Nature’s Fierce Defiance
April 23, 2025
By Tom Poland For seven years I only read Russian writers, Boris Pasternak, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and my favorite, Alexander Ilyich Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn wrote of life under Stalin.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
South Carolinians to shine “Two Lights for Tomorrow” on April 18
April 18, 2025
South Carolina will participate in “Two Lights for Tomorrow” on the night of Friday, April 18, a nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s legendary midnight ride and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move
A Southern Rock Connection
April 16, 2025
By Tom Poland Back roads took me past pecan groves and cotton fields and eventually to Charlane Woodlands, Chuck and Rose Lane Leavell’s home/tree farm. That evening Chuck and…
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We Never Met
April 10, 2025
By Tom Poland I wish we had. I traded letters with a writer who lived alone in the remote reaches of Alaska, the Land of the Midnight Sun. Poet…
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Experience a master class on collaboration at Endeavor’s Collaborators & Cocktails networking event
April 7, 2025
Endeavor Workspace’s spring C&C on April 30th is all about marketing Greenville. Attendees will get a master class on collaboration and smart selling – from a brand and a key…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, conversations, economic-development, hospitality, life, local-industry, marketing-and-communications, media, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts
Gnarly voicemails
April 2, 2025
By Jeff Becraft I’m on my second illness in six weeks. What kind of shenanigans is this? I guess all the running around over the last month and eating…
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A Day in the Life of a Garbage Man
April 2, 2025
By Tom Poland Let this harrowing tale serve as a warning. Be careful of what you wrap in aluminum foil. A British judge stopped a man’s 12-year legal battle…
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Upstate Deputy Calls for Better Care After Line-of-Duty Injury
April 1, 2025By Corporal Lucas Watts On November 16, 2023, our family began the long, grueling journey of recovery that comes with a traumatic brain injury. While on duty for the Oconee…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: government, health-care, life, on-the-move
Lessons From The Great Snakeman
March 26, 2025
By Tom Poland Come the cold, dormant months, few snakes, if any, are out and about. Perhaps winter makes a good time to read about the critters many fear.…
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New report highlights factors influencing the health of South Carolinians
March 25, 2025
New data explores the population health of South Carolinians and the impact of physical, mental, and social well-being on life expectancy, among other factors. The annual report released by County…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: government, life, non-profit, on-the-move
Hidden by Woods; Revealed by Wind
March 20, 2025
By Tom Poland I was cruising a familiar Georgia road looking for the past. A gut feeling told me to strike out for a place Hurricane Helene devastated—the busy…
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Like Being in a Liberace Movie
March 13, 2025
By Tom Poland For thirteen years I jogged a trail running within 60 feet of stolen art hidden in the home of acquaintance Roger Streeter. I had no clue…
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Prisma Health Family YMCA breaks ground on recreational facility expansion in response to growing community
March 11, 2025
The YMCA of Greenville broke ground today on the recreational facility expansion at the Prisma Health Family YMCA in Simpsonville in response to Southern Greenville County’s exponential growth in recent…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: architecture, construction, day-care, economic-development, fitness-centers, life, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move
‘Flower Power’ re-envisioned in newest exhibit opening at the Upcountry History Museum
March 6, 2025Say “Flower Power” and many people immediately flash back to 1960s-70s America and a focus on peace and love. But add in the efforts of a First Lady of the…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: agriculture, chamber, churches, education, environmental, hospitality, life, marketing-and-communications, media, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts, veterans
Silent Voices Can Live On
March 6, 2025
By Tom Poland It’s Up to You The passing of another year is close at hand, and I find myself thinking of people I lost in 2024. Each…
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ScanSource and McCracken Middle School Partner to honor memory of former leader at 31st Annual Milliken Earth Run
March 5, 2025
Special tribute planned for beloved wellness champion Blake Zemp at March 8th event The Milliken Earth Run cross country 5k will take place Saturday, March 8th at the beautiful campus…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, local-industry, on-the-move, technology
Endeavor Celebrates members during Women’s History Month
March 3, 2025
Women’s History Month, celebrated annually throughout the month of March since 1987 (officially), is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. Endeavor Workspaces is honored to have…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, conversations, entrepreneurship, life, local-industry, on-the-move
Remembering John Culler
February 20, 2025
By Tom Poland I was on the phone with Joey Frazier, South Carolina Wildlife magazine’s editor. “Tom, did you know John Culler died last week?” I did not. Just…
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Hartness expands community offerings with new family-friendly park
February 20, 2025
Hartness, the award-winning urban village known for its commitment to greenspace, thoughtful design, and community-focused living, is excited to announce the addition of a new family-friendly park. Situated within The…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, residential-real-estate
16th Annual Women’s Empowerment Conference
February 19, 2025The Women’s Empowerment Conference has partnered with AnMed Health, Renea Rowland Insurance Agency, and Foothills Community Health Care to sponsor the 16th Annual Women’s Empowerment Conference. All women are invited…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: churches, life, non-profit, on-the-move
The Forgotten Rain Porch
February 14, 2025
By Tom Poland A reader and friend, Zilphy DuRant of Florence, South Carolina mailed me a letter and clipping from The Post and Courier about an architectural feature I’d…
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Just Passing Through
February 12, 2025
By Tom Poland Tabernacle Baptist Church sits near an intersection where collisions seem to occur for no reason. Daylight, midnight, rain, drought, people keep wrecking. It got so bad…
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The Woods Back Home
February 4, 2025
By Tom Poland Heart Pine Heartbreak I grew up in a simple house. My parents built it in 1947. In the early 50s we kids had chores and among…
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Upcountry History Museum receives grant to digitize files
February 4, 2025
The Upcountry History Museum – Greenville County, a Smithsonian Affiliate, announced that it has been awarded a grant from the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board’s regrant program to…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, chamber, churches, conversations, covid-19, education, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, on-the-move, technology, the-arts, veterans
Karl the Kool-Smoking, Chain-Smoking Kat
January 30, 2025
By Tom Poland Can Your Imagination Turn Real? Summer 2022, St. Simons Island, I was sitting around the pool when my niece, Harper, and her friend, Stella, asked me…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
January 23, 2025
By Tom Poland When you write about earlier times as I often do, you hear from people who lived the very days you describe. Over the course of summer…
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Georgialina—A Southland As We Knew It
January 15, 2025
By Tom Poland In 2015, the University of South Carolina Press released my collection of memories on how things used to be. Here, then, is a trip down memory lane…
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Oasis Animal Hospital and Emergency Center announces new state-of-the-art facility
January 15, 2025
Oasis Animal Hospital and Emergency Center, a leading veterinary practice and ER serving the Greater Greenville area’s dogs and cats, is proud to announce the spring opening of its new…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, health-care, life, local-industry, on-the-move
Endeavor kicks off New Year with superstar local entrepreneurs at signature Collaborators & Cocktails event
January 6, 2025
Endeavor Kicks Off New Year with Superstar Local Entrepreneurs at Signature Collaborators & Cocktails Event Insightful, Candid Session to Feature 6AM City Founders Endeavor Workspaces welcomes local entrepreneur duo, Ryan…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: conversations, entrepreneurship, life, local-industry, marketing-and-communications, media, on-the-move, social-scene
Walking Through Prairie With Philip Juras
December 12, 2024
By Tom Poland August 21, 6:15 p.m. Philip Juras and I are walking through remnant prairie. His mission is to paint a vestige of our lost Southland. Mine is…
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Leonard’s Losers
December 11, 2024
By Tom Poland The show claimed to raise your pigskin IQ. To get my weekly prescription of smart pills, I’d tune in the crackling, AM station to hear what…
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Fallen Color
December 5, 2024
By Tom Poland And a Never-Forgotten Dog Can uprooted trees flaunt fall color? No. Dead men don’t talk and dead leaves don’t reveal colors. I figured it was impossible.…
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Simpsonville woman writes book on faith and healing
December 4, 2024
A local woman has written her first book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made– a true story of how she overcame trauma, rediscovered her faith, and began to heal herself. A Michigan…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move
We’re Soft & We Can’t Deny It
November 20, 2024
By Tom Poland Mama trembled when she talked about the Great Depression. I never forgot that. She’s gone and only the oldest survivors recall those hard times. Today’s full-plate…
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Holiday Fair & Kringle Village seeking volunteers for inaugural event
November 20, 2024
Holiday Fair & Kringle Village, a uniquely elevated holiday experience created by the partnership of Greenville Convention Center’s Annual Holiday Fair and Rotary Club of Greenville’s Kringle Holiday Village, is…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: entertainment, food, hospitality, life, local-industry, music, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts
Cassette Music Memories
November 12, 2024
By Tom Poland Last week my writer-daughter, Beth, wrote a story about her MTV years. She recalled the 1980s watching music videos. She wrote, “When my sister and I…
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Holiday Classic ‘White Christmas’ celebrating 70th anniversary
November 11, 2024
Upcountry History Museum Exhibit Brings Timeless Story to Life With Original Costumes, Props and Memorabilia from 1954 Film It may not be “just like the ones we used to know,”…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, conversations, education, entertainment, hospitality, hotels, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, music, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts, veterans
A Thin White Line
November 6, 2024
By Tom Poland CUMBERLAND SOUND, Fernandina Beach, Florida (Nov. 1, 2024): The catamaran motors by pelicans perched upon piers. It passes monstrous, red-orange contraptions that could be the Martian…
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The Last Pecan Pie
October 31, 2024
By Tom Poland When I heard Hurricane Helene destroyed some 42,000 pecan trees in Georgia, I thought of my mother and my last pecan pie, not the last…
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We Are Sharing Hope SC highlights the healing power of tissue donation during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 30, 2024
We Are Sharing Hope SC (SHSC) is honoring tissue donors during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for their decision to donate to so many women across the state of who are…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: health-care, life, on-the-move, technology
A Spider Fit for Halloween
October 24, 2024
By Tom Poland Read no further if you suffer arachnophobia … How well I remember a night when we were under the lights scrimmaging. I can’t recall who we…
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Newest Exhibit at Upcountry History Museum explores path of Black History in the American West
October 21, 2024
Exploring the path of Black history in the American West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts is the focus of “Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West,” a first-of-its-kind…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: agriculture, banking-and-finance, chamber, churches, conversations, education, entrepreneurship, hospitality, hotels, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, music, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy, social-scene, the-arts, veterans
From Sacred Earth—Catawba Pottery
October 17, 2024
By Tom Poland On a hot July Saturday I drove to the Native American Studies Center in Lancaster, South Carolina. First chance I got, I abandoned I-20 for U.S. 21.…
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Vanilla Flavored Memories
October 10, 2024
By Tom Poland Springs creaking, Granddad’s maroon Ford rattles down Mom and Dad’s long dirt driveway. Washouts make for a rough ride but that doesn’t stop Granddad. Here he…
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Try something new at Everything Outdoor Fest
October 7, 2024
What you need to know for weekend fest Nov. 2-3 Everything Outdoor Fest, a two-day showcase of the Southeast’s most popular outdoor activities, invites the community outside Saturday, Nov. 2,…
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Hurricanes, A Personal History
September 30, 2024
By Tom Poland Growing up in landlocked Lincoln County, Georgia, I never worried about hurricanes. I left that to folks on the coast. Hurricanes were not to be feared. If…
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Remembering Ken Burger
September 26, 2024
By Tom Poland “Don’t forget to be happy. It’s the only measurement of success that really counts.” – Ken Burger I wish I had known Ken Burger for more…
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Rogue Squirrel
September 19, 2024
By Tom Poland For two summers now I have battled a rogue squirrel, and the score is squirrel 100, Tom zero. He raids my “go to” hummingbird feeder, and…
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Angels Charge Ministry celebrates 10th anniversary with 2nd annual Second Chance Supper On Tuesday, October 1, 2024!
September 19, 2024
The public is invited to be a part of a significant milestone- Angels Charge Ministry’s 10th anniversary celebration with their 2nd annual Second Chance Supper. This event, scheduled for Tuesday,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, non-profit, on-the-move
A Helping Hand
September 12, 2024
By Tom Poland Hampton Wildlife Fund Awards 2024-2025 Scholarships When I read about the recent Hampton Fund scholarships, the words of conservationist and writer Aldo Leopold and a thought came…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: education, life, on-the-move
