Take the 7th inning stretch at Upcountry History Museum with “Picturing America’s Pastime” Exhibit
June 26, 2026
“Take me out to the…Museum?” Yes, step into the 7th inning stretch with “Picturing America’s Pastime” and explore the grandeur of the early game through the vibrancy of today’s big-league…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, conversations, day-care, education, entertainment, environmental, festivals-special-events, fitness-centers, food, health-wellness, history, hospitality, laurens-county-sports, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, non-profit, on-the-move, outdoors, social-scene, sports, teens-and-young-adult, the-arts, travel, veterans
Fatherhood
June 24, 2026
By Jeff Becraft Years ago, a chaplain in a prison made an offer to those incarcerated that anyone who wanted to send a Mother’s Day card to their mom,…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
A Body Of Work
June 24, 2026
By Tom Poland A woman asked what made me the proudest of all I had written. It isn’t books. Maybe one. It’s not the films. It’s not the magazine…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
From Backcountry Skirmishes to the Semiquincentennial: The Golden Strip’s Crucial Role in Shaping Early America
June 24, 2026
As cities across the nation gear up to honor America’s 250th anniversary, residents of Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn don’t have to look far to find the roots of the…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: education, government, headlines, history, life, military, on-the-move
Summer Blink Book Reviews Return
June 22, 2026
By Reba Hull Campbell If it’s summer, that means I’m back to my annual effort to get off the screens and back to the page by reading more. In recent…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move
Second Chances and Sea Creatures
June 20, 2026
By Tammy Davis I’ve never said these words before: the movie was as good as the book—maybe better. But with Remarkably Bright Creatures, now streaming on Netflix, I think it’s…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Greenville artist advances to quarterfinals of international art competition with paintings inspired by her son’s rare genetic condition
June 19, 2026Greenville artist and mother Nicole Shannon has advanced to the quarterfinals of The People’s Artist, an international art competition presented by Johnny Depp in support of The Art of Elysium,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: health-wellness, life, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy, the-arts
Live out your true identity
June 18, 2026
By Jeff Becraft Every morning at Our Place of Hope, we throw out a question of the day to start off the morning meeting. We allow the members to…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Museum celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday with a Declaration of Independence program
June 18, 2026
John Adams was, at the time, certain that July 2 – the day the Second Continental Congress officially voted to sever ties with Great Britain – would always be celebrated…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
A Curious Battle For Independence
June 17, 2026
By Tom Poland It’s a battle Britain claimed to have won, and yet it sent the Redcoats to Charleston and back to Britain ending their presence in the Carolina…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Fountain Inn Fire Department Issues Heat Safety Reminders as Summer Temperatures Rise
June 15, 2026
With seasonal summer temperatures settling into the Upstate, the Fountain Inn Fire Department is launching a public safety awareness push to help residents protect themselves, their families, and their pets…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: health-wellness, life, on-the-move, public-safety
New Peanuts exhibit at Upcountry History Museum explores origins of beloved Franklin character
June 11, 2026On July 31, 1968, Charlie Brown made a new friend, and the Peanuts comic strip made history as that new friend, Franklin, became the first Black character in this popular…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: education, entertainment, history, life, marketing-and-communications, media, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, teens-and-young-adult, the-arts, travel, veterans
A Rare Sighting
June 10, 2026
By Tom Poland I have seen outhouses, smokehouses, henhouses, doghouses, and all manner of birdhouses. Mankind has its jailhouses, cathouses, flophouses, and roadhouses. A first for me, I saw…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Dirt on the Strip: Summer Planting in the Upstate and Vital June Garden Tips
June 8, 2026
June has arrived in the Upstate, bringing a distinct shift in our backyard routines. While recent May downpours put a welcome dent in our severe spring moisture deficit, the intense…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: advice, life, on-the-move, the-arts
‘Tis the season for graduations and my 2026 “20 lessons” list
June 3, 2026
By Reba Hull Campbell ‘Tis the season for graduations, new jobs and life transitions. It’s also the season for my annual updated “20 lessons” list. A number of years ago,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move
Conestee Nature Preserve Celebrates Community Support at Annual Spring Fling
June 3, 2026
Conestee Nature Preserve recently welcomed its most dedicated supporters for an evening of outdoor exploration, education, and community bonding at the annual Friends of the Preserve Spring Fling. The exclusive…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: environmental, life, on-the-move, teens-and-young-adult
Hear about veterans’ experiences during and after the Vietnam War
June 3, 2026
C.W. Bowman has often fascinated Midlands audiences with chilling stories of his service as a Tunnel Rat in Vietnam. Now, he’s ready to share an equally compelling human-interest account of…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, military, on-the-move, veterans
My City Of Dust Calendar
June 3, 2026
By Tom Poland Passport To Preservation John Mulhouse sent me his 2026 Abandoned New Mexico City of Dust calendar, and it’s a keeper. John’s beat is why. “The lost…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
The process of growing
June 3, 2026
By Jeff Becraft Two weeks ago, I talked about the plants at work and the variety of plants and how them blending together really brought out a great sense…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Oh, Deer! Uninvited Guest Spotted Window Shopping in Downtown Fountain Inn
June 1, 2026
Downtown Fountain Inn patrons are used to seeing a hustle and bustle on Main Street, but a different kind of visitor caused quite a stir when a wild deer decided…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: food, headlines, life, on-the-move
Man, The Intruder
May 27, 2026
By Tom Poland The rains of late and spring’s approach set my mind on the Carolina bays, those coastal plain wetlands of mystery and life. The elliptical depressions are…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
There is a price that is paid
May 25, 2026
By Jeff Becraft On my way in today, I passed a guy who lives in our community. I often see him walking through our neighborhood. He is a Marine.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Rain at Last! Downpour Offers Brief Relief to Parched Golden Strip Amid Ongoing Extreme Drought
May 25, 2026
Steady rainfall is finally tapping against Upstate windowpanes today, bringing a welcome—and visually beautiful—sight to a parched Golden Strip. After months of empty skies and baking spring heat, local residents…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: life, on-the-move
The World Book
May 20, 2026
By Tom Poland A lulu of a lady sold my parents a set of the World Book Encyclopedia. Miss Lulu Goolsby to be exact. It changed my life living…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
The beauty of togetherness
May 20, 2026
By Jeff Becraft At Our Place of Hope, we have a front entrance and a back entrance. We rent space from Mill City Church (an older fellowship hall building) and…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Central Carolina Community Foundation launches resident survey to inform regional community assessment
May 18, 2026
Central Carolina Community Foundation has launched a region-wide survey to hear directly from Midlands residents about the issues, opportunities, and challenges shaping their communities. The survey is part of a…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: conversations, economic-development, education, food, health-care, life, local-industry, music, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy, the-arts, transportation
The secret’s out – Xavier Riddle exhibit bringing time travel adventures to the Upcountry History Museum
May 18, 2026
Travel back in time and unravel the secrets of world-famous heroes and heroines in “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit,” a new exhibition opening on Saturday, May 16,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: education, entertainment, life, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
Out there for the right reasons
May 14, 2026
By Jeff Becraft The other week, I was down with some other people on the State House grounds and we were passing out some information about Our Place of…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
A Striped Bass & An Oak
May 13, 2026
By Tom Poland Though my hair was chestnut brown, I was green, a young writer hoping to create something memorable. I needed inspiration and I found it in a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Military can visit Relic Room free again this summer, thanks to Blue Star
May 13, 2026
Once again, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is proud to participate in the Blue Star Museums initiative, which provides free admission to current military personnel and…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, military, on-the-move, veterans
ScanSource’s Impact 360 Community Program receives national Halo Award
May 8, 2026
ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCSC), a leading technology distributor uniquely positioned to address complex, converging technologies, announced the Company has been recognized with a Silver Halo Award for Best Education Initiative…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: hi-tech-information-tech, it-services, life, non-profit, on-the-move, technology
What archaeologists have learned about the Siege of Fort Motte
May 6, 2026
Francis Marion – the Swamp Fox – was at the Siege of Fort Motte in 1781. He and “Light-Horse Harry” Lee were the Patriot commanders in that encounter with the…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, military, on-the-move
Buried Alive
May 6, 2026
By Tom Poland A road down Edisto Island way will take you past green swamps and oaks dripping with Spanish moss and shanties with bright, sky-blue doors. Churches white…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Laughing can be great medicine
May 6, 2026
By Jeff Becraft I had surgery on my left eye last week. My right eye is 100% healed now… and I am really thankful for that. Now, after the…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Real Lizard Earrings
April 29, 2026
By Tom Poland I called it a green lizard. I couldn’t pronounce Anolis carolinensis back then. Heck, I hadn’t even heard of the term. But now something catches me…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move
Sweet Surprise: The Springs at Simpsonville Launches
April 27, 2026
Residents at The Springs at Simpsonville have traded their typical “joy rides” for a more flavorful mission. This week, the senior living community officially kicked off its inaugural Bake &…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: food, life, on-the-move, the-arts
American Revolution Exhibit at Upcountry History Museum takes you from front lines to home fronts
April 24, 2026
From 1775-1783, Patriots and Loyalists engaged in ongoing skirmishes and all-out battles as the American Revolution spread throughout the 13 Colonies until the tide of war turned in favor of…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, day-care, education, entertainment, festivals-special-events, government, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, teens-and-young-adult, the-arts, veterans
Lonza Capsugel donates $50,000 to expand autism services in Greenwood
April 22, 2026
Lonza Capsugel has donated $50,000 to Project Hope Foundation to support the development and expansion of local autism services. A check presentation took place at the site of Project Hope’s…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, education, employment, life, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy
The Transistor Made History
April 21, 2026
By Tom Poland Cell phones are a big deal but to some of us the transistor was an even bigger deal. I was disobeying my parents staying up late…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Learn all about the legendary ‘Flying Tigers’
April 20, 2026
What do you know about the Flying Tigers? If you’re like many people, your answer is likely, “Not much.” Here’s a chance to do something about that. The Flying Tigers…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, military, on-the-move, veterans
YMCA of Greenville celebrates 150 years of serving Greenville County
April 16, 2026The YMCA of Greenville officially commemorates its 150th anniversary, marking a sesquicentennial of service to the people of Greenville County. What began on April 16, 1876, when an interdenominational committee…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, fitness-centers, health-wellness, life, local-industry, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy, teens-and-young-adult
Showing compassion
April 16, 2026
By Jeff Becraft Two weeks ago, I had eye surgery… and most would consider it minor. Well, I think minor is a key you play on a piano. If…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Peach Blossom Lit
April 15, 2026
By Tom Poland Come March, my thoughts turn to peach blossoms and memories of family fruit trees. One tree from youth stands above others. From my deep well of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Beyond the Noise: Why midlife women are choosing a “Nervous System Reset” this season
April 13, 2026
In the whirlwind of midlife—balancing aging parents, career shifts, evolving family dynamics, and the physical changes of perimenopause and menopause—the one thing most women lose track of is themselves. We…
Read MorePosted in: georgetown-sc-gazette Category: health-wellness, life, on-the-move
The One who gives life
April 9, 2026
By Jeff Becraft Yesterday I went to a funeral. The place was jam packed, the music was beautiful. As I sat there, I thought about how it is good…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, on-the-move
Art in the Garden returns to Wales Garden for an afternoon of local art and community connection
April 8, 2026
The Wales Garden neighborhood will once again come alive with creativity during the annual Art in the Garden event, taking place on Saturday April 11, from 2:00 PM to 6:00…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: entertainment, festivals-special-events, life, on-the-move
Skip the Line: South Carolina State Parks Now Offering Online Admission Purchase
April 7, 2026
Planning a trip to one of South Carolina’s beautiful state parks just got even easier. South Carolina State Parks is reminding visitors that park admission can now be purchased online…
Read MorePosted in: laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move
The straight scoop on the Doolittle Raid – Friday, April 17
April 6, 2026
Sometimes, when a nation’s outlook seems darkest, men put their lives in critical danger to boost the spirits of the folks back home. Not that the pilots and crews who…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: life, military, on-the-move
Skip the Line: South Carolina State Parks Now Offering Online Admission Purchase
April 6, 2026
Planning a trip to one of South Carolina’s beautiful state parks just got even easier. South Carolina State Parks is reminding visitors that park admission can now be purchased online…
Read MorePosted in: golden-strip-news Category: life, on-the-move
Masters Memories
April 5, 2026
By Tom Poland I never had time for golf, but I love the Masters. I never miss the Sunday round on TV. It almost always provides high drama. I…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, georgetown-sc-gazette, golden-strip-news, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, sports, the-arts
