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DISCOVER DIVERSITY Many personalities make the Queen City an intriguing destination

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Upstate Lake Living magazine

Volume 9, Issue 2 SUMMER 2014

6 Family plays prominent role in town’s revival 12 The many faces of Charlotte 16 Former mill town is artistic haven 22 Get your speed on!

28 Bring the kids, grandkids for a great time 32 Tour helps sort out epicurean overload 36 Great golf and so much more 42 You’re invited to Vince’s for dinner 48 Solé: A tasty dining experience 50 Fishing: Clemson’s other big cats 52 Your Waterfront: Times, they are a-changin’ 54 Theatre: Summer stock has plenty to offer 57 Calendar: Summer sizzles with fun things to do Dear Readers, Is there a more beautiful place on the planet than Upstate South Carolina in the late spring and early summer? I don’t think so.

Whether you are on your deck enjoying a cool June morning, or escaping the August heat beneath a giant ceiling fan, we hope you enjoy this edition of Upstate Lake Living.

We kick things off with a great place to visit right here in our own backyard … historic downtown Pendleton. There’s a renaissance going on there, and we hope you enjoy our story about a family that has been at the heart of that effort.

Then, in case you want to go north in search of cooler air, we’ve put together a package of stories on Charlotte, NC, a city where new and old blend seamlessly in an eclectic array of neighborhoods and lifestyles. Whether you want to walk or bike the greenway or take the wheel of a Ferrari at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte is your kind of place. You can find fine art in the Bank of America Center, where folks walk at a whirlwind pace, or, if your art tastes are simpler, try strolling through the boutique art galleries in the colorful NoDa neighborhood north of the city center.

Speaking of tastes, did you know that Uptown Charlotte has more than 1,500 eateries? To help sort it all 4 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

out, we suggest a culinary tour with Kristi Martin.

Kids and grandkids are welcome in Charlotte, and we’ve featured plenty for them to do. Bill Bauer, of course, has found a great golf destination in the region, and there are plenty of other links to Charlotte fun in this edition.

Whether for a long weekend, a mid-week getaway or just a fun day away (You can be up and back in under six hours.), consider a visit to the Queen City.

That said, I need your help. I need the names and phone numbers of lakefront homeowners who might consider having their home featured in our magazine. Or, maybe you would let us feature your home. I know great houses are out there, and our readers love it when folks share the houses they call “home.”

Also, believe it or not, we’re just a summer and fall away from our winter edition and, this year, we want to do stories about family holiday traditions. Whether it’s a special meal, wonderful decorations, a special church event or your family’s ethnic traditions, please consider sharing with us so we can share with your neighbors.

Give me a call at (864) 985-2446 or email me at bmclaughlin@upstatetoday.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, have a wonderful Upstate summer.

Brett McLaughlin, Editor

PUBLISHER: Jerry Edwards jerry@edwgroupinc.com Ph: 864-882-3272 EDITOR: Brett McLaughlin bmclaughlin@upstatetoday.com MARKETING DIRECTOR: Hal Welch hal@upstatetoday.com ART DIRECTOR/GRAPHICS: Melissa Bradley UPSTATE LAKE LIVING™ is published quarterly

by Eagle Media 210 W. N. 1st Street Seneca, SC 29678, USA Ph: 864-882-2375 Fax: 864-882-2381 Subscription: $15 includes 4 issues Single issue: $3.95 U.S. Postal Permit #18 UPSTATE LAKE LIVING™ is a trademark of Edwards Group.

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Address subscription inquiries to: UPSTATE LAKE LIVING magazine, P.O. Box 547, Seneca, SC 29679; phone 864-882-2375; fax 864-882-2381.

Two weeks advance notice is required for address changes; please send old and new address.

contributors to this edition Bill Bauer • Phillip Gentry Jack Kates III • Dave Kroeger Brett McLaughlin • Jessica Nelms Cover photo by Jean Snellings, Westminster

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he rising of the sun was still hours away. The historic square was dark and quiet. Even the mockingbirds had yet to begin their morning ritual, sprinting from spot to spot, their phenomenal auditory senses leading them to breakfast in the rich soil beneath the azaleas.

But, in the back of The Village Baker, Ron Rizzo was wide-awake and hard at work, filling ovens with breads and breakfast treats. Hungry patrons would be clamoring for the fruits of his labors when the doors swung open in just a few short hours.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

6 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Story by Brett McLaughlin Photos by Jessica Nelms

Pendleton’s town square, seen here from the second floor of historic Farmers’ Hall during Spring Jubilee, is the focal point of many events and the focus of new efforts by public and private sector interests to improve the retail area and draw more visitors to the community. Photo courtesy of the Pendleton District Commission

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It was the tasty baked goods and the success the Rizzo family had with their bakery that eventually led them to open both a café and 1826 On The Green in historic Farmers’ Hall.

lage Baker and Café, Before they sold the Vil ra Rizzo included a typical week for Barba operations, fixing ess sin bu ee thr g overseein kitchen at 1826 On lunches, helping in the customers in all three The Green and greeting only operates 1826 ily fam the w, locations. No s’ concern for ner ow On The Green, but the ains. rem ent pm elo dev y nit commu

Before the family’s recent sales of the bakery and café, Barb Rizzo had also began her week at the bakery, but her attention also had to be focused on securing the last of the fresh produce and groceries needed to satisfy the regulars who visited the bakery’s adjacent Village Café for lunch.

She also had to make sure everything was in order at 1826 On The Green, the family’s restaurant located across the street.

A small birthday group was scheduled to arrive just before noon. The sun was just beginning its ascent; it looked like the weather would hold for an outdoor luncheon. A couple of professors, a few students and a handful of passing 8 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

tourists were typically expected for lunch. A good warm-up for what would hopefully be a decent dinner crowd at the historic Farmers’ Hall eatery.

•••••

It is around this schedule that the Rizzo family built success, not only for themselves, but also for the town they love and adore.

From breads, brownies and baguettes-to-die-for, to homemade soups and luncheon salads, to bacon and beef sliders and tenderloin steaks, the Rizzo family spent the better part of the past five years providing provisions and nourishment to discerning diners from Pendleton to Atlanta, Charlotte and Columbia.

And while that has meant success for Barbara and Peter Rizzo, it has meant just as much to the Pendleton community, a historic place where the costs of preserving the past are significant and onerous amid the economic demands of the present.

Anyone who is invested in the success of Pendleton will acknowledge that the sustenance provided a community by the existence of successful restaurants is a key

to the community’s growth. The Rizzos, who opened the bakery in 2008, weathered a 30-month recession, and recently sold two-thirds of their business in much better shape than they received it, willingly acknowledge the role their risk played in keeping downtown Pendleton vibrant.

However, they say others have also contributed to a resurgence of the retail district.

Two years ago, earnest discussions began about updating the town center.

Thanks to an Our Town grant, those plans are closer to becoming a reality. The Rizzos are fully on board.

“Traffic has gone up, for us and for other retailers,” Barb said. “If you give people something worthwhile coming to, they will come.”

Peter and Barbara moved to Pendleton when she began her master’s degree studies in industrial psychology at Clemson University. Her husband, a baker from the age of 13, was retired but quickly became bored. He began baking and selling goods at local farmers markets, but the itch to open his own bakery was too great.

It wasn’t long after they opened the bakery they were both working full-time.

“The little bakery got a LOT bigger,” Barbara said with a smile. “People were

knocking on our door before we opened in the morning.”

Ron moved east and joined them in 2009. Peter eventually “retired the rolling pin” again, and his son took over primary baking duties.

The coffee shop next door became available in 2009. Barbara had begun serving pizzas and calzones out of the bakery, but it simply wasn’t large enough. After buying the coffee shop they quickly added table service and an expanded menu.

Success, they found, breeds success.

“Successful people kept coming to us, and we were approached by the owners of 1826. We had been wanting to do fine dining and it was the perfect fit — small and easily manageable (36 seats inside and 24 on the patio),” she said.

Just as she had done at cafe, Barbara tweaked the 1826 menu on the fly, adding and deleting menu items as she watched what sold and what didn’t. She concluded that less expensive entrees were needed so she added selections like beef and bacon sliders and other choices that would appeal to what proved to be an ever-changing clientele.

“The customers have changed,” she said. “At first, it was mostly retirees and special occasions, but we have a bigger range now. We get university students on dates, professors and young couples. They can even come with their children.”

Pendleton’s history and the charm of its village green have long been known across the state, and efforts to build a tourism trade have been gradually successful. Of late, those efforts have also seen greater success.

“The tide is coming up,” Barbara said, noting that during the depths of the recession half of the retails stores on the square were closed. Today, there is nary an empty storefront.

“Pendleton has been good to us and we love Pendleton,”

Pendleton offers visitors a variety of historic opportunities and events.

The Pendleton District Commission offers the Histo ric Pendleton Walking Tour. Numerous buildings and sites featured on this tour highlight Historic Pendleton , which dates to April 8, 1790. The entire town, along with an area extending into Pickens County, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors may pick up Historic Pendleton Walking Tour brochures at the Visitor’s Center. Step-on guides and custom tours are available by appointment by calling (800 ) 862-1795.

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“Pendleton has been good to us and we love Pendleton,” Barb Rizzo says. The busy entrepreneur hopes that her family’s success will contribute to Pendleton’s efforts to renovate its downtown square of which Farmers’ Hall is the centerpiece.

she said. “It has been the most welcoming and helpful place we have ever lived.

And, I think we have helped keep it viable. We’ve drawn people here from a larger area. We are a destination place and while people are here, they browse the

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square and stop in at the other shops.”

She is hopeful that the efforts of Pendleton Pride In Motion, Clemson University students and officials and the Our Town grant will mean even brighter days ahead.

“I hope they will improve the pathways on the green and zmake the entire square more cohesive,” she said, referring to efforts to pull businesses along Mechanic and East Queen streets more into the mix of the square. “It’s a beautiful little town and has so much to offer.” n 1826 On The Green is open Thursday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and Thursday though Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. for dinner.

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CONTRADICTORY DELIGHTS

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n dozens of wonderful ways, Charlotte, NC is a city of multiple personalities.

So wonderful, in fact, that no matter what your interests, the city begs to be visited … whether for a day, a long weekend or a week.

Beginning with its historical nicknames, the almost-contradictory nature of Charlotte is evident. The Queen City label has its roots in royalty, eloquently honoring the wife of King George II, who ruled the colonies.

Then there is The Hornet’s Nest, a proud, patriotic title derived from Lord Cornwallis’ description of the city after hostile residents drove the British general out of town.

Today, the contrasts go far beyond nicknames and are pleasantly visible as one traverses a city that delineates its diversity by neighborhoods, of which there are at least 16 by most counts.

Trade and Tryon streets create the core of Uptown. Here a myriad of skyscrapers provides headquarters to a fleet of financial institutions including Bank of America and the East Coast operations of Wells Fargo. Just a short walk away, however, is the historic 4th Ward neighborhood, where a leisurely stroll down narrow streets allows one to capture the essence of life in Charlotte’s most prosperous part of

12 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

town in the Victorian era.

The city seems to relish its contradictory nature and encourages it as well with an eclectic array of events and attractions.

For instance, the lobby of the 60-story Bank of America tower boasts a work by artist Ben Long.

One of the largest secular frescoes in the world, the three-panel painting represents themes of making/ building, chaos/creativity and planning/knowledge. A few blocks away, another Long fresco depicts the scene of The Good Samaritan, a work that attracts countless visitors to the First Presbyterian Church, where Stonewall Jackson’s wife worshipped and where there is an appropriately curious mix of Tiffany stained glass, massive gas chandeliers and a one-time steam pipe organ.

Discovery Place is a colorful pavilion near the city center. Here, the world of science is brought to life through interactive exhibits and a larger-thanlife IMAX theater. But, within a stone’s throw is the quaint Alexander Michael’s restaurant — an old-fashioned neighborhood tavern in what used to be a general store, paint store and one-time laundromat.

The Hearst Tower, directly across from BoA, boasts brass railings designed by Edgar Brandt that were rescued from an Au Bon Marche department

Story by

Brett McLaughlin Photos courtesy of

CRVA/Visit Charlotte

Charlotte’s diversity makes it a ‘must visit’ destination the epicurean tapestry of the city by simply crossing the city’s invisible neighborhood lines. Uptown you can dine at any number of nationally-known venues, including Emeril Live, McCormick & Schmick’s and Ruth’s Cris Steakhouse. There’s fine food downtown as well, but you can also get a spiked milkshake and gourmet burger at Cowbells or a traditional meat-and-three plate at The King’s Kitchen where lunch gives way to Bible study and the “Sundays” are for services, not eating.

The McNinch House in the 4th Ward serves by reservation only but if you want to dine where two presidents stayed and the first mayor lived, you’re pretty much guaranteed a great meal.

store in Paris. In front of the plaza is a glass and bronze sculpture crafted by Howard Ben Tre entitled the Castellan, which translates to “keeper of the castle,” and, within the lobby is the Bank of America Gallery, which contains priceless artwork.

On the other hand, 30 blocks north is the NoDa, a revitalized mill town neighborhood that now houses dozens of quaint galleries and shops, live music and theater venues and is a “must” on the list of almost any Charlotte visitor.

The city may have approved razing the original Belk Department Store, built in 1908, to build the BoA tower, but city fa-

Freedom Park, a 98-acre retreat located between the city’s historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, annually attracts over one million visitors. In addition to recreational opportunities, the park hosts free films and musical performances throughout the summer, and every September it hosts a five-day Festival in the Park. This photo shows part of the 7-acre lake inside the park.

thers also saw fit to help restore history and vanquish urban decay by approving funds to move a bootlegger’s house and several other vintage homes into the 4th Ward, creating a charming place to spend a summer afternoon.

In that same way one can get a sense of

SUMMER 2014 • 13

Getting around in Charlotte

And, if you’re hungry and adventuresome, you might want to catch the light rail — or take a horse and carriage from the corner of Trade and Tryon — to the South End. Fun to visit any day of the week, this self-described “quirky and cool” neighborhood is best discovered on “Food Truck Friday.”

More than 60 food trucks operate in Charlotte, offering everything from cupcakes to fajitas to grilled cheese. More than a dozen gather for the weekly Food Truck Friday in South End, attracting upwards of 3,000 people.

If you go ...

For additional information about Charlotte, visit any of these websites: • www.charlottesgotalot.com • www.charlottehta.com • www.charlotte-nc.worldweb.com/SightsAttractions

If you go to Charlotte on the weekend, chances are good you will find a festival. The city celebrates in a variety of ways from Uptown’s Taste of Charlotte (June 6-8), to the International Collectibles and Antiques Show (July 3-6), to the Queen City Bike Show (Aug. 29-31).

Many of the city’s biggest events are hosted in Freedom Park, a 98-acre retreat located between the city’s historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods. The park is centered on a 7-acre lake about three miles from downtown.

The park has paved trails, tennis/volleyball courts, sport/athletic fields and playground 14 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

There are many ways to see the city, but among those increasing in popularity are Segway tours. A variety of tours through the many neighborhoods of the city are available. Visitors will also find transportation opportunities ranging from a popular public bicycle system to a light rail line and trolley system.

equipment. One can walk into the cab of an actual steam engine. Free films and musical performances in the park pavilion are featured throughout the summer, and every September the park hosts the five-day Festival in the Park, which annually attracts over 100,000 visitors. Every year, over one million people make their way to Freedom Park.

Another popular attraction tucked away in the Myers Park Neighborhood is the Duke Mansion. Many visitors don’t realize that the 1916-built home of James Buchanan Duke is now a working hotel. Originally 8,000-square feet, it was enlarged to 32,000-square feet and is a very nice place to stay or simply take a boxed lunch on a summer afternoon. (A side note is that one of the city’s many Segway tours begins at the mansion. For more information, visit: Segwayfun.net.)

Of course, no discussion of Charlotte is complete without sports talk. The city stakes its claim to being the home of NASCAR, and a visit to that Hall of Fame is almost mandatory. However, there are plenty of other sporting opportunities, including the Charlotte Knights who are enjoying their first year in BB&T Ballpark, a visitorfriendly ballpark just blocks from many downtown hotels.

From your hotel downtown, it’s just a short ride to the U.S. National Whitewater Center,

If you choose to stay in downtown Charlotte and want to avoid the turnstile that is valet parking or the congestion that simply comes with a bustling city-center, Charlotte offers both typical and atypical forms of transportation.

The CATS Bus Service is safe, convenient and inexpensive, but for a different, and equally inexpensive, experience you might want to hail the Gold Rush Red Line trolley that runs along Trade Street during the week. Or, if you want to visit the fast-growing South End the 9.6-mile Lynx Light Rail Blue Line might be your best bet.

Some 15 Blue Line stations provide access to prime recreation and the Charlotte Convention Center for just $2 each way and, in a few months, the Light Rail system will also extend north to the popular NoDa arts community.

For the truly adventuresome the Charlotte B-cycle system allows an entire family to pedal its way through Uptown using an innovative bike-sharing program.

The relatively inexpensive enterprise ($8 for 24-hour pass including first 30 minutes; $4 for each additional 30 minutes) features 200 bikes that you can rent for 30 minute-increments from 20 stations located throughout Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods. Hint: To avoid additional usage charges, dock your bike at one of the 20 convenient stations every 30 minutes and then check out a different bike to keep riding around the city. You can read more at: charlotte.bcycle.com Finally, for the really fun-at-heart, think about taking a Charlotte Segway Tour. A variety of tours — Historic Uptown; Markets, Museums & Parks; Taste & Glide; Haunted Segway tour; and more — are available seven days a week, beginning at 9 a.m. with the last tour starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit: http://www. charlottenctours.com/

[At left] Another popular attraction tucked away in the Myers Park Neighborhood is the Duke Mansion. Many visitors don’t realize that the 1916-built home of James Buchanan Duke is now a working hotel. Photo by Kristin Byrum Photography [Below] The Levine Museum of the New South is one of several extraordinary museums in Charlotte. An interactive museum, it provides the nation’s most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War Southern society featuring men, women and children, black and white, rich and poor, long-time residents and newcomers who have shaped the South since the Civil War. It is located downtown at the corner of Church and 7th streets, adjacent to the popular 7th Street Market.

where there are 24 outdoor activities for all ages. On this 500acre Catawba River playground you will find whitewater rafting and kayaking, flatwater kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, zip lines and ropes courses for all ages and skill levels.

Or, if you are simply looking to escape the urban scene for a day, chances are good you will be able to enjoy a live music show or festival, whether it’s the Fourth of July event, a 5K trail race or the Thursday night River Jam series.

To reach the USNWC From downtown Charlotte, just head west on Morehead Street, turn right onto Freedom Drive, take I-85 South (left entrance), and then take exit 29 for Sam Wilson Road and follow the signs.

So, come enjoy the neighborhood allure that makes Charlotte intriguing and captivating. You won’t regret it. n

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t’s a little after seven o’clock on a Tuesday night. Parking spaces along North Davidson and 36th streets are starting to fill up. It’s early spring and the sun is still setting pretty early. It’s going to be cool tonight.

Inside The Evening Muse, owner Joe Kuhlmann doesn’t care much about the weather. The 120 or so folding chairs that constitute his arena are in place and the beer is on ice. He’d be happy to introduce me to Ben Taylor, tonight’s act, but the son of renowned singers James Taylor and Carly Simon is somewhere in the neighborhood on a photo shoot.

Yeah, that’s right, Ben Taylor is playing a 120-seat saloon setting in north Charlotte on a Tuesday night.

But, that’s life in the NoDa neighborhood. You’re never really sure what to expect or whom you might see. Joe usually has an open mic on Monday nights, but last night some 110 people showed up to hear Ohio-based Shivering Timbers perform their combination of indie rock, blues/punk and country/gospel.

In many ways, The Evening Muse epitomizes the NoDa Neighborhood, a can’t-miss arts district that rose from the decay of a former mill village and is now home to some 3,500

16 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Brett McLaughlin

NoDa

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT HES COMMUNITY SOOT THE URBAN BEAST

The NoDa Association offers special events, including art crawls on the first and third Fridays of each month. Another popular way to visit NoDa is to simply find an outdoor café — or curb — enjoy a glass of wine or craft beer and people watch.

Story by Photos courtesy of

Lauren Schalburg/NoDa Neighborhood Assn.

people who love living a laid-back lifestyle in the shadow of urban Charlotte.

“Our identity is tied to the mills,” explains Matt Lemere, a Walhalla native and active member of the NoDa Neighborhood Association. “At one time there were three mills. One of them has been renovated into a craft brewery, and the other two are being renovated now. One will be apartments and the other will be mixed-use, retail and residential.

“We are working with a non-profit on one of them,” he continued. “It’s important to us that we continue to have affordable housing.”

Many of the neighborhood’s residents are artists or owners of the small businesses that line the two major streets of town.

Others, like Lemere and three other association members who provided us with a tour, work downtown but escape to the slower pace of NoDa every night. They live in former “mill homes” some of which have been painted purple, pink and rainbow colors.

They support local businesses, purchasing all forms of art as gifts; enjoy simply walking around town, greeting neighbors, most of

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whom they know by name; and work passionately to preserve what has been created despite the growing pressure of urban sprawl.

After the last mill closed in 1975, the mill homes emptied and the local stores were forced to close. The area became a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes.

The once popular movie house that had

been the home to many mill youngsters on Saturday nights became an XXX-rated theater. Crime rates soared.

In the early 1990s artists Paul Sires and Ruth Ava Lyons came upon this seemingly hopeless milieu. They saw potential for the area and had a vision of a flourishing arts community. They bought a storefront and opened a gallery. They

painted a few murals on worn out buildings and worked with city hall to take back the streets. They recruited other artists, musicians and young entrepreneurs willing to take a chance.

Their efforts were rewarded. Many of those who came to see the art or hear the music stayed. Even the city is now reaching out to NoDa, building three new light The historic Mecklenburg Mill is one of three former mills that form the historic core of the current NoDa (North Davidson) Neighborhood.

One mill has been converted into an awardwinning brewery. The other two will become residential and mixed-use facilities upon renovation. The mill houses that made up those communities are now homes to some 3,500 permanent NoDa residents.

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rail stops that will eventually provide quick transport out to the NoDa scene or, conversely, inexpensive transport for neighborhood residents with urban jobs.

Today, NoDa bills itself as “Charlotte’s historic arts and entertainment district — a neighborhood where the people are as diverse as the art, live music, craft beers, restaurants, custom gifts and tattoos you will find here. NoDa is dedicated to promoting the arts, living eco-friendly lifestyles, supporting small businesses, encouraging diversity and aiding fellow charities.”

NoDa boasts three dedicated music venues and countless other corners where open mics or acoustic pickers pull up and make music. “There is always noise in the street,” said NoDa Assn. treasurer Lauren Schalburg.

Eight to 10 restaurants offer everything from Liberian, Cajun food and Korean fare to fish tacos that were featured on the Food Channel’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” You can bring your dog along with you for a brew and pub food at the Dog Bar. (You have to do your own cleanup.)

“You can find just about anything to eat, from hot dogs to filet mignon, shortribs to oysters,” said Lemere.

The former movie house is now home to both traditional and avantgarde theater with seating so intimate you Dozens of small might well find yourself in the lap of a perboutique shops line former. the two main streets of the NoDa commercial Shopping the small boutique shops of neighborhood. Ruby’s NoDa is a delight. The variety seems withGift is an art consortium out limit, ranging from the antiques and refeaturing clothes, jewelry, claimed furniture of The Rusty Rabbit, to upglassworks, pottery and paintings from upward of scale massages at Breathe.

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Ruby’s Gift is an art consortium featuring clothes, jewelry, glassworks, pottery and paintings from upward of 100 artists. Nearby is Pura Vida, where owner Teresa Hernandez offers fair trade products from 45 different countries.

“My goal is to support artists around the world, many of whom live in impoverished communities,” she explained. “They work in community groups or cooperatives and sell their goods through the Free Trade Federation.”

Handmade clothes, bags and toys make up some of the stock, along with paintings, native crafts and jewelry.

If you simply want to enjoy a glass of wine and people watch, you might want to try the Crêpe Cellar, which offers upscale and European wines, or Dolce Vita, where street seating, live music and a low-key atmosphere is the order of the day.

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One of the popular gathering spots in NoDa is the Smelly Cat Coffeehouse. Warm and eclectic, it routinely meets the caffeine cravings and loose tea desires of a large local clientele.

Beer, wine and assorted small dishes are also available.

town menu is featured at the converted mill brewery and, just beyond the NoDa “thoroughfare,” at 2424 N. Davidson, you will find the flagship store for Amelie’s French Bakery, a 24-7 eatery that sets a new standard for pastries and desserts.

A walk through the neighborhood is relaxing and fun. One large mural depicts the community’s mill history, while anoth-

er features some 300 of the town’s residents. The working firehouse used to contain two jail cells but those are gone now, replaced by a couple of rocking chairs on a balcony overlooking North Davidson.

The local association offers some special events, including a local beer festival, art crawls on the first and third Fridays of each month and, coming this Oct. 17, a free ghost stories, history tour.

It’s a short drive up to the NoDa neighborhood from downtown, but it’s well worth the time and effort to see Charlotte’s most unique neighborhood. n If you would like to learn more about the NoDa Neighborhood, visit: www.NoDa.org

C AMMICK Edda

Oconee County Council District 1 ✯ Best Candidate To Serve All Residents ✯ Vote Cammick June 10 ✯ I own both lake and rural properties; I understand both lifestyles; move in both circles; and speak both languages; I will bring people together.

✯ Repair is the reason it’s time for me to join Oconee County Council.

I’ve previously mentioned a desire to repair the relationships between the lifestyles, lake and rural, who have grown to distrust one another through zoning and other disputes. Recently you’ve heard of the dysfunction between the County Council and the State Delegation.

The distrust is real and the disrespect palpable. While I agree the Local Government Fund should be fully funded,

the LGF is not the only subject the Council and Delegation are miles apart on.

A good working relationship with the State Delegation and the rest of the State Legislature is vital to the success and growth of our county. I am committed to repairing the relationships that have deteriorated under the work of the current council.

I would be happy to talk to you about Oconee County.

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WHERE RACING LIVES

22 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

hile the seeds of NASCAR were sown on backcountry roads in Appalachia, where bootleggers in fast-paced cars sought to outrun federal agents, the roots of NASCAR as we now know it lie in Daytona where the first official event took place on a sandy beach June 19, 1949.

Since then, NASCAR speedways have sprouted up across the country from Delaware to California. But, as Dorothy said to Toto, “There’s no place like home,” and while NASCAR venues may have branched out, realizing the ultimate racing experience and becoming immersed in all it represents means returning to NASCAR’s home in North Carolina’s Cabarrus County … where racing lives!

Just a few miles from Charlotte is Concord, which according to Julie Hinson, communications manager for the Cabarrus County Visitors Bureau, is the most unique racing destination in the world.

“When visitors and fans get off exit 49 there are so many opportunities to experience first-hand what NASCAR [At left] The Charlotte Motor Speedway was built near the same site where the first sanctioned “strictly stock” NASCAR race was held in 1949. Today, it is home to six major sanctioned races each year.

[Below] Realizing the ultimate racing experience and becoming immersed in all it represents means returning to NASCAR’s home in North Carolina’s Cabarrus County … where racing lives!

and racing is all about. There is no place else where you can walk into your favorite driver’s race shop and see crews repairing or building cars, explore history, grab some merchandise and be at the speedway or dragway in a matter of minutes. You can’t get that at any other racing destination but Concord,” Hinson said.

Exit 49 steers you onto Bruton Smith Boulevard and points you to Concord’s racing complex, an unparalleled concentration of motorsports attractions that includes the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the zMAX Dragway, the Dirt Track and a host of team racing shops. Just a short drive away is The NASCAR Hall of Fame, the ultimate pit stop for longtime racing enthusiasts or newcomers to North Carolina’s official state sport. This is the mecca of Motorsports, the heart of NASCAR country and the only race destination that has it all.

Charlotte Motor Speedway For more than 50 years, fans have flocked to the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway erected near the same site where the first sanctioned “strictly stock” NASCAR race was held in 1949. CMS hosts the trifecta of racing — the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup series and Camping World Truck series — featuring six major events each year. But there is much more than these championship races for motorsports enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy. A weekly short-track series for Legend Cars and Bandoleros,

SUMMER 2014 • 23

If you go ...

STAY: Lodging is no issue in Concord (but plan ahead during race weeks), as a dozen major hotels are located at Exit 49. If you’re looking for more than a basic hotel, try the Embassy Suites Charlotte Concord Golf Resort and Spa, or the Great Wolf Lodge. The Embassy Suites has 308 two-bedroom suites, a full service spa, restaurant, and is attached to the Rocky River Golf Course.

At the Great Wolf Lodge it is always 84 degrees — even at the indoor water park!

DINE: Up and down Bruton Smith and Concord Mills boulevards, the dining choices are endless. Name a chain and you’ll most likely find it. Of interest is the Quaker Steak & Lube, just minutes from the racetrack. Grab hold of a gas nozzle door handle and enter a race-themed restaurant complete with racecars suspended from the ceiling and NASCAR memorabilia galore. For a special treat, The Speedway Club, on the 6th floor of the Smith Tower inside Charlotte Motor Speedway, is the ultimate place to dine and provides the perfect view of the 1.5mile superspeedway. Open year-round for lunch and dinner, The Speedway Club allows non-members to visit and dine on a one-time basis but requires membership for continuous usage.

SHOP & DO: Concord Mills is North Carolina’s largest shopping and entertainment destination with over 200 stores under one roof. Anchoring one corner is the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. On the opposite end are an IMAX and an AMC 24-screen theater. For the gamers and sports enthusiasts there is a Dave & Buster’s. Newly opened this year is the SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium, with over 5,000 sea creatures displayed in a combination of tanks and an underwater 180-degree ocean tunnel.

For assistance on racing information and all your other travel needs in Concord, contact the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-848-3740 or contact Julie Hinson at Julie@ VisitCarrabus.com.

24 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

national and regional car club competitions and the World Karting Association’s regional, national and international races are scheduled throughout the year.

Inside the confines of the superspeedway visitors can board a tram for an upclose tour of all that goes on behind the scenes on race day. Visits to the pits and garages, a walk on the famous 24-degree bank of the speedway and a trip to the winner’s circle are on the agenda. For those who need the speed and want to experience firsthand what it’s like at 165 mph, there’s the Richard Petty Driving Experience. You can suit up and get behind the wheel for up to 50 laps, or take the passenger seat and leave the driving to the professionals. At a slightly “slower” pace, The Exotic Driving Experience will put you in a classic Ferrari or Lamborghini, once again as a driver or passenger.

“Anyone can enjoy the thrill. You can go from 60-160 mph and decide whatever fits your need for speed and safety,” Hinson explained.

For Jimmy Griffin and his son there was no better way to spend the teen’s 14th birthday.

“We chose to come to CMS because of the Southern hospitality. The Petty and Exotic car experiences were reasonable, friendly and focused on making the customer experience a great one. Jimmy and I shared the excitement and made memories around a common passion we have with cars,” Dad said.

The cars are ready and the mechanics are waiting for the 500-mile Bank of America Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Visitors to the track on non-race days can board a tram for an up-close tour of all that goes on behind the scenes. Visits to the pits and garages, a walk on the famous 24-degree bank of the speedway and a trip to the Winner’s Circle are included.

zMAX Dragway Unlike the high bank oval of the speedway, the zMAX Dragway is a fourlane straightaway. In fact, it is the only all-concrete, 4-lane racing surface in the world and hosts two of the National Hot Rod Association’s premier events. Funny Cars, Super Stock, Nitro, Roadster Super Gas … the list of race classes is lengthy. A visit to zMAX is unique in that a drag race is over in seconds — blink and you’ll miss the finish.

But a day at the drags is an all-day affair. Elimination races fill all four lanes beginning early and culminate in a twocar final in every class. Dragsters approach the ¼-mile strip starting line and await the calibrated countdown of lights signifying the start. Then with a thunderous roar and the smell of burning rubber, the race is on.

In a matter of seconds, parachutes emerge to slow them down after reaching speeds upwards of 200 mph, and finish-line scoreboards light up the time and top speed.

At zMAX visitors can walk to the pits, chat with the drivers, visit the vendors for just about anything automotive and stand along the race rail for an amaz-

[Above] At the zMAX Dragway visitors can walk to the pits, chat with the drivers, visit the vendors for just about anything automotive and stand along the race rail for an amazing, up-close view of a start.

[Above right] Writer Bill Bauer opted to be a passenger in the Exotic Driving Experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With a little help from his driver, Bauer experienced the raceway in a Ferrari that reached 95 mph.

ing, up-close view of the start. If it’s driving and not watching you are looking for, zMAX hosts the Pure Speed Drag Racing Experience powered by Top Fuel NHRA licensed driver Doug Foley. Here you can ride tandem with an instructor, or solo down the drag strip, for up to four runs,

reaching speeds upwards of 100 mph in 6 seconds. At Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School, participants receive multiple days of intense instruction and graduate with the fundamentals and techniques to compete where seconds count and experience is priceless.

Team Race Shops Simply put, team race shops are not your granddaddy’s garage.

“They are a NASCAR fan’s paradise,” said Hinson who knows a thing or two about racecars. “This is where it all comes

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together for race day. Where they build and repair the racecars, practice pit stops and prepare for race day. And, there is no charge to visit!”

Within a few miles of the CMS are several race shops, each bearing the personal stamp of its NASCAR team.

At Hendrick Motorsports visitors can view mechanics in spotless garages, working on the cars driven by none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Khane. Then they can take a walk to the museum and team store, where the history of Rick Hendrick’s AllStar Racing Team dating back to 1984 is on display, and everything from T-shirts to the actual lug nuts and tires used in races is on sale. Hendrick’s “garage” complex is 430,000-square feet of pure NASCAR! Roush Fenway, the “winningest” team in NASCAR history and headquarters for Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, has all of the above and adds a 100-seat theater to its shop where 27 years of history come alive. A few laps up the road in Kannapolis is the shop of Stewart-Haas Racing, which Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch call home.

NASCAR Hall of Fame At the NASCAR Hall of Fame, they say, “This Is Our Sport. This Is Our House,” and, since its opening in May 2011, the Hall of Fame has become a year-round, must-see attraction.

The Hall pays homage to any and all that have impacted the sport. The lives and times of drivers, crew members and owners past and present are immortalized in a combination of interactive and hightech displays that will entertain and educate the most avid racing fan or a newcomer to the sport.

“This is the ultimate way to get up close and personal with my sport and see NASCAR’s history come alive,” said Buddy Nash of Memphis, TN. “We’re so excited. It was so easy to get here, and it doesn’t get any better for a race fan.”

Your NASCAR journey begins by registering your Hard Card, an all access pass to the hands-on activities and watching the introductory history of NASCAR movie on a panoramic screen in the 278seat High Octane Theater. Then it is off to three more levels of NASCAR. Level 2 houses Glory Road and the

Great Hall, complete with a banked ramp featuring 18 legendary cars lined up on a 33-degree incline similar to that found on the Talladega Race Track. The action begins on Level 3, where inductees are enshrined in the Hall of Honor. Here you can get the feel for Race Week. Take the Kobalt Pit Challenge and try your hand at changing tires in record time, view a mini-race shop and race car transporter, and qualify for a simulated ride in an actual race car — the ultimate experience.

Finally, Level 4, the Heritage Speedway, greets you with 28 exhibit points, illustrating NASCAR’s history from its early days to the present.

From the attached parking garage, alternate entrance through the Buffalo Wild Wing Café and customer service, the NASCAR Hall of Fame caters to all visitors’ needs. Access is easy off the John Belk Freeway in Uptown Charlotte adjacent to the Convention Center.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte is open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call (888) 902-6463 or visit online at www. nascarhall.com. n

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Youngsters visiting the Butterfly Pavilion of the Charlotte Nature Museum can literally cover themselves with beautiful butterflies. The pavilion also contains chrysalis houses that allow children to observe butterflies growing through their various stages of life.

KID-FRIENDLY

CHARLOTTE AMID HIGH-RISES AND HOT CARS THERE’S PLENTY FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES Story by Brett McLaughlin | Photos courtesy of Discovery Place, Inc.

28 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

T

ucked away in a distinctive neighborhood several blocks from the city center, is Fort Wild a natural playground where children run, jump, explore and let their imaginations run wild.

As wind chimes echo through the trees, two children meet on a small stage, each playing out an imaginary character.

Another youngster plays in a sandbox, To learn about other Charlotte venues for children of all ages, visit: http://www.yelp.com/search?attrs= GoodForKids&cflt=museums&find_ loc=Charlotte%2C+NC. You can also visit: www.

KidsDirectoryCharlotte.com to obtain a free Kids’ Directory that contains coupons and offers for dozens of events and activities.

while still others dart around a pond or run in and out of a teepee.

“We have tried to create a space that challenges their imaginations in a safe environment,” said Heather Gladys, director of the Charlotte Nature Museum. “So many kids are just afraid to go outside and play anymore.”

With its notoriety for NASCAR and its downtown skyline dominated by skyscrapers built by the kings of finance, one might think Charlotte is no place to vacation with children and grandchildren. They would be wrong.

Fort Wild is an extension of the Charlotte Nature Museum, which caters to youngsters from 8 months to 8 years. It is, however, just one of many kid-friendly Charlotte venues.

There is also Discovery Place, one of the leading hands-on science centers in the country, where youthful visitors The Paw Paw Nature Trail leads to Fort Wild where young visitors to the Charlotte Nature Museum are challenged to use their imaginations in a safe and natural environment.

CLEMSON DOWNS RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF UPSTATE’S “FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND” MEMORY CARE AND PRIVATE SKILLED-NURSING UNITS

Clemson Downs—the only Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Clemson, South Carolina— provides for its residents a continuum of care, including Independent Living, Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing services. Since its opening in 1980, “The Downs” (as the community is fondly known) has afforded its residents personalized, spacious apartments, complemented by a professional staff focused on each individual’s physical and mental well-being. The 38-acre, tree-lined campus provides a serene, beautiful neighborhood environment, ideal for building friendships and enjoying engaging programs, enriched by the intellectual, athletic and spiritual resources of nearby Clemson University.

Clemson’s only full-service retirement community is expanding.

The new expansions represent a strategic addition of much sought

after Private Skilled Nursing residences and a “level of care” that was not even defined when Clemson Downs was opened.

The “Memory Care” component is sometimes also referred to as “Dementia” or “Alzheimer’s” care facilities. These accommodations are specifically designed and programmed for residents living with the effects of dementia and other issues related to cognitive function. The new center will serve 32 residents in a “home-like” setting.

Each resident will enjoy private accommodations, 24-hour care and daily experiences designed to cater to their special needs.

“The research has shown that residents with cognitive disease and decline need and respond favorably to accommodations that are specifically designed to address their diagnoses,” according to Dr. John LeHeup, the community’s Executive Director.

For more information, visit: clemsondowns.com or contact Jackie Cleveland at 864.654.1155.

SUMMER 2014 • 29

can gain a greater understanding of science, technology, engineering and math in a fun, interactive and informal setting.

(See related story.) And, then there is ImaginOn. Described by one elated parent as “The Holy Grail of children’s libraries,” ImaginOn has separate areas for children and teens, daily gaming, a recording studio, and it is also a partner of the Children’s Theatre where there is always a show to delight youthful visitors.

Junior explorers can put on an apron and splash in the water table stream or climb through “underground” tunnels to see what nature holds beneath its surface in Our Big Backyard at the Nature Museum.

But, back to the Nature Museum.

Located in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood, the museum was built by a neighborhood association in 1951. It abuts the city’s massive Freedom Park and can be accessed off a portion of the 33 miles of developed greenway running through the city.

The Museum is easy to navigate. Kids can roam the Great Hall and visit Beginnings, an area filled with young animals and information on their lifecycles.

Youngsters of all ages can enjoy the creatures that call Creature Cavern home, including a screech owl, a skunk and resi-

dent groundhog Queen Charlotte.

In the Butterfly Pavilion, children flit about among the plants and flowers, practically mimicking the free-flying butterflies. Others watch butterflies grow in a chrysalis house. Junior explorers can put on an apron and splash in the water table stream in Our Big Backyard. Another popular favorite is The Nature Dome, a converted planetarium, where, several times daily children gather around a campfire and engage in a conversation with Grandpa Tree.

Finally, visitors can stroll the Paw Paw Nature Trail leading to Fort Wild.

The forest is alive with wildlife, old trees and seasonal wildflowers, and the loop is easy to navigate for both the young and the young-at-heart.

“We live in an urban environment,” Gladys said, “but we can find time and ways to relax. We think we have created a place to do that.” n Charlotte Nature Museum is at 1658 Sterling Road. It is closed on Mon., but is open Tues. – Fri. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Adult/child tickets are $8. Children younger than 2 are free and there is a military discount of $2. For more information, visit: http://www.charlottenaturemuseum.org.

It’s all about Discovery at this Place

There’s more than a little rain and plenty of green plants in the rainforest inside Discovery Place. Staff members can also help visitors get up close and personal with forest denizens as visitors explore the only tropical rainforest in the Carolinas.

Photo courtesy of Discovery Place, Inc.

For children of all ages — and even parents and grandparents — Discovery Place offers a family-friendly experience surrounded by the excitement of a busy urban community, to say nothing of the only uptown rainforest in the Carolinas.

Ranked as the top attraction in Charlotte for the past four years, Discovery Place features both permanent and traveling exhibits.

In the Project Build area, building takes on a new form as guests tap their primitive instincts, using materials such as PVC pipes and camo netting to build structures critical to human survival. From there, they unleash their inner architects to illustrate and conceptualize, creating building sketches, developing floor plans, and designing functional and useful buildings through different computer-generated programs.

In the Explore More Stuff Lab, visitors can experiment with the science that allows us to investigate what is going on in the universe. They can use the transit method to explore one of the ways astronomers look for planets around other stars, and investigate the light emitted by different gasses using a spectrometer.

30 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

They might even be able to Join Discovery Place staff to build a programmable drawing robot.

These and several other special areas offer a multitude of hands-on options for fun and exploration.

And, beginning June 28, Alien Worlds & Androids will explore the exciting work of scientists in their search for alien life in and beyond our solar system and the deepest reaches of our own planet. Visitors will be able to check out androids like C3PO and enjoy cutting-edge science and intelligent technology. Bursting through the dark, space-like atmosphere of the exhibition room, Alien Worlds & Androids showcases the slippery creatures, highfunctioning robots and celestial elements of movie fame.

Alien Worlds & Androids will be on exhibition at Discovery Place through Sept. 14 and is free with a museum admission.

Discovery Place is at 301 N. Tryon St., near downtown. It is open Sun. from noon to 5 p.m., Mon. – Fri. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sat. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults (1459); $12 for children (2-13) or seniors (60+); and free for children younger than 2. IMAX tickets may be added for an additional $5 per person with museum admission. For more information, visit: http:// www.discoveryplace.org/visit/

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MECCA Story by Brett McLaughlin | Photos courtesy of Feast Food Tours

32 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

S

imply put, Charlotte is a mecca for foodies.

It doesn’t matter whether you prefer fine food or pub fare, whether you want white linen and three forks or like to eat from the back of a food truck. Charlotte, with more than 1,500 eateries ... and counting ... has it all.

That is why, if you go, you might want to do a little homework at the Feast Food Tours website and then give Kristi Martin a call. She runs Feast and can arrange that you see and taste exactly what you

is bulging with national corporate restaurants, to which Martin says, “Yeah, yeah … you can eat at any of them in most cities across the country. However, have you ever really gotten to know what these restaurants are all about? Do you normally get to go into the kitchen and have the chef give you a cooking demonstration?”

So, if your tastes run to McCormick & Schmick’s, Emeril Live or Ruth’s Chris Steak House, this is the tour for you.

The diversity in the Historic Plaza Midwood neighborhood is apparent as you stroll along and gaze at its architecture, art and historical sites. That diversi-

tainly the case as we joined Martin on her Soul of the South Tour. Throughout this two-hour adventure, chefs and restaurant owners showcase their Southern heritage and explain how they source from the local community.

It’s only fitting that a tour designed to feature Southern food should start at a place that specializes in barbecue and beer — Queen City — a lunchtime favorite for the downtown crowd. From there, Martin takes her guests around the corner to Cowbell, a totally unique burger bar where they might get a sample of the “whistle stop” or a burger that makes

Culinary tour helps sort out city’s food frenzy

want when it comes to epicurean delights.

Martin adds new tours all the time, and is currently offering five options, not counting private outings that you can help design. One very distinct tour features Charlotte’s Arts District, NoDa. The neighborhood is bursting with a vibrant nightlife and creative local flavor with historical character, and the district’s food scene is totally distinctive.

If you are staying uptown, or simply want to experience it via your palate, you might want to join Martin in her Uptown Chic-Behind-The-Scenes Tour. The city [Opposite page] Culinary tour members may enjoy these shrimp and grits spoons at The King’s Kitchen or there may be another Southern favorite offered as part of the Feast Food Tours Soul of the South tour.

ty is carried through to its cuisine where you can experience comfort on a spectrum from fried pickles, BBQ and local beer, to fine dining and exquisite wines. Ask Martin about her Dives to Dining Tour.

The latest edition to her menu of tours is the Bars to Bites Tour in the Historic South End. This is Charlotte’s fastest-growing community to live, work and play and is now home to a variety of restaurants where fellowship is found over great food and beverages. These experiences could be at a comfortable wine bar, upscale restaurant, local pub, or brewery and food truck combination.

On nearly every outing, Martin sees that her guests meet food artisans and find out how their passion gets transformed into deliciousness. That was cer-

[At left] Corey Cochran, GM of The McNinch House Restaurant, speaks to a group of culinary tour participants as they enjoy hors d’oeuvres and wine selected by the restaurant’s wine steward, Anthony Wesley.

[At right] McNinch House Wine Steward Anthony Wesley typically selects wines based on the tour food so it varies from tour to tour.

good use of fried green tomatoes or pimento and cheese. If one is truly blessed, they may get to sample one of Cowbell’s famous spiked milkshakes or a craft cocktail.

The pace of the tour then changes as Martin ventures a couple of blocks out to the 4th Ward and the 122-year-old McNinch House. Presidents have stayed and dined in this venerable example of early Charlotte. Today, the former mayor’s home offers multi-course meals by ResSUMMER 2014 • 33

ervation Only. Its diverse and changing menus reflect the seasons and, during the summer, Martin’s guests may expect to enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres from the porch overlooking Church Street.

Heading back downtown, your Feast Tour will take you to King’s Kitchen, where the story is just as impressive as some of the best meat-and-three food in the city. Ordained Minister Jim Noble operates King’s Kitchen as a non-profit. Monday through Saturday the place is hopping for lunch. Most days the popular eatery is filled with Uptown business people, but on Wednesday, lunch is reserved for those who need a meal but can’t afford one. On Sunday, the seating area becomes a sanctuary and, after lunch during the week the same area is set up for Bible study. A number of Noble’s servers are reforming alcoholics, recovering

Exclusive access to chefs and gathering insights into their operations is a typical part of a Feast Food Tour.

Rooster’s Wood Fired Grill is a periodic stop on Feast Food Tours.

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drug users and former inmates. Under watchful guidance they are taught culinary or wait staff skills and rewarded with a certificate of completion that is recognized by restaurants throughout the city.

As tour guests will learn from Martin, King’s Kitchen is “soul” food of a totally different kind.

The next-to-last stop is Savannah Red, located inside the Marriott Hotel.

Off an area that serves a breakfast buffet in the morning is a 27-seat dining room that was initially the playground for Belgian Chef Jean Pierre Marechal, who started the farm-to-table movement in Charlotte.

The lights are low, red and sultry and dining becomes part of the “New South” experience. Tour guests may get a sampling of anything from lobster cobbler with saffron, to filet of elk, to bacon consommé. Or, if you’re lucky, you may get to taste Savannah Red’s special Krispy Kreme bread pudding made with Makers Mark bourbon.

After that treat, Martin wraps things up at the unique 7th Street Pub-

lic Market, an eclectic mix of shops featuring a fresh fish deli, a farm-to-pizza shop that offers local honey for crustdipping, a vegan cupcake place whose offerings will astound your taste buds and gourmet desserts at Bar Chocolate.

“I like to end with something sweet and this market has a lot of choices,” said Martin.

Your tour guide is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and a longtime Charlotte resident. She knows the city’s history and will offer you as much as you like as you stroll through the city and its earliest suburbs, enjoying a city that knows how to eat. n Tours are offered every Saturday and some Friday evenings. They are all walking tours, lasting up to three hours. All tours are $49 per person and an advanced ticket purchase is required. Tours are for adults only. Refunds are made only in the case of hazardous weather. For more information on tours, policies, procedures and other offerings by Feast Food Tours, visit feastfoodtours.com.

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Ballantyne offers great golf and much, much more

Story by Bill Bauer

Ballantyne’s signature hole is 18, where a creek, lake and three bunkers lead to a two-tier green. The majestic hotel and spa, restaurant and golf shop provide a stunning backdrop for the putting surface.

Photo courtesy of Bissell

36 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

I

n the 1990s, Smoky Bissell and his faithful Dalmatians walked a piece of Charlotte, NC farmland with the vision of building a golf course. Little could he have envisioned that day what would result from construction that began in 1996, leading to the 1998 opening of The Golf Club at Ballantyne.

Today, multi-story corporate buildings and the elegant, yet charming, Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge surround the 18-hole, championship course located in the heart of south Charlotte.

The Golf Club at Ballantyne (GCB) is in one word, spectacular.

Entering the Ballantyne complex off Johnston Road at I-485, you will immediately find refuge from the fast-paced life that

This aerial view of the 14th hole depicts how generous landing areas from all tee boxes make The Golf Club at Ballantyne playable for any level of golfer. However, it also depicts some of the hazards, including a lake and green-protecting bunkers.

Photo courtesy of Bissell

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“We pride ourselves on service, and we offer a country club feel at a totally public golf course.”

— PGA Golf Professional Matt Zvanut —

encircles this world-class haven. GCB is all about making your golf experience first class, a process that begins when you arrive and doesn’t end until you leave.

“We pride ourselves on service, and we offer a country club feel at a totally public golf course,” says PGA Golf Professional Matt Zvanut.

There are no memberships at Ballantyne, but you feel like you have one as every employee seeks to meet your golfing needs. It is no wonder that Ballantyne has achieved Golf Digest’s prestigious, 4 ½-star “Best Place To Stay” rating, which Director of Golf Woody Allen describes as, “A testament to our passion for delivering the best total golf experience.”

Bissell’s original design has undergone several changes over the years.

Some holes have been shortened and others lengthened. Bunkers have come and gone, and the original pro shop and small restaurant have become a 214-room hotel, deluxe spa and one of Charlotte’s top-rated dining spots, the Gallery Restaurant.

But, it was the golf course that came first and remains the centerpiece at Ballantyne.

At 6,740 yards from the championship tees, GCB is a true test of golf. Tight fairways, undulating greens, massive bunkers, a meandering creek and several ponds provide innumerable challenges.

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make the course playable for any level of golfer, as tilted fairways have a funneling effect helping to keep the ball in play.

“It is a firm, fair course,” claims Zvanut. “When it dries out you will get a lot of roll off the tee, but the greens are well protected by the bunkers. There are not a lot of holes that you can’t run the ball up.”

Length should not be an issue if you choose the tee that suits your game. GCB is unique in that the front nine has one par 3 and one par 5, but the back has three of each for a par-71 layout.

All of the par 5s are reachable in three shots, but if you get off the tee you can get there in two. Avoiding the greenside bunkers with carefully placed approach shots

is mandatory to get a birdie or eagle. Number 17, at 445 from the white tees, is typical of the par-5 designs. From the tee box a daunting pond lines the left side of the fairway and three bunkers surround the green. Knowing the pin placement on this green, as well as the rest of the holes, is a must.

“Good luck if you get above the hole or on the wrong side of a spine,” says Zvanut. “Even the most benign pin placement is trouble if you are on the wrong level.”

Number 10 is an eye-catching par 3.

From the tips it plays a full 160 yards and requires a full carry over water. A hole location directly behind the bunker perched between the water and the green calls for a near-perfect golf shot.

Photo by Bill Bauer

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The yardage from the tee boxes makes the par 3s exciting holes for all golfers.

While the greens are not huge, they make perfect targets; each backed by trees and fronted with bunkers to catch an errant shot. After stopping at The Turnhouse for food and beverages, number 10 is an eye-catching par 3. From the tips it plays a full 160 yards and requires a full carry over water. A hole location directly behind the bunker perched between the water and the green calls for a near-perfect golf shot. The 16th hole is a bit lengthy at 225, but comes down to a respectable 160 from the forward tees and has one of the largest greens on the course. A huge bunker lines the left and leaves an opening for a pitch and run should your tee shot come up short.

Sights and sounds at The Golf Club at Ballantyne are many. Tree-lined Bermuda fairways and well-landscaped natural areas lie in stark contrast to the modTight fairways, such as this one on the 9th hole, undulating greens, massive bunkers, a meandering creek and several ponds provide innumerable challenges at The Golf Club at Ballantyne.

Photo courtesy of Bissell

40 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

ern edifices, harmlessly hovering above and around the course. A low-pitched, steady hum of traffic blends nicely with the shrill echoes of nature’s inhabitants.

Your journey through GCB’s incomparable setting nears the end when you approach the par 4, 18th hole, which is Ballantyne’s signature hole.

Standing on the elevated tee, a Ballantyne prototype is before you. The creek returns from the left and cuts across the fairway below. An elongated bunker lines an equally long lake that juts into the fairway from the right, and three circular bunkers protect each side of the twotiered green.

The majestic hotel and spa, restaurant and golf shop provide a backdrop for the putting surface. It is a stunning sight, as well as a very playable hole. Carrying the creek should not be a problem, but your approach can be delicate. The 18th is a composite of all you will have experienced thus far.

The Golf Club at Ballantyne is more than a golf course … it is a destination. The Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond hotel and spa provides the perfect venue for a stay-and-play golf outing. A full service salon and 18 treatment rooms for

massage and body treatments are among the available services. A steam room and sauna, whirlpool and indoor, outdoor and resistance pools complement the facility.

Single- and multiple-day packages incorporating golf, lodging and spa services can be arranged for individuals, couples or groups. Ballantyne partners with other nearby hotels and provides shuttle service to the golf course.

With a full-service outing pavilion, clubhouse, golf shop, custom club fitting and practice area, The Golf Club at Ballantyne is dedicated to delivering the best in course facilities and personalized service.

Add the renowned Dana Rader Golf School — a GOLF Magazine top 25 selection — offering a host of single- and multiple-day lesson packages, and the only thing missing is you. n The Golf Club at Ballantyne is just a 2-hour drive, making it possible to play a superb round of championship golf and return to the Upstate in a day. But to experience all it has to offer, plan to stay a night or two. Visit www.ballantynehotel.com, and then contact the hotel at 1-800-325-3589 for reservations.

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Join the

Dinner Party Story by Brett McLaughlin | Photos by Jack Kates III

42 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Unique mountain eatery provides simply delicious food

Plenty tasty and ample enough for a table full of hungry diners, the Farmhouse Charcuterie appetizer features imported sopporosatta, prosciutto, a French olive mix, Port Wine Derby cheese and other imported cheeses and some very tasty artichoke salad.

T

hree nights a week Vince Scafiti invites a few friends over for dinner.

Well, to be totally honest, they might not all be friends when they arrive, but the chances are good they will be by the time they leave. And, if they haven’t struck up a friendship with North Georgia’s most convivial restaurateur, they will go home having enjoyed a truly fine meal.

Scafiti and his wife, Donna, own and operate The Farmhouse at Persimmon Creek. Appropriately it is billed as “… the most unique dining experience anywhere in the Northeast Georgia Mountains.”

From Upstate South Carolina it takes an hour to reach The Farmhouse.

The drive is a bit circuitous with curving mountain roads making up the last 13 miles of the trip. However, the food and Farmhouse experience are worth the drive. Diners are advised to make a reservation (Something you will have to do at least two weeks in advance.) for the first seating at 6 p.m. During the summer you can enjoy a leisurely dinner and still be home before dark.

Scafiti makes dining fun by keeping it simple. For his part, he sets out gathering the freshest ingredients he can early in the week.

On Wednesday he sets his menu and puts it on the website.

“I’m 10 miles from nowhere. My grocery guy doesn’t deliver here so every Thursday and Saturday morning he calls me when he’s in Tallulah Falls; I pull my coat on over my pajamas and meet him in Clayton.

“I buy the best meat and fish I can find. The Black Sea Bass I’m serving tonight wasn’t out of the water 18 hours when I got it,” he continued. “My filets come from Painted Hills Farms in Ore-

gon; my pork comes from Iowa.

“We have a large garden and greenhouse where we grow all of our own herbs and flowers and some of my own vegetables in the summer,” he said, adding, “I’m the gardener, but I don’t work 7 days a week.

I’m not going to divorce court over a tomato.”

Scafiti makes all of his own pastas, salad dressings and even blends his own mozzarella cheese.

Some of those items are the products of cooking classes he offers monthly.

Diners, about half of whom are repeat customers, arrive between 6 and 10 p.m., Thursday through

Saturday, or for brunch on the first Sunday of each month. If they like, folks can come early and enjoy a glass of wine from overstuffed chairs on The Farmhouse porch or at a shady picnic table on the front lawn.

When you enter The Farmhouse, you see the kitchen and, very likely, all four of Scafiti’s employees. A few steps away are seven tables, 34 seats. The room has a two-story high ceiling, which allows for casual conversation in spacious coziness.

Another distinctive feature is a massive

[At top] The Farmhouse desserts routinely vary, but Donna’s strawberry cake was delicious and chef/owner Vince Scafiti’s key lime pie was made extra tasty by a secret ingredient in the crust.

[Above] The filet mignon really is indescribable! At nine ounces it is bigger than many steakhouse filets and certainly more tender. Seared on the stove and finished in an oven, it is served with a rich bordelaise sauce and presented elegantly with fingerling potatoes and, in this case, a tasty blend of Hon Shimeji mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

SUMMER 2014 • 43

stone fireplace that is generally stoked on winter evenings. On any given night, half the tables might be available for a second seating.

“When I opened I thought I would have seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. The problem was, the folks at 6 never left,” the owner said with a smile.

Don’t be in a hurry. Scafiti comes from an old-school Sicilian family and knows that using quality ingredients to make great food takes time.

“It’s like coming to Vince’s house for dinner,” he said. “It’s like having a dinner party every night. My food network is unimpeachable. My people know what I want, and they won’t sell me anything that isn’t the best they have.

“I only buy what I need. I never have leftovers. If I run out of something on the menu … well, we go to plan B,” he said, adding, “If I know that someone who is coming has a special dish, I’ll try to buy it.

I’ve got a lady who loves Chilean Sea Bass.

The scallops are served fresh from New Bedford, Mass. Lightly seared on the outside and mouthwateringly moist inside, the presentation includes cucumber slaw on a bed of wild rice, topped with a stir-fry featuring Hon Shimeji mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

When I know she’s coming, I’ll buy a couple of pounds and put that on the menu.”

Because the menu changes weekly, if not daily, diners never know what will be offered when reservations are made.

However, Scafiti generally offers beef, seafood and pasta entrees. During our visit the menu also had a veal and rack of lamb entrée.

Our meal started with one of the chef ’s favorite appetizers — a shareable Farmhouse Charcuterie that featured imported sopporosatta, prosciutto, a French olive mix, Port Wine Derby cheese and other imported cheeses and some very tasty artichoke salad.

In addition to a standard house salad that can be enjoyed with any of four homemade dressings — the ginger soy comes highly recommended — The Farmhouse offers a unique Caesar salad served in a homemade parmesan basket, and a vineripened tomato and avocado salad topped with white balsamic vinaigrette.

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Chef/Owner Vince Scafiti’s kitchen is organized and active. Although The Farmhouse only has seating for 34, Scafiti is involved in the creation and presentation of every dish that comes out of his relatively small kitchen, located just feet away from the dining area.

We tasted three of Scafiti’s five entrees during our visit, but the most memorable were the center cut filet mignon and the diver scallops. Without exaggeration, they were both the best we have ever tasted.

The scallops, fresh from New Bedford, Mass., were flaky and tender and cooked to perfection — lightly seared on the outside and mouth-wateringly moist inside. They were served with cucumber slaw on a bed of wild rice, and topped with a stir-fry that prominently featured Hon Shimeji mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

As for the filet, it really is indescribable. At nine ounces it is bigger than many steakhouse filets and it was certainly more tender. Scafiti sears the meat on the stove and then finishes it in an oven. The result was an entrée we were able to cut with a bread knife — and probably could have done so with a fork — and that actually melted in our mouths. It is served with

list, but Vince’s key lime pie was also very tasty, perhaps because of his secret ingredient — two-thirds graham crackers and one-third gingersnaps in the crust.

If you ask him, Scafiti may share with you what he calls the “fluke” beginnings of The Farmhouse. It’s a fun story and will

a rich bordelaise sauce and presented elegantly with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Even at $43 we would order it again and again.

Donna makes many of The Farmhouse desserts, which also change regularly. Her strawberry cake topped our

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have you scratching your head after enjoying one of the best meals to be found this close to home. n The Farmhouse at Persimmon Creek requires reservations. They may be made online at: www.thefarmhouseatpersimmoncreek.

com, or by phone at (706) 782-9834. Salads and appetizers ranch in price from $6.50 to $15; entrees from $30 to $43; and desserts are $7. The Farmhouse has a good selection of fine wines. Diners may also bring their own wine, but there is a corking fee. To learn more about The Farmhouse, visit the website.

If you go ...

The directions to 3093 Blue Ridge Gap Road, Clayton, are best obtained from The Farmhouse website, www. thefarmhouseatpersimmoncreek.com.

Your own GPS may take you out of the way and down more mountain roads than necessary.

In short, take US-76 to Clayton. At the first major light bear right, staying on US-76/US-441. Go .3 of a mile and turn left on US-76. Go 8 miles and turn right on Persimmon Road. Go 2.2 miles and bear right on Persimmon Creek Road.

Go 3 miles to The Farmhouse (By now the road name will have changed to Blue Ridge Gap Road.) If you reach Dolly Dixon Lane, you’ve gone too far.

The Farmhouse at Persimmon Creek bills itself as “… the most unique dining experience anywhere in the Northeast Georgia Mountains.” With owners who feel they are inviting friends in for a leisurely dinner party, and food that, in many cases, is incomparable, that may be the perfect characterization. | PAGE LABE L

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SOFTBALL PLAY OFFS: West-Oak, Seneca

Tickets remain for Taste of Home

BY NORMAN

CANNADA

THE JOURNAL

WALHA LLA bers of Oconee — As memCounty Council consider ways of dealing with potentia lly deeper cuts from the state’s Local Government Fund (LGF), Councilman Wayne McCall

CANNADA

SENECA — More than 400 tickets have already been sold for the of Home CookingTaste School scheduled for June 3 at the Gignilli at Community Center.

Michelle Roberts will be the culinary for the cooking specialist school, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. June 3 at Gignilliat, located on North Townville Street in Roberts will Seneca. be sharing cooking tips and tricks while demons trating stepby-step recipes for some of the season’s best dishes.

The event is presented

by The Journal local sponsor . Major s Walmar t, Searsinclude Hometown Store and Kinley Cabinets.

The Journal last brought the Taste Cooking School of Home to Seneca in 2008. That event was a sellout, with more than 800 attendee s.

All of the 300 for the Taste VIP tickets of been sold. VIP Home have allow for seats tickets on the floor and a 3:30 p.m.

A total of 136 admission. general admission tickets sold by Friday. had been General admission tickets provide a seat on the bleachers and a 4:30 p.m. admission for the 6:30 p.m. show.

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BY PETE IACOBELL I a team to take ASSOCIATED PRESS seriously in college football. national TV CLEMSON in In that Thursda — Perhaps since we playedDeath Valley the 176 yards on biggest thing like dogs the in 2002 against y night game five Clemson coach last time (against North Carolina cluding a 76-yardreceptions, inDabo Swinney State, a quarterb State),” he said. Florida scoring catch ack named that moved about Thursda was happy Philip Rivers y night was job of creating “We did a great 95 career Boyd past Rivers’ led the Wolfhis team’s positive momentum pack to a 38-6 touchdowns. the beginnin at showing at victory against home in the Georgia Tech g of the game.”

Clemson. national spotligh Clemson’s defense 27-17 on Robert cut the lead to Clemson dominat t.

The Tigers held Georgia Tech’s ed Georgia rebounded yard touchdow Godhigh’s 65Tech 55-31 in league-leadagainst the the n run early ing rushing Yellow Jackets the third quarter. day night game first Thursin offense hind Tajh Boyd, beto three at Death Valley straight But Clemson answered with since 2002. four touchdow who passed for without three-and-outs and touchdowns ns to overtake a first down its next two on A month ago, Rivers as the possessi until Clemson second the ons to take ACC’s career quarter. was control for good. poised for a leader. nationally teleYellow Jackets By the time the vised Atlantic “We came out got going, the Even more Coast Conferand made a Tigers were important for statement in ence showdow up Swinney was the second half,” n that turned accurate arm 20-0 on Boyd’s how Clemson Watkins said. into a 51-14 drubbin and quickly and wideouts Sammy his speedy g against confidently Florida State, The Tigers took control of the Watkins hope raising quesMartavis Bryant. and game against even a few more to make tions whether Georgia Tech. the Tigers were statements Watkins had this season.

“It was good catches of 41 touchdown to get back on They and 44 yards, close their home while Bryant season Tajh ANNEMARIE JACQUES had a career-h Boyd walks | THE JOURNAL igh SEE TIGERS, PAGE during the Tigers’toward the sideline C2 Tech in Memoria game against Georgia

BY CARLOS GALARZA l Stadium on Thursday.

-VEVE THE

| HIGH SCHO

OL FOOTBALL |

SC bill addresses religious symbols at schools

Sloppy finish JOURNAL

Tigers get early test against South Car olin

SENECA — State Rep. Bill Sandifer is pushing a bill he introduc ed in the House that would make it easier for schools to display a nativity scene in DecemBY ERIC SPROTT ber without fearsive team,” THE JOURNAL ing a lawsuit.

Clemson House Bill junior K.J. CLEMSON 4458 would — McDanadd a pair of blowoutWith section 59-1-456 iels said. wins Sandifer in in its only two the gener“They’re

BY JOSIE RABBITT ings thus far, outal provisions things young, sort governing THE JOURNAL have been going state of like us, well providing for education through the first week school districts CLEMSON and are to “educate — of the season students about um was a sea Littlejohn Colisefor a great the holidays of colors and Clemson basketb the Brownell SEE TICKETS, of traditional Contact us at life@upst faces Friday crying rebound all PAGE A7 winter celebrat ing as team. atetoday.com ions” and ates gathered Clemson graduteam, so we or call (864) 882-2375“display for three graduaBut while there’s have to go out certain symbols Saturday, May tion ceremon INSIDE sociated with asies on Friday. been some 10, 2014 be physical. there and these early More than It starts Worship directory on school property holidays 3,200 tassels success for with their coach, B2 the Tiright, swaying hung .” and The legislati gers, they’ll slightly as they’re a real graduates hugged Comics B4 get the tough whelmingly on was overpicture of what a true team.” family and approved in kind Tell Willie B7 the House and of team they It’s probably was introduc are safe to SEE CLEMSON ed last week in they play host when say McDani , PAGE A6 the Senate, els The Journal B1 where it was Carolina on to South most intense is the read for the Sunday (5 player the first time and p.m., ESPN3) Tigers have referred to at to offer, committee the john Coliseum Littleas he leads on educatio the . n.

The bill goes The 164th edition with 15.5 pointssquad on to state that and of in teaching six the rebounds per rivalry affair students about game. will the history, be the earliest In Clemson customs and SPECIAL meet’s symbols of ing for the Culinary specialisTO THE JOURNAL victory over 58-37 traditional Tigers (2-0) Delaware winter t Michelle celebrations, Clockwise from and Gameco Roberts will State on Wednes the school PHOTOS BY JESSICA cks be on hand district may 2014 graduati top: 1. During Clemson NELMS | THE JOURNAL in series history,(1-1) at the Taste of Pendleto had five blocks, day, he allow students Universi n’s Alex on ceremon Home Cookand Haynes and staff to ates wore will precede ing School on dium the only Tiger and was Friday, many ty’s three spring toon clever caps triesies offer tradition on Friday hold the annual on to soon-to-be June 3 at to score night with unique greetings, “includi 2. Graduat al football tilt graduthe Gignillia y running sayingsNewberr e Laurenin Pendleto n. Newberr between the in double digits besides back t Community ng, but not y and limited to: wonpraises morning ceremon Dezervos waves schools by 21-9 toto KENNY FEY | THE parents.Omar Sims during Center.

Damarcus to her father 13 days.

JOURNAL Harrison, y. 3. Karuiam Hanukk Pendleton out HappytheirHappy game at duringknock of his fellow ah, Cunning Friday’s And with his who finished Holiday and of the Class graduates before Booker waits outside team with a Merry ham StaChristmas.”2A sDivision graduation. with the rest claiming victorie walking into game-high 1 playoffs.

4. Clemson 15 Littlejoh points. s over Universi installed during n Coliseum By the same Stetson and ty presiden While the Tigers’ for each of the Delaware associated withtoken, symbols three graduati t James P. Clements was State thus far, didn’t put forth | INSIDE | these celeon ceremon

BY ERIC SPROTT ies. son head coachClemoverly impress an THE JOURNAL was never CALENDAR Brownell knowsBrad able to cross offense performive SEE BILL, PAGE A2 ENTERTAIN A7 the goal SunCLASSIFIEDS ance, | INFO | day will be their defense line, instead PENDL ETON wanted to offensiv D6 LIFESTYLE MENT B5 SPORTS represent shined in COLUMNISTS having to — For the majorit ely, defensiv a major challeng C1 of the night, allowing just settle for a B1 STOCK DELIVERY and in the B4 OBITUARIE ely y trio of Alex COMICS REPORTS theD4 the fewest kicking game, e, and Pendlet opportunity, School points during Haynes field B3 TV NEWSon High (864) 882-2375 can’t make B4 OPINION S football LISTINGS for goals that the mistakes in but you did exactly (864) 882-6397 B6 young Tigers. his A4 WORLD what it wanted team Brownell era. represented Editor: John Hackwort the red zone.

DS | NATION D1 allCLASSIFIE all h | jhackworth@upsta three phases (864) 882-2375 ADVERTISI “It’s a significa against Newberin Bulldogs’ pointsof the McDaniel added “It was all tetoday.com | (864) nt (864) 973-6305 ry on FridayNG self-infl icted in the the game, and it’s rivalry aspect loss.

But it was couldn’t be night. …

Saturday, April 882-2375 but certainly I a of the prouder of a game will 6, 2013 step up in competit opportu nities bevy of botched their effort.”

For Pendlet The loss was likely that proved on head WeSellKeowee@ made all the he said. “I think ion,” Bulldogs’ undoing factor Sunday, play a to be theMLS #201536 coach Paul Sutherl frustrating more gmail.com (head but due 14 to and, the $237,50 coach night at Cunnin on a cold, rainy not the red zone 0 effort put forth by the Frank Martin) trying to get he’s 1 Spy Glass struggle s Pendleton gham Stadium too has caught South Carolina their season Patti Cason— wereLn defense it held Newber the painful up in that. came to a bitter , asCharming Lake Keowee Assoc. Broker, ly ry (9-3) to just , as very well, and playing with a 21-9 ALHS obvious differen “We look at first downs end home ce two defeat in the they’re a it Hardwood in (864) 903-1234 in talented team second round of the valry, but we as a rifloors the forced a pair the second half and game, as his with a big Class 2A Division Main level master also have Gary Cason— Thefront of three-an team Journal strong playoffs. to look at it again failed the game’s d-outs in Realtor 1 suite to reach line. D1 as another final six minutes 4 bedroom (864) 903-0312 “It’s a good game and another On four trips sthe & 3third when bathsround of post- it was a five-point time for us Lower levelseason game. to test ourselve | U.S. & worl including foraysto the red zone — lenge for ourselve chal“The defense rec room play since s against last trip Wonder to the 1, 2 s, but its briefS a team D in 2006. ful amenitie 7 yard lines no doubt about played lights out, | of knowing it’s a rivalry, with this kind s included — Pendleton and “It’s very frustrat it, and we were competitive fAA delays it makes it (6-5) the game all ing,” Sutherin a lot more closing talent.” land said. “We night,” Sutherl exciting,” he did everyth and of control That kind of competsaid. “I’m ing we towers itive excited to play talent nearly SEE BULLDOGS them, produced an upset , PAGE C3 and to have AssociAted Press WASHINGTON them this (AP) —victory early is great closings ofearlier this The week, WASHINGTON for us. We as control the towers have to stay Gameco at 149 small cks nearObama’s propose — President Barack consistent

BY CHRISTIN airports, due the way we’ve knocked A CLEVELAND d budget will begin thisly to 23 off No. reductions been weeken call for with the beginni THE JOURNAL Baylor ond Tuesday in the growth these last two because of governm ng of the 10-obrity and other of Social Secugames.” ent-wide spendin, ultistacle mud The game will teams of four, cuts, are mately falling run — each LONG CREEK by a gfinal insisting on benefit programs while start a being obstacle with a registra named after score delayed big week for more still tion fee of $40 mid-Jun until a - of 66-64 in on a mud run? — Ever been the Waco, a renewed attempttaxes from the wealthy e,Texas. per person. federal from the river.rapid or section gers, who will TiBY NORMAN regulators competition The in to strike high-energy Just picture a The course travel to CANNADA cutting deal hasannoun a little more Friday. is two ageced obstacle course In Charleston the loss, sophomo with Republi a broad deficit-THE JOURNAL standou groups: 14 to 17 and than a mile that on Thurst Will Young, includes Federal cans.

18 andThe The proposa re day to long, following a forward crawling through over.

Aviation After l the race, Michael Carretake part in trail the brown, Administration defeated the fiscal 2014 aims for a compromise the the farm’s disc that runs along ceremon there will murky be an ra Charleston was said CENTR stuff, jumpon fouled budget by combini award it on needs AL — A little ing over bales Westwo golf course.

Classic. On more time y for the a shot president’s “(Participants to deal at winnersattempt ng more of hay od the opening the demand for with T-shirts for and the legal rope buzzer, challengesbut night, Clemhigher taxesthe than a minute into climbing among 45-42 inand particip GOP insisten some swampy will) cross son will face ants. to officials the closures other their with second quarter ce But don’t think Also, challengdetermi Temple in . ned programs. But on reductions in entitlem , Dan- ing obstacles, secondare over the areas — some about the fouled the festival round one after iel’s streak the first of three 50 airport is head just occurre the the ent of The about next. plan and authorit 13 game Friday d Paddle Faster games consecwas alreadyutive some are running through tering negative knee-deep ies after on their trip andtime other encounquarters without mud — its mainholders” expired. hosted by Chattoo “staketo the night. Mud Run — Belle Farmin mud,” Chattooga for its insisten reviews from top Republic purposehave giving up a “It’d be a good coast. ga Belle Farm commem is Freshm owner Ed Land an Sindariu to indicate ce on revenue — will be the “I’m ans touchdown d they s want “They have to fund and labor for said. Scenic orate the Thornw and from feature proud Wild ended dence builder confithe operatio and ell finished with a 28-yard event at to liberals its effect on the second Chattooga leading of the ns with in of my defenareas as fast get across those the social safety annual run towers 20 points, Obama would River

by Clinton to another Chattooga themsel and raise awarene rather while as they can, to River Festivalsive front,” ves freshnet. ’s Matthias reduce the week ss for itsthan they’ll circle then ment deficit man , which is schedof important seeforward continued preserv govern- s. them back around. by $1.8 trillion federalWilliam uled for today.Daniel Demetri shut games down, andHenry ation. us with ” Registration according to coach over 10 years, But that was more finished good competi marks the 40th anniver Today time a willwith Though all the Red The festival Randy be needed tion 7:15-7:45 a.m., will be held from this year’sdown nine administrationsummary from the Devils begins Robof the points, to work river’s designa sary in will at 8 a.m.

Obamagot. festival Charleston,” and particip six out PHOTOS SPECIAL relocal those inson said plans, include can compete music, tion ants bounds TO THE JOURNAL dent’s budget, provided Friday. TheThe senior-l as the Browne Chattoog “wild agency scenic” by ll said of the food and craft vendors individually and and a Sounds said presied Lion debe two after Friday’s in ablocks.

Congres more stateme or in on the river. incorporates the first of his second fense held One potentia s, the and prospect of owner nt.first such designa term, Clinton scoregetting aGreg Sluder said the focus l shortelements from win. “It was tion The coming in U.S. less for the win Sunday. firsthistory, House Speaker will his last a 24 towerfor the Gameoffer to last 34:43 of “One of closures accordin persona l chalwere schedule cocks g to Land. the game, the things this Congressional John Boehner in Decemb lenge Monday that they don’t d toisstart will do Republicans er. and running Sunday.s establis Congres at practice have Bruce back Jared is identify proposal because I’ve got all rejected .

Ellington hed the things Dillingh am that these sificatio n “to doing well clas- we’re their disposa than a $1 trillion of its demand forscored Senator: at on this defensiv seniors three touchdo and identify NASA l. The protect the river in tax revenue tomore tofrom disturba wns senior lasso propel Daniel and I told them, e line, guard “It’s not the ncethings we’re by man, asteroid,9.9 . thataverage into the president’s so not doing d the Chattoo bring ‘They’re third round In this well points it our budget ideal approac going because closer ga April per game and its to line up and of the Class 3 file photo, we’re gochallenges, ridor h to provide last season, WASHINGTON 3A State chaling to playcorPresident Barack senior adminis lenge your but it is a serious compromise playoffs but he isn’t a clean, a team litter-fre manhood and Obama speaks experien tration official proposition that’s — A ce for generati e available(AP) top senator 31-7 victory tionswith physically run right at said Friday that demons that he wants AssociAted Press for in inathe growth at the Police says this very Friday ons hisPreside come,” strong you.’ that trates to to get things night Academ Obama’s propose torically early nt accordingand of federal Social Barack Obama at Singleto attempt competi believes we done, that to the only n Field. to strike a“To tive with a contest, d budget will y in Denver. A festival give up seven website, Security ought he NASA comprom as he’sand which also are plannin stepwarns call for points up in talent. ise with congres pensions and other American people,”to do the businessThe Lions (12-0) busy with the way g for still growth a robotic of the will benefit program reducthey run sional Republic in populati“Hopefu“the travel spaceshiphis said White the football to Greer next secretary Jay on in thelly we’ll play s in an to wide areceiver House press ans. duties mounta is a great Frismall in Carney. for lasso day. The YellowA well, play asteroid and areas and the key feature night for us.”

Congress and with resultin parkGameco Jackets itactivitie of the plan nearcks’s pose a multifac dence, and g confithe moon.football team.

Obama is sub- A host of Daniel by mitting for, the ready secured the administrationhelmed we happen Then astrona danger eted have al- former Daniel CARL ACKERMAN federal budget defende Despite that, to win the utsto the river’s would explore ning Oct. 1 J.D. ients tion over the $2.5 trillion in deficit SEE LIONS, PAGE game, that’ll year pay higher rs, led by Lee Eddlema | THE JOURNAL future.”

Davisto the Tiit in 2021. is a A portion (33) reducGreg Sluder C3 beginnext 10 years bring down gers are premiums of thecertainl Obama’ well called “chaine revised inflation adjustm during ysgive proceed Clinton’s or co-pays. n (77) andSen. Bill Nelson reductions aware s budget us a little their game of from mud run and with the through budget Chattooga Sounds ofthe proposal alsoMatthias the task ahead Florida boost going at Singleto additional would effectived CPI.” This new formula ent end-of-year increase on n Field on calls forWilliams said the plan would into of them will be donated tax the owner Chattoo tax the ly curb annual speed next week.” to the weekend ga Conserv night. up by fourthis to place limits revenue, including aFriday in a broad swath bring that total rich. Obama’s plan would . increases ancy. years the existing proposal Belle’s Bistro, located to mission to “They’r accounts for on tax-preferred retirem e but would have of government program an aggresWhile the budget $4.3 trillion over 10 at Chattooga Belle land astrona wealthy taxpaye ent its biggest impact years. Security s uts on Farm,esprott@upstat an asteroid has called for etoday.com | (864) years ago before will serve automatic spendin would not affect current lunch during 882-2386 by bringin . By encomp adding on limits on tax rs. Obama campgr g the the race, and assing Obama’ Social space rock the wealthy ound. It offers a deductions Boehner, R-Ohio, March, it would g cuts that took effect closer tofestivalthen , a proposa s offer to by many differen in Earth. goers can the plan will replace $1.2 l that about $580 Nelson said reductions the-board reductio trillion in acrosstwo miles down travel an easy kayakint attractions, includin also include billion in revenuecould generate this would in Medicar g ns that would Damasc NASA develop help e spending, g, a lake and Boehner, in it by targetin over 10 years. scheduled to to enjoy have been much of walk-in a statement, the capabili activities nearbyus Road and RV camping g payments kick over the to publican ty nudge said viders to health care next nine years.

House ReChattooga at away a dangero s made and drug compan since building sites. He said prous Sounds Camp. asteroid heading that he should clear to Obama last ies. proposal also Chattoo month not make savings hosted many the site he has to Earth would require The Medicare the future. in ga Sounds owner Greg different events, Sluder teamed wealthier recip- ments that both sides in entitleeven wedding agree on conting on more tax s, for the event up with the farm increases. ent loves renting but he mostly With a backdro with Wild out Hearing set for Water Raftingalong p of the Blue families, especialthe grounds to in Long Creek, alleged drinks and Ridge Mountai ly moms and crafts will be colo. prison gang Southeastern Expeditions children. n, the music sold on-site. portion of Chattoog Clayton, Ga., membe r and with the in He said though a River FestivalDENVE port supthe of first ChatR (AP) — An major sponsor is free. Food tooga River , als like Blue leged white Festival was suprem Ridge Electric Co-op. popular, this very gang member arrested acist year’s focus Sluder is during thebuilt the site three investigation into the killing SEE FESTIVAL, of Colorado’s PAGE B2 prisons chief will make his first pearance Monday court ap.

James Lohr was arrested early Friday after This story is chase in Colorad a brief written by a student in o Springs Mandar Authorities .

Ruth in Chinese had announ is a course in memoir Story’s — but it is also ced they were looking writing, challenge. exhilaratoffered under for him ing. and small the a fellow shampo The whole gang the OLLI Lifelongaegis of o factory memberin After about as Guangz personshou, Learnin China as system is of interest six years of ing Institute built anin possible, and working in even the slaying at Clemson largerofone I figured I would definitely and home — far Tom in Clemen University.

Huangpts. na, I was feelingout of Chi- The AssociAted Press cheaper than u, make Students’ life and only werenamed a reasonable a chalveneer furnitur now building stories appear tour guide. suspecta in able and confidencomfort- themajor e bought case fatty Somewhere lenge, and WASHINGTON is another in the U.S. alcohol style section in the Lifelodged in plant member This taken two years t. I had of together on Saturda — U.S. employe the 211 Crew the distant the people just 88,000 jobs withprison age of bargain was the ys. the Chinese rs added back of my school Mandar of night- who in March, the s in Hong gang in was Jiangme mind was a who run months and Kong. killed in and, n. in The hina is a fascinat niggle that six a shootou a sharp retreat fewest in nine with lots of years last the Chinese t month had the practice strong hiring. ing system been after a period Then it was in , could P&G busy ones.

Texas. place to work. government make myself The slowdow on to of didn’t really seemed to be the econom understood Guangzhou n may signal it’s a challeng Sure, LIFELIN ES | can be a like foreigndoing y is heading and underst by train for that ers travelin e. challenge.

China and and what into a weak a few days touring USwell The Labor Just living Airinforce g around the had a spring. others were Department in China is officer good country unsuper relationship Even saying. then on to Beijing. and a the unempl said Friday challenge. gets with oyment rate vised, that pardon That was particul Getting around ED local, During unescor ted, state and in italy eating can This Friday, is a challeng our week in dipped cent, the lowest national not part of March 29, photo useful in meeting arly Beijing we e. Working officials.

KRECH in four years, to 7.6 pera tour sometim ROME Va. traverse group, percent. But shows with The s when (AP) — Italy’s es from 7.7 U.S. econom the totally d Tiananm but I idly the Chinese the differ-a help wanted sign in be a chalen y has enjoyed presi- dismissed dentSo didn’t realSquare, saw government ent cultural onwhen P&G people stopped rate fell only because Friday that. front of a restaura offered ize I could AssociAted pardone the Forbidd will signal w norms isa four-month str Press more lookin da U.Sto send m un Im len e n a

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& SUSHI B L L I R G É AR L O S

A TASTY DINING

EXPERIENCE

O

n almost any night of the week, Solé Grill and Sushi Bar in Seneca can get so busy, owner T.J. Grove says he couldn’t even let his mother in if he wanted to. But that shouldn’t turn you away, because with a reservation it’s almost guaranteed that one can experience “casual dining with a touch of class.”

“If you came in last night you wouldn’t have had anywhere to go,” Grove said on a Thursday afternoon. “The entire place was full — top to bottom, back to front.”

It’s fair to ask what makes a sushi restaurant in the heart of a rural county such a local attraction. It could be the relaxed atmosphere in the appealing interior dining rooms and patio, which is accompanied by soft music, familiar faces and a pleasant staff. Or for many, it could be the extensive drink menu that is filled with more than 100 wines and Solé’s own signature cocktails.

48 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Story by Christina Cleveland Photos courtesy of Solé Grill & Sushi Bar

It is very likely that it is the work of its chefs that brings in the continuous crowds each week. The list of cooks consists of a regular sushi chef, main chef and kitchen manager, Chad Barnes, and even restaurant partner, Thomas Shaw — each of whom ardently prepares meals from scratch every day, right down to the spices.

And if you ask Grove, it’s primarily be-

cause there’s something on the menu for everyone.

“We tell people if they eat, they will find something here they like,” he said.

The all-encompassing menu — in addition to the aforementioned — has Grove and Shaw taking reservations right until they’re ready to open the doors each day.

Thirty minutes before Solé opens on that same Thursday afternoon, Grove is answering two phones and pacing between the floor and the kitchen to finish last-minute tasks. The momentum and energy in the ligneous, soft-lit dining area has already begun to build. Solé’s staff meticulously begins by preparing tables, mixing beverages and even cutting fresh vegetables at the sushi bar.

Soon, an eager patron knocks on the side-door entrance, peering through the glass. The restaurant is still not officially open, but the staff happily greets him.

While staring through the glass entry, he looks down at his watch and realizes he’s early. However, a waitress acquiesces and lets him in, and he takes a seat at the bar. He

knows what to order. He must be a regular.

It is these customers and similar dining experiences that Grove says leaves people feeling like they’re eating at a well-known fictional bar where “everybody knows your name.”

“A lot of people compare it to ‘Cheers,’ because they can go to the bar and have a drink or two, then by the end of the night wind up saying ‘hi’ to someone they know,” Grove said. “It’s a really cool atmosphere you don’t usually find up here.”

But even if it’s your first time dining at the restaurant, it does not take too long to find something on the menu that is palatable. With numerous menu options featuring steaks, pasta and seafood and more than 30 sushi and specialty rolls, a customer can easily find a balance of appetizing tapas and entrees.

Two popular specialty roll choices are the yellow dragon roll and the fiery habanero roll. The fiery roll can sound audacious, but it is surprisingly not too spicy. It is tempura-fried with a fiery habanero spicy tuna mix inside and served with a jalapeño wedge on top. The yellow tail over an eel and cucumber roll topped with roe — or caviar — has a lighter and fresh taste, and not to mention, is gorgeously plated.

From the grill, the seared sesame tuna could effortlessly become a personal favorite. It is sesame-crusted and seared rare over flavorsome orange teriyaki fried rice.

A heartier meal option on the other side of the menu is the blue cheese portabella chicken. The panko-crusted chicken breast is baked in the oven and topped with blue cheese cream sauce and blue cheese crumbles. It comes served with a jalapeño

mushroom cap and garlic mashed potatoes.

Instead of a typical vegetable side, the chef thinly slices vegetables and sautés them with salt, pepper, garlic and a little white wine.

If you dine on Fridays and Saturdays, Barnes and Shaw make chef specials, adding a twist on available meals and even sometimes making items that are not offered on the menu.

“I enjoy the specials a lot,” Shaw said.

“It just gives us a chance to do a little something different.”

Barnes said the specials are created spontaneously or inspired by their everyday life, such as a recent idea to make cookies and cream crème brulee, a twist on a menu dessert.

“It grew from an idea from my girlfriend’s daughter,” Barnes said. “She just wanted something that tasted like ice cream.”

Solé is open for dinner from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and strongly encourages reservations. Prices average around $20 for an entrée, and burgers and sushi rolls are priced at $10 and less.

There are also weekly specials, including all-you-can-eat sushi on Mondays, buyone, get-one sushi on Wednesdays and $7 burgers on Thursdays. The half-pound burgers are ground at the restaurant and served on Kaiser rolls or grilled sourdough bread.

With the restaurant celebrating its three-year anniversary in Seneca this year, it is garnering some of its best business yet.

Solé, whose name derived from the idea of a former waitress, was located in Clemson until 2005. With encouragement from former customers, the owners decided to bring it back, purchasing the location on the U.S. Highway 123 bypass in Seneca about four years ago.

Shaw is a Clemson University alumnus, and both he and Grove have ties to Clem-

son, including fathers who once taught at the university at the same time. The two began working together as chefs in downtown Clemson almost 10 years ago.

“I taught him everything he knows until he got better than me,” Grove said jokingly about his friend.

Alongside fellow restaurant partner Jay Klugo, the duo now manages Solé and a pair of restaurants in downtown Clemson — 356 Sushi Bar and Wingin’ It. Currently, Shaw is still heavily involved in cooking and mostly manages Solé, while Grove floats between the restaurants, working more in customer service, though it is apparent they both have their hands in most everything.

“Our service is phenomenal, our food is great, our atmosphere is fun and our prices are right,” Grove said. “You can still come and have a great time, have some cocktails and relax and not go broke. We try to set up where you can come here a few days a week.”

“If you leave the office and you want to come in, you’re on a date or you just want to hang out, you can come in anytime and enjoy it,” he said.

It goes without saying that the desire to see their customers coming back is one that is currently being met without challenge. n For reservations, call (864) 882-9463, and for more information, visit solesushi.com.

SUMMER 2014 • 49

BY PHILLIP GENTRY

Clemson’s Other Big Cats

I

t would come as no surprise to anyone if you were in the Clemson area of Lake Hartwell and struck up a conversation about “big cats.” We have a lot of them up here. They’re decked out in orange and purple, and they run down the hill and play football at Death Valley. However, there is another, lesserknown big cat on the other side of the hill from Death Valley. This one is blue and it swims in Lake Hartwell.

Although striped bass trips greatly outweigh the number of calls he gets for catfish, on the days he guides for them, Captain Bill Plumley has a pretty airtight pattern for finding Hartwell catfish.

“One misconception about blue cats is that they lie on the bottom and don’t move,” said Plumley. “Actually, they move around a lot. They may be in the back of a creek at daylight and by midday they’ll move all the way out to the main river channel. I have caught blues all over the lake at one time or another, but during the summer I’ll follow a similar pattern and fish back in a creek at daylight moving to deeper water after the sun gets up.”

Plumley focuses on two primary areas for summer catfishing on Lake Hartwell. The first includes the stretch of the Tugaloo River from the I-85 crossing near Fair Play all the way up to the Highway 123 bridge crossing above Westminster.

His second area is the entire stretch of the Seneca River.

Plumley says he catches the majority of his fish in water between 20 and 60 feet deep. He may fish shallower if he locates concentrations of baitfish closer to the bank, which is typical early in the morning. Likewise he prefers to graph a large school of baitfish before he decides to commit to fishing any one area.

“Striper and catfish arches on the graph give different signals,” he said. “The

50 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

popular belief is that stripers give a harder signal because they have scales and catfish don’t. Either way, I’m going to anchor the boat front and back and give it a shot if I see baitfish and large arches in the right location.”

The right location for Plumley may be the edge of a channel up one of the main rivers, a deep flat adjacent to a main channel or a long point that drops off into deeper water. Long points often serve doubleduty if he can beach his boat and reach the deeper water with a long cast.

Once the boat is secure, Plumley casts 6 to 8 rods in a semi-circle around the transom of his 23-foot center console boat. His craft is set up with a homemade trolling bar that allows easy access to the rods. In addition, the bar is outfitted with Driftmaster dual position rod holders that allow the rods to either angle up for fan cast fishing or sit parallel to the water for vertical fishing.

Bait choices for Plumley are dictated by water depths. His best summer baits are usually fresh cut blueback herring, a “match the hatch” choice for fishing deep water.

The final note about blue catfishing is the bite. Plumley says blues don’t fool around and peck a bait to death like a channel cat will do or sneak off with a slow tick of the open spool alarm like a flathead.

Few local anglers realize that Lake Hartwell has a thriving population of blue catfish. The fish became established years ago and have grown into a thriving population in terms of both size and number.

Photo by Phillip Gentry

“When it’s a blue, especially a good one, he’ll grab it and go,” he said. “The line will go from a broad bow to the rod bent double and hurting. That’s a good blue cat bite!” n For more information about Lake Hartwell catfishing, contact Captain Bill Plumley (864) 287-2120 or www. lakehartwellfishing.com.

BY DAVE KROEGER

President/CEO Kroeger Marine Construction

Times, They Are A-Changin’

T

here are several noted changes coming down the pike related to the Duke Energy relicensing process. To some degree they are time sensitive. In the 2013-14 winter issue of Lake Living I covered the basics of the “Modification of Existing Docks to Reach Deeper Water.” This will be discussed in detail in the fall issue, as it is closer to the earliest possible date that Duke Energy may begin accepting applications.

The most impending change will be the Habitat Enhancement Program (HEP).

The purpose of the HEP is to create, enhance and protect aquatic and wildlife habitat within the project boundaries, including the Keowee/ Toxaway Hydroelectric Project (the project reservoirs and islands, plus any part of the watershed draining into the project reservoirs) by encouraging, reviewing, evaluating and funding proposals to accomplish this purpose.

Duke Energy will provide start-up funding for the HEP that will be supplemented by fees assessed to anyone applying for certain lake-use permits within the project. Per the Relicensing Agreement, collection of the associated fees for the HEP will begin on what is referred to as the Shoreline Management Plan Effective Date (Sept. 1, 2014). Completed permit applications post-marked to Duke Energy Lake Services after Sept. 1 will be subjected to the applicable HEP fee.

How will this affect you?

This HEP fee will apply to any dock 52 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

or stabilization request requiring a permit under the Shoreline Management Plan.

This includes dock or stabilization modifications, expansions or maintenance. There is no fee associated with existing approved boat docks or shoreline stabilization structures, unless there is an application for alteration, expansion or maintenance.

The HEP fee will also apply to oth-

er permit application types such as marinas, excavations, conveyances, line crossings, etc. The total list and fee chart can be viewed on the Duke relicensing link below.

As a note, the existing fees required for lake-use permits for such things as private docks and shoreline stabilization have not changed and remain at $300 for private docks and $50 for shoreline stabilization. The HEP is an additional fee that Duke Energy is required to assess and administer.

HEP fees for private use type permits are as follows: Private residential dock, $500; shoreline stabilization, except for

bioengineering stabilization, $500.

By way of example, if you were going to apply for a new dock on your property or apply to modify or maintain your existing dock before Sept. 1, there would not be any associated HEP fee. The standard application fee total would be $300.

After Sept. 1, the fees would be $300 for the standard application and $500 for the HEP, for a total of $800.

This amount total would be the same if the application was for a combined riprap and boat dock permit.

If the application were for just a riprap permit, the fee would be $50 for the standard application and $500 for the HEP, for a total of $550.

HEP fees will be waived only for dock modifications needed to reach deeper water during the window of opportunity and bioengineering shoreline stabilization. These waivers are defined in more detail in section 7.5.2 in the link below. http://www.duke-energy.com/lakes/ keowee-toxaway-relicensing.asp For Lake Hartwell residents, here are some useful links regarding water management on Lake Hartwell and the Savanna Basin, including balancing the basin blog site. http://balancingthebasin.armylive. dodlive.mil/2013/10/11/water-management-website-available-for-public-view/ h t t p : // b a l a n c i n g t h e b a s i n . a rmylive.dodlive.mil/2013/10/17/howdo-i-find-the-weekly-declaration-andprojection/#comment-428 n

Get Outside!

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upstate theatre FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE P.O. BOX 310 FLAT ROCK, N.C. 828-693-0731 TOLL FREE: 866-732-8008 WWW.FLATROCKPLAYHOUSE.ORG THRU JUNE 22 THE LAST FIVE YEARS (PLAYHOUSE DOWNTOWN) The Last Five Years tells the emotionally powerful story of two twenty-something New Yorkers who dive head first into a marriage fueled by the optimism that comes with finding “the one.” But in a city where professional and personal passions collide and only the strongest relationships survive, navigating the waters of love and matrimony can sometimes prove too much.

JUNE 12 – JULY 13 MY FAIR LADY (MAIN STAGE) This show is the standard by which all others are measured. My Fair Lady is triumphant.

Henry Higgins, a professor of Phonetics, encounters Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, one cold March night at Covent Garden market. He declares to his friend Colonel Pickering that in three months he could transform Eliza into a duchess. But at what cost? With memorable songs like “The Rain in Spain,” “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “On the Street Where You Live” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” it’s no wonder everyone falls in love with Eliza Doolittle.

JULY 3 – 27 BOEING BOEING (PLAYHOUSE DOWNTOWN) This classic farce recently revived on Broadway, features self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German and American fiancées, each beautiful airline hostesses with frequent “layovers.” He keeps “one up, one down and one pending” until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris and Bernard’s apartment at the same time. Buckle your seatbelts; it’s going to be a funny ride.

JULY 24 – AUGUST 24 MISS SAIGON (MAIN STAGE) From the creators of last summer’s hit musical Les Misérables comes another epic production

54 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

about love and revolution. In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl fall in love, only to be separated during the fall of Saigon. This raw and uncompromising international sensation is an intensely personal story of the losses we suffer and the sacrifices we make in a world gone mad.

CENTRE STAGE 501 RIVER ST. INSIDE THE SMITH-BARNEY BLDG. GREENVILLE, S.C. 864-233-6733 OR TOLL FREE 877-377-1339 THRU JUNE 7 A FEW GOOD MEN Military lawyers at a court martial uncover a high-level conspiracy while defending their clients, United States Marines accused of the murder of a fellow marine at Guantanamo Bay. A Few Good Men, while high drama at its best, offers plenty of wisecracking humor and captivating suspense.

JULY 10 – AUGUST 2 SHOUT! THE MOD MUSICAL This Musical tracks five women as they come of age during the liberating days of the 1960s that really made England swing. This non-stop journey provides infectious and soulful pop anthems and ballads from the likes of Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Lulu. Experience the progression of many of your favorites from 1960 to 1970 as these five ladies face some tough situations while the music motivates them to persevere.

CLEMSON LITTLE THEATRE 214 S. MECHANIC ST. PENDLETON, S.C. RESERVATIONS 864-646-8100 EVENING PERFORMANCES, 8 P.M. MATINEES, 3 P.M.

JUNE 6 – 8 & 15 – 18 THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB

Some friendships never die. Watch as five quirky best friends reunite throughout the years, confronting an array of life’s grand events: from weddings, parenting and divorces to discussions of love, friendship and betrayal.

These vivacious Southern women weather whatever life throws at them in a touching comedy with a dramatic final twist.

JULY 30 – AUGUST 3 THE DOG PARK

In this charming and delightful original play, people and their canine companions share the puzzles of life — illness, aging, love and death — and become a family. You’ll laugh, maybe even shed a tear, and you’ll definitely fall in love with The Dog Park. Proceeds go to Voices for Animals and Clemson Little Theatre’s Capital Campaign.

OCONEE COMMUNITY THEATRE 8001 UTICA ST., SENECA, S.C. RESERVATIONS: 864-882-7700 10 A.M. – NOON AND 2 – 4 P.M. EVENINGS, 8 P.M., SUNDAY MATINEES, 2:30 P.M.

JUNE 13 – 15 & 20 – 22 THE FOREIGNER An inspired comic romp, the play demonstrates what can happen when a group of devious characters must deal with a stranger who (they think) knows no English. The scene is a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by “Froggy” LeSeuer, a British demolition expert.

This time “Froggy” has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So “Froggy,” before departing, tells everyone that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Then the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should — the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister’s pretty fiancée is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn’t understand a word being said.

GREENVILLE LITTLE THEATRE 444 COLLEGE ST., GREENVILLE, S.C. 864-233-6238 OR WWW. GREENVILLELITTLETHEATRE.ORG ALL SHOWS 8 P.M., EXCEPT SUNDAYS AT 3 P.M.

JUNE 1, 5 – 8,12 – 15 & 19 – 22 LES MISERABLES Do you hear the people sing? This is the South

upstate theatre Carolina premiere of the world’s greatest musical. An international hit for more than two decades, it’s the epic story of forgiveness and hope, revolution and romance, tragedy and triumph, and ultimate redemption. Victor Hugo’s classic story is brought to life by an unforgettable score. Join Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, Fantine, Eponine, Cosette, Marius and the Threnardiers in a special night in the theater.

JULY 31 – AUGUST 3 COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED GLT’s Studio 444 presents this on the main stage.

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 17 SPLISH SPLASH 2 The rockin’ tribute to the music of the ‘50s is back! Our incredible local cast performs songs such as “Splish Splash,” “Summertime Blues” “Johnny Be Goode” and many more.

PEACE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 300 SOUTH MAIN ST. GREENVILLE, S.C. 864-467-3000 OR 800-888-7768 JUNE 24 – 29 EVITA Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical returns at last! Eva Perón used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady. Adored by her people as a champion for the poor, she became one of the most powerful women in the world — while her greed, outsized ambition and fragile health made her one of the most tragic. Evita features some of theater’s most beautiful songs, including “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “High Flying, Adored.”

WALHALLA PLAYERS WALHALLA CIVIC AUDITORIUM 864-638-5277 OR 1-877-368-5318 WWW.WALHALLACIVIC.COM EVENINGS 8 P.M. AND SUNDAYS 2:30 P.M.

JUNE 20-22 & 27-29 TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE This is the autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

A special publication of The Journal

April 2014

LAKE & LAND REALTY

Melanie Fink

For Complete listing Details Visit… .com All the available MLS Listings for All the Homes for sale in All of Oconee County.

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SUMMER 2014 • 55

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805 Clearlake Pt – Premier, waterfront home with BIG lake views! Quality craftsmanship & upscale features thru-out. Master suite w/ 3-sided FP, huge walk-in closet. Large theater room. 3rd garage bay for boat/ workshop. Covered dock in place. 4BR/3.5BA

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23079 McDonald Pt – Charming lake cottage getaway on large lot with expansive waterfront that includes private beach area, boat ramp, boat house, dock, plus guest cottage! Open floor plan with great lake views, hwd floors, built-in bookcases, vaulted ceilings, glass doors to spacious deck. 4BR/2.5 BA

10 Links Landing – Lake & Golf community home on large, double golf course lot with great views. Spacious floor plan with sunroom, built-ins, large Anderson windows, cedar closet, central vac, security system; landscape irrigation system, Trex deck, new roof & more.

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calendar of events JUNE

area. For more information visit: http:// greenvilleCHAUTAUQUA.org

and bluegrass music, crafts and food each July.

Mountain Rest, SC. (864) 638-1967

JUNE 7 First Saturday at the Hartwell Marina, Anderson, SC; 7 – 10 p.m., featuring The Evolutionaries from Hart County Community Theater. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music in the shade by the lake.

JUNE 14 Music on the Mountain at Table Rock State Park. Enjoy traditional Blue Grass music as local musicians gather at Table Rock to keep this inspirational talent alive; 2 – 6 p.m.

July 4 Celebration in Seneca, SC at Gignilliat Field. Live music and fireworks.

Derrick Dorsey Band at Downtown Pickens Cruise-In; Pickens Amphitheater; 7 – 10 p.m.

Audie Blaylock & Redline (Bluegrass) at Walhalla Civic Auditorium, 8 p.m.; call (864) 638-5277 for more information and ticket prices.

Westminster Music Hall presents The Jeff Sipe Trio; 8 p.m.; for more information and ticket prices, visit http://westminstermusichall.com.

JUNE 8 Hunt Cabin: Harvesting our Heritage — Medicinal Herbs; visit the Hunt Cabin and learn about life in 19th Century upcountry South Carolina. Participate in hands-on activities from the time period; SC Botanical Gardens, Clemson; 1 – 4 p.m.

JUNE 21 Milling, Music & Memories at the Historic Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens; featuring tours, demonstrations, living history presentations and the Mill’s “Celebration of Eddie Lee Bolt — A Life Well Lived.”

JUNE 27 Dancin’ on Depot on Depot Street in Hartwell, featuring the Party Band of the South, Still Cruzin’; 7 – 11 p.m.; $5 admission; for more information call (706) 376-0188.

JUNE 28 – 29 You would be hard-pressed to find a more historic site in South Carolina to celebrate Independence Day than the Festival of Stars in Ninety Six, with a parade, vendors and fireworks. 96 Town Park, Ninety Six.

JUNE 11 – 14 Cowpens Mighty Moo Festival: four-day event that includes street dances, a golf tournament, beauty pageant, a baseball game, an arts and crafts sale and a parade. The festival honors the veterans and crewmen of the USS Cowpens CVL 25 and the USS Cowpens CG63. Veterans Memorial Park, 127 Palmetto St., Cowpens.

JUNE 28 – AUG. 14 Exhibitions at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History include: Michael Brodeur: Paintings — a 10-year survey; Keith Spencer: the Painted Landscape; and highlights from the Pickens County Collection. For more information, hours and locations, call (864) 898-5963.

JUNE 13 An evening of Opera & Jazz featuring Catherine Devoe Fisher at the Walhalla Civic Auditorium; 8 p.m.; free hors d’oeuvres; all proceeds go to benefit the Old St. John’s Meeting House and Wedding Chapel. Call (864) 638-5277 for more information and ticket prices.

JULY

JUNE 13 – 22 Chautauqua History Alive Festival — Rising to the Occasion. 25+ free shows and other events. Non-stop live history and fun for the whole family. A different show outdoors each night and more indoors during the day. Relive decisive historical moments. Come for a day, a weekend, or stay for a week. You can catch all characters on either weekend or spread it out. Performed by nationally acclaimed historical interpreters at locations throughout the Greenville-Spartanburg

JULY 3 Live band and fireworks at Clemson Y Beach, Clemson, SC. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., $10/ car. Food, inflatables and fun. Rain or shine.

(864) 654-1200 JULY 4 4th of July Celebration at Pickens Amphitheater; 7 – 10 p.m.

Salem, SC’s July 4 Community Celebration on Main Street with street dancing, food, entertainment and fireworks. Free.

Hillbilly Days. One of the oldest July 4th festivals in the state of South Carolina: festival includes clogging, square dancing, country

JULY 5 First Saturday at the Hartwell Marina, Anderson, SC; 7 – 10 p.m., featuring Audio Chamber. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music in the shade by the lake.

Downtown Pickens Cruise-In and Katlin Owen Band at Amphitheater; Pickens, SC; 7 – 10 p.m.

JULY 6 Hunt Cabin: Harvesting our Heritage — Fabric Arts. Visit the Hunt Cabin and learn about life in 19th Century upcountry South Carolina.

Participate in hands-on activities from the time period; SC Botanical Gardens; 1 – 4 p.m.

JULY 12 Music on the Mountain at Table Rock State Park. Enjoy traditional Blue Grass music as local musicians gather at Table Rock; 2 – 6 p.m.

JULY 19 Milling, Music & Memories at the Historic Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens; featuring tours, demonstrations, living history presentations and the Mill’s Ol’ Summertime Medicine Show.

AUGUST AUGUST 2 First Saturday at the Hartwell Marina, Anderson, SC; 7 – 10 p.m., featuring Silvercreek Band. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music in the shade by the lake.

Music on the Mountain at Table Rock State Park. Enjoy traditional Blue Grass music as local musicians gather at Table Rock 2 – 6 p.m.

Downtown Pickens Cruise-In and The Folsom Prison Gang at Amphitheater; Pickens, SC; 7 – 10 p.m.

AUGUST 3 Hunt Cabin: Harvesting our Heritage — King Corn. Visit the Hunt Cabin and learn about life in 19th Century upcountry South Carolina.

Participate in hands-on activities from the time period; SC Botanical Gardens; 1 – 4 p.m.

SUMMER 2014 • 57

calendar of events AUGUST 16 Milling, Music & Memories at the Historic Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens, SC; featuring tours, demonstrations, living history presentations and the Mill’s Rolling Waterwheel Gospel Revue.

Jamie Wright Review at Pickens Amphitheater; 7 – 10 p.m.

AUGUST 22 – 24 33rd Annual Spring Water Festival in Williamston’s Mineral Spring Park.

Features free kids’ activities, amusement rides, crafts, antique and classic auto show, live music and other special attractions including a 5K race and 1-mile fun run. Festival features a variety of performers on three stages.

Mineral Spring Park, State Highway 20, downtown Williamston, SC.

ONGOING Historic Ballenger House tours and rentals: The Seneca Woman’s Club preserves and manages the Historic Ballenger House. Tours and rentals by reservation. (864) 654-4043.

Oconee County Library used book sale is the second Thursday of every month in the basement of the Walhalla Library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hardback and paperback books (adult’s and children’s), magazines, books on tape, books on CD, records, CDs, games, puzzles and DVDs. City of Seneca hosts “Jazz On The Alley” every Thursday night through October; 6:30 – 9 p.m. on Ram Cat Alley. Free.

Oconee Heritage Center Book Club meets 4th Thursday of each month; 6:30 p.m.; Walhalla, SC. For a list of books, call (864) 638-2224.

Oconee Appalachian Kids: 1st Saturday of each month, 1 – 2 p.m. at Oconee Heritage Center; boys and girls ages 6 – 12. A different activity and craft featured each month, emphasizing local culture and history.

Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens, hosts “corn grinding” days, rain or shine, the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. These monthly mini-festivals offer traditional arts, folklife and music. Presently there are more than 25 regular demonstrators who share their skills in milling, blacksmithing, cotton ginning, moonshining, spinning, weaving, bee-keeping, metalsmithing, quilting, woodcarving, flintknapping, chair caning, open hearth cooking and more.

City of Seneca hosts Cruzin’ on Main, 1st Saturday of every month beginning April 5, 3 p.m.

Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, has monthly “First Saturday” house concerts in the Visitor Building from noon to 2 p.m. and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to tour the grounds and to pick up “mill products.”

Guided tours available by appointment. The site itself is available every day during daylight hours to picnic or walk the nature trail. For information contact Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 or Pickens County Museum at (864) 898-5963.

Silver Dollar Music Hall in Westminster features open mic each Friday at 7 p.m. with regular pickers performing at 8 p.m.

Clemson Area Storytellers monthly meeting is the 4th Tuesday of each month, 7 – 9 p.m., at The ARTS Center, Clemson, SC. 58 • UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Audie Blaylock & Redline (Bluegrass) Saturday, June 7 @ 8 pm

Award-winning vocalist and guitarist, AUDIE BLAYLOCK is certainly one of the hottest Bluegrass artists today. Along with his band REDLINE, they are celebrating a load of #1 singles from numerous albums on the Rural Rhythm Records label, and thrilling audiences with their incredible musicianship, impeccable harmony and highly entertaining stage shows. www.audieblaylock.com.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank and Ye Olde Sandwich Shoppe

Tickets $25.00, children under 12 $12.50, group rate $20.00

Tuesdays with Morrie (play-poignant comedy) June 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 & 29 • Evenings @ 8 pm, Sundays @ 2:30 pm TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is the autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

Sponsored by First Citizens Bank and Blue Ridge Electric.

Tickets $12.00, children under 12 - $6.00, group rate $10.00

Walhalla Civic Auditorium presents

2014 SHINNING STARS SUMMER THEATER CAMP!!!!!

Come join our camp for theater fun that will excite your children about all things related to theater!

Sessions include: Introduction to theater, acting, theater etiquette, costuming, make-up, lighting, props and staging.

Special end of camp performance for family & friends!

Summer Camp Fee $150.00 includes T-shirt and all snacks

TWO WEEKS!!!

Monday, July 7 – Friday, July 18, 2014 • 9-12 am TWO CLASSES AGES • 7-9 & ages 10-12 To sign up please call 864 638-5277 or email us at walhallaciv1744@bellsouth.net. Our camp application is also on our web site

www.walhallacivic.com

Limit 25 students per class SO SIGN UP NOW!!!

Andy Offitt Irwin (Storyteller, Comedian) Saturday, July 19, 8 pm

Andy’s silly putty voice, hilarious heartfelt songs, astounding narratives, and astonishing mouth noises, have made him one of the most adored touring storytellers/comedians in the United States.

An award-winning artist and educator, Irwin has appeared at venues such as the Library of Congress, National Storytelling Festival, and Walt Disney World. Three of his CD’s have won Storytelling World awards. A fun night for the entire family.

Tickets $12.00, children under 12 $6.00, group rate $10.00

Driving Miss Daisy (play) August 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17 Evenings 8 pm, Sundays 2:30 pm

Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play and an Academy Award winning film.

A warm-hearted, humorous and affecting study of the unlikely relationship between Daisy, an aging, crotchety white Southern lady, and Hoke, a proud, soft-spoken black man. A classic must see play in every sense of the word.

Tickets $12.00, children 12 & under $6.00, group rate $10.00

To order tickets call 864 638-5277 or online www.walhallacivic.com You can also purchase tickets at the following local merchants.

The Wine Emporium in Keowee/Salem, H&R BLock Dogwood Plaza in Seneca, Dad’s & Lad’s in Westminster, Community 1st Bank in Walhalla and the Walhalla Chamber of Commerce.

Visit our 20,000-square-foot showroom located at 6210 Calhoun Memorial Hwy (Hwy 123) | Easley, South Carolina | (864) 850-3563

For An Incredible Lifestyle …Just Add Water!

Seneca Office

Let us help ‘chart your course’ when you’re ready to buy or sell.

Our staff is always available to share our knowledge gained through real life situations to ‘keep you in the channel’ and heading towards a successful real estate experience...

Keowee Town Office

Bob Hill Realty Seneca

Keowee Town

864-882-0855 • 864-944-0405 www.BobHillRealty.com