June 7,  2019

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

Farmers' Market will be on Town Square Saturdays

Memorial Display: The Ridge Spring American Legion and Auxiliary Post 133 had a Memorial Day display in the Town Square. There is a memorial ribbon for each serviceman killed during wars from the Ridge Spring, Monetta and Ward areas. John and Nola Burger designed and made the display, and this was the thirty-second consecutive year that the fallen soldiers have been honored on Memorial Day.

June 6 is the date of the D-Day invasion of Europe.  Please remember nations uniting and going forth that ended in victory.  The enemy has now become one of our strongest and best allies.   

Ridge Spring Baptist Church: June 24 - 28 2019,  Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM. This year's VBS is open to children who have completed K-4 and older. If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Fulmer at 803-640-1502 or Becky Wannamaker at 803-413-8885. We look forward to going "IN THE WILD" with you as we learn about Amazing Encounters with Jesus!

“Farm Fresh Faith” Come one, come all to grow a Farm Fresh Faith through a study of God’s work in Joseph’s life during Vacation Bible School here at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.    We begin Sunday, June 2nd followed by Four Fantastic Wednesday Nights;  June 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th.     The time is 6:00 - 8:30 pm nightly with suppers served in the Fellowship Hall. There is a place for everyone at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church

Vacation Bible School.

Camp Gravatt Connection to Ridge Spring: The Big Delicious Event will be  held on June 30 at Camp Gravatt. Our own Brandon Velie of Juniper Restaurant will be preparing a delicious meal.  This dinner is the perfect friend outing or way to make new friends.  Camp Gravatt will provide the delicious food and you can bring the wine or spirits of your choice.  Tickets are $50.00 a person.

In the "Saluda County Historical Society News and Views" Gloria Caldwell interviewed our own Broadus Johnson.  He was the movie projectionist of years ago.  Broadus worked full time at the theater in Ridge Spring but said Buck Herlong would often ask him to fill in at the Saluda Theater, too. 

Though it 's been many years since Broadus Johnson manned the equipment in the projection room, he can still explain how "moving pictures" worked.  In the first place, he said, they are not moving pictures at all.  The pictures were all  single still photographs.  He said a fan type instrument would cut off each image as the film moved to the next, creating what appeared to be movement.  The film was on a reel which fed it down through the head where there was a carbon light.  He explained the Ridge Theater used a low carbon light .  These were carbon rods that he said were struck together to ignite in order to  produce the burning light.  Behind them was a mirror.  He stated that there were large and small rods and that they would last maybe a couple hours.  Then you would have to replace them.  He said everything had to be done with precision.  There was also a motor on the back of the projector that one could speed up or slow down. 

The projection room had multiple reels of film to run during a single showing.  A reel might run about 20 minutes on one projector and then he would have to switch over to the second projector.  He would thread number 2 while number one was running.  A bell would ring on the projector to give the operator 2 minutes to switch over to the other machine.  He said a black spot would appear to tell him to cut on the second machine motor.  A typical Saturday matinee would run like this: start with a cartoon which ran about 6 minutes or a short film like the Three Stooges or Little Rascals which would run about 20 minutes.  Then the typical western would run approximately an hour and be on about 3 reels.  Then he would switch to "Coming Attractions."  A really long movie such as "Gone with the Wind" would have multiple reels which had to be kept in order.  After the films were shown, they had to be rewound in the rewinding room.  There was a cabinet in that room which allowed the films to be housed in the order they would be shown and which also served as a storage cabinet for empty reels.  (More next week.)

Josie Rodgers:

The weekend weather was perfect for the Peachtree 23 Yard Sale! In Ridge Spring, vendors and sellers was set up as early as Thursday evening, and by Saturday morning, the town was teeming with shoppers. We drove through the middle of town to check everything out and then parked at my mom’s. Aiden and I walked just about the entire town, looking at all the treasures and talking to people we knew. Everyone was so pleasant and friendly and welcoming. At the other end of town, Aiden finally found what he wanted, and we toted it all the way back to mom’s house, stopping for ice cream midway. Then we sat on the porch swing at mom’s and watched the people go by, enjoying the unusual breeze that was such a relief after the sweltering heat we’ve been enduring.

There are several things I am looking forward to this summer. First, I need to get my house completely cleaned and cleaned out top to bottom. Also, I want to be able to READ! I seriously carried around a book from my school’s library for 2 weeks and never got to read it! Everything is so busy! I intend on making time for myself to walk daily. I’ve gotten out of my routine due to foot and knee pain, but now that I have a handle on that, it’s time to take back my health! I also want to spend lots of fun time with my kids and grands this summer without worrying about bedtimes and schedules. We will go to the beach in July, and the grands can’t stop talking about everything we’re going to do. Annalee will move into Wofford Aug. 28, so my time with her is very precious. I’ll teach a little summer school and take a class and regroup for the new school year. My primary goal: live each day to the fullest!

RSM High: Several RSM Trojans will participate in Palmetto Boys and Girls State June 9-14: Cameron Davis, Conner Goss, Keflin Jones, Kenyon Ligons, Colbi Sullivan, Collier Sullivan, Morgan Berry, Lacy Pou, Joanna Kaiser (alternate), Symia Wilson (alternate)

Junior Marshals for graduation are Morgan Berry & Conner Goss. Junior Ushers include Alieaun Gilliam, Jay Sterling, Lacy Pou, Kenyon Ligons, Amber Daniels, Joseph Noriega-Escobar , Johnathan Cumbee, Symia Wilson.

Graduation is this Friday at noon at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center. You must have a ticket to get in. It’s also the last week of school. Exams are Mon-Thurs. Mon is a full day, and the rest are half days. Summer school will begin bright and early Monday morning, June 10.

Summer school will run from June 10-27 from 8am to 4 pm daily except on Fridays (no school). Students must bring their own lunches and punctuality and attendance is crucial. Initial credit cost is $250, and credit recovery cost is $150. RSM uses APEX virtual learning which offers history, English, math, and science courses for initial credit (failed with lower than a 50 for the year). Initial credit courses in English I, Algebra I, US History, and Biology I require an EOC. Credit recovery allows a student who failed with a grade between 51-59 to earn a “P” (passing) in place of the failing yearly grade. These courses do not require an EOC but are also NOT recognized by the NCAA. All school rules apply. If a student must be removed from summer school, no refund will be provided.

RSM Summer Hours: If you should need anything this summer, please note that our school will be open all summer, Monday through Thursday, with the exception of July 2-5.  Stop by any time from 7:15 am-5:45 pm for support with registration or for a tour of our school.

Review from David Marshall James:  "Olivia de Havilland:  Lady Triumphant" by Victoria Amador

   "I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, with a flute of champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword."

   Thus spake Olivia de Havilland to Vanity Fair magazine in 2005.  This July, she will turn 103 years old, the last surviving star of Hollywood's Golden Age, having begun her film career in Max Reinhardt's 1935 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

   In spite of winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress-- for "To Each His Own" (1946) and "The Heiress" (1949)-- de Havilland is best remembered for her Oscar-nominated role as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind," which will celebrate its 80th anniversary this December.

   Author Victoria Amador-- who began corresponding with her biographical subject 50 years ago and has met with her in Paris three times during the past six years-- asserts that champagne is indeed de Havilland's "favorite tipple."

   Amador constructs a complete analysis of the de Havilland oeuvre yet also examines the salient points of her personal life, including two marriages as well as love affairs with Errol Flynn, James Stewart, and John Huston.

   Actually, de Havilland remains coy about Flynn, with whom she co-starred in eight films at Warner Bros., including the classics "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and "Dodge City" (1939).  She also made four movies with Bette Davis, among them "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" (1939), also with Flynn, in one of the best films of their respective careers.

   C'mon "Livvy":  Two hotties in the prime of life?  We would be more disappointed if you hadn't sealed the deal.

   In any event, de Havilland admits she would have married Flynn (which would have been a mistake), Stewart (although she turned down the Donna Reed part in "It's a Wonderful Life" [1946]), or Huston, with whom she had the longest relationship.  Alas, no proposals were forthcoming.  She also dated billionaire Howard Hughes.

   During the mid 1950s, de Havilland moved to Paris, where she has resided for more than 60 years, and raised two children.  Her son, Benjamin, died from longtime side effects from Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment at age 42.  The actress continued to accept film and television roles in the United States and abroad until age 72.

   Of course, Amador examines de Havilland's often-estranged relationship with sister Joan Fontaine, just 15 months younger.  Fontaine died at age 96 in 2013.

   The author makes a case for each sister.  Fontaine is on the record with several sharp-tongued comments, including one concerning Olivia's first husband.  Sadly, a photographer caught de Havilland's refusal to shake Fontaine's hand after winning the Oscar for "To Each His Own," still miffed at the lack of an apology for said comment.  In her memoir, "No Bed of Roses" (1978), Fontaine (her stepfather's surname) claims their mother favored Olivia.

   It's a shame the two sisters could never lay down their swords and shields long enough to make a movie together.  Then again, they probably would have given their director a double ulcer.

   Among her many honors, de Havilland has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor, and has been named a Dame of the British Empire, although she remains a naturalized American citizen.  A toast, then, to this true Golden Ager-- from where she reclines, the wine must taste mighty fine.

Harriet's Garden Tips: Geraniums like sun.  They are an ideal pot plant, but also do well in beds, and prefer to be crowded.  Always keep yellow leaves and faded blooms snipped.  Excessive rain ruins geraniums.  If possible, during especially wet periods, put your post under cover.  Keep trees healthy by sanitation program.  Remove all dead and weakened wood to get rid of borers and bark beetles and cut down on tree diseases.

REMINDERS

June 8 - Labor Day in September: Ridge Spring Farmers' Market

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 - 11:30pm