January 25, 2019
Ridge Spring News
Harriet Householder
RIDGE SPRING UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH: February
means Super Bowl AND Souper Collection! The month of February the Big Red Box
will be collecting soup. Any kind, all kinds are appreciated. At the end of the
month the soup will be distributed to local foods banks. Want to make a
monetary donation? Send a check to the Church, on the FOR Line write soup and
we will make sure it is designated for food banks. Another way to help: the
Little Buckets are taking up money in support of favorite Super Bowl Team.
Support donations will run until the end of the month so even if your Team
didn’t win, you can still show support. Join us in this fun project and let’s
fill the food bank shelves with soup. There is plenty of cold weather ahead.
In
December RSUMC adopted a family of 5. We received information that bikes and
trikes were much appreciated and smiles filled the day. Made us smile too.
Service
is at 11 a.m. unless other wised noted. Join us on Sunday for a praise filled
message and fellowship. Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Facebook.
RSM Reunion Final action: Sara Rutland and I were not able to get a chairman
for the 1958-1968 Alumni reunion this year so it was canceled. Again we had three great ones and enjoyed
seeing each other after quite a few years.
In the end we had $283.40 left in the Reunion account. We donated to the Faculty Fund at RSM High
School. The money will be used to reward
and celebrate the staff throughout the New Year.
Josie Rodgers
Little Peach League is getting ready for a new season
of baseball and softball. Registration will be at the ballpark Sat., Feb. 2, from
10 am until 2 pm. Programs are for kids ages 5-12 with a cost of $50 which must
be paid at registration. Parent must be present to register the child. For more
info, please contact Leslie Long.
RMS
High: Beta Club members
are gearing up for the SC Beta Club Convention in Myrtle Beach Feb.
8-10. Participants are creating a portfolio highlighting the past year of
service and participation in community and school activities. In addition,
several are creating an original banner promotion the theme of this year’s
convention, “Beta Fueling the Future.” Also, all RSM members will compete in
other categories such as math, ELA, agritculture, art, and dance. Last year was
the first time we had someone place in a competition. We’re excited to see who
will make RSM proud this year!
Dive into History
Joe
Cal Watson is a World War II veteran, as well as the Battle of the Bulge, participated
in the crossing of the Rhine. He came
across this article in the Bulgebusters Magazine February 2009. The author is Unknown but to Joe the description
is perfect. Enjoy. The second half of the article will be next
week.
Tomorrow night or the next morning,
newspapers and radio will be telling the world that a large scale, carefully
planned crossing of the Rhine took place up here in preparation for a giant
thrust into the Reichland by British and American Forces. It is because our platoon is set up here on
the levee that runs along the river that I shall be able to give you a first
hand , eye witness account of what the crossing will be like in our sector of
the river. In support of the crossing,
we, with our anti-tank guns , right in the middle of the forthcoming activity
with the mission of firing at certain targets in the middle of the river if it
becomes necessary.
The preliminaries have all been attended
to. The stage is all set up and the
river behind the levee along a 12 mile stretch , Engineers have been busy the
past week improving the roads and clearing them of all sorts of abandoned
German equipment. For the last two weeks
artillery has been pounding the opposite shore day and night. Many times during that period our own company
guns have been throwing shells across the river into buildings and church
steeples that might have been used as German observation posts. Almost every night combat patrols from our
riffle companies would sneak across the river in search of German
activity. Many nights they have fired at
our patrol, only to give away their positions.
The next day we would knock out these positions. "Alles Kaput".
At 10:00 this morning the Air Corps began its
job. Wave after wave of the Wellington
and American Marauders came over through the heavy ack, ack, dropped their eggs
8 to 10 hundred yards in front of us,
spread out from their bombing formations and headed back to their bases. This kept up all day until just a few minutes
ago. It really was a wonderful feeling
to look through our field glasses and see the bomb bay doors open and watch the
bombs fall across the river. I kept
praying that none of those bombs would fall short.
The night before last our set up was
interrupted when a platoon of J D's moved in and began getting their positions
ready for the time when they would move their guns in There were so many guns and ammo around here,
that this place looked like the Rautan Arsenal how the guns and searchlights
outfit are sitting on top of the levee with our guns. The time is close at hand. There is a chemical mortar outfit about 200 yards
behind us. They are going to fire smoke
shells across the river so that the T.D. men will not be seen when they use dynamite
to blow up the poles in the front of them.
The purpose of this is so that they will have a perfect field to fire; At exactly 1:00 AM the artillery let loose
with their barrage, which was to precede the crossing.
Somewhere behind us the infantry is getting
ready with their assault boats while the engineers ready with the bridge
equipment . Other engineers are already
down at the waterfront getting the landing craft ready to shuttle the first
troops and their equipment across the three hundred yards of water.
It is getting later now and each tick of the
clock brings the time of crossing closer.
The rifle troops are probably waking up now and getting ready to move
forward after the usual breakfast of flapjacks and coffee. We have just turned in a report that our gun
and ammo have been checked and we are ready to fire. We are taking shifts on the gun but most of
the boys are going to stay up here all night so they can see the biggest thing
in our lives. Naturally we expect the jerries
to throw some artillery back at us, so we have dug ourselves some holes behind
and along the side of our guns in case it gets too hot on top of the levee.
The time is now 3:45 AM and the Rhine River
up here has been crossed at two main sectors
At exactly 1:00 AM countless battalions of artillery cut loose on the
sector across the river north of us where the river bends in the direction of
South Holland. The firing was so intense
that the gun crews had to spray their barrels of the howitzers and long toms
with cold water to keep them from burning up.
I thought I had seen some heavy
concentrations of fire but don't think there is anything to compare with that
of tonight. At 2:00 AM we could tell
from machine gun and rifle tracer that the crossing was taking place. A few minutes later the artillery turned their
muzzles 90 degrees to east and let go with about 80 to 90 bursting shells a
minute across the river in front of us .
At the same time the mortars took off.
What a hell of a racket that was. We really had a ringside seat. That was when I wished I had a bomb proof
shelter over my head.
Harriet's Garden Tips: I planted 32 broccoli plants in the fall just
to see if I could grow them. The day
before it dropped to 21 degrees, I picked it all. How lucky can you get. I will plant my spring crop of broccoli soon
and hope we do not have such a freezing couple of days.
This
is a good time to begin composting, too.
Those leaves that need raking would be a great beginning for a compost
pile. Organic trimmings from your
garden , such as my broccoli plants, as well as kitchen scraps such as fruit
and vegetable peels and trimmings, crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds
and filters can also be composted.
Organic materials that should not be added to your compost pile include
meat, bones, pet llitter, and fatty foods (such as cheese, salad dressing and
leftover cooking oil).
REMINDERS
Ridge Spring Library Hours: Mon. Tues. 9:00 - 12:00; Wed. Thurs. Closed;
Fri. 10:00 -
4:00; Sat. 10:00 - 1:00.
Saluda Library Hours:
Mon/Wed
8:30 am-5 pm; Tues/Thurs 8:30 am – 6 pm; Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm; Sat closed
Ridge Spring Post
Office hours: Mon-Fri. 7:30 am – 11:30 am; Sat 9 – 10 am
Recycling Center
Hours:
Mon/Wed/Fri 1-7; Sat 7-7; Sun 3-7; Tues/Thurs closed
Fridays & Saturdays:
AARS
hours 10:00-2:00 or by appt, free admission
Every first Thursday of the Month:
AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783
Third Thursday: FORS at Town Hall at 5:30 PM
Every 1st Thursday: Audibel Hearing Center in the back room of Bank
Security Bank Hours: Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday & Friday 9-12 1-5, Wednesday 9-12
