how much feed in inside the bucket.

“It took us years to develop the perch,” David added.“We cut back to four colors: copper, candy-apple red, green and bronze.”

David said Black River Tools has even developed a metal post that allows the bird feeders to remain upright during storms and heavy winds.

“I just enjoy the business,” David said.“It’s truly a family run business where our employees feel like family.”

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44 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2013 | LAKESIDE

O

nce again, I have been force fed an entire can of Whupass.

For a guy who doesn’t like the taste, it’s getting to be a regular part of my diet. A smart man would learn not to go where this is the only thing on the menu. No, a smart man would be drinking fine Scotch and smoking cigars. But “smart man” is not an accusation that I hear much. For edification, the Urban Dictionary defines the term as follows:“A source of destructive power accessible to an aggressor; usually referred to as a quantity of Whupass, as in a can of, a bucket of, etc.”

For reasons not clearly understood, I decided to try a shorter triathlon up at Santee State Park. Just as women somehow forget the ordeal of labor and go on to have more children, I thought I would have one more go at this beast. It would be a shorter ordeal than the complete shellacking I took at the Winter Challenge.

In some unexplained state of amnesia, I cheerfully registered for this event and arranged with Epic Kayaks to rent an 18X sea kayak in the hope that maybe I could buy some speed. To have my pathetic mediocrity showcased in such a public spectacle should be enough to curb this nasty habit. Sadly, it will not. I own goats with better judgment. Instead of bipedal locomotion and opposable thumbs, I might as well have horns growing from my head.

At least then I wouldn’t be able to wear that ridiculous bike helmet.

It began even before the race. If my skinny legs were a designer color, they would be catfish-belly white. The fact that I am willing to appear in public in a pair of running shorts is a sure indication that I long ago gave up any sense of pride. Two cute, young co-eds had volunteered to help out, and they were chatting at the starting line. As I stood there in my shorts, nearly freezing, I heard one girl say to the other,“Get a load of that one … he’s my favorite.”

You know things are off to a bad start when you invite ridicule through your mere presence.

Then the gun sounded. Or siren. It is all kind of vague. I just remember that things were not going well as I struggled to step

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carefully around the many buckets of Whupass. By the time the run was over, the crisp whisper of my breathing had been replaced by a strange bronchial honk that drew looks of concern.

Approaching the lake, I looked out to see four or five boats on the water ahead of me. I held serious misgivings about competing in a rented boat that I had never before paddled, but I jumped in anyway and began thrashing in earnest. Then, magical things began to happen. Halfway to the turnaround I passed all of the frat boys. Some of these young studs were in 8-foot plastic boats and zigzagging crazily, while my boat had a rudder and I could travel in a straight line.

It was amazing. I was up front and the college punks were losing their minds. Grandpa was serving up his own mess of Whupass. Old age and treachery began demolishing youthful exuberance as the Geezerjock took first place by means of technological superiority.

I simply had a better boat. Old men cheered.

Children sang. Ladies wept.

I got out of the boat and couldn’t walk.

With a mighty effort, I managed to make it to the bicycle, shed my life vest, don the helmet and pedal away. For three miles, I rode my little bike through the woods in a state of surreal bliss. It was as if I was the only one in the race. Nobody in sight, ahead or behind. Just me and my gigantic helmet that had to be skillfully maneuvered in any crosswind above five knots.

Then that familiar taste filled my mouth as Junior came out of nowhere and passed me with his own ideas about the menu.

Not sure if he had a better bike, but there was no question about the motor. I wanted to say something clever as he passed in the hope of destroying him psychologically, but I could only manage a weak, croaking noise of indignation.

As I emptied my tank in desperate pursuit, he jettisoned whole canisters of Whupass. His pals were not far behind, and I cursed that wretched contraption between my legs that seemed only good for converting calories into scar tissue.

There is always next year. I just realized the horizontal crossbar on my bike is hollow. It could probably hold a couple of pounds of solid chemical propellant. A good machine shop could turn out a small rocket nozzle. I think I saw something like this one in “Popular Mechanics.”

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Make your mark in

real estate investment

by CARLL FIELD

Special to Lakeside Success and failure in real estate investing – and in life in general – is usually not made by some catastrophic event.

Rather, it is the habitual failure to do the things we know we should be doing.

Before getting started, you first need to know where you want to go. What are your goals? You can never know if an investment is good for you unless you know what your goals are.

Now is not the time to think small. The bigger goals are always better. Be specific. How much passive net income do you want per month? How many rentals would you need to achieve this goal? Write it down on paper. Read it every day. Once you have a firm grasp on what you want and why you want it, map out a plan.

And then follow some of these tips to get you started. · Scope out your market! What are homes selling for in the area you have chosen, and what will they rent for? If homes in a neighborhood are selling for $140,000 but rent is only $950, you probably wouldn’t want to be purchasing in that neighborhood for a rental. Ask yourself what renters are after. We all know three-bedroom, two-bath homes are the sweet spot.

If you own one for $140,000 in an area where rent is typically $700, you may have something good on your hands. How do you get the information? The quickest way is to ask a Realtor.

They can pull the information from the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and point you in the right direction. · Know your numbers! You should know what your returns on a home should and could be before you ever begin to think about buying it. Know what your positive cash flow would be once it’s rented and all expenses are paid. Know that your property taxes will basically triple when changing from the 4 percent tax rate to the 6 percent tax rate. Don’t forget to keep a reserve for anything unforeseen. · Build a team! If you just love to do all the work yourself because it’s what you love to do, then by all means, continue to do all the work. Ask other investors who they use; they will usually tell you.Your team consists of your real estate professionals, accountants, attorneys, insurance professionals and contractors (plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, etc.). Keep

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searching and fine-tuning your team until you find the perfect fit for you and your rental property.Your team will help you all the way through find the home through closing, repairing and possibly even managing it. · Find the perfect tenant! The perfect tenant does not exist, really, but many good ones will do just fine. If their background and references check out, they will usually be just fine.

Successful real estate investors take the few extra minutes to call references and check rental and credit histories. Many websites are available to do just that. Be aware, however:You need the prospective tenants’ signed permission. · Get everything in writing! If you have a question as to whether something specific should be in writing, then it should. Get it in writing, and keep up with it, too. Keep good records.You will need to keep each rental separate for tax purposes, and the accountant on your team can help you with that. Have firm leases written, and stick to them. The attorney on your team will help you with that.You don’t need to ask many people to find one who can tell you a story about not having something in writing and regretting it later. · Don’t be afraid to ask for help! If possible, find a mentor who will help you along the way. It’s free to ask, and the worst thing that can happen is a “No” answer. The smartest people in the world are those who ask when they don’t know. Don’t get in over your head. Most successful people admire others who are pursuing their goals and will gladly help when possible, so again, ask them! Make sure the person you ask for advice, however, is where you want to be, not in the same place where you currently are.

Investing without a team in place is risky. Investing without educating yourself is risky. But real estate investing is one of the most conservative investments in my opinion. Try asking a banker to loan you money to buy stocks if you don’t believe me.

Don’t rush in. Just begin with questions and keep learning.

Your confidence will soar once you begin to see how easy it is to invest in real estate.

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