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…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
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, 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…
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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…
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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.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
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…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
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
Ducklinks app launches in Greenville with focus on delivering child-friendly activities for parents
September 11, 2024
Ducklinks, an AI- driven, web-based application with mobile-accessibility, launched transforming the way parents locate events and activities for their children. Ducklinks uses a proprietary matching algorithm to curate and deliver…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: entrepreneurship, life, local-industry, on-the-move, social-scene, technology
Wake Up Call Aboard The Pamela Sue
September 5, 2024
By Tom Poland Shrimping Down McClellanville Way I got up at 4:30 a.m. to go to two Carolina bays in the Francis Marion National Forest. Hours later I left pitcher…
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Judson Mill District adding 181 loft apartments
August 28, 2024
$60 million project completes historic revitalization of Judson Mill District The Judson Mill District announced the transformation of the remaining two historic buildings known as the Jenny and Westervelt into…
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Robert Ariail, Cartoonist
August 21, 2024
By Tom Poland In the beginning, there was the urge to draw—and inspiration, Saturday morning cartoons. “I’d drawn since I was a boy, spending hours with crayons, pencils, manila…
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SC Sculptor Charles Pate unveils groundbreaking statue honoring Judge Tanya A. Gee
August 20, 2024
South Carolina sculptor Charles Pate made history with the unveiling of a groundbreaking statue honoring the late Judge Tanya A. Gee at a dedication ceremony held at the West Columbia…
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South Carolina State Fair announces flash sale to celebrate 46 counties
August 19, 2024
The South Carolina State Fair announced a special flash sale on admission tickets in honor of our 46 counties. As part of this year’s theme, “46 Reasons to Celebrate South…
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Our Long Lost Prairie
August 16, 2024
By Tom Poland As I stood near rattlesnake master, a plant of the prairie, bison thundered across the prairie with a great sweep of fire raging behind them, seemingly…
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Billfish: Catch & Release
August 15, 2024
By Tom Poland Billfish Conservation & Record Releases of Blue Marlin I wanted a real-deal Ernest Hemingway long-bill cap to let me see into the depths. One that would…
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Restaurant Week Upstate begins THIS Thursday!
August 12, 2024
The tastiest time of the year is almost here! Beginning Thursday, August 15, join us as the top restaurants in Upstate South Carolina show off their culinary skills during this…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: food, hospitality, life, on-the-move
A Coquina Sunrise
August 8, 2024
By Tom Poland And Carnivorous Plants At first I thought men had poured cement onto the beach. Protection against an encroaching sea, I figured. The waves had scoured it…
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No Damsel In Distress
August 1, 2024
By Tom Poland Late May, I made one last effort to see the rare rocky shoals spider lilies before they play out. Rain and high water had deviled the…
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NEAT Bourbon Bar announces expansion into Greer’s thriving downtown
July 23, 2024
Whiskey lovers rejoice! This fall, NEAT Bourbon Bar, Greenville’s first true bourbon bar, is expanding into the heart of Downtown Greer. Located at 108 E Poinsett Street Ext, this will…
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Daddy Had A Worm Farm
July 22, 2024
By Tom Poland The towns sounded distant, not as miles go, but as memories. Hazlehurst, McRae, Baxley, Soperton, Alma, and Tifton. Tifton meant trouble. I was studying a map…
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Hemingway’s Pocket
July 17, 2024
By Tom Poland We give little thought to our pockets until one gets a hole in it. When it does, it becomes a liability. Well, what’s the history of…
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Upcountry History Museum to host Quilts of Valor Display
July 15, 2024
Quilts to be Awarded to Local Veterans in Special Ceremonies on July 20 What began as one mother’s dream when her son was deployed in Iraq in 2003 is now…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, conversations, education, government, law, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts, veterans
Upcountry History Museum completes survey of sites in Greenville County associated with the American Revolution
July 14, 2024
In a war remembered more for battles at Bunker Hill, Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown, it was the events of the Southern Campaign that finally turned the tide for American independence.…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, education, life, marketing-and-communications, media, military, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts, veterans
The Summer Life Changed
July 11, 2024
By Tom Poland Why Do You Live Where You Do? April 18, 2024—Dickey Betts’s passing took me back to 1973, a very hard year for me. Betts and his…
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Tips for a Sober Summer: Enjoy All the Upstate Has to Offer Without Compromising Your Sobriety
July 11, 2024
Summer can be a daunting time for those in recovery or even those simply looking to drink less. In a culture where activities are often planned around alcohol, it can…
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Monsoons, Dogs, & Drought
July 2, 2024
By Tom Poland A spring long ago … It rained and rained. And then it rained some more. The rain gauge brimmed and our yard turned quagmire. It rained…
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A Marketing Agency with Upstate ties wins 2024 Best Marketing Firm in South Carolina
July 2, 2024
A Statewide Public Relations and Crisis Communications Agency, MPA Strategies, has been named as the 2024 Best Marketing Firm in South Carolina by the Guide to South Carolina. Two of…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: agriculture, chamber, entrepreneurship, environmental, government, it-services, law, life, marketing-and-communications, media, non-profit, on-the-move
