November 23, 2015

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

It is already Thanksgiving week.  The weather is changing a lot the leaves are showing color and then dropping, time for turkey and all the trimmings…How fortunate we are.  Must admit though there are a lot of Christmas decorations up and actually I began to see them before Halloween. 

The Shoppes of Ridge Spring are planning their own extravaganza.  We are having Black Friday and Saturday Extravaganza with great deals in all the shops, including Harriet’s Garden.  There will be refreshments, too.  Live music on Saturday will be enjoyed by all.  The Shoppes will stay open until 6:00.  Come by and get that present for someone and it can be for you.  Christmas items are all over the place.  Hope to see you there. 

Leonard Bell was at the Ridge Spring Town Square selling fresh produce.  He will be there Tuesday and then on December 12^th and 19^th with January 31 being his last day until June.

JOHNSTON FARMER'S & ARTIST'S MARKET from 4 - 6 p.m. in front of the Library/Warehouse. The market will be held on Monday, November 23rd bringing you your Holiday fixins'.  There will not be a market on Thursday, November 26th. .  For more information contact Donna at 803-275-0010 or Anne at 803-480-1093

At the Friends of Ridge Spring Meeting Thursday night, Mayor Pat Asbill reported that just about half of the spots for the Peach Tree 23 Yard sale have already been rented. We are considering having an event during peach blooming season.  Please remember that the Friends of Ridge Spring (FORS) meets on the third Thursday at 5:00 PM at the library and all are welcome.  No food is served but we meet early enough that you may dine at home or in a restaurant of your choice.

Josie Rodgers:

This Saturday, Shop Small, Eat Small!  It’s small business Saturday!  It is one of many opportunities to support our local businesses by avoiding the crowds and shopping leisurely right in our own hometowns.  You can also support local restaurants by dining there versus a fast food chain.  Support your local businesses!  They have a lot more to offer than those chain stores:  high quality customer service, unique gifts, delicious food, and even friendship! Ridge Spring has some of the best little places to shop and eat!

I am one lucky girl.  I got to go on a date with my dad Sunday!  He felt good enough and needed to get out and see the world and sunshine.  We went to Aiken and ate at Longhorn.  He ate almost his entire meal!  This is a milestone for him!  We had such a good time talking and just being together

RSM Middle News:  Members of the 4-H participated in a lock-in this past weekend at the middle school.  They took part in sessions including calf birthing, robotics, ATV Safety, Basic First Aid, Nutrition, and some team building activities.  Sponsor Crystal Coleman said the kids were super excited about this event and had a wonderful time!

RSM High News:  Dr. Jackson, head of the Biology Department at USC Aiken, will visit Mr. Carpenter’s classes at RSM High Nov. 23 and discuss the different research opportunities that students have at USC Aiken and the possibilities that research has for the future. His particular research is focused in the fields of Microbiology and Immunology. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Jackson taught at Strom Thurmond High School, so he is experienced in deciding to pursue education to better his career.

The FFA is sponsoring a school dance and collecting pet toys and pet food to donate to the ASPCA.  Items will be collected on December 11 in the RSM High School Cafetorium as admission to a school dance. No monetary funds will be accepted.

Art Contest (Carmen Holley):  On Nov. 17, Art 2, 3, & 4 Students participated in an art contest sponsored by Shawn Meekins of Meekins Studios in Charlotte.  Mr. Meekins graduated from RSM in 2000; he was even awarded the Trojan Award his senior year for outstanding character.  Mr. Meekins explained that he wanted to give back to his high school, specifically to its art department that helped inspire him to pursue creative endeavors upon graduation.  Meekins attended The Art Institute of Atlanta for Graphic Design and received its Outstanding Leadership Award while in attendance.  Mr. Meekins was accompanied by his father, Gerald Meekins, who still lives in Ridge Spring.  The two men took turns sharing insightful wisdom with students regarding determination, diligence, and holding on to a vision with passion.  Their words of encouragement will not soon be forgotten, nor will their gesture of kindness in taking their time to help guide students along a path of success.         

The art students were challenged to draw two unrelated objects or a celebrity they admired.  Kadaija James won $75 for her drawing of Jhene Aiko.  Josefina Lopez won $50 for her drawing of her integration of two unrelated objects:  an apple and a butterfly.  Rachel Burger won $25 for her drawing of two unrelated objects: a small box from Nicaragua and a shell from Key West.  Linet Figueroa won $5 and an Honorable Mention for her drawing of Stephen Curry.  Mr. Meekins has plans to sponsor another contest in January.  Students will design a logo for Ridge Spring Monetta Middle/High School that can be used on T-shirts, cups, and bags.  Art students are excited to begin brainstorming ideas for the project!

RSM Elem News (Rene Miller):

 Music classes are working on the Christmas musical entitled The Twelve Days of Christmas which will be performed at 9 am Dec. 18.

Bullying Prevention Policy: At Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary, we strive to create a positive learning environment where our students feel safe and ready to learn. Students are expected to exhibit positive character traits and treat one another with kindness and respect. RS-M Elementary has developed a Bullying Prevention Policy to ensure the well-being of all students. If a student is bullied, the student, or their parent/guardian should make a report to the child’s teacher, school counselor, or an administrator. A report may be made via conference, by phone, or by completing a Bullying Report Form located on the school website.

Fifth Grade Walk/Jog Club: Coach Shealy is starting a 5th grade walk/jog program.  It will take place on Friday mornings from 7:15 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. All 5th graders are invited to participate. Students will learn how to plan and implement a program to improve their cardiovascular fitness. Students have received a permission form. Please return this form to Coach Shealy by November 18th. The first meeting will be Friday, November  20th, in the gym. Please encourage your child to participate.

Joanne Crouch, AARS, president

     ART CLASSES FOR KIDS

Many folks have requested classes for children.  We have a class to offer for the younger artists.  Christmas Workshop-December 5th from 10-12 Children ages 5 & up

Book Review by David Marshall James:

  “Home by Nightfall” by Charles Finch--Sir Charles Lenox, MP turned PI in Victorian London, has plenty on his plate in this ninth volume of Lenoxian adventures by Charles Finch.

   Keeping tabs on the employees in his detective agency; keeping up with his two business partners, who are indulging in a protracted flirtation; and keeping up with his competitors, particularly a former partner, is enough to send anyone dashing across the lane for a pint of fortification.

   As the novel opens, the capital is abuzz with the disappearance of a famed German concert pianist, who has taken a powder following a performance.  Lenox & Co. would love to sink their investigative teeth into the disappearing German streudel-of-a-case.  Meanwhile, Lady Jane Lenox is planning a fund-raising luncheon, soup to sherbet, to benefit a children's hospital.  The Queen may make an appearance, but she's waffling.

   However, the thrust of the novel is Sir Charles's return to his ancestral home in Sussex with older brother Edmund, still an MP for Markethouse, the nearby village.  Edmund's wife, Molly, has died most unexpectedly a few months before the action of the novel commences, and Charles fears that the resulting sorrow may extinguish his brother.

   So, when Charles learns that Edmund is taking off two weeks in order to manage family estate business back in Sussex, nothing can hold him in London-- not the agency, not the dangling mystery of the pianist, nor the waffling Queen herself.

It's not as if Charles will be flipping cards or playing himself in chess.  No, a gentleman from Markethouse is seriously spooked over several incidents, and he engages Charles to investigate what turns out to be a burgeoning matter that will overwhelm the entire town.

   The author's placement of the Lenoxes on their familiar stomping grounds makes for a British country mystery with wisps of Austen, Conan Doyle, Dickens, and Mrs. Gaskell in the refreshing air and bucolic surroundings.  This novel rolls by faster than any preceding it in the series.  Finch seems much more at home in his rural locales, as in "The Fleet Street Murders" and "A Death in the Small Hours," or even in the Oxford of "The September Society."  Lenox evidently performs best when he can draw a deep breath of clean air.

Reminders:

Nov.27 & 28: Shoppes of Ridge Spring Black Extravaganza

Dec. 6: Christmas Tree lighting for the Town

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wednesday 9:00 to 4:30, Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri 8:30 am -4:30 pm, Saturday from 9:00 until noon,

Every 2^nd & 4^th Monday:  Kids' Corner Story Time 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the Ridge Spring Library. 

Every 2^nd Monday:  RSM Elem PTO meets at 6:30 pm in the media center. 

Every Friday & Saturday:  AARS hours 10 – 4 or by appt, free admission