December 12, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

Harriet’s Garden will be taking the winter off and reopen in March.  The shop still has a phone and thanks to Comporium the shop has call forwarding to my cell phone.  I will be at the shop a lot to take care of cuttings, seedlings and general upkeep until March.  Stop by if you see the car.

Reminder: From the Mayor's Desk: The Town Hall is moving to the Peach Tree Clinic on December 13-15. Bills may be paid at the present location until Dec. 13. Late bills may be paid at the new Town Hall located beside Dollar General beginning the following Monday. The Town has hired Gerry Grenier as a full time police officer. Town employees would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas

The US Post Office has the new hours of Monday through Friday 7:30 AM until 11:30 AM and Saturday from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM.

Leonard Bell was at the Town Square Saturday but noted that if the weather is below 26 degrees he will not be there this coming Saturday.  He can be reached by his cell phone if you want to order collards or other winter greens for New Years Eve. That number is 803.646.1269.  New Year’s Eve lands on a Saturday and he said he will be cooking.

Juniper Restaurant said that Santa was good to them and they will be closed from December 21 through December 28.  Happy Holidays to all.

The new electronic sign for the Town or Ridge Spring will post any event including Church Christmas programs and Cantatas.  You can also advertise your business for a small fee.  Let’s use this new way of advertising what is going on in our super town.

The RSM Young Famers have the Ridge Community Calendars in and they available for purchase.  These calendars are $5.00 each.  Please contact the following if you are interested Mary McKay at 803.627.6289 or Heike Scott at 803.646.3193.  This is a fund raiser for the RSM Young Farmers.

The Christmas Eve service at Spann United Methodist Church in Ward will be held at 6:00 with songs of the season and a Christmas meditation by Rev. Miriam Hadden.  Children who arrive prior to 6:00 will be able to help decorate a Christmas tree. Christmas Day worship service will be held at 9:45.  All are welcome.

Ridge Spring Baptist Church will present a Christmas Cantata on Sun., Dec. 18 at 6 pm followed by a covered dish meal in the fellowship hall. 

St. William Catholic Church will hold its Christmas celebration, hosted by the youth, on Sun., Dec. 18, at 5:30 pm.  Surprises are in store!  Join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ and fellowship with family and friends.  We may even receive a visit from a North Pole friend

The Gables Inn & Gardens is hosting Celebrate A Dicken's Christmas Saturday, December 17^th from 2:00 PM-5:00 PM.  Cost is $5 per person up to $25 per family.  Enjoy hot chocolate, s'mores, carriage rides, Christmas shop, cookie decorating, petting zoo, and much more.  We are located at 105 Ward Ave. in Ward.

Helpful Hands Ministries Inc. presents “God’s Got the Power Crusade”.  It will b held December 17^th at 4:00 PM at the Saluda Theater, 105 Law Range St., Saluda, SC.  Alexandria Michelle, Confident Praise, Dr. James Abraham, Chico Gantt, Deacon Fatback, H.H.P.D. and many more will take the stage.

The Christmas Tour of Homes was a wonderful success and of course the cakes were the perfect topping to the event.  The homes were decorated beautifully and the home owners were so gracious.  Thank you.  A note of trivia for me: I met my stepfather’s sister’s grandson and his wife who was Mrs. Irene Jones’ granddaughter.  Many of us remember her delicious caramel iced pound cake slices sold at Bryce Jordan’s Drug Store.  She has the recipe for the caramel icing that my mother-in-law Florence Householder had perfected too.  Who knows, I may master it yet.

Josie Rodgers:

Getting ready to mail all those personalized Christmas cards and wonderful packages to friends and family all over?  The RS Post Office has new hours.  The office is open Mon through Friday from 7:30 am until 11:30 am and Sat from 9 am until 10 am.  I personally suggest that if you are sending gift cards, money, checks, or packages that you get insurance and tracking information.  I have mailed gift cards several times only for them to be received by a family member already opened and the gift card gone!  Thieves are everywhere; let’s be conscientious and careful! 

In addition, robberies are up this time of year with several major thefts occurring in our area!  Keep your doors and windows locked and all things of value locked away.  Be vigilant about checking your property and home for signs of trespassing or tampering with items.  Do not hesitate to call las enforcement  if you believe your property has been scoped out or tampered with.  Keep an eye on your neighbors’ properties as well.  If you notice anything suspicious, notify them immediately.  Sometimes a presence is all it takes to keep a thief at bay. 

RSM Elem:  The elementary chorus will present All-American Christmas Fri., Dec. 16, at 8:30 am in the gym.

The school has a “Giving Tree” located in the main entrance lobby.  Parents/guardians are encouraged to stop by the tree and select an ornament if you would like to help with a variety of classroom needs.

RSM High:  The Middle/High School Winter Concert was bursting with talent and people!  The gym was overflowing with guests there to celebrate the season with the band, chorus, and drama students and even a display by the Hula Hoop Club!

The RSM English Honor Society sent out Holiday Candy Grams as their first fundraiser of the year. Recipients enjoyed a fruity candy cane with a heartfelt note handwritten on a hand-crafted paper Christmas stocking.

Review from David Marshall James: “Hugh Martin:  The Boy Next Door” by Hugh Martin

   You’ve probably never heard of Hugh Martin, but chances are you’ll be listening to his most famous composition this season—“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” written for the 1944 MGM musical “Meet Me in St. Louis,” along with “The Boy Next Door” and “The Trolley Song.”

    Martin was born and bred in Birmingham, Ala., where his father, a locally renowned architect, designed the city’s public library as well as buildings for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  Hugh’s mother had a lifelong love affair with New York, which she frequently visited for cultural immersion.

    Her joy in music and theater rubbed off on her elder son, who worked successfully as a choral singer and musical arranger throughout the 1930s, rubbing elbows with Richard Rodgers, whom he adored, and Irving Berlin, not so much.

    His choral experience introduced him to future collaborator Ralph Blane.  Martin details their working relationship, stating that Blane was present mostly to provide suggestions and encouragement, and that it was Martin who supplied both music and words to the “St. Louis” score.

    He gives Blane full credit for the music and lyrics to “Buckle Down, Winsocki,” the big hit from their 1941 Broadway collaboration, “Best Foot Forward.”  The show attracted the attention of MGM musical producer Arthur Freed, who brought out much of the cast—including June Allyson and Nancy Walker—for the Metro treatment.  Also included in the pack was chorus boy Stanley Donen, born and bred in Columbia, SC.

       Best foot forward, indeed:  Allyson went on to become one of MGM’s biggest stars, while Donen became an acclaimed director.  Walker bounced back to Broadway, enjoying huge success for several decades before her egress to TV fame.

       So, what happened to Martin?  Why didn’t he become the next Freed (a songwriter himself) or Donen?  Well, he probably could have, had he possessed the stomach for it.  After all, “Meet Me in St. Louis” was MGM’s biggest moneymaker to that date.

       However, Martin clashed with Freed, escaping MGM via the U.S. Army, although he had originally been classified 4-F.  Freed was furious, even employing a studio attorney to thwart Martin’s efforts at reclassification.

        Interestingly, Martin’s account of WWII service, including transportation through France in a crowded boxcar to the Battle of the Bulge front, emerges as the most engrossing section of this memoir.

       It’s also notable for Martin’s many professional encounters with Judy Garland, starting on the stage of New York’s Capitol Theater during her three-week live engagement there for the premier of “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939, and including service as pianist at her nineteen-week-run at NYC’s Palace Theater in 1951.

        He worked as a composer/arranger in many media for the remainder of his life, but this memoir raises the mighty “What If?” question as a pervasive shadow over Martin’s career:  What if he had played the game at Metro?  He might have been an even bigger producer than Freed.  Martin died at age 96 in 2011.  He can be seen on TCM channel reminiscences, behind his piano, his Southern drawl persistent.

REMINDERS

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

Ridge Spring Post Office hours:  Mon-Fri. 7:30 am – 11:30 am; Sat 9 – 10 am

Saluda County Library Hours:  Mon/Wed 8:30 am-5 pm; Tues/Thurs 8:30 am – 6 pm; Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm; Sat closed

Recycling Center Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 1-7; Sat 7-7; Sun 3-7; Tues/Thurs closed

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

Every first Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783