April 5,  2019

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

How fortunate I was that I took Joe Cal Watson to lunch Thursday.  It was his 96th birthday.  Juniper had chocolate cake with a candle for him.  The server also brought enough forks for all of us to share.  We had company to share the moment, too.  We talked about the past and some of the things he remembers,  hitching posts down Main Street, the Depression and how many did not realize that it was the Depression for they were poor from the beginning.  It was just life.  His father had to go to Kentucky to find work with the government.  He remembered that his mother ran the farm, taught school, led Sunday School class and more. She was paid by the state for teaching with vouchers that meant the government had no money to pay teachers. Someday  the teacher might get the money or would just have to find someone who would give you the money for the voucher.  If the voucher read $100.00 the person may give  you $80.00 for it.  My mother Harriet also was paid with vouchers and had been asked to returned home to live.  She did and she taught Joe.  One other comment--one of his elementary  teachers had taught his father.  That was not my mother for she was young at this time of her life.   Memories galore of a different time. 

The Ridge Spring Fire Department is sponsoring a benefit in memory of Michael Adamick which will be held on Saturday,  May 4th.   BBQ tickets may be purchased from any of the fire department members.  An auction will  immediately follow dinner. 

Vouchers will be distributed on Thursday June 6th at Town Hall in Ridge Spring.

Magnolia Ridge Antique and Art Gathering is May 20, 2017 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.  Check it out at MagnoliaRidgeSC.com.

Titan Farms: We are so proud of our own Lori Anne Carr for all her contributions to Clemson University. Lori Anne was the honored recipient of the Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the alumni association bestows on Clemson Tiger graduates. With sadness, it is noted that Chalmers Carr's mother Jeannette Carr has passed.  Our queen of the Farmers' Market will be missed by all.

The Green Thumb Garden Club was honored to win an award for Outstanding Community Support for our Christmas Tour of Homes 2018 at the West Sandhills District Meeting in March 2019  Attending the meeting were Jean Gregory, Betty Ann Cone, Shelby Yonce and Converse Cone. The club also won Honorable Mention for President's Report.

RIDGE SPRING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: RSUMC’s Big Red Box will be collecting plastic Easter eggs and candy during the first three weeks in April. These items will help with a local annual Easter Egg Hunt and event held on April 20^th. The Event is sponsored by Helpful Hands Mission and we are proud to be able to help. If anyone in the community would like to donate please leave items on the front porch, chairs or swing, of the Family Life Center. A church member will make sure they make it into the BRB.

 Ridge Spring United Methodist Church has a new nickname: the SOIL church. S = serves, O = others I = in L = Love. Join the SOIL (RSUMC) and be part of the loving service.

 Easter Service at Ridge Spring United Methodist Church will be held at 8:30 a.m. Please make a note of this time change. A seat is saved for you

SCWSA Brings home the trophy for best tasting water in South Carolina. 

First of all the letters stand for Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority.  On Sunday March 11, 2019,one month after Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority's (SCWSA's) Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was placed into operation it received the Best Tasting Water Award at the largest water utility conference in South Carolina.  General Manager, Jason Fell, and WTP Superintendent, Rip Tafta, hoisted the trophy.  SCWSA was selected among 17 contestants, which included some of the largest and most prestigious water providers in South Carolina.

It officially began on Friday February , 2019, at 2:00 PM when SCWSA's WTP was placed into operation.  This was not a project that happens every day. This project was one tat was 19 years in the making.  The WTP sets the foundation to be able to serve all areas that are economically viable in Saluda County.

It all starts with the water you are given.  SCWSA's withdrawal point on Lake Murray provides a distinct advantage.  The intake location is located on what is called the "run of the river".  There are three advantages to raw water intake.  First, the intake is very deep.  Even at the Lake's lowest drawdown level, the top of our intake would still be seven feet below the lake surface.  Second, the intake is a slow constant velocity from the influence of the Saluda River.  This provides a steady stream of water, eliminating stagnation.  Finally it is located on the upper end of lake Murray, suppressing elevated levels or turbidity during rain events. 

The victory is backed up by laboratory analytical data, demonstrating remarkable water quality for our customers.  SCWSA"s WTP is designed to provide excellent water quality to its customers.  There are two parameters that were critical to SCWSA's success.  First, the low organic levels from Lake Murray measured in Turbidity and Total Organic Carbon (TOC).  Second the chlorine by-products measured in Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) that are directly influenced by the raw water organics.  The lower the organics received the less chlorine is needed to effectively treat the water.  Which in turn results in much lower levels of TTHM in SCWSA's distribution system.

Ridge Spring Farmers Market will be moved to the area behind the Civic Center, by the Art Center, next to the Baptist Church. Due to construction on the Town Square.  We have lost our queen of the Market, Jeannette Carr passed.  She will be greatly missed.

Reminder: The Fallaw Farm has fresh asparagus at their farm located in Monetta  and at the Nut House and Country Store.  Have you made asparagus soup lately? Spring is in the air.

Rikard's Roadside Bar-Be-Que: We have set a date for our grand opening and music get together which is April 27th.  Anyone that would like to come pick and grin let us know.  We are going to have 2 bands for sure and around 6:00 pm we are going to have a hog calling contest with prize money. The Grand opening will begin around 12:00 noon and we will end it at 8:00pm.  We are located at 905 West Main Street, Ridge Spring.

RSM School News by Josie Rodgers

RSM Elem (Tonya Rodgers): Winners of the All Natural Pageant were crowned Mar. 29. Mini Wee Miss: Harper Abney (Mini Wee Miss, Best Attire, Best Personality), Caroline Pace (1^st runner-up, Best Smile), Natalie Williams (2^nd ru); Wee Miss: Adalynn Holsomback (Wee Miss, Best Attire), Makenna Lipsey (1^st ru, Best Personality), Kaidence Stewart (2^nd ru, Best Smile); Master: Dylan Smith (Master, Best Attire), Landon Scott (1^st ru), Dillion Scott (2^nd ru, Best Smile), Tristan Scott (Best Personality); Little Miss: Zoe Ford (Little Miss), Riley Holsomback (1^st ru, Best Smile), Addyson Bradley (2^nd ru), Londyn Powell (Best Attire); Pre-Teen Miss: Haleigh Mitchell (Pre-Teen Miss, Best Attire), A’Shaunti Lites (1^st ru), Skylar Saunders (2^nd ru, Best Smile), Alyssa Whitfield (Best Personality); Miss RSM Elem: Alyssa Whitfield; Mr. RSM Elem: Tristan Scott.

RSM High: The Trojans had a very special guest visit the student body last week. Richland County Senior Deputy Garo Brown, one of the popular faces on Live PD, came to speak to the students about how to stay safe, how to avoid trouble with law enforcement, and what jail is really like. He held the kids’ attention for over an hour, actively asking and answering questions. Officer Brown is from Amityville, NW, and has been in law enforcement for 19 years. He is currently completing a degree in computer technology. Brown enjoys speaking to students and community members on current issues. He obviously loves to work out as well, proven by his huge biceps! He spent some extra time with a few students after the presentation offering encouragement and words of wisdom.

RSM’s second annual book fair will be held April 22-26. Please help support our library program by purchasing books, knick-knacks, erasers, pencils, posters, etc. The book fair will be open from 8:00-3:00 each day, with an extended day on Tues., April 23. Last year, we sold over $1500 worth of materials, and we were able to use a portion of our profits to update some of our book selections. For more information, please look for the announcement on our school website or call Mrs. Powell in the media center.

Recently, Mrs. Powell, media center specialist, conducted a magnetic poetry activity with some of the English classes. Students created poems about spring break, life after graduation, and haiku. Students had to create their poems with the handful of random magnetic words they were given. They practiced on a cookie sheet before transferring their poems to paper.

Last Friday, band members traveled to Carowinds for a day of fun! Roller coasters, food, and fun with friends added to their favorite high school memories.

Also last Friday, the Culture Club traveled to the Columbia International Festival for Global Education Day along with other schools from across the state. Students enjoyed music, culture, food, and arts from various cultures, nationalities, races and languages represented in SC. More than 60 countries are showcased throughout the entire weekend with the opportunity to taste, see, and learn about world cultures.

Review from David Marshall James:  "Tasting Table:  Cooking with Friends; Recipes for Modern Entertaining" by Geoff Bartakovics and Todd Coleman

   The thrust of this inviting volume, aimed at twenty- and thirty something's but really for anyone so inclined, is to involve your dinner-party guests in the cooking-- and clean-up.  Line your pans, ladies and gents!

   As such, the authors offer 1-2-3 (and sometimes 11) steps for a variety of menus, plus prep times and equipment required.

   Standout menus include "All-Day Brunch," "Backyard Shrimp Boil" (in South Carolina, this is known as Lowcountry Boil), "Modern Retro Dinner," and the star of the cookbook, "Friendsgiving," which will set your mouth a-watering. 

   Nevertheless, there are plenty of recipes-- accompanied by lick-the-page photos-- that you'll want to appropriate out-of-context, for your own purposes.  To wit:  The Chocolate Cardamom Cake with Walnut Cream (there's a Nigella Lawson vibe to that), Pretzel Monkey Bread with Garlic Butter, Baked Oatmeal with Blackberries, plus each and every one of the "Friendsgiving" menu items, from the Hoisin BBQ-Glazed Turkey Breast to the Pumpkin Mousse with Gingersnaps and Marshmallow Whipped Cream.

   Let's-put-on-a-dinner-party gatherings are a great way to get young people to abandon their electronics and mingle.  Perhaps some of your attendees will click while throwing together the Cheesy Biscuits or the Strawberry Pie.  Nothing says love like a Pavlova, and two sets of hands would certainly help in creating one.

   The authors' cocktail recipes will surely stir up your mixer.  Here's the gist of several of those:  Try an offbeat Sangria; they add bell-pepper slices to one of theirs.  Veteran hosts know that you can use jug Chardonnay or Chablis with abandon for Sangria, thus stretching your cocktail budget.

   Or, prepare fresh lime- or lemonade.  Spike your serving pitchers with low-shelf vodka or bourbon.  Just be sure there are taxis and/or designated drivers in the picture, as the authors insist. 

   Here's a perfect volume for just-wrapped-up college students who are setting up housekeeping with a new job, or with postgraduate studies.  Or, present it to a prospective married couple, so they can play the joy of matrimony forward, and stretch their entertainment budget.  It's hard to think of a better social app-- "appetite enhancer," that is.

Harriet's Garden Tips:  In the past I have planted snap dragons in the flower beds in front of the shop and they have been gorgeous.  This year I planted them in pots thinking It would be okay for they would bloom before April.  It is not okay.  It is time for me to repot these big pots for spring with spring plants and the snapdragon plants look beautiful but are not ready to bloom.  Check when things are suppose to bloom; do not assume.  A few reminders: do not cut down bulb leaves for they are storing food for next year's bloom, prune spring flowering plants after they bloom, pull out those pesky vines that have gotten into your plants such as spirea soon after blooming is over so as to not damage next year's blooms.  Get ready for a beautiful spring and summer.

REMINDERS

April 27: Rikard's Grand Opening Music Get Together

May 4: RS Volunteer Firemen's Benefit

May 18: Magnolia Ridge Antique and Art Gathering

May 31-June 1: Peachtree 23 Yard Sale

June 6: Vouchers distributed at Town Hall

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 1^st Thursday:  Audibel Hearing Center in the back room of Bank

Security Bank Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9-12  1-5, Wed. 9-12

Ridge Spring Town Hall: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, Sat. 8:30am - 12:30pm