The Mystery of Huguenot, Georgia
August 6, 2020
By Tom Poland I grew up unlettered as Huguenots go. That changed much later after I moved to South Carolina. There I drove along Huger and Gervais Street and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
2020 Tacos ‘n Tequila Fiesta to be held in late September
August 4, 2020
The Upstate’s popular festival dedicated to the love of tacos and tequila has a date for 2020, and with added health and safety measures. Tacos ‘n Tequila Fiesta will be…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: hospitality, life, on-the-move
First-ever, free Drive-Through S.C. State Fair to be held Oct. 20-21, 2020
July 29, 2020
In an effort to give back to the community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit South Carolina State Fair will host its first-ever free, Drive-Through S.C. State Fair…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: agriculture, life, non-profit, on-the-move
Tallulah Point Outlook, Part One
July 23, 2020
By Tom Poland An Enduring Icon Endures No More In that precious time of boyhood summers, our family would drive from Lincoln County, Georgia, to the North Carolina…
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Ghost Stories
July 14, 2020
By Tom Poland Great Aunt Annie, long buried in some graveyard up Asheville way, told me ghost stories when I was a boy. I’d sit by a hissing wood…
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Saws, Maters, & Men Long Gone
July 8, 2020
By Tom Poland Growing up in eastern Georgia deep in pines, I wakened to the wail of chainsaws six days a week. Yellow McCullochs and red Poulans sliced through…
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Virtual Reedy River Duck Derby to be held in one week
July 2, 2020
The Reedy River Duck Derby will be held on July 11, but not in the way most Greenville residents are used to. There will be no rubber ducks going over…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, non-profit, on-the-move
Fried Green Tomatoes
July 2, 2020
By Tom Poland My back-road explorations take me to little eateries tucked neatly in the middle of nowhere, whistle-stop places. Country folks run these deep-fried, lonely roadside stops so…
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The Outhouse Flower
June 25, 2020
By Tom Poland I remember Mom talked of a flower with a strange name, hollyhocks. She talked flowers a lot mentioning dahlias, Cape jasmines, which go by jasmines, gardenia,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, the-arts
High Spirits Hospitality’s Tammy Johnson wins GSA Woman of Influence
June 18, 2020
Tammy Johnson, CEO and owner of High Spirits Hospitality, was named a GSA Woman of Influence on Wednesday. Johnson was born in Houston, but moved to Greenville in 2009, where…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move
Grace Will Lead Us Home: A Compelling Guide to Understanding the Emanuel Church shootings
June 17, 2020
By Reba Hull Campbell Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home”…
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A Childhood, The Biography of a Place
June 17, 2020
By Tom Poland The book is 9.25 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and less than an inch thick. Its 182 pages present a world well-fed folks can only guess…
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Just One Great Adventure
June 11, 2020
By Tom Poland On my way back I crossed Clarks Hill Lake twice. In soft early evening light, the water lay like a mirror. Smooth as glass as we…
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Woods, Waters, and Flowers
June 3, 2020
By Tom Poland A botanical superstar lives in the South. It’s exquisite, ephemeral, and periled, in that much of its habitat lies beneath lakes. I’m writing about the rocky…
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Reedy River Duck Derby to go virtual this summer
May 28, 2020
The Reedy River Duck derby will have a new twist this year – it will be virtual rubber ducks going over the falls this July 11. Rotary Club of the…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: life, non-profit, on-the-move
2020 Tacos n’ Tequila Fiesta postponed for crowd safety
May 27, 2020
To protect the hungry, taco-loving crowd of Greenville and guarantee an unforgettable time for all, the annual Tacos ‘n Tequila Fiesta has been postponed until further notice. As one of…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: hospitality, life, on-the-move
Quarantine Heartbreak
May 25, 2020
By Tammy Davis Part Ten of The Corona Chronicles Part Nine here Part Eight here Part Seven here Part Six here Part Five here Part Four here Part Three here Part Two here Part One here After…
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If At First You Don’t Succeed
May 25, 2020
By Tom Poland Among my father’s passions were birds and woodworking. He made bluebird boxes in his workshop and mounted them around home. He loved hummingbirds and looked for…
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Junkyard Beauty
May 18, 2020
By Tom Poland One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s true. We live in a throwaway society and junkyard junkies seek bargains. Making use of discards is frugal.…
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The Pull Of Beauty
May 13, 2020
By Tom Poland Over the last five years, I’ve developed two traditions I plan to never break. Come March and come May, I drop everything and head to three…
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Buzzard Luck
May 6, 2020
By Tom Poland A searing, sweaty summer day … just as my friend leaned over to pick up his dropped keys, his glasses slid onto the asphalt and cracked.…
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Had Harry Sat Here
April 30, 2020
By Tom Poland Rain, rain, and more rain. It hasn’t been a biblical forty days and forty nights but sure seems like it. A record sopping-wet winter has creeks…
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Buddy bear.
April 30, 2020By Cathy Rigg Monetti There are a thousand reasons, I suppose, we are obsessed with the bear. He’s beautiful, for one. Big, and healthy, with a full shiny coat…
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High As A Georgia Pine
April 16, 2020
By Tom Poland The South and its vernacular, love it and never lose it. Seems to me, we have the finest, most colorful expressions. Yes, Southerners have a flair…
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Be well.
April 16, 2020By Cathy Rigg Monetti YESTERDAY WE AWOKE to a strange and beautiful scene. It was 5:55 a.m., and through our east window we saw that slight but gorgeous glow…
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House Arrest Haircuts
April 8, 2020
By Tom Poland Nancy’s eyes betrayed frustration and fear. “I can’t cut your hair right now. I’ve got to close.” Early April 2020, the year of perfect vision, what…
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When a House Became a Home Fifty Years Ago Today
April 8, 2020
By Reba Hull Campbell Fifty years ago today, a young family moved into a house they had just built. Nothing spectacular about this. It’s an event as American as apple…
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Duke Endowment announces $1.25 million gift to One SC Fund: COVID-19 Response
April 3, 2020
First round of grants distributed to five local nonprofits The Duke Endowment approved $2.5 million to support Carolinians impacted by the coronavirus crisis. In South Carolina, $1.25 million of the…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: health-care, life, non-profit, on-the-move
Ways to Cope During Social Distancing
April 2, 2020By Cathy Rigg Monetti THERE IS SO MUCH TO SAY, and also nothing to say, about the feels we’re all experiencing during this scary, awful pandemic. It reminds me of…
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This Silent Strange Spring
April 1, 2020
By Tom Poland Spring’s springing. I put my hummingbird feeders up for soon the feathered jets will arrive. My azaleas burst into living color as Disney phrased it, and…
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Hauling Up Water
March 26, 2020
By Tom Poland The cold water hurt my teeth, and it didn’t come from a cooler. Nor a faucet. There was no faucet. My grandparents cranked a windlass, lowering…
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The Wonder Of Woods And Waters
March 19, 2020
By Tom Poland Remembering & Thanking Harry Hampton Fall 1980, a St. Andrews Columbia office park known as Dutch Plaza teems with activity. We’re packing up files, desks, cameras,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: environmental, life, the-arts
A Genuine Barber Shop
March 11, 2020
By Tom Poland My great uncle cut my hair when I was growing up in Lincolnton, Georgia. That would be Waymon Walker, Granddad’s brother. Walker’s Barbershop of white concrete…
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Top Grossing Movies – March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 03/06/2020 to 03/12/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 Onward 1 $39,119,861 $39,119,861 2 The Invisible Man 2 $15,132,340 $52,675,910 3 The…
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The Dignity Found In Abandonment
March 4, 2020
By Tom Poland As you drive from here to there in a rush, how many times have you turned around to stop at an abandoned store? I do that…
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Sylvan Learning Center offering math games and pizza for National Pi Day
March 3, 2020
Sylvan Learning Centers across the Upstate are bringing you the true meaning of National Pi Day this year. Centers in Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg will be offering free math games…
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Top Grossing Movies – March 2, 2020
March 2, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 02/28/2020 to 03/05/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 The Invisible Man 1 $28,205,665 $28,205,665 2 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 $16,261,393 $128,555,045…
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Doodling In the Dust
February 27, 2020
By Tom Poland Homes perch on rock piers in a forgotten land called Abandonment, but as that old Elton John song goes, they’re still standing. Now modern homes with…
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Top Grossing Movies – February 24, 2020
February 24, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 02/21/2020 to 02/27/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 $26,192,294 $106,493,965 2 The Call Of The Wild 1…
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BRIGHT+CO CEO Jennifer Sutton honored as 2020 Woman of Influence
February 20, 2020
BRIGHT+CO Marketing Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Sutton has been recognized as one of the Upstate South Carolina region’s Women of Influence by GSA Business Report. Nominated by readers…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: business-services, conversations, life, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move, philanthropy
Remembering A Journalist
February 20, 2020
By Tom Poland He didn’t like to fly, but he traveled the world, missing the South always. When he was in some country afar and by chance heard a…
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Reedy River Duck Derby upping its game to 12,000 ducks
February 20, 2020
After surpassing 10,000 ducks adopted the past two years, the Rotary Club of the Reedy River Greenville is raising its goal to 12,000 in 2020. That means more opportunities for…
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Top Grossing Movies – February 19, 2020
February 19, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 02/14/2020 to 02/20/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 Sonic The Hedgehog 1 $58,018,348 $70,002,074 2 Birds Of Prey 2 $17,172,686 $61,859,171…
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Camps Show Students Their Future
February 13, 2020
By Tom Poland Hands-On Learning, Real Learning, Fun Learning The blue lake, white sands, and green trees of summer camps live on as I recall days at Rock…
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Top Grossing Movies – February 10, 2020
February 10, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 02/07/2020 to 02/13/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 Birds Of Prey 1 $33,010,017 $33,010,017 2 Bad Boys For Life 4 $12,011,355…
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Down South
February 5, 2020
By Tom Poland Window To The Past The old window looks out on Highway 25. The view at best is limited. Standing behind the window, you’d peer through iron…
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Mardi Gras Columbia Festival and Parade set for February 22 at City Roots
February 5, 2020
The 10th annual Mardi Gras Columbia Festival and Parade will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at City Roots urban farm in Columbia’s Rosewood neighborhood. Hosted by the festival’s…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: food, life, on-the-move, the-arts
First Greenville Venue Crawl to highlight area’s leading event spaces
February 4, 2020
Engaged couples and event planners are invited to experience a mock-event setting in some of Greenville’s most elegant spaces this Sunday, February 9. The Greenville Venue Crawl, organized by High…
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Top Grossing Movies – February 3, 2020
February 3, 2020
Theatrical grosses from comScore Week of 01/31/2020 to 02/06/2020 Rank Title Weeks Weekend Gross Cumulative 1 Bad Boys For Life 3 $17,682,959 $148,059,490 2 1917 6 $9,497,235 $119,083,624 3 Dolittle…
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Lost In Amethyst Country
January 29, 2020
By Tom Poland Another world entire hides along lesser-traveled roads. Do yourself a favor. Look for it. The day after Christmas I drove to Tignall, Georgia, to…
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