Spartanburg Magazine | Fall 2018

FALL 2018

INSIDE Colonial Milling Arrowhead Design Art of the Horse

$4.95

The

Kennedy Chef Jamie Cribb’s Southern favorites, seafood delights

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The ‘MADDD Artist” Roderice Cardell is inspired by Michael Basquiat, Ryan King and Picasso.

CONTENTS

HOW TO REACH US FALL 2018

10 | COVER STORY

52 | ART OF THE HORSE

The Kennedy’s chef Jamie Cribb

Celebrating World Equestrian Games

20 | TASTE OF SPARTANBURG

58 | ARROWHEAD DESIGN

Chefs, farmers featured in book

Spartanburger and Burg T-shirts

26 | COLONIAL MILLING

64 | DAVID BALL

Couple grows and mills heirloom corn

Singer comes home for concert

36 | CULINARY CARVINGS

69 | PLATE FULL `O BLUES

Wofford chef also a Food Network star

Blues singer Mac Arnold

40 | NINA SIMONE

78 | DAY TRIP

Home of legendary singer honored

Boone, North Carolina

45 | FAIRYTALE CASTLE

ESSENTIALS

Woman designs dream home

9 | FROM THE EDITOR

86 | SCENE

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FOR STORY IDEAS OR COMMENTS

Jose Franco editor 864-562-7223 Jose.Franco@shJ.com

FOR SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS

JenniFer Bradley circulation coordinator 864-562-7402 JenniFer.Bradley@shJ.com

ON THE COVER

TIM KIMZEY PHOTO

Chef Jamie Cribb has created an inviting and unique menu in downtown Spartanburg.

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PUBLISHER

Kevin DraKe EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Michael G. SMith EDITOR

JoSe Franco COPY EDITOR

Beverly KniGht STAFF WRITERS

Dan arMonaitiS, conor huGheS, chriS lavenDer, BoB MontGoMery, aDaM orr, SaMantha Swann CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Are you a Spartanburger?

W

e hope you’ll recognize some Spartanburg people, places and food in this fall issue of Spartanburg Magazine.

Wofford College chef Stephan Baity is well known for his pumpkin carving skills and has been featured on the Food Network’s “Cake Wars” and

“Halloween Wars.” He shares some pumpkin carving skills just in time for Halloween.

Roderice Cardell is known as the M.A.D.D.D. Artist. He is a performance artist who wears a

JaSon GilMer, latria GrahaM,

motorcycle helmet while he creates his dazzling works of art. It must be seen to be believed.

vincent harriS

Those cool “Spartanburg” and “Burg” T-shirts are created by Lanie Whitaker and Jamie

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

alex hicKS Jr., tiM KiMzey CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

John ByruM, Gwinn DaviS, wenDy ShocKley Mccarty, lelanD a. outz DESIGN

center For newS & DeSiGn REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

KonraD la PraDe INTEGRATED MEDIA SALES MANAGER

aron GoSS ADVERTISING ASSISTANT SALES MANAGER

DeBBie Brown CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Ken SMith CIRCULATION COORDINATOR

JenniFer BraDley WEBSITE SPartanBurGMaGazine.coM

TO SUBSCRIBE OR PURCHASE BACK ISSUES

contact JenniFer BraDley at

864-562-7402

Woodruff, partners in the Arrowhead Design Company. Besides cool T-shirts, they do website design, logos, graphics and screen printing.

There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Spartanburg’s newest dining venue, The Kennedy.

The chef de cuisine is Jamie Cribb, the youngest of the Cribb culinary family. His eclectic menu features Southern favorites and seafood delights.

Writer Latria Graham reviews “A Taste of Spartanburg,” a Hub City Press book which focuses on local farmers and chefs.

Jon and Michelle Stauffer along with their 8-year-old son Grant are raising heirloom corn on their farm in Pauline. The Stauffers started Colonial Milling about two-and-a-half years ago and their corn and grits can be found at The Kennedy and Downtown Deli and Donuts.

Country music singer David Ball is a Spartanburg favorite and the city showed him much love when he performed two shows in July with Warren and Marshall Hood at the FR8yard in downtown.

Other stories to not miss in this issue include: *A fairytale castle tucked away in the North Carolina mountains. *Day trip suggestions to Boone, North Carolina from writer Jason Gilmer who lived there for five years. *Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Nina Simone’s home in Tryon, North Carolina was designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. *Singer Mac Arnold is still singing the blues.

PuBliSheD By

heralD-Journal 189 w. Main Street SPartanBurG,

S.c. 29306

864-582-4511

*Our Carolina Foothills’ The Art of the Horse is welcoming the World Equestrian Games with its “One World, One Vision” fiberglass horses.

Besides the World Equestrian Games, make sure to visit at least one fall festival such as the International Festival or Festifall; enjoy some delicious apples and pumpkins; visit a haunted trail or corn maze; watch the leaves change colors; and make sure to support our Spartanburg

an aFFiliate oF

restaurants and businesses.

Jose Franco, Editor JOSE.FRANCO@SHJ.COM

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Sol Shine (Lunazul Reposado, Fresh Lime, Pineapple, Ginger Beer, Absinthe Mist).

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Chef de cuisine THE KENNEDY: JAMIE CRIBB’S MENU COMBINES SOUTHERN FAVORITES, SEAFOOD DELIGHTS STORY BY ADAM ORR PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY

W

hile he’s now listed among Spartanburg’s youngest executive chefs, Jamie Cribb’s beginnings in the kitchen were much humbler.

At just 27, the youngest of Hub City’s culinary Cribb family, The Kennedy’s chef de cuisine already has nearly a decade of professional culinary experience under his belt, but he likes to say he started his career as more of an annoyance than a help.

Growing up in a family that prized good food and good times, Cribb said that as a boy he was always looking to pitch in. “So my grandmother would get a little tired of keeping up with me,” Cribb laughed in a recent Spartanburg Magazine interview. “She’d put me to work shucking corn or snapping beans – to keep me busy with the grunt work, I guess – but I loved it.”

When The Kennedy at 221 E. Kennedy St. launched earlier this year, it was one of downtown Spartanburg’s most anticipated new eateries, and Cribb was given carte blanche to bring his own kitchen creations to life. The dinner menu is an eclectic mixture of different flavors and ideas – think traditional Southern favorites such as butter beans and okra combined with seafood delights such as charred octopus or a kimchi-style Farro Verde topped with a fresh egg from Woodruff Farms.

Jamie Cribb is the head chef at The Kennedy, a new restaurant located on Kennedy Street in Spartanburg.

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Shishito Peppers with Black Vinegar/Benne/Soy.

Brunch diners can enjoy a small, but striking collection of what the Cribbs like to call "showstoppers," including the Shakshuka, which features an heirloom tomato-pepper sugo, farm fresh eggs, Benne, cilantro, and Harissa served with a Lavash cracker. The Sweet Potato Hoe Cakes feature Colonial Milling Corn Meal, butter, and peppered hot sorghum syrup.

For Cribb, The Kennedy offers him a chance to bring to bear all the experience he’s gained through working in multiple kitchens across the Palmetto State over the past 10 years.

It all started right after high school with a call from his older brother William Cribb, who at the time was getting his own dream off the ground at Cribb’s Kitchen. “William said he needed a dishwasher, and I was his guy,” Cribb said. Crucially, according to the younger Cribb, that job turned out to be the perfect platform for a kid looking to soak up the knowledge needed to run a kitchen.

“It’s hot, hard work,” he said. “But I got to see how they moved, how they communicated in the kitchen, and they encouraged me to ask about what

was going on and why they did what they did.”

It also provided exposure for Cribb to the fastpaced made-to-order world of catering as well as fine dining since Cribb’s Kitchen transformed itself into a date night destination after dark. “You learn how important the prep work is and how to get it all done right, fast,” Cribb said of the early lessons he learned.

Working with family had its advantages, but it also reinforced the importance of constructive feedback. His family has never been one to shy away from sharing opinions, he said. “If something isn’t working, they’re going to let you know,” Cribb said of the value of communication. “Yeah, it can be hard, but it’s also an important way of learning.”

That first job led him to an Italian eatery in Columbia where he picked up the ins-and-outs of Italian kitchen craft – a demanding, and sometimes intimidating, experience for a young chef-in-themaking. He called Italian cooking “a world bound by tradition,” but it taught him that details always matter to the finished product.

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The Dark Side of Camelot (Woodford Rye, Fernet Branca, Barrel Aged Bitters, Charcoal Ice).

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Charred Octopus (Butter Bean, Celery Root, Tomato, Okra).

Pork Belly (Crispy Skin, Colonial Mill Grits, Quail Egg, Cider Gastrique).

Six Grey Horses (Earl Grey Infused Gin, Egg White, Local Honey, Lavender Simple, Lemon Bitters).

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He laughs now - but said he wasn’t laughing then - thinking back on the time he botched a multi-gallon batch of mother sauce.

“Every little detail counts, and you can’t be afraid to fail, because you’re going to fail,” Cribb said. “So you can’t jump in and act like you know everything. It’s about being patient because of all those basic skills you can only really learn by doing. There’s no way to skip that.”

A few years later, he returned to Spartanburg and jumped in with both feet at another family venture, Willy Taco, where he said he became comfortable with the idea that he might one day be able to run his own kitchen.

Patrons at the bar at The Kennedy, a new restaurant located on Kennedy Street in Spartanburg, on July 17.

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Heirloom Carrots (Toasted Benne, Pollinated Honey, Top Pesto).

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Hanger Steak (Black Garlic, Mushroom Potato Hash, Local Greens, Marrow Butter).

Bourbon Renewal Spritzer (Creme Di Cassis, Old Forrester Bourbon, Luxardo, Fresh Lemon, Brut).

Patrons enjoy dinner at The Kennedy.

These days, diners at The Kennedy can watch him put his skills on display. The finished meals matter, he said, but there’s a performance aspect that customers appreciate as well, watching skilled men and women turn simple ingredients into a delightful finished product.

That means crisp white coats are the order of the day and chefs must move with confidence throughout the process. “You’re putting on a show, always,” Cribb said.

The Kennedy is his professional baby at the moment and he said it’s gratifying to see something with so much of his vision come to life. Still, he sees a day in the future when

he’ll strike out on his own and start his own restaurant.

The young chef believes in Spartanburg’s future and finds the growth in downtown and along the city center’s edges to be exciting. A kind of downtown food court that offers diners plenty of options in walking distance makes sense to Cribb. But he also has ideas about a modern take on a traditional deli bouncing around in his head. Imagine New York City’s famous Katz Delicatessen tweaked for Southern sensibilities and you’d be on the right track.

“I love this town,” Cribb said. “And I want to be a part of it as it booms.”

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A TASTE OF SPARTANBURG

Chris “Wishbone” Walker, owner of Blue Moon Specialty Foods and his Carolina Red BBQ Chicken.

Hub City Press’ latest book highlights farmers, chefs in Spartanburg County STORY BY LATRIA GRAHAM PHOTOS COURTESY OF IAN CURCIO

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n the last five years, Spartanburg’s food scene has grown exponentially, and every week there’s an announcement about a new restaurant or food enterprise coming to town. With Hub City Co-op, South Carolina’s first retail grocery cooperative in the heart of downtown, a thriving farmer’s market scene, and several local breweries, our municipality has the ability to change the way we as consumers think about where our food comes from, and what we eat.

Spartanburg and surrounding cities are landing on the radar of foodies around the country, and our region is being written about by visitors who only experience a slice of what the Upstate has to offer. “A Taste of Spartanburg,” a publication released by Hub City Press, is a book that lets residents speak for themselves, with the spirit and nuance that can only come from spending time with the farmers and chefs.

The book covers the county, not just the city, and artisans in places like Boiling Springs, Cross Anchor, Landrum, and Pauline are included.

The forward, by John T. Edge, the titan of Southern food history, and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, serves as a seal of approval, cementing Spartanburg’s status as an emerging culinary hot spot. Amanda Richardson, the brains behind the “Hub City Bites” blog, conducted the chef interviews. Former journalist Anna Parra compiled the

stories about life on the farm, while her husband, commercial photographer Ian Curcio, is responsible for photographs of the artisans.

Carefully curated and beautifully rendered, all of the photo shoots took place in the chef or farmer’s natural habitat. Ultimately when they offer us the fruits of their labor--whether in the shape of a biscuit or perhaps a cutting of basil, they offer a bit of themselves--their dreams, their history, and the knowledge they’ve accrued while practicing their profession.

Fifteen chefs and 15 farmers come together to create an eclectic volume as deep and diverse as our region. Southern and international flavors constantly bump up against one another. French and Thai dishes sit alongside local fare like grits and grouper. The German fare of Gerhard Grommer goes toe-to-toe with Bill McClellan’s Seafood Gumbo. Cakehead Bakeshop and Mississippi transplant Liz Blanchard’s biscuit recipe sit next to CityRange Steakhouse Grill chef Topher Gibbs’s seared duck breast.

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Liz Blanchard

The book seeks to show us the chefs that helm some of our favored food destinations, and farmers that create the agricultural infrastructure for us to enjoy some of our favorite dishes. The work is a compendium of many of the local chefs and farmers that reside in Spartanburg County, but the work is more than a collection of names and locations. In the work, all of the farmers share their backstories and a bit of wisdom they’ve learned while maintaining their land. The chefs share some of their precious childhood memories as well as some of their favorite recipes.

“God blessed me with this place, and I walked in the

doors with $325,” Charlene Davis of Charlene’s Home Cooking told Richardson. “They said I wouldn’t make it two months and we’re still here. I took what my grandmother taught me and I kept doing it. We do it as a family—my husband is here, my youngest daughter, my oldest daughter, her husband, and her kids come up every other weekend.” For the Davis clan, cooking is part of their heritage, and the matriarch talks about the recipes as a way to honor memories of loved ones, before bestowing readers with the directions to make the family’s beef stew, handed down in her family for four generations.

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In these stories, creators show readers the pulse and pace of their lives, and how they mark milestones like first dates, and the birth of a child—sometimes with a new recipe or a revelation about why they continue to be involved in their line of work.

Each subject shares his or her perspective on comfort food, as well as the culture of their individual kitchen.

Alongside better-known chefs like William Cribb and Stephanie Tornatore of The Streatery food truck, sits newcomers like Ae and Nick Dhers, of Le Spice.

Each chef talks about why they accept or reject the moniker of chef and turning points in their careers. “It’s a tough environment,” Tornatore emphasizes to Richardson. “It’s hard. But for me, I enjoy meeting people. I also like that every day there’s something new—with an open kitchen, you can make something new, learn something new.”

Liz Blanchard’s Son of a Peach Biscuit.

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Charlene Davis’ Beef Stew.

Before they became farmers, many in the book were tractor-trailer drivers, architects, construction workers, nurses, and marketing professionals who, for one reason or another fell in love with Spartanburg County’s charm and potential, and decided to call this place home.

“A Taste of Spartanburg” profiles long-standing fixtures at the Hub City Farmer’s Market as well as newer faces that arrived on the scene in the last year or two.

Still, for every triumphant story, there is one that portrays a particularly vulnerable way of life. Parra also profiles Greyrock Farms, cited as the last remaining dairy farm in Spartanburg County. The story of James Anderson, the farm’s owner is one of changing times, industry transitions and a rapidly vanishing landscape, as Spartanburg and Greenville transform green spaces into subdivisions.

While the book highlights many traditional ways of life, it also makes the case that there is room for technology to assist and enhance the farmer’s mission—whether that is through hydroponic gardening at Tyger River Smart Farm or marketing on Facebook.

One example is Paul and Jenni Callahan’s story of ingenuity when things didn’t go according to plan at their farm, Harp and Shamrock Croft. “Once, when a produce order fell through after rate crops were already planted and ready to harvest, Jenni came up with the idea of Bounty Baskets,” Parra writes. “Now, each week before market harvest, they put together packages of vegetables and send out notices on Facebook of how many are available. Their customers come to the farm and purchase the baskets. The idea did so well, Harp and Shamrock sold their baskets through the fall season.”

“A Taste of Spartanburg” is a celebration of Spartanburg’s regional agricultural renaissance and the city’s status as an emerging foodie mecca.

Books like these have the ability to enhance and elevate the conversations we are having about farm-to-table enterprises and eating locally. How the story of foodways in Spartanburg will play out is dependent on how we approach our relationship to food, and the land it is grown upon, but the book is an interesting way to start the exchange.

“A Taste of Spartanburg” is available locally at Hub City Bookshop, 186 W. Main St.

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COLONIAL MILLING

STORY BY CONOR HUGHES PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY

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The Stauffer family grows heirloom corn on their 18th century plantation in Pauline; their produce is used in several Spartanburg restaurants. The family’s 1790s home.

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Jon and Michelle Stauffer with their son Grant, 8, on their farm in Pauline.

O

Couple sells grits, cornmeal made from heirloom corn

n Jon Stauffer’s 25-acre farm in Pauline, about 150 chickens strut between swaying sunflower stalks as a handful of cows graze in the hot summer sun.

Sun hemp and buckwheat grow at the base of short corn stalks and pigs eat from a trough in a pen down the path from Stauffer’s 1790 home.

All of it - every animal and every plant - is there for one purpose: producing the best tasting corn possible.

The chickens eat the larva of harmful insects and the cows convert weeds into fertilizer. The sunflowers infuse the soil with zinc and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, and the greens act as ground cover in the cornfields to choke out unwanted plants.

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Stauffer goes to these lengths to grow his heirloom corn – a strain that was first cross-pollinated in the 1850s – without pesticides and other harmful chemicals. To do that means finding natural, creative ways to protect and nurture the crop.

“It takes a lot to get this corn to thrive,” Stauffer said. “This corn, in an awesome year, will produce probably a quarter of what the new corns will produce . . . but, these older corns do taste better.”

Stauffer started Colonial Milling about two-and-a-half years ago, and since then his corn and grits have become a staple in some of Spartanburg’s best-known eateries, including both The Kennedy and Downtown Deli and Donuts.

Jon Stauffer walks through a field of corn on their farm in Pauline.

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TOP: Michelle Stauffer feeds an ear of corn to a cow on their farm. BOTTOM: Grant Stauffer, 8, takes care of chickens on their farm.

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Jaime Cribb, head chef at The Kennedy, said Stauffer’s product can be found in dishes throughout the restaurant’s menu, from its Sweet Potato Hoe Cakes to its grits. Stauffer’s product adds a unique, flavorful component to the restaurant’s dishes that diners love, Cribb said.

“It’s amazing grits. It tastes like freaking popcorn. It’s crazy,” Cribb said. “I’ve heard countless reactions of, ‘Man these are the best grits I’ve ever had,’ or, ‘Where did you get these?’ or, ‘I didn’t know grits could taste this good.’”

Stauffer’s heirloom corn, a more-than-centuryold non-GMO strain, was featured in Paula Deen Magazine in 2017, and he now ships it to people all over the country.

But it’s only recently that Stauffer said he feels like he’s hit his stride. He started growing the corn about two-and-a-half years ago and since then it’s been an uphill battle to get where he is today.

Every day, problems seemed to multiply.

Stauffer has wanted to farm for most of his life, but he’d never done it on such a large scale. The daily challenges almost overwhelmed him.

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Labels for the milling products.

Jon Stauffer demonstrates milling equipment.

“At first I thought, ‘Yeah, I can do that,’ and then we started doing it and it was a complete disaster,” he said. “. . . It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever come across. It was literally one problem comes up today, two tomorrow, 10 the next day and it just kept hitting you in the face every day.”

Without his wife, Michelle, who works part-time as a nurse, and also helps on the farm when she’s at home and homeschools their 8-year-old son, Stauffer said Colonial Milling would never have made it off the ground.

Michelle also handles Colonial Milling’s online presence and is integral to the business side of the operation.

“Before we got where we are, it was literally just her saying you’ve got to get up,” he said.

Despite the challenges it presented, Michelle said she thinks their inexperience was also one of their strengths.

“Maybe that’s the trick, not knowing what we’re doing,” Michelle said. “We’re willing to try new things. If something doesn’t work, we’re not set in our ways.”

Stauffer continued working every day, and after one

Jon Stauffer shucks an ear of corn.

of his first crops came in, he bought a small mill he used in his house to taste the first sample of his product.

After all the work and anxiety, he didn’t know if he had a product that tasted good. When he sampled the product for the first time, his worst fears were put to rest. It was delicious.

The challenge then was finding a market for it.

“I had harvested our third crop, had an awesome crop, and I just assumed it was going to be a line out the driveway of people pulling in here to purchase our grits because I thought it was the coolest idea ever,” he said.

“And it was crickets. . . I just assumed the word would spread and that didn’t happen.”

After a long period of struggling to find momentum for their project, Stauffer and Michelle took what they’d made to the Greenville Saturday Farmers Market.

Stauffer had resisted the idea at first. He wanted his corn to succeed on its own, without featuring it at a farmers’ market. But the first day they manned a stall, they found the market he had spent months searching for.

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Jon Stauffer checks an ear of corn in a field on their farm in Pauline.

Corn grows in a field on the Stauffer farm in Pauline.

Grant Stauffer, 8, bites into an ear of corn.

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“I didn’t think I was going to have to do that, but it turns out it was the best thing that could have happened. It was awesome,” he said. “We found a customer base there that wanted a product like ours.”

Michelle baked cornbread and other dishes to give samples of the corn to customers, and they sold grits and other products. Customers who tried what they were offering started coming back for more. “People that ate it said it was the best they ever had, which was awesome,” Stauffer said.

Before long, Stauffer’s corn and grits had a following, and he started talking with local restaurants about supplying their corn.

“I can tell you the point at which I threw my hands up and said, ‘I give up,’ but I can’t tell you the point to where all of a sudden that switched,” he said. “Because there was no point. It was just every day, there was another little bit. It was a person calling and saying, ‘I heard about your grits, where can I find them?’ It was showing up to the farmers market and you sell some.”

Grant Stauffer, 8, picks a sunflower on their farm.

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Jon and Michelle Stauffer and their son Grant, 8, at their farm in Pauline.

Hearing positive feedback about his product is gratifying, Stauffer said and makes the hard work he put into the farm worth it. But his favorite part of running the Colonial is what drew him to it in the first place: watching his crop slowly come to life through long, hard work.

“For me, it’s about growing things,” he said. “. . . It’s trying to figure things out that other people aren’t doing on any kind of scale. It’s solving those problems. That’s what gets me excited, coming up with new ways to produce an old product.”

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Culinary sculptor Wofford chef a Food Network star for carving Halloween pumpkins STORY BY DAN ARMONAITIS

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arving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a time honored tradition that’s enjoyed by millions of Americans each Halloween season.

In some ways, Spartanburg resident Stephan Baity is like all the rest who partake in the annual fall ritual.

“Every year, we do pumpkin carving, and the kids just make a mess,” Baity said with a laugh. “They just want to have fun.”

Baity, however, is no ordinary pumpkin carver. He’s an award-winning chef and culinary sculptor who’s been featured on the Food Network and has accumulated numerous fans throughout the world.

The pumpkins he carves are visually-stunning masterpieces.

The 38-year-old Ohio native was part of the winning team for the Food Network’s “Cake Wars” Christmas edition in 2015 and, last year, competed on its “Halloween Wars” show, which gave him the opportunity to display his expert carving skills in front of millions of television viewers.

“The nice thing about carving pumpkins with the kids is that there’s no pressure of having to perform,” said Baity, who – along with his wife Lonette — has three children between the ages of three and seven and a fourth due to arrive in early October.

Baity is now in his second year as director of culinary operations for AVI Food Systems at Wofford College. Between that and all the

traveling he does in connection with his status as a celebrity chef, his work schedule can often be quite demanding.

That’s where fruit and vegetable carving comes in.

“It’s a stress relief for me, believe it or not,” Baity said. “A lot of times after working 14 hours or something like that, I’ll literally get a melon out or some kind of vegetable and I’ll sculpt a little bit.

“People go, ‘that relaxes you?’ It does. It just takes my mind off what the day was like, and I’m able to kind of transfer my energy.”

That mindset goes hand-in-hand with the most important tip Baity has to offer amateur pumpkin carvers.

“I think sometimes artists are so serious about the end result that they forget to have fun and enjoy the process,” Baity said. “Have fun. Let a piece fall off, punch a hole in it and still show it off anyway. It’s not about perfection. It’s about having a good time.”

Growing up in Canton, Ohio, Baity attended McKinley High School, which was separated from the Pro Football Hall of Fame only by the 23,000-seat stadium that for more than five decades has hosted the National Football League’s annual Hall of Fame Game.

Baity said he played football, wrestled and ran track as a youth — all of which contributed to his competitive nature — but he found his calling in the kitchen and was largely inspired by a high school home economics teacher.

LEFT: Wofford College chef Stephan Baity has been featured on “Halloween Wars” on the Food Network which gave him the opportunity to display his expert carving skills in front of millions of television viewers. [WOFFORD COLLEGE/MARK OLENCKI PHOTO] SPARTANBURG MAGAZINE | 37

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[WOFFORD COLLEGE/MARK OLENCKI PHOTO]

“I fell in love with food service, but I never thought in a million years that doing what I do would put me on a path to have such great ties to the Food Network,” said Baity, who initially wanted to become a lawyer.

Baity graduated from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in 1999 and worked in Grand Rapids, Mich., and later in his hometown before moving to Spartanburg last summer to work at Wofford.

In 2015 and 2016, he was named the American Culinary Federation’s Akron/ Canton chapter “Industry Chef of the Year.”

His expert carving skills are an offshoot of his work as a chef.

Another tip he has for amateurs looking to create a memorable jack-o’-lantern this Halloween season is to pick the shape of the pumpkin based on the emotion you’re trying to convey.

“If you want it to look sad, obviously you want something more oblong,” Baity said. “If you want something happy and cheerful, pick one that’s more rounded.

You kind of think about the end result that

you want, and you just take it from there.”

Layering, he said, is also important when it comes to carving pumpkins with vividly-detailed features.

“You don’t want something completely flat,” Baity explained. “It’s just like when you decorate a Christmas tree; you put some bulbs on the front and some in the back and some lighting here and some lighting there. It’s the same thing when you carve and sculpt.

“You want to have different shades and different colors and different variances so your eyes kind of jump around a lot when you look at it.”

Baity said in competition he typically uses only one knife during the process, which is a lesson imparted on him by one of his mentors: master culinary sculptor Dick Alford.

“I was carving with him once and I had all these different knives and tools,” Baity said. “And he goes, ‘Baby, what are you doing?’ I go, ‘I’m carving.’ And he says, ‘You ain’t carving, you’re making a mess.’

“I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’

and he says, ‘You just need one knife.

That one knife should be able to create every cut that you’ve got all these tools in your box for. And if you’re going to compete, you need to save time because every time you set that knife down and you pick up another, you’re wasting time.’”

Baity said he has absolutely no artistic skills and that his success at carving fruits and vegetables is mainly a result of lots of trial and error.

“The great thing about this form of art — carving and sculpting — is that it’s temporary,” he said. “It’s not one of those things that’s going to go into a museum and last forever, so when people recognize that, ‘Wow, he did this in an hour and it’s only going to last so long and I got this chance to encounter it,’ that is so cool. It’s a one-shot, one-time moment of creation and when people enjoy that, it’s like I’ve done my due diligence.

“When they get their phone out or a camera out and take a picture, that’s when you know you’ve done something good.”

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H ONO RIN G NINA SIMONE Childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina designated a National Treasure STORY BY SAMANTHA SWANN

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he National Trust for Historic Preservation declared the childhood home of Nina Simone in Tryon, N.C., a National Treasure on June 19, a designation granted to fewer than 100 places across the country that could open the site at 30 Livingston St. up to significant funding and protections.

“Designating her birth home, her childhood home, as a National Treasure, will ensure that people for years and decades to come to know who Nina Simone is,” said Adam Pendleton, one of four New York-based artists who purchased the home last year. “She is known historically

as the voice of the Civil Rights movement, and that’s so critical. If we think about what the Civil Rights movement is now and what it was, what an incredible thing to say.”

The home began to receive attention shortly after it was put on the market.

It had been unprotected, with purchasers having the option of demolishing it. But then Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Ellen Gallagher and Julie Mehretu bought the home in 2017.

The group has now partnered with the National Trust’s African American Heritage Action Fund to work toward finding a new use for the house and preserving it as a part of Simone’s legacy.

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In this June 27, 1985, file photo, Nina Simone performs at Avery Fisher Hall in New York. The dilapidated wooden cottage in North Carolina that was the birthplace of singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone now has the protection of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The trust said in a news release Tuesday, June 19, 2018, that it will develop and find a new use for the house in Tryon where Simone was born in 1933.

[AP PHOTO/ RENE PEREZ, FILE]

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist, Tryon, N.C. native Nina Simone was honored at her childhood home and birthplace on June 19. The home has been designated a ‘National Treasure’ and plans are being made to restore the home. // A piano inside Tryon native Nina Simone’s childhood home. // Lyric performs at a tribute concert for Nina Simone at Rogers Park in Tryon, N.C., on June 19. // A statue of Nina Simone can be found in downtown Tryon.

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Drea d’Nour performs at a tribute concert for Nina Simone at Rogers Park in Tryon, N.C., on June 19. [PHOTO BY TIM KIMZEY]

The future of this once-forgotten landmark is looking up. In the coming months, a preservation assessment to determine the physical needs of the house and a market and feasibility study will be conducted, according to Leggs, after which the group can begin making plans to open the house to the public.

“Nina Simone transcended the constraints placed on black female performers to become an American Civil Rights icon and legend,” said Brent Leggs, director of the African American Heritage Action Fund. “She used her unapologetic voice to highlight the racial and gender injustices in our society and use her creative expression to showcase her political, personal and creative freedom.”

The National Trust and the homeowners have partnered with several state and local organizations, including The Nina Simone Project, founded and directed by Crys Armbrust of Tryon.

“What we are doing today is part and parcel of a long, complex history of America,” Armbrust said.

The significance of both the designation and the day of the designation, June 19,

while coincidental, was not lost on those in attendance.

“Nina Simone famously declared, freedom is a feeling, freedom is no fear, and on this Juneteenth day, I can’t imagine a more relevant place, space, legacy, life, voice, soul,” said Michelle Lanier, director of N.C. State Historic Sites and outgoing executive director of the N.C. African American

Heritage Commission. “The resonant resolution that is Nina Simone continues to touch the worlds of the Academy, womanist studies, black heritage preservation, artist activism and so much more."

Musicians performed songs from Simone’s body of work at the house and in downtown, and members of the public were taken on tours of the small, three-room

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Kat Williams performs at a tribute concert for Nina Simone at Rogers Park in Tryon, N.C., on June 19. [PHOTO BY TIM KIMZEY]

house that was the birthplace of a legend.

Guests could look through the windows, stand on the porch, touch the piano in the main room, and imagine what Simone thought, felt and saw while growing up in the house. The event concluded with a free tribute concert at Tryon’s Rogers Park.

“Celebrating Nina Simone” drew guests from across the nation, from Atlanta to Chicago. Among them was Frances Waymon Fox, Nina Simone’s younger sister.

“It’s hard to put in words just how I feel about this,” Fox said, her voice filled with emotion. “It’s wonderful. Nina would love it. She would love this.”

The home is the second site in North Carolina to receive the National Treasure designation, the first being the Pauli Murray House.

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Fairytale Castle Woman helps design dreamy Scottish castle in the North Carolina mountains STORY AND PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA SWANN

Tucked away in the North Carolina mountains stands an empty castle.

While that may sound like the beginning of a fairytale, this castle does exist in the small town of Tuskasegee, N.C. However, when you make the long drive through the North Carolina mountains to Tuskasegee Valley and find your way to the heavy wooden entrance gate, you do feel like you’ve fallen into a magical realm, exactly as the owner-designer intended.

Castle Ladyhawke, a replica Scottish border castle in the mountains of Tuskasegee, North Carolina.

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Built in 2005, Castle Ladyhawke was the culmination of a longtime dream of owner Kim Nord. The castle was named in honor of the 1985 fantasy film of the same name starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick, one of Nord’s favorite films.

“I wanted to build something that resembled a castle that had reappeared in my dreams often while being a dreamy preteen,” Nord said. “When I first saw the property, I just knew it was the perfect spot for a castle!”

Originally, Nord, who had recently retired from a career in land development, intended to take a backseat role in the castle’s construction, only providing guidance. However, when none of the architects she met with could create designs that matched the image she’d held for so long, Nord instead decided to team up with a structural engineer and design the castle herself.

“I worked with a family friend to start Last Straw Enterprises, a general contracting firm which was formed primarily to build the castle, its gatehouse and some vacation cottages on an adjacent piece of property,” Nord explained. “So, it’s basically an owner designed and built property.”

One of the most important aspects for Nord of the castle’s construction was historical accuracy.

She visited Scotland, touring castles and manors of the Scottish Borders to get design inspiration and thoroughly research period design and construction techniques. The result was a 10,000-square-foot castle with 30-inch stone walls, three stories, multiple terraces and balconies and a large semi-circle deck with sweeping views of the Tuskasegee River Valley – and, of course, the tower no castle would be complete without.

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LEFT: The great hall, the first room visitors enter, with its high, beam-filled ceiling, huge stone fireplace, two salvaged stained-glass windows and double doors leading out onto a terrace with spectacular mountain views, is certainly impressive. RIGHT: Many of the pieces found inside Castle Ladyhawke were collected during Nord’s Scotland venture.

Within sight of the castle is the gatehouse, which first served as a temporary residence for Nord and her family before the interior of the castle was finished. Then, later, when the castle became an event venue, the gatehouse became the offices.

Nord said she moved into the castle as soon as possible — even before the exterior was finished. “The stonework took an additional two years to complete so we were awakened by the sound of mortar mixers each morning for almost two years!” Nord said.

Inside the castle, there are three large, low-ceilinged suites, painted in sedate creams, blues and greens, with luxurious marble-tiled ensuites. Chefs, whether avid amateurs or professionals, will likely love the kitchen, built to cater to a crowd and designed with some definite “Game of Thrones” vibes, featuring heavy wooden counters and islands with terracotta tile countertops, lots of iron accents and a stone fireplace. Some may appreciate the wine cellar with its copious amount of customdesigned storage, while others will prefer the billiard room with its classic tavern bar.

The great hall, the first room visitors enter, with its high, beam-filled ceiling, huge stone fireplace, two salvaged stainedglass windows and double doors leading out onto a terrace with spectacular mountain views, is certainly impressive. However, the centerpiece of the home is without a doubt the spiral staircase, guiding you up through

A huge stone fireplace in Castle Ladyhawke.

the cloud-filled sky mural to the top of the tower.

The rooms themselves are filled with interesting and, in many cases, one-ofa-kind items. Many of the pieces were collected during Nord’s Scotland venture, and dotted throughout the castle are tapestries, elaborately carved tables, chairs and chests and ornate rugs. A fourteenthcentury mantelpiece found a new home on the great room fireplace, and many of the

stained-glass windows that dot the walls and doors of the castle were salvaged from various churches. The castle also contains many custom pieces, such as the series of stained-glass windows that Dillsboro, N.C., artist Bobby Pace designed especially for the tower and the geode-like sinks in the master bathroom created by potter Garden Batten, also of Dillsboro. A few surprises were even built into the castle, including the rather spacious closet hidden behind a bookcase.

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When none of the architects Kim Nord met with could create designs that matched the image she’d held for so long, she instead decided to team up with a structural engineer and design the castle herself.

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The castle was named in honor of the 1985 fantasy film of the same name starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick.

Nord noted that many of the materials used to construct the castle were either salvaged or locally-sourced. “As much as possible all trim and cabinets were all fabricated on site from a tractor-trailer load of red oak boards,” Nord said. “The stone used was quarried within a couple of miles from the property, and the stone was shaped on site by our rock masons.”

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The 16 acres of land surrounding the castle is equally romantic, with a long, steep and curving path leading up to the castle at the top of the hill. The rolling, tree-filled landscape is accented with roses and hyacinth as well as numerous wildflowers — a pleasing view is not hard to find, but the sight of another home can be.

“There’s nothing else like this in Western North Carolina, the ambiance and the view are pretty spectacular and then blended in with it being a castle – it’s pretty epic,” said Damian Hall, whose firm, Damian Hall Group, is handling the sale of the property.

Nord is and was very fond of the castle and its grounds, but after a series of unfortunate events and several bitterly cold winters, she, her son and their horses relocated to Tryon in 2008. However, she wasn’t then ready to let go of her dream castle and, on the suggestion of some friends, decided to open the castle up as a wedding venue that same year. As you might expect, the castle attracted many couples, including a few who shared Nord’s love of fantasy.

“We had a rock climbing groom rappel down the tower before beginning the ceremony to the music of © Mission Impossible© and hosted a Harry Potter themed wedding that had the rings delivered to the groom by owl!” Nord recalled.

The castle is currently for sale with the Damian Hall Group for $3.5 million. Both Hall and Nord noted that the castle is equally suited to being a venue and a home, or perhaps even both at once.

“My favorite thing about the castle is how welcoming it feels each time you enter,” Nord said. “All guests remark on it, and how peaceful and serene it feels. Even during large events, you can still feel serenity.”

Owner Kim Nord strived for historical accuracy with Castle Ladyhawke. She visited Scotland, touring castles and manors of the Scottish borders to get design inspiration.

On the terrace of Castle Ladyhawke, a replica Scottish border castle in the mountains of Tuskasegee, North Carolina, offers a spectacular mountain view.

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ART HORSE

THE THE

OF

Theme 'One World, One Vision' in celebration of World Equestrian Games STORY BY CHRIS LAVENDER | PHOTOS BY ALEX HICKS JR.

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hirty-two fiberglass horses painted by regional artists are available for viewing during Our Carolina Foothills’ “The Art of The Horse” project’s second season.

This year’s theme is “One World, One Vision.” According to project director, Mindy Wiener, the horses displayed in Landrum, Tryon, Columbus, and Spartanburg are in celebration of the World Equestrian Games to be held this September at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.

“It really is moving tourism through the area, which is great,” said Wiener of the horses that visitors enjoy seeing. “There was one group who did all the horses in one day. It’s taking people to new places they haven’t seen before and into offbeat places.”

The fiberglass horses that were ready to

be painted were delivered to selected artists in 2017. A launch party for the exhibit was held earlier this year at Caitlyn Farms in Polk County, N.C., to celebrate the artists and their designs.

Vicki Van Vynckt, who has painted with oils for the past 35 years and enjoys painting everything from realism to abstracts, painted two of the fiberglass horses for this season.

Her horses are called “One Beautiful Earth” and “Constellation: The Stars Shine for Everyone,” both of which were installed at locations in Landrum.

Wiener said artists within a 50-mile radius of the foothills were selected to participate in the project, with more artists being selected this season than last from Spartanburg.

Barbour Bordogna, a retired Spartanburg art teacher, has participated in the project for

ABOVE: The 2018 public art project the Art of the Horse Adoption Party was held at Caitlyn Farms in Mill Springs, N.C. on March 24. The artists who created the horse themed artwork were on hand at the event to talk about their work. Morgan Eldridge, left, with Marietta Castellano, and Jennifer Hoover all Title Sponsors of the Art of the Horse unveil the horse One World One Vision at the event.

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Guests take time to sign the horse at the Art of The Horse Adoption Party at Caitlyn Farms on March 24.

Title of Horse: Horses I First Loved Where: FENCE (Foothills Equestrian Nature Center), 3381 Hunting Country Road, Tryon, N.C. Artist: Barbour Bordgona Donated to: FENCE

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Title of Horse: Wild Horses Where: Stone Soup Market & Cafe, 1522 E Rutherford St, Landrum Artist: Barbour Bordgona Sponsor: Stone Soup Market & Cafe

Title of Horse: The Legend Makers Where: Old Bank of America 95 Pacolet St., Tryon, N.C. Artist: Marie Christine Maitre de Tarragon Sponsor: China Farm

Title of Horse: Constellation- The Stars Shine For Everyone Where: Landrum Farmer’s Market, 211 N Trade Ave, Landrum Artist: Vicki Van Vynckt Sponsor: Anonymous

Title of Horse: Well Read Horse Where: ICC, Polk Hwy 108 1255 W Mills St., Columbus, N.C. Artist: Kim Attwooll Donated to: Isothermal Community College

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both seasons. Her horses this season, during which she spent 100 hours painting, are named “Wild Horses” and “Horses I First Loved.”

“It’s been fun to do it in the neighborhood,” Bordogna said during the launch party about the process of painting the horses. “Kids drop by and see it. It’s been fun experiencing the wonder that they feel looking at the horses.”

Our Carolina Foothills secured sponsors for each horse and matched sponsors with the artists for the second season. Other fiberglass horses from the first project in 2016 remain on display in North and South Carolina.

“The Art of The Horse” is being used this year as a teaching tool by Polk County schools, Wiener said. As part of the process, elementary school students from the school district plan to visit the fiberglass horses. “They are able to learn so much about the communities on so many levels,” Wiener said of the experience. “They also learn new things about equestrian life and art.”

More than 3,000 maps were printed showing the locations of all 32 of the fiberglass horses, and another 3,000 maps are expected to be printed ahead of the World Equestrian Games. Our Carolina Foothills’ website also features an online interactive map showing the fiberglass horses’ locations.

The horses are scheduled to be auctioned off during a live event from 3 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 21 at The Cliffs at Glassy in Landrum.

Title of Horse: Thoughts of Home Where: St Luke’s Plaza, 62 N. Trade St., Tryon, N.C. Artist: Barbour Bordgona Owner: Missildine’s

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Jamie Woodruff, left, and Lanie Whitaker, right, hold one of their Burg T-shirts.

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STORY BY BOB MONTGOMERY PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY

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or Lanie Whitaker and Jamie Woodruff, first impressions are important. Creating first impressions is also important to the success of their clients.

Two years after Whitaker founded Arrowhead Design Company, the two are enjoying their partnership at a new location, 379 E. Kennedy St., next to the Nu-Way Restaurant. They seized upon the opportunity to open the downtown location because they saw a need for an affordable web design and print shop business with guaranteed personal services.

“With the growth in Spartanburg right now, we want to be a part of that,” said Whitaker, a 26-year-old Spartanburg native who acquired real-life skills at a software company in New Jersey after earning a graphic design degree from USC Upstate. “I see Spartanburg growing into something totally different, with its own identity and destination,” Whitaker added.

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Kathryn Harvey, a consultant with Neue South, left, Jamie Woodruff, center, and Lanie Whitaker, right, with Arrowhead Design Company, look at their latops while at the new location for Arrowhead Design Company.

After New Jersey, Whitaker worked for a publication on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where she decided that she’d acquired all the skills she needed to start her own business. “I wanted to do something for myself, and what better way than to do it where I grew up,” she said.

She met some friends who had their own businesses in Spartanburg – Fabian Mata with Nacho Taco, and Debra and Meagan Patrick with Palmetto Twist in Boiling Springs, a specialty boutique. Then on July 11, 2016, she opened Arrowhead Design from her home.

“Me and my dad used to hunt for arrowheads all the time,” Whitaker said of her initial vision for naming the business. “For other marketing reasons, we just thought (Arrowhead) would fit this area – younger and hipper.”

At the time, she was focusing on website design and creating logos and branding for local businesses. Then she met Woodruff through Palmetto Twist. “Jamie helped me open the screen printing side,” Whitaker said.

Woodruff, a 25-year-old native of Woodruff, attended Clemson University where she

majored in secondary education. At Palmetto Twist, she was doing a log of the design work each day and saw that much of the screen printing work was being outsourced. She was sure there was a market for this type of work.

That led her to team up with Whitaker and move the business into a space in Lyman.

One of their first screen printing successes was the Spartanburger T-shirt, which has been a big seller at several downtown locations. “We made that our screen-printing brand,” Whitaker said. “We still print it. We (tailor) it for many towns.” Their shirts are now sold from Hub City Bookshop, Little River Coffee Bar, The Local Hiker, Two Doors Down and Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery.

With business continuing to grow, Whitaker said she searched for a new location in downtown Spartanburg. “We were looking for a big, wide-open space,” Whitaker said of the Kennedy Street location. They also wanted other businesses to partner with them. Now Kathryn Harvey works with Arrowhead Design doing marketing and consulting work. Another partner is 3D Open Door, which produces video shoots and 3-D virtual tours.

Currently, they are working on a couple of

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“With the growth in

Spartanburg right now, we want to be a part of that. I see Spartanburg growing into something totally different, with its own identity and destination.”

Lanie Whitaker Arrowhead Design Company

Lanie Whitaker, left, and Jamie Woodruff, right, at their new location for Arrowhead Design Company, next to the Nu-Way restaurant on Kennedy Street. The young entrepreneurs’ products, including their Spartanburg T-shirts, are popular items.

Popular T-shirts at Arrowhead Design Company include the Spartanburger T-shirt which has been a big seller at several downtown locations.

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TOP: Popular T-shirts at Arrowhead Design Company include the Spartanburger T-shirt, which has been a big seller at several downtown locations.

ABOVE: The new location for Arrowhead Design Company, next to Nu-Way restaurant on Kennedy Street.

large design projects for apartment complexes as well as with Greenville’s Stone Pin Company, the company that is bringing a bowling alley, restaurant and event center to Morgan Square. Recently finished branding projects include the Spartanburg Science Center and Brown’s Meat Market.

“We hear all the time from people that we have a different vibe than other agencies – we’re small and a better personal experience than a corporate company,” Whitaker said. “We want to stay true to being small and personal. We don’t want to grow into a non-personal experience.”

Woodruff said that although she is not doing what she went to college for, she loves what she does and looks forward to growing Arrowhead Design with Whitaker – “but not getting so big that personal service gets lost."

“It’s very fun to meet with different people and help them come up with what they visualize for their business,” Woodruff said. “It© s really fun to see their reactions when they get their business cards or T-shirts.

I think moving to downtown Spartanburg was a really great move,” Woodruff added. “Hopefully it generates some new business.”

“Let us design your first impression,” the Arrowhead website states. Creating that first impression is the key to the company’s success.

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THAT CAROLINA SOUND

David Ball pays homage to his Uncle Walt’s Band roots with eclectic side project

David Ball and That Carolina Sound was the featured band at the FR8Yard in downtown Spartanburg on July 13.

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STORY BY DAN ARMONAITIS PHOTOS BY ALEX HICKS JR.

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T H O S E D AYS (WITH UNCLE WA LT ’ S B A N D) R E A L LY INFLUENCED ME A N D T H E WAY I P L AY M U S I C A N D T H E WAY I W R I T E MUSIC, SO THIS HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN. DAVID BALL

o the masses, David Ball is a neo-traditionalist country music star best known for the 1990s and early 2000s hits “Thinkin’ Problem,” “When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me” and “Riding with Private Malone.”

But to a segment of music lovers concentrated mainly in Austin, Texas, and Spartanburg, Ball is perhaps revered even more for his work with Uncle Walt’s Band, a pre-Americana acoustic outfit that had limited commercial success in the 1970s and ‘80s but left an indelible legacy that seems to be growing bigger every day.

Uncle Walt’s Band, which originated in Spartanburg before eventually relocating to Austin, was a favorite of many acclaimed Texas-based roots musicians.

Grammy Award-winning singersongwriter Lyle Lovett is perhaps one of the group’s biggest disciples, and he once referred to the harmony-driven music of Uncle Walt’s Band as “that Carolina sound.”

Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood, Ball’s bandmates in Uncle Walt’s Band, died in 1996 and 2001, respectively, but the music the trio made together continues to thrive not only through vintage recordings but also through a contemporary side project headed by the group’s sole survivor.

David Ball and That Carolina Sound, which also features Hood’s son Warren on fiddle and Hood’s nephew Marshall on guitar, performed at The FR8yard, 125 E. Main St., Spartanburg in July. The group was rounded out by upright bassist Nigel Frye and Ball’s longtime percussionist Scott Metko.

“It’s a chance at going back and revisiting all the great Uncle Walt’s Band material that I don’t really get to play in my country shows,” Ball said of That Carolina Sound. “Those days (with Uncle Walt’s Band) really influenced me and the way I play music and the way I write music, so this has been a lot of fun.”

Ball has done a handful of That Carolina Sound shows in Texas, but the two-night stand at The FR8yard was the first time he has performed in that format in Spartanburg. The band also played a preview performance at the Spartanburg County Headquarters.

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trimmings,” said Ball, who now lives outside Nashville, Tenn.

Interest in the music of Uncle Walt’s Band is perhaps at an alltime peak nationally.

Omnivore Recordings, which specializes in archival releases, recently put out “Uncle Walt’s Band Anthology: Those Boys from Carolina Sure Enough Could Sing,” a critically-acclaimed compilation of 21 studio and live recordings by the band. Two songs from the collection — “Seat of Logic” and “Getaway” — were played recently on separate fifth-season episodes of the HBO television comedy series, “Silicon Valley.”

The music of Uncle Walt’s Band is a fully original blend of traditional country, bluegrass, folk and blues that also features elements of Beatles-esque pop, ragtime jazz and more.

“We were record hounds,” said Ball, who played upright bass in Uncle Walt’s Band. “We were listening to all kinds of stuff. I was chasing down anything that had upright bass; it didn’t matter the genre.

“We had the Peter, Paul and Mary setup — you know, two guitars, upright bass and lots of singing — but we didn’t do any Peter, Paul and Mary music. We developed into more of a roadhouse kind of thing.”

If the term would have existed in its heyday, Uncle Walt’s Band would have been classified as Americana. Instead, the group was a genre-defying entity that was beloved by other musicians but not easily marketable for record companies at the time.

“There’s no other music like theirs,” said Marshall Hood, who was born in Spartanburg and now lives in Austin. “I feel like they were just as innovative musically as The Beatles were.”

As a teenager, Marshall Hood became obsessed with the music of Uncle Walt’s Band. The repertoire of the DesChamps Band and the Belleville Outfit, both of which featured him on guitar, included several of Uncle Walt’s Band songs.

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David Ball and That Carolina Sound was the featured band at the FR8Yard in downtown Spartanburg.

the most recent That Carolina Sound performance took place in June at the famed Kerrville (Texas) Folk Festival.

“Warren reminds me of both Walter and Champ,” Ball said.

“Isn’t that something? He really does. And he’s a real pro-grade fiddler who can hang with all the greats, Johnny Gimble being one of my favorites.

“And, of course, Marshall is the

perfect complement. He gets a great sound out of that guitar.”

As much fun as Ball is having with That Carolina Sound, it represents only part of his musical pursuits. In September, he will release a new solo country album, “Come See Me Soon,” for which he wrote (or, in one instance, cowrote with Metko) all of the songs while also producing, mixing and mastering it himself.

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Mac Arnold became a skilled bass guitar player when he was in his teens. He even spent some time in a band called J. Floyd & The Shamrocks playing alongside a young pianist named James Brown.

PLATE FULL O’ BLUES Mac Arnold has performed with Muddy Waters, BB King, Buddy Guy

B

STORY BY VINCENT HARRIS + PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY

luesman Mac Arnold casts a huge shadow over the Upstate’s music scene, and it’s not just because the lanky, cowboy-hatwearing singer, guitarist, and bandleader is well over six feet tall.

Since forming his rockin’ blues ensemble Plate Full O’ Blues in the mid2000s (they played their first official gig on Christmas Eve in 2005), Arnold has been a constant presence both locally and nationally, playing shows all around the world, creating a music festival (the multi-band Cornbread & Collard Greens Festival, which just celebrated its 13th anniversary) and, for a time, running his own soul food-and-blues music venue in

downtown Greenville.

In fact, Arnold has become such a familiar fixture around these parts that it’s difficult to believe that he actually meant to retire when he moved back to the Upstate from Los Angeles in 1990.

Mac Arnold was born and raised in Ware Place, South Carolina, where he watched his brother Leroy build a homemade guitar out of a broomstick, some nails, screen wire for the strings and, for the body, a gas can. Arnold’s father wouldn’t buy Leroy a guitar, so he just made one, and to this day, the 76-yearold Mac doesn’t play a show without one of those surprisingly resonant (and resilient) gas can guitars — only now he owns a couple dozen of them.

The music bug bit Arnold hard as a child, and as he reached his teens he became skilled as a bass guitar player. He even spent some time in a band called J. Floyd & The Shamrocks playing alongside a young pianist named James Brown.

But for a burgeoning blues and R&B player coming of age in the 1960s, Chicago was the place to be, so Arnold moved there in 1965, where, as he puts it with some modesty, he “played with multiple people.”

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Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues band members Max Hightower (harp), center, and Austin Brashier (guitar), right, performed at USC-Upstate in Spartanburg on Feb. 1 as part of a Black History Month Concert.

blues and soul musicians.

“A lot of those artists came to town because of a (radio) station in Chicago called WVON radio,” Arnold says, “and Don Cornelius was a DJ, the musical director there, and thanks to Don I ended up working on ‘Soul Train’ from 1971 to 1975.”

That’s right. For four years, South Carolina’s own Mac Arnold was in the house band on one of the most popular dance shows in America, not to mention becoming an associate producer and editor as well. He spent much of the next two decades working for everyone from ABC to 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles (where he moved along with Cornelius to work on “Soul Train”). You can even hear him playing bass guitar on the theme from the hit NBC sitcom “Sanford & Son.” Arnold decided to move back to South Carolina in 1990, both to “retire” and for another, more personal, reason. “I decided to come home because my mom was in bad health,” he says. “We were fortunate enough to have her with us for four years after we moved back. After she

passed away, retirement was the plan for me.”

“That played out real nice,” he adds with a laugh.

At the time, a young blues fanatic, harmonica player and keyboardist named Max Hightower came into the picture, and to hear Arnold tell it, that young man simply wouldn’t leave him alone until he got his gas can guitar back out.

“I met Max Hightower and he chased me around for 10 years trying to get me to play!” Arnold says, letting that big infectious laugh ring out one more time. “We finally formed Plate Full O’ Blues in 2005 (the group’s nucleus is Arnold, Hightower and a stunningly talented lead guitarist named Austin Brashier), and we’ve played all over the United States. We’ve been to Europe about a dozen times, too.”

Like many great bluesmen before him (Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf in particular), Arnold received a rapturous response in Europe, to the extent that they actually haven’t been back in a couple of years because it became overwhelming.

“It started getting so crazy over there

that my wife didn’t want me going anymore!” Arnold says. “We started going over like rock stars. She doesn’t want me to go back until things cool down a little bit over there. They just really love American blues. It’s amazing. They learn about me and know about me as much as I do myself!”

Arnold’s crowds back home are just about as devoted. He and Plate Full O’Blues remain one of the most reliable concert draws in the Upstate, whether it’s at Fall for Greenville, the Spartanburg Spring Fling festival or a club show.

And why? Arnold says it’s simply because he, Hightower, Brashier and the rest of the band have a chemistry and versatility that few other groups can match.

“We play real blues,” he says. “But we also play loose blues with an R&B twist.

Max and Austin have brought a lot of flavor to the group. Something just happens when the three of us get together onstage. It mesmerizes people. It seems like we’re playing something they’ve never heard before. It’s flavorful, you know?”

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Mac Arnold moved to Chicago in the 1960s and performed with Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and more.

SOMETHING JUST HAPPENS WHEN THE THREE OF US GET T O G E T H E R O N S TAG E . I T MESMERIZES PEOPLE. IT SEEMS LIKE WE’RE P L AY I N G S O M E T H I N G THEY’VE NEVER HEARD B E F O R E . I T ’ S F L AVO R F U L , YOU KNOW?

MAC ARNOLD BLUES ARTIST

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‘CHAOS BEAUTY’ into

M.A.D.D.D. Artist creates stories through abstract works of art

R

STORY BY SAMANTHA SWANN PHOTOS BY JOHN BYRUM

oderice Cardell uses his hands to swirl a rainbow of colors on a large canvas in his studio. Music plays in the background and it seems the beats guide his hands to create his latest masterpiece.

For Cardell, painting becomes a show. He gives a performance while telling a story through his abstract works of art. He uses everything from acrylics to pastels in his work. He sees beauty in colors and that is what he hopes people see in his art.

“I want art to be beautiful, bright colors. Like, life can be so dull at times, so I just feel like why not be vibrant? Why not pop on a wall,” Cardell, a Spartanburg-based actor, musician, and painter, said in a light-filled studio space of the West Main Artist Co-op while peeling dried paint off his hands after a demo performance.

The ‘MADDD Artist” Roderice Cardell paints to the beat of a playlist featuring Drake, Kanye West and the soundtrack from “Dreamgirls.”

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Cardell says he wants his art to be “beautiful, bright colors.”

Behind him, three brightly colored paintings sat on easels in front of a paint-splattered drop cloth hanging on the back wall — two completed, one just started. This work in progress had been created in a frenzy of music-led passion over the course of half an hour. The artist had eschewed brushes and squeezed paints directly onto the canvas from their tubes. He created

drizzling and squirting patterns, and then had pushed, pulled, and smeared the paint with his hands into a swirling, galactic scene of greens, blues, oranges, yellows, and pinks. While he worked, the artist painted to the beat of a playlist featuring Drake, Kanye West, and the soundtrack from “Dreamgirls.”

Moments later, Cardell removed his motorcycle helmet, turned off the music, and lamented the gold paint that had made its way onto the carpet during the performance.

This dichotomy of passionate performance and relaxed personality isn’t the only apparent contradiction when it comes to Cardell or, as many know him, The M.A.D.D.D. Artist. He takes his creativity as a whole and allows each aspect — theater, music, and art — to inform the others. To work through his struggles with dyslexia, anxiety, and depression, he creates vibrant works of art. His motto — "chaos into beauty."

“Art’s everything, it’s in everything we do,” Cardell said, explaining that he’d created the acronym, which stands for Making Art Diverse, Daring, and Distinguished, as a way to encompass his artistic life. “That goes in my acting, my music, that goes into the paintings — that’s what the three Ds are, I’m a triple threat talent that’s been trying to succeed in doing just art to take care of myself.”

Cardell said he began painting about three years ago, with a background in the performing arts from Winthrop University where he graduated in 2010. He’s inspired by Michel Basquiat, Ryan King, and Picasso.

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The ‘MADDD Artist” Roderice Cardell squeezes paints directly onto the canvas from their tubes and then smears the paint with his hands into a dazzling scene of greens, blues, oranges, yellows and pinks. He is inspired by Michael Basquiat, Ryan King and Picasso. He paints to the beat of a playlist featuring Drake, Kanye West and the soundtrack from “Dreamgirls.”

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“You could call it self-reflection, I really don’t have a term for it,” Cardell said of his artistic style. “I think my style comes from just going through the things that I’ve gone through as an individual and just seeing that come to life on a canvas. It’s my subconscious that I’m connecting to so it allows me to be able to get these thoughts out of my head and put them on a canvas.”

Art, for Cardell, is a means of spreading hope and awareness. He explained that he wears a motorcycle helmet during performances, not only as a method of distinction, but to raise awareness of motorcycle road safety. That is something he is intimately familiar with after his own brush with death during a motorcycle accident in 2015. The heart drawn on the back of the helmet, he said, is a reminder to spread love.

Cardell also speaks to children, hoping to inspire them — particularly those with dyslexia, anxiety, or depression — to follow their own dreams.

“I take the most chaotic things in my life and make beautiful things out of them,” he said. “That’s pretty much what life is, and I just continue to paint from that. ...My place of creation is always about transparency.

That’s the only way to be in life is to be transparent with people. People always remember how you treated them — the last time they see you, they remember that, so I try to leave people with an everlasting feeling that there’s hope and there’s power within art to change the world, to change people’s mindset, to create peace.”

Cardell often performs at festivals, including recent performances at Spring Fling and the recent Ag + Art Tour. He said his membership with West Main Artists Co-op started when the group reached out to him about doing a gallery show.

“Someone, a part of the co-op, ended up reaching out to me asking if I would be interested in a gallery show here, and I was like ‘yeah — I also need a studio, so, how can we make this happen?’ ” Cardell said. “Because I was actually painting outside for a while because I didn’t have studio space, and I was running out of room.”

Recently, Cardell created new pieces and reviewed old ones for the gallery show, “The Sound of Color,” which was on view at the co-op through Aug. 11.

He reflected on some of the changes his art has undergone, even in the short time he has been creating.

“A lot of my pieces are getting extremely large, and I have nowhere to put them,” he said. “I’ve taken over the common area because I just don’t have enough space.”

The ever-expanding size of his works, as well as the prolific number of works he’s producing, led him to try out new surfaces. He said he now chooses wood over canvas — it’s cheaper and easier to safely transport.

Cardell performed a concert during his artist reception, playing some of his original music, which is a blend of hiphop, R&B, and rock. The concert was followed by one of Cardell’s art performances.

“I just kind of want people to see the whole process of everything,” Cardell explained.

Brightly-colored paintings fill the space where Roderice Cardell works at the West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg.

Cardell paints while wearing a motorcycle helmet.

Cardell spoke excitedly about the show — his first gallery show, he noted. For Cardell, a regular late-nighter at the co-op who referred to himself as the “person who’s always here,” this show was the culmination of the many hours he spent honing skills and developing as an artist.

“Everybody’s like ‘Rod, why don’t you go home?’ And I’m like, this is home,” Cardell said. “I stay here. There’s no other place I’d rather be than creating, and this allows me to come in here and record my music and then I go over there and create, so it’s where I need to be."

Sitting in the studio surrounded by the fruition of his creative efforts, with paint all over his hands, clothes, and indeed the room itself, Cardell’s passion for his work was obvious. Despite the myriad struggles he faces as a working artist, there’s nothing he would rather do.

“I have a lot of friends who graduated, and they feel stuck sometimes. They have their 9 to 5, and they live through me," he said. "That’s one thing I love — they push and give me that energy because they can’t go do it themselves; they’ve got families, and me — this is my family,” he said, looking toward his paintings."

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BOONE NORTH CAROLINA

Outdoor activities, shopping, delicious food make for a perfect day trip STORY BY JASON GILMER PHOTOS COURTESY OF EXPLOREBOONE.COM

Editor’s note: Former Herald-Journal sports writer Jason Gilmer left the newspaper in 2009 and lived in Boone, N.C., for five years. Because of his time living there, it’s easy for him to give an insider’s look at what to do in the town.

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he population of Boone, the jewel of North Carolina’s High Country, almost doubles during the school year as students converge on Appalachian State University for higher learning.

Add in leaf lookers that turn the Blue Ridge Parkway into a slow-moving parking lot in the fall and the busloads of church youth groups that hit the ski slopes in the winter and it’s almost impossible to not find a perfect time to visit the town.

Boone has a wide range of activities and eateries that would make for a perfect day and, honestly, the drive up Highway 221 from Spartanburg through Chesnee, Rutherfordton and Marion can be done in less than two-and-a-half hours and the mountain views are enjoyable.

When you get to Boone, there are several must-do activities, but options are always good, right? Outdoor activities are what most of the locals enjoy the most about Boone.

The weather is close to perfect in the summertime and the temperature hardly ever hits 90 degrees. There are still plenty of homes in town that don’t have air conditioning and people rely on the mountain breezes to cool their rooms.

Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is located between Boone and nearby Blowing Rock, there are plenty of walking and hiking trails. One must-see spot is Rough Ridge (milepost 302.8), where a short hike of less than one-third of a mile gives the hiker an amazing view of Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct.

If you’re a mountain biker there are several options for entertainment. The first is Rocky Knob Park (www.rockyknob.wordpress.com, where there are eight miles of trails,

Wooden bridges are just some of the natural features at Rocky Knob Park mountain bike park. KRISTIAN JACKSON PHOTO

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Entrance to Grandfather Mountain’s “Mile High” Swinging Bridge. WATAUGA TDA PHOTO

TOP RIGHT: Lost Province Brewing Co. SAM DEAN PHOTO BOTTOM RIGHT:

Seeing the black bears emerge from their dens after a long winter’s sleep is among the benefits of visiting Grandfather Mountain in April.

SKIP SICKLER/GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN STEWARDSHIP FOUNDATION

including the 1.6-mile Rocky Branch Trail and a pump track that is perfect for kids to get started in the sport. If that sounds too much like work, check out the ski slopes on Beech Mountain (www.beechmountainresort.com). During the warm months, there are weekends when the ski lifts carry bikers and their bikes up the mountain to ride trails back to the bottom. Some are smart enough to stop at the new bar on the mountain’s top which is called 5506’ Skybar and is named for the elevation.

The Watauga River runs through the county and is a perfect starting place for fly fishing. Check out the Watauga River Fly Shop (www.wrflyshop.com, where firefighter-turned-owner Jeff Dean has a stocked shop for all of your needs. His best option, though, is to book one of his guides for a walking trip in the Watauga that can be heard from his parking lot. Hot days may slow down a brown trout’s activity, but a bad day of fishing is better than a good day in any office.

With so many activities available (really, there’s too much to do in a day), you’ll also need to fill up on great food. The first stop has to be the Local Lion (www.local-lion.com), where you can grab a homemade doughnut - preferably one with chocolate - and a fresh cup of coffee from beans that are roasted daily in the eatery. This up-and-coming 80 | SPARTANBURG MAGAZINE

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A view of King Street in downtown Boone with a beautiful Carolina blue sky in the background. WATAUGA TDA PHOTO

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establishment was opened in 2012 by the husband-wife team of Josiah and Meredith Davis, who learned the art of doughnut making from the award-winning bakers at Smoky Mountain Bakery in Roan Mountain, Tenn.

For lunch, there’s no place better than Coyote Kitchen (www.coyotekitchen.com) where the bowls, boats, and burritos are as funky as the local art on the walls. Don’t forgo the salsa and chips either. Of note is the cranberry chipotle salsa that mixes sweetness with a kick that is unforgettable.

College towns should be known for great places to get pizza and a beer and that’s the case in Boone. It’s only been recent that Lost Province Brewing Co. (www. lostprovince.com) opened downtown in a building that once housed a local newspaper. Instead of meetings about deadlines, the building now houses meetings with beer lines because that’s how good former homebrewer Andy Mason’s brews are. Mason helped open the restaurant four years ago and has served great brews since, along with eclectic pizza options.

If you’re interested in simply spending the day in downtown Boone, there are several other great restaurants to try out. Have a sandwich at Our Daily Bread (www.odbourdailybread.com), try the collard greens

at Proper (www.propermeal.com) or sample the garlic hot knots at Cafe Portofino (www.cafeportofino.net).

Downtown Boone is also a haven for tiny shops, so if you’re looking for boutique-style clothing options, local artwork or some used vinyl records, it’s there on King Street or a short walk away.

If you drive up on a Friday, make sure to head over to the Jones House Cultural and Community Center (www.joneshouse.org,) and carry a lawn chair because there are outdoor concerts at 5 p.m. each Friday throughout the summer. After you listen to some great music, walk down the street and sit down beside the Doc Watson statue on the corner and pay a bit of respect to one of the greatest mountain musicians, born and raised in nearby Deep Gap. Another great thing about Boone is its closeness to the small village of Blowing Rock, just a short drive away. This village, which was the inspiration for the idyllic town of Mitford in Jan Karon’s classic series, oozes coziness. Small shops, high-end restaurants, and a mountain feel make it a must-visit place.

For more information about Boone, North Carolina go to the website www.exploreboone.com

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The public was invited to help make handmade pottery bowls.

HUB CITY

EMPTY BOWLS PHOTOS BY ALEX HICKS JR.

T Melissa Storm works on her bowl at the event.

No experience was needed to take part in the Hub City Empty Bowls event at the Chapman Cultural Center on Saturday, July 14.

he last of three bowl-making events for Hub City Empty Bowls’ 2018 fundraising campaign took place July 14 at the Spartanburg Art Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center. The money raised by the pottery bowls will be donated by Carolina Clay Artists to TOTAL Ministries to help feed local citizens who are “food insecure."

This being Hub City Empty Bowls’s 10-year anniversary, a new event has been added to the campaign. A ticketed gala will be held on Friday, Sept. 28, starting at 5:30 p.m., at Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg, giving patrons the opportunity to get first dibs on the bowl selection; enjoy beer, wine, and finger foods; and bid on items in a silent auction. Tickets are $50 each and include one pottery bowl of the buyer’s choice.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting Traci Kennedy at 585-9167 or Director@TotalMinistries.org.

Soup Day will be 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29 at Indigo Hall. For detailed information, visit HubCityEmptyBowls.com.

Henry Strickland, 7, and his mother, Genevieve Strickland, of Spartanburg, work on their bowls.

Dua Azmi, 10, mom Shagufta Azmi, and M. Azmi, 10, of Greer, work on their bowls at the event.

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A flat piece of clay, a rolling pin, a bowl, design tools and a pair of hands is all it takes to create a unique soup bowl.

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SCENE

Spartanburg celebrates community with fundraisers and social events

Best of the Best Spartanburg ALEX HICKS JR. AND JOHN BYRUM PHOTOS Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright was named Person of the Year for the second year in a row on May 17 at the 2018 Best of the Best Spartanburg event held at the Spartanburg Marriott. More than 215,000 votes were cast this year in the Herald-Journal’s Best of the Best Spartanburg, which recognized more than 100 businesses in several categories.

Wright, Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Hope Blackley and Mobile Meals President Jayne McQueen were nominated for Person of The Year, the program’s highest honor. An estimated 640 people attended the event. Among the night’s winners: Wade’s Restaurant took home several honors, including Best Dining. Best Barbecue went to Bubba’s BBQ & Bash.

And Cribb’s Kitchen took home the award for Best Business Lunch.

Olive and Then Some.

Herald-Journal Publisher Kevin Drake, left, with Sheriff Chuck Wright.

Laura’s Boutique.

Anna Defenbaugh of Edward Jones.

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Whatta Wash Car Wash.

Freeman Gas Co.

Wesley Court Assisted Living Community in Boiling Springs.

Mattress Max Furniture.

Backstage Dance Connection in Boiling Springs.

Joan Heintz State Farm

River Falls Pediatric Dentistry in Duncan.

Christy Henderson, News Channel 7.

Grier Roofing.

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SCENE

Women Giving for Spartanburg PHOTOS BY ALEX HICKS JR. Women Giving For Spartanburg, part of the Spartanburg County Foundation, hosted a luncheon and recognized the awarding of grants on May 7 at the Piedmont Club.

Marley Olejnik, Mark Knight, and Lisa Lane.

Women Giving For Spartanburg, part of the Spartanburg County Foundation, hosted a luncheon and recognized the awarding of grants on May 7 at the Piedmont Club.

Nita Lawrence and Erin Couchell.

Elizabeth Goddard and Susan W. Floyd.

Amy Raffo and Kirsten Miller.

Randi Berry, Marsha Moore, and Jackie Hodge.

Patt Rocks, Lamont Sullivan and Allison Caulk.

Marley Olejnik and Ali Beeson.

Debbie Belue, Eileen Byers, and Patt Rocks.

Barbara Manoski, Francie Little, and Tammy Hoy Hawkins.

Mary Helen Smith, Jane Bagwell, and Brenda Story.

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SCENE

Twisted Trivia PHOTOS BY WENDY SHOCKLEY MCCARTY The Notorious Patti O'Furniture hosted “Twisted Trivia” inside the Spartanburg Marriott on April 20. Prizes for trivia winners, best costume, best table decorations and best team name were awarded. Proceeds benefit the HIV prevention programs of Piedmont Care.

Joyce Heitler, Louise Fagan, Victoria Darwin and Tomeka Pierce.

The Notorious Patti O’Furniture hosted “Twisted Trivia” inside The Spartanburg Marriott. Prizes for trivia winners, best costume, best table decorations and best team name were awarded. Proceeds benefit the HIV prevention programs of Piedmont Care.

Kelly Duffy, Vicki Koutsogiannis, Lee Snell and Emily Jones.

Will Case, Ben Sloop, Daniel Lock, Derrick Lawson and Chuck Horton.

Tracey Jackson.

Tony Regan, Ann E. Homer, Rich Blea, Brian Duncan, Kym Williams, Dayton Cash, Tracy Regan and Jody Luedeman.

Brandi Dice, Kristi Ward, Linda Capracotta, Maria Garcia, Kevin O’Brian and Emily Larkins.

Jessica Lollis, Susan Burgess, Richard Burgess, Leslie Barrett Hardy, Taylor More, and Dinie Koller.

Brooke Weston, Leslie Lehman, Lindsay Webster, Erica Brown, Deebee Sanchez and Kim Rosten.

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Supper on the Shoals PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY A crowd enjoys the 5th annual Supper on the Shoals, a fundraiser event for the Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE), held at the Drayton Mills Marketplace on April 26. The coursed farm-to-table dinner, presented by Pacolet Milliken and sponsored by Johnson Development and Vic Bailey Subaru, featured Chef William Cribb and wine pairings by Greg Atkins.

Greg and Leslie Ingram.

Ben and Helen Correll.

A crowd enjoys the 5th annual Supper on the Shoals, a fundraiser event for the Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE), held at the Drayton Mills Marketplace on April 26. The coursed farm-to-table dinner, presented by Pacolet Milliken and sponsored by Johnson Development and Vic Bailey Subaru, featured Chef William Cribb and wine pairings by Greg Atkins.

Lynn Rhodes and Katie Cockrell.

Sherry Hill and Nan Dempsey.

ABOVE: Andrew Waters, Pam and Gil Bulman.

LEFT: Zach and Ashlie Hanley.

John Hodge, Hampton Hodge, Roger and Susan Lovelady, Brenda Bradley, and Lori High.

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A Night in Old Havana PHOTOS BY WENDY SHOCKLEY MCCARTY The Spartanburg Little Theatre presented its 6th annual season reveal "A Night in Old Havana" on April 12 at the Chapman Cultural Center. The evening included Cuban cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction and a season reveal performance.

Andrew Molinaro, Tracey Jackson, Phillip Stone, Kristi Webb and Brooke Weston.

Cassidy Cunningham, Hannah Derrick, Rosalind Walters and Mandie Allen.

Kaye Spearman, Dollie Blanton and Dawn Bridges.

Will Luther, Jada Bell, Ben Chumley and Ashley Zimmerman.

Douglas Herndon, Leslie Hendon, Elizabeth Colson, Blair Dawkins and Ben Dawkins.

Allison Pingley, Sydni Kallam, Chris Brymer, Simone Mack-Orr and Jay Coffman.

Lori Guthrie, Elizabeth Colson, Scott Waddell and Randy Lawter.

Meghan Smith and Laura Olson.

Erica Brown, Brooke Weston, Jeff Tillerson and Lindsay Webster.

Guests enjoyed performances by Spartanburg Little Theatre at their “6th Annual Season Reveal: A Night in old Havana” inside the Chapman Cultural Center.

Meg Smith, Jean Danfy and Kathy White.

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Twilight in the Garden PHOTOS BY LELAND A. OUTZ Hatcher Garden hosted the 2018 Twilight in the Garden on May 10. The fundraising event was a garden party with cocktails, music, a gourmet dinner buffet, and silent auction items.

Ed Sully and Julie Harris.

Wendy Kay and Marshall McAbee.

The 31st Annual Twilight In The Garden was held at Hatcher Garden on May 10.

Libba Glenn and James Glenn.

LeAnne Thurmond and Ed Holcombe.

Jane Bagwell, Patsy Price and Bonnie Simpson.

Alexander Harvey and Elise Harvey.

Tracy Smith and Wanda Meadows.

Pam Booth and Bill Booth.

Judy Wilson, Jimmy Wilson and Rosemary Calicutt.

Martha Edwards and Dave Edwards.

Lewis Terry and Vicky Parker.

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Garden Party and Silent Auction

PHOTOS BY ALEX HICKS JR.

Birth Matters hosted a Garden Party and Silent Auction featuring uniquely Spartanburg arts and gifts on April 26 at the home of Carter Johnson.

A Garden Party and Silent Auction featuring uniquely Spartanburg arts and gifts was hosted at the home of Carter Johnson of Spatanburg. The event is a fundraiser for Birth Matters which seeks to reduce teen pregnancy rates.

Molly Chappell-McPhail and Carter Johnson.

Regina Fargis and Libby Stewart.

Erin Hiremath and Libby Stewart.

LaWanda Andrews-Nottage.

A Garden Party and Silent Auction featuring uniquely Spartanburg arts and gifts was hosted at the home of Carter Johnson of Spatanburg. The event is a fundraiser for Birth Matters which seeks to reduce teen pregnancy rates.

Alex and Ruth Oevendo.

Robyn Conner and Kelly Barrett.

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Carolina Pregnancy Center PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY The Carolina Pregnancy Center hosted its annual fundraising banquet at the High Point Expo Center in Spartanburg on April 12. Ryan Bomberger, founder and CEO of the Radiance Foundation, was the guest speaker at the event.

The Carolina Pregnancy Center hosted its annual fundraising banquet at the High Point Expo Center in Spartanburg on April 12, 2018.

Parker Foster, Emily Felton, and Beth Bishop.

Ryan Bomberger, founder and CEO of the Radiance Foundation, was the guest speaker at the event.

Mike and Joy Connelly.

Melissa Andrews and Danny Grice.

Misha and Brandon Lambert.

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Charles Frazier Reception PHOTOS BY LELAND A. OUTZ A VIP reception for "Cold Mountain" author Charles Frazier was held on May 16 in the art gallery at the Rosalind Richardson Center for the Arts at Wofford College prior to his taking the stage for a discussion of his new book "Varina."

Bob Mitchell and Karen Mitchell.

Joe Maddox and Charles Frazier.

Emily Neely and Kam Nealy.

Hannah Bass and Susan Keaton.

David Moody and Jill Moody.

Mary Willis and Susan Dunlap.

Brownei Plaster and Harold Plaster.

Elizabeth Refshauge an Alix Refshauge.

Beverly Knight and Anne Waters.

Charles Frazier, Betsy Teter and John Lane.

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5K Color Run PHOTOS BY JOHN BYRUM Spartanburg's Project4One hosted its second annual 5K Color Run in downtown Spartanburg on May 12.

Jason Hines, Derick Chastain, Josh Holt, Taylor McGarity.

Kameron Phifer and Rowan Vern.

Spartanburg’s Project4One held the second annual 5K Color Run in downtown Spartanburg on May 12.

Kaleb McDaniel, Elder Griffiths and Elder Harrison.

Carson Williamson and Matt Bethea.

Promise Seymour and Mckenzie Holcombe.

Yohanna Szlavikovics and Tara Cohen.

Kristin and Jeremy Brooks.

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Pints for Pups PHOTOS BY TIM KIMZEY Dogs and their owners enjoyed the Pints For Pups fun at RJ Rockers in downtown Spartanburg on May 12. RJ Rockers hosted the third annual charity event, which benefits the National Canine Cancer Foundation.

Meg Mayley, 10, Aurora Lay, 11, and Silas Lay, 8, with “Isabella” and “Iris.”

Mandy and Dean Coss with their dog “Lucy.”

Adam Labuda with “ Ava Jaeger” and Tabitha O’Donnell with “Zoey Lynn.”

“Cosmo” enjoys a cooling splash in a pool.

Dogs and their owners enjoy the Pints For Pups fun at RJ Rockers in downtown Spartanburg on May 12.

Nick and Melissa Buxton with their twins Addison and Ava, 18 months, and dog “Dexter.”

Dogs and their owners, including RJ Rockers’ mascot “Stout,” enjoy the Pints For Pups fun at RJ Rockers in downtown Spartanburg on May 12.

Annette Mayley and her son Ryan, 3, with their dog “Tucker.”

Dogs and their owners, including “Lucy,” owned by Dean and Mandy Coss, enjoy the Pints For Pups fun at RJ Rockers.

Bill and Mary Jane Michels with their rescue Corgi “Heidi.”

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Healing Through Art PHOTOS BY WENDY SHOCKLEY MCCARTY The Children's' Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee counties hosted its 4th annual Healing Through Art auction and party on April 21.

Kelan Brown, Christi Brown, Jim Bankhead and Cissy Bankhead.

Sam Hamilton, Shirley Hamilton, Dale Lockamy and George Lockamy.

Sally Carroll, Natalya Carroll, Kendrick Brown, Tracie Brown and Jo Nixon.

Judy Bynum, Susanne Gunter and Kathy Allen.

Rob Elliott, Andrea Elliott, Mike Brierton and Aundie Bishop.

John Akers, Brant Bynum and Joann Bristow.

Ann Marie Edwards, Jeff Edwards and Lindsey Graham.

The Children’s’ Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee counties hosted its 4th annual Healing Through Art auction and party on April 21.

The Children’s’ Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee counties hosted its 4th annual Healing Through Art auction and party on April 21.

Derham Cole, Dan Hamilton and Kelly Hamilton.

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BMW Pro-Am honors Mobile Meals PHOTOS BY WENDY SHOCKLEY MCCARTY Leaders of the Spartanburg business community and philanthropic supporters joined board members and staff of the BMW Charity Pro-Am at Willy Taco on March 12 to celebrate and highlight one of the Tournament's featured charities — Mobile Meals of Spartanburg.

Steve Sellery, Mary Jane Surka and Ayaz Surka (sponsors of the Pro-Am tournament: X-tra Net), and Michael McGovern (tournament director at BMW).

Lynne Shackleford (Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg), Linda Johnson (BMW Charity Pro-AM) and Jayne McQueen (Mobile Meals).

John Easterling and former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet.

Kenneth Cribb (partner at Willy Taco) and Mike Wood.

Macy Covington (Project Manager for BMW Pro-Am), Susan Spires (Mobile Meals) and Allen Smith (Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce).

Susan and Koger Bradford (Mobile Meals).

Ann and Eddie Payne.

Andrew Cajka, John Easterling and Butch Genoble.

McIntyre Hargrove (marketing and communications at BMW) and Michael McGovern (tournament director at BMW).

Allen Smith (Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce) and Jayne McQueen (Mobile Meals).

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PA R T I N G S H OT

[PHOTO COURTESY OF B&B STUDIO COLLECTION, SPARTANBURG COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES]

Spartanburg Peach Monument

A

photo shows the Spartanburg Peach Monument when it was being installed in its original location on Morgan Square in August of 1947.

It stood on Morgan Square for only a short time before it was moved to Barry Field on Asheville Highway. In the coming weeks, it will be installed on the grounds of the Spartanburg County Public Library Headquarters where visitors will be better able to see it up close and read the inscriptions. The monument was designed by Spartanburg Herald-Journal illustrator Jim Morgan and commissioned by the Jaycees in honor of the Spartanburg County peach industry.

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