January
17-20, 2020
Ridge Spring News
Harriet
Householder
The Friends of Ridge Spring (FORS) met this Thursday and it was a wonderful start
for the new year. Plans are being made,
corrections, and much more. Good job to
the new chairman, Sherald Rodgers!!!
Magnolia Ridge Antique and
Art Gathering News
Date for the Spring
event is May 16, 2020 and the fall event will be held September 19, 2020. There are already 3 new
vendors with all our originals coming.
The Blue Canoe is working hard to finish all of the
requirements as well as have the place ready for action We will keep the
community updated. So far part of t he cafe are
Blue Bell ice cream
with 14 flavors, sorbet, specialty coffee, shakes and smoothies and desserts, fresh
home made breakfast biscuits, paninis and more. We plan to open each day to serve 5:00 am. There may be Brick oven pizza.
Back to Belgium by Mary Watson Edmonds
On December 10-16, my son Michael and I accompanied my father, Joe
Watson, on an amazing trip to Belgium for the 75th anniversary
of the Battle of the Bulge. To give some historical background…. By late 1944,
Belgium had been liberated, but the German Army mounted a counteroffensive on
December 16. The Army pushed into Belgium and planned to push all the way to
the English Channel. The Battle of the Bulge stopped this advance, but it was
the costliest action ever fought by the U.S. Army. The Army suffered over
75,000 casualties, many of which were caused by the bitter cold for which the
American troops were ill prepared.
For our trip, we didn’t participate in a group tour. Instead,
Michael and I wanted to take Daddy on a personal tour. Luckily, we were
introduced by email to Bob Gonings, a local Battle of the Bulge tour guide, who
planned visits to villages and sites that Daddy’s regiment had liberated from
the German Army. We were overwhelmed by the warm reception Daddy received.
Thanks to the research of Bob and his team, we also learned much more about
Daddy’s service.
One of the most moving sites was the Henri-Chapelle American
Cemetery. We placed roses on the grave of Walter Ebert, the staff sergeant for
Daddy’s platoon. The cemetery sits on a high spot overlooking the rolling
Belgian countryside. Gently curving rows of pristine white marble crosses or
Stars of David mark the graves of almost 9,000 soldiers on a broad green lawn.
As Daddy remarked, the graves also represent many more mothers, fathers,
brothers, sisters, wives, and children who lost loved ones.
Another moving experience was a visit to an elementary school in
the village of Grand Halleux, which was liberated by Daddy’s regiment. As we
walked up the hill to the school, we were surprised by students lining the
street, waving American flags they had colored, and cheering Daddy. When we
arrived, they sang the American National Anthem in French. After that we went
inside and met with some of the older students who asked Daddy questions about
his service that they had written in English.
One highlight was visiting the Vielsalm Town Hall where aldermen
of the township presented Daddy with a certificate making him an honorary
citizen of Vielsalm. They laughed and said that he wouldn’t have to pay taxes.
As it turned out, one alderman, Philippe Gerardy, is a seventh generation
farmer in Ville du Bois, the village where Daddy was wounded. He told us that
during the Battle of the Bulge, Philippe’s grandfather and his family had to
evacuate the village in the path of the German Army. They could take only a few
belongings to another village where they lived in a basement with 20 or 30
other evacuees. When his grandfather and his family returned to Ville du Bois,
Americans were loading bodies of American soldiers for burial. Daddy remembers
American tanks exploding mines that the Germans had left in Ville du Bois and
the German artillery fire that wounded or killed others in the village.
Bob also took us through an excellent museum in Manhay, the Manhay
History 44 Museum. Daddy was most excited about an exhibit showing an 81 mm
mortar in context, because he commanded an 81 mm mortar platoon.
That afternoon, Daddy rode in a parade in a World War II jeep
driven by a man who was a child when the village was liberated by American
soldiers. The parade included tanks and other World War II vehicles and school
children. Just before the parade began, it started snowing. With the landscape
changed very little since World War II, it seemed we had gone back in time to
pictures I have seen of the Battle of the Bulge.
The parade ended with a program commemorating the 75th
anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. There were several hundred people at
the program, even though this is a rural area. Daddy and the eight other
American veterans were rock stars, having their pictures made and signing
autographs.
The next day we attended a dinner in Bastogne sponsored by the
American Ambassador to Belgium. A delegation from the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate participated and spoke with each of the veterans.
Congressman James Clyburn represented South Carolina and was looking for Daddy
who was the only South Carolina veteran there. Congressman Clyburn said that he
wanted to see “the Clemson man.”
Our last day in Belgium, we spent a pleasant afternoon in Spa,
which is a pretty resort town. Daddy recognized the town where he had good
memories of the American soldiers being welcomed by the Belgian homeowners.
Daddy’s company spent a couple of days here to rest between fighting.
We had a wonderful time and all agreed that the best part was the
people we met. Daddy was a real trooper, even though I know he was at times
exhausted, especially by the long plane flights. He never complained and was
always ready for the next adventure. The trip brought alive the sacrifices of
the Belgium people and American soldiers like Daddy in a way that Michael and I
will never forget.
Joe Watson at Walter Ebert's grave Joe and
elementary students at Halleux Belgium
I love writing this
column and have done so since 2004 or 5 I think. I love reporting what is going on in our
community. Yet I try to be in the
background most often. Well, what a
surprise for me on January 18 at the Ridge
Hill Baptist Church celebration of Dr.
Martin Luther King. The program was
beautiful, the music was wonderful, the first speaker was Joshua Boyd.
He spoke of his career in football had been sidelined with a heart
attack. He is bouncing back and his
message was "Do everything with a purpose." Danielle Marks received the Future Leader
award. Her message included the
following, "Do what you are suppose to do when you are suppose to do
it." And the presentation of the Impact
Award was to be given out between these two beautiful people. How surprised I was when my children Robert and
Melissa came in with Steve and the grandchildren Max, Carter and Ayla. I had no idea but the award was given to
me. It reads
Ridge Hill Baptist Church
Presents
Harriet Householder
with the MLK Impact Award
for Inpactful Service to
Enhance Life for All In
Ridge Spring SC
Donald G. Hall, Pastor
To say the least I was
overwhelmed and humbled by the gift.
Thank you to all. Tears still
flow when I read this paragraph. Thank
you again.
Josie Rodgers
The
Town of Ridge Spring and Spring4Life
will hold the next Cat Clinic on Mon., Feb. 3. They are offering those services
at $19 for Town of Ridge Spring residents and $39 for all other Saluda County
residents. There is a small up-charge if your cat is a house pet.
Aiken County Schools will
hold an Educator Recruitment Event
on Sat., Feb. 8, from 8 am to noon. This is the largest recruitment event of
the year. Visit acpsd.net and click on “Register Today” to schedule an on-site
interview.
Aiken County teachers participated in the
Leaders in Literacy Conference last Friday at various schools across the
county. They attended sessions throughout the day related to teaching and to
their particular subjects. This week is early release for Aiken County schools.
RSM Elem: A 4K
Evening Program will be held from Jan. 27-Mar. 30, 2020, at RSME. This program
is for students not already part of an Aiken County 4K program. To register or
obtain more info, call 803-663-4204 or email ACPSD Coordinator of Early
Learning Programs Ann Olsen at aolsen@acpsd.net. Only 120 slots are available
throughout the county, so don’t wait.
RSM High: Last
week, Dr. Webb took 2 of our stellar
students to the school board meeting to showcase a little about our programs
for School Board Appreciation Month. Seniors Morgan Berry & Jonathan Cumbee spoke about our school and
presented the board with goody bags of cabbage from Watsonia, sweet potatoes from the RSM Hurricane Garden, and pecan brittle from the Nuthouse.
We are still awaiting The Big Move. We
are hoping the next inspection goes well, and we can move into our new home! We
are so excited for this next chapter! And we can’t wait to invite the community
to come in and see our new facilities! We will let you all know when we are
ready!
Harriet's
Garden Tips: Force
blossoms are possible now. Some of the
best ones are apple, dogwo/od, forsythia, quince, and flowering peach. Soak the entire branch in warm water and
leave in a dark spot for three days.
After that, put in a sunny room.
In ten to twelve days the branches will begin to show bloom. I have never done this, but I think I will
try it this year. I have just stuck the branch in water. The weather has really been a mixture so I
might try both ways. Are you upset or
tired? If so go work in the garden or
pull some weeds - with vigor. It will
take your mind off your troubles - and make you relax.
No comments:
Post a Comment