South Carolina Living May 2022

The cowboy CHANGEOUT way Saddle up for the 25th annual Black Cowboy Festival SC RECIPE

No-mayo potato salads HUMOR ME

MAY 2022

The bugs are back in town

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THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS VOLUME 76 • NUMBER 5 (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

2022 |may

Tel: (803) 926‑3175 Fax: (803) 796‑6064 Email: letters@scliving.coop EDITOR

Keith Phillips Tel: (803) 739‑3040 Email: Keith.Phillips@ecsc.org FIELD EDITOR

14 The cowboy way

Josh Crotzer

PUBLICATION COORDINATOR

Raphael Ofendo Reyes

Rembert’s Black Cowboy Festival celebrates 25 years of equestrian fun for all as it sets the record straight on the history of the American West.

ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang DESIGNER

Trevor Bauknight PRODUCTION

Andrew Chapman WEB EDITOR

Chase Toler

COPY EDITORS

Jennifer Jas, Jim Poindexter CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Couick, Andrew Haworth, Jan A. Igoe, L.A. Jackson, 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.

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CO-OP NEWS

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AGENDA

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DIALOGUE

local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above.

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RECIPE

No-mayo potato salads

18 19 20

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARKETPLACE HUMOR ME

The bugs are back in town

Brace yourself for a summer invasion of flying, creeping, jumping, slithering, tree-dangling, stinging, squishy, bloodsucking bugs.

The cowboy way Saddle up for the 25th annual Black Cowboy Festival

Member of the AMP network reaching more than 9 million homes and businesses

SC RECIPE

No-mayo potato salads HUMOR ME

The bugs are back in town MAY 2022

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Looking for helpers

With Chef Belinda’s delicious recipes, there is no need to fret over the safety of everyone’s favorite picnic side dish.

of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor. 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.

The 2022 winners of EnlightenSC’s Children’s Book Challenge share what they’ve learned about electricity.

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives seek unsung local heroes to recognize and reward in the Who Powers You campaign.

ADDRESS CHANGES: Please send to your

Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, S.C., and additional mailing offices.

Updates from your cooperative

Mark Myers, founder of the Black Cowboy Festival, enjoys life at Greenfield Farm near Rembert.

Photo by Andrew Haworth.

FRO M TO P: A N DR E W H AWO RTH; K A R E N H E R M A N N; JA N A . IGO E

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SC |agenda Learning by doing

“I’m really happy, and I really enjoyed doing it,” Brown says of her winning book. “It’s pretty cool, and I’m happy that other people are going to read what I wrote and learn something from it.”

The contest judges also awarded a s­ econd-place prize to Jack Cerrati, Austin Wiedemann, Kolby Anthony and Isaiah Tyson, representing Palmetto Electric Cooperative, for their book Life of a Solar Panel. Readers can purchase digital copies of the winning books at storyjumper.com.

Now in its fifth year, the Children’s Book Challenge is just one of the ways co-ops support Fourth grader Brooke Ann Brown with her book, An Adventure With Electricity. Proud parents Mike and Susan the communities they serve, says Brown are members of Horry Electric Cooperative.

Lindsey Smith, vice president for education at The Electric Cooperatives put a tremendous amount of work into of South Carolina, Inc. “By inspiring stuthe project, and it really shows.”

Brown is a homeschool student in dents to learn more about energy in our Aynor. As the statewide winner of the state, South Carolina’s electric co-ops Children’s Book Challenge, she received affirm the fifth cooperative principle— a $500 cash prize for her work and the education, training, and information— honor of having An Adventure With and hopefully spark a passion for critical Electricity published and distributed to thinking in the minds of tomorrow’s elementary schools throughout the state. leaders.”

The electricity that we rely on to power our homes and businesses doesn’t happen by magic; just ask Aynor fourth grader Brooke Ann Brown, the statewide winner of the 2022 Children’s Book Challenge.

Sponsored by EnlightenSC, an educational initiative of the state’s independent, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, the competition challenges fourth- and fifth-grade students to write and illustrate stories that focus on the impact of electricity in their lives and communities.

Brown’s book, An Adventure With Electricity, features a lightning bug named Sparkie, who explains how safe and reliable power is delivered by electric cooperatives.

“The judges were impressed with the quality of both the story and illustrations Brooke Ann created for her book,” says Toni Gore of Horry Electric Cooperative, Brown’s local co-op. “She

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A N DR E W H AWO RTH

ONLY ON SCLiving.coop

Some like it hot

From jalapenos to the devilishly hot Carolina Reaper, here’s how to grow your own hot and super-hot peppers. Get L.A. Jackson’s advice under the “Home & Garden” tab of SCLiving.coop.

6

Perfect picnics

Turn to Page 10 for Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s no-mayo potato salad recipes, then point your browser to SCLiving.coop/food/­chefbelinda/­perfect-picnics for recipes and tips to make outdoor dining the highlight of the summer.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

When streaming content, use the smallest device that makes sense for the number of people who will be watching. Avoid streaming on game consoles, which use 10 times more power than streaming through a tablet or laptop.

SOURCE: ENERGY.GOV

SC

| dialogue Looking for helpers to us during his decades-long show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. One that I still try to live out today originally came from his mother. She told him to always look for the helpers. If you can find people helping others, you can find hope.

I’ve been fortunate to come across many people like that, especially within the world of electric cooperatives. Keith Richardson, a member of Laurens Electric Cooperative, is one such person. As a legendary football coach at Clinton High School, Richardson mentored and developed hundreds of young men during his 24 seasons as leader of the Red Devils. But it was in his role as the executive director of the South Carolina Football Coaches Association that I was able to witness his impact on his community.

For the past several years, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina has been the title sponsor of the North-South high school football all-star game, now known as the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl. Each December during bowl week, Richardson organized a holiday shopping spree for 44 deserving children in Horry County. He raised money—often contributing his own—to provide the children with $100 gift cards to Target. Richardson then teamed each child with two football players, one from each team. They were tasked with helping the kids find the items on their wish lists and stay within budget.

Although Richardson has retired from his executive role at SCFCA, the shopping spree continues. Not only does it impact children in Horry County each year, but it also plants the seeds of generosity and altruism among the participating football players. It’s for this and many other reasons that in 2017, Coach Richardson was nominated for a Who Powers You honor, a national contest celebrating local heroes making a difference in their community.

This year, South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are duplicating the Who Powers You contest within our state. We want you to look for the helpers in your community—­ people like Coach Richardson, who are making a positive impact and benefitting members of your cooperative. Are needs of people in crisis being met thanks to the passions and determination of a local advocate? Are educational opportunities enhanced because of a champion for area students? Do you know of a person that the spotlight has missed but who has remained tirelessly devoted to helping others?

Anyone can nominate a good-doing neighbor, but nominees must either be a cooperative member, live in a residence served by an electric cooperative or be making a positive impact in a community served by the cooperative. Your cooperative will choose a local winner, who will then have a chance at being named the 2022 South Carolina Who Powers You Hero and receiving a $2,500 grand prize.

You can nominate a local hero by visiting ecsc.org/WhoPowersYou, where you’ll be asked to share a photo of your nominee and answer three questions about how they are making a difference in their community.

I know there are a lot of helpers bringing the rest of us hope. We look forward to you helping us find them.

FRED ROGERS IMPARTED MANY GREAT LESSONS

MIKE COUICK

President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

Do you know of a person that the spotlight has missed but who has remained tirelessly devoted to helping others?

SC

| recipe

CUCUMBER, BELL PEPPERS, OLIVES AND FETA

GREEN BEANS, ONIONS AND HERBS SERVES 4–6

SERVES 4–6

2 pounds baby red potatoes, cooked and halved Juice of one lemon, about ¼ cup 1 tablespoon chopped oregano 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon sugar Kosher salt Fresh ground black pepper ¼ cup olive oil 1 large red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cucumber, halved and cut into ½-inch pieces ½ small red onion, thinly sliced ½ cup whole Kalamata olives 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1 cup grape tomato halves

Cook potatoes according to instructions (see sidebar).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oregano, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.

Whisk in olive oil. Add warm potatoes and gently toss. Add bell pepper, cucumber, onion, olives, feta and tomatoes. Gently toss until combined. If salad seems dry, drizzle with a little more olive oil. Let sit for one hour or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, let come to room temperature before serving.

CHEF’S TIP HOW TO

PREP POTATOES FOR USE IN SALADS

In a large pot, cover whole, unpeeled potatoes by two inches of water. Add one tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook 7–10 minutes, depending on the size of potatoes. Drain in a colander. As soon as potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into desired sizes—halved, sliced, etc.

For best results, make dressing/ vinaigrette first and dress salad while potatoes are still warm. This allows the potatoes to better absorb the dressing, which enhances the overall flavor of the salad.

10

2 pounds waxy potatoes, cooked and halved 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 cup thinly sliced white onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon chopped dill 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Kosher salt Fresh ground black pepper ¼ cup olive oil

No-mayo potato salads

BY BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVA N

Potato salad is the go -to side dish for any outdoor summ ertime meal.

No need to fret over the safety of letting this dish linger on the table with these no‑mayo recipes tha t can withstand the summer heat.

DIJON, SHALLOTS AND CAPERS SERVES 4–6

2 pounds red potatoes, cooked and sliced ¼-inch thick Juice of one lemon, about ¼ cup 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup capers, rinsed (or thinly sliced cornichons) 2 minced shallots 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook potatoes according to instructions (see sidebar).

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together lemon juice, mustard, olive oil and capers. Add warm potatoes to bowl, along with shallots and parsley. Gently toss to avoid breaking up potatoes. Taste and add salt and pepper and more lemon juice as needed. Let sit for one hour or refrigerate overnight.

If refrigerated, let come to room temperature before serving.

How to get more juice out of a lemon (or lime).

Remove sticker and place lemon in microwave. Set timer for 15–18 seconds—no longer. Remove from microwave oven and let cool slightly. Lemon will be softer, thus yielding more juice.

CHEF’S TIP

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

BACON AND ONIONS SERVES 4–6

2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cooked and halved 10–12 ounces thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled ½ cup finely chopped onions ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard Kosher salt 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Cook potatoes according to instructions (see sidebar). In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool and set aside. Discard all but ¼ cup of bacon grease. In same skillet over medium heat, cook onions until soft, 3–5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and onion with bacon grease.

If you prefer not to use bacon grease, substitute with vegetable oil. Add warm potatoes and gently toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Top with bacon and chives. Serve warm.

Cook potatoes according to instructions (see sidebar); add green beans to cooking water the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

In a large mixing bowl, combine vinegar, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add warm potatoes and green beans and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Let sit for one hour or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, let come to room temperature before serving.

What’s cooking at

SCLiving.coop Now that you’ve got the salad covered, what else are you serving? Try these recipe collections found exclusively at

SCLiving.coop/​food/​ chefbelinda PERFECT PICNICS Enjoy Chef

Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s recipes and tips to make outdoor dining the highlight of the summer.

FIRED-UP GRILLING Summer­time

is all about being out­doors and reconnecting with the American passion for grilling.

Chef Belinda shares four of her favorite outdoor recipes—and some great grilling advice.

TASTY BARBECUE SIDES Follow

these tasty recipes for delicious sides to complement whatever is sizzling on the grill.

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COWBOY WAY

Saddle up for Rembert’s Black Cowboy Festival TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANDREW HAWORTH

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER Sandra and Mark Myers founded the Black Cowboy Festival 25 years ago as a fundraiser for a local church.

Top: A rider grimaces as he corners too tightly during a barrel race, while Elizabeth and David Evans of Wilmington, North Carolina, enjoy the 2021 show.

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in Sumter County. The smoky aroma of bacon and eggs wafts out of a nearby cabin, blending with the smell of grass warming in the sun and the expected barnyard odors. Sounds of a horse whinnying, followed by the soft thumps of hooves on dirt, the squeak of saddle leather and the rattle of tack follow.

It’s 10 a.m., and temperatures are already approaching 90 degrees. But even in the heat and humidity, there’s a certain magical feeling in the air as riders ready their mounts and gallop off for the rodeo ring at the Black Cowboy Festival.

Greenfield Farm has been the setting for the annual festival for a quarter of a century. The event celebrates the historical truth of black cowboys and cowgirls and shatters the pop culture myth that cowfolk were only white men. The 2021 Black Cowboy Festival drew 3,000 visitors, 40 vendors and 350 campers​—a record turnout.

Now celebrating 25 years, the 2022 event is scheduled to kick off May 27–28.

Founders Mark and Sandra Myers, owners of Greenfield GET THERE The 2022 Farm, say the festival is a draw because it offers something Black Cowboy Festival is for everyone. What began in the mid-1990s as a “little horse scheduled for May 27–28 show” to raise money for a local church has turned into the (Memorial Day Weekend) Black Cowboy Festival, a three-day event where guests spend at Greenfield Farm, the weekend immersed in riding workshops, watching timed 4858 Spencer Road in racing events, touring the property in a horse-drawn carRembert. For details, visit riage, and listening to live music. blackcowboyfestival.net “I named it the Black Cowboy Festival, but it’s not sepaor call (803) 499-9658. rating people. I want to bring people together. You come out and learn about me, and I learn about you. We learn things about each other,” Mark Myers says. “When you embrace your past, you know where you’re headed.”

While the festival has been running for decades, the truth about black cowboy culture often still needs to be explained, Sandra Myers says.

“People just didn’t know we had African American cowboys—even from my own race,” Myers says. “People would say to my husband, ‘You know there’s no black cowboys, right?’”

Mark Myers says he turned to history books for answers and learned that up to a third of the cattlemen who flocked west were black or of black descent and often had valuable experience handling cattle on plantations. Many of them used openrange herding traditions straight from African tribal practices. He also discovered Bill Pickett, who became the first black honoree in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.

“It makes lots of sense. When you look at blacks who ran away from slavery, they ran west,” Sandra Myers says. “They taught people how to herd without fences, how to tame horses, true horse whispering. That history is right here.”

IT’S A CLOUDLESS SUMMER MORNING ON GREENFIELD FARM

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

SOUTH CAROLINA’S BLACK COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS

Ride along with cowfolk we met at the 2021 Black Cowboy Festival

ANGELA FREDERICK, ALICIA ALLMOND AND THEM COWGIRLS In reality, cowboy life has always been diverse, and it’s even more so now. Case in point, the drill team known as Them Cowgirls.

A half-dozen women, ranging in ages from 11 to 64, don rugged Western wear—wide hats, heavy buckles, jeans and Cuban-heeled boots— and demonstrate equestrian skill to the delight of festival-goers.

Senior member Angela Frederick, pastor of Love Covenant Church in Sumter, started with riding lessons at Greenfield Farm in 2009. She grew up with an interest in horses and enjoyed watching Westerns, “but I didn’t see myself represented in the Westerns,” she says. “You could watch 20 Westerns and see one black guy. We were just left out of the history books.”

Air Force veteran Alicia Allmond is a relative newcomer to the group. An animal lover, she worked for a horse rescue in Florida before settling in Camden.

“It’s amazing to have an event like this in the African American community and being able to share it,” she says. “It’s not an exclusive event; it’s an opportunity to share the black horse history with everybody, and I think that’s amazing.” uu

ALICIA ALLMOND

ANGELA FREDERICK

SCLIVING.COOP | MAY 2022 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

15

SOUTH CAROLINA’S BLACK COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS

SOJOURNER WILLIAMS Sojourner Williams, an Afghanistan veteran originally from Wisconsin, sought horseback riding as her way to “get a piece of America.”

“I wanted to ride a horse, so I just went on the internet and found Greenfield Farms, and that’s how I started,” she says. “This was the best thing for me, just to be among all of God’s creatures and nature.”

RAYSHON MACK Sumter native Rayshon Mack was a standout in the Suncoast Conference, where he played basketball for Polk State College. He grew up riding but was drawn back to horses after a sports injury.

“I wanted to come back and be a black cowboy,” he says, looking sharp in a white shirt, large gold buckle adorned with a horse head, boots and straw hat. He says he was inspired by rodeo legend Bill Pickett.

FRANK CLEA Learning about horses transcends race and culture, says Frank Clea. He’s a permanent fixture at the farm, where he trains and breaks horses.

His specialty is grooming, or “beautifying them.”

“I’ve been working with them ever since I was a child; I love it,” says Clea.

“It’s not just black or white.

The importance is knowing you can have a friend in an animal, an animal that trusts you, that can take you from one place to another.”

16

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

HAROLD MILLER Harold Miller, now in his mid-60s, started riding bulls competitively in 1975. He’s an international legend, who most recently won a championship in 2019 at the Bill Pickett International Rodeo in the bareback bronco division. His primary mission at the festival this year was helping out with pony rides for children.

“When I started, there weren’t a lot of black cowboys involved, just one or two on the East Coast. There were a few more in Oklahoma and out West, not many,” Miller says.

Growing up on a farm in Seneca, Miller learned to break horses. At age 18, on a whim and with no experience, he entered a bull-riding competition and won $250. He was hooked.

“That was beginner luck I guess, because the next 10 drilled me like crazy,” he says. He rode bulls for 30 years and later added bronco riding.

Today, as a member of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, which celebrates the history of black cowboys, he sees events like the festival as a way to educate the public, he says. “It teaches kids there were black cowboys way back yonder.”

SC

| calendar

MAY 15–JUN 15

SCLiving.coop/calendar

Upstate M AY

20 Brew in the Zoo, Greenville

Zoo, Greenville. (864) 467‑4300 or greenvillezoo.com.

20–22 Canaan Dog Club of America All Breed Agility Trial, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Clemson.

(864) 634‑2810.

20–29 Fair at Heritage Park, Heritage Park, Simpsonville. (864) 296‑6601 or fairatheritagepark.com.

21 Family Fun Day—DIY Planter and Seed Ball, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg. (864) 582‑7616 or spartanburgartmuseum.org.

21 Mountain Roots Herb Festival, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

21 Rally in the Valley SC, Lake Jemiki, Walhalla. rallyinthevalleysc.org.

22 Taste of the Upstate: Flavors of the World, downtown, Greenville. (864) 232‑3595 or loavesandfishesgreenville.com.

21 Spring Art & Craft Festival, USC-

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.

27–28 Great Scot! Parade and Greenville Scottish Games, downtown Greenville and Furman University. gallabrae.com.

J UNE

4 Sparkle City Rhythm and Ribs, Barnet Park, Spartanburg.

(864) 680‑6674 or rhythmandribs.org.

10–11 South Carolina Festival of Flowers, downtown, Greenwood. (864) 889‑9313 or scfestivalofflowers.org.

10–19 Chautauqua History Comes Alive Festival, various locations, Greenville. (864) 244‑1499 or historycomesalive.org.

11 Music on the Mountain, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878‑9813 or tablerock@scprt.com.

Midlands MAY

14–22 Goin’ to the Chapel, Aiken Community Theatre, Aiken. (803) 648‑1438 or aikencommunitytheatre.org.

15 Sing Out America, Aiken’s First Baptist Church, Aiken. (803) 649‑6570 or aikenchoralsociety.org.

20 Taste of Fort Mill, Anne Springs Close Greenway Gateway Lawn, Fort Mill. (803) 547‑4575 or tasteoffortmill.com.

20–21 Blackville Music & Art Festival, Main Street, Blackville.

(803) 671‑3121 or bmafestival.com.

Lancaster Native American Studies Center, Lancaster. (803) 313‑7172.

21–22 Columbia Conservatory of Dance, Harbison Theatre, Irmo.

(803) 407‑5011 or harbisontheatre.org.

27–28 Flopeye Fish Festival, 2534 James Baker Blvd., Great Falls. (803) 482‑6029 or flopeyefishfestival.com.

27–29 Iris Festival, Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter. (803) 436‑2500 or sumtersc.gov.

JUNE

3–4 Peach Tree 23 Yard Sale, S.C. Hwy. 23, Batesburg-Leesville to Modoc. (803) 685‑5511 or ridgespringsc.com.

4 Royal Rumble Charity Poker Run for Ronald McDonald House, Highway 378 Bar & Grill, Gilbert. (803) 553‑8837 or rmhcofcolumbia.org/royalrumble.

9–11 Party in the Pines 2022, Main St., Whitmire. (803) 940‑3279 or whitmirejaycees.com.

Lowcountry MAY

14–15 Blue Crab Festival, Historic

Waterfront, Little River. (843) 249‑6604 or bluecrabfestival.org.

17 Virtually Speaking: WWI and SC Home Front, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

20–21 Johnsonville Heritage Festival, E. Broadway St., Johnsonville. (843) 625‑0894 or cityofjohnsonville.com.

21 12th Annual Dancing with the ARK’S Stars, Lowcountry Conference Center, Summerville. (843) 471‑1360 or event.gives/dwtas22.

21 Caricature Workshop, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

21 Marion FoxTrot Festival, downtown, Marion. (843) 206‑4182 or marionfoxtrotfest.com.

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PALMETTO STATE

| marketplace

To advertise, please go to SCLiving.coop or email ads@scliving.coop Free, self-guided tour of farms and markets. For details, visit May 14–15

agandarttour.com

Colleton County, scartisanscenter@gmail.com May 21–22

Lancaster County, stuart@ivyplaceevents.com June 4–5

Kershaw County, cdeloach@camdensc.org York County East, mcooper@yorkcountyarts.org Charleston County, sbeals07@gmail.com June 11–12

Lexington County, vickie@lakemurraycountry.com Newberry County, michelle@newberrycounty.org Richland County, foxhideawayfarm@gmail.com York County West, mcooper@yorkcountyarts.org June 18–19

Fairfield County, gypsywindfarms@gmail.com June 25–26

Chester County, ccl@g.clemson.edu

Lowcountry, cont.

Call for specials!

21 Market in May, Moore Farms Botanical Gardens,

Lake City. (843) 210‑7592 or moorefarmsbg.org.

28–29 Hilton Head Island Art Festival, Shelter Cove

Harbour & Marina, Hilton Head Island. (843) 785‑6424 or hiltonheadartfestival.com.

JUNE

EASTERN

DIVISION

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Call for pricing.

2 A Look at Historic Mitchelville, Morris Center for

Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

4 Brookgreen Gardens Art Festival, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-600 or brookgreen.org.

4 Great Guns on the Ashley Artillery Demonstration, Charles Towne Landing State Historical Site, Charleston.

(843) 852‑4200 or charlestowne@scprt.com.

4 Juke Joint Tour and Tasting, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

10 Films at the Farm: Alice in Wonderland, Moore Farms Botanical Garden, Lake City. (843) 210‑7592 or moorefarmsbg.org.

10–11 Black Moses Freedom Festival, downtown, Beaufort. beaufortsc.org.

11 Garden Tea Party, Moore Farms Botanical Garden, Lake City. (843) 210‑7592 or moorefarmsbg.org.

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19

SC

| humor me

The bugs are back in town

BY JAN A. IGOE

AS MUCH AS WE ADORE

our warm, sunny Carolina days, they come at a dreadful price that no one wants to pay.

That price is bugs. A fullscale invasion of flying, creeping, jumping, slithering, tree-dangling, stinging, squishy, bloodsucking bugs.

Our season kicks off with sand fleas, aka the infamous no-see-ums. You might not see them, but you do feel-um, because the mini vampires bite and treat themselves to a blood buffet. When there’s no breeze, they go right for your scalp, which seems to be a delicacy. You’ll know it’s no-see-um season when people you’d swear were sane start running circles and relentlessly smacking themselves in the head.

Even brave, fearless Marines may claim the worst part of bootcamp at Parris Island, besides screaming drill instructors, is resisting the urge to swat the no-see-ums that never stop biting.

During training, swatting is forbidden.

Then there’s the mole cricket, a much larger flying pest. Even as bugs go, this one is particularly homely. More than 1-inch long, it’s got antennae on both ends, flapping wings, powerful front claws and legs sprouting everywhere else. Plus, they’re grouchy.

I used to play tennis at night whenever the mole crickets gave me permission. Some were content to observe, but others came to play doubles. Attracted to the lights, they would rain down on the tennis courts, landing with a juicy thud. If you dared to run down a ball through the mole cricket minefield, you’d end up picking bug mash out of your Nikes until Labor Day. 20

You’ll know it’s no-see-um season when people you’d swear were sane start running circles and relentlessly smacking themselves in the head.

I tried flicking them off the court with my racket but underestimated those claws. One night, a particularly burly mole cricket—possibly their leader— deliberately blocked my path, daring me to get past it. To be honest, I’ve run screaming from lesser bugs, but this time I was armed.

Gingerly poking the obstinate thing with my racket, I was about to flick it into orbit when it grabbed my racket and wouldn’t let go. After a 10-minute tug-ofwar, the bug emerged victorious. I surrendered my Dunlop and gave up night tennis, but the mole cricket may still be playing. It has a really nice racket.

Besides the poisonous spiders, beetles, giant wasps and ubiquitous roaches

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MAY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP

we’re used to, there’s a new player: the invasive hammerhead worm.

Yes, like the shark. (Let’s not get too scientific here. In my book, worms are bugs.) And this one is harder to kill than Steven Seagal.

Everything about this worm is terrifying. It’s a cannibal. It’s poisonous.

It’s a hermaphrodite, so it can reproduce with no romance required. If you chop it into 15 pieces, you’ll have 15 worms in no time. They’re virtually immortal.

The best way to kill them is two days in the freezer (definitely not mine) while dissolving them in grain vinegar, boric acid or pesticide. Gross.

Some of my friends don’t fear anything but spiders. Believe it or not, we have an official state spider: the wolf spider. It’s large, fast, and when they bite, it hurts. When Suzette found a wolf spider running around her house, she sucked it up in her vacuum but didn’t want to risk its escape. So she kept the vacuum running for the next 7 hours until her husband came home and performed a definitive autopsy. Yep. Definitely dead.

So be careful. Stock up on mosquito netting, neurotoxin-proof gloves, hatchets and bug repellant. As every South Carolina resident knows, it’s a jungle out there. But we don’t have to tell the ­tourists.

Most days, JAN A. IGOE would rather face a coyote or a bear than a bug.

Any bug. It’s not exactly the “home of the brave,” but you can join us at HumorMe@SCLiving.coop anytime.

It’s bug-free.

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