Above, Not Below, The Jailhouse
November 10, 2021
By Tom Poland Standing in a courtroom, a malefactor dreads a dire warning. “If you don’t straighten up, I’ll put you under the jailhouse.” Uttered by many a judge,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move
Elusive Butterfly Of Fall
November 4, 2021
By Tom Poland December 1965, that’s when a catchy tune debuted. Bob Lind’s “Elusive Butterfly” used a butterfly as a metaphor for love. Some of you survivors of these…
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Star Light, Star Bright
October 27, 2021
By Tom Poland Back in the late 1980s and early ’90s, I’d leave on a Friday afternoon and head for the mountains, the Blue Ridge species. My monthly drives…
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Electric Cooperatives host “Ride Across South Carolina” to raise awareness for heart disease
October 25, 2021
The Electric Cooperative Ride Across South Carolina is a seven-day, 648-mile ride with stops at 18 cooperatives. Starting on October 25th in the Upstate and ending in the Low Country…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: economic-development, energy, health-care, life, on-the-move
Magic In Some Alien World
October 21, 2021
By Tom Poland On a hot, windless Sunday, I found a place where wind swept up and over a cliff to pour through pines. The cooling torrent felt like…
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My Last Dog
October 13, 2021
By Tom Poland Should you walk our family land in eastern Georgia, you’ll come across several cemeteries. No, they’re not ancestors. You won’t see headstones. You’ll see wooden crosses…
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Firefly Distillery releases throwback Raspberry Sweet Tea Vodka
October 12, 2021
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Firefly Distillery is partnering with Share Our Suzy Lowcountry, a lowcountry non-profit enhancing the quality of life for breast cancer patients in…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: life, local-industry, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene
How to Make the Most of this Year’s South Carolina State Fair
October 6, 2021
The 152nd South Carolina State Fair returns Oct. 13-24, 2021, with a full lineup of traditional favorites and a variety of new rides, foods, entertainment and the return of the…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: entertainment, hospitality, life, media, on-the-move
Tall Tales—Truth Can Be Elusive
October 6, 2021
By Tom Poland The last time I wrote about the nightlife, my late mom gave me a reading. She upbraided me about the evils of alcohol and told me…
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You’ve Got To Feel the Food
September 29, 2021
By Tom Poland A few years back on a fall day I attended a wild game dinner on the grounds of Hobcaw Barony’s Bellefield Stables. I sat among folks…
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The Good Old Days Are Gone
September 22, 2021
By Tom Poland Last Friday night some grandparents went to watch their grandson play in a high school football game. They were in for a shock. Paying for the…
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Who’s The Queen Of Flowers?
September 15, 2021
By Tom Poland Orchids. There were days I wore them in my lapel for formal events, but those days are gone. I’ve not seen many in the wild, but…
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Where They Sleep, While They Sleep
September 8, 2021
By Tom Poland I visit old cemeteries quite a bit. Lest you think death thoughts consume me, understand that readers tell me of near-forgotten cemeteries. It’s my duty to…
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A Southern Writer
September 2, 2021
By Tom Poland Mississippi’s Willie Morris Several years back, I attended Edgefield’s Camellia Tea. As I was leaving, a lady in a red blazer walked up. “You’re that fellow…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Long Lost Treasures, Heirloom Seeds
August 26, 2021
By Tom Poland Metal detectives seek old coins and treasure, and many folks look for arrowheads. A rare breed seeks long-lost seeds. Old coins and arrowheads won’t make you…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: food, life, the-arts
A Haunting Postscript
August 19, 2021
By Tom Poland Missing Caskets Recently I wrote about finding my great granddad’s old farmhouse, but I left out an eerie aspect that would be suitable for a Halloween…
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My Family Quest
August 12, 2021
By Tom Poland Discovering a Homeplace The past means much. As family property goes, however, no one or anything remains from my childhood. Fires, real estate deals, and a…
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For The Birds
August 5, 2021
By Tom Poland This makes the second time I’ve used “For The Birds” as a title. “Contacting the dead through a Ouija board? That’s for the birds.” No flippancy…
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Volunteer to be honored on 95th birthday
August 2, 2021
Louise Carpenter will be honored by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey Three days a week — rain, shine or even during a pandemic, the people…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: life, on-the-move
What’s The Big Rush?
July 28, 2021
By Tom Poland My back-road trips of late have been good but not as pleasant they usually are. Too many people. They drive like madmen. They pass on hills.…
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The Parking Lot Of The Dead
July 21, 2021
By Tom Poland Even in death they cling to dignity. Left to rust, they bless the rare visitor with awe and mystery. Just how did old trucks and cars…
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My Mother’s Bible
July 15, 2021
By Tom Poland After Mom died, my sisters and I began to go through her and Dad’s belongings. Quite a task that surprised, amused, and puzzled us. Lots of…
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Ospreys—Nature Never Quits
July 8, 2021
By Tom Poland Noon sharp, a hot, humid Monday. Just twenty yards away a tremendous crash like a rock hitting water got my attention. There sat an osprey with…
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Hemp & Kudzu, A Good Summer Combo
June 30, 2021
By Tom Poland It was like stepping back into the 1960s, sitting in that cool, refreshing gazebo up North Carolina way. Its vines and emerald green leaves, translucent and…
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Years Lost To Time, The Silent Thief
June 24, 2021
By Tom Poland Growing up I could hear the tick of my church’s old Regulator wall clock. I can’t hear it today, but my hearing’s good. All that keeping…
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Let’s Go Somewhere
June 21, 2021
By Amy Coward Events are back! Every day I get an email or see a post that a theatre is reopening, ball parks are welcoming fans and restaurants and stores…
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Love Lived Out
June 20, 2021
By Jeff Becraft I have mentioned my parents (now 95 and 92) before and I have also mentioned some of the things below… but it is worth reiterating. My…
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Flee Civilization For A Preserve
June 17, 2021
By Tom Poland Needing adventure, I took back roads and made my way to a tract belonging to nature. It’s a place where man is a guest, Stevens Creek…
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History Surrounds You
June 10, 2021
By Tom Poland History really does surround you. You just have to slow down a tad and open your eyes. It will help if you turn off the TV…
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Every State Needs A John Mulhouse
June 3, 2021
By Tom Poland Every state needs someone to record what it’s lost. Every state needs a John Mulhouse. I’ve never met John but we’re in touch and we share…
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Glorious yes
May 27, 2021
By Jeff Becraft When I was in middle school (although we called it junior high), my friends and I would have scrounges. If you don’t know what a scrounge…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, life
Compelled To Pick Up Rocks
May 26, 2021
By Tom Poland Do you pick up rocks? I do. I feel compelled to pick up rocks. And so do others. Many people take rocks home and create a…
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Pawleys Island Festival Of Music & Art to be held as scheduled in October 2021
May 18, 2021
Nine Concerts Highlight Popular Festival To Benefit The Arts Along South Carolina’s Hammock Coast Travelers and lovers of the arts are already purchasing tickets and making room reservations as they…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: life, on-the-move
Myrtle Beach ranked world’s 13th best golf destination by GolfPass
May 17, 2021
The editorial team at GolfPass, a subscription-based website created by the NBC Sports Group that highlights instruction, travel content, course reviews and more, recently ranked the “Top 100 Golf Destinations…
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Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing
May 13, 2021
By Jeff Becraft One of my mentors says, “Too many choices and too many voices.” He is right. Taking a shower is a great example. It used to be that…
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The Allure Of Copper
May 13, 2021
By Tom Poland The hills were red. Barren, like some alien landscape. Nothing green. Could have been Mars. I was just ten or so when Dad drove us through…
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Breaking The Cult of Difficulty
May 6, 2021
By Tom Poland Many tell me how difficult they find writing to be. Well, they speak the truth. It’s difficult to write at a high level, and that’s why…
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Your role is important
April 29, 2021
By Jeff Becraft My wife, my favorite mother-in-law (and I frequently tell her she is my favorite mother-in-law) and all my sisters-in-law like Hallmark movies… especially around Christmas time. I…
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William Bartram’s Wild Azaleas
April 28, 2021
By Tom Poland Blooms, blossoms, and bracts splash color everywhere you look this time of year. Daffodils and now dogwoods and azaleas add their voice to the spring…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
April 20, 2021
By Tom Poland Sunday night the moon hung full and bright over treetops. Like some silver dollar hurled into the night she floated full and beautiful, though pollen gave…
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A Seashell Tradition
April 14, 2021
By Tom Poland There it was. A grave covered in seashells. It’s as close to a burial at sea as an inland dweller will get. My sister, Deb, told…
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A Chapel and a School
April 8, 2021
By Tom Poland The Historic Sweet Easy Smith Chapel found me Sunday. Though it’s on Smith Chapel Road and sounds like a no brainer, directions for my first attempt…
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100% of local nonprofit staff recognized as Certified Dementia Practitioners
April 6, 2021
Respite Care Charleston (RCC) announced all regular staff have been recognized as Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP) by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP). Executive Director Sara Perry, Program…
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The Clothesline
April 1, 2021
By Tom Poland The Gentle Cycle A neighbor suggested I join a community website where people post about restaurant openings and closings, shady repairmen, and snakes. “What kind…
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The Flower World’s Beautiful Blonds
March 25, 2021
By Tom Poland Daffodils. They’re the beautiful blonds of the flower world and if it’s possible for a flower to smile, daffodils do. They bring to mind young women…
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Winter’s Lush Green Carpet
March 17, 2021
By Tom Poland It’s an unusual plant. No flowers. No roots, but what a green velvety plant. Green moss mystifies me. When I come across it I stare. Always.…
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A Natural Motown Mystery-Miracle
March 4, 2021
By Tom Poland If you think this story is about Berry Gordy’s 1960’s record label that gave us “Baby Love,” “My Girl,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” you’re…
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Harbinger.
March 4, 2021By Cathy Monetti ABOUT MARCH, I HAVE ALWAYS felt ambivalent. This admission comes as a surprise, even to me, for March is the month that relieves us from the coldest…
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Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center shares summer safety tips for parents and caregivers
March 1, 2021
Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center, the region’s leading resource to prevent abuse, protect children and heal families, is sharing safety tips for parents and caregivers to consider as camps, childcare…
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The Stoves Of My Life
February 26, 2021
By Tom Poland Early on, my grandmothers cooked on wood-burning stoves and, later, electric ranges. Cooking with electricity. That must have seemed a marvel to them. I never,…
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