Upstate Lake Living Summer 2015

Sailing Away Racers & cruisers gather under Keowee sails

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Upstate Lake Living magazine

Volume 10, Issue 2 SUMMER 2015

12 | Sailing away on

Lake Keowee

51 | Oconee sets sights

on ‘rustic elegance

20 | Make memories at

the Brunswick beaches

56 | Iconic farmhouse

speaks to history

30 | On this farm, time can

stand still ... or not 39 | Youngsters carry on

Appalachian tradition 44 | Bad clients, beware!

68 | Llamas hit the links

at High Hampton Inn 73 | Craftsman hones

perfect combination 76 | Racer’s team recycles

eatery into popular spot

golf destination:

Discover The Big Cats...................... 62 theatre: Summer stock offers great variety................ 84 calendar: Plenty of festivals & fun this summer........ 88 social scene: Great events for good causes................ 92 fishing: Beating the summer heat............................... 97 your waterfront: Summer safety tips......................... 98 Dear Readers, Summer is upon us. Hardly a day will pass for the next few months that a drive across the lake bridges will not reveal someone under sail on Lake Keowee. We figured it was about time to tell you who some of those folks are and why they have chosen Lake Keowee as their lake of choice. We hope you enjoy our conversation with several Keowee Sailing Club members.

This issue of Upstate Lake Living also devotes considerable space to the rich history of the Upstate. We try to fill in the blanks about an iconic lake home that we are sure many of you have wondered about. We also chatted with some young musicians learning bluegrass the traditional Appalachian way, and we invited Bill and Mary McGinn to tell you their fascinating story of Thus Far Farm.

Of course, writer Bill Bauer has found plenty more modern places to go and things to do, including some great opportunities along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where he also invites you to experience “The Big Cats.”

Some lake residents will find a neighbor in 10 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

PUBLISHER Jerry Edwards jerry@edwgroupinc.com Ph: 864-882-3272 EDITOR Brett McLaughlin bmclaughlin@upstatetoday.com GENERAL MANAGER Hal Welch hal@upstatetoday.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sandy Peirce sandy@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.

Contents copyrighted.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

this edition. We sat down with Linda Lovely, whose smile testifies to her growing success as a crime novelist but belies her literary treatment of some former real-life clients.

Some readers will also identify with the restaurant we feature in this edition, the former La Bastide in Travelers Rest. If you haven’t experienced its reincarnation as Restaurant 17, you may want to consider it.

Likewise, some of you may have read about the “Great Outdoors” initiative in Oconee County. Inside you will find some details as well as how, you, as a lakefront resident, will be asked to become involved.

Of course, we have a calendar with plenty of summer events, as well as a host of theater opportunities, some “need to know” information about fishing and some great information about waterfront safety this summer.

We hope you enjoy it all and, as always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Brett McLaughlin, Editor

UPSTATE LAKE LIVING will, upon receipt of a new or renewal subscription, strive to provide first-copy delivery of UPSTATE LAKE LIVING to the Postal Service for the next issue (March, June, September and December). Renewals must be received at least two weeks prior to expiration to assure continued service. To ensure quick service, enclose a copy of your mailing label when writing or renewing your subscription.

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 • Rex Brown Phillip Gentry • Dave Kroeger Brett McLaughlin • Jessica Nelms Cover photo by Rex Brown

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SAILING AWAY

12 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

CAMARADERIE and COMPETITIVENESS FILL the SAILS of LAKE KEOWEE story by Brett McLaughlin photos by Rex Brown

SUMMER 2015 › 13

{left to right} Sailing solo is a member of the Keowee Club. Club members come from as far away as Atlanta, taking advantage of Keowee’s clear, blue waters and scenic surroundings. • Having a little fun before the spring regatta gets underway is a younger member of this sailing crew. The club offers classes to young sailors each year.

n a sunny South Carolina day, sails dot the surface of Lake Keowee, gliding across clear, blue water, their courses all measured against a mountain vista. From the bridges on Highway 188 or from Highway 130 as it crosses the Newry Dam, they form a postcardesque flotilla that visitors are required to see.

But, who are the people beneath those sails?

Who exactly can we thank for creating an image that epitomizes our Upstate lifestyle even if we are not part of it?

A good number of them are visitors themselves, sailing enthusiasts drawn to 18,500 acres of water by breathtaking views, easy access and clean, safe water that can be enjoyed with little worry.

Others are likely members of the Keowee Sailing Club, a collective of sailing enthusiasts as diverse as the names etched across their transoms or the communities they call home.

They are professors and students, young and old, lifelong mariners and newcomers to the sport. Some speak with a Southern drawl, but there is the occasional Boston Brahmin and, more frequently, that ethnic mix than can only signal New York or New Jersey roots. The received pronunciation of the Queen’s English

isn’t out of the question either.

Most call the communities around Keowee home, but others come from as far as Atlanta to enjoy the gentle winds of Upstate South Carolina.

“The beauty of sailing is to get out there and let the wind take you,” said member David Smith.

With his wife Barbara, Smith and four other club members — Commodore Adam Robinson, Immediate Past Commodore Davida Steinbrink, Liam Cunningham and Betty Baldwin, who, with her husband, Rob, chairs the Race and Regatta Committee — recently gathered to discuss the club and the sport of sailing in the Upstate. » CONTINUED ON PG. 16

14 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

» CONTINUED FROM PG. 14

The juxtaposition of camaraderie and competitiveness that exists in the club is witnessed quickly as Smith recalls being the member who greeted both Robinson and Baldwin as they investigated the club and local sailing in very different ways.

Robinson, who grew up around powerboats, has been a sailing club member for six or seven years. Truthfully, but somewhat jokingly, the builder explained that he got into sailing because he accepted a sailboat as payment for a job he had completed because the boat “came with a nice trailer.”

Living on Lake Keowee he took the boat out, admittedly not knowing what he was doing. He soon ended up in the water and decided the easiest way to get back to his dock was to swim and pull the boat behind him. It almost worked until Smith came sailing by and told Robinson, “By God boy, get in and sail that boat!”

Smith’s encounter with Baldwin was far less dramatic.

She explained that she and her husband had lived and sailed on the coast of Maine for 16 years before they moved to South Carolina in 2006. Her husband’s family had sailed

for generations, and Rob himself had been involved in major Atlantic races. When they came to the Upstate, finding a sailing club was essential.

Having heard about the Keowee Club, Baldwin drove to the venue on SC Highway 130 only to find the gate locked. So, she parked and walked down onto the property and who should find her “trespassing” but Smith, who cordially welcomed her and told her about the club.

Actually, the Smiths sought out the camaraderie of a sailing group themselves after moving to South Carolina in 1983. Having spent the previous 10 years in Vermont, skiing had supplanted his interest in sailing, but it was quickly renewed when he and Barbara settled on Lake Keowee.

“Sailing is like skiing; it’s you against nature. But, we like the camaraderie of the club and, besides, after one year here I was the ‘most improved sailor’ and the next year I was the club champion,” he chuckled.

•••••• The Keowee Sailing Club dates to 1972.

During its formative years it was located near the Keowee Marina. After several years, dur-

ing which the club’s insecurity about its leased facilities increased, the land where the current club is located was purchased.

Until 1986 the club met under a funeral tent on the new property. That year, work began on a clubhouse. Members did most of the work and supplies were purchased with cash.

The Smiths remember those days well.

“One month I think we had $66.75 left in the bank account,” Barbara said.

“It got to the point where folks joked, ‘Oh no, not another sailing day at the work club,’” David chimed in.

However, the membership began to grow.

Today, the club is always near its maximum membership of 225 families and the 140 inwater slips the club leases from Duke Energy are always full. Two years ago central heat was added to the clubhouse and a new kitchen, office and storage area were added.

•••••• Since its beginning, the club has remained true to its founding principles, being a social place, but one that is first and foremost all about sailing.

Towards that end, the club offers a “Kids’ Camp” that fills up quickly twice each year. » CONTINUED ON PG. 18

A good number of sailing club members are pictured undersail, readying for the beginning of the club’s spring regatta.

It is one of two major competitions the Keowee Sailing Club holds each year.

16 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

CLEAN UP DETAILS BATTLE TO BEAT LAKE LITTER Before there was Friends of Lake Keowee Society, Lake Keowee had friends.

In fact, it was because some residents took it upon themselves to befriend and clean up the lake that FOLKS came into being. At least that’s how current FOLKS President Jack Lewis remembers it.

Regardless, the twice-annual lake sweeps and the formation of FOLKS both date to 1993. And, while there has been considerable progress made in terms of reducing lake debris, the need is ongoing.

“People just use the lake like a dump,” Lewis said. “You wouldn’t believe what we find out there. I’d hate to think what it would be like if we didn’t do these cleanups.”

According to Lewis and FOLKS Executive Director Ben Turetsky, plastic bags, cans, bottles, food wrappers and portions of encapsulated Styrofoam dock supports are

[by Brett McLaughlin]

out to clean it up.

On another outing, volunteers went to an island that had never been visited and found so many beer cans that they dubbed it “Beer Can Island.”

“About six years ago Duke Energy provided a grant to FOLKS to produce and install more permanent littering signs on the 71 islands,” Turetsky said. “Each of the islands has been adopted by a person or a group and the ‘Island Keepers’ go out during the lake sweeps and

{clockwise from top} The Cliffs Keowee Falls Team posed before starting their work last fall. When the day was done they had picked up 15-20 bags of debris. (photo courtesy of FOLKS) • Volunteers at a recent lake sweep place debris in bags that will be collected

by Duke Energy. Plastic bags, cans, bottles, food wrappers and portions of encapsulated Styrofoam dock supports are among the most prominent types of debris. • Picking up debris, often plastic that has whipped into the trees along the shoreline, requires special tools, hard work and a keen handler at the helm of the boat. (photos by Rex Brown)

among the most prominent types of debris. Lewis said the newest scourge is plastic diapers — 30 of which were retrieved during a recent sweep.

But, the truly unusual find can still amaze even the most seasoned volunteer, no matter how many times they have manned a boat or walked a shoreline.

“We actually found an entire dock in the Little Eastatoe Creek one time,” Lewis said, “and we have found TV picture tubes, tires and ceiling fans. One time some divers from the Vineyards Fire Department found a set of golf clubs thrown off the Highway 11 bridge.”

While the estimated 100 boats that go out during each sweep and the dozens of volunteers who prowl the shoreline fill bag after bag, Lake Keowee’s islands have produced equally outrageous amounts of garbage.

Island 3 yielded two trucks, the shell of a school bus and three ringer washers after an old homestead was abandoned before the Keowee River Valley was flooded. Lewis said Duke Energy eventually sent a team 18 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

also at the beginning and end of the summer seasons.

“One of the biggest problems with both the islands and the sandy beaches on the shoreline is that, in spite of the prohibition signs, people light campfires,” Turetsky said, noting that portions of two islands have burned in recent years.

Most of the lake sweep volunteers live in the communities developed around the lake, although some do come from areas off the lake. Boy Scout Troop 701 from Asheville, NC, has come down to dive and sweep the lake bottom at Falls Creek and the nearby “Rock” area. Other community groups are occasionally involved.

“On the one hand, the amount of trash has decreased over the years as the shoreline has populated with homes and there were fewer campouts,” Turetsky said. “The competing effect, however, is that the number of people utilizing Lake Keowee has increased over the years, especially as Duke Energy provided increased parking, launch ramps and other amenities.”

» CONTINUED FROM PG. 16

There is also a regular racing schedule and members, even those who refer to themselves as “cruisers,” are expected to be involved in the competitions. Two regattas are held annually, the Keowee Cup in late April and a Turkey Shoot Regatta on Halloween weekend.

Although some members are far more competitive than others, all members share a love of the sport and defend it vehemently when questioned why one wouldn’t rather just power up an outboard and find a fishing hole.

“On motorboats and jet skis you spend a bundle of money and you get out there and go ‘thump, thump, thump.’ It’s fantastic for about 90 minutes,” Smith said.

“Less than that,” added Cunningham, who crewed with the Clemson University Sailing Club when he was a student in 2003 and now helps recruit students to crew on club races.

“There’s a bond you form, especially on longer races, when six people share 200 square feet of space.”

“Motorboats are great to get somewhere to do something,” Baldwin said, “but your mind can go elsewhere. You can be thinking about problems or things that stress you out. With sailing, you have to focus. You pay attention or the wind will get you. You don’t have time to worry.”

“Sailing teaches you patience,” Cunningham said, “because sometimes you don’t know where you are going because of the wind. You set a goal, but you’d better have patience.”

“And you’d better tell your wife you will be home when the wind let’s me,” Robinson added with a laugh.

“You can say, ‘I know I want to go to that door, but I have to go to that door first,” Smith said, pointing in opposite directions. “It’s very seldom a straight line.”

Steinbrink, the club’s only female commodore, spent many years sailing — both racing and on cruising vacations — on Lake Erie while living in the Midwest.

When she came to the Upstate, she had to wait 18 months for an opening in the club, but she was determined to be a member.

While competitive racing is a key component of club membership, the organization is also about teaching one another and caring about one another. Sometimes, however, even that can take on a competitive edge.

{left to right} Sailors and sailboats come in all shapes and sizes at the Keowee Sailing Club. Some members are avid racers, while others refer to themselves as cruisers, choosing to take a more laidback approach to sailing. All members, however, are expected to compete in some way. • On a brisk fall day, a boat cuts a swath through the beautiful blue waters of Lake Keowee. The lake’s winds and water, combined with breathtaking views — including the Blue Ridge Escarpment and Jocassee Dam pictured in the background here — make the lake a favorite among sailing enthusiasts. [photo by Jessica Nelms]

Cunningham jokingly said he won’t get on a boat with Rob Baldwin, one of the club’s most prolific racers, particularly after he was almost thrown overboard for answering his cellphone on the foredeck one day.

Robinson said he was the brunt of considerable revelry after he ran aground one day.

“Everyone said it and everyone had a good time with it,” he said, “but I just said, ‘give it

two hours and someone else will screw up’.”

Smith recalled how he and Barbara recently capsized only to be rescued by fellow club members who pulled the mast back up, allowing them to reboard and sail back to the dock. He told the story with a smile as Baldwin added that she and her husband were in North Carolina and got a text about Smith’s incident 20 minutes after it happened.

“You can learn to sail in a day or two,” Cunningham said, “but it takes a lifetime to master sailing. There’s always a line to pull, the conditions are always changing and you always want to go just a little faster.

“Here we learn as part of a family,” Robinson added. “The club … and sailing … are really all about what you make it.” n

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VACATION between STORY the BOOKENDS story by Bill Bauer | photos courtesy of North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands

20 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

A series of ships’ ladders, with a total of 131 steps, takes you to the gallery level of the Oak Island Lighthouse, but the climb is worth it as the promenade provides a breathtaking, 360-degree panorama of the Brunswick Island chain.

SUMMER 2015 › 21

IMPLY DEFINED, BARRIER ISLANDS ARE LUMPS OF SAND THAT REST BETWEEN THE OCEAN AND THE MAINLAND, ACTING AS BUFFERS WHEN STORM-DRIVEN WAVES ATTEMPT TO BATTER THE INLAND COAST. Up and down the Atlantic seaboard, barrier islands come in all shapes and sizes. They can be barren — void of people and buildings — or fertile — densely populated and citified.

Somewhere between these contrasting images lie North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands — five patches of land that stretch in a chain along the southernmost coastline of North Carolina, from Cape Fear River to the South Carolina border. Six pristine and secluded beaches join several mainland towns along 45 miles of south-facing coastline, offering an endless array of activities and an unhurried lifestyle from sunrise to sunset.

The mainland stretch begins just over the North Carolina line in Calabash, often called the “Seafood Capital of the World.” It then passes through Shallotte, Brunswick’s “central secret” at the halfway point, and ends up in

the historic maritime town of Southport at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Along the way, quaint villages provide the essentials for any trip to the beach as well as a host of restaurants, forts, architectural sites and things to do for young and old. Over 30 golf courses are within a 20-mile radius of Shallotte.

Separating the mainland from the milesupon-miles of white sand beach that forms the barrier islands of Bald Head, Oak, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach, is the Intracoastal Waterway.

SUNSET BEACH This southernmost island is a mere three miles long. Although just 30 minutes north of busy Myrtle Beach, it exemplifies the tranquil, small town atmosphere and relaxed lifestyle of

coastal living. Visitors cross the Intracoastal Waterway high above serene salt marshes on a causeway that delivers them to the center of the island.

Once on the island, public access to the beach, with ample parking and an amenityfilled pier, is dead ahead, as are wooden walkways built to protect rising sand dunes that shield the shoreline from the access and oceanfront homes. Sunset Beach is also home to Bird Island, an uninhabited, 1,200-acre state preserve that is home to over 260 species of birds that nest or migrate throughout the year.

On the way to Bird Island, a stop at the Kindred Mailbox is a must. In 1981, a couple “planted” a mailbox in the sand dunes with a notebook and pencils inside. For three decades, residents and visitors from around the world have conveyed memories, reflections,

The causeway onto Ocean Isle Beach provides a vista of the accommodations, some with up to 10 bedrooms, that makes the island an idyllic setting for families and friends wanting to create new and lasting memories or recreate old ones.

22 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

wishes, sorrows, prayers and dreams in the notebook. Decades later the mailbox continues to give writers and readers time to reconnect with nature, self and spirit.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH More than twice the size, but equally as peaceful, Ocean Isle Beach is the next link in Brunswick’s chain. The sun slowly rises at the east end of the island, eventually bathing seven miles of unspoiled beach and the homes and cottages that lie parallel to the picturesque shoreline. Accommodations with up to 10 bedrooms make Ocean Isle an idyllic setting for families and friends wanting to create new and lasting memories or recreate old ones. Boat owners are not to be denied as the island’s depth allows for street-like canals that reach into the island from the Intracoastal, providing access to the marshland and ocean inlets.

Ocean Isle Pier extends well into the sea and provides excellent fishing, a small grill and arcade and beach supplies. Some of the area’s best waves for surfing crest just beyond the pier, and the highly touted coffee and sandwich shop, Drift, is also the home to the Carolina School of Surf. Individual or group surfing and standup paddle boarding lessons are available daily.

After a day in the sun, enjoy a trip to the award-winning Silver Coast Winery located in a beautiful, woodland setting just minutes from the beach. Relax and experience an excellent wine tasting and tour the onsite winemaking process and eclectic art gallery, before heading to dinner at one of several low-key restaurants like local favorite,

SUMMER 2015 › 23

Sharky’s, where fresh-off-the-boat seafood and landlubber delights are available.

HOLDEN BEACH National Geographic Traveler named Holden Beach one of the best family beaches in the country. Often called the “island in the middle,” it is the longest of the three South Brunswick Islands at 11 miles. Its total southern exposure provides sun from morning to night. Its beach beauty is unparalleled. With no buildings over 35 feet tall, the view coming on to the island via the 65-foot causeway is spectacular.

Almost all the shops and eateries are situated at the end of streets on either side of the Intracoastal, and it is from here that charter-fishing boats can get you to the Gulf Stream, and to here that commercial fishermen arrive with the treasures from the sea.

The Provision Company, right near the bridge, boasts some of the best seafood in North Carolina.

Holden Beach is perfectly situated a little more than a half-hour from the nightlife and entertainment of Myrtle Beach to the south, and the carriage-riding charm and River Walk of Wilmington to the north.

The town of Shallotte, just 10 minutes away, has plenty of shopping centers and national chain stores.

The new Shallotte River Swamp Park offers a zipline canopy tour that soars over and through the Shallotte River Swamp, traversing amongst 300-year-old cypress trees, tree bridges and platforms before returning to the center after zipping for over a mile. For a challenge, the Tree Top Aerial Adventure Park has 49 elements on three skill levels high in the forest. Swamp boat eco tours take » CONTINUED ON PG. 26

{top to bottom} Certainly one of the most popular pastimes on the Brunswick Islands is kayaking as the salt marshes and tidal pools provide gateways to viewing a wealth of wildlife and untold species of birds. • For more than 30 years, the Kindred Mailbox on Sunset Beach Island has collected the memories, reflections, wishes, sorrows, prayers and dreams of visitors, written in a series of notebooks, the first of which were put in the mailbox in 1981. [photo by Bill Bauer]

24 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

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As this picture of the pier at Sunset Beach attests, each day on the Brunswick Island beaches starts with a stunning sunrise in the east and concludes with an equally striking sunset in the west, a rare sight along the Atlantic Coast. » CONTINUED FROM PG. 24

you to an up close and personal visit with all that is alive in the swamp, and the new attraction even has an Adventure Kiddie Park so no one in the family is left out.

OAK AND BALD HEAD ISLANDS North Carolina has long been famous for its lighthouses, and the Brunswick Islands have both the oldest and one of the most unique on its two northernmost islands. Oak Island, with 28 miles of coastline is the largest, while Bald Head barely encompasses four square miles.

Oak Island prides itself on access to the water. Visitors have 60 public beach entry points, two marinas, fishing piers and three public boat and kayak ramps. Outfitters like the Adventure Kayak Company have been using Oak Island for over 15 years to offer salt marsh guided kayak tours.

At the eastern end of Oak Island is Caswell Beach, a secluded spot where you can navigate the marsh creeks and tidal pools that wind beneath 153-foot Oak Island Lighthouse, whose automated beacon actually tops out at 169 feet and can be seen for 16 miles. Unlike most lighthouses, there is no spiral staircase inside.

Instead, a series of ships’ ladders, with a total of 131 steps, takes you to the gallery level.

Fortunately there are several resting platforms 26 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

along the way where you can catch your breath and peek out the windows.

The climb is worth it, however, as the promenade provides a breathtaking, 360-degree panorama of the Brunswick Islands.

Completed in 1958, the lighthouse replaced an older manned lighthouse on Bald Head Island, affectionately dubbed “Old Baldy.”

Slightly shorter at 110-feet, the oldest standing lighthouse in North Carolina is an icon of earlier seafaring days. Built in 1817 at the confluence of Cape Fear and the Atlantic Ocean, “Old Baldy” served as the only warning to sailors approaching a treacherous series of hidden sandbars known as Frying Pan Shoals. Age, automation, and an inability to adequately pierce the fog and afford safe passage, caused its eventual replacement. Today it remains a landmark and one of NC’s most popular attractions. Visitors flock to Bald Head Island to climb the lighthouse’s 108 steps and say they conquered “Old Baldy.”

In contrast to Oak Island’s plethora of access points, the only access to Bald Head is a 20-minute ferry from Deep Point Marina in Southport. Once on the island, transportation is limited to golf cart or bicycle, but have no worries as everything you need for a stay is at your disposal.

Ten thousand of the island’s 12,000 acres are set aside as nature preserves teeming with wildlife. Ocean beaches surround the island for 14 miles while a serpentine tidal creek, perfect for paddling a kayak or canoe, traverses the salt marsh.

•••••• Time travels slowly on the Brunswick Islands beaches. From late fall through early spring, each day starts with a stunning sunrise in the east and concludes with an equally striking sunset in the west, a rare sight along the Atlantic Coast. Endless choices of accommodations, dining, relaxation, excitement and adventure are at your disposal.

Reminiscent of yesteryear’s beach vacation, thousands of families have fallen so in love with the area that they return generation after generation. If you haven’t visited yet, make this summer your first.

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RIGHT THING’ ... thus far story by Brett McLaughlin photos by Rex Brown

30 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Bill stands among the raised beds he and his wife tend. Much of the product they grow is sold through the Clemson Area Food Exchange, a network of farm-to-market growers and artisans.

SUMMER 2015 › 31

“Thus far the Lord has brought us.”

1 Samuel 7:12

ill and Mary McGinn wouldn’t change where they are or what they are doing for anything.

Thus Far Farm is where God has brought them, and they have put a “priceless” claim on their little piece of heaven.

•••••• Two-and-a-half years ago, with big box stores going up all around their home outside of Rock Hill, traffic racing down a highway that was once a peaceful country road and constant noise piercing their formerly quiet existence, the McGinns reflected on their need for income and prayerfully decided their future was to be found in the past.

Bill heard about a farm for sale outside of Westminster that turned out to be his great-grandfather’s homestead. His grandfather lived just up the road and his family had held weeklong reunions at nearby Oconee State Park. Countless aunts, uncles and cousins still lived in the area.

32 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

They took a look. Most of the 62 acres was wooded and untillable. The farmhouse needed a lot of work. But, the cottage behind the house was in good shape, and there was enough open ground to create a big garden.

“I went to a one-room country school and had 30 people in my graduating class in 1965. Suddenly there was Lowes and Walmart and every fast food restaurant you can think of. It wasn’t where we wanted to be,” Bill said. “It was time to leave.”

In moving, the McGinns also wanted to assure themselves a simpler lifestyle with little dependence on the government, or anyone else, for that matter.

“We wanted to have chickens and a garden,” Bill said. “Raise our own food and sell at local farmers markets.”

“That was the plan,” Mary added, a telltale smile revealing the fact that their “plan” has changed dramatically. » CONTINUED ON PG. 34

{at top} The McGinns decided in 2012 that their future was to be found in the past. Bill heard about a farm for sale outside of Westminster that turned out to be his great-grandfather’s homestead.

They bought the farm, renovated this farmhouse and now operate a unique farm-to-market and cottage rental business near Westminster. {inset} Abbott Cottage is rented to vacationers seeking to “get away from it all” while enjoying an historic and real farm experience. The McGinns will even cut power and Internet service to the cottage if requested so visitors can experience a “grid-down weekend.”

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{left to right} Mary has modern conveniences in her kitchen, but often prefers to use the woodstove on the back porch. Immediately to the right of the stove is a clothesline on which she still dries her washing.

On the far end of the porch (not visible) is a ringer-washer. The cottage in the distance is Abbott Cottage, which the couple rents to vacationers … with or without electricity. • Bill and Mary McGinn are pictured inside a farmhouse once owned by Bill’s great-grandfather. The couple has renovated the home and uses it as their base for operating Thus Far Farm, a unique farm-to-market business that has also given rise to rental of the home’s adjacent “Abbot Cottage” for farm-stay vacationers. The old door behind them in this photo is the original back door of the home. » CONTINUED FROM PG. 32

In addition to an expanding garden and 18 hens, they have three turkeys, three beef cows and a family living in an RV that helps with all the farm chores. And ... oh yes, they also have guests in their cottage more than half the time.

“The cottage was really not part of the plan,” Mary said. “We thought we would just make it available for church friends or family. One pastor, his wife and nine kids stayed for two weeks.

“That’s kind of when we realized the potential, but we still thought it might only get rented when Clemson had home (football) games and there were other events in the area. It has turned out to be far better than we thought.”

The Abbott Cottage, named after the last family to own the farm, features two bedrooms, a bunkroom and a full kitchen. It is completely furnished. With the couch in the living area, it sleeps eight. On one hand, a washer and dryer have been added; on the other hand, renters can have a “grid-down weekend” during which the refrigerator stays on and the gas stove still functions, but light comes from lanterns and there is no television, radio or electronic connections. You might cook on a woodstove, and you definitely will pump your water from a well behind the house.

“We can take you back to 1850 if that’s where you want to go,” Bill said.

•••••• The cottage was home to Mary while the farmhouse was being renovated. Bill continued to work in Rock Hill, coming on weekends 34 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

and helping as windows were replaced (The old windows are now part of a greenhouse.), walls were stripped down to their original wood and a fireplace and wall were removed to create a larger living and dining area.

The foundation of the fireplace yielded more history. In a small void they found a pair of suspenders, a “Sin and Its Wages” religious tract and an 1876 letter from a Charleston businessman, asking great-grandfather for information about a school in Walhalla. They also found a single shoe, which they have subsequently learned was often left in a home’s foundation for good luck. It is now a conversation piece on a living room table.

The farmhouse, like the garden, is a constant work in progress.

In addition to growing for themselves, the McGinns do sell at a number of farmers markets and are also providers of fresh and dried products to the Clemson Area Food Exchange (CAFE). As a result, from a few raised beds with lettuce and herbs, they have expanded to produce beans and tomatoes. Bill recently planted 100 asparagus crowns, and green peppers and berries line the driveway to Oak Grove Road.

Mary loves her 1950s era kitchen, but isn’t planning to use it to create a B&B. “The cottage is just a rental,” she said. “We had a B&B once before, and it takes you an hour and a half to serve breakfast. “ I’ve got chickens and turkeys to feed. I can’t be spending an hour and a half on breakfast.”

Thus Far Farm does, however, offer “farm stay” weekends that can simply mean a great

getaway in the foothills or an opportunity for hands-on farm experience. Individuals, families and groups can sign up for Mary-led activities such as basic lard and lye soap making; canning pork sausage; sewing on a treadle machine; dehydrating fruit; or candle making.

Bill leads classes in animal care, using hand tools and an introduction to the greenhouse, raised beds and manure tea to fertilize your garden.

There is seldom a time when the couple is alone on their property. Once a group of 24 people came to stay and learned to make soap and helped butcher a pig. It’s not uncommon to have 20 people in both houses, and when children and grandchildren come, 15 or more may gather around the dining table.

“We’re along for the ride,” Bill said.

Through a nationwide program that matches would-be farmers with working farms that need help, the McGinns have been able to accomplish a lot. But, a lot also remains on the agenda, including the development of a few RV and platform tent sites.

“It has evolved, but it is definitely where the Lord is leading us,” Bill said.

The McGinns recently sold their property south of Charlotte and could retire to something closer to the quiet life they fleetingly envisioned. But, they won’t.

“There’s great joy in being in just the right place, at just the right time and doing just the right thing while you’re there,” Mary said. n For more information about Thus Far Farm and its offerings, visit www.thusfarfarm.com

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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL Young Appalachian Musicians program keeps tradition alive story by Brett McLaughlin | photos by Rex Brown

The Sweet Potato Pie Kids band performs on the Carolina Now television show. [photo courtesy of YAM]

SUMMER 2015 › 39

Ashlyn Ramey is one of three children in her family participating in the YAM program. According to her fiddle instructor Becky Stovall, Ashlyn also performs with her family in a community band.

ge took the clogging out of Betty McDaniel’s knees, but it couldn’t take the bluegrass out of her soul.

For that, Ali Cannon couldn’t be happier.

You see, Ali, who doesn’t like performing on stage but does like Mr. Steve and likes staying after school for guitar lessons, loves the YAM program.

And, while the Pickens Elementary student has probably never made the connection between Mrs. McDaniel’s knees and her love for traditional Appalachian music, it really doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that hundreds of youngsters have fallen in love with their musical roots since McDaniel introduced Young Appalachian Musicians (YAM) to 32 students at Holly Spring Elementary in 2008.

“I taught at Holly Springs for 31 years,” Mc40 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Daniel said, “and I taught clogging after school for 25 years. But, then the knees started going and I had to find something else to do. We started going to Friday night jams sessions and meeting musicians at Oolenoy Church and Community Center. Then I head about the Junior Appalachian Music program, which originated in Sparta, NC.” One thing led to another. A few individuals provided some seed money, McDaniel spent her own funds and YAM was born. Within two years, a National Endowment for the Arts grant provided $26,000 and more schools and more instruments were added to the program. The future of the organization was assured.

Although the primary grant has been cut back several times and now stands at just $3,000, other grants and “never ending” fundraising by parents and supporters have allowed the program to expand to 12 schools at seven sites. Over 300 students were being taught by dozens of instructors this past year.

“No one ever looks miserable.” pickens elementary program director tiffany short

YAM introduces children and adults to the music of their heritage through small group instruction on fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo … all by ear … the traditional way.

“It’s an awesome way to learn music,” said Pickens Elementary student Luke Brazinski.

“It’s one of the best learning programs I’ve ever been in,” added schoolmate Richelle Smith.

Just as McDaniel had no idea the program would ever expand beyond Holly Springs, music teacher Tiffany Short was overwhelmed when she recruited for the first-year program at Pickens Elementary six years ago.

“I figured 10 or 12 would show up. Seventy-five signed up,” she smiled. “It just took off. It’s always stayed pretty consistent. This year 45 started and today we have 33 in the program.”

A goal of the program has been to keep the tuition to the lowest level possible so that all interested youth will have an opportunity to carry on the heritage of our traditional Southern Appalachian music. To help assure this, minimal tuition fees ranging from $5 to $12 per week, and low instrument rental fees are set on a sliding scale based on what each student pays for school lunch.

“Kids want to be here,” Short said. “You don’t have to be a super star performer. Beginners are in the same class with third-year students sometimes.

No one ever looks miserable. They always want to do more.”

Because music is being taught by ear, instruction is radically different than in a typical classroom and, so too, are the instructors sometimes.

“It’s rote. It’s just like you and I learned to sing sitting around a campfire,” Short said. “I can imagine dads teaching their children to play this way generations ago. I picture it like Walnut Grove and Pa (Michael Landon) teaching Laura (Melissa Gilbert) the violin on Little House on the Prairie.”

Steve McGaha is one of Short’s favorite instructors at Pickens Elementary.

“Steve doesn’t have any kids, but he actually likes kids and they love him,” Short said. “He can hold a class together as well as I can. He’s a natural.”

For his part, McGaha, who looks the part of the Appalachian guitar and mandolin instructor with his goatee, ponytail and sockless sandals, said teaching in the YAM program is like family. Kids learn, grow up and move on.

While he never envisioned himself teaching elementary students, he now can’t picture himself not involved with YAM and its students.

“I cut church to watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan,” he smiled. “That’s what I wanted to do … make a million and have women screaming for me.”

YAM CAN STRIKE LIFE-CHANGING CHORDS It didn’t take Ivy Bryan long to develop a passion for bluegrass music.

Then 8 years old, she had no experience with musical instruments when she started afterschool Young Appalachian Musicians classes at Ambler Elementary School in Pickens County.

To hear her mother tell it, Ivy was driven and a high achiever as a student and very much a people pleaser, but quiet and bashful at the same time.

“She hid behind me everywhere we went for fear that someone may speak to her and she might have to respond,” Jennifer Bryan said.

“She never excelled at sports, even though we let her try several. None of them were ‘her thing.’

We were so happy when she found ‘her thing’ in playing music.”

And find it she did.

Ivy took to the mandolin without hesitation.

She couldn’t wait for twice-weekly classes to roll around and excelled quickly at playing by ear, always anxious to learn new songs. Some classmates weren’t quite as driven and Ivy became frustrated. She begged her parents for private lessons. Three years later she still takes private lessons twice a week with two different instructors.

“She has never wanted to quit or really even slow down,” her mother said.

Three years later she can play by ear almost anything she hears.

The mandolin is her instrument of choice, but she also has taken banjo lessons and is currently taking guitar lessons. She and three other rising seventh graders, who have aged out of the YAM performing group Sweet Potato Pie Kids, are busy forming their own performance group.

“Bluegrass is a commitment. It isn’t just something I listen to and play. Bluegrass has become part of my life. I would never have found my calling if it weren’t for the YAM program … I’m so thankful for the program and what it has done for me,” Ivy said.

But, the young musician’s growth through YAM has been about far more than music.

“She came out of her shell quickly and has become a leader

[by Brett McLaughlin]

among her peers,” Jennifer said proudly. “She is the Beta Club president at Pickens Middle School as well as the Student Government president and was recently voted “best all around” by her 8th grade class. She is involved in many clubs at school and never hesitates to speak out in class or even do a speech for a big audience.

“I feel like playing bluegrass and being involved in a band gave her the confidence she needed to become more involved and find that leader personality that she had within her. She is no longer afraid to make mistakes in life. She has learned to adapt to circumstances. All of this will serve her well as she faces new challenges throughout her life.”

Ivy Bryan is one of the hundreds of success stories coming out of the Young Appalachian Musicians program operating in Pickens County.

SUMMER 2015 › 41

{left to right} Guitar and mandolin instructor Steve MaGaha works with Dillard Hudson during a class this past spring at Pickens Elementary School. MaGaha said he can’t imagine not working with youngsters so excited about learning traditional Appalachian music. • KidsFest is an annual event at Hagood Mill in Pickens County. It is a “big stage” for young YAM program participants and each participating school has a Sweet Potato Pie Kids group similar to the one pictured performing here.

Today, he settles for being encircled by a small band of eager Appalachian musicians, tuning their guitars and teaching them to sing something other than just Liza Jane.

The enthusiasm of the students draws many parents into the program, something McDaniel said is essential given the growth of YAM and the constant need to raise money.

One such parent is Jennifer Bryan, the performance coordinator for Sweet Potato Pie Kids, the performing band for YAM that promotes the program by playing at various venues throughout the year.

“I first became involved with the YAM program in 2009 when my daughter, Ivy, began mandolin lessons at Ambler Elementary when she was in the third grade,” Bryan said. “… I began helping at festivals and school perfor-

mances when I could, and doing some graphic design work here and there, but didn’t become real involved until 2012 when Ivy made it into the Sweet Potato Pie Kids band.”

When McDaniel first approached Bryan to be performance coordinator for the band she hesitated, unsure if the task would interfere with her job as creative director and co-owner of Vibrant Marketing Solutions.

“I decided to give it a try since I was fortunate in being able to work from home,” she said.

“What a fun journey it has been! Keeping up with the busy schedule for the kids has been a challenging task, but the rewards are endless. Watching the kids improve at every performance and being there to see the joy on their faces when they have successfully impressed and entertained an audience gives me such delight.”

{left to right} Pickin’ and singin’ is what a YAM class is all about. Here, Freda Ruiz smiles while picking out a tune in Steve MaGaha’s guitar class at Pickens Elementary School. • Tiffany Short is the program coordinator for YAM at Pickens Elementary School. Here, she is shown working on a summer scholarship essay with Ali Cannon.

42 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

And, although Ivy aged out of Sweet Potato Pie Kids this spring, in what has become a YAM tradition for many performers and their parents, she and her mom will remain active in other ways. Ivy recently took an after-school teaching job with YAM at Holly Springs where she will pass on her passion for bluegrass to new students. Bryan has taken responsibility for the program’s website where she looks forward to promoting the revival of traditional Appalachian music that has been made more evident each day as a result of YAM. n TAM YAM camp will be held July 20-24 at the Pickens Recreational Center. It is open to all rising 3rd through 9th grade students. To register or to learn more about other YAM events and programs, visit: www.yamupstate.com

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crime can be ‘LOVELY’ Lakeside writer weaves strong characters & compelling plots story by BRETT MCLAUGHLIN photos courtesy of LINDA LOVELY

44 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Lies, Lovely’s stand-alone, 1938 historical suspense novel, has a planned release in June.

I

t may or may not pay to be Linda Lovely’s neighbor.

Sure, sure … the romantic thrillers she writes contain the standard wording about characters and events being fictitious and that any similarities to real people or events are coincidental and unintentional. But, ask her about character development and there’s an extra twinkle in her eye.

“My fictional characters are melds of traits that I have seen in various people I’ve known,” she said, her ceaseless smile taking a naughty-but-nice turn.

As a result, with the third book in her Marley Clark mys-

tery series — With Neighbors Like These — due to publish this fall, Lovely admits she felt compelled to assure her Lake Keowee neighbors that none of them is represented in her book. ∞∞∞ Like many of her neighbors, Lovely moved to the Upstate to get away. In her case, from hurricanes.

A journalism major in college, Lovely’s first job was with an advertising agency that was engaged in political campaigns.

“We lost the election and I moved to Eastman Kodak,” she laughed, adding that she wrote for, and edited, the company’s internal publications.

SUMMER 2015 › 45

“I don’t follow all the rules they tell you to be successful, but I learned that you have to pick an area in order to build a following.”

— LINDA LOVELY

46 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Eventually, she and her husband, Tom Hooker, moved to Atlanta where Lovely partnered with others to forge Creative Communications Services. Over the next decade the firm was very successful, handling the business and trade publication work for several major corporations. Her work took her around the world and exposed her to sources that would eventually prove invaluable to her writing.

The travel, however, took a toll.

After 10 years she sold her interest in CCS and moved to Fripp Island where, coincidentally, she and Tom became neighbors with novelist Pat Conroy. Lovely continued to do freelance publication work, but her desire “to have some fun” with her writing began to percolate.

After 12 years and four or five hurricanes, she and Tom decided to move inland. It was in the Upstate that she began crime writing in earnest.

•••••• “It probably took me 10 years to write the first book” she said, referring to Dear Killer, the first of three novels featuring Marley Clark, a part-time security guard turned crime-solver.

“I don’t follow all the rules they tell you to be successful,” Lovely said, “but I learned that you have to pick an area in order to build a following. Series are hugely popular, so that’s what I’m doing.”

In her quest to write books that blend defined characters and strong plots, Lovely calls on life experiences and real life acquaintances for plot and character development.

For instance, in Dead Line, one of Lovely’s public relations clients — an investigative firm that served as the prototype for the heroine’s employer — introduced her to forensic accounting.

In another case, one particular client she met early in her career surfaced as a victim. After changing his character enough to be unrecognizable — even by him — she saw to it that he met a very gruesome end. » CONTINUED ON PG. 48

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» CONTINUED FROM PG. 46

“Multiple times,” she chuckled, noting that he’s not the only former client to suffer that fate.

Her latest book — Dead Hunt, the second in the three-part ‘Smart Women, Dumb Luck’ series — is another excellent example of her ability to forge fact and fiction. Set in Upstate South Carolina, it references Greenville County and the very real Foothills Trail. However, its heroine is security director at fictional Blue Ridge University and the book also references nonentities such as His Way University, Cougar Mountain and the Beaver Falls Access point.

In her very first protagonist — Clark — Lovely knew exactly the character she wanted … a female, over 50, who had investigative skills and could handle a gun. Enter one of the author’s lifelong friends who just happened to be a retired military intelligence officer.

“I would call myself a ‘seat of the pants’ kind of writer,” she said. “I Howard Lewis, who lives in Salem, SC, and Robin Weaver, who lives in Charlotte, NC, are two of Lovely’s critique get down the general partners. This picture was taken at a Romance Writers idea of the plot and the awards ceremony. characters, and then the characters start to talk to you. Sometimes they even do things you don’t want them to do.”

To assure that her dialogue stays “real” and her plot lines don’t intersect badly, Lovely has a group of friends who serve as critique partners.

“My books have some sex and language. I have to have some help coming to that,” she said sheepishly. “In time you develop a whole community of people to help you.”

Lovely has also cultivated an array of sources through her involvement in writers groups and by attending conferences for writers. During five terms as president of the Upstate Chapter of Sisters in Crime, she established ties with defense attorneys, medical examiners, chiefs of police and judges.

She has attended the Writers Police Academy, which she refers to as “Disneyland for crime writers.” At conferences such as these she has carried an AR15 while sweeping a building with a real SWAT team, been to a firing range and conducted a body search in the field.

“I love it,” she said of her genre. “I love putting the puzzle of the mystery together, and I love exploring characters. Things just always turn out as they should.” n With Neighbors Like These is expected to release in early 2016; Dead Cure, the third book in the ‘Smart Women, Dumb Luck’ series, is expected out in late 2016; and Lies, Lovely’s stand-alone, 1938 historical suspense novel, has a planned release in June. The first book in her humorous mystery series about a vegan chef — tentatively titled Baa’d To The Bone — is currently being written. The series will center on the fictional Butt-R Goat Cheese Farm, located near Clemson. Anyone wishing more information about Lovely’s books can visit: www.lindalovely.com.

48 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

During five terms as president of the Upstate Chapter of Sisters in Crime, (Linda Lovely) established ties with defense attorneys, medical examiners, chiefs of police and judges.

Crime writer Linda Lovely is decked out with an AR15 assault rifle during one of the events at the Writer’s Police Academy Conference. Lovely uses such events to network with possible sources for her to contact when writing her novels, five of which are now in print.

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Forging Oconee’s Future

new initiative seeks to engage lake communities

T

story by Brett McLaughlin | photos courtesy of Mountain Lakes CVB

he trace of an eagle soaring over the blue waters of an Upstate lake, the rustle of leaves shivering in a cool autumn breeze, the sight of Oconee Bells along a solitary trail, the casual chatter of boaters giving life to a canvas-worthy view of a lake sunset …

These are images of life in Upstate South Carolina.

They are images whose ownership is claimed by all who live here … both natives and those who have migrated to the region.

Now, perhaps for the first time ever, there are concrete efforts being made to establish a measureable program to protect the natural resources that are key to the Upstate lifestyle and to brand those resources for greater public consumption.

The National Heritage Corridor and the Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau are leading the South Carolina Great Outdoors Initiative in Oconee County. The project includes the building of the South Carolina Great Outdoors Center as part of the Sanctuary Pointe development. It also involves rebranding and marketing of the county and the cities of Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster; the creation of design guideline standards; and, “most importantly,” according to its promoters, city revitalization.

According to CVB Director Ken Sloan, SC Great Outdoors is not another study or “pie in the sky” plan that will collect dust on the shelves of countless bureaucrats. Early indications are, he isn’t kidding.

South Carolina Heritage Corridor Director Michelle McCollum recently told attendees at an Oconee Alliance meeting that an Appalachian rustic elegance design is already being applied to blueprints for the Great Outdoors Center, whose location at exit 1 on I-85 will put it at the point of origin of the Heritage Corridor. She said the Center will capitalize on the growing field of outdoor recreation, offering programs on hiking, biking, archery and water sports. She said efforts are already underway to get the Center on the radar of Olympic rowing and kayaking promoters.

In fact, getting the SC Great Outdoors Center SUMMER 2015 › 51

built in Oconee County may be the easiest part of the Great Outdoors Initiative.

According to Sloan, making the changes needed to protect our resources and to brand Oconee as an outdoor destination, will likely be much more difficult.

“The tough decisions lie in the hands of the (county and city) councils,” Sloan said.

“They have to make decisions to adopt a hospitality tax, to establish a community development code, to engage in and support city revitalization and to hire a fulltime employee to manage the project.”

Toward those ends, Sloan said the involvement of lakefront residents is absolutely essential.

“Many lakefront residents participated in the Vision 2028 project six years ago,” he said.

“They all have a vested interest in maintaining the integrity of our natural resources. This is why they moved here in the first place. They all want to see SC Highway 11 and our other scenic byways protected. They have made it clear that they have a strong desire for more dining and shopping opportunities along with nightlife and entertainment.

“All of these things will have a direct and positive impact on their quality of life,” he continued.

“They can become ambassadors and champi-

52 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

ons for the cause. They can attend and speak at county and city council meetings to share their support. They can write letters to the editor and spread the word throughout their communities to garner additional support,” he said. “We need all the support we can get to convince our county and city councils that this is what their constituents have been asking for for years.”

The work has begun. In conjunction with the Heritage Corridor, a “mountain life” logo has been established — one for the overall project and one for each of the county’s principal cities.

Conversations are already underway to engage private property owners in talks about public-

private partnerships and the use of a possible county hospitality tax to improve facades and establish more vibrant retail communities.

“We plan to engage the entire county and request opportunities to speak and educate them on the goals and objectives of the Great Outdoors Initiative,” Sloan said.

“We are building a website to be used as a portal for information and will use various social media outlets to reach our contacts.

We encourage local residents to sign up for these updates and volunteer to help when needed.

“If the lakefront communities truly believe in what they asked for in the Vision Plan, then they will need to get involved and encourage their councils to make the right decisions,” he continued “These decisions will be opposed by some of our citizens, but those are truly the minority. Our lakefront communities need to band together in a much larger force and push this through in the same manner that they have banded together in the past to stop adverse development on Lake Keowee.”

Those wishing to learn more about Oconee Great Outdoors can contact Sloan at: Mountain Lakes CVB, 105 West South Broad St., Walhalla, SC 29691; call 864.380.3976; or visit the website at www.SCMountainLakes.com and click on the “contact” button. n

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A home is not a home because of its room dimensions or the color of the walls.

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Built in 1884 on the high banks of the Keowee River, the home historically referred to as the “Jim Alec” Robertson home, still stands on the promontory beside the lake. It has been described by historians and writers as, “One of the most admired, coveted and photographed homes in the Carolina landscape.”

56 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

COUPLE IS LIVING THEIR DREAM IN CENTURY-OLD KEOWEE LANDMARK Robertson home is testament to a bygone era story by Brett McLaughlin photos by Rex Brown

SUMMER 2015 › 57

F

or generations time stood still in the back hills of Upstate South Carolina.

Life was about tilling the soil and taking care of one’s family. Men and women seldom ventured off their land that was passed down from one generation to the next or was acquired from a friendly neighbor.

Modern life — as defined and measured by others — passed these people by until, as local historians such as author and journalist Jerry Alexander would contend, the outbreak of World War II. People worked and played on homesteads carved into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, seldom venturing out to any of the growing communities downriver.

58 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

It was on this very porch that 25 bidders gathered to compete for the purchase of one of the Upstate’s most iconic homes. “I don’t think we could believe we had bought it,” Michael Martin said, recalling that summer day in 2007 when he and his wife realized their dream.

Their existence centered around church, family and the land. It was a hardscrabble life, even for those fortunate enough to own the rich bottom lands that flanked the rivers flowing down the mountains.

Few vestiges of those days remain, ironically more so here than elsewhere because of one of the most modern of all technologies.

The rich bottomlands of the Keowee River

are now 150 feet below the surface of Lake Keowee, a postcard creation of the nuclear age.

The graves of those who settled this land are similarly buried underwater or were moved to “higher ground.” Their homes are gone … save but one….

•••••• Michael and Elke Martin were married in April 1997, three years after they met at a fundraiser in Greenville. Michael’s family had a place on Lake Hartwell, but he was unfamiliar with Lake Keowee until he met Elke, whose father had been raised on the Keowee River. In

This photo shows the Jim “Alec” Robertson farmhouse in the 1980s. The house was purchased in 1989 and refurbished by a Greenville businessman. In 2007, current owners Michael and Elke Martin bought the home at auction and have continued its restoration. [photo courtesy of Michael Martin]

The living room of the Martin home represents the rustic elegance and simplicity of the couple’s historic lake home. Views of Lake Keowee are available from every room in the house. The lake is just 18 feet from the front door that opens into this room and less than 50 feet from the back porch.

{left to right} Still visible in the stone of the chimney on the east end of the home are letters that spell the name “Ratliff” and the date of the home’s construction — 1884. The picture at the right shows the massive nature of the trees that were cut to build the Keowee Valley home. This plank measures 19 inches in width.

1995, she introduced him to Lake Keowee.

For two years they dated, falling in love with each other and the lake. After their marriage, they lived in Greenville, but they longed for summer and weekends on Lake Keowee.

“We couldn’t wait for summers so we could get the boat out, head to the lake and ski,” Elke said. “Michael would get up at 6 a.m. on Saturdays so we could be on Keowee skiing by 8.

“Michael and I knew we were going to live on Lake Keowee one day, and there were many visits to Keowee that we would park our boat and just float and dream about the day we would be living here,” she continued.

Some of that daydreaming took place while anchored offshore from an old farmhouse that sat on a point of land jutting out into the lake

just north of what locals refer to as Quarter Mile Bridge.

•••••• Ratliff Boon(e) III was born near the confluence of the Whitewater and Toxaway rivers where they formed the Keowee River, just north of the current SC Highway 11 Bridge. In several of his 10 books, Alexander references the Boon family, to which he is related. In those books he notes that Ratliff Boon died in 1815 and his son, Ratliff Jr., acquired several parcels and farms.

In May 1833, the younger Boon, known to his friends as “Ratty,” sold a 400-acre parcel at the mouth of Boon’s Creek for $1,400 to the Robertson family.

Realizing the potential of the fertile lands that would become known as Eighty Acre Bottoms, James “Jim Alec” Robertson and his kin worked the silt-rich soil for several decades. In 1884, Robertson built a home that still stands on the promontory beside the lake.

It is a home virtually every passerby on SC Highway 11 has commented on. It is a testament to both a time and a culture that no longer exist.

In a 2007 article for the Pickens County Courier, historian and journalist Dot Jackson references a legend that suggests the home was originally built as a hunting lodge, a story given credence by photos showing the old home with two distinct front doors.

After some generations, the home left the SUMMER 2015 › 59

Ratliff Boon(e) III owned property at the convergence of the Toxaway and Whitewater rivers, where the Keowee River was formed. He eventually sold one parcel of that land near the entrance of Boone’s Creek to the Robertson family. It was on that property that the Robertson farmhouse was built in 1884. [photo courtesy of the Jerry Alexander collection]

Robertson family’s ownership, fell into complete disrepair and was eventually abandoned — left to vandals who carried off what had been left behind and lit fires in the floor to stay warm.

In 1989, Greenville businessman Sam Huffman bought what he referred to as his “island house” and began its restoration. He refurbished the original virgin pine interior walls, some of whose planks measure an astounding 19 inches in width. He also put in new windows and closed off the chimneys on opposite ends of the house as they had become dangerous to use.

Through Huffman’s efforts, the home regained the distinction Jackson gave it in 2007 when she described it as, “One of the most admired, coveted and photographed homes in the Carolina landscape,” a belief the Martins certainly shared.

•••••• “We would sit there (in the boat) and talk about how cool it would be to live in that house,” Martin recalls, “never really expecting to ever own it.”

“I would get my calculator out and start figuring out our ‘living on Lake Keowee bud-

get’,” Elke laughed, “figuring just how much we needed to save and how many hours we would have to work to make a lake lot payment.”

In 2002, Martin began selling property on the lakes, eventually becoming the Owner/Broker-In-Charge of his own firm, The Lake Company, a firm specializing in Lake Keowee properties. In time the couple fell in love with The Reserve on Lake Keowee, bought a lot and began making plans to build a home.

In the summer of 2007, with sufficient money saved for their dream home, the couple was two weeks away from signing a contract with an architect/builder. Then, in the course of business, Martin heard that Bob Leonardi was going to be auctioning off the Robertson homestead on Lake Keowee.

Could it be?

“We talked a lot,” Martin says. “We weren’t the least bit confident we would be able to buy it.”

But they did. And, listening to the couple tell their story of Auction Day is like watching two kids in a candy store. Seven years later, they recall every amazing detail, laughing and smiling as the telling of the tale shifts from one to the other.

“There were 25 registered bidders,” Martin recalls, explaining how the entire sale took

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PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK ME Why am I in the real estate business?

“My kitchen is just fine,” Elke Martin says, alluding to a much more elaborate kitchen plan she and her husband had for a new house they were planning in The Reserve on Lake Keowee … that is, until they found this home. “We bought new appliances, and look at my view!”

place on the back porch of the home, less than 30 feet from shore.

Martin decided to “go big or go home,” making an opening bid that cut the number of active bidders from 25 to three in a matter of seconds.

From that point on, the sale price “inched” up in increments of $25,000 until it reached a point where Michael and Elke, more nervous than they were willing to show, decided to take a few minutes aside for a quiet sidebar on how high they should go. Their 5-year-old son was with them.

“All Stelan wanted to know was which chimney Santa was going to come down,” Elke says of her then-5-year-old, a smile giving way to laughter.

“Bob was after us to get back to the sale,” Martin recalls, adding that they decided to make one more bid.

The only other bidder remaining then asked for a sidebar as well, but, after a few minutes, it was Martin who urged the auctioneer back into action and the sale promptly closed in their favor.

“We just sat there,” he said. “I don’t think we could believe we had bought it.”

As one might expect, a 123-year-old house needed improvements. The plumbing and electricity were refurbished. There was no heat and only window air units so new HVAC and ductwork were installed. Crawl space insulation was added after the couple saw lake wind whipping up through the floorboards, blowing Elke’s hair and lifting the rugs off the floor.

Martin said extensive renovations still remain, but there has never been any regret about buying the old house.

“This is home. This is where I hope to be until the day I die,” Elke said.

“My kitchen is just fine,” she adds, alluding to the much more elaborate kitchen plans they had for the unbuilt new house. “We bought new appliances and look at my view!”

“You can see the lake out every window in the home,” Martin added.

“The boys — Stelan, now 13, and Max, 6 — love it and so do we. It’s everything I thought it would be and more,” he said.

And, it is, after all, the one house on the lake everyone wants to see ... if not own. n Thanks to Jerry Alexander for his contributions to this story.

My answer is always the same. I get to share everything that is great about where we live. From the beautiful, emerald waters of Lake Keowee to the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains… the warm summer days on the lake to the incredible colors we see in the fall… the breathtaking waterfalls to the awesome hiking trails… the Clemson Tiger games and tailgating to the high school Friday nights… the awesome southern foods to the best sweet tea… the cities that treat old and new like the small town you grew up in…But most of all, I get to tell people thinking of moving here about all the wonderful people that already live here and their stories.

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SUMMER 2015 › 61

BIG CATS

the

Await Along North Carolina’s Shore story by Bill Bauer photos courtesy of Ocean Ridge Plantation Golf

62 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Located in Sunset Beach, NC, Lion’s Paw is considered by many to be the legendary (Willard) Byrd’s finest work. It was the first of what has been branded “The Big Cats,” opening in 1991.

The full carry 3rd at Lion’s Paw leaves no margin for error with water from tee to green and bunkers in the shape of the toes on a lion’s paw protecting the back.

SUMMER 2015 › 63

olf courses can be described in a multitude of contradictory ways — challenging but friendly, punishing yet playable, appealing and deceptive — however they are rarely labeled ferocious but gentle. That was until Willard Byrd and his protégé Tim Cate teamed up to design the Lion’s Paw Golf Links on Ocean Ridge Plantation.

Located in Sunset Beach, NC, Lion’s Paw is considered by many to be the legendary Byrd’s finest work. It was the first of what has been branded “The Big Cats,” opening in 1991.

Since then, Cate has made his mark designing three more courses that have been added to the family of felines and has one more in the development “cage.” The Big Cats — Lion’s Paw, Tiger’s Eye, Panther’s Run and Leopard’s Chase — are regarded as four of the premier courses on South Carolina’s Grand Strand and the southern North Carolina shoreline.

The terrain that makes up the mainland and 45-mile stretch of Brunswick’s barrier islands is a combination of extensive marshes, quiet creeks and sand dunes, meandering through natural pine and hardwood forests. It is within these natural settings that Byrd and Cate created The Big Cats, four courses sharing similar surroundings yet distinctly different in design.

Every course highlights and preserves the natural beauty of the Coastal Southeast and takes advantage of the local landscape. Whether carved out of the forest or cut through wetlands each par 72,7000+yard layout offers its own unique and challenging golf experience.

LION’S PAW The original course is open and hilly with spectacular views of a beautiful creek valley and adjoining wetlands, which are visible on every hole. One of two courses that utilize Mini Verde greens, it features one of the strongest collection of par-3s on the Grand Strand.

Water comes into play on 15 of the 18 holes.

The full carry third hole leaves no margin for error with water from tee to green and bunkers protecting the back, and the 17th sits precariously inside a horseshoe-shaped water hazard. While more than 70 white-sand bunkers and generous mounds protect the fairways and greens and help keep the ball in play, 64 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

their depth and size call for accurate tee and approach shots if you wish to reach the bold, contoured greens in regulation.

Lion’s Paw has been awarded four stars in Golf Digest’s “Places to Play.”

PANTHER’S RUN Three years after collaborating with Byrd, Cate masterfully designed Panther’s Run, carefully routing it through a pristine nature preserve.

Golfers should not be fooled by the wide fairways and generous landing areas as they stand on the tees. Twists and turns in the grassy lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers and water features that need to be avoided or hit over will test their ability to blend precision and distance.

Panther’s Run has been carefully routed through a pristine nature preserve, where twists and turns in the grassy lined fairways and strategically placed bunkers and water features — such as those pictured on this 18th hole — need to be avoided or hit over.

Like Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run has new Mini Verde greens that putt fast and true. Moving little dirt and following the natural lay of the land, Cate’s greens have gentle rolling contours and are surprisingly spacious. It is wise to know the pin placement on any approach to avoid a three-putt. Doglegs are prominent, but none as dramatic as the 13th, a 554-yard par-5 from the back tees. Slicing across the fairway and running away from the sharp right bend, a narrow water hazard dares to be carried. The same body of water flows along the right side of the fairway making it risky to try and cut the corner. It is best to get to the green in three and hope for a tap in birdie.

This past April, Business North Carolina magazine and the NC Golf Panel ranked Panther’s Run 4th among all coastal region courses in their “Best Bang for the Buck” category.

TIGER’S EYE A virgin pine and hardwood forest provided the location for Cate’s next Ocean Ridge venture. Tiger’s Eye, considered the “crown jewel” of the plantation, opened to rave reviews in 2000 and quickly rose to number 41 in Golf Digest’s “Top 100 Public Courses in the U.S.” The carefully carved layout accents the natural features of the land, making it appear as though the golf course was always there. Dramatic elevation changes up to 60-feet combine with towering Carolina pines and mature oaks, natural waste areas, native grasses and wildflowers, to define the well-manicured Bermuda fairways. Not to be overlooked are 40 acres of water features with bulkheads built from native or locally mined coquina boulders.

Five holes on the front require golfers to carry water and three holes have waste areas routed around mature Oak trees that come into play off the tee. The back nine also calls for five more holes over water, and

Reminiscent of the infamous 17th at TPC Sawgrass, Tiger’s Eye’s 11th is an intimidating island hole with an undulating green and a front bunker surrounded by water that stretches from tee to green.

SUMMER 2015 › 65

Sixteen hundred gallons of water per minute flowing over a wall of coquina boulders into pools causes you to stop, take a deep breath and calm your nerves as you dial in your approach shot to the final hole at Leopard’s Chase.

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two of Cate’s signature designs. Reminiscent of infamous 17th at TPC Sawgrass, Tiger’s Eye 11th is an intimidating island hole. The undulating green and a front bunker are surrounded by water that stretches from tee to green. And, the 18th, a mammoth par-5 at 592 yards, is simply spectacular. A five-foot waterfall rims the rear of the tee box, and a stream flows along the left side of the fairway, cuts across and continues down the right, and leads to a 200-yard waste bunker all the way to the putting surface. There, the bent grass green reaches into a rock-rimmed lake.

It’s no wonder Tiger’s Eye now ranks as the 6th best golf course in the state, just five behind Pinehurst’s legendary #2.

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LEOPARD’S CHASE The newest cat in Ocean Ridge, Leopard’s Chase, complements the coastal terrain. After opening in 2007 it was promptly named one of the Top 10 Best New Public Courses in America by both Golf Digest and GOLF magazine. Director of Marketing Bill Long calls it a “championship caliber test of golf,” but adds that it is playable “as long as you stay on the beaten path.”

However, it is not a course for the hydrophobic, as large and small lakes either appear or come into play on 17 holes. Either water or lengthy waste bunkers line nearly every carefully-cropped Bermuda fairway. Approaching each tee, golfers are greeted by a new stunning vista and a new challenge where carrying water and preserved wetlands is often essential. Big hitters as well as seniors and ladies have the opportunity to score as Cate carefully planned for all abilities with five tees, each with a generous landing area.

The number 4 signature par-3 demonstrates this design. A true island hole, 100 yards separate the black and red tees to this 46-yard green, protected on the backside by waste and sand bunkers. A full water carry from all tees — long is better than short.

However, Cate saved his biggest architectural splash for Leopard’s Chase’s final hole, where he duplicated the soothing sound and beauty of the waterfall on the 18th tee at Tiger’s Eye, with a multi-level cascade that fronts the green. Sixteen hundred gallons of water per minute flowing over a wall of coquina boulders into pools causes you to stop, take a deep breath and calm your nerves as you dial in your approach shot over the falls. This par-4 is truly one of the most breathtaking finishing holes in golf.

Four fantastic and not really ferocious rounds of golf in a gentle, relaxed setting with all the amenities you would expect from a country club are waiting for you at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Every course has a fully stocked pro shop with the latest in equipment and fashion, a clubhouse and a restaurant or snack bar.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but Ocean Ridge puts that rumor to rest. Their most popular special is the “Play 4, Pay for 3, Get Tiger’s Eye Free” package, that comes with, yes, a free lunch.

The Big Cats are located on Highway 17 in Sunset Beach, NC, just eight miles north of North Myrtle Beach. n For tee times and special golf rates for Coastal Vacation resort guests call 800.233.1801 or 910.287.1717. Vacation/play packages and current specials can be arranged by visiting the Brunswick Islands at http://www.ncbrunswick.com/fun_and_adventure/golf/ Golf_Directory#packagers.

Offsite catering available thru

1551 Eighteen Mile Road | Central, South Carolina

864-639-0000 OccasionsatWedgefield.com

SUMMER 2015 › 67

CURIOUS CADDIES Llamas hit the links at High Hampton Inn

story and photos by Bill Bauer

Llama Caddy is the creation of Mark English, owner of a llama farm in Brevard, NC. “A well-fed, well-drained llama is a happy llama,” he explains. “They’ll eat some grass along the way, but once they’re fed, they’ll be good to go for 18 holes.”

68 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

S A TEENAGER, I LUGGED GOLF BAGS FOR A LIVING. IT WAS TOUGH WORK CARRYING NEARLY HALF MY BODY WEIGHT AROUND A GOLF COURSE ON BEHALF OF WEEKEND WARRIORS, WHO WERE SLICING AND HOOKING GOLF BALLS FROM TEE TO GREEN. I VOWED THAT SOMEDAY I WOULD PLAY GOLF WITH A CADDY, JUST TO SEE WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE CARRY MY BAG AND CLUBS, OFFER ADVICE AND MORAL SUPPORT AND MAKE ME AWARE OF THE BEST STRATEGY TO PLAY THE COURSE. After hundreds of rounds of golf, I achieved that goal at the High Hampton Inn and Country Club (HHI), in Cashiers, NC. But it was not what I expected.

My caddy, whose name was Legend, carried my clubs with ease, no matter where I hit the ball. He was always there when I needed a tee, towel, club or new ball. He knew the etiquette of golf, remaining away from the tee box and off the green and, for the most part, he was quiet and unassuming.

Advice? Moral support? Strategy? Not so much. Actually zip, zero, nada.

Legend, you see, was a llama. Yes, the furry beast of burden better known for packing the wares of trekkers as opposed to clubs for golfers.

Llama Caddy is the creation of Mark English, owner of a llama farm in nearby Brevard, who began his unique efforts at Sherwood Forest Golf Course in Cedar Mountain, NC, and has recently expanded the business to the High Hampton Inn. Every Thursday and Saturday, English loads his trailer with the llamas and takes them to HHI where he feeds, waters and allows them to “do their business.”

“A well-fed, well-drained llama is a happy llama,” he explains. “They’ll eat some grass along the way, but once they’re fed, they’ll be good to

go for 18 holes.”

At the clubhouse, special racks with two golf bags are strapped to the llamas. English takes your clubs, balls, tees, and any other golf gear, and carefully distributes it evenly on each side of the llama.

“They can easily carry the weight, but it needs to be balanced for a smooth trek,” he explains.

Once loaded, it’s off to the number one tee box, where, along the way, English introduces you and your golf group to your llama caddies.

The High Hampton Inn Golf Course, whose island hole is pictured here, is beautiful to play, whether doing so by golf cart or walking the course with a llama. Yes, a llama. The “ancient” animals are available to serve as caddies every Thursday and Saturday.

SUMMER 2015 › 69

He shows everyone how to lead them around and stake them to the ground (although they rarely wander off) when hitting the ball. Being a decent golfer himself, English is the perfect “assistant” to the llamas. His knowledge of the game and nuances of the HHI golf course provide what the llamas cannot.

But, he quips, “If they tap the ground with their hooves two times, you have the right club!”

From your first tee shot to your final putt, it is golf as usual … well, sort of. Llama conversations are strictly one-sided, but Mark more than makes up for his pets’ silence. The golf can be relaxing, entertaining and informational, as Mark not only assists with your game but also provides as much llama knowledge as you could ever want.

“I love the animals so much because they are calm and relaxed. They’re perfect for the sport,” claims English. They’re great animals and don’t care if you’re good or bad!”

I’ve roamed the mountainous terrain of the HHI Golf Course in a golf cart several times, taking in the beauty that surrounds each hole.

Walking the course with Legend and Mark, however, afforded me views I had never seen before.

Course architect George Cobb once said of the HHI, “I have yet to see a course — de-

signed by me or others — with greater natural beauty or one more enjoyable to play.”

Golfing with a llama only made this more evident.

Contact the High Hampton Inn this summer for a unique golfing experience — one that you will not forget. n

Writer and golf enthusiast Bill Bauer, right, is pictured with his playing partner and their “caddies” at the High Hampton Inn near Cashiers, NC. Bauer said the llamas are excellent caddies, although they are a little short on good advice.

Special mountain golf, Stay and Play packages are available as are daily tee times. Call 800.334.2551 for more information, or visit the HHI website at www.highhamptoninn.com.

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Heritage Memorial Gardens offers: • Custom Granite Cremation Benches • Personal Estate Columbaria

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A Perfect Marriage innovator melds love of wood and real estate interests story by Brett McLaughlin

{top to bottom} A huge Oak he cut down in 2007 is now the base for a custom-crafted conference table built by Shannon Massey and located in the Walhalla law offices of Tjay Bagwell and Stephanie Merrick Corley. [photo by Brett McLaughlin] • Shannon Massey relaxes after he and his brother, Travis, successfully cut down this massive Oak tree in Seneca in October 2007. Then working as part of his own T & S TreeWorks business, Massey extricated the 7-foot diameter (21.9foot circumference) tree from between two homes. [photo courtesy of Shannon Massey]

eaches and cream, peanut butter and jam, ham and eggs, fish and chips, milk and honey, bagels and lox, ham and cheese … all great combinations and some pretty tasty fare, depending on one’s gastronomic bent.

But, as savory as they may be, none of these duos would be defined by their functionality. When it comes to creating functional tandems, Shannon Massey is a master of the craft.

Massey, whose business acumen has led him to success in such varied fields as dining, grading, flooring and home building, is currently honing a pair of businesses that work like hand in glove … real estate and custom furniture.

SUMMER 2015 › 73

Last October, Massey opened Above & Beyond Real Estate. While the office at the intersection of South Carolina highways 183 and 133 in Pickens County is at the gateway to the Jocassee Gorges, Massey is quick to note that the firm does not deal in “lake properties” only.

“We are really trying to focus on the everyday person who is looking for an affordable home in one of the most beautiful places on earth,” Massey said.

A flyer distributed at last fall’s grand opening said that the sales team at Above & Beyond is not only dedicated to buying and selling real estate, but also wants to introduce prospective homeowners and visitors to the “vast beauty and historical significance” of the region.

To that end, the sales office, while newly renovated, has some rural, rustic flair, including several pieces of furniture either designed or handcrafted by Massey himself. They are telltale signs of his long-held love for woodworking and one of the few talents he had never turned into a business … at least not until recently.

Keowee Mountain Woodworks is the yin to his real estate yang and a firm he only organized after finding a father and three sons whose talents and dedication to creative custom work are equal to those he has honed over the past 20 years.

“I’ve always had a passion for woodworking,” Massey said, recalling watching his grandfather at a lathe. “Eventually I started cutting down trees, milling the wood, air or kiln drying it and then making a chair or dining room table.”

Among his many creations — from design to completion — is an 8.5-foot walnut dining table that features handmade pegs and a 40-inch Lazy Susan. He also turned a Deodar Cedar tree that he cut down in West

“I’ve always had a passion for woodworking ... I started cutting down trees ... and making a chair or dining room table.” shannon massey

Union into a dining table for a home he sold in Greenville.

“I’ve fiddled with woodworking for years, but I never wanted to turn it into a business because I didn’t want to fall out of love with wood. I didn’t want to wake up in the morning and feel like I had to go work with wood.

“But, now I have the right people,” he continued.

Today, Massey enjoys the world of wood and how that interest relates to the world of real estate. He calls it “a perfect marriage.”

“Real estate requires some staging,” he said.

“If you are going to market a home properly, it has to be presented in a certain way. Sometimes a home just needs the perfect piece of furniture. Well, guess what? We can create that.”

Recently, Massey brought his “perfect marriage” close to home, finding himself a new home on Spring Lake just a couple of miles up the road from his Six Mile office. He then set about designing and building all the furniture for the home, from chairs, to tables, to beds.

“I enjoy the artsy side of it,” he said. “I designed a new bed, and I’ve built two, one for the house. I still do selective pieces myself.

“I want to do a handmade wooden canoe,” Massey added. “That’s on my bucket list.” n

Oconee resident:

“Going The Extra Mile(s)” Chris Crosby, General Manager of Quality Nissan in Greenwood, SC, and Seneca resident is continuing to go the extra mile — and miles to take care of his Nissan customers. When you purchase from Chris Crosby, never wait for a service again, he’ll pick up and deliver while leaving a demo as a loaner for all service needs.

Chris Crosby says, “Remember… I’ll come to you! You don’t have to go to the dealer for purchase or service. I’m here for you!”

Just Call Chris! (864) 223-0586 1724 Montague Ave Ext., Greenwood, SC www.qualitynissansc.com 74 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

The New South Architecture & Exhibit “Speaking in the One Historic Voice”

A 1909 American Queen Anne style bungalow, carriage house and “two-seater outhouse” Architect Charles Christian Hook Former residence of Dr. W. J. & Lilian Mason Lunney.

resident: The arts &Oconee crafts interior features art glass windows, original chandeliers, long-leaf pine woodwork, quarter-sawn mantel, English fireplace tiles, flatSeneca Chris Crosby, General Manageroak of Quality Nissan in Greenwood, SC, and resident is continuing to go the panel extra mile — andwith milesburlap to take inserts, care of his Nissan wainscot and customers. When you purchasean from Chris Crosby, never wait for a service 1866 Chickering & Sons “cocked hat”again, he’ll pick up and deliver while leaving a demo as a loaner for all service needs. parlor grand piano.

Chris Crosby says, “Remember… I’ll come to you! You don’t have to go to the dealer for purchase or service. I’m here for you!”

“Going The Extra Mile(s)”

Just Call Chris! (864) 223-0586

Open to the Public | Thursday through Sunday 1:00 - 5:00 PM 1724 Montague Ave Ext., Greenwood, SC Other hours by appointment | Admission by Donation www.qualitynissansc.com For a pictorial tour & events schedule visit www.LunneyHouseMuseum.org

211 W. South 1ST. Street, Seneca, SC 29678 info@LunneyHouseMuseum.org 864.882.4811

CASUAL CUISINE with a fine dining view

Restaurant 17 breaking myths, building a clientele story by Brett McLaughlin | photos by Rex Brown

76 ‚ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

he late afternoon sun bathes the Blue Ridge range in bright sunlight as you sip a French Bordeaux and enjoy a fresh kale and strawberry salad.

But, as your small plate of cheese and herb tortellini gives way to a triple chocolate semifreddo and you order a glass of sweet late harvest Viognier, shades of orange and red begin streaking the mountains, signaling a splendid sunset has begun.

And, that’s dining at Restaurant 17.

It is an experience an increasing number of Upstate residents are finding alluring, especially during summer. It is this time of year, according to Restaurant Manager Stephen Mayes, when sunsets meld into mild evenings that are made for “breaking bread and solving all the world’s problems over a glass of wine.”

Some Upstate residents will recognize Res-

{opposite page} The culinary team at Restaurant 17 uses seasonal ingredients to create dishes that are both unique and authentic, such as this Angnolotti that featured herb goat cheese and local ramps and mushrooms.

taurant 17 as the former La Bastide French Country Inn & Restaurant. And, while much of the stonework that gave credence to the old name remains, much has changed under the ownership of Greenville cycling professional George Hincapie and his brother.

“We’re a different organization,” said Mayes, whose own passion for cycling led him to bring more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the Upstate. “It’s the same building, but very different people.”

In conversation, both Mayes and Executive Chef Adam Cooke stress that, through both architecture and cuisine, they seek to create a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of traditional European bistros.

To that end they have opened up the restaurant to provide spectacular mountain views, created a courtyard that has quickly become popular for small weddings and family events and added a glass-enclosed bar area that is growing in after-hours popularity among Greenville’s business community.

Likewise, the cuisine reflects the surrounding countryside. Ingredients arrive daily from

nearby farms, fields and rivers. A garden onsite provides herbs and garnishes. All meat is local, and the fish that is served is Southeastern coastal. The culinary team, led by Cooke and Chef de Cuisine Greg McPhee, uses these seasonal ingredients to create dishes that are both unique and authentic.

“What Chef Adam produces will blow your socks off,” Mayes said. “His dishes are indicative of the small chateaus and bastides of France in that they are unique and special, but they are made with what we can purchase fresh in this market.”

Cooke explained that, occasionally, local farmers can provide only a handful or two of product. The result is that the menu at Restaurant 17 can, and does, change up to three times each week.

Our meal began with one of Cooke’s favorite “snacks,” a plate of artisan meats, all cured onsite and served with house-made pickles, beer mustard created in the kitchen and toast.

A local kale and strawberry salad, topped with granola, pistachio crumble and yogurt dressing followed.

{left to right} While some Upstate residents may recognize Restaurant 17 as the former La Bastide French Country Inn & Restaurant, they will also recognize many changes, including this courtyard that has quickly become a popular spot for weddings and other gatherings of family and friends. • Executive Chef Adam Cooke works to create an “offthe-menu” plate for some guests at Restaurant 17. The desire to cook with almost entirely locally product can and does result in several menu changes each week, as well as unique plates such as this Angnolotti.

SUMMER 2015 › 77

{clockwise from top left} One of the most popular small plates at Restaurant 17 is this arrangement of artisan meats; all cured onsite and served with house-made pickles, beer mustard created in the kitchen and toast. • The local kale and strawberry salad, topped with granola, pistachio crumble and yogurt dressing, was a fresh and tasty way to begin our meal. • The Bethel Trails Farm heritage pork crepinette is one of several popular entrees. The dish features a sweet pulled pork, reconstituted into a small loaf and seared.

It is served with tasty pickled mustard and red pepper sauce, and plated with diced sweet potatoes and fresh green onion.

Cooke then displayed his creativity with an off-the-menu Angnolotti that featured herb goat cheese, and ramps and mushrooms.

For the main course we enjoyed a variation of the typical menu’s Bethel Trails Farm heritage pork crepinette. The dish featured a sweet pulled pork, reconstituted into a small loaf and seared. It was served with tasty pickled mustard and red pepper sauce. The pork was plated with diced sweet potatoes and fresh green onion.

“Sometimes responding to what is available that day can make it pretty chaotic in the kitchen,” Cooke admitted. “But the key is,

BOUTIQUE HOTEL’S NAME HIGHLIGHTS MISSION George Hincapie, his brother and an investment group reopened La Bastide and its adjoining hotel in 2013, renaming them Restaurant 17 and Hotel Domestique.

Hincapie is a Greenville resident and retired road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1994 and 2012. The restaurant name represents the number of Tour de France events in which he competed.

The boutique hotel takes its name from Hincapie’s role as a key “domestique” of Lance Armstrong as he was the only rider to assist Armstrong in all seven of his now withdrawn Tour de France victories. A domestique is a racer who works for the benefit of his team and leader.

In French, domestique translates as “servant,” making it the perfect name for the small hotel whose acreage is dotted with vineyards and whose views are of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Under the new management, the hotel has retained much of its original stonework, including a massive fireplace that dominates a newly-enlarged lobby area. The hotel has also added a courtyard area and library. All 13 rooms in the hotel have been remodeled and several have been expanded. The rooms are named after the various climbs in the Tour de France.

78 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

[by Brett McLaughlin]

New ownership has brought changes to Restaurant 17’s adjoining inn, Hotel Domestique. The lobby area has been opened up and lightened, and a new “glass bar” has been added, as well as a lobby library. All of the inn’s 13 rooms have also been renovated.

“We are trying to break down some of the myths of fine dining.” executive chef adam cooke we have a small team that stays focused and gets behind you. They don’t panic and seem to get just as excited as I do about new creations.”

Mayes said efforts to establish a casual atmosphere appear to be succeeding with local residents, particularly those living in the nearby Glassy Mountain Park and The Cliffs at the Valley communities, who are coming regularly for either dinner, a small plate or simply a glass of wine.

“There is some cost to purchasing local ingredients,” Cooke said, “but we think our prices are competitive and allow people to come back two or three times a month.

“We have upscale décor, but we want people to be able to come, hang out and have some fun,” Mayes added.

“We tell our wait staff to be friendly, engage in conversation and don’t hide your Southern accents,” Cooke said. “We are trying to break down some of the myths of fine dining.”

Whether it’s a weekly family dinner around a big table, drinks with friends after work or romantic dinners toasting milestone anniversaries … whatever the reason … Restaurant 17 is striving to make celebrated cuisine and warm hospitality reasons to return, again and again. n

Your Lake Keowee Real Estate Specialist.

When experience counts.....

“We are from out of state and we’re hoping to find a WHEN EXPERIENCE COUNTS, lake lot to build our retirement home. We needed a COUNT ON A FULL SERVICE REALTOR! realtor with extensive expertise on the area, the lake, Welcome to and thebuilding Upstate of SouthDelane Carolina. the community contractors. was perfect! We had limited time and she used it wisely.

Delane was a fantastic liaison even when we were no longer in the area and she made the whole process from offer to closing seamless.”

Andrew and Cynthia Cunninghan New York-2015 As a native of Oconee County my knowledge of this region is second to none. The Upstate is one of the most beautiful areas in the country – and South Carolina has been voted a top choice for retirement/relocation.

Restaurant 17 General Manager Stephen Mayes, right, and Executive Chef Adam Cooke are working to create a casual atmosphere that redefines fine dining and encourages customers to return to the eatery several times each month.

Restaurant 17 and Hotel Domestique are located at 10 Road of Vines, Travelers Rest, SC. The restaurant serves from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are encouraged (864.516.1715) and guests are urged to check the Restaurant 17 website at http://restaurant17.com to view each day’s menu. Entrees typically range in price from $23-$40. Dinners for two are reasonably priced. Snacks and small plates range from $7-$22.

The eatery also operates a café featuring salads, sandwiches, cheese board and charcuterie. It operates from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for travelers and hotel guests.From the Upstate, allow for a one-hour drive.

Whether you are looking for a waterfront home, mountain views or a site where you can build your dream house, you will want a Realtor® who specializes in this area.

You’ve found one.

Delane Graham 864.324.1217

896 Walnut St. ~ Seneca, SC 29678 Delaneonkeowee@gmail.com SUMMER 2015 › 79

DINING ADVENTURES

SOLÉ GRILL & SUSHI BAR

700 By Pass 123, Seneca, SC | 864.882.9463 | solesushi.com

RICK ERWIN’S CLEMSON

127 Market Street, Clemson | 864-654-9466| www.rickerwins.com/clemson Nestled in Clemson’s Patrick Square, Rick Erwin’s Clemson offers a dining experience like no other in the area. The elegant feel of the contrast of white linens and rich wood pieces welcome you as soon as you walk in. Rick Erwin’s Clemson offers fresh seafood, prime steak, and a lengthy wine selection. The restaurant also offers meal options that are value-friendly, including guest favorites Cedar Planked Salmon and Pork Tenderloin Marsala.

THE BASICS HOURS: Bar hours, MondaySaturday 4 PM— until; Restaurant hours MondaySaturday 5 PM—until; Will open for private lunches

specialS: Three courses for $30 and $42 menu options; weekend features vary and are usually for a limited time. Reservations are normally encouraged.

With numerous menu options featuring a variety of items including steaks, seafood and more than 30 sushi and specialty rolls, a customer can easily find a balance of appetizing tapas and entrees. Solé offers an extensive drink menu that is filled with more than 100 wines and Solé’s own signature cocktails.

THE BASICS HOURS: Monday - Saturday 4-10 p.m.; Reservations strongly encouraged. specialS: Mondays are all-you-can-eat sushi; Wednesdays are buy one, get one sushi; Thursdays are 1/2 price bottles of wine.

270 Jocassee Ridge; Salem, SC 29676

●

$340,000

"Beautiful Custom Home" with a spectacular "mountain view" experience. From the deck, Lakes Jocassee and Keowee are in view. As you enter the home and step on the custom inlay hardwood oak floors you see a spacious living room with sliding glass doors to the deck. The kitchen has modern upscale appliances, granite counter tops and custom designed cabinets.

Adjoining the kitchen is a breakfast area perfect for enjoying that first cup of coffee. With its vaulted ceiling the master bedroom has access to the deck and is adjoined by a bath with a double vanity, jetted tub, and separate shower. Rounding out the main level are two bedrooms and baths and stairs giving access to a huge bonus room (14x40 ft). Wide mountain views are present from nearly all major rooms on the main level. A convenient located stairway leads to a huge unfinished basement that can be used for anything imaginable!

VIEWS

VIEWS

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From this spacious Mountain Retreat the only two events that will break your train of thought will be the sunset from the back patio and the sunrise as you sit on the swing chair in the front of the home. Beyond the back yard where turkeys and deer roam one can see the mountains of both South and North Carolina. As you enter the front door you will see a majestic mountain view. Turn left and your in a comfortable den/library. Turn right and there stands a dining room capable of seating 12 or more. The kitchen boasts of Jenn-Aire appliances, granite counter tops, center isle, stone splash pan and a large breakfast nook. The main floor has 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and a half bath all meticulously decorated. The lower level stands as a home by itself with 2 bedrooms each with a full bath, separated by a large living room and kitchen. Needless to say, panoramic views of the Blue Ridge escarpment are ever present throughout the home.

277 Jocassee Ridge; Salem, SC 29676

●

$575,000

Above & Beyond Real Estate ● 990 Mount Olivet Road; Six Mile, SC 29682 ● (864) 481-9600

UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Submission deadline: January 31, 2016 Winners announced in the Spring 2016 Edition

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST CATEGORIES ¾ People ¾ Nature ¾ Places

All images must include an Upstate Lake.

To Submit Photos Or Complete Rules And Instructions E-Mail

lakeliving@upstatetoday.com

Digital photography only. All photos at least 1,600 pixels wide (horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (vertical image). By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable license to Authorized Parties, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entries. Please ask for complete details.

Your Upstate Address.

Our Passion.

Let us help you.

Buy or Sell

Trina Wilkerson

Realtor 864-723-7770 twilkerson@1stchoicerealty-sc.com

Realtor 864-985-2611 twilkerson@1stchoicerealty-sc.com

402 Cane Creek Landing Road, Seneca

82 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

Elaine McPhail

DIVE INTO OCONEE COUNTY Get Outside!

Feel Alive!

WANDER Antiques & Mountain Crafts Bicycling Hiking Horseback Riding Boating Culture & Museums

RELAX Renowned Accommodations Camping Waterfalls Heritage & Arts Entertainment

EXPLORE Fishing Rafting/Paddling Canoeing/Kayaking Historical Sites 100,000+ acres of wilderness SCUBA Diving Agriculture Tours

SOAR Whitewater Rafting Lake Sports Golf Ziplines

Oconee County Home of the National Wild & Scenic Chattooga River, SC National Heritage Corridor Scenic Highways and so much more...

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upstate theatre FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE P.O. BOX 310, FLAT ROCK, NC 828.693.0731; TOLL FREE: 866.732.8008 WWW.FLATROCKPLAYHOUSE.ORG

JUNE 4 – 21 OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS (DOWNTOWN) From the Tony Award-winning Joe DiPietro, the author of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “All Shook Up” and the smash musical “Memphis,” this uproarious family comedy centers around Nick Cristano and his ItalianAmerican grandparents, Frank, Aida, Nunzio and Emma, as they scheme to thwart his upcoming move from Hoboken, NJ to Seattle.

Faith, family and food are central themes in this long-running Off Broadway hit.

JUNE 17 – JULY 12 HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (MAINSTAGE) Armed with his handy book entitled “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and unbridled charisma, Finch catapults from window washer to Chairman of the Board at the World Wide Wicket Company. However, when his ad campaign goes terribly awry, his job and new romance hang in the balance.

Finch must rely on his own wits to save the day. This fun and hilarious musical is a story about the triumph of the common man.

JULY 9 – 26 DRIVING MISS DAISY (DOWNTOWN) Atlanta, 1948. After demolishing yet another car, Daisy Werthan, a 72-year-old, wealthy, Jewish woman is forced to rely on the services of a hired chauffer: a thoughtful and goodnatured man named Hoke. Despite her ran-

cor at the loss of her independence and initial prejudice toward her new driver, Daisy and Hoke develop a close, mutually dependent relationship spanning 25 years. Driving Miss Daisy is an evocative tribute to friendship and human dignity. Brilliantly absorbing and tender, this engaging and timeless story demonstrates the healing powers of love and friendship.

JULY 22 – AUGUST 16 GYPSY (MAINSTAGE) Often referred to as the greatest American musical, Gypsy brings to life the memoirs of real life vaudevillian, Gypsy Rose Lee, and her ultimate stage mother, Mama Rose. Rose is wildly determined to turn her two young daughters, Dainty June and Louise, into stars — at all costs. Relive the unforgettable moments made famous by the incomparable Ethel Merman with such showstoppers as “Let Me Entertain You,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and the dazzling and dizzying “Rose’s Turn.”

AUGUST 6 – 16 THE MUSIC OF CAROLE KING & JAMES TAYLOR (DOWNTOWN) Carole King and James Taylor first collaborated over forty years ago in Laurel Canyon with such hits as You’ve Got a Friend, Fire and Rain, Sweet Baby James and You Can Close Your Eyes. All of these hits and more will be presented in this concert featuring two of the most prolific and inspiring singer/songwriters in all of musical history.

AUGUST 20 – SEPTEMBER 6 CRIMES OF THE HEART (DOWNTOWN) Meet Meg, Babe and Lenny, the Magrath sisters. Just your typical Southern sisters who reconvene in their hometown of Hazlehurst, Mississippi at the home of their Old Granddaddy. Oh, but this is not your typical family reunion. Babe has just shot her abusive husband. And their mother has hung herself … and the beloved family cat. What unfolds is a beautifully rendered, often heartbreaking, often hilarious story of love, compassion and sisterhood.

84 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

CENTRE STAGE 501 RIVER STREET, GREENVILLE, SC INSIDE THE SMITH-BARNEY BUILDING 864.233.6733 OR TOLL FREE 877.377.1339

THRU JUNE 13 A TIME TO KILL Based on the John Grisham novel, this play is a suspense-filled drama about a man fighting a legal battle in a racist system. After his little girl was attacked, the man killed her assailants and is now being tried for the death penalty.

JULY 16 – AUGUST 8 SWINGIN’ COUNTRY A fun musical review is always a must in the summertime, and Swingin’ Country is no exception! Come join in the singing and dancing at each performance, packed with country favorites from the classics.

CLEMSON LITTLE THEATRE 214 S. MECHANIC STREET, PENDLETON, SC RESERVATIONS 864.646.8100 EVENING PERFORMANCES 8 P.M.; MATINEES 3 P.M.

JUNE 5-7, 11-14 & 18-21 LES MISERABLES Sing and cry your way through 19th century France with Jean Valjean as he tries to find redemption in life after being released from prison in the midst of revolution, revolt and heartbreak. Experience the challenges of life and love with this powerful, uplifting musical masterpiece.

OCONEE COMMUNITY THEATRE 8001 UTICA STREET, SENECA, SC RESERVATIONS: 864.882.7700, 10 A.M. – NOON AND 2 P.M. – 4 P.M. EVENINGS 8 P.M., SUNDAY MATINEES 2:30 P.M.

JUNE 5-7 & 12-14 NANA’S NAUGHTY KNICKERS It’s present time New York and Bridget and her grandmother are about to become roommates for the summer in Grandmother Sylvia’s rent-controlled apartment. Bridget was not

aware that her sweet grandma is running an illegal boutique from her apartment. She is selling, of all things, naughty knickers to every senior citizen in the five-borough area. Bridget, who will study law in the fall, is afraid Nana will get arrested — or worse — evicted. Of course, there is a “villain” landlord; a beat cop; Nana’s best friend, Vera, who needs two hearing aids and a walker; ditzy Heather Van Pree an employee of “Saucy Lips”; and Clair, Sylvia’s biggest and most loyal client.

Will Bridget be able to handle the excitement? The play is laugh-outloud funny from beginning to end.

GREENVILLE LITTLE THEATRE 444 COLLEGE STREET, GREENVILLE, SC 864.233.6238 OR WWW.GREENVILLELITTLETHEATRE.ORG ALL SHOWS 8 P.M., EXCEPT SUNDAYS AT 3 P.M.

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JUNE 5 – 27 ALL SHOOK UP The story is new, but the music is all Elvis! Joe DiPietro has crafted a funny and heart-warming story around the music of Elvis Presley, much the same way as Mamma Mia! features the music of ABBA. It’s 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing, motorcycle-riding roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets. You’ll jump out of your blue suede shoes as the 25-member cast sings “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” and many more.

RAYMOND LUKE JR. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS. ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY ANDREW ECCLES.

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WALHALLA PLAYERS WALHALLA CIVIC AUDITORIUM, WALHALLA, SC EVENINGS 8 P.M. AND SUNDAYS 2:30 P.M. 864.638.5277 OR 877.368.5318 WWW.WALHALLACIVIC.COM

JUNE 19 – 21, 26 – 28 THE HALLELUJAH GIRLS Hilarity abounds when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives. The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in SPA-DEEDAH!, the abandoned churchturned day spa where this group of friends gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear

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SUMMER 2015 › 85

upstate theatre friend, the women realize time is precious; if they’re going to change their lives and achieve their dreams, they have to get on it now! However, by the time the women rally together to overcome several obstacles and launch their new, improved lives, you’ve got a side-splitting, joyful comedy that will make you laugh out loud and shout “Hallelujah!”

ELECTRIC CITY PLAYHOUSE 514 NORTH MURRAY AVENUE ANDERSON, SC 29622 864.224.4248 HTTP://ECPLAYHOUSE.COM

JUNE 5 – 14 ON GOLDEN POND This is the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the 48th year. He is a retired professor, nearing 80, with heart palpitations and a failing memory. Ethel, 10 years younger and the perfect foil for Norman, de-

86 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

lights in all the small things that have enriched and continue to enrich their long life together.

They are visited by their divorced, middle-aged daughter and her dentist fiancé, who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage son behind for the summer. The boy quickly becomes the “grandchild” the elderly couple has longed for. In the end, as the summer wanes, so does their brief idyll, and in the final, deeply mov-

ing moments of the play, Norman and Ethel are brought even closer together by the incidence of a mild heart attack. Time, they know, is now against them, but the years have been good and, perhaps, another summer on Golden Pond still awaits.

AUGUST 14 – 23 I’LL NEVER GO HUNGRY AGAIN David is a black grad student assigned to read Gone With The Wind for a Southern Lit class. But David doesn’t want to read any novel about “white crackers getting rich off the sweat of their black brethren,” so he puts it off until the night before the test. Then, under the influence of too much partying, David passes out in the middle of the story only to wake up and find himself at Terra Firma, the plantation home of Starlett O’Hara. It’s only a wild, crazy-ass dream, right? Or is it? David begins to wonder, as he gets pulled into the plot of America’s most famous romance … slightly skewed and fraught with musical zaniness.

upstate theatre UPCOMING EVENTS

PEACE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 300 SOUTH MAIN ST., GREENVILLE, SC 864.476.3000 OR 800.888.7768

Hallelujah Girls JULY 30 DAILEY & VINCENT Dubbed by CMT as the “Rockstars of Bluegrass,” the Dailey & Vincent duo has been hailed throughout the music industry as one of the most exciting, reputable and elite Bluegrass bands in America.

AUGUST 1 CHRIS BOTTI

June 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28 Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in an abandoned churchturned day spa where a group of friends gathers every Friday. After the loss of a dear friend, they realize time is precious and if they’re going to change their lives they have to get on it now! This side-splitting play will make you laugh out loud.

Andy Offitt Irwin

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

The Odd Couple

A master trumpeter - who first picked up the instrument at just 12 years old - Chris Botti has been surrounded by music for the majority of his life. Over his prolific career, he has worked with a wide variety of major artists including Sting, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler and even Frank Sinatra. Botti’s 2012 album, Impressions, earned him a Grammy, and a much-deserved spotlight in mainstream music. To date, he is the largest-selling American instrumental artist.

AUGUST 4 – 9 CINDERELLA Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical from the creators of The Sound of Music and South Pacific that’s delighting audiences with its contemporary take on the classic tale. This lush production features an incredible orchestra, jawdropping transformations and all the moments you love — the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more — plus some new twists! Be transported back to your childhood in this hilarious and romantic Broadway experience for anyone who’s ever had a wish, a dream ... or a really great pair of shoes.

Saturday, July 11 8pm

Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

August 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 & 23 Evenings 8 pm, Sundays 2:30 pm Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

A clean-freak who’s separated from his wife and a divorced slob decide to room together, with hilarious results, in this classic Neil Simon Comedy.

Civil War Remembrance Night Saturday, August 29 8pm Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

Come join the Phil Cheney Minstrels as they remember the 150th anniversary of the Civil War year 1865. They will entertain you with song and story from the conflict that still affects us to this day.

A Tribute to Elvis & Conway Twitty starring Rick Wade

Saturday, September 19 8pm Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

Rick Wade brings his high-energy tribute to Elvis and Conway Twitty to the WCA stage. Come join us for a night you will not soon forget!

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds September 25-27, Oct. 2-4 Advance tickets $12, students $6, group rate $10, day of show $14

Daphne du Maurier’s short story, also the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, is boldly adapted in this play by Conor McPherson—a gripping, unsettling, and moving look at human relationships in the face of societal collapse.

For more info on these & future events, visit www.walhallacivic.com.

Order tickets online or call 864 638-5277

You can also buy 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.

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calendar of events JUNE THRU JUNE 11 36th Annual Juried SC Artists Exhibition at the Pickens County Museum. No matter where your individual taste in art may lead, you will find satisfaction in this exhibition. The variety of work represented is a generous reflection of the community of artists presently at work in South Carolina; corner of SC 178 at 307 Johnson St. in Pickens; 864.898.5963

THRU AUGUST 1 Oconee Heritage Center will feature “The Shaping of South Carolina: A Story of Adventure, Politics and Boundary Making,” a traveling exhibit from the South Carolina Historical Society. The exhibit details the disputes, politics and science surrounding the state’s boundary lines from colonial times to the present, featuring original maps from the collection of the South Carolina Historical Society, and quotations concerning the science of surveying from noted surveyor and Revolutionary war hero General William Moultrie. In addition, the exhibit highlights the borders that are still in contention today; for more information visit, www. oconeeheritagecenter.org JUNE 6 Fun In The Sun Festival in West Union, SC features family events and live music downtown. The day will include food vendors, games and exhibits for children of all ages including a marshmallow-eating contest.

Visit www.scwestunion.com for more information.

JUNE 10 Earth, Wind & Fire performs at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, 7:30 p.m.; 866.820.4553

JUNE 16 – JULY 31 The ARTS Center of Clemson hosts its popular Summer Art Camp, which gives children an opportunity to explore, create and exhibit. Full-day and half-day sessions are available for 6 weeks — June 15-19, June 2227, July 6-10, July 13-17, July 20-24 and July 27-31. For more information and cost visit:

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http://explorearts.org/events/summer-artcamp-2015/

JUNE 18 2015 Summerfest and Business After Hours presented by the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce 5 – 9 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, 1305 Tiger Blvd., Clemson. Meet and greet the Clemson Tiger and hear The TKO Band featuring Linda Faye Sullivan; food, fun and great networking; free admission.

JUNE 20 It’s singer/songwriter day at Hagood Mill.

Bring a chair, enjoy food and the talents of original songwriters, who are creating the folk music of tomorrow. For more information visit: http://www.visitpickenscounty. com/event/1172/singersongwriter-day-at-hagood-mill/ JUNE 27 – AUGUST 20 Pickens County Museum of Art & History plays host to a very special exhibition. Celebrating both tradition and contemporary innovation in one of the oldest, ongoing ceramic traditions in the world, Ancient Forms, Modern Minds: Contemporary Cherokee Ceramics focuses on the works of 11 contemporary Cherokee potters.

Also during this time period, Surfaces and Spaces: Photographs by Cecelia Feld and

Bruce Schlein. Highlighting a shared interest in what people write on pavements, walls and fences, as well as acts of mark-making, the images will focus on how we engage with our environment and how light sources transform that scene. The Museum of Art & History is at 307 Johnson St., Pickens, SC. For more information call 864.898.5963.

JULY JULY 3 The Walhalla Chamber and city of Walhalla host the fourth annual Independence Event at Walhalla Soccer Field (Memorial Stadium), beginning at 7 p.m. There will be activities for the kids, music, fireworks and fun for all. Food to purchase will be provided by area churches and civic clubs. Fireworks begin shortly after 9 p.m.

JULY 4 Mountain Rest, SC hosts the 56th Annual Hillbilly Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 120 Verner Mill Road. Observe the holiday with bluegrass music, clogging contests, fiddle and banjo competitions, BBQ, chicken food plates, a greased pig chase and greased pole climb; free event, but bring your own chairs for seating. For more information visit www. mountainrestcommunityclub.com or call 864.638.1967 Seneca’s 4th of July Celebration will be held in Gignilliat Park. Celebrate Independence Day with live music, inflatables for the kids and a huge fireworks show. Visit www.seneca. sc.us for more details.

JULY 7 Oconee Appalachian Kids Summer Camp Folk Arts Day offers day camps that connect to the rich history and heritage of Oconee County; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; for more information visit: http://www.oconeeheritagecenter. org

JULY 8 Weird Al Yankovic performs at the Peace Center in Greenville; 7:30 p.m.; 866.820.4553

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Janice’s Upholstery 864-868-9182

High-quality dentistry in a friendly, welcoming environment • Same Day Appointments • Free Consultation For Crowns, Implants & Dentures • Accepting All Insurances • Free Whitening with New Patient Cleaning Appointment

• Sunbrella Canopies • Boat Interiors: Covers|Tops|Carpet • Furniture Re-Upholstery • Over 1,000 Fabrics to choose from 1144 Jones Mill Rd. • Six Mile, SC 29682 www.janicesupholstery.com

Matthew J. Word, DMD 864-482-2400 www.parkplacedentistrysc.com 203B Central Park Ln., Seneca SUMMER 2015 › 89

calendar of events JULY 11 Andy Offutt Irwin, storyteller and comedian at Walhalla Civic Auditorium; 8 p.m.; for more information call or email 864.638.5277 or walhallaciv1744@bellsouth.net

JULY 18 Banjo Extravaganza with national champion banjoist Charles Wood at Pickens County’s Hagood Mill. Wood is a veteran showman who has appeared on late night TV and toured Austria and Germany with The Lonesome Road Band. Bring a chair and enjoy the fun and hilarity of the 5-string banjo. For more information visit: www.visitpickenscounty.com

JULY 20 – 31 2015 Shining Stars Summer Theater Camp at Walhalla Civic Auditorium, 9 a.m. to noon each day. Classes for ages 7-9 and 10-12; sessions include: introduction to theater, acting, theater etiquette, costuming, make-up, lighting, props and staging. Special end of camp performance for family and friends. For more information email: walhallaciv1744@bellsouth.net or call 864.638.5277

JULY 21 Oconee Appalachian Kids Summer Camp Wilderness Day at Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, SC offers opportunities that connect to the rich history and heritage of Oconee County. Campers will learn wilderness safety, as well as skills to take on your next family wilderness adventure; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; for more information visit: http://www. oconeeheritagecenter.org

AUGUST AUGUST 4 Oconee Appalachian Kids Summer Camp Play Day offers opportunities that connect to the rich history and heritage of Oconee County. Campers will learn how children in the past played without technology; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; for more information visit: http://www. oconeeheritagecenter.org

AUGUST 13 The ARTS Center of Clemson members show opens at the center. The Center is at: 212 Butler St., Clemson. For more information, call 864.633.5051

AUGUST 13–15 Flat Rock Playhouse (Downtown) presents the music of Carole King and James Taylor as part of its Music on the Rock Series. For more information visit: https://www.flatrockplayhouse.org/

AUGUST 15 The Rolling Waterwheel Gospel Jubilee will be held at Hagood Mill in Pickens County.

This event salutes the religious heritage of the Upstate with old camp meeting songs, shaped note hymns and traditional gospel. Roosevelt Baker & The Gospel Truetones and Lib Port & Heartstrings are booked. Bring a chair and enjoy. For more information, visit: www.visitpickenscounty.com

AUGUST 29 Civil War Remembrance 1865 at Walhalla Civic Auditorium; 8 p.m.; for more information call or email 864.638.5277 or walhallaciv1744@bellsouth.net

ONGOING Historic Ballenger House tours and rentals: The Seneca Woman’s Club preserves and manages the Historic Ballenger House. To reserve a tour or your next event call Debbie, 90 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

864.324.8417 or Ruth, 864.882.7162. Visit online www.ballengerhouse.org Jazz On The Alley continues on Ram Cat Alley in Seneca every Thursday thru October; 6:30 to 9 p.m.; featuring America’s touring jazz musicians.

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. Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens, hosts “corn grinding” days, rain or shine, third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. These mini-festivals offer traditional arts, folk life and music. More than 25 regular demonstrators share their skills in milling, blacksmithing, cotton ginning, moonshining, spinning, weaving, bee-keeping, metal-smithing, quilting, woodcarving, flint-knapping, chair caning, open hearth cooking and more.

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

Hagood Mill, 138 Hagood Mill Road, has monthly “First Saturday” house concerts in the Visitors 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 pick up “mill products.” Guided tours available by appointment. The site 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, SC 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 p.m. to 9 p.m., at The ARTS Center, Clemson, SC. Oconee Heritage Center hosts Stichin’ Together, from 1 to 3 p.m. on the 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month.

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864-305-1572 (office) 864-356-9699 senecaroofing.com

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SENECA Mon - Sat 9:30 - 6:00 (864) 888-4413 www.patiofireside.com

SUMMER 2015 › 91

SOCI AL LIFE

Photos by Rex Brown

Jordan and Dayna Whitacre

Brooks Center Gala SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 Patrons danced the night away at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts’ Gala on March 7. In addition to serving as the annual fundraiser, the event celebrated the Brooks Center’s eighth-place ranking on Best Value Schools’ list of “The 25 Most Amazing University Performing Arts Centers.”

Attendees enjoyed food, bidding on auction items and dancing on the stage!

The Brooks Center hosts their annual fundraising gala.

David Nicholas and Lucy Eubanks

Marcia Banholzer, Pat Harris, Alice Kennedy, Pat Eginton, Mackie Miehle

Jim and Jane Current 92 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

David and Lisa Hartmann

Bruce Miehle, Carolin and Bob Malone

Joan Dixon and Lillian (Mickey) Harder

Jay Kennedy and Mike Eginton

Janet Smalley, Merideth and Rory McTigue

Jennie and Keith Hudgins

Photos by Rex Brown

SOCI AL LIFE

David Vandeputte

Judy Agerton

JJ Johns

FOLKS Lake Sweep The Cliffs at Keowee Falls South team THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

Bob DiBella

Carol Savage

Every spring and fall, up to 200 FOLKS volunteers in 100 boats sweep the entire uninhabited shoreline of Lake Keowee for trash. Since 1993, well over 10,000 50-gallon trash bags have been filled and disposed of. These photos show the Cliffs Falls team – they are responsible for the Fall Creek Access Area and collected 14 bags of shoreline garbage this spring, including bottles, cans, diapers, food containers and everything else that is tossed into the lake. As the shoreline becomes more inhabited the overall amount of trash is decreasing, but Fall Creek serves as a reminder of how careless people can be.

Dave Barr and Trip Agerton

Betty Vandeputte, Jane Wasilov, David Vandeputte, Carol Savage, JJ Johns, and Duke Johns

Carol Savage and Bob DiBella at the top of Jump-Off Rock

Jack Lewis, JJ Johns, Jane Wasilov, Carol Savage, David Vandeputte, and Duke Johns

Betty Vandeputte, Jane Wasilov, Carol Savage, Bob DiBella, JJ Johns, and David Vandeputte

SUMMER 2015 › 93

SOCI AL LIFE

Photos by Rex Brown

Passport to the Arts FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 The 5th year of the Gala, sponsored by Clemson’s Center for Visual Arts/The Lee Gallery and The Arts Center of Clemson, quickly sold out and a great time was had by all! This popular event provides an evening of fine art, entertainers, live music, drinks and exceptional food – all showcased at four different locations.

Clemson Area Transit (CAT) buses take guests on a visual arts tour of Clemson, and each bus features entertainment to make the ride to each venue even more enjoyable. The sites this year included The Arts Center, the CAT bus facility, The Lee Gallery, and the Charles K. Cheezem Education Center at Patrick Square.

Joe Stoker and Jimmy Moahone

Jim and Brenda Worthington Richard and Elaine Grotheer

Jan Brazy and Nancy Gara

Charlotte Holmes and Laurie Crino

Jim Matthews, Joan Matthews and Viv Bernstein Karen Edwards, Elaine Worzala and Lori Dickes

Rebecca Beard, Hallie Shafer, and Christopher Phillips

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Connie Stoker and Nancy Burks

Barry and Stephanie Garst

Gary and Patty Smith

Kolton Miller and Ella Wesley

remaining signature events FESTIVAL OF ARTS – third weekend in May SUMMER ART CAMP – June/July

20x20 INVITATIONAL CLAY EXHIBIT AND SALE – Fall HOLIDAY ARTIST SALE – November/December exhibits and classes held throughout the year

212 Butler Street, Clemson, SC 29631 864.633.5051, info@explorearts.org EXPLOREARTS.ORG Exhibit and office hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., /ClemsonArtsCenter Monday–Thursday; 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Friday @ArtsInClemson By appointment on Saturday or Sunday

Spend more time enjoying life – not worrying about paperwork.

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State Certified General Contractor SUMMER 2015 › 95

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BY PHILLIP GENTRY

Beat the heat

N

ight fishing can be a recipe for success or disaster — depending on planning.

As summertime heat and recreational boat traffic make the daylight hours less than hospitable to the serious angler, many turn nocturnal in pursuit of crappie, stripers, catfish and other fish that readily bite after hours. Many anglers also view night fishing as a traditional summer pastime, spending the night on the water with friends and family, sharing time between bites.

Our mountain lakes offer great night fishing opportunities, and the good news is that night fishing doesn’t have to be an Olympic event. Many anglers prefer to hit the water around dinnertime and begin the journey by enjoying a cookout on the water. This is made easier on a pontoon boat or other spacious craft, but you can also enjoy a picnic or bag lunch on almost any size watercraft.

Once you have enjoyed the sunset along with a nice dinner, it’s time to break out the fishing tackle and get started. However, some advance planning before you step foot on the boat can spell the difference between a successful outing and just losing sleep.

Here are a few suggestions to help insure your success:

LIGHTING Whether or not you intend to use lights to attract fish to your bait, having proper lighting is critical to night fishing success. Being able to navigate the boat, prepare rigs, unhook fish and fix the inevitable mishap that arises, require the ability to see. If using batteries, make sure they are fresh and charged. Some anglers rely on portable generators, which may be noisy but do insure that you don’t lack for lighting power. One thing to bear in mind is that light may attract fish, but it also attracts bugs. Positioning your lighting downward

Fishing after dark can be both enjoyable and rewarding, but successful night fishing requires some advance preparation to make sure things go as planned after lights out.

[Photo by Phillip Gentry]

move, be comfortable and tend to fishing rods without having to step over or under obstructions. Clear pathways so each angler can freely move about the boat without tripping over items.

Hosting a number of people may make vertical fishing with live bait more practical than having five people casting in all directions.

ANCHORING Whether using a bottom anchor or tying off to fixed objects like trees or bridge pilings, make sure your anchor points are secure. Keep anchor lines clear in the event weather, manmade situations or simply a lack of activity make it necessary to move.

toward the water and away from you can help minimize bug activity.

TACKLE When possible, rig rods during daylight and carry spares. In the event of a malfunction, it’s easier to swap a rod than fix a problem.

Rod holders, both while fishing and during transportation, make it much simpler to stay organized and keep lines spaced apart when fishing with multiple rods. Keep repeateduse items like hooks, weights, nets and pliers within easy reach so you can find them in the dark.

ORGANIZE Most night fishing occurs from a stationary position. Arrange anglers so each has space to

LOCATION Regardless of your quarry, fishing at night typically involves intercepting fish as they move from deepwater haunts to shallow water in search of food. Target areas that provide a variety of depths in close proximity. Other considerations to keep in mind are structure, current, thermoclines and the presence of baitfish.

SAFETY Small mishaps tend to become major problems after dark. Keep your plan simple regarding all aspects of night fishing, and you’ll find the time more enjoyable and incident-free.

Phillip Gentry is the host of “Upstate Outdoors,” an outdoors radio program heard Saturdays noon – 2 p.m. on WORD 106.3 FM or online at www.word1063.com. He can be reached at pgentry6@bellsouth.net. n SUMMER 2015 › 97

BY DAVE KROEGER President/CEO Kroeger Marine Construction

Waterfront safety

W

ith summer upon us, I thought it might be a good time to talk about some waterfront safety. Whether you have lived on the lake for several years or are just starting a new waterfront lifestyle, there are a handful of topics that could stave off an accident or injury. This is of particular note when you have family or guests visiting who may not be familiar with waterfront ways.

Following are a few thoughts that come to mind from living and working on our lakes for the past 30 years.

DIVING INTO SHALLOW WATER Jumping into the water from a boat dock is expected and part of the fun. The thing to watch for is that our lake levels fluctuate. What was once a safe depth of water could change overnight and become a shallow water diving hazard.

Dark water can also obstruct the view of underwater objects. This is of particular concern when jumping from high levels such as the top of a sundeck dock or any elevated platform.

JUMPING OR SWIMMING IN THE BOAT SLIP The slip of a boat dock really should not be considered a swimming area.

A large percentage of boat docks have some type of boat lift in the slip or underwater bracing. If the boat is out of the slip and the boatlift is in the down position, an unfamiliar person, especially a child, might find it tempting to jump in. A boatlift is a mechanical device partly made from steel components that could easily cause serious injury to swimmers.

HYDRAULIC, PNEUMATIC AND RETRACTABLE DEVICES Any device that extends or retracts such as boatlifts, Jet Ski lifts, folding benches retractable stairs, swim ladders, etc. can produce serious pinch points and other possible dangers. The key is to never allow anyone to operate these devices that is not 98 ‹ UPSTATE LAKE LIVING

familiar with them or trained. Also never allow anyone to ride a retractable device up or down from the water; keep everyone clear when operating.

inside the boat. The momentum of a boat, especially in rough water, can be powerful and cause injury to hands or arms caught between the craft and the dock.

BOAT DOCK ANCHORING SYSTEMS Floating boat docks are always anchored in some way to keep them in place. These anchoring systems can be a tangling obstacle to swimmers. The most common method of anchoring is with steel cables from the boat dock to the shoreline. Swimmers should not grab these cables as they can become rusty and frayed over time and produce sharp wire cut hazards.

SITTING ON GUNNELS The purpose of this article is not to talk about boating safety but rather waterfront safety. However, it is worth mentioning that it is not legal to sit on the side of the boat (gunwale) while it is in operation. This is not only a safety concern, but also the quickest way to be stopped by any lake law enforcement officer; not to mention that it isn’t much fun when passengers fall overboard.

CLIMBING ON RIPRAP It can be tempting, but riprap (erosion control composed of graded rock or other types of stone) should not be walked or climbed on. These structures are designed to inhibit erosion but can slide or tumble if walked on.

There are also underwater systems that are typically made up of cables, rope and concrete anchors. Always make certain swimmers are aware of the location of these systems and stay clear of them. It is possible to become caught or entangled with anything underwater.

SWIMMING UNDER BOAT DOCKS Like the underwater anchoring system, this is just not a great place to hang around while swimming. Some water animals such as beavers, otters and muskrats, as well as snakes, can make the top of the floats or dock frame their home or resting place. This is not the best place to be eye-to-eye with any one of them.

HOT DECKING It may seem too obvious to even mention, but any decking material can become very hot in the summer and cause serious burns to one’s feet.

ELECTRICAL LINES Many boat docks have some type of electrical wiring. If any wiring that runs on or around the dock is exposed, it can look like a good place to grab hold of for a quick rest while swimming. Keep people clear of these wires and contact an electrician to conceal them if possible.

FIRST MATE It is a natural tendency for people to want to help while docking a boat into a slip. It is best to instruct everyone to keep his or her hands

To sum up: A little awareness, supervision and direction can go a long way to assure a fun and safe summer on your waterfront, and that’s what I wish for each one of you. n

For An Incredible Lifestyle…. …Just Add Water…

…’Cause Water Works Wonders!

Bob Hill Realty www.BobHillRealty.com

Keowee Town Office 1231 Stamp Creek Rd Salem, SC 29676

864-944-0405

Seneca Office 528-D ByPass 123 Seneca, SC 29678 864-882-0855

Clemson Office 1103 Tiger Blvd Clemson, SC 29631 864-722-5300