We’re Sending You To …

  May 3, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   In the 1960s my father visited the Central State Hospital in Georgia. He may have gone to visit a relative. I recall a heated family gathering…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

The Joy Of Scholarships

  April 26, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland After high school I hoped to land a scholarship to play football. I played first unit on the junior varsity team and started three years on the…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

The Green Of Winter

  April 13, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Pine pollen yellows my deck, but the green of winter colors my thoughts. Two things I like about winter. One, winter’s cold bones lay the land…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

Thirty Years—The Mountains To The Sea

  April 6, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   I remember the year well. 1984. It was my first year working as a staff writer for South Carolina Wildlife. I had just spent six years…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, non-profit, the-arts

S.C. Arts Commission announces additions, change to team

  April 5, 2023

The South Carolina Arts Commission welcomed to its team two new program directors who are tasked with serving South Carolina’s individual artists (#SCartists) and facilitating arts initiatives in rural communities.…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: on-the-move, the-arts

A Walk In Winter Woods

  March 29, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   I like boardwalks. Those that take you through protected natural areas. Several come to mind. The lovely boardwalk at Woods Bay takes you 1,150 feet through…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

We Need Tree Scholars

  March 23, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland The January-February 2023 issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine ran my story on Edgefield County’s Curryton Magnolia. The old tree’s close to being a state record magnolia…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

A Writer’s Moon Tide Memories

  March 16, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   It seems like yesterday though it was forty-five years. I took a job as a scriptwriter-cinematographer with the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department. I…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

A Story Of Music, Trees, And Family

  March 8, 2023
Tom Poland

By Two Sons Of The American South   On a January day in 2019 I met Chuck Leavell in Georgia’s geographic center. We met to write a magazine cover story.…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

South Carolina State Fair announces 67% increase in scholarship funds

  March 7, 2023

The South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, announces a 67 percent increase in awards for its 2023 annual Ride of Your Life Scholarship program. For the first…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: agriculture, education, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts

Cyberwoven wins three ADDYs at the 2023 AAF Midlands Awards Gala

  March 6, 2023

Cyberwoven, a full-service brand, marketing, and web agency, announces its win of three American Advertising Federation (AAF) Awards (ADDYs) at this year’s AAF Midlands Awards Gala. The agency won for…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: business-services, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move, the-arts

Upcountry History Museum Exhibit showcases Kenny Rogers’ talents

  March 1, 2023

Say the name Kenny Rogers and the first things that come to mind are songs and television movies. The Upcountry History Museum – Greenville County, a Smithsonian Affiliate, offers a…

Read More

Posted in: upstatebizsc   Category: churches, education, entertainment, hospitality, media, music, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts

Rivers I Cross

  February 24, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Rivers make me say things out loud. As I drive alone over a river I often say its name. In fact, some rivers’ names beg to…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

The Word Merchant Highway

  February 16, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Upon taking a writing position long ago, the boss of bosses shot me a sideways look, “So, you’re a word merchant.” Clever, I thought, but as…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

SC Arts Advocacy Week is February 13-17

  February 14, 2023

The South Carolina Arts Alliance (SCAA) is hosting SC Arts Advocacy Week, February 13-17. The annual event brings arts practitioners and supporters together to celebrate the universal impact of the…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: on-the-move, the-arts

The Forsaken Land 

  February 10, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Kudzu covered its outbuildings. The farm was lonesome so I turned around and stopped to visit it. Right off I saw a dusty mule collar hanging…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

The Colors Of Childhood

  February 2, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   I haven’t seen the old homeplace in a while. Not my homeplace, mind you, my childhood friend’s. That would be Sweetie Boy, he of the sweet…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

The Bygone Era Of Refinement

  January 27, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Previous eras impress me. When I tour historic homes, for instance, the refined lifestyle their owners enjoyed stands in marked contrast to lifestyles today. The presence…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

Greenville Jewish Film Festival reveals 2023 lineup

  January 24, 2023

The Greenville Jewish Film Festival announces its lineup of films for its 3rd annual SpringFest event – March 9, 11 and 12 – at the Greenville ONE Center in downtown Greenville.…

Read More

Posted in: upstatebizsc   Category: on-the-move, the-arts

Fear Of Flying

  January 19, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   It’s a good thing titles cannot be copyrighted. With apologies to Erica Jong, I title this self-confessional column, “Far of Flying.” I cannot say I fear…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

The Dignified Mule

  January 12, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Like Halley’s Comet, I’m predictable. I come around to the same subject matter every so often. When I do, it’s because something triggered memories. A few…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

The Lost Art Of Making Do

  January 5, 2023
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   He was twenty-six when the Great Depression arrived, thirty-six when it ended. A decade of doing without taught him something about survival. “Keep something seven years…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

An Effigy Of Rock

  December 8, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Something like sixty years had passed since I saw it. This time, however, I saw it from above. The WPA built a beautiful tower of stone…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

Amazon Books editors announce 2022’s Best Books of the Year

  November 30, 2022

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow named best book of 2022 The Amazon Books Editors announced their selections for the Best Books of 2022, naming Gabrielle Zevin’s novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: on-the-move, the-arts

Upcountry History Museum receives SC Humanities grant

  November 21, 2022

The Upcountry History Museum – Greenville County, a Smithsonian Affiliate, announced that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the South Carolina Humanities. Selected as one of 16 cultural…

Read More

Posted in: upstatebizsc   Category: economic-development, entertainment, marketing-and-communications, media, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts

Pancho Villa’s Fighting South Carolina Gamecocks

  November 21, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland I’ll file this column under the category, Fowl History. Did Mexican Revolutionary War General, Pancho Villa, ride a train to Calhoun Falls, South Carolina to buy fighting…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

The Relentless Grind

  November 17, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Football’s Hidden Injuries Winter Haven Florida, February 1996—I covered Cypress Gardens’ 60th anniversary for Ski World magazine. It was Florida’s oldest theme park, one where Southern…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

Mud, Crushed Granite, And Memories

  November 10, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   Nostalgia pulled at me hard. On the second Sunday in September, I decided to see three things that were no more. And so I drove up…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, the-arts

Aluminum, Glass, Rum, War, & Hemingway

  November 3, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   When Timelines Cross The vessels resemble, cousins of a sort, my worn canteen and its shiny glass companion. The two came to me by dissimilar routes.…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts

Drowning The Past

  October 27, 2022
Tom Poland

By Tom Poland   What We’ve Lost I spent a lot of time on Clarks Hill Lake (Strom Thurmond Lake), during my teenage and college years. I camped, boated, and…

Read More

Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts