Life in Our Foothills - August 2023

Jeff Allison General Manager

ON THE COVER

Summertime in the Foothills is the perfect season to highlight what makes our communities so special. The people, the places, the history and events in our area are worth celebrating!

Our features this month stick to the summer theme–the start of the school year, enjoying the great outdoors and travel. The August edition of Life in Our Foothills has it all!

This month, we’ll explore the past, present and future of Tryon Elementary School, as the community recognizes the 100th anniversary of the construction of “school on the hill.”

Next, we get outdoors to enjoy a local hiking hot spot - the Blue Wall Preserve. This 575-tract of wilderness located in northern Greenville County is only minutes from Tryon and Landrum, boasting trails, a pond and breathtaking mountain views.

We also hear from Linda List as she recalls memorable family vacations of yesteryear, using postcards as a nostalgic glimpse into traveling in the 1950s. We catch up with Pebbles as well, our resident spokespony, as she shares the story of the special relationship between a rescued horse and a loving volunteer.

You’ll find all of this in this month’s edition, and more! We hope you enjoy what we’ve put together for you this month, and as I do each month, I encourage readers to reach out and help us share your story. Email me at jeff.allison@tryondailybulletin.com with any thoughts or ideas for upcoming issues. As always, thanks for reading!

Jeff Allison Editor

Good To Be Missed

A story of a timid horse and a dedicated volunteer

(Story on page 36)

Story by Pebbles

FOOTHILLS life IN OUR STAFF

General Manager

Jeff Allison

Graphic Design

Joshua Turnock

Allison Dale

Marketing

Kevin Powell

Distribution

Jamie Lewis

Administration

Sydney Wilkie

Life in Our Foothills is published monthly by Tryon Newsmedia LLC. Life in Our Foothills is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Tryon Newsmedia LLC. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Please address all correspondence (including, but not limited to, letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to Manager, Life in Our Foothills, 16. N. Trade St., Tryon, NC 28782, or email to jeff.allison@ tryondailybulletin.com. Life in Our Foothills is available free of charge at locations throughout Polk County and Upstate South Carolina, and online at www.tryondailybulletin.com. Subscriptions are available for $30 per year by calling 828-859-9151. To advertise, call 828-859-9151.

CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Levin, Writer and Photographer

Mark is retired from a career in education, both in and outside of the classroom. He enjoys traveling in his campervan and finding stories about the people and places encountered along the way. You can follow his blog at FoothillsFaces.com as well as at youtube.com/ TheCountryLifeWithColumbusMark.

Linda List, Writer and Photographer

Linda List’s career was spent in the food industry, often surrounded by chocolate and candy. Retirement and the Tryon Daily Bulletin have provided the opportunity for her to share her writing. Growing up in New York on the Canadian border, she lived most of her adult life at the foot of the Rockies in Golden, Colo. And is now enjoying life in Landrum the foot of the Smokies.

Clay Johnson, Writer and Photographer

Clay is an award-winning documentary producer and writer as well as a contributing producer for PBS NC’s “North Carolina Weekend” show. He also produces educational videos and writes magazine and newspaper articles. Johnson and his wife Debra moved to Tryon in June 2021 and enjoy exploring the outdoors. He can be reached at cj@ clayjohnsonproductions.com.

Claire Sachse, Writer and Photographer

Once the editor of the Tryon Daily Bulletin, Claire Sachse now manages several freelance side-hustles in the public relations and publishing arena. She’s also working on writing a mystery novel in which an editor solves crimes in a fictional (maybe) mountain railroad town. Raised by a painter and a diplomat, she considers herself immensely lucky to have a home full of weird and wonderful art, and a passport full of stamps.

Storme Smith, Writer and Photographer

Storme Smith is a writer who lives in the Foothills of North Carolina. He is the co-founder and publisher of Buno Books, and has a passion for the arts. He also enjoys writing about the history, sports and unique people and places of our area.

Pebbles, Writer

Pebbles is the “spokespony” for HERD, or Helping Equines Regain Dignity, a local nonprofit that saves equines from dire conditions and in many cases slaughter. She dictates her monthly columns about her adventures, and what a rescue organization does, to Heather Freeman. Pebbles and Heather can be reached through HerdRescue.org

Unspoken Tradition

Flight of Spirit: The Photographs of Anne Noggle Exhibition

Through Aug. 19

Tryon Arts & Crafts School

373 Harmon Field Rd., Tryon Tryonartsandcrafts.org

Exhibit: “Rebuilding Affrilachia” and “Paper Trails”

Through Aug. 4

Upstairs Artspace

49 S. Trade St., Tryon UpstairsArtspace.org

Spartan Races Weekend: Super, Sprint & Kids Races

Aug. 5-7

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Blvd, Mill Spring Tryon.com

Columbus Farmers Market Saturdays, 8am – 12pm Courthouse Square, Columbus info@polkcountyfarms.org or 828-894-2281

Landrum Farmers Market

Saturdays, 8am – 12pm 221 W. Rutherford St., Landrum

All Members Exhibit: Lazy Days Through Aug. 5

Tryon Painters & Sculptors 78 N. Trade St., Tryon Tryonpaintersandsculptors.com 828-859-0141

Looking Glass Creamery Tour & Tasting

Aug. 5, 12–12:30pm

Looking Glass Creamery 335 Harmon Dairy Ln., Columbus 828-863-2104, lookingglasscreamery.com

USMGA Mounted Games Competition

Aug. 6-7, 8am – 5pm

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Blvd, Mill Spring

Tryon.com

Tryon Summer

Finale 1 (B/Level 3)

Aug. 11-14, 8am – 5pm

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Blvd, Mill Spring

Tryon.com

Westside Mixer #3

Aug. 11, 6pm

Tryon Arts & Crafts School

Music, food, crafts, games

373 Harmon Field Rd., Tryon Tryonartsandcrafts.org

Summer Tracks presents Unspoken Tradition

Aug. 11, 7pm

Rogers Park

55 W. Howard St., Tryon Summertracks.com or Unspokentradition.com

American Vaulting Association East Festival

Aug. 12-14, 8am – 5pm

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Blvd, Mill Spring

Tryon.com

Saluda Depot Train Tales: Two Faces of a Railroad Clock

Aug. 18, 7pm

Saluda Historic Depot and Museum

32 W Main St, Saluda Saludahistoricdepot.com

Top of the Grade Concert: The Trophy Husbands

Aug. 18, 7pm

McCreery Park, Saluda

JazzFest 2023

Aug. 19, 2 – 8pm

Mountain Brook Vineyards

731 Phillips Dairy Rd, Tryon

Tickets:

Mountainbrookvineyards.com

Dark Horse Psychlo-X Bike

Aug. 20, 8am – 12pm

Tryon International Equestrian Center

25 International Blvd, Mill Spring

UpstateRaceSeries.com

Fourth Fridays in Tryon

Aug. 25, 5–7pm Trade St., Tryon

Tryon Arts & Crafts School

Annual Yard Sale

Aug. 25–26, 2023

Tryon Arts & Crafts School

373 Harmon Field Rd., Tryon Tryonartsandcrafts.org

Conservation Celebration

Aug. 26, 4–8pm

Caitlyn Farms, 286 A.R.

Thompson Rd, Mill Spring ConservingCarolina.org

Music at the Market: Rock-N-Roll Reunion

Aug. 26, 7–9:30pm

Landrum Farmer’s Market

221 West Rutherford St., Landrum

CityofLandrumSC.com

Sip & Paint Sunday

Aug. 27, 2:30 – 4:30pm

Mountain Brook Vineyards 731 Phillips Dairy Rd, Tryon

MountainBrookVineyards.com

Equestrian Conversation Group

Aug. 28, 6pm

Tryon Coffeehouse

62a N Trade St, Tryon 828-505-9221

Facebook: sacredconnectionshorsemanship

Work Makes You

Columbus Celebrates its 60th Fabulous Fourth

Three generations of the

families enjoyed

Baughman and Wilson

a breather by the fountain at Veterans Park.

Vince Shimkus, lets local kids take the seat in a rather large firetruck from the Columbus Fire Department. In addition to volunteering with the Fire Department, Vince is also a volunteer with the Columbus Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Department.

Columbus Fire Department makes sure the flag of these United States is displayed high and proud during the festivities.

Photography by MARK LEVIN

The lines were long, and the people were hungry for fresh funnel cakes and other treats from vendors lining the street.

Crossroads Baptist Church of Columbus provided a huge variety of games for the kids who didn’t even miss the rides this year.

A hundred years of excellence

Tryon Elementary School building celebrates Centennial

As summer break draws to a close, Tryon Elementary School prepares to celebrate a milestone in its history. This fall, the school’s original building turns 100 years old, and the community is coming together to commemorate the occasion.

The school, located at 100 School Place in Tryon, has been a cornerstone of the community for a century. Designed by renowned

architect Ronald Greene of Asheville, the classic school building has provided generations of students with a valuable education. Today, the school is home to 416 students, who proudly call themselves the Tryon Tigers.

Ronald Greene (May 11, 1891 – October 11, 1961) was a leading architect during Asheville’s architectural heyday of the 1910s and 1920s and is best known as the designer of the

mountain city’s first skyscraper— the slender, Gothic Revival style Jackson Building.

To mark the school’s 100th anniversary, the principal, faculty and PTA are working together to plan a grand celebration. An Open House will be held on Saturday, October 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where visitors can tour the classrooms and enjoy displays of trivia, yearbooks and “old pictures.”

Story and photography by Storme Smith (other photos courtesy of John Vining, Polk County Schools)

Tryon Graded School (now Tryon Elementary) being built in 1923.

Craftsmen from the WPA signed their work with an etching on the wall they constructed at Tryon Elementary School in 1938. This is how it appears today.

Other ongoing activities will be planned throughout the year, including a “Through the Decades Dance,” t-shirt sales with students creating the artwork for the shirts and interviews conducted by current Tryon students of former students for a display entitled, “A Day in the Life.”

Other activities themed to the century-mark include students collecting 100 cans per grade level to donate to Thermal Belt Outreach, collecting 100 “Pennies for Pets” to be donated to Foothills Humane Society and performing 100 acts of kindness.

Additionally, the school PTA will host a Centennial Festival at the playground from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 12, as a fundraising event for students, their families and the community. The festival will have bouncy houses, food, face painting, games and prizes, a cake walk, a DJ and some popular activities and songs from 100 years ago. There are also

plans to recognize former Tryon School students and employees at Senior Night on October 13, at the home football game at Polk County High School

Principal Dr. Cari Maneen and Superintendent Aaron Greene are working to make the celebration as grand as the century-old building that has been at the heart of the community for so many years.

“Polk County Schools is extremely excited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tryon Elementary School,” says Superintendent Greene. “Tryon Elementary has been a beloved place in Tryon. From its time as a comprehensive school serving all grades, Tryon Elementary has been revered as a high-performing school with outstanding faculty and tremendous students and families.”

Principal Maneen is excited about the chance to recognize the success of the school during October’s Centennial Celebration.

Dr. Jason Glover is a board-certified and fellowship-trained Podiatric Foot and Ankle Surgeon, serving Polk and Rutherford counties. Glover specializes in a procedure called Lapiplasty®, a 3D correction for bunions, and is accepting new patients from both North and South Carolina.

OCT 14 • 8:00AM

ACHE 8K

OUCH 2 MILE

KIDS 1 MILE FUN RUN

Open to All Runners, Walkers, Strollers & Canine Friends on a Leash

OUCH 2m /

Professionally Timed (Registration includes event t-shirt and medal)

ACHE 8k / TRAUMA 12m

Benefiting The Foundation for St. Luke’s Hospital

made possible by The Ann Jacob Toms Fund at the Polk County Community Foundation

Sign Up Today:

www.foundationslh.org/ache

LAKE LANIER TRYON, NC

“The Open House at Tryon Elementary School will present us with opportunities to celebrate our school, to connect individuals and community members who may not have been connected before and to continue to preserve our school history,” she says. “The goals of the Centennial Celebration are to celebrate the school’s success, reflect on the challenges and changes in the school’s history and look toward an extraordinary future.”

Superintendent Greene says that a quick look at the school’s history reveals the true impact the school has had on the community and vice versa.

“The school’s local support and community investment helped create one of the finest educational institutions in the state,” he says. “We are proud to celebrate alongside all the amazing alumni and community

members who have been a part of or connected to Tryon Elementary School. Happy 100th, Tryon Elementary School!”

The celebration will be about more than just reflecting on the school’s rich history. It is also about looking forward to the future.

As part of a new project, the school is in the process of adding a one-story addition to the existing building that will include new classrooms and new dining room facilities adjacent to

the existing dining area. This will provide much-needed space for the growing student population and state-of-the-art facilities to support the school’s innovative programs.

The new addition will allow school officials to relocate students from the current Forbes Preschool site, located down the hill on School Street, helping to solve logistical and space concerns. The facility will include occupational and physical therapy, speechlanguage rooms and a preschool playground.

Polk County Schools’ preschool program has been hailed statewide as a model and is often cited as one of the factors in Polk County Schools consistently ranking among the state’s top school districts.

The project is just the latest in a long line of improvements to the school over the years. Like many older Polk County

Schools, Tryon Elementary School has benefited from projects funded and built by the Work Progress Administration.

For example, the original stone wall facing School Street was a WPA project in 1938. But the school’s history goes back even further than that.

Early schools were frequently called “graded schools,” a term used to designate a school that had the instructional curriculum divided into school grades. These were not oneroom schoolhouses any longer. Tryon’s initial graded school was housed in the current Tryon Town Hall. When the school on the hill (now Tryon Elementary School) was built in 1923, the original graded school building on Trade Street was sold. The new building was paid for by 6% school bonds the Board of Trustees put out on July 1, 1922.

The school bonds paid for $47,000 in lumber purchased in Charlottesville, Va., which was used to begin construction of the school.

Over 300 students across all grades assembled in the school for the first time on September 14, 1923, under the supervision of Principal W.A. Schilleter, who had relocated from Buffalo, S.C., to take the job. The new facility served 1st through 11th grades, as there were no kindergarten or 12th-grade classes at the time.

From its early days as a graded school to its current position as a top-ranked school, Tryon Elementary School has always been committed to providing the best possible education for its students. And as the school looks to the future with its new projects, it is clear that this commitment will continue for many years.

The new addition will allow school officials to relocate students from the current Forbes Preschool site, located down the hill on School Street, helping to solve logistical and space concerns.

The

BACKGROUND:

Nature Conservancy of SC’s Kristen Austin and Devin Yeatman at the Blue Wall Preserve RIGHT: The waterfall on the Twin Ponds Trail BELOW: Sign near the entrance to Blue Wall Preserve

Blue Wall Preserve

My wife and I have enjoyed hiking in the mountains of western North Carolina for many years. When we moved from eastern NC to Tryon two years ago one of the first things we did was search for nearby places to hike. We were delighted to discover the Blue Wall Preserve just minutes from where we live.

The 575-acre tract is in northern Greenville County just on the South Carolina side of the state line and near the towns of Tryon and Landrum.

“We recognized that need for people to get outdoors and have places to go to find tonic for the soul, catch their breath, get some exercise and do so in just a beautiful,

natural area,” says Kristen Austin, the Upstate Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina, which owns and manages the property.

The Cherokee called the Blue Ridge Mountains the “Blue Wall,” and when you’re in the preserve looking up at the 3200-foot Hogback Mountain and

Story and photography by Clay Johnson

surrounding peaks it’s easy to understand what inspired that name. The area is part of the Blue Ridge Escarpment. Its sharp rise in elevation and abundant rainfall make it a valuable watershed and one of the most ecologically important areas in the eastern US. There are rare fish species in Vaughn’s Creek, a stream that winds through the preserve and provides drinking water to the town of Landrum. The Audubon Society has identified 114 different bird species in the preserve and designated it as an Important Bird Area

“This is a great place for birds to come and nest and rest while they’re migrating through,” says Austin. “There’s a number of resident species as well, so from a birders standpoint this area is a little bit more open than the closed canopy forest adjacent to it, so you get a lot of bird diversity.”

In the early 1900s, the property, which is in an area known as the Dark Corner, was a hideout for moonshiners. Austin says people have found the remnants of moonshine barrels and bottles and there’s a legendary tale about the hole in the concrete bridge near the preserve’s entrance.

“They say that law enforcement

was coming back to bust up one of the moonshine operations back here and the moonshiners tried to blow the bridge up with dynamite and that’s why there’s a hole in this bridge going across the creek,” says Austin, who points out the large rock placed over the hole to keep people from falling through.

In 1937, J. Roy Pennell, the owner of Spartanburg Cement Company, purchased the property and built roads, cabins and two large ponds.

“Basically this was private land, closed to the public that this family used for their company business and allowed their employees to come and recreate back here,” says Austin.

A local land trust bought the property from the Pennells in 1996 and turned around and sold it to The Nature Conservancy of SC the following year. Austin says the property had become a party spot ripe with alcohol and drug consumption and stands of marijuana. The conservancy worked with law enforcement to eradicate those problems and limited parking to a more visible location next to the road passing the preserve’s entrance.

The Nature Conservancy of SC

YEAR-ROUND DINING

partnered with the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to manage and maintain the preserve. The foundation’s Palmetto Trail, a 500-mile, mountains-to-sea, multi-use path that’s currently under construction, passes through the Blue Wall Preserve providing an avenue for hikers.

A popular 3.4-mile hike that my wife and I enjoy with our dog Henry is called the Twin Ponds Trail. It begins at the parking area and follows the Palmetto Trail, gently ascending as it crosses Vaughn’s Creek twice and passes by one of the ponds. At the second pond, you can take a right on a short loop trail that goes past a pretty waterfall, then winds through the woods around the pond and back to the Palmetto Trail. You can take a right to continue along the Palmetto Trail up to Vaughn’s Gap and beyond or go left to finish the loop around the pond and return to the parking area.

I like the Twin Ponds Trail for a variety of reasons but especially the diversity of vistas that include the mountains, the ponds, the cascading creek and of course the waterfall. My wife Debra loves the

The author’s wife Debra and their dog Henry on the Twin Ponds Trail

The Nature Conservancy of SC’s Kristen Austin and Devin Yeatman inspect new signs at the Blue Wall Preserve

diversity of wildflowers along the way, especially in spring. Our dog Henry enjoys getting in the ponds to cool off and get a drink.

The Palmetto Conservation Foundation maintains the trails while the Nature Conservancy of SC maintains the roads and the rest of the property. The steep terrain and frequent rain can cause ruts and washouts which can make road maintenance a challenge. Beavers make it a challenge, too.

“They were tunneling and burrowing under the road and establishing dens,” says Devin Yeatman, State Fire and Stewardship Manager of the Nature Conservancy of SC. “There’s a whole honeycomb network of tunnels underneath the road that’s causing random sinkholes to appear, so we actually had to have a contractor come out here with a track hoe and excavate big

portions of road and fill those in with riprap.”

The Nature Conservancy of SC hired a trapper to capture and relocate the beavers. The Conservancy is also in a fight with invasive plant species at the preserve, like kudzu, English Ivy and Chinese Privet.

“We did an invasive species inventory, identified where they are located and then we had herbicide teams come out and treat the invasives,” says Austin.

The effort started with an acre and a half of kudzu which has been replanted with native species, a process that will continue in other areas of the preserve for years.

To help with maintenance and improvements The Nature Conservancy and the Palmetto Conservation Foundation partnered with Spartanburg Water, Greenville Water and the SC Department of Natural Resources to form the Blue

View of Hogback Mountain from the Preserve

Wall Partnership.

“It’s kind of managed by the whole neighborhood and I think that does a great job of getting a diversity of thoughts and views on trying to manage this place to be the best that it can be,” says Yeatman.

My wife and I and many others benefit from that effort. A hike in the Blue Wall Preserve allows us to disconnect from our hyper-connected world while at the same time making us feel a little more connected to the planet beneath our feet.

The Blue Wall Preserve is open every day from dawn to dusk. Hunting is not allowed and dogs must be on a leash. For more information go to: https://www.nature.org/enus/get-involved/how-to-help/ places-we-protect/blue-wallpreserve/

Pond along the Twin Ponds Trail

Postcard Summers

A Nostalgic Look at Vacationing

“Having a great time! Wish you were here!” was the standard postcard greeting to let friends and neighbors know you were thinking of them while traveling to enticing vacation locations. Part of every excursion included time spent in a souvenir shop or local drugstore, spinning a rack of postcards, looking for the right card that showed the spot on the map where you were sightseeing.

Old postcards are a treasure trove of memories. One summer

our mother, a fourth-grade teacher who had summers off, decided we, (my sister Lucy, age 15, me age 13 and our mother) would venture to the Wild West. It was the mid1950s. We lived in northern New York State and this sounded like an exciting adventure. What made it even more exciting was her plan for us to camp along the way to save money.

Let me mention that we had never before camped. She purchased a tent, cots, a camp stove, and ordered tickets from

AAA. We set off in our Chevrolet on July 8, to see the USA. I can only describe it as a trip filled with memories of tourist spots, car sickness, twisty mountain roads, Yellowstone bears and geysers, swimming in the Great Salt Lake with so much salt we couldn’t sink and viewing the majestic Mt Rushmore. I must add that neither my sister nor I have ever camped again.

When we find ourselves in a nostalgic mood, we pull out the album my mother put together

Story by Linda List

Swimmers in Salt Lake

filled with postcards from the many places we visited, including cards picked up at motels where we stayed when weary of camping. Photo film was black and white, so the postcards offer a more colorful story highlighting our trip.

July 18 found us in Hannibal, Missouri, and included a visit to Tom Sawyer’s house. The famous white fence that Tom persuaded his friends to paint is adjacent to the house. A postcard of Becky Thatcher’s house sports signs for Tom Sawyer’s restaurant and the Becky Thatcher Book Shop, plus a notation on the door to let weary travelers know it was air-conditioned, an important feature in the 50s.

Then on to Kansas. A picture of an American Flag perched on a stone structure describes this point in Lebanon, Kansas as the U.S. Geographical Center, just off Route 36, with a note added stating that the wind blows there all the time.

Leaving Kansas, and heading into Colorado, the magnificent Rockies came into view. A postcard showing the Denver Post Office describes it as the most beautiful post office in the country. Continuing to Colorado Springs and Woodland Park, a postcard depicts Motel X, calling itself “The West’s Most Beautiful Spot.” Two more cards highlight the trip to Pikes Peak, hairpin curves on the way up by bus and the trip down via the Cog Railroad. Berthoud Pass and the Continental Divide on Rt. 40 are pictured with a historical marker showing the elevation to be 11,314 feet.

July 24 and 25, it was on to Utah and Salt Lake City. We learned about the Mormons settling in Utah at the “This Is The Place” monument. The Great Salt Lake has evaporated over the years to be a small lake that is in danger of drying up. However, our postcards depict it as a wonderful playground

Saltair Great Salt Lake

Old Faithful Yellowstone

called SaltAir Park, with people floating in the lake. Jackson Hole, Wyoming was our next destination. The album says we arrived July 27 and includes a postcard of an arch made of elk horns. Another card advertises the “Cowboy Bar,” touting floor shows to appeal to tourists. Camping in Yellowstone brought

us up close to bears, Morning Glory Pool and Mammoth Hot Springs. Old Faithful is about to erupt in a postcard view of Yellowstone. On July 30, found ourselves camping in Cody, Wyoming.

We arrived at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota on August 1. A photo of Mount

Parrot Jungle

Rushmore marks the turnaround point to start the trip home. One of the last postcards from this western adventure is from the Town and Country Cafe on Highway 16 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We arrived home on August 13, our car filled with souvenirs; our memories filled with cowboys and Indians, rodeos, mountains, and campsites spread across the roadsides.

The following summer found us dreaming of palm trees and beaches. We’d never seen the Atlantic Ocean or a palm tree. We abandoned camping and searched out airconditioned motels and swimming pools. The first postcard in the book shows the Twilight Motel on US 17 in Shalotte, NC. Rooms were $10 a night.

After a stop in Myrtle Beach and our first swim in the ocean, we headed on to St Augustine and the “Fountain Of Youth.” Pictured on the postcard is a small spring with

This Is The Place Monument

Jackson Hole, WY Elk Antler Arch

Becky Thatchers’s House

Denver Post Office

Colorado Rockies

Beach Gulf of Mexico

Fountain of Youth

Pikes Peak Highway

a stone cross embedded in the grass. My mother pasted a paper cup in the book stating that we drank from the Fountain of Youth.

Next, we visited Marineland on Highway A1A in St. Augustine to watch the trained porpoise. Driving past Daytona Beach, we were surprised to see cars driving and parked right on the beach. The sun and fun began when we hit Miami. A postcard of the Otis motel was $10 a night and right on the ocean. Another card calls to us with “Hello from Parrot Jungle” on Red Road, Miami. Postcards display a variety of parrots plus a bright-colored peacock showing off its feathers. Crossing the Tamiami Trail led us to swimming in the Gulf at Lido Beach and a visit to Sarasota and the Museum of the American Circus.

Disneyworld and Universal Studios weren’t even a dream in the fifties. Florida presented

Berthoud Pass

other spectacles for tourists searching out attractions. Silver Springs offered glass bottom boat rides over underwater geological formations. Cypress Gardens featured daring water ski shows along with Southern belles dressed in frilly dresses. Our album of memories ends with a postcard from the Peach State Court Motel in Brunswick, GA. A handwritten note tabulates t, 3,700 miles, and the cost of the 16-day trip, including all expenses, was $436.04.

Did you know there are postcard shows frequently held in cities around the country? Checking postcardhistory.net gives dates and locations of shows held this summer. We’ve added postcards to our collection including some from New York City, the Panama Canal, Lost Arrow Spire in Yosemite, a Civil War painting of “The Battle Of Lookout Mountain” in Tennessee, plus a “penny postcard,” actually 4 cents, from the US Post Office.

Stop in a souvenir shop on your future vacation travels and purchase postcards to send to friends. Save a few to paste into an album. As years go by, it will be more nostalgic than all the forgotten photos on your phone.

Cypress Gardens Water Skier

Cypress Gardens

U.S. Geographical Center

Daytona Beach

Parrot Jungle Peacock

FAR RIGHT: : Mist with her bestie, Celeste Chaput

ABOVE RIGHT: Mist experiencing a saddle

ABOVE LEFT: Mist and Bambi after many months of good feed and grass

Good To Be

Missed

A story of a timid horse and a dedicated volunteer

Story by Pebbles

It is a blessing to be missed. You may ask me, “Pebbles, why do you say this?” Because to be missed, someone must think of you fondly and often. That individual is attached to you emotionally and cares about how you are feeling. Are you sad, are you lonely, are you soaking wet from the rain or too hot in the baking August

sun? They fret over your daily wellbeing, or how you are eating in their absence.

There is the gnawing concern that you might just miss them back in equal measure.

Such is the case with our dedicated volunteer Celeste Chaput and our rescue horse, Heather’s Mist. For Mist,

it is good to be missed. Celeste checks in from afar to see how this sweet buckskin mare is faring during her summer vacation from HERD rescue.

Celeste has a camp in Maine. She heads north for the cooler lakeside temperatures and to savor special times with her boisterous and wonderful family members. She rides out the

summer temperatures with loons, flowering lupine and local lobster. Away from the heat but sadly a very long distance away from the doe-eyed, docile Mist.

Let me set the record straight. Mist is not an easy horse. Her flight instinct is so strong it overrules common sense. She arrived at our rescue scared and shut down about people. She cowered in the back of her pasture with her young, equally suspicious foal, Bambi, at her side. It took months before any of us could communicate with her. She did not want friends, even ones in high places.

Fast forward a year later, an here comes Celeste. Through mutual friends in Maine, she learned about the work HERD was doing and came out to

volunteer with us. Celeste has incredibly powerful yet easygoing energy. She is a gentle leader. Her professional career has been devoted to working with children that have special needs. Celeste is truly an answer to a prayer for us. Our Mist took to her as a loon takes to a cold-water lake in Maine. There was an immediate attraction and instant comfort.

The connection was equally as strong for Celeste. As a young girl, Celeste’s mother had painted an oil on canvas for her representing a galloping, freespirited buckskin horse. It is a treasured piece that has remained in the family house in Maine, untitled but admired. Celeste, the young, horse-crazy girl never owned a horse as a child. Her

Fast forward a year later, and here comes Celeste. Through mutual friends in Maine, she learned about the work HERD was doing and came out to volunteer with us. Celeste has incredibly powerful yet easygoing energy. She is a gentle leader. Her professional career has been devoted to working with children that have special needs. Celeste is truly an answer to a prayer for us. Our Mist took to her as a loon takes to a cold-water lake in Maine. There was an immediate attraction and instant comfort.

The buckskin mare painting created for Celeste Chaput by her mother

mother supported her passion with riding lessons and frequent trips to the local barn every Saturday. It seems only Celeste was bitten by the horse bug. Her four siblings had no interest. She would grow up to spend a lifetime riding and owning horses while raising her own family. A buckskin with a flowing mane and dappled coat never entered her realm until she met Mist. Like her mother, Celeste has a talent for drawing. Horses are a favorite subject matter for her art portfolio.

Heather’s Mist was saved from a situation in Georgia. A woman had 20 mares and a stallion that roamed freely over a hundred-acre farm. The first group of horses she owned were halter broke and tame. However, as the years passed, the horses multiplied, and the woman aged. She was not able to visit them, and they became a feral herd. When she died, her husband had them rounded up and sold at auction, slaughter-bound for Mexico. Mist delivered her foal, a beautiful chestnut with white stockings, and a blaze in the livestock yard. Had we not saved her, Mist would have faced a three-day

Mist with Celeste Chaput on the playground bridge

journey, with no food or water, and a painful trip to meet a terrible end. She would be forced to leave newborn Bambi behind, who would have been disposed of quickly. No one would have ever missed either of them at this point.

With consistent groundwork and confidence-building exercises, Celeste moved the needle for Mist. The mare

can be caught more easily. She will accept a saddle, and load calmly into a horse trailer. Mist will walk under blowing tarps and across bridges in the obstacle playground. The timid horse even allows the farrier to handle her and trim her feet. This is a major milestone. However, Mist has experienced some setbacks.

When her pasture mate, Willow, entered their shared pasture in a new fly sheet, a terrible thing happened. The wind caught and lifted the sheet slightly making Willow appear to be a ghostly apparition, and Mist panicked and bolted to the back fence. She tried to jump out and instead flipped over it, succeeding in landing on the other side.

Mist getting her feet trimmed for the first time, trusting CelesteChaput

She luckily was not badly injured, but it let us all know she is not ready for the next step yet. Riding lessons are still off in the distant future.

The peculiar thing is all the horses that are in pastures next to Mist wear fly sheets. She has never expressed any concern about their flowing garments. Mist is also very suspicious if more than one person approaches her. Flight mode kicks in instantly again. All these challenges are things that Celeste addresses with patience while she is here working at the rescue. It is just going to take more time to help Mist build trust.

When Celeste left us a few months ago, Mist was crushed. How do I know you ask? She comes to the gate looking for her best friend. Mist likes Bill McClelland as he has always been kind to her. She respects Valerie Lowe, who is keeping up with some training while Celeste is away. She appreciates my mistress, Heather Freeman, who feeds and brushes her daily. However, not one of these caring people is a substitute or an emotional replacement for Celeste.

Call it love, karmic attraction or pure destiny meant to be fulfilled in this lifetime. Mist is now the name of the treasured painting of the buckskin mare in Maine. Today, for both Celeste and Mist, it is good to be missed.

Mist and her newborn foal, Bambi, at the livestock lot

SEND KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL WITH SOFT, DELICIOUS SANDWICHES

Back-to-school season brings change to routines and often makes each day slightly more hectic, especially for families with little ones. This year, despite the hustle and bustle, you can make quick and easy lunches for your kids (and yourself) that are both simple and better for you. These sandwich suggestions can brighten busy school days with a taste of home.

Brighten your children’s day with a fun, colorful Caterpillar Sandwich inspired by the experts at Nature’s Own. This tasty snack calls for ham, lettuce, cheese, tomato, cucumber and fresh, soft, fluffy bread before using a cookie cutter to cut out sandwich rounds and shape them into a creepy-crawly (yet delicious) “caterpillar.”

For an even simpler lunch you can enjoy at home, grab to go or send off with your little one to savor in the cafeteria, this Fluffernutter Sandwich calls for just three simple ingredients. Spread peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on two slices of bread then enjoy for a flavorful break from the office or classroom.

Both lunchtime favorites are made using Nature’s Own Butterbread, baked with a simple buttery flavor to take sandwiches to new heights. Plus, it’s made with no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors; no high fructose corn syrup; and 0 grams of trans fat. Find more inventive sandwich ideas at naturesownbread.com/recipes.

Caterpillar Sandwich

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

4 Nature’s Own Butterbread slices

4 ham slices

2 lettuce leaves

4 American cheese slices

1 cherry tomato

1 green onion

2 Roma tomato slices

6 cucumber slices

toothpicks

mayonnaise or cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

Using bread, ham, lettuce and cheese, make two ham and cheese sandwiches and two lettuce and cheese sandwiches. Cut cherry tomato in half. Cut green onion into circles.

Using small biscuit or cookie cutter, punch out two rounds from each sandwich.

Arrange sandwich rounds on sides, alternating slice of cucumber and tomato between each. Use toothpick to secure.

Place halved cherry tomato on each end. Using small amount of mayonnaise or cream cheese, “glue” green onion rounds to cherry tomato for eyes.

Fluffernutter Sandwich

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 Nature’s Own Butterbread slices

2 tablespoons marshmallow fluff

DIRECTIONS

Spread peanut butter on one bread slice. Spread marshmallow fluff on second slice.

Put two bread slices together to form sandwich.

Live Your Life. Leave the Work To Us.

White Oak Village — a place of tranquility nestled in lovely Tryon. Here, where Western North Carolina’s beauty blooms year-round, you will find the world-class quality of life you seek.

We provide healthy lifestyle solutions for active seniors seeking the best in independent living. Enjoy spacious 1- and 2-bedroom apartments – each with a private sunroom and access to unsurpassed amenities and services.

Start your next chapter at White Oak Village.

SWEETEN UP FAMILY FAVORITES WITH FRESH,

DELICIOUS FRUIT

When your family’s favorite dishes inevitably grow tired, a touch of sweetness may be all you need to freshen up the flavor of classic recipes. Keep tried-and-true dinners on the

table with a simple addition that complements the tastes you know and love: fresh fruit.

With its craveable texture and crunch, balanced sweetness and beautiful golden red color, an

option like Envy Apples can be enjoyed as part of delicious meals. While they’re often best served fresh or paired with cheese boards, sandwiches or mocktails, their sweetness also plays up when

To change up Taco Tuesday, bite into these Crisp Apple Tacos and believe in the uplifting aroma and flavor of apples as an invitation to savor those small moments around the family table.

combined with pasta, shrimp, Parmesan, toasted almonds and more in this Apples and Pesto Farfalle.

To change up Taco Tuesday, bite into these Crisp Apple Tacos and believe in the uplifting aroma and flavor of apples as an invitation to savor those small moments around the family table. It can be your ultimate apple experience and introduce loved ones to new ways to rethink their favorite weekly meals.

Plus, because Envy Apple slices

naturally stay white longer than other varieties, they maintain their beauty while you cook so finished dishes look as

Apples and Pesto Farfalle1

3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for cooking pasta, divided

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for cooking pasta, to taste, divided

1 bunch parsley leaves

1 cup toasted almonds

1 cup shredded Parmesan

2 tablespoons lemon juice

30 turns fresh cracked pepper

2 cups cooked peas

2 Envy Apples, diced

1 bunch chives, thinly sliced

1 block Parmesan

20 shrimp

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse pepper

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until just tender. Drain and

delicious as they taste.

To find more ways to sweeten up family meals, visit EnvyApple.com.

toss gently with olive oil, to taste, then set aside.

In food processor, pulse parsley leaves, almonds, shredded Parmesan, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, lemon juice and cracked pepper. Once pulsed, turn processor on high and drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil until well incorporated.

Toss pasta with fresh pesto until well coated. Fold in peas, apples and chives. Using peeler, shave thin slices off Parmesan block over pasta for garnish.

Preheat grill or grill pan over high heat.

Toss shrimp in canola oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and coarse pepper. Grill 2 minutes on each side, or until charred slightly. Spread evenly over pasta and serve.

www.isothermal.edu

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888-380-2561 AboutActs.com/Bulletin

Retired RN: 40+ yrs exp. Seeking employment I have a wide range of experience. Have a new diagnosis, need help managing, or if you are a caregiver in need of time of, I can help! Personal care, light housekeeping, and meal prep. Would be able to help w/medication set up and/or administration. References/ background check available. (864)316-6037

J BLAIR ENTERPRISES Gutter

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Sunny Creek Farm

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C.N.A $1,000 Sign-On

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Bill the painter for all your painting needs! Also do drywall repair and wood repair! 32 years experience. Like Bill the Pinter on Facebook 828-899-2647

Accepting Applications

•Mechanical Maintenance

•Diesel Mechanics •Class-A CDL Drivers •Retail Yard Associates/Drivers •Equipment Cleaning Technician •Heavy Equipment Operators

•Welder www.hensonsinc.net

Click on Employment Opportunities 828-859-5836

Rise & Shine Cleaning Service • 20+ years

experience Marj Duncan

828-817-6350 Private House & Commercial Cleaning,

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Come join the team at White Oak of Tryon. Benefits (FT). Competitive pay. Great environment! Applications currently accepted at White Oak of Tryon, 70 Oak Street, Tryon, NC 28782. White Oak of Tryon is an equal opportunity employer.

Landrum/Campobello

2BR/2BA, Appliances, with scenic views and convenient to interstate, two levels. $975/month + security deposit Call: 864-590-7444

Current Openings The Town of Tryon is currently seeking applicants for full-time positions in Public Works Water & Sewer Department. Job applications may be obtained at Tryon Town Hall, 301 N. Trade Street, Tryon, NC 28782 or download at tryon-nc.com/towngovernment/employment/. Open until filled EOE

Every Season Landscaping, LLC Friendly, Dependable Service. 828-308-6792 828817-2057 Lawn Mowing & Maintenance. •Yard Work

•Leaf Removal •Mulching

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HOME FOR RENT WITH EXQUISITE MOUNTAIN VIEWS IN TRYON 3BD/2BA, UPDATED, ALL APPLIANCES, FULLY FURNISHED. $2800, Utilities up to $250/mo included CALL SUSAN 864.484.3657 FOR MORE INFO. Owner agent.

Attn: Care Givers of Loved Ones With Memory Issues Free Supervised Care for two hours at The Meeting Place, Columbus, NC May 11 & 25. Limited Participation Preregistration required, Contact Peggy Wyllie for details: 828-859-6339. Free program offered by The Foothills Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care

Givers

Support Group in order to provide respite for care givers.

Monthly meeting for care givers the last Wednesday of each month at 3:00pm at The Meeting Place.

Manuel Flores Construction

•Stucco •Block •Brick •Tile

•Concrete •Stone Work 864361-1794

PART-TIME FINANCE

OFFICER (up to 19 hours)

Pettigrew Regional Library, Plymouth, NC Qualifications:

* Knowledge of state, county, and federal fiscal and personnel regulations, policies, and procedures. * Knowledge of the application of established bookkeeping and accounting principles and techniques to governmental accounting transactions. *Knowledge of Quickbooks and Microsoft Office programs. * Ability to understand standard financial statements and reports. * Ability to meet deadlines and plan sequence of work. Education and Experience: *Minimum: Associates Degree. Courses in bookkeeping or accounting with at least 3 years appropriate experience is required. *Preferred: Bachelor’s Degree with at least 3 years appropriate experience. Application Process Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Judi Bugniazet headquarters@ pettigrewlibraries.org PRL is an EOE

PRICE REDUCED! $550,000 128 Fox Covert Lane, Tryon, NC. 3 B/2 ½ B, FP, decks, 2 car garage, granite Counters, main level master in Hunting Country area.Lane Robbat: 828.817.4663

JUST LISTED! $369,356 710 Landrum Trail Landrum – community pool & gated community 3b/2 ½B, 2 car garage, FP, granite counters, FP, granite counters, wood floors, vaulted ceilings. Lane Robbat: 828.817.4663

JUST LISTED! $329,323 1639 PARRIS BRIDGE RD, Chesnee 29356. Completely renovated & Permitted 4 b/3ba home on unrestricted 1.23 level acres, granite kitchen counters, covered porch. Bring RV, boat or build workshop, great rental potential.Lane Robbat: 828.817.4663

HOME FOR RENT WITH EXQUISITE MOUNTAIN VIEWS IN TRYON 3BD/2BA, UPDATED, ALL APPLIANCES, FULLY FURNISHED. $2800, Utilities up to $250/mo included. CALL SUSAN 864.484.3657 FOR MORE INFO. Owner agent

Hiring adult Christian for a church in Landrum. Person must have a love and experience teaching and playing with children. Able to be flexible between, newborn room, 2yr,and 3yrs, and 4-6yr old rooms Sundays 9:3012:30pm. $15 per hour. Call Teresa @ 828-817-1450

FOR RENT! 2BR 1 BA IN SUNNY VIEW. SUITABLE FOR A COUPLE OR SINGLE. NO PETS. $500 MTH PLUS DEPOSIT. 828-625-4820.

Waterboy Plumbing LLC “Residential Service and Repair” Jerrad McCall 803869-5899

DIXON AC & HEATING • Your HVAC Service & Repair Expert • Serving the Tryon area for 30+ years. Call (828)863-0555

Epperson’s Tree Service

• Complete Tree Service

•Dangerous removals •View Cutting •Lot Clearing •Tree Trimming •Crane Removals Serving NC for 25yrs Fully Insured ISA Certified Arborist (828)606-4980

GOOD BY STUMPS Stump

Removal Quantity Discounts on 50+ Stumps! As low as $10 each! Call for pricing. Fully insured. Free Quotes! Call Ron at 828-447-8775

Lake Pointe Landing, A Century Park Community. Lake Pointe Landing is not just a great place to live, but a great place to work as well! We are currently looking for nursing staff including

CNAs, RNs and LPNs, offering competitive pay and benefits. Visit www.centurypa.com today to explore available positions and apply online! Or stop by out facility to fill out a paper application.

STEPS TO HOPE Thrift Barn

• Landrum, SC • FT Donation Assistant FT Donation

Assistant/Driver Duties include but not limited to: •Greet donors, accept donations, provide tax receipts •Sort/ separate donations •Unload truck after pickups •High School diploma/equivalent

•Ability to stand for long periods & lift heavy items

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ERIKA BRADLEY, REALTOR® 828.702.5970

YOUR LOCAL REALTOR HELPING YOU BUY/SELL IN WNC! ERIKAB@C21ML.COM

CENTURY 21 MOUNTAIN

LIFESTYLES 640 GREENVILLE HWY, HENDERSONVILLE, NC 28792

Philco’s Pressure Washing

Get all the Mold, Mildew, & Oxidation off your house! •Clean Vinyl Siding

•Driveways •Sidewalks •Stain & Seal Decks & More! Liability & Workers Comp 31 years

Experience Call To Clean Today! Phil Tolleson 864-5991978 or 864-304-8463

POLK COUNTY SCHOOLS

•Full-Time EC Teacher Asst/ Bus Driver - up to $15/hr

•Open Interviews Tue/Thur 2pm-4pm for Custodial & Food Service •Substitute

Teacher/Food Service - $13 an hour Visit https://polkschools. org/personnel/ to apply Or Call:828-894-1001

$10 Off Spring Preventative Maintenance (Reg $75)

Rutherford Heating and Air 828-287-2240

LAWSON PAINTING

Residential Painting •Interior & Exterior •Ceiling Texturing

•Light Carpentry Free

Estimates Please Call: 864494-3397