South Carolina Living April 2023

Trucks go wild

Get down and dirty with the folks who dig mud bogs

SPRING & SUMMER TRAVEL ISSUE

SC RECIPE Supersize me

HUMOR ME

Baseball goes bananas

From wide-open sandy beaches and treasured historic sites to sweeping mountain views and towering waterfalls, South Carolina’s state parks o er countless opportunities to enjoy the best of spring. Whether you’re seeking a tranquil place to unplug or the adventure of a lifetime, South Carolina’s diverse landscape o ers the perfect backdrop.

For more information, check out SouthCarolinaParks.com

SANTEE STATE PARK

THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS

VOLUME 77 • NUMBER 4

(ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240)

Read in more than 600,000 homes and businesses and published monthly except in December by

The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.

808 Knox Abbott Drive

Cayce, SC 29033

Tel: (803) 926 -3175

Fax: (803) 796 - 6064

Email: letters@scliving.coop

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Keith Phillips

Tel: (803) 739-3040

Email: Keith.Phillips@ecsc.org

FIELD EDITOR

Josh P. Crotzer

PUBLICATION COORDINATOR

Raphael Ofendo Reyes

ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang

DESIGNER

Trevor Bauknight

PRODUCTION

Andrew Chapman

WEB EDITOR

Chase Toler

COPY EDITORS

Jennifer Jas, Jim Poindexter

CONTRIBUTORS

Abby Berry, Miranda Boutelle, Mike Couick, Hastings Hensel, Jan A. Igoe, L.A. Jackson, Kiley Kellermeyer, Belinda Smith-Sullivan

PUBLISHER

Lou Green

ADVERTISING

Mary Watts

Tel: (803) 739-5074

Email: ads@scliving.coop

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION

American MainStreet Publications

Tel: (512) 441-5200

Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication. If you encounter a difficulty with an advertisement, inform the Editor.

ADDRESS CHANGES: Please send to your local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above. Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, S.C., and additional mailing offices.

© COPYRIGHT 2023. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING is brought to you by your member-owned, taxpaying, not-for-profit electric cooperative to inform you about your cooperative, wise energy use and the faces and places that identify the Palmetto State. Electric cooperatives are South Carolina’s — and America’s — largest utility network.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: $4.95 members, $8 nonmembers

21 Mud slingers

Get down and dirty at Twitty’s Mud Bog, home to three of the nation’s top races where slinging mud is considered good, clean family fun.

4 CO-OP NEWS Updates from your cooperative

6 AGENDA

Need to save energy? There’s an app (or three) for that.

8 DIALOGUE They were tired of it

As long as there are electric cooperatives, there will be co-op members who get tired of the status quo and work to make life better for their neighbors.

10 ENERGY Q&A

Easy ways to save energy

Reducing power use at work and home starts with conscious decisions to change how we consume electricity.

12 HOME IMPROVEMENT

Summer season upgrades

Spring and summer are opportune times for home upgrades and DIY projects. Here’s how to get started.

14 RECIPE Supersize me!

You might want to skip breakfast and lunch to make room for Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s menu of big tastes that come in even bigger serving sizes.

18

SC TRAVELS

Kidding around at Split Creek Farm

Take a self-guided walking tour of Split Creek Farm where they’ve got your goat—and plenty of other animals to enjoy.

20

SC STORIES

Into the storm

When the weather takes a turn for the worse, storm chaser Chris Jackson is on the scene to document the power of nature. 34

April is a good time to start planting this warm-season flowering beauty. 38

HUMOR ME

Real bananas don’t bunt

Humor columnist Jan A. Igoe rediscovers her love of America’s national pastime thanks to the nontraditional antics of a fun-loving minor league team.

lots of mud and a screaming crowd add up to good old-fashioned fun

Trucks go

Big wheels,

at Twitty’s Mud Bog.

Photo by Mic Smith.

CHANGEOUT

CHANGEOUT

SC agenda

Tasty homegrown tomatoes

Apps to save energy

Ready to take charge of your monthly energy bill? There’s an app (or three) for that! Regardless of why you’re interested in using less energy, here are some basic tools to help you achieve meaningful energy savings.

Smart thermostat apps. I know what you’re thinking, and yes smart thermostat app, you must purchase a smart thermostat. But heat ing and cooling make up a large portion of the average home’s energy consumption (and cost!), so saving on heating and cooling can make a big impact on bills. Smart thermostats and their accompanying apps are handy and promote energy-efficient behavior and these devices have become much more affordable over the years. You can purchase an Energy Star-certified smart thermostat for as low as $100, which can save you 8% on annual heating and cooling costs, about $50 per year. The device will quickly pay for itself, and you’ll gain insight into better ways to heat and cool your home. Plus, the ability to control the thermostat from anywhere can equate to real savings.

Energy cost calculators. If you’re wanting to reduce energy use at home, it’s important to know where your consumption is going. Energy cost calculators can help pinpoint your energy use with a few simple steps and identify areas where you can save. The concept is pretty simple; just plug in the wattage of your various appliances and how often you use them to see which ones are using the most energy. Most energy cost calculator apps are free and can be downloaded to any Apple or Android device. If you browse the app store, you’ll find multiple energy cost calculator apps, and most are similar in functionality. Be sure to read the app’s reviews and download the one that best aligns with your energy efficiency goals.

JouleBug app. If you’re competitive and enjoy gamifying well, everything the JouleBug app is right up your alley. JouleBug makes energy conservation simple and fun through personal tasks and badges earned within the app, group challenges you can tackle with friends, and communities you can join to learn about local sustainability efforts. The JouleBug app is free and can be downloaded to Apple or Android devices. It’s an easy tool to make saving energy fun.

ABBY BERRY

ABBY BERRY writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.

Planning to grow tomatoes this year? Better get started. Prime planting season is now, and you can still download our free 2023 gardening guide at SCLiving.coop/tomato. Whether you grow tomatoes by the acre or in a single hanging basket, this handy brochure is filled with tips and techniques that will help you put more tasty fruit on the table this season.

2023–24 Legislative Directory Guide

Tasty tomatoes

Big things are happening in the State Legislature in Columbia and in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. Download our free 2023–24 Legislative Directory Guide so you can contact your representatives and let them know what you think about the hotbutton issues of the day. Get the guide today at SCLiving.coop/2023-2024-legislative-guide.

This planting season, include energy efficiency in your landscaping plans. Adding shade trees around your home can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as 6 degrees. To block heat from the sun, plant deciduous trees around the south side of your home. Deciduous trees provide excellent shade during the summer and lose their leaves in the fall and winter months, allowing sunlight to warm your home.

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ABOVE: KAROLINA GRABOWSKA/PIXABAY THERMOSTAT: GOOGLE NEST

Our easiest Jitterbug® phones ever.

EASY The Jitterbug® Flip2 and Jitterbug® Smart3 are our easiest Jitterbug® phones ever. Both have large screens and list-based menus. The Jitterbug Flip2 has big buttons, a powerful speaker, and one-touch speed dialing. With the Jitterbug Smart3, you can voice type emails and texts, video chat and use the internet for maps and directions.

SAFE Turn your Jitterbug phone into a health and safety device with Lively ® Urgent Response service. Simply press the Urgent Response button to be connected to a certified Agent who will confirm your location, assess the situation and get you the help you need, 24/7. Save over $55 per year when you add Urgent Response and the Lively Link® caregiver app.

AFFORDABLE Unlimited Talk & Text plans are just $19 99 /mo., plus the required data plan for your Jitterbug Smart3. There are no long-term contracts and no cancellation fees.

1Discount of $4 99 applied monthly. Discount not available when you activate on lively.com. 2Monthly fees do not include government taxes or fees and are subject to change. For details on current pricing, visit lively.com. Plans and services may require purchase of Lively device and one-time setup fee of $35. A data plan is required for the Jitterbug Smart3. Urgent Response or 911 calls can be made only when cellular service is available. Urgent Response tracks an approx. location of device when device is turned on and connected to the network. Lively does not guarantee an exact location. Urgent Response and Lively Link are only available with the purchase of a Lively Health & Safety Package. See terms for details. Consistently rated the most reliable network and best overall network performance in the country by IHS Markit’s RootScore Reports. Amazon Alexa integration with Jitterbug Flip2 requires Alexa registration and is subject to Alexa’s Terms of Use. By enabling Alexa on the Jitterbug Flip2, you acknowledge that Lively is not responsible for Amazon Alexa’s functionality or services. Amazon, Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Screen images simulated. Appearance of device may vary. LIVELY and JITTERBUG are trademarks of Best Buy and its affiliated companies. ©2023 Best Buy. All rights reserved.

MIKE COUICK President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of

They were tired of it

I HADN’T BEEN WITH THE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES long when I was invited to the home of Henry McNeil, the chair of the Horry Electric Cooperative board of trustees, known by most as Mr. Henry.

As I drove into Spring Branch on that cold night, the moon and its reflection off the swamp were just about the only light I had. Spring Branch is a crossroads near the North Carolina border and at the end of Horry Cooperative’s lines. As I pulled up, I saw the first signal of the political and cultural impact co-op leaders like Mr. Henry have in their communities. The yard was packed with cars surrounding “the little house” where Mr. Henry grew up. All of Horry County’s elected officials had come to Mr. Henry’s annual dinner. They enjoyed baked ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, liver hash and rice and a bunch of desserts all prepared by Mr. Henry’s wife, Mary Francis.

After this gut-stretching dinner, we circled up our ladderback chairs as Mr. Henry talked about the early 1940s and the people of Spring Branch waiting for power to come to them. Mr. Henry took us on a tour of the serving platters on the table. He shook his head somberly as he reflected on how long it would have taken his mother to make each without electricity. Mr. Henry sure loved his desserts, and most of them would not even have been possible.

Back in those days, Mr. Henry and his father grew tired of seeing Ma work so hard to feed the family and do the laundry. In fact, all of Spring Branch was tired of seeing how hard they had to work. They needed help, and they needed it now.

Because their town was so remote, Spring Branch families knew they would likely be some of the last connected to electricity. They proposed a faster plan: They would help build the lines if Horry Electric would bring the electricity. Folks used their mules to drag poles across swamps and dug holes for them with posthole diggers.

It was back-breaking work. But ending every Spring Branch mom’s arduous housework made it worthwhile. The people of Spring Branch got their power, and in 1949, Mr. Henry was elected to the Horry Electric board, where he served for more than 57 years.

Fast forward 70 years and to another part of the state. Barbara Weston was growing tired, too. It had become apparent that some trustees on Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s board were looking out for their own interests rather than the membership’s. Mrs. Barbara, an Eastover resident and longtime educator, took action.

She organized a petition drive for a special vote to toss out the old board and elect a new one. She collaborated with community leaders and kept her neighbors informed. And when the board attempted to subvert the drive for change at a secret meeting, she helped bring 200 fellow members to the co-op’s headquarters in St. Matthews and stopped them. The co-op’s members called out their trustees, and their chants were heard across the nation. A day later, Mrs. Barbara joined a specially called meeting with nearly 1,500 other Tri-County members to vote out the board.

They were tired of being misrepresented by the people they elected. They were tired of their board ignoring them.

Months later, Mrs. Barbara and eight others began a new era at Tri-County Electric when they were elected to the board of trustees. Mrs. Barbara was elected chair, a leadership position she holds to this day.

For decades, co-op members like Mr. Henry and Mrs. Barbara have proven that getting tired is what powers positive change.

Today, co-op members tire of seeing younger generations apathetic about their country, so they support the Washington Youth Tour. They tire of seeing their neighbors’ needs go unmet, so they create Operation Round Up programs. They tire of seeing their communities being left behind in the digital age, so they invest in broadband.

As long as there are electric cooperatives, there will be co-op members who get tired of the status quo, who get tired of being left behind, who get tired of being ignored, and who will work to make life better for their neighbors as a result.

South Carolina

As long as there are electric cooperatives, there will be co-op members who will work to make life better for their neighbors.

Easy ways to save energy

BY MIRANDA BOUTELLE

QI want to lower my energy use, but I don’t know where to start. How can I find out how much energy I use? What are some ways I can save energy without spend‑ ing a lot of money?

AYou can change your energy use by changing your behavior.

When looking at electric bills, many people focus on the total dollar amount of the bill. When you are trying to manage your energy costs, I suggest changing your focus to energy use. While you don’t have control over the cost of the energy, you can control how much energy you use. Here’s how:

SET GOALS. Instead of thinking about your bills in terms of dollars, think about them in terms of kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt-hour is the unit of energy used for most electric bills. Review your monthly total to get an idea of how much you use every month. Once you’ve reviewed your energy use, set goals for the next month. Try to use less energy than the month before.

REPLACE THE FILTERS. Ensuring the filters in your heating and cooling system are clean is an easy way to keep your system operating efficiently. Adding annual servicing by a professional maximizes the efficiency and can lengthen the life of your system.

ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE. When it comes to lowering your energy use, the settings on your thermostat are another great place to check. The closer you can keep the indoor temperature to the outdoor temperature, the more you will save. You want to protect your home from damage in extreme heat and cold, but if you can turn the temperature down a few degrees in winter and up a few degrees in summer, you will save on energy costs.

KNOW

WHEN TO USE

LESS. Some electric utilities offer time-of-use rates, which means electricity costs are dependent on the time of day. This pricing structure more closely reflects the cost to electric utilities and helps consumers understand that energy costs more when the demand for it is higher. Even if your electric bill does not include time-ofuse rates, it can be beneficial to delay energy-intensive chores or tasks to

when demand is lower. Peak hours are typically in the morning as we prepare for work and in the evening when we get home and start preparing food and turning on entertainment devices. Doing laundry and running the dishwasher are easy activities to delay until after peak hours.

POWER “OFF” FOR ENERGY SAVINGS. When looking for energy savings, remember that “off” is the most efficient setting. Computers and gaming systems can waste energy even when in sleep mode. The higher the wattage and the more hours the device is on, the more energy used. Laptops use the least energy, followed by personal computers at about 200 watts. Gaming consoles typically use less energy than gaming PCs. Don’t forget to turn off the monitor as well.

MIRANDA BOUTELLE writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.

MARK GILLILAND, PIONEER UTILITY RESOURCES

The closer you can keep the indoor temperature to the outdoor temperature, the more you will save on energy costs.

The Invention of the Year

The world’s most fun-to-drive and portable mobility device

Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field. Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough . . . a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

“What my wife especially loves is it gives her back feelings of safety and independence which has given a real boost to her confidence and happiness! Thank You!”

–Kent C., California

The first thing you’ll notice about the Zinger is its unique look. It doesn’t look like a scooter. Its sleek, lightweight yet durable frame is made with aircraft grade aluminum so it weighs only 47.2 lbs. It features one-touch folding and unfolding – when folded it can be wheeled around like a suitcase and fits easily into a backseat or trunk. Then, there are the steering levers. They enable the Zinger to move forward, backward, turn on a dime and even pull right up to a table or desk. With

its compact yet powerful motor it can go up to 6 miles an hour and its rechargeable battery can go up to 8 miles on a single charge. With its low center of gravity and inflatable tires it can handle rugged terrain and is virtually tipproof. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life.

Why take our word for it? Call now, and find out how you can get a Zinger of your very own.

Call now and receive a utility basket absolutely FREE with your order.

1-888-545-6142

Please mention code 117907 when ordering.

Once in a lifetime, a product comes along that truly moves people. Introducing the future of battery-powered personal transportation . . . The Zinger.

Available

The Zinger folds to a mere 10 inches.

Summer season upgrades

BY ABBY BERRY

SPRING AND SUMMER ARE OPPORTUNE times for home upgrades and DIY projects. If you’re planning to make improvements to your home, consider upgrades that promote better efficiency. Here are a few projects that can help you save energy and money and increase the comfort of your home.

Installing a smart thermostat is one of the simplest ways to manage home energy use and keep summer bills in check. Smart thermostats are easy to install and allow you to control your heating and cooling system from your phone. You can purchase an Energy Star-certified smart thermostat for as low as $100, which can save you 8% on annual heating and cooling costs, about $50 per year. This upgrade will quickly pay for itself, and you’ll gain insight into better ways to heat and cool your home.

Speaking of smart, additional devices like smart LED bulbs also offer convenient control and help boost energy savings at home. With smart lighting, you can set a schedule for when and how your lights should be turned on or off. And the next time you head out to run errands and realize you left the lights on, all you have to do is turn them off through your phone. Smart lights come in a variety of shapes, colors and brightness levels and you can purchase bulbs for indoor or outdoor use. Schedule outdoor smart lights to illuminate your home at night and when you’re out of town for better security.

While it’s not as trendy as incorporating smart technologies, sealing air leaks around your home is a simple, effective way to save energy and lower your bills. Applying new (or replacing old) weather stripping around doors and windows can instantly make your home more comfortable and reduce energy waste. Applying caulk to fill gaps can also improve the seal of your home. Caulk can

be applied to a variety of areas, including windows, doors, bathtubs and sinks.

If your home feels too warm during summer (and too chilly during winter), even after you’ve sealed it with weather stripping and caulk, your home may need additional insulation. Insulation is considered a more expensive efficiency upgrade; however, if your home is underinsulated, additional insulation can make a big impact on reducing energy use and costs. The cost of new insulation depends on a variety of factors like materials, size of the home and whether you use a contractor. Typically, the project costs can be recouped in a few years and your home will immediately feel more comfortable.

Of course, additional efficiency upgrades can reduce your home’s energy use, like replacing outdated appliances with Energy Star models or replacing old, leaky windows. But these upgrades can be a bit pricey.

If you want to make your home more energy efficient but you’re not sure where to start, your best bet is to enlist the help of an expert to conduct an energy audit of your home. An energy audit can easily identify areas to boost efficiency, and then you can determine the projects you want to tackle first based on your budget and needs.

ABBY BERRY writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.

Smart LED bulbs offer convenient control and energy savings.

Sealing air leaks may not be trendy but is a simple, effective way to save energy and lower bills.

If needed, additional insulation will improve your comfort and reduce energy costs.

ERIK Mc LEAN/UNSPLASH

SCOTT VAN OSDOL

MORITZ KINDLER/UNSPLASH

If you want a more energy efficient home but aren’t sure where to start, enlist the help of an expert to conduct an energy audit.

Supersize

BY BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN

GIANT BACON CHEESEBURGER

SERVES 6–8

2 pounds ground beef

Steak seasoning, to taste

Worcestershire sauce

8 slices cheddar cheese

1 round mountain bread loaf (or any round or oval boule), halved into top and bottom

Green leaf lettuce

5 strips bacon, cooked crispy

1 large slicing tomato, thinly sliced

8 slices kosher dill sandwich stuffers

Ketchup, for condiment

Mustard, for condiment

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, seasoning and Worcestershire. On a large sheet pan covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray, form the meat mixture into a large round burger, approximately 1 inch thick and slightly larger than the diameter of the bun. Bake until desired doneness, 30–45 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with cheese slices. Return to oven and bake just long enough for cheese to start to melt.

While burger is baking, prepare bun. Cover bottom half of bun with lettuce leaves and bacon. Add burger and cover with tomato, pickle slices and condiments. Cover with top of bun. Slice into wedges and serve.

SERVES 2–4

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 2-inch cut (approx. 2 pounds) tomahawk steak (bone-in), frenched

Kosher salt

Fresh coarsely ground black pepper

Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, chives, salt, pepper and garlic. Thoroughly mix and scrape onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll up into a small log, and twist the wrap at each end to seal. Refrigerate until needed.

Season steak generously with salt and coarse ground pepper, or your favorite steak seasoning. Bring to room temperature 1–2 hours before cooking or grilling. Place a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan on a medium-high burner. Sprinkle steak lightly with olive oil and place on grill pan. Sear each side for 4–5 minutes. Place grill pan in oven and cook until desired doneness. (Medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer is 130 F.) Remove from oven and tent with foil for 10–15 minutes before slicing. Remember, steak will continue to cook from residual heat. Garnish with a pat of the herb butter before serving. Any leftover butter can keep in the fridge or freezer to use later to make garlic bread.

CHEF’S TIP What is frenching? Frenching is the removal of meat from the tip of the bone. Tomahawk steaks are always sold with the ends already “frenched,” and your butcher can do the same for any bone-in cuts of pork.

CHEF’S TIP What is mountain bread? Mountain bread is a round boule of bread that you can find in supermarket bakeries. It has the appearance of a flattened ball and has a crispy crust like a baguette, but it is softer and more like a hamburger bun. Find more supersized recipes on page 16

If you have several people to feed and want to make it an event that will leave your guests raving for days, these supersized entrees are sure to wow them. These recipes are easier than preparing individual servings, and once they hit the table, you will be a star.

‘RIBEYE’ TOMAHAWK STEAK

“The renown of Italy’s jewelry, with its sensual beauty and extraordinary craftsmanship, is founded on the goldsmithing skills passed down through generations.” – The New York Times

Iguess I was a little bored. For the past hour, I’d been on the phone with Daniele, the head of my office in Italy, reviewing our latest purchases of Italian gold, Murano glass and Italian-made shoes and handbags.

“Daniele,” I said, “What is the hottest jewelry in Italy right now?” His reply? Woven gold bracelets studded with gems. He texted me some photos and I knew immediately that this was jewelry that Raffinato just had to have.

The best part about these bracelets? The price. Because of our longstanding connections in Arezzo, the mecca of Italian goldsmithing, we can offer both bracelets together for just $99, a fraction of the price you’ll pay anywhere else for similar jewelry. Order today. These bracelets are one of our hottest sellers this year, and with disruptions in the supply chain, we can only guarantee that we have 1,273 861 of these bracelets on hand for this ad.

Make the next gift you give your loved one a trip to Italy with the Italiano Fantasia Bracelets, stunning accessories that are sure to turn heads.

Jewelry Specifications:

Presenting the Italiano Fantasia Bracelets, two designs that are prime examples of Italy’s finest artisanship. Each of these bracelets includes more than 20 brilliant cut gems of DiamondAura®, our Ultimate Diamond Alternative®, in a setting finished with 18 karat Italian gold.

What is DiamondAura®? Why, it’s a sparkling marvel that rivals even the finest diamonds (D Flawless) with its transparent color and clarity: Both are so hard they can cut glass. Don’t believe me?

The book “Jewelry and Gems: The Buying Guide,” praised the technique used in our diamond alternative: “The best diamond simulation to date, and even some jewelers have mistaken these stones for mined diamonds,” it raved.

• Made in Arezzo, Italy. 18k gold finish

• DiamondAura®, the Ultimate Diamond Alternative®

• Fit wrists up to 7 ¼"

Italiano Fantasia Bracelet Collection

A. X Bracelet (¼ ctw) $399 $59* + S&P Save $340

B. Woven Bracelet (⅓ ctw) $299 $59* + S&P Save $240 Set of Both $698 $99* + S&P Save $599 *Special price only for customers using the offer code.

B.

Supersized recipes from page 14

APPLE BLUEBERRY SLAB PIE

SERVES UP TO 20

8 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 8 slices each

1 tablespoon lemon zest

½ lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

¾ cup light brown sugar (or white if you prefer)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch

4 9-inch pie dough rounds (2 for top and 2 for bottom)

1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained

¼ cup heavy cream

Extra fine sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine apple slices, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cardamom, nutmeg and cornstarch. Roll out two 9-inch round pie crusts into one large crust to fit into a 13-by-18-inch half sheet pan. Evenly distribute apple mixture in pan and cover with blueberries. Roll out remaining pie crusts and either completely cover fruit or cut into strips and place over fruit in a lattice pattern. Crimp the dough around the edges of the pan. Brush the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle on the extra fine sugar.

Bake 35–40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

CHEF’S TIPS Cornstarch and arrowroot vs. flour. In most recipes, cornstarch and arrowroot are the preferred thickeners. Arrowroot is a great thickener; it has no taste and leaves food with a glossy clear finish. Cornstarch has a slight taste and leaves a cloudy, opaque finish to food. Flour has a starchy taste and needs to be cooked longer.

Lemon zest and lemon juice. Whenever your recipe calls for using lemon juice and lemon zest, always zest the lemon first. This is a lot easier than squeezing the juice from the lemon, then deciding that you needed to zest the peel.

Prevent apple slices from browning after cutting. As you cut apples to prepare them for your pies, you will notice that they start to brown very quickly. Squeezing lemon juice over the apple slices will slow down the browning.

DOUBLE STUFFED PORK CHOPS WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

SERVES 2–4

2 2-inch, 1-pound rib pork chops (two ribs each), frenched*

All-purpose seasoning, to taste

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onions

1 cup herb stuffing mix

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ cup unsalted chicken stock

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup white wine

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Chopped chives, for garnish

What’s cooking at SCLiving.coop/food/chefbelinda

DISHES FOR EVERY OCCASION Need some inspiration? Whether you’re planning a barbecue, dinner party or tonight’s family meal, South Carolina Living and Chef Belinda have you covered. From easy to extravagant, our recipes, cooking tips and how-to videos will nourish your culinary flair.

Heat oven to 350 F. Cut a pocket into pork chops, leaving a 1½-inch opening for stuffing. (Your butcher can do this for you.) Season chops inside and out and set aside.

Into a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add two tablespoons oil. Sauté celery and onions until soft. Lower heat and add stuffing mix and oregano. Stir in chicken stock until mixture is

combined and softened. Let cool slightly and stuff even amounts into chops. If the opening is large, secure using toothpicks. Dust chops with flour on both sides.

Add remaining oil to same pan over medium heat. Brown chops on both sides and place on a foil-lined baking pan. Add wine and bay leaf; cover pan with additional foil. Bake 1 hour, basting at least once. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer chops to a platter and keep warm. Strain drippings from pan and set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add butter. When melted, add mushrooms and cook until soft. Add reserved drippings and stir in ½ cup additional wine or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over chops. Garnish with chives or scallions and serve.

*See chef’s tip about frenching on page 14.

GINA MOORE

KAREN HERMANN

Hometown Team

RELIABLE

We live here. You can count on your cooperative to be here when you need us. Our dedicated linemen provide dependable electric service and respond rapidly to outages.

HOMETOWN JOBS

We need hometown jobs. Cooperatives have helped bring more than 36,900 of them to our state over the past decade. And we’re just getting started.

Your electric cooperative…

SERVES. More than 2 million South Carolinians in all 46 counties rely upon power delivered by cooperatives, energy transported over a system that covers more than half the state.

GIVES BACK. Charitable programs run by cooperatives have given more than $23 million to hometowns across our state.

PROTECTS. Cooperatives safeguard the environment and harness renewable resources like solar energy.

We need affordable power. Your cooperative is a not-for-profit electric provider owned and controlled by members like you. It serves people, not profits.

INVESTS IN OUR STATE. Cooperatives have helped recruit $9 billion in new business investment and jobs to South Carolina over the past decade.

Kidding around at Split Creek Farm

BY KILEY KELLERMEYER

FROM THE MOMENT YOU ARRIVE at Split Creek Farm, you are surrounded by a symphony of bleating goats. They are the first ambassadors you’ll meet on this working dairy farm in Pendleton, and at least one hopeful resident will reach her bearded face through the fence for a head scratch as you pass by your first pasture. And I don’t care who you are; it’s hard to resist the charms of a goat. With 27 acres of rolling pastures and rustic barns, Split Creek offers a quaint look into farm life and all the sights, sounds and smells it has to offer. Tours are self-guided, so you can traverse the dirt paths between barns and buildings at your leisure, often walking beside a roaming goat, playful dog or curious cat.

Perhaps you want to hurry over to the cabin-like farm store for Split Creek’s award-winning goat-milk feta or stake your claim to some goat-milk fudge. More likely, you’ll want to let your kids wander over to visit Split Creek’s kids, the baby goats prancing gleefully around their pens.

Split Creek Farm is located at 3806 Centerville Road in Anderson. From I-85, take Exit 14 (Hwy. 187). Head north toward Clemson Research Park for 2.7 miles, then turn right onto Centerville Road at the Mobil gas station. Go one-quarter mile on Centerville Road, and the farm is on the left.

HOURS: The farm is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The farm store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

ADMISSION: Free.

DON’T MISS: Split Creek’s annual Spring Means Babies festival takes place April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Celebrate the arrival of baby goats with local artists, craft vendors, food and music. Admission is $9 for adults and $6 for children 12 and younger.

DETAILS: For more information, call (864) 287-3921 or visit splitcreek.com.

“People usually love interacting with the goats the most during their visit, especially when we have some free-roaming for the day,” says farm co-owner Jessica Bell. “They love to learn that every animal on our farm has a name and a distinct personality. Repeat visitors love that they can get to know the individual animals and often ask to see a specific animal.”

Indeed, during my recent visit, Kara the goat, an old favorite of my daughter, was out wandering with Princess Aurora, who followed me as I wandered across the yard toward the rolling fields at the back of the farm, where I met another Split Creek regular.

“I love that everything is from here. It’s local,” says Alla Shkaradyuk of Anderson, who was visiting the farm with her family. “You see the whole process here.

You can talk to people about it.”

Princess Aurora and the other goats on the farm are important to the dairy production, to be sure, but they are also treasured members of a family helmed by Bell and fellow owner Sandra Coffman, who know the names and personalities of all 250 dairy goats as well as four pigs, four dogs, three cats, and many chickens, roosters and guinea fowl.

“Almost every animal provides a vital role in the ecosystem of the farm,” Bell says, noting that most non-goat animals on the farm are rescue animals given a new purpose at Split Creek.

“Our favorite part about seeing visitors to the farm,” Bell says, “is the wonder and joy we see mirrored on their faces when they realize just how fulfilling and loving goats can be.”

The 250 goats are important to dairy production, to be sure, but they are also treasured members of a family.

LEFT AND TOP: KILEY KELLERMEYER

KEITH PHILLIPS

GOT GOAT? Kara, shown at top, and the other goats at Split Creek Farm are an inquisitive bunch and welcome the attention from visitors both young and young at heart.

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In the storm

Naturally, a storm chaser like Chris Jackson must speak of his hairiest, scariest badweather moment.

“We were chasing storms at night, east of College Station, Texas, and we actually had a tornado develop and hit us,” he says. “Thankfully, the main suction didn’t get us—we got caught on the outside—but we had trees and all kinds of debris flying across the road in front of our vehicle. That was a little scary.”

Jackson tells this story with the verbal shrug of a man who’s seen a thing or two. After all, he left a 15-year career as a firefighter in Lexington County to pursue another lifelong passion: storm chasing. He’d always wanted to be a meteorologist, he says, and always “enjoyed seeing the power Mother Nature has.”

“Basically, what I do is go out and document storms, whether it’s in video or picture form,” he explains. When a major system is brewing, Jackson gets to the landfall area a few days beforehand—to scout the area, post cameras, find buildings that provide protection, and talk to people on the ground.

“Once you decide you’re going to chase, for example, a hurricane, and you want to see the worst of it, you better be prepared to live on your own for about a week,” he says. “All your infrastructure is going to be gone. No power, no running water. So, we prepare for that.”

Still, there are considerable rewards to the inherent risks. Besides the followers he’s amassed on social media and the appearances he’s racked up on national news shows, he says he cares most about helping people in weather-stricken need. “Being able to be there and to use the skills I’ve learned over the 15 years in the fire department is real rewarding.”

Chris Jackson

AGE: 37.

RESIDES IN: Cayce.

CLAIM TO FAME: Storm chaser with a growing following on YouTube (@ChrisJacksonSC), Twitter (@ChrisJacksonSC) and Facebook (@MySCWeather).

SIDE HUSTLE: Jackson is the meteorologist for the University of South Carolina baseball team. Before every home series, he works with the grounds crew and coaching staff to ensure no major weather disrupts the game. “That’s a fun part of the job,” he says, “because I’m a baseball guy.”

FAIR WARNING: Jackson is quick to remind you it’s water, not wind, that’s the leading cause of deaths in hurricanes. “If you have moving water across the road,” he says, “you should never drive through that.”

—HASTINGS HENSEL | PHOTO BY MILTON MORRIS

SPRING & SUMMER TRAVEL ISSUE

AS FAR AS MUD-BOGGING TRUCKS GO, the Liva Killa is what you call a beast.

Jacked up on 56-inch mega tires, with a big-block Chevrolet engine capable of making around 1,360 horsepower and 1,260 foot-pounds of torque, the truck is missing its front grill, as if smiling one big toothless grin. Even the American flag on a pole bolted dead-center to the front bumper looks like a tusk when the truck is snorting through 3 feet of mud.

Trucks go wild at Twitty’s Mud Bog

BY HASTINGS HENSEL

PHOTOS BY MIC SMITH

And at the start of the annual Trucks Gone Wild event at Twitty’s Mud Bog, Russell Twitty the Edisto Electric Cooperative member known by some as “The Wheelie King” climbs into the cab using the tread of its tires, the way a man would climb up a ladder, rung-by-rung.

Over the PA system, the emcee asks what surely amounts to a rhetorical question: “Whooooooo wants a wheeeeeeelie?”

The tailgaters who are grilling burgers want a wheelie. The teenagers perched in the beds of their pickups want a wheelie, too. So do all the folks peering under truck hoods and checking out engines. Even the one person in the entire crowd of more than 1,000 spectators who looks like he might

not a kid wearing noise-canceling headphones and crouching under his daddy’s truck comes out to have a look.

So, Twitty plays to the crowd. He cranks it up and revs the engine. Someone lights a flare, which wreathes the truck in red, white and blue smoke. Suddenly, in one throaty roar, the Liva Killa’s tires hook in the ground and the truck pops up on its back wheels like a rearing horse. Then Twitty speeds through the 1,200foot horseshoe track and slings mud so high that, as one mud-bogger puts it, “It touches the sky.”

The crowd goes wild, roaring with approval, and even the other drivers waiting their turn to race rev their engines in a thundering round of applause. The emcee welcomes us all to Twitty City, where hundreds of mud-loving fans have gathered to see which driver can do something that looks deceptively simple but is decidedly not race the fastest through the mud track and not blow an engine, roll over or get stuck.

It’s the opposite, you might say, of a laundry cycle. Here the trucks go in clean and come out dirty.

“It’s really just cheap entertainment,” Russell Twitty says.

BROWN SKIES AHEAD Russell Twitty shows off Liva Killa’s abilities as he kicks off 2022’s Trucks Gone Wild event.

t Russell Twitty, who rediscovered his teenage passion for mud bogging in 2005, runs three events a year at his bog in Ulmer.

u Drivers pause for the national anthem at the start of last fall’s Trucks Gone Wild event.

“For around twenty bucks a day, you can’t get entertainment like this anywhere else, I promise you!”

Playing in the mud

Russell Twitty has always been into trucks. Growing up in West Columbia, he had his first jacked-up Chevy in high school. He took the truck to mud bogs wherever they popped up, but then for a while, life got in the way. He worked on the road for a few years for an industrial company, then went back to school for forestry. In 1995, he moved to Allendale and took a job at Collum’s Lumber Products, where he’s worked as a forester ever since.

p It takes a tough truck to compete in a mud bog. Blown engines, stripped transmissions and even lost tires are common pitfalls.

t An excavator that lumbers onto the course to rescue stuck trucks is part of the entertainment.

u Driving back to the sidelines after a run can also present a challenge.

“Around 2005 I started playing in the mud again,” he says. “And 2009 is when I just went hardcore. I started traveling and meeting people, and I’ve been all over the country playing in the mud with my truck in places I never thought I’d go.”

With the Liva Killa, he’s bogged through mud from Texas to Saskatchewan and almost everywhere in between, participating in a hobby-sport that grew in popularity after World War II, when personal pickup trucks got upgraded with military mechanics.

For years he helped host a nearby mud-bogging event at a track in Wagener, but then Twitty found a piece of land closer

“For around twenty bucks a day, you can’t get entertainment like this anywhere else, I promise you!”

—RUSSELL TWITTY

MUD IN HIS BLOOD

MUD VS. MACHINE

p Fishtailing through the deepest part of the track, this competitor sent the mud flying—and brought the crowd to its feet.

t Many fans, like Madisyn Romine of Summerville, like to watch from the front safety rail and don’t mind getting dirty in the process.

u Accidents happen. If a run goes wrong, EMTs and an ambulance are nearby when medical help is needed.

to his home in Ulmer. And when he got hooked up with the Trucks Gone Wild national series of races, Twitty’s Mud Bog grew into what it is today a thrice-yearly event that brings people from all over the country and world.

These are fans like Jimmy Apps, who drives down to Ulmer every year from Pittsburgh because he prefers the mud races like Twitty’s over the free-for-all mud bogs he attends in Pennsylvania.

“Up there it’s just like a big party in a field,” he says, “but this is more organized.”

Or mud-bog fanatic Chrissie Rollman, from Summerville, who likes to be right up next to the safety rail like a hockey

fan would like to be up by the glass. She says, “I’ve seen it all out here. Rolls, flips. I love it. And this is the best, most family-oriented of all the mud bogs.”

The race is on

Not even an hour before he pops his opening wheelie, Twitty is standing in the bed of his regular pickup truck to welcome all the mud-bogging drivers in the day’s race, which is the third and final in the 2022 series. He has some important news. They have set up the track today so the drivers will have to go counterclockwise, racing through a smaller mud pit before rounding the corner and finishing their lap in the

BOG ADVENTURE

TIGHTKNIT COMMUNITY (from left) “I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe this,” confesses Jordan Twitty, Russell’s daughter; “I love the camaraderie, all the people. I just love it,” says Blaine Heffelfinger of Branchville; Mud-racing truck customizer and enthusiast Nick Jellyman of Summerville says, “No matter what tire or horsepower you have, there’s a spot for you.”

bigger pit. The rains haven’t been too bad recently, and the pits are a good 3 feet deep.

“Now, I know nobody likes turning right,” he says, but no one seems too worried.

One man with a cigar stub in the corner of his mouth even cries out, “Oh, I do!”

This turns out to be Blaine Heffelfinger, of Branchville, the head honcho of the five-truck Godfather Racing team, who says he’s won more Twitty trophies than he has from anywhere.

“It’s just fun,” Heffelfinger says, trying to explain why somebody might put in hours of truck maintenance only to blow a transmission within one run, or bust a tire, or get so stuck that they have to be towed out by the excavator. “I love the camaraderie, all the people. I just love it.”

It’s a sentiment you hear echoed throughout Twitty City. Sure, there are cash prizes and trophies to be won for the trucks that make it the fastest through the pits, but more important than any of these are the pure pleasures of mud and sport. And good old-fashioned bragging rights. And showing off.

Even the crowd’s heckling, of which there is plenty, is all in the mud-fun spirit.

“You can’t park there!” one guy jokes when a truck gets stuck, but the driver only raises a defiant fist and revs his engine, spraying mud everywhere.

Nick Jellyman, who once worked as a machinist for Boeing but who now works full time customizing mud-racing trucks in Summerville, says the sport is friendlier and less competitive than, for instance, drag racing.

“This is a super tightknit community,” he says. “When someone breaks down, other guys will sell them or let them borrow a spare. No matter what tire or horsepower you have, there’s a spot for you.”

Jellyman, for his part, got into the sport

watching Twitty compete at the Hampton Watermelon Festival. Now he’s got his own beast The Termigator, which runs on a stock John Deere motor but which has the biggest tires out here today at 75 inches tall.

“This thing can go, maybe, 10 miles an hour,” he says, “but it can get through anything.”

He says this with the same kind of beaming pride as he does when he explains that he did some of the custom work for Twitty’s Liva Killa. He calls Twitty an inspiration and his “bog daddy,” and he points out that the whole thing feels like a big bog family.

But for many out here, their bog families are literally their families.

“One thing about me and him is that he’s the better driver,” Blaine Heffelfinger says, patting his son Riggs on the back, just before Riggs races off and blows the transmission while taking the first right-hand turn. (All the proud dad could do? Shrug and say, “That’s just part of it!”)

And then there’s Jordan Twitty, the 19-year-old daughter of Russell and Amanda, who’s been racing since she was 10 and who drives Twitty’s Princess (a Chevy Colorado “beat from one end to the other,” as her dad puts it). After her second run of the night, in which she’s competed against the likes of Dirty Bo, Vengeance and Tazmaniac, she fishtails it past the finish line, putting her squarely in the Top 5.

She’s all smiles as she unbuckles her seatbelt, gets out from under the roll bars, and takes off her helmet.

GET THERE

Twitty’s Mud Bog is located at 4396 Buford’s Bridge Highway in Ulmer. The 2023 races will take place June 10, Sept. 16 and Nov. 17–18. For details, call (803) 259-9252 or visit twittysmudbog.com.

“It’s definitely for adrenaline junkies. I’m always looking for this kind of high, no other kind of high. I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe this,” she says while waiting for her next run. “Every weekend we’re on the road going somewhere, so this is really all I know.”

Her dad comes over to hug her and discuss the run, but then he’s right back coordinating the next driver. The long night is young, and a lot of mud-slinging is yet to come.

ELSEWHERE, TOURISTS ARE SWIMMING IN A WAVE POOL FILLED WITH WHO-KNOWS-WHAT.

The outdoors is really a reflection of you. It’s up to all of us to do our part to help preserve the natural beauty of our state. Join us in following the 7 Outdoor NC Leave No Trace Principles, so our spaces can remain beautiful and enjoyable for years to come.

PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE STICK TO TRAILS AND OVERNIGHT RIGHT TRASH YOUR TRASH LEAVE IT AS YOU FIND IT BE CAREFUL WITH FIRE KEEP WILDLIFE WILD SHARE OUR TRAILS

most

Step back In Time

Come experience the cultural history, folklife and unique people that make Pickens County such a special place to visit.

• April 14 - 15

Old Time Jam + Camping Weekend

• May 20

Mountain Roots Herb Festival featuring Taste the State: A South Carolina Food Summit. We will be exploring the rich and diverse cultures of SC through cooking and food. With musical performances by Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues and Amongst the Trees

• June 17

Americana Folk Festival

• July 15

Banjo Extravaganza

• August 19

Rolling Waterwheel Gospel Revue

• September 15 - 16

SC State Fiddling Championship + Old Time Fiddler’s Convention

HagoodMillHistoricSite.com

Come fill up on Lowcountry Culture & History

Whether you explore our ever-changing curated exhibits or fuel your mind with our interactive programs, the Morris Center is the place to fill up on Lowcountry culture and history. Thank you for stopping by our vintage Sinclair gas station where “Wish you were here” becomes “Glad you are here!”

CHANGEOUT

SCLiving.coop/calendar

Our mobile-friendly site lists even more festivals, shows and events. You’ll also find instructions on submitting your event. Please confirm information with the hosting event before attending.

Upstate

APRIL

13–15, 20–22 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, North Greenville University Billingsley Theatre, Tigerville. (864) 977‑7085.

15 Old Time Jam & Camping Weekend, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

15 Southern Roots BBQ Reunion, Trailblazer Park, Travelers Rest. southernrootsreunion.com.

15 Sunrise Hike at Bald Knob, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878‑9813.

20–23 Matilda Jr., Greenwood Community Theatre, Greenwood. (864) 229‑5704 or greenwoodcommunitytheatre.com.

20–23 Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, Muse 134, 134 S. Main St., Woodruff. (864) 670‑9980 or stonesoupsc.org.

22 Environmental Art & Music Festival, Piedmont Physic Garden, Union. (864) 427‑2556 or piedmontphysicgarden.com.

22 Mostly Crue with special guest Poison’us, Abbeville Opera House, Abbeville. (864) 366‑9673.

22 Spartanburg Philharmonic presents American Songscape, Twichell Auditorium at Converse College, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or spartanburgphilharmonic.org.

22 SpringFest, Market at the Mill, Pickens. (864) 506‑2982.

22 Spring Wildflower Walk, Jones Gap State Park, Marietta. (864) 836‑3647.

23 Upstate Heart Walk, down town, Greenville. www2.heart.org.

27 Sister Sadie, Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or spartanburgphilharmonic.org.

28–29 Pickens Azalea Festival, downtown, Pickens. (864) 301‑1798 or pickensazaleafestival.com.

28–30 Spartanburg

Spring Fling, downtown, Spartanburg. (864) 596‑2000 or cityofspartanburg.org.

28–May 13 Harry Clarke, The Warehouse Theatre, Greenville. (864) 235‑6948 or warehousetheatre.com.

29 Annual Revolutionary War Encampment, Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, Clinton. (864) 938‑0100.

29 Greer Goes Global International Festival, Greer City Park, Greer. (864) 968‑7008 or greergoesglobal.com.

29 Mauldin Blues & Jazz Festival, Mauldin Outdoor Amphitheater, Mauldin. (864) 404‑3289 or mauldinculturalcenter.org.

MAY

4–14 The Great Anderson County Fair, Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center, Anderson. (864) 309‑6618 or thegreatandersoncountyfair.com.

5–7 MCC Shakes! presents: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Mauldin Cultural Center, Mauldin. mauldinculturalcenter.org.

6 Reedy River Duck Derby, Falls Park, Greenville. duckrace.com/greenville.

6 Sunrise Hike at Table Rock, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878‑9813.

11–13 Albino Skunk Music Festival, The Skunk Farm, Greer. albinoskunk.com.

ONGOING

Saturdays Small Vendor Saturday, Greenville State Farmers Market, Greenville. (864) 244‑4023.

Midlands

APRIL

14–22 Lovesong, Aiken Community Theatre, Aiken. (803) 648‑1438 or aikencommunitytheatre.org.

14–May 2 South Carolina Strawberry Festival, various locations, Fort Mill. scstrawberryfestival.com.

15 Edgefield Arts With A Heart Market, Edgefield Town Square, Edgefield. (706) 496‑0711.

19–23 Columbia Food and Wine Festival, various locations, Columbia. (803) 765‑0707.

21 Aiken Master Gardener

Lunchbox: “Awesome Combinations for Every Garden,” Millbrook Baptist Church, Aiken. (803) 508‑7739 or aikenmastergardeners.org.

21 The Lettermen, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616 or sumteroperahouse.com.

21–22 Newberry Pork in the Park, Memorial Park, Newberry. newberryporkinthepark.com.

21–23 World Grits Festival, 110 South Parler Ave., St. George. worldgritsfestival.com.

22 Art in the Park, Historic Memorial Park, Sumter. (803) 406‑2177 or hsnasumtersc.com.

22 Earth Day Aiken, Newberry Street Festival Center, Aiken. earthdayaiken.org.

22 Kinetic Derby Day, Meeting and State Streets, West Columbia. kineticderbyday.com.

22 Pinkalicious presented by Columbia Children’s Theatre, Harbison Theatre, Columbia. harbisontheatre.org.

22 Youth & Adult Bass Tournament, Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill. (803) 547‑4575 or ascgreenway.org.

28 Wine Tasting at Riverbanks Botanical Garden, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia. riverbanks.org.

29 Kids Day of Lexington, Virginia Hylton Park, Lexington. (803) 356‑8554 or lexingtonkidsday.com.

29 Lower Richland Sweet Potato Festival, Hopkins Park, Hopkins. lowerrichlandsweetpotatofest.com.

29 RUN UNITED, Newberry Street Festival Area, Aiken. aikenco op.org.

30 Irmo International Festival, Irmo Community Park, Irmo. irmoscinternationalfestival.com.

MAY

1 Aiken Master Gardener Lunch Box: “Plants! Bringing Life Indoors,” Millbrook Baptist Church. (803) 508‑7739 or aikenmastergardeners.org.

2 “Dream Home: Illustrations by Vernon Grant,” Museum of York County, Rock Hill. (803) 329‑2121 or chmuseums.org.

5 Orangeburg Festival of Roses, Edisto Memorial Gardens, Orangeburg. (803) 533‑6020.

7 Bluegrass and Ragtime by Aiken Choral Society, Aiken First Baptist Church, Aiken. (803) 645‑7504.

11–13 South Carolina Poultry Festival, Main Street, Leesville. scpoultryfestival.com.

11–14 Art Blossoms, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 799‑2810 or columbiamuseum.org.

13 Best of Hollywood featuring the S.C. Philharmonic, Harbison Theatre. harbisontheatre.org.

13 Fish Fry and Concert, Friendship United Methodist Church, Rock Hill. (803) 230‑3223.

13 Riverbanks Run, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia. riverbanks.org.

Lowcountry

APRIL

15 Gator Gauntlet 5K, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 237‑4440.

15–16, 21–23 Beaufort Theatre Company presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, USCB Center for the Arts, Beaufort. (843) 521‑4145 or uscbcenterforthearts.com.

16 Long Bay Symphony presents The Planets, Myrtle Beach High School, Myrtle Beach. (843) 448‑8379 or longbaysymphony.com.

18 The Harlem Globetrotters, Florence Center, Florence. (843) 679‑4525 or florencecenter.com.

18–22 Myrtle Beach International Film Festival, The Grand 14 Stone Theatre, Myrtle Beach. (843) 497‑0220 or myrtlebeachfilmfestival.com.

19–29 ArtFields, various locations, Lake City. (843) 374‑0180 or artfieldssc.org.

20–23 Charleston Jazz Festival, multiple venues, Charleston. (843) 641 0011 or charlestonjazz.com.

21 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head presents “Marshall & Churchill,” First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 384‑6758 or wachh.org.

22 SC State Chili Cook-off Championship, Belton City Square, Belton. (864) 940‑9632 or scchilicookoff.com.

22 Lowcountry Cajun Festival, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 795‑4386 or ccprc.com.

22 Lowcountry Glass Mosaics Workshop, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

22–23 MCAS Beaufort Air Show, Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort. beaufortairshow.com.

22–23 Spring 2023 Black Food Truck Festival, Exchange Park Fairgrounds, Charleston. blackfoodtruckfestival.com.

28–29 Colleton County Rice Festival, downtown, Walterboro. (843) 549‑1079 or ricefestival.org.

29 The Merge: Battle of the Bands, Florence Center, Florence. (843) 679‑4525 or florencecenter.com.

29 Shadow Bay Celtic Festival, RH Acres, Socastee. (843) 360‑9052.

30 Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival, Memorial Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant. (843) 884‑8517 or experiencemountpleasant.com.

MAY

3–7 North Charleston Arts Fest, multiple venues, North Charleston. (843) 740‑5854 or northcharlestonartsfest.com.

5 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head presents “American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power,” First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 384‑6758 or wachh.org.

7 Pedal Hilton Head Island, Lowcountry Celebration Park, Hilton Head Island. pedalhhi.org.

9 Friends of Honey Hill Member Meeting, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

11 Lowcountry Paint Party, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

13 Summer Samba, Charleston Music Hall, Charleston. (843) 641‑0011 or charlestonjazz.com.

13 Tea Time Treasures, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

The USN Blue Angels are among those scheduled to take to the skies at the MCAS Beaufort Air Show, April 22–23.

SC | gardener

APRIL IN THE GARDEN

n If your green thumb is itching to get the summer veggie patch growing, give it a good scratch by planting such edible delectables as field peas, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, watermelons and snap beans this month. And no, I didn’t forget eggplant and okra—wait until at least the beginning of May to plant these heat-lovers.

n Ugly fences, lonely gazebos and bare decks can quickly get into the swing of a new growing season if they are dolled up with such fast-growing vines as purple hyacinth bean, ornamental sweet potato vine, scarlet runner bean, cypress vine, morning glory, black-eyed Susan vine or moonvine.

Gladiolus planting time

BY L.A. JACKSON

APRIL INTO JUNE IS A GOOD STRETCH of time to try your hand at growing gladioli to doll up the summer flower garden. Planted gladiolus corms (often incorrectly called “bulbs” by gardeners) mature in about 60 to 90 days, so it won’t take long to see beautiful bloom towers from these warm-weather pretties.

Before planting any glads, first find an area that is in full sunlight, drains well and is somewhat acidic. Then, build up the planting site with plenty of compost or commercial soil conditioner. Mixing in a time-release “bulb boost” type of fertilizer will also add extra zip to the future flower show.

Plant the bottoms of the bulbs er, corms 4 to 6 inches deep and about 6 inches apart. Moisture is important for maturing plants. They should receive about an inch of water a week. So, if the rains don’t come, keep the garden hose handy. Mulching will help conserve moisture as well as discourage nutrient-robbing weeds.

TIP OF THE MONTH

Hellebore blooms

that have graced the winter garden are now beginning to set seeds. If you want this transition to result in more eye-catching hellebores, simply let the seeds drop from their dry, brown pods to the ground or spread them about yourself, and then cover with a thin layer of compost or quality commercial garden soil. Don’t let freshly seeded areas dry out over the summer. It can take up to three years for new plants to flower, and although they might not be exact copies of the parent plant, I’m sure you will still find them to be pretty.

Some gladiolus selections reach 4 to 5 feet tall, which can lead to a problem in that they get, well, tall, and they easily fall over in windy or rainy conditions. To help stop the flop, suspend a piece of common chicken wire horizontally on stakes 18 inches above the glad bed. Then, the plants will grow up and through the holes for support.

Don’t like the idea of crusty chicken wire befouling the pleasant visual appeal of your flower bed? Go with easily found dwarf gladiolus cultivars that have a lesser flop factor because they only reach 24 to 36 inches tall.

Concerned about Bambi romping through your glad bed? No worries, these summer showoffs are deer-resistant.

Gladioli are not one-shot beauties.

With minimal care, they will usually come back year after year. I use the adverb “usually” as a qualifier dependent on the weather. During typical South Carolina winters, glads can survive the colder months.

I have gladioli parked in my USDA Zone 7b garden that have made fairly reliable springtime returns for years. The only cold-weather precaution I have taken is to cover their raised bed in autumn with a 3-inch layer of fallen leaves. I don’t cut up the leaves but rather apply them whole. This helps insulate the ground, of course, but it also deflects heavy winter rains, which could turn my glad bed into a cold, soggy mess that encourages corm rot.

L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.

L.A. JACKSON

SO GLAD TO SEE YOU Gladiolus blooms will brighten the summer flower garden.

SPREADING OUT Seed pods that develop at the center of a hellebore flower will drop and sprout with a bit of care.

L.A. JACKSON

CHANGEOUT

Real bananas don’t bunt

BY JAN A. IGOE

NO MATTER HOW HARD

I try to escape this time of year, baseball season finds me and someone disguised as a friend will inevitably try to drag me to a game without my consent. Yes, I realize this is sacrilege to everyone who loves mom and apple pie.

When my kids were little, our family often went to see the Pelicans games in Myrtle Beach. Since my hub insisted I was part of the family, he would find me (wherever I was hiding) and lovingly place me in the trunk for safe transport to the game. The ride was always the most enjoyable part of the evening.

The Pelicans put on a great show, but baseball games can last forever. When you’re a spectator at normal sports, you can only be trapped for a limited amount of time. But with baseball, you might have to cancel your Thanksgiving plans if the game decides to last 354 innings. The players should ask to get paid by the hour.

Then there’s the action. Or not. The Wall Street Journal once reported that 90% of baseball is spent standing around, waiting for something to happen like when the balls and/or players actually move and spitting tobacco doesn’t count. On average, that’s only 17 minutes and 58 seconds of action per game, so bring your knitting. You’ll have time for a sweater and matching socks.

Even when something good happens, like a home run, the guys don’t get overemotional unless it’s a game-winner. A few high-fives, maybe. Then the players slink back to the dugout, hidden from

fans, like they’re some species of dangerous bat. (Not the ball bat the flying, frightening, fanged kind of bat.)

Turns out I’m not the only one who thinks baseball moves at the speed of sludge, so in 2016, Jesse Cole gave it a total makeover and introduced the Savannah Bananas and Banana Ball!

Debuting to a sold-out crowd, the revitalized game combines one part serious baseball with one part dance party and one part circus (minus the elephants). Everybody’s moving all the time, from the Ultimate Dad-bod Cheerleading Squad to Split, the macho banana mascot, and the Banana Nanas senior dance team. Yeah, they feature genuine,

gyrating grannies. Tasteful, of course.

Here’s the best part: It’s fast. In two hours, you can go home. The fastest inning in the team’s 2022 summer series was over in less than two minutes. That’s my kind of inning. There’s no bunting, no stepping out (whatever that means), no mound visits from coaches or catchers and no walks allowed. Batters are welcome to steal first base, and if a fan catches a fly ball, it’s an out.

No sedate pinstripes, either. Their uniforms are a solid yellow that’s bright enough to light their stadium if the power ever quits. Unless they decide to play in yellow plaid kilts and form a chorus line. Or break out the stilts. The Savannah Bananas claim to have the world’s only dancing umpire, who is known to “twerk it out on strikeout calls,” according to the team website (thesavannahbananas.com).

And these guys know how to celebrate. Some backflips? A few Michael Jackson moves? Strike up the team band? No problem. This is baseball at its finest. Thank you, Mr. Cole.

So, go ahead and start planning Thanksgiving. Just swap the apple pie for some banana pudding, and you’re all set.

JAN A. IGOE is ready to charter a bus to Savannah to see the Bananas in action, but the games are always sold out way in advance. If anybody has an in with these fruits, write her at HumorMe@SCLiving.coop and she’ll handle the bus.

The revitalized game combines one part serious baseball with one part dance party and one part circus (minus the elephants).