August 29, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The Harvest Festival will be Oct. 13-15

The next Harvest Festival meeting is Tues., Sept. 13, at 7 pm at the RS Library.

The Shoppes of Ridge Spring will be having their own After Labor Day Sale on Saturday September 10^th. Come check us out. We will be ready with all sorts of goodies beginning at 9:30.  Just come spend the day with our unique town!!!

 Even though the Ridge Spring Farmers’ Market is slowing down, we had two new vendors and one we had not seen since June.  Scuppernongs are here.  Do come by and visit.  This coming Saturday will be my last day selling peanuts.  The lemonade stand will be closed too.  Leonard Bell and others will still be coming probably through December.  So check it out.

Mike Cook:  I am seeking someone in the area who shelters stray animals. I have found two cats and a dog so far and was lucky to find a home pretty fast. I also have hubcaps at the shop. Maybe you can put out a message that if anyone is missing them they can come by the shop and see if we have it.

Beverly Grenier:  Today was the first annual SC Police Family Fun Day. I put this together for all of the Law Enforcement and emergency personnel for all over the state to bridge the relationship between the officers and community they serve. We had over 1100 officers and their families attend with vendors. Proceeds went to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department for vests for the K9s. Unfortunately my husband didn't get to attend.  He was keeping Ridge Spring safe!

Danny O’Driscoll: I will be "on the road" for 10 out of 12 weeks starting next week with Atlanta. In September I'm in Atlanta, Aiken, Augusta, and then to Murrells Inlet.  This time of year I'm very busy. I have lots of new work that can be viewed on my web site: www.dannyodriscoll.com

Callie Herlong, Principal Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School: September 8^th there will be a RSM Elementary Fun Run on September 8^th as a PTO fundraiser.

Pastor Key: Helpful Hands Ministries founders Day Celebration. Sunday September 11th 1pm. Guest Speaker will be Rev. Dr James Abraham. Pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church Graniteville S.C... All are welcome.

The Young Adult Ministry of Ridge Hill Baptist Church announces A Family Fun Day and Community Cookout on the grounds of the Ridge Hill Baptist Church in Ridge Spring on Saturday, September 17 from 11 am-3 pm. 

The Art Center of Ridge Spring will offer a stained glass class Thursday evenings starting soon.  If you are interested in this class, please let us know because the instructor will only take six people per class. Each person will make a large sun catcher.
Please call for more information and to register for the class.

Fall Dip N' Splash- "First Glimpse of Fall" on Thursday, September 8th from 6-8. Pumpkins can be personalized if desired. Ages 12 & up, cost $30 includes 16 x 20 and all supplies. Contact Joanne Crouch @ (803)685-5577 or by email joanne.crouch26@gmail.com or join event on Facebook

Rob Lewis: What is Ridge Baptist Association?

    Ridge Baptist Association is a group of 23 Southern Baptist Churches that cover part of Lexington, Aiken, Edgefield, and all of Saluda counties. Our average church runs 100 or less in size with the exception of Saluda and Batesburg 1^st Baptist. We have contemporary, blended, and traditional styles of worship.  Our goal is that we try to do what one church cannot do by themselves.  We have been in existence in our local area for the last 130 years. We are part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), a Christian denomination based in the largest Protestant body in the United States, with nearly 16 million members as of 2012.

     Each church is self- autonomous and controls its own business, vision and direction of the local church. We all have a belief standard that we adhere to and it is comprised in a booklet called “The Baptist Faith and Message.” Instead of each church supporting missionaries, on an individual basis, we pool our monies together to support 2 groups of missionaries (foreign and home) missionaries. This allows our missionaries to work full-time without worrying about raising their support.    We support 4,000 missionaries around the world.

   Our local Disaster Relief teams just sent 2 tractor trailers loaded with water to Louisiana to assist with the flood victims. Next month we will have our brand new disaster relief mobile unit - combo washer/dryer and shower trailer ready for the next disaster.  We also were involved in the Columbia, SC floods.

    Our next local project is the Fall Festival held at 7 p.m. on October 31st at the “Monetta Walking Track”. Last year we had 1,200 people come to our event and are looking for more this year.   Our next big project will be having teams from our local churches going to Brooklyn, NY in July 2017. This is (OJT) “On-the-Job Training” while we are on the mission field.

   Our local office is located in Monetta, SC behind Bethel Baptist Church. If you need information on any of our local churches, please feel free to contact us. We have contemporary to traditional styles of worship. Our local line is 803.685.5524

RSM Elem (Rene Miller):

   School pictures are set for Sept. 14.  Smile!

A special thank you to the following for their generous donations to our school:  Ridge Spring United Methodist Church, Oak Grove Church, New Beginnings Church, Ms. Jumelle Brooks, Ms. Margaret Nicholson, Pastor Blacks, Bill and Don Rifenbury, & Ms. Shirey.  We appreciate your support!

We would like to extend a warm RSM welcome to our new faculty and staff: Candy Barnes, Clara Francis, Jasmine Gary, Leslie Lybrand, Kristin Boney, Hailee Carrigan, Candice McKee, Kathleen Taylor, Rebecca Freeman, Melody Carey-Hutto, Carson Holstein, Kim Austin, LaTraca Garvin, Tamala MimsHerrera, Ameet Bosmia, and Dollie Harris.

The beautiful sunflower sculpture outside RSM Elem was made by David Cianni.  He has a studio in Aiken and makes sculptures from recycled metals.  He also works on large commercial pieces as well as small chandeliers and garden sculptures for residents. He will be visiting our school in April.

RSME 5th Grade Walk/Jog Club for 5^th graders will be starting Sept. 2 and will meet every Friday morning at 7:15 am in the gym.  An information letter and permission slip will be sent home soon. Be on the lookout for this information.   Hope to see you out walking!

Grandparents' Breakfast will be Sept. 8 and 9.  On Sept. 8, those whose youngest grandchild with a last name beginning with A-M.  On Sept. 9, those whose last names begin N-Z are slated for Friday the 9th.  Invitations with details will be coming home.  This is a perfect way to celebrate Grandparents’ Day which is Sept. 11. 

Please save your Box Tops for Education and tabs off of soft drinks. Box tops are used to help purchase needed items for our school, and the tabs go to a community service project which helps sick children and their families stay at the Ronald McDonald House.  You may send these to the Media Center and they will be distributed to the right person.

We will be collecting bottle caps for Coke Rewards again this year to raise money for PE.  These can be caps from any Coca Cola product, Minute Made, PowerAde, or flaps from 12 or 24 packs of cans.  Caps can be turned into Coach Shealy or Coach Bundrick. 

Student summer reading program participants will be receiving a free ticket to the RSM vs. Williston football game which is Sept. 23.  Way to go readers!

Josie Rodgers:

RSM Mid:  We are collecting Box Tops for Education. They can be turned into the office. We collect them year round, but to make our fall cut-off for submission, they must be turned in before Oct. 28. 

RSM High:  The Trojans fought a tough game last Friday but came up short against the Saluda Tigers.  This week, they will host the Whitmire Wolverines.

The cheerleaders put on a great pep rally for the Saluda game.  It was exciting to be able to attend a pep rally after 5 years of being at some other school at the end of each day!  The kids and teachers participated in games, chants, and dancing. The volleyball team and football team members were introduced.  It took me back to the days when Coach Rodgers and I were coaching together (football, cheerleading).  Seeing Coach Lipsey’s little girl at the pep rally reminded me when Mark would drive the Trojan bus to the elementary school and pick up Annalee (and sometimes Brenna) and come back to the pep rally.  What precious memories!

The varsity volleyball team will open its season Tues., Aug. 30 with a home game.  Coach Johnson has the Lady Trojans ready for action!

REMINDERS

September 10: Shoppes of Ridge Spring Labor Day Sale

September 13: Harvest Festival meeting 7:00 library

September 17: A Family Fun Day and Community Cookout at Ridge Hill Baptist Church

Recycling Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-7; Saturday 7-7; Sunday 3-7

Closed Tuesday and Thursday

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 8:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous: The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays 7-8 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

2^nd Tuesday:  Harvest Festival

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

August 22, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The Harvest Festival will be Oct. 13-15

Harvest Festival meeting will be SEPTEMBER 13th at 7 pm at the library.   

Titan Farms and the Nut House, Ridge Spring Products, at James Beard House in New York City: On August 22 and 23, South Carolina's four chef ambassadors will cook meals for 200 diners in the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. The menus will highlight products grown and produced in South Carolina. Nuts from the Nut House and peaches from Titan Farms will be two of the products featured. The menus will include Maple Pecan Pie with Nuthouse pecans and Titan Farms peaches with cornbread cake. Four chef ambassadors are selected each year from lesser known parts of South Carolina to promote the culinary heritage of the state. Ridge Spring's own Brandon Velie was one of the first four chef ambassadors.

The Ridge Spring Harvest Festival News: BBQ Deadline extended to August 31 Enter your team in the local BBQ cook-off at the 2016 Ridge Spring Harvest Festival for a chance to earn prizes and bragging rights. As part of this year’s festival theme, “Bluegrass and BBQ,” gather your team to enjoy live bluegrass music and to start cooking Friday, October 14, in the town square.  Find the applications on line at Ridge Spring Harvest Festival

Off the Beaten Path is excited to welcome our new artist, Mountain Momma.  Beautiful hand-woven baskets and vintage embroidered kitchen towels…  We also are excited to carrying a new local author, Slade Belgard.  Come and pick up his first novel.  Great end of summer read.  The Wacky Women, who knit and crochet beautiful scarves, will be rejoining us before the annual Sidewalk Sale in September.  We are located on Main Street in Ridge Spring.  Open Monday and Tuesday, 11:00-3:00 and Thursday through Saturday, 10-5 PM.

The Gables Inn and Gardens is looking forward to several fall weddings coming up.  We are so honored to help these couples plan and help them celebrate their special day.  We have a beautiful setting for any celebration or corporate environment you need. Call us to set up a time to come and talk with us and see our beautiful house and gardens.  Call 803-685-0099.

A BIG THANK YOU: Only in a small town would the work of a farmer change so quickly.  A lady with children made a wrong turn and mistook the train track as the road, on which she got stuck on the tracks.  A farmer working nearby happened to see the accident and got all the people out.  He quickly notified the railroad company about the location of the car stuck on the tracks in Ridge Spring.  He then quickly got a tractor and a chain, with which he pulled the car off the tracks. Everyone was safe and the car also was saved.  The people went on their way and the farmer went back to work.  No one knew about it, no press was called, no police was called, and no pictures of the rescue were on facebook.  The farmer did what needed to be done and then went about his day

The State Newspaper listed things for the students to do around Columbia.  The Big Mo made the list.

RSM Elementary Open House is Thursday, August 25 from 5:30 - 7:00.  School pictures will be made September 14.

Jeff Clamp: The RS-M Band Booster Club will be hosting a car wash on Saturday, August 27th from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the Ridge Spring Fire Department.  Please come out and get your car washed and support the students of the RS-M Middle and High School Bands.

RSM High School: Come out Thursday night, August 25th at 7:00 for our 2nd year's town wide pep rally. Meet the football and volleyball teams as well as the band and cheerleaders. Show your support for our own RS-M Trojans and show up at the Town Parking lot Thursday. Wear your blue.

The Young Adult Ministry of Ridge Hill Baptist Church announces A Family Fun Day and Community Cookout on the grounds of the Ridge Hill Baptist Church in Ridge Spring on Saturday, September 17 from 11 am-3 pm. All are invited to come and bring a grill, some food, your favorite chair, and a good attitude. The event is being planned as a day to celebrate community life in Ridge Spring, promote harmony and goodwill, and share helpful information. The general public, all churches, local government leaders and representatives, civic, and service organizations as well as the business community are invited to come out and enjoy a day of food, fun, family, and festivities. If anyone at your church would like to present a talent (sing, dance, poetry), please free to share your talent for the glory of God...  If there are any questions, contact Lacey Brunson at 803-507-2526.

Archie Fripp in Williamsburg, Virginia: I made a peach cobbler for lunch today.  The peaches were extra good so I looked at the box for their origin and would you guess: Titan Farms, Ridge Spring. 
Remember that Town Hall is now open on Wednesday afternoons for your convenience.
Our Fall Festival will be on Monday Oct 31^st at the Monetta Walking Park. It starts at t 7 pm. Last year we had 1,200 people come for the celebration. It is sponsored by Ridge Baptist Association. 

Josie Rodgers

One week of school is in the books, and we’re all exhausted!  For me, it feels great to be home on the Ridge all day, getting to know ALL of the students once again.  I love my colleagues and my students, and I love being less than 5 feet away from Mrs. Bedenbaugh!  This will be a different kind of year for me with a different set of challenges and hurdles, but I am so grateful to be at RSM High all day, contributing to the education of our youth and spreading as much sunshine as I can.  There’s enough gray and sadness in the world, don’t you agree?  When possible, lift someone up!  And when I’m blue, please give me a boost as well!

RSM High:  The fierce lightening and rain last Friday caused the game at Batesburg to be postponed until Sat at 11.  Instead of being rain-soaked, the crowd was sweat-soaked, but they were out in force to pull for the Trojans.  They guys came up short in their first game of the season, but there is promise for better things to come! 

Review from David Marshall James:

"The Second Life of Nick Mason" by Steve Hamilton

   Nick Mason's doing 25 in a federal pen-- involved and at-the-scene when a DEA agent bites the bullet on the Chicago docks.

   Nick's got 20 to go when a get-out-of-jail-free card lands in his lap, courtesy of Darius Cole, the highly organized-- yet incarcerated-- mobster who's currently running Chicago.

   You can only do so much from the inside before someone on the outside wants to take your place. Darius pulls some strings to put Nick on the outside, in order to bring down those wannabes who are attempting to depose Old King Cole.

   IOW:  That Monopoly jail card ain't so free.

   But:  Nick's out.  He can attempt contact with his nine-year-old daughter and his ex-wife.  He can look up old friends.  Bump into old enemies.

   Cole has supplied him with luxe lodgings, in a park-side townhouse near Lake Michigan.  It's a Jeffersonian (as in George and Weezy) leap from the neighborhood of packed-in row houses in which Nick spent his pre-pen life.

   Lest author Steve Hamilton overstate the machinations of gangsters and gangbangers, there's a flip-side story on how the police are reacting to the re-emergence of Nick Mason, crusader for Old King Cole.

   Hamilton is used to taking the cop's perspective in his excellent Alex McKnight series.  His Edgar Award-winning, stand-alone thriller "The Lock Artist" is more akin to his latest novel, the first in a new series.

   As ever, Hamilton's writing is lean and to-the-point, feverishly paced.  "The Second Life of Nick Mason" seems like a perfect fit for a TV series.  Do Lord, deliver us from zombies.

REMINDERS

August 25: 5:30 - 7:00 RSM Elementary Open House

August 25: 7:00 PM Town wide pep rally for RSM Football

August 27: RSM Band car wash at Fire Station 8:00 till noon

September 13: Harvest Festival meeting 7:00 library

September 17: A Family Fun Day and Community Cookout at Ridge Hill Baptist Church

Recycling Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-7; Saturday 7-7; Sunday 3-7

Closed Tuesday and Thursday

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 8:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous: The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays 7-8 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

2^nd Tuesday:  Harvest Festival

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

August 15, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The Harvest Festival will be Oct. 13-15

FORS Meeting Thursday 5:00 Library

While Joe Cal Watson is recuperating, the Nut House will be open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 to 5. It will be closed on Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday. Joe had a medical procedure last week to insert bone cement between two of his vertebra. The procedure seems to have reduced the back pain he had been experiencing the last few weeks. He is having physical and occupational therapy to help regain his strength. Please keep him in your prayers.

Ridge Spring Farmers’ Market: We had five vendors at the market but we had plenty of fresh produce to sell.  George Raborn will be back with his peas as well as Leonard Bell.  Leonard will have plenty of other fresh produce.  WE still have peaches. Those vouchers have a deadline when they can be used, too. To continue the SAGA of the sweet potato story:  You can boil sweet potatoes in their skin and the skins will come right off when they are done.  Sorry, I did not know that.  Potato pies and apple pies are the same except for the fruit.  Make pie dough, roll out into squares or circles, fill with your choice of fruit, pinch closed with fork and then fry’um!!!  You can also peel, slice and fry with sugar, brown sugar, or honey…yummy…  WE do have a few extra chairs so come on by and visit.  More next week

Cal Forrest of Prices Metalwork is the official sponsor of the 2016 RS Harvest Festival Bar-b-que Cook-off.  All can participate.  Get an application and pay your $30.00 fee submitting it by August 31^st.   The Harvest Festival will provide a Boston Butt for each team and judges will blind sample your team’s BBQ after the Saturday morning parade.  Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams.  Forms can be found at Ridge Spring Harvest Festival web site. 

There will be a community wide pep rally for the RS-M-Saluda game on Thursday, August 26th @ 7 p.m. in Ridge Spring.  Everyone is invited to meet the Trojans and cheer them on to a victory!

Effie Martin: Mount Alpha Union had their Back To School Blast August 13, 2016 at the Ridge Spring Star Community Center. The speakers for the occasion were Rev. Preston Winkler, Ms. Joyce Davis, Mr. Gray J. Coleman and Mr. Melvin Abney. There were approximately fifty in attendance. We were very glad to service them with school supplies and lunch. The moderator is Mr. Kenneth Johnson.

The women auxiliary of the Ridge Hill Baptist Educational Association had their parade of Babies Program on July 30, 2016 at Reedy Branch Baptist Church in Ward, SC. They raised over $10,000 for the students in college and member of one of the churches in the association.  Rev. Donald Hall is the Moderator and Mrs. Effie T. Martin is the president of the women auxiliary.

One Ash Farm and Dairy (Lee Ann Perez)-Did you know that here at One Ash we write a really popular, far-reaching blog all about Homesteading? Our farm, located between Ridge Spring and I-20, produces Grade A Raw Milk, pasture raised eggs, homemade soap and various other products depending on the season. In our blog we take our thousands of readers along on our journey of living off the homestead with Recipes, Inspiration, Homesteading Tips and Instruction, and Book Reviews. And we are right here in your back door!!!  If you haven't visited our blog yet, please head on over and join the fun!  www.OneAshHomestead.com    

Jane Autrey Insurance Services has added 2 new agents, Kristin Stoudemayer and Derrick Jones both of Saluda, SC. Parents of college students who will be taking a car to school need to change their insurance policies to show the new garage location. They might also consider renters insurance if they are living off campus in an apartment.

Judy: We miss one of our town mascots......Charles Patterson.  He always could be found at Juniper.  I have a friend who did a painting of Charles while he was at Juniper one day.......big painting, black and white checkered floor and all.  Trish has a print of the painting that they hope to frame and hang on the wall in Juniper.  I remember him from helping with the Farmer's Market and collecting fees for the spaces......little K.D.Adaire was selling lemonade, (she was about five at the time) and with a wink Charles just walked on by and did not collect the fee.  What a Santa Claus and gentle soul.

George Pastor Key. Helpful Hands Min 109 Pecan Grove Rd, Ridge Spring:  Sunday August 21st Helpful Hands Min will be at  Elijah Clark State Park for Old Time Baptism Services. Services will begin at 11:00 am at Shelter 2 and Baptism will follow.  Don't miss this event. Food will be served.  Also Helpful Hands food Bank is open every 2^nd and 4^th Saturdays 10am to 12 noon.  Food bank is located 512 Merritt St, Ridge Spring

I prefer to be here in 2016 but sometimes it is nice to remember the way it was.  John C Howard passed away.  In 1959 I remember him putting out the correct sign or flag or telegraph message for the train to stop in Ridge Spring for my mother and me to get on board.  We were traveling by train to New York and then flying to Germany to meet my father. I never really knew what he did but he did it right. Just five years later we had to go to Columbia to board the train for our Senior Trip. 

Review from David Marshall James:  "Killfile" by Christopher Farnsworth

   Since Wolf Messing astounded Russian intelligence during the 1950s with his phenomenal psychic abilities, the CIA has been attempting to keep pace, seeking its own mind readers or, better yet, mind benders.

   Let's step briefly back to note some commander-in-chief facts during the midst of this presidential campaign:  Abraham Lincoln participated in seances in the White House; Franklin Roosevelt summoned psychic Jeanne Dixon to the White House; and the Reagans actively consulted an astrologer.

   In his latest novel, Christopher Farnsworth presents a glued-to-your-hands, stuck-to-your-seat thriller concerning an ex-CIA psychic, John Smith, whose powers were discovered during the course of his Army basic training and employed in black ops in assorted Middle East locales.

   Now that Mr. Smith has left Washington, he's jobbing for the one-percenters (The Hillary and The Donald can tell you that they're the uber wealthy, and indeed she did in her convention acceptance speech) with serious problems, such as kidnapped teenagers, that they want kept out of the media, and thus out of the hands of the police.

   So, who ya gonna call?  Brainbusters!

   As the action takes shape, Smith accepts a task from a Warren Buffett-y type who claims that one of his former employees, now head of his own tech firm preparing to make an initial public stock offering, has stolen a computer algorithm than can collate all kinds of personal information in order to give an advanced read on any individual's likely thoughts and actions.

   Ya gotta hate when that happens.  But, you know it does.  There's a reason that the grocery store is printing out those Cheetos coupons for you-- all your buying practices are recorded through your customer card.  That's just a single, obvious example.       Then, there're your credit cards, debit cards, passwords, and pin numbers.  Anything that's on computer file can be hacked like John Belushi, Samurai Swipe-It.

   Thus begins a round-the-World chase of a plot, with more twists than a three-for-one-gin-and-tonic happy hour.  Like observing a convincing psychic, it's scary good.

REMINDERS

Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School 2016-2017 Registration is August 8, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and August 9, Noon - 7:00 p.m.

 RSM Mid/High School:  Registration will be held Tues., Aug. 9 from 12 pm to 7 pm. Parents/guardians need two documents that show proof of physical address and mailing address.   Please see the school’s website for more information

Trojan football kicks off Fri., Aug. 19 @ Batesburg at 7:30!  Go Trojans! Beat those Panthers! 

A community wide pep rally for the RS-M-Saluda game on Thursday, August 26th @ 7 p.m. in Ridge Spring

Narcotics Anonymous will hold meetings at The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.

Recycling Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-7; Saturday 7-7; Sunday 3-7

Closed Tuesday and Thursday

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 8:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous: The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays 7-8 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

2^nd Tuesday:  Harvest Festival

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

August 8, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

Harvest meeting August 9 at 7 pm:  The Harvest Festival will be Oct. 13-15

At the Ridge Spring Farmers Market: There were only seven vendors Saturday. Even though the rains came last week many vegetable gardens were too far gone.  This coming Saturday, George Raborn should have several baskets of peas.  Loris and Bobby Yonce will be back. Leonard Bell was there with fresh produce including corn.  Jerrold Watson had Titan Farm Peaches to. Bubba had sweet potatoes and more.  There were blueberry muffins, jams sourdough bread, and other goodies for sale too. For sale were some of the cutest bird houses and feeders.  David told me of how his friend kept the squirrels out of his bird feeders.  First make sure you have the feeder far enough away from a tree that the squirrel will not use as a way to get to the feeder.  Then cover the post with a PVC pipe. Squirrels cannot climb PVC pipes. If you want to paint it a color to match the post, please do.  Keep checking out the garden in front of Town Hall.  It is free. The sunflowers can be seen from the Market, too.

While I am thinking about the farmers’ market, have you ever heard someone say to go to the bank to get the sweet potatoes?  Mr. Raborn tried to explain it to me and this is what I remember (wrote down).  To make a bank you dig a hole about six feet in diameter and about knee deep.  Fill it with long leaf pine straw.  Place a stick or corn stalk in the middle to make your tent pole.   Fill the hole with a wagon of potatoes and then make a tent with sawmill slats.  Cover with pine straw and dirt to three inches deep.  When it gets cold add more. The dirt on top of the tent is to keep the potatoes from freezing.  Cover the center with a pot to keep the inside dry. Now you will have potatoes all winter long.   Next week I hope to have Daisy Rutland’s recipe for fig preserves.

FYI: I had two humming birds to fly into the back of the shop.  Before I could figure out how to get them out, they got out.  It was a sight for sore eyes to see nature all around.

Keep changing the water in your bird baths to prevent mosquitoes from hatching. 

Narcotics Anonymous will hold meetings at The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.

Reminder of the hours for the Ridge Spring library:  Monday 8:30 a.m. – noon; Tuesday from 8:30 to Noon; Wednesday from 8:30 to 4:30; Thursday from 8:30 until 12:30; Friday from 8:30 until 4:30 and Saturday from 9:00 until noon. 

RIDGE SPRING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Thanks to the congregation and some community angels, 19 large plastic clothes detergents were delivered to the RS Baptist Church to help with their mission.  Great Job! Also a HUGE bag of beverage pull tabs and many box tops were added to Mt.Calvary’s ongoing missions. We appreciated the churches allowing us to partner with them this summer. The Little Red Bucket has gone back to school and so has the Big Red Box. This month the BRB needs to be full of school supplies!!! These will be delivered to RS Elementary School. A check to help purchase kinder mats was delivered last week. If you would like to help with school supplies, leave your donation on either porch and a church member will make sure they make their way into the BRB!  Unless otherwise noted, church services are at 11 a.m. Join us, we will save you a seat.  The prayer request box is now located on the porch of the Family Life Center. No request is too small, no names necessary. It will be checked prior to services and request added to our list.

RSM Middle School News:  Ms. Brittney Jones is starting a Hula Hoop Club after school!  She needs donations to help make this happen for our kids!  If you can help, please let us know!  Her email is Bjones2@acpsd.net. Supplies needed (they are going to make their own awesome hula hoops!):  decorative duct (Duck) tape, about 300 feet of PVC irrigation tubing at 5/8",  at least 25 connectors for the tubing, and monetary donations.  We cannot wait to see what this new venture will do for our kids!  

Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School 2016-2017 Registration is August 8, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and August 9, Noon - 7:00 p.m. RSM Mid/High School:  Registration will be held Tues., Aug. 9 from 12 pm to 7 pm. Parents/guardians need two documents that show proof of physical address and mailing address.   Please see the school’s website for more information. 

Homecoming & Revival with Evangelist Howard Allen At Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church will be held Sunday, August 14th, 11:00 am & 6:00 pm Monday through Wednesday at 7:00 pm Homecoming Dinner served immediately following the morning Worship Service Sunday

Kenny Leaphart is also doing pressure washing whatever you need done. He will not do two story homes though.  Contact him at K & L Car Wash or at 803.480.5026.  He has great prices and will give you an appraisal for the job.

Josie Rodgers

School bells are ringing!  Well, they WILL be!  Aug. 15 begins a new school year!  Though it’s sad that our carefree summer days are coming to an end, it is exciting that so many things begin anew!  It’s the first day of being a senior for some!  The first day of high school for others!  The first day of school is always filled with mixed emotions from the pain of the alarm clock to the joy of seeing friends, the anxiety over new teachers and new routines to the newness of book bags and the smell of fresh paper, pencils, and crayons!  My prayer is that everyone has a strong, wonderful start to the school year.  Get ready to learn and grow, change and mature.  Live each day to its fullest knowing that you gave your best and were your kindest.

What do teachers want parents to know?  Teachers love your children and seek the best for them.  Teachers set high standards for students because they believe in each and every student’s ability to be successful.  Teachers want open lines of communication with all parents, not just parents of those students who may be struggling or getting into trouble.  Teachers need parents’ support and trust.  Teachers want to know when something is going on with a student so that they can build rapport and better professional relationships with their students.  Please don’t coddle your children, especially the older ones.  They need to learn about responsibility and consequences so that they may grow to be adults who are self-sufficient and trustworthy. Remember, teachers are not in education for the 6-figure pay or summers off (don’t get us started on everything we do in summer!).  Educators teach because they love children and care about the future of our youth.

What do parents want teachers to know?  We know that your class is important, but it’s not the only class for the students.  Many of our children play sports or are involved in other extracurricular activities, so please be thoughtful with homework assignments.  Even those who don’t play sports may have siblings who do, causing the family to be on the road a good bit.  Please let us know when our children are not performing up to their potential or are misbehaving, but also please let us know when they are excelling or being especially kind.  Get to know us and our children; we all have a story. If you need something, please let parents know.  Many of us may not be able to provide financially, but we can serve in other ways.  And we thank you for educating and loving our children. 

Trojan football kicks off Fri., Aug. 19 @ Batesburg at 7:30!  Go Trojans! Beat those Panthers!

Review from David Marshall James: "The Untidy Pilgrim" by Eugene Walter

   After recently reviewing the late Eugene Walter's cookbook, "The Happy Table of Eugene Walter," I became curious about his sole novel, "The Untidy Pilgrim," which won the Lippincott Fiction Prize Contest for Young Novelists in 1953.

   One of the most joyful rewards of book reviewing is discovering a now-overlooked gem, such as Jetta Carleton's "The Moonflower Vine" or this, which could be termed a "coming of age" story.

   The protagonist-- we never learn his name, although we're certain we do-- has come down to Mobile from the Alabama up-country during the then-present, in order to work in a law office in preparation for pursuing his studies.

   He's staying with cousins, the Morelands, while their golden child, Perrin, is writing poetry and living bohemian-ishly in New York City.  Meanwhile, the MC (main character) suffers the flirtatious foolishness of the Morelands' emerging daughter, Lola.

   A good half-a-lifetime ago, the Moreland cousins and the MC spent a seminal summer at their Uncle Acis's farm on nearby Bayou Clair.  During that time, Perrin proved to be the MC's bete noire, so he's eager to vacate Chez Moreland before the golden child's announced return.

   So he lands in the wrought-iron-balconied abode of a family friend, Ninette Fifield, former Queen of Mardi Gras in Mobile and ongoing bon vivant.  "Fiffy" is watched over by a black couple, Fern and Tony, who live in a house on the property and who serve as cook, maid, butler, chauffeur, and general caretakers of both Fiffy and her aging abode.

   Shortly after the MC's settling in Chez Fiffy, she receives a visit from a great-niece, Philene, of New Orleans, who's a bit of a female Perrin.  Indeed, hot times aplenty erupt when Philene and Perrin join forces, reinforcing one another's worst character traits.  They hop a train to New York, leaving the MC hurt and bewildered.

   After following them for awhile, the MC returns to Alabama, heading directly to Bayou Clair and his Uncle Acis, who has recently taken a young bride, a contemporary of the MC.

   Yet the foursome-- including Acis's longtime housekeeper, Modena-- are soon joined by Fiffy, Fern, Tony, and Mobile artist Kosta Reynolds, plus a near-mummified aunt of Acis's bride.

   The novel glows as this house party rolls at the bayou.  Suddenly, the reader is one foot in Eden, one foot in the Forest of Arden.  We feel as if we've stepped into Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music."

   The novel remains deliciously Southern from beginning to end, as the MC speaks in an idiom-laden patois that would drive a foreign translator bananas.  Some of the phraseology will make you smile in remembrance of the conversational nuances of loved ones long since gone to glory.

   The narrative style carries an awareness of sound, and the ways in which words may move a story, slow or fast.  The heavy Gulf Coast nights are filled with summer symphonies, human-tempered in the city but back to nature on the bayou.  A nighttime gathering at the Mobile train station transcends into a sense-rendered scene, full of sights, sounds, and smells.

   The author composed poetry, short stories, plays, and film scenarios, but never another novel-- unless one lies buried among his papers, or tucked behind some gold-lettered, leather-bound books in a private library, perhaps in an iron-balconied abode shadowed by live oaks, wearing their Spanish moss like so much graying hair.

Recycling Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-7; Saturday 7-7; Sunday 3-7

Closed Tuesday and Thursday

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 8:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Narcotics Anonymous: The Ridge Spring Library on Fridays 7-8 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

2^nd Tuesday:  Harvest Festival

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm