TheState.com: Carolina Life

Carolina Life: Baptisms at Finlay Park bring sense of rebirth to the needy

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:25 EDT

“I feel great. I feel relieved. I feel renewed. I feel refreshed.”

That was 38-year-old Juan Venerable’s reaction after being baptized by Jonathan Phillip Arnold Jr., 20, at Finlay Park in Columbia.

Every Wednesday evening for the past four years, Christians have gathered at Finlay Park with a desire to serve Columbia’s inner-city homeless. They come from different churches and a variety of denominations.

On break at work one day, Arnold of Columbia said he prayed, “‘Lord, I fed ’em. I’ve loved them. I fellowshipped with them. I’ve washed their feet. What more can I do to these people that would just praise you?”

“One word came to mind,” Arnold recalled. “Baptism.”

Carolina Life | Recycled fashion hits runway

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:19 EDT

It’s an organic process.

Beginning with bubble wrap and shredded paper, employees of Studio 2LR were creating a fashion masterpiece from recyclable materials.

Architects by day and fashion designers by lunch hour, the employees were stapling, stuffing and weaving the garbage to compete in this year’s Runaway Runway Fashion Show, sponsored by the Columbia Design League.

“It’s a fashion show where all of the materials are recycled,” said Design League board member Rhett Anders. “All of the designers are local talent.”

Seventeen-year-old Magill Thomas, above left, and 19-year-old Jessika Harlin, both of Columbia and dressed in their recycled runway outfits, wait for the results following the fashion show.

Carolina Life | USC sports excites tailgating pals

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:52 EDT

The question hangs in the air alongside the smell of hot dogs on the grill. Pre-game music blares from Ron Stevenson’s Gamecock van. Garnet and black decorate every inch of outdoor space.

“Good Lord, how many days a year do we tailgate?”

With help from his pals, Stevenson begins to tally. The group doesn’t have enough fingers and toes.

“Twelve in football, without a doubt. If we’re on a road trip, add another five days to that. Now we’re up to 17 days.”

What about baseball season?

Carolina Life | 90-something sisters still in prime time

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:50 EDT

If living a long life is in the genes, then the Anderson sisters got a heaping helping of heredity.

Rebecca Callcott, 99, and Nancy Self, 95, helping Rebecca put on her necklace — along with surviving sisters, 97-year-old twins Frances “Frank” Hart of Conway and Mary Motte Herbert of Johns Island — still are living active lifestyles.

The sisters grew up in Ninety Six. Their father was three months shy of his 108th birthday when he died.

Nancy, widowed in 1955, and Rebecca — or “Bec,” as Nancy calls her — have lived together since the early 1970s, after Rebecca’s husband died. They now live at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community in West Columbia, and according to some of their friends, they are hard to keep up with.

Rebecca is the reader; Nancy is the goer. Nancy still drives, so the two go to their circle meeting at Washington Street United Methodist Church and various other activities. In January, they drove to the polls and voted, using electronic voting machines for the first time.

Audio slideshow | Bright lights, big voices

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:08 EST

A tap of the foot leads to a clap of the hands and a voice leads others in a rising symphony of sound. It resonates across the wooden church pews, echoes through the sanctuary and spills out the doors. Sometimes, the music is loud enough that you can feel the beat in your chest. And with Gospel music, you’re guaranteed to feel it in your soul.

On a recent Sunday, dozens of worshippers filled Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia for a Black History Old Timey Gospel Jubilee Celebration. Performers from as far away as Anderson and as close as Columbia — like Sharon Mack-Brown, above — performed as worshippers joined in singing songs that date back generations.

There are numerous Gospel music sub genres, growing from the roots of the early African-American experience. Slaves, forbidden to play or sing their native music, created rhythmic call and response songs to ease the grind of hard labor. After the Civil War, the songs evolved into spirituals and hymns.

“It’s always important to remember where we came from and the music we grew up with and the importance of this music,” says Loretta Coleman, who organized the event.

— Erik Campos,

Jazzy friends share the spotlight

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:33 EST

Best friends — like 10-year-old Janiya Kinard, left, and 9-year-old Cicely Wise, rehearsing before their Feb. 4 performance — do a lot of things together.

That includes facing the bright stage lights while sharing a singing part in Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School’s Black History performance of “We Haz Jazz.”

The production was a showcase of fourth- and fifth-graders singing, dancing, stepping and acting their way through the birth of jazz music.

“Janiya is one of my best friends,” Cicely said. “We play at recess together. We sing together at school. If the teacher says we can, we work together. We have lots of fun together.”

The girls gain courage through their friendship. About singing with Cicely, Janiya says, “‘It’s real cool because she makes me feel real confident.”

30 years of long lines at Andy’s Deli

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:30 EST

Molly Flynn was perhaps destined to be a lifelong regular at Andy’s Deli in Five Points.

“I’ve been coming here since I was little, he actually sent my mom a sandwich in the hospital when she was having me!” Flynn says of owner, Andy Shlon.

“Hello, my friend!” says Shlon, greeting regular customer Cubby Culbertson. Shlon, who opened Andy’s Deli in Five Points in 1978, greets all of his male customers with an enthusiastic “Hello, my friend!” and all of his female customers with “Hello, my dear!”

A native of Beirut, Lebanon, Shlon moved to America in 1967 to attend college and went to work at another Five Points deli institution, Groucho’s, for 11 years before striking out on his own.

Over the past three decades, the deli has garnered a loyal following, who first come for the good food but regularly return for Shlon’s customer-first attitude.

Carolina Life | Loads of fun

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:04 EST

Many come to the laundromat simply to do laundry. Some folks come to Suds Super Laundromat Bar and Grill — one of the few Columbia laundromats to serve alcohol — to enjoy a cold beer and the wailing of the jukebox.

But to 4-year-old India Hampton, above, and her 9-year-old sister, Paris Cobin, laundry time is playtime.

Nothing beats the fun of sailing past towering appliances on a four-wheeled laundry cart. Whether they’re racing, pushing each other or being pushed by a family member, the girls have a blast. With the wind blowing through their hair and the colorful clusters of clothes spinning rhythmically in the bellies of the machines, the laundromat is transformed into a magical playground.

Of the different laundromats the girls visit, Suds is their favorite. They love the laid-back atmosphere, the large aisles and, of course, the candy machines. Especially the candy machines.

To some, going to the laundromat is a chore. To others, it is a bore. These children say, “Let’s play some more.”

A short, sweet life

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:12 EST

There once was a gingerbread woman named Star.

She lived in a beautiful house covered with sugarcoated gumdrops, M&Ms of all colors and a multitude of marshmallows. A beautiful green cookie wreath decorated her home for the holidays. An upside-down ice cream cone adorned with colorful, sprinkle ornaments accentuated the chocolate Teddy Graham roof.

As one might imagine, the gingerbread woman had a bedroom of decadent luxury. She slept on a bed of soft marshmallows. Each morning, she awoke to the sight of candy furniture and the sweet smell of sugary treats.

It would seem that Star could do anything she wanted to pass the time in her gingerbread dream world.

But that’s when 5-year-old Jasmine Sheed from Pelion, homebuilder extraordinaire, crushed all of the gingerbread woman’s dreams. Star is sentenced to a life of cleaning. No fun and games for the cookie woman. She must clean up the crumbs and sticky icing that were the structure of her haven.

Santa in the sandhills

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:08 EST

In a far-off land called The Village at Sandhill, at a place referred to as Town Center Commons, marked by three roads that merge by a large fountain, stands a quaint little cottage where Santa can be seen.

The crowds remain steady as frantic shoppers slow down for a few minutes so their children can visit the white-bearded man in the red suit.

The atmosphere is filled with excitement and magic that, for many of these young visitors, will stay in the air long past that special morning after Santa has visited. Children crowd around the door outside the small house, watching in anticipation, waiting until it’s their turn to spill wishes onto Santa’s lap.

Three-year-old Hanna Kyzer of Winnsboro, left, and her 4-year-old cousin Erin Wilson of Blythewood are startled and giggle loudly when Santa taps the glass door they have been spying through.

“I like Christmas because I like to play with Santa Claus and get new presents, and it’s baby Jesus’ birthday,” said Erin.

What an amazing adventure

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:06 EST

When John and Sue Carroll took their four children from their Blythewood home to the corn maze in Lexington, they made only one wrong turn getting there. But the errant turns multiplied once they began their trek through the Pirate’s Treasure Adventure maze at Clinton Sease Farms.

Cut into an 8-acre corn field, the maze has become a fall tradition for families and groups since its inception in 2004. It was the idea of Clinton Sease’s daughter, Carrie, to create the maze. With a little more than three miles of paths, the maze is open in September through the middle of November each year. This year, more than 10,000 people visited.

Each year’s maze has a theme. This year, it was shaped like a pirate’s ship. As visitors make their way through, they carry a map that is red to the naked eye. But with the help of special decoding glasses placed throughout the maze, their location and path are revealed. At other locations, visitors learn about the history and customs of Caribbean pirates.

Left, right, left, right, right, left. ... For John, Sue, Rachel, Ann, Brent and Amy Carroll, the 1½-hour Saturday afternoon adventure brought excitement, frustration, laughter, tired feet, a sense of accomplishment and a little bit of concern.

“I thought it was going to be nighttime when we got out,” 6-year-old Amy said.

Thousands enjoy incredible view

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

As the weather turns chilly and leaves begin turning color, autumn aficionados make their way up the winding, seven-mile-long road to Caesars Head State Park in northwest South Carolina.

From atop this granite peak — more than 3,200 feet above sea level — about 250,000 people a year scramble from their cars and motorcycles to the park overlook for the view.

Spectacular vistas unfold.

Tree-covered foothills, awash in hues of red and yellow, resemble colorful waves splashing against the base of the mountains. Raptors soar on unseen currents of air. The summits of Table Rock and Pinnacle mountains loom in the distance as the hardwood Dismal Forest stretches for miles beneath the lookout.

Sightseers snap camera shutters at friends and family lining the fence, and point to the city of Greenville in the distance.

Fishin’ with a mission

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 07:32 EDT

To some, it’s just a sunken boat. To 11-year-old Michael “Little Mike” Archie, center, and his friends, William Crawford, 6, left, and Mark Dennis, 9, it’s the best fishing hole in the world.

Only a two-minute walk from Little Mike’s house, and the fun begins. He borrows hooks, weights and corks, and gets worms any way he can. Little Mike is on a mission to catch the Big One. Maybe the biggest one ever from the pond in the Greenlakes subdivision.

Oh yeah, he’s caught some big ones. Some of the best-looking bream in the pond. Double-hand-size bream. Bream so pretty it makes the whole neighborhood proud.

There’s no place Little Mike would rather be than on that water, throwing out his line and waiting. Waiting for the next beauty that comes along.

C. Aluka Berry

Cooking class

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

Anne Reynolds occasionally gets a group of 20-something women with various cooking skills together to have a cooking class at the Happy Cafe inside the Happy Bookseller on Forest Drive. It starts with the wine and ends with pictures of young children.

-- Rich Glickstein

Baby steps to swimming

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 06:53 EDT

“Scoop and kick, scoop and kick, scoop and kick!”

Swim instructor Katie Brasier repeats the phrase as she glides through the wading area of the junior Olympic-sized pool. The Greer Natatorium at Columbia College is filled with sounds of splashing and encouragement.

This recent morning, Brasier’s swim class has four toddlers accompanied by their mothers. The first day of each summer session, she tells the kids the pool is filled with ice cream. She sets them to the task of cupping their miniature hands and scooping it all out.

Two-year-old Shawn Devlin of Columbia isn’t buying it. He and his mom, Kristen Reid, above, listen to Brasier’s instructions before venturing off the wall.

“I probably should have put him in last year,” Reid says. “That way, he would have been acclimated to the water this year. He likes getting in the water, just not swimming.”

Remembering a dear and fuzzy friend

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

About 25 minutes east of Columbia, just off U.S. 21, the sun eases down as a best friend is laid to rest. Rachel Robinson Geddings, 15, says goodbye to “the sweetest cat ever.”

One-year-old Tama was hit by a car while crossing a street in their West Columbia neighborhood.

Pet Haven Cemetery co-owner Denise Heaton spills the red Sandy Run clay on the small casket as Rachel remembers the last days with the companion she described as a Garfield look-alike.

“If we buried him at home and moved we wouldn’t be able to come back and visit,” Rachel said, the wind blowing through her red, ruffled skirt. “I just wish I’d had a chance to say goodbye.”

— C. Aluka Berry

A taste of South Carolina

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

Signs marked in heavy ink sprout along U.S. 321 a half mile before pointing you west on County Road 39. In the dirt lot behind the old Scotia, S.C., post office you’ll find fresh cucumbers, squash and boiled peanuts. And most days you’ll find Jack Cooke.

The 49 year-old sells veggies to anyone stopping by. During summer, the signs tempt out-of-state beachgoers to try a taste of South Carolina. The locals honk before they stop to pick up a tomato or a bag of homegrown peanuts.

“They come all the way from New York to Florida,” Cooke says. He estimates 15-20 vehicles stop each day at his small stand. He makes change from a faded Crown Royal bag and extends credit to regulars.

Five years ago, Cooke worked in the produce section of a grocery store in Hampton, 18 miles away. On the night of Sept. 8, 2002 Cooke was biking home from work when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Suffering a compound fracture to his left ankle, his left leg was eventually amputated below the knee.

Now using a prosthesis, he mans his roadside produce stand with a cane and a smile for all who pass. He brags about the large squash and tomatoes he grows in a garden next door — they’re two for a dollar. A cold can of soda is fifty cents, and in the time it takes to drink it, he’ll tell you how he parches peanuts in the microwave.

Finding real solitude - in a belly boat

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

“A lot of people think that I’m a buoy.”

That’s how 39-year-old Scott Altenburg of Pelion describes people’s reaction when he’s in his belly boat fishing on area lakes. A belly boat is an inflatable horseshoe shaped tube with a seat and compartments to store fishing tackle. The fisherman wears flippers on his feet to propel the tube through the water.

First exposed to the belly boat on a fishing trip to Colorado with his dad 12 years ago, it has now become almost an obsession with Altenburg.

Quietly paddling around the coves and shoreline in search of fish, he encounters wildlife most boaters don’t see.

“I’ve seen turkeys, deer, rabbits and bobcats. You really get to enjoy wildlife. You’re so much more at peace with your surroundings.”

The patient wait for ‘Mr. Wiggums’

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

Every 45 minutes or so, 6-year-old Noelle Smith snuggles up to her mommy’s tummy and rubs it in small circular motions.

Inside is her baby brother and she can’t wait for him to come out and play.

“Wake up, Mr. Wiggums,” she says, and sure enough, he does, responding to her touch with frequent kicking.

In the evenings she reads him bedtime stories, and she has big plans to “play with him and teach him stuff like how to climb.”

For a 6-year-old, the baby was a long time coming. But Noelle had every confidence he would arrive, even before her mom knew she was pregnant.

Waiting is the fun part for little grads

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35 EST

After putting on his gown, 6-year-old Dylan Richbourg, second from right, struggled with the longest zipper he’d ever encountered.

He then succumbed to what happens to any little boy who has sat still for a long, long time. His shiny blue mortarboard became a guitar, and he pretended to play a rock tune on the flat hat, the long white strands of the tassel moving like vibrating guitar strings. Classmates Jason Page, far right, and Blake Rimmer, second from left, joined in. It was the end of a long, exciting day and the graduating kindergartners of Grace Christian School had to sit still for just a bit longer before actually doing what they had practiced numerous times over the past week.

“We practiced with caps and gowns, without caps and gowns, we practiced and practiced,” Adam Steffen, far left, said.

Youthful imaginations ran wild.

“Some of my friends were saying we were graduating from a haunted house school. Other times we played we were graduating from a ninja school,” added classmate Blake Rimmer.