Greer Citizen E-Edition 12.28.16

The Greer Citizen
SOUTH CAROLINAS PREMIER WEEKLY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016
GREER, SOUTH CAROLINA VOL. 103 NO. 52 75 CENTS
JANUARY
Waters Retires
A FINAL LOOK AT 2016
he holidays are nearly over and

its almost time to ring in 2017.
But before we move on to a new
year, The Greer Citizen is taking
a look back at the year that was in
2016. Many exciting events, interesting people and breaking headlines
captured the thoughts of our readers over the past 12 months. Whether it was a big game or an important
piece of news, its been the newspapers goal to provide accurate, honest and persistent coverage.
SEPTEMBER
Wesley Wins Lottery
MAY
Here are some of 2016s biggest

local stories:
Byrnes Construction
JANUARY
WATERS RETIRES AFTER
40 YEARS IN EDUCATION
In January, after more than 40

years in education, Greer High School
Principal Marion Waters called it a
career. Waters finished up his 45th
year in the field of education, and is
now enjoying his retirement.
I started thinking about an exit
strategy a year or two back, he
said at the time. You always want
to leave when all the indicators are
positive and things are on top, and
I think thats the case here. I knew
it was a good time. Id like to have
enough time, with the remaining
chapters of my life, to be able to
do some things Ive deferred in doingmaybe some travel, hunting or
fishing, things like that.
At Greer, he was a teacher and
coach from 1974-1985. He then
served as an assistant principal, before moving to Greer Middle School
in 1986. He returned to Greer High
as principal in 1994.
JULY
STEP Opens
FEBRUARY
In February, Duncan Town Council voted to move forward with construction of a new fire station at the
corner of Madison Avenue and Old
Spartanburg Highway in Lyman. The
Duncan Fire Department services
the City of Wellford. The Town of
Duncan also hired Cameron Fant as
a full-time administrator in March.
Fant had been serving as assistant
administrator since January. A CPA,
Fant previously worked in Woodruff
where he served as the finance director.
Greer OKs Tube Dudes
NGU PURCHASES
FORMER RYANS RESTAURANT
In March, North Greenville University purchased property

that formerly served as the
corporate office for Ryans restaurant in Greer.
The 31,000-square-footbuilding, located at
405 Lancaster Ave, will
house the universitys
T. Walter Brashier Graduate School and College
of Adult Professional
Studies (CAPS). The acquisition included the office building, along with
over ten acres of property. Included in the
ten acres was a 1.4acre parcel available
for the schools use
for future development.
APRIL
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL COMES
TO GREER
The sights, smells and sounds of

the globe invaded Greer in April
during the third annual International Festival. More than 20 countries
were represented at the festival, including: Bolivia, Japan, Haiti, Wales,
Algeria, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Germany, China, Colombia, England, Nicaragua, South Africa, Belarus, Senegal, France, India, Northern
Ireland, Bermuda, Mexico and more.
The spring also welcomed back the
annual Pelham Medical Center Greer
Family Fest, which featured Edwin
McCain. It was the 32nd year for
Family Fest.
MAY
DUNCAN CONSTRUCTS
NEW FIRE STATION
NOVEMBER
MARCH
CONSTRUCTION TAKES PLACE

AT BYRNES
In May, crews made significant

progress on a 100,000-square-foot
addition to Byrnes High School,
which should be operational during the first part of 2017, according
to Spartanburg School District Five
officials. The school board toured
the facility in May, which had been
under construction for more than a
year. The construction totals more
than $25 million and will increase
Byrnes capacity from 1,700 to 2,600
students.
It will also add
more than 30
additional
classrooms to the school.
The renovations to
Byrnes are part of
what was originally
a four-phase project,
totaling more than $70
million. After a failed referendum vote, which aimed to pay
for the improvements with an added
tax, District Five was forced to move
forward with the first phase of the
Byrnes project without additional
support. Although District Five was
able to fund the first phase of the
project, the rest of the schools renovations will likely take longer. The
new building features several new
ROTC rooms, science labs and seminar rooms. Renovations to the old
gymnasium have also been accomplished, as well as improvements to
bus routes.
JUNE
PRINCIPAL CHARGED WITH
ASSAULT AND BATTERY
A Blue Ridge high assistant principal was charged with assault

and battery (second degree) in the
SEE 2016 | A2
NATIONAL HEADLINES IN 2016

Some
riotous,
divisive and historic events
shaped national headlines
in 2016.
Here is a look at the happenings that became topics
of debate and discussion
among Americans over the
course of the year.
ORLANDO SHOOTING:
49 KILLED, SHOOTER
PLEDGED ISIS ALLEGIANCE
CNN, June 13
The Orlando shooting
fired off a violent summer
killing dozens of innocent
Americans at a night club.
According to multiple
reports, the suspect, Omar
Mateen, 29, was an American-born man. Mateen
opened fire on a crowd of
night club goers at Pulse
Club, gunning down 49
INDEX
CLASSIFIEDS
COMMUNITY NEWS
CRIME
ENTERTAINMENT
OBITUARIES
OPINION
OUR SCHOOLS
SPORTS
WEATHER
|
B3
A6
A8
B6
A6
A4
B8
B1-2
A6
people in what was called

the deadliest mass shooting in the United States.
Authorities also said
it was the United States
worst attack since September 11.
Mateen, who was from
Fort Pierce, Florida, was
among the dead and had
pledged allegance to ISIS.
Mateen had been interviewed by the FBI during
previous encounters, but
no action was taken.
Mateen was shot and
killed by police after a
standoff that lasted several hours.
BREXIT: DAVID CAMERON

TO QUIT AFTER UK VOTES
TO LEAVE EU
BBC, June 24
The United
DEATHS
Kingdom
Rudolph Maxie Hawkins, 87

Sallie Ree Turner Howell,
96
Mary Christina Baker
Ryman, 82
voted to leave the European Union in June.

Despite efforts by the
leadership in the United
Kingdom to remain, the
exit was confirmed 52 percent to 48 percent.
London, Scotland and
Northern Ireland voted
to stay in the European
Union.
DALLAS SNIPER ATTACK:

5 OFFICERS KILLED,
SUSPECT IDENTIFIED
CNN, July 9
The shooting of several
officers in Dallas made
headlines over the summer.
Police were ambushed
while working a public
protest. As shots began
ringing out, authorities
took on fire before ulti-
mately cornering a suspect. After failing to reach

a safe conclusion, police
decided to detonate a
bomb, killing the subject.
The dead attacker was
identified by police as
25-year-old Micah Xavier
Johnson of Mesquite, Texas.
Authorities
searched
Johnsons home, finding
rifles, bomb-making materials and ammunition.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told CNN Johnson
was the lone shooter in
this incident.
This was a mobile
shooter who had written manifestos on how
to shoot and move, shoot
and move, and thats what
he did, said Rawlings.
Rawlings said investiga-
NOVEMBER
Trump Elected President
PHOTO | COLIN DEMAREST

tors were confused about
who was shooting becasue
20 protestors had been
wearing protective vests.
Police initially stated
that three suspects had

been
questioned,
but
those suspects were later
released.
SEE NATION | A8
SPORTS
A LOOK BACK
A highlight reel
from the year
that was
B1
TO SUBSCRIBE TO
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CALL US TODAY AT 877-2076
NEWS
A2 THE GREER CITIZEN
2016: Year saw beginning of new services, new officials and new art initiative
FROM PAGE ONE
summer after an incident with a teacher at the

school. According to a release, the Greenville County School District notified
investigators with the
Greenville County Sheriffs
Office of an allegation of
sexual harassment. Police
said, through the course
of the investigation, it was
learned that the schools
assistant principal, Tyrone
Talbert, had groped and
fondled a teacher without her consent while on
school grounds. Talbert
was charged and arrested
on June 3 and was transported to the Greenville
County Detention Center.
Talbert was released on
June 4 on a $5,000 bond.
Talbert was employed by
Greenville County Schools
since 2005.
GILLESPIE WINS LYMAN

MAYOR POSITION
Tony Gillespie, a former

Spartanburg County Councilman, beat out Mayor ProTem Tony Wyatt during
a June election, taking 54
percent of the vote (266).
The newcomer was joined
by Glenn Greer, Rick Hellams and Hoyt Dottry,
who also earned seats on
Lyman Council.
JULY
STEP SHELTER OPENS
A project that had been

in the works for well over
a year reached its completion in July. Daily Bread
Ministries hosted an open
house for Greers Shelter to
Empower People (STEP) at
509 E. Poinsett Street, and
a dedication took place in
the courtyard. A 12-week
program was installed at
the facility to help homeless people learn to maintain a job and save money
for a home. Each of the
four apartments has a living area, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Next
door, the soup kitchen has
regular meals for those
struggling with hunger in
Greer.
VOTERS DECIDE
TO UNSEAT INCUMBENTS
Voters decided races

during the summer pri-
maries, and a number of

incumbents were unseated during the Republican
primary runoff. Scott Talley knocked off Lee Bright
to claim the State Senate
District 12 seat, earning
4,861 votes (52 percent)
to Brights 4,562 (48 percent). Talley and Bright
were the top vote getters
in a race that included David McCraw and Duncan
Mayor Lisa Scott, advancing to the runoff. Greenville County Sheriff Steve
Loftis was also defeated
by a challenger, falling to
Will Lewis. Lewis won by
a narrow margin, earning
14,938 votes (51 percent)
to Loftis 14,476 (49 percent), Incumbent Mike Fair
dropped his race to William Timmons in the State
Senate District 6 race. Timmons received 65 percent
of the vote (6,244) while
Fair tallied 3,318 votes.
GREER MOURNS
DALLAS OFFICERS
Mourning the loss of

five Dallas police officers,
Greer city leaders and
members of the community took some time to
pray during a July special
service. Greer Councilman
Wayne Griffin, who organized the service alongside Mayor Rick Danner,
held a similar event at
Maple Creek Missionary
Baptist Church after nine
people were murdered inside a Charleston church
last June.
AUGUST
TAYLORS INCREASES
SEWER USER FEE
Taylors Fire and Sewer

District increased the
sewer user fee in August
to cover rehab costs. The
district approved a 400
percent increase to the
prior fee. Residential units
went from $30 to $120.
The district plans to review the user fee at a later
date with consideration of
lowering the rate.
SENIOR SERVICES
BEGIN AT MTCC
The Middle Tyger Community Center (MTCC) is

planning to offer senior
services. New programming was announced in
August, aiming to serve 25

seniors initially and 200
by 2018. MTCC partnered
with Spartanburg County
Parks Department, Spartanburg Regional Foundation, the Appalachian
Council of Governments
and the S.C. Lt. Governors
Office on the project. Senior services will include:
classes, workshops, group
activities, transportation,
information
assistance,
congregate dining, home
meal delivery and injury
prevention.
CAREER CENTER HIRES

NEW ADMINISTRATION
A new administration
is in place at the J. Harley
Bonds Career Center. Over
the summer, Kimberly
Jones returned to Greer
as the new assistant director, while Mike Parris
joined as the new director.
Jones taught there for 15
years before serving as an
instructional coach for the
four different career centers in Greenville County.
Parris worked as the assistant director at the R. D.
Anderson Applied Technology Center in Spartanburg County prior to joining the team in Greer.
SEPTEMBER
BYRNES RESPONDS
TO THREATS
Spartanburg
District
Five officials were put on
alert after threats were
made against Jewish and
Muslim students at Byrnes
High School in September.
The Spartanburg County
Sheriffs Office notified
District Five administrators that threats had been
made online. Lt. Kevin Bobo
with the sheriffs office released a statement saying
police did not believe the
threatening posts were
credible. Law enforcement
officials patrolled Byrnes
and performed random
sweeps of the campus before students returned.
LOCAL MAN WINS

$1 MILLION LOTTERY
Patrick Wesley went

back to work one day after winning $1 million on
a lottery ticket in September. Wesley told lottery
officials he stopped at the
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his way to work and paid
$10 for a Black Ice Millions ticket. On a break at
the carpentry shop where
he works, he scratched off
the $1 million prize. He
left work with the ticket
and drove straight to Columbia to cash it in. The
Greer winner claimed the
first top prize of $1 million in the $10 Black Ice
Millions game at odds of
1 in 1.6 million. For selling the claimed ticket,
Scotchman 3859 in Greer
received a commission of
$10,000.
GREER SETS
RETAIL SALES RECORDS
The City of Greer continued to set Gross Retail

Sales records, eclipsing
$1,154,134,956
during
the past fiscal year, a September report stated. Of
those sales, $711,739,018
occurred in Greenville
County and $442,395,937
occurred in Spartanburg
County. This represents an
increase of nearly 12 percent compared to 2015.
GREER RELIEF
CELEBRATES 80 YEARS
Greer Relief celebrated

80 years of service in 2016.
The agency found ways to
share its recent successes
with the Greer community
over the past year. In 2016,
Greer Relief assisted 3,927
neighbors in crisis.
OCTOBER
city officials celebrated a

long-awaiting school raising in October. Parents
and other ceremony attendees signed one of the
beams to be placed in the
new building, commemorating the occasion. Greer
Middle College has been
operating out of mobile
facilities behind Greenville
Technical Colleges Greer
campus.
NOVEMBER
TUBE DUDES
COME TO GREER
Tube Dudes are coming to downtown Greer,

and one of them can already be spotted at the
City Hall entrance. The city
announced plans for eight
art sculptures, known as
Tube Dudes, which will be
put in place next year. The
Tube Dude sculptures are
to be covered by the public art funds, which has
accrued over the past few
years with $10,000 annually set aside by the city,
said Steve Owens, Communications Manager. City
Administrator Ed Driggers negotiated a flat cost
of $10,400 for the initial
eight Tube Dude sculptures, and the same price
is available for the next
eight, if desired, Owens
said.
DECEMBER
REYNOLDS RIDES
AS GRAND MARSHAL
OKTOBERFEST RETURNS
TO GREER
After a year off, Oktoberfest returned with a

vengeance to downtown
Greer. The annual event,
hosted by the Greer
Chamber and sponsored
by Greer State Bank and
Greer Station, had to be
cancelled in 2015 because
of weather. But, with clear
skies and more vendor options, Oktoberfest proved
to be alive and well, featuring live entertainment
throughout the event.
Greer Police Chief Dan

Reynolds served as the
Grand Marshal for the
2016 Greer Christmas Parade, hosted by Greer Relief. Reynolds led the parade through downtown.
The 2016 Greer Christmas
Parade featured businesses, clubs, organizations,
churches, schools and
dignitaries, but a cold rain
kept away the two marching bands. The city also
held its annual tree lighting and Breakfast with
Santa.
GMC CELEBRATES
SCHOOL RAISING
GREER TABLES ALLEN

BENNETT SALE UNTIL 2017
Greer Middle College

Charter High School is on
its way to a new building,
as faculty, students and
Greer City Council voted

5-2, in a December meeting, to table the second
reading of an ordinance
that would sell the old Allen Bennett property, located on Wade Hampton
Boulevard at Memorial
Drive Ext. to 313 Memorial
Drive LLC.
JBM Leasing LLC, which
has countered with an offer of its own, was represented at Greer Councils
public forum Tuesday
night prior to the executive session. After the
City of Greer received no
responses for the Allen
Bennett property during
the Request for Proposals
this summer, 313 Memorial Drive LLC and JBM
Leasing LLC submitted
bids. According to court
documents, JBM Leasing
LLC initially offered $1.5
million, and 313 Memorial Drive LLC offered $1.8
million. In the days following, the city advised both
parties to improve their
respective offers, and the
offers each increased by
$300,000. At the regular
Nov. 8 meeting, council
unanimously
approved
for Mayor Rick Danner to
enter into negotiations to
sell a piece of city property. Two weeks later,
after executive session,
council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the conveyance
of any and all interest in
certain real property in
the city of Greer, referencing the sale to 313 Memorial Drive LLC for $2.1
million as Project Forest.
Originally, the first reading was to take place prior
to executive session, but
the agenda was amended.
JBM Leasing presented a
new offer of $2.1 million
prior to the vote. The next
day, Nov. 23, JBM Leasing
increased its offer to $2.2
million, with an additional
$150,000 to be donated
to the city for public park
refurbishment. James Carpenter, an attorney representing Escude, filed a
lawsuit against the City of
Greer due to alleged unfair dealings, bringing to
light negotiations taking
place in executive session
for the sale of the property. At a public hearing
at the Greenville County
Courthouse,
Carpenter
withdrew the plea after
receiving a response from
the city.
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RELIGION
The Greer Citizen
RELIGION: LOOKING BACK AT 2016
ocal churches did a

lot for the community
in 2016. From renovations and relocations to
fundraisers and ministry, it was a busy year for
churches.
Here are a few highlights
from 2016.
FREEDOM FELLOWSHIP
RELOCATES TO THE VINE
Since Freedom Fellowship was founded in March

of 2005, the congregation
has been meeting at Greer
High School every Sunday.
But at the start of 2016,
Freedom Fellowship finally settled into what used
to be The Vine church at
4373 Wade Hampton Blvd.
in Taylors.
The school was a good
fit for us, but we needed a
place to call our own, said
Mark King, who is one of
five elders at the church.
Weve actually been looking for a place for the last
seven years.
The church actually was
given property on Highway
290 several years ago when
another church disbanded.
But when Freedom Fellowship began to look at the
possibility of breaking
ground on the property,
they were shocked to find
out that the cost of grading would be close to halfa-million dollars.
The new location can
seat 250 people comfortably, which is perfect for
the congregation of approximately 175 adults
and 50 to 75 children, who
meet in their own classrooms during the adult
service. The church is also
working on being able to
purchase the small piece
of land located behind the
church in order to make
more room for parking,
although no agreements
have been made yet.
HOPE CHAPEL MOVES TO

NEW SITE ON HIGHWAY 14
In November of 2012,
four families gathered
together to form Hope
Chapel, a church plant affiliated with Harvest Bible
Chapel out of Ohio.
Since then, the church,
led by Pastor Will Lohnes,
has grown to more than
200 people attending last
weeks service. With the
numbers increasing, it
became obvious that the
church was no longer fitting comfortably at their
location next to McLeskey
Todd on Main St. in Greer.
So the church began praying for a new location
where they could permanently settle.
Anyone driving down
Highway 14 in Greer has
probably
noticed
the
large building sitting off
the road just down from
Mutts Bar-B-Q. The building was originally a seafood restaurant owned by
Jeff Brown and his mother,
who both own Lake Bowen
Fish Camp. But the location on Highway 14 never
did quite the amount of
business that Lake Bowen
does, so they decided to
give someone else an opportunity to lease the
property.
When Dominion Church
was looking for a place
to settle, the restaurant
seemed like a good location. The church came in
and renovated the inside
to make it useable as a
church building and was
just starting to get going
there when, due to some
health issues, their pastor
had to resign leaving his
son to take over the ministry. The church decided
that the building was too
much for them and decided to find a new location,
leaving the property available again.
The church agreed that
this was a wonderful location for them exchanging 3,000 square feet for
10,000 square feet and
170 parking spots.
Hope Chapel is now located at 1106 South Highway 14.
PRISON MINISTRY
SHOWS SUCCESS
THE GREER CITIZEN A3
There are very few people who appreciate the

prison ministry of churches like Ebeneezer Welcome Baptist Church like
John Tinsley, but he has
firsthand experience from
both sides.
The system
Christmas for children of

prisoners.
considered me a
throw-away. I know
what could have
happened and
what should have
happened but for
God!
MIZE TAKES ON NEW ROLE

AT GREER FIRST BAPTIST
On April 17, Greer First

Baptist welcomed Doug
Mize as the interim pastor
for the church while they
search for a full-time pastor to lead their congregation.
Mize
most
recently
served as the Discipleship and Evangelism Pastor at Taylors First Baptist
Church from 2006 until
earlier this year, when he
John Tinsley felt God calling him to
step out on faith. Just a
few weeks later, Mize was
At the age of 17, Tins- called to fill in for Greer
ley decided to rob a bank First Baptist and then
by himself and ended asked to minister to the
up shooting the security church on a long-term baguard on duty. The end sis.
results from that nights
Originally from Winstondecision eventually led to Salem, North Carolina,
Doug Mize and Family
a chase with the FBI and Mize always felt called to
a SWAT team, his finger be a pastor. He graduated
shot off, and a murder with a masters and doctorconviction that led to a life ate of ministry in preachsentence in prison.
ing from Southeastern cluded a covered drop off mission trip led by the who sends a container to
Tinsleys wife, Catherine, Baptist Theological Semi- area to keep those who churchs interim pastor, Romania once a year filled
was told by many people nary in Wake Forest, NC, attend services out of the Dr. Gerald Roe, and his with clothing for the misto move on with her life; in 2003.
rain on wet days.
wife, Cheryl.
sionaries in Romania to
but even after only one
He served as a youth
Taylors First Baptist has
My husband and I have hand out to the needy.
and a half years of mar- pastor for a short time in been located at 200 Main been doing mission trips She is going to mark their
riage, she decided that NC before serving as pas- Street in Taylors since for years to Romania, said items specifically for the
divorce was not an option tor of a church in Elgin, SC, 1885.
Roe. This time, we were at gypsy children and will
for her. Their daughter, for six years from 2000 to
what is basically the city ship them free of charge.
Amber, was six years old 2006.
NEW HOPE FREEDOM
dump to distribute fruit to
when Tinsley began servI have always had a SUPPORTS POLICE
the Roma gypsies, and we ABNER CREEK MEETS
ing his life sentence.
profound sense from God
New Hope Freedom noticed that all of the chil- MISSIONS GOAL
The system consid- to love people
and point Church held an event at dren were barefoot and
Teams were in good spirDUETTE ARCHITELLA HONEYCOMB SHADES
ered me a throw-away, them to
life in Christ, said Greer City Park to thank many of the toddlers were its at the fourth annual
said Tinsley. I know what Mize. I am really open to local police officers and to naked. We thought, What Tee It Up for Toronto golf
could have happened and serving however I can by pray for them.
are these kids going to do tournament hosted by Abwhat should have hap- teaching Gods Word and
We just want to reach in the winter? What if we ner Creek Baptist Church
pened
but for
I had
leading
to the
community
of bought some boots?
at the Willow Creek Golf
Available
in a God!
variety
of fabric
stylesteams.
and colors, insulating out
Duette
Architella
a chance at parole, and I
Greer, said Andy Moore
The mission team came Course over the summer.
honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas are an attractive way to help lower your
am indebted to my victim TAYLORS FIRST BAPTIST
of New Hope Freedom back home from their trip
The tournament raised
and cooling
costs. And
thanks toENTRANCE
the federal tax credit
for select energyandheating
his family.
Now I have
RENOVATES
Church.
in July, and the ladies Sun- $5,500 for local missions
efficientcall
products,
and installation
of certain Duette
a genuine
to giveyour
backpurchase
Taylors
First Baptist
Earlier Architella
this year, Greer day school immediately as well as mission efforts
andshades
love people.
Godyou
didto aChurch
opened
more
officers ends
came by the adopted the project as in Peru and Toronto.
may entitle
tax credit
of up toup
$500.
* Thispolice
opportunity
a great
thing 31,
in my
heart
space usaround
This years winners
December
2016,
so contact
today! the wel- church to contribute to their own. They found
and life and made me come center to make the one of their fundraisers, someone who would sell were Ashley Brown, David
want to be a giver and not entrance more visible for and Moore said the church them the boots for $10 a Bland, Daniel Mostiler and
a taker.
visitors and attendees.
is seeking to thank them, pair and even connected Danny McCalister from BeAfter 24 years in a maxiThe project, which was say a prayer for them and with a woman in the state lue Trucking Company.
mum-security
prison, recently completed, is offer the love of Jesus.
Tinsley was released on mostly a face-lift, said
parole in July of 2014 and Phil
Crain,
building/ PELHAM FIRST BAPTIST
immediately set out to giv- grounds manager at the RAISES FUNDS FOR BOOTS
ing back. One of the first church.
The ladies Sunday school
things he wanted to do
Good City Architects, class at Pelham First Bapwas to get involved with an architecture and inte- tist Church was on a misAngel Tree, which gathers rior design firm based in sion to buy 240 pairs of
gifts from the people and Greenville, has completed waterproof boots for gypbusinesses in the com- the design of renovations.
sy children in Romania.
munity to help provide
The biggest change inThe idea No
came
after
a No Add On Fees No Lease Flexibility
Deposit
Greer First Baptist
3 col. x 8
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OPINION
The Greer Citizen
Betty would approve
y mother might not have had the

chiseled body of Madonna, but
man o man, in her prime, she had
a forearm like Popeye. She had to in
order to tackle her yearly holiday cakes.
This Christmas, the first without Mom,
has me bound and determined to bake
(you have no idea how distressing that
four-letter word is to me) as near as I
can to the delicious, traditional, English
fruitcake that was roundly beloved and
devoured by family and friends and
passed down from her own mother.
Now before you grimace at the
thought of that particular F bomb, let
me make this clear: We are not talking
the fruitcake that has been the object
of scorn and re-gifting in the United
States. It is not gooey or shaped like a
brick, remaining so as it negotiates your
colon. In short, this is not your fathers
fruitcake.
This piece of old-fashioned heaven,
hailing from Yorkshire and often iced in
England with marzipan, but left bare in
IM JUST
SAYING
PAM STONE
the Stone household, is a sort of coarser
pound cake, and not as moist. Whole
wheat flour, for the nutty flavor, is preferred in my own adaptation, and with
it, a cup of butter, a cup of brown sugar,
four eggs, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg,
with a few cups of chopped nuts and
mixed dried fruit: apricots, currents,
cherries.
The butter and sugar are beaten together until creamy, with each egg beaten separately as you add a tablespoon of
flour. Then, of course, you get to beat in
the spices and lemon and orange rinds,
folding in the remaining flour with all
the fruit and nuts.
The recipe calls for a couple of tablespoons of sherry, which I find rather
grinchy, so it gets a hefty dollop at my

house, and Ive used everything from
Tia Maria to Grand Marnier whichever
you prefer but there is no such thing
as the smooth dropping consistency
that is described, at least not in my giant
mixing bowl. The electric beater gets the
dough gummed up, so I resort, as did
Mom, to a big wooden spoon.
Youd think that after cleaning stalls
and doing general farm work each morning, my pipe-cleaner arms would have
the sinew and strength to dominate the
mixture, but no, I am putting all my
strength into that sucker, stirring round
and round, beads of sweat collecting
along my brow, my shoulder beginning
to ache as if Id just swum 10 laps doing
the butterfly.
Not sure if its yet where it needs to
be but crying Uncle owing to cramping
issues, I spoon the mess into a parchment-lined and greased round cake pan
(although Mom always used a bundt)
and bake for, vaguely, according to the
recipe, two-three hours at 300 degrees.

When nearly done, I add walnut halves
to the top to make it look purty.
The first time I attempted Bettys
Fruit Cake, as named after my grandmother, I left it in too long and it was
rather dried out. Two years ago it was
pretty darned good, but it just didnt
rise nearly as tall as Moms. Then last
year, it had a growth spurt of a couple
of inches, so I figure this year, I should
nail it.
Ill let you know. The scent escaping
from the oven opens all the cherished
Christmas memories of my youth, and it
is a puzzlement as to what to have with
our first slice: the traditional wee dram
of whiskey, or a nice, hot, cup o tea at
the scratched pine table in the kitchen.
The tea wins out. With a splash of
bourbon and milk.
Betty would approve.
THE UPPER ROOM
KAELYNS
KORNER
Reaching
toward Christ
through
worship
KAELYN PFENNING
Staff reporter
Beginnings
Read Luke 6:12-19
ll in the crowd were trying

to touch him, for power
came out from him and
healed all of them. Luke 6:19
(NRSV)
When I come to church, I
immediately begin to search
for God.
As the scriptures are read
and preached, I listen for
what God will say to me. God
always has a word for me.
I love singing for Jesus and
spending time in his presence.
Sometimes I struggle to get
past the thoughts, anxieties,
and busyness in my mind and
soul.
Worship allows me to reconnect with my faith and be immersed in Christs presence.
Its almost as though I can
touch him.
I am healed from hurt, anxiety, fatigue, and hopelessness.
I love life again.
I love people.
Through worship we can
be renewed and inspired to
serve Christ and proclaim the
good news.
We have a place, the church,
and we have a time, during
the worship service, when
we can reach out to the Lord
and be filled anew with faith,
hope, and love.
GUEST EDITORIAL
Succession quandary shows

legislative negligence
Thought for the Day

What is preventing me from
meeting with the Lord today?
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for always having a word to encourage us, time to be with us, and
power to heal us. Amen
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Submission guidelines
he Greer Citizen accepts Letters to the Editor. Letters

should be 125 words or less
and include a name and a phone
number for verification.
The Greer Citizen reserves the
right to edit any content.
Letters to the Editor can be
mailed to 317 Trade St., Greer
29651.
The constitutional conundrum South Carolina

will face if Nikki Haley is confirmed as UN ambassador is evidence of at least one thing: Its
legislators take a casual approach to the rule
of law.
How did we get to this point? The amendment to the constitution that voters approved
in 2012 would have been enacted in 2018, but
when the bill to ratify the amendment was filed
in the Senate in 2013 it left out a key portion
which changed the effective date. Here is what
happened:
On Nov. 6, 2012 voters approved a constitutional amendment which would have enabled,
among other things, the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket and the
governor to appoint the lieutenant governor
should the seat to become vacant.
On Feb. 27, 2013 a bill was introduced, by
Sen. Shane Massey that did not include an effective date for much of the bill meaning it
would become effective when the House and
Senate passed it.
By May 29, 2014 the bill had passed both
the Senate and House and was ratified with no
amendment to insert the missing date. Since
ratification triggered an effective date where
not expressly stated a majority of the bill became effective on this date which is almost
two years before voters intended it to.
The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, received two floor votes in the Senate,
passed the House Judiciary Committee, and received two floor votes in the House with no
amendment to correct the missing date. The
fact that no one caught that error presumably
that no one actually read the bill that changed
the constitution is alarming enough.
But the consequences go much further. By
a plain reading of the constitution, the whole
amendment should be invalidated. There are no
constitutional or statutory grounds for correcting errors in the constitution. Even the process
for correcting errors in state code is limited to a
brief fifteen-day window, after which any errors
stand until legislatively corrected by the General Assembly.
If Haley resigns from office, as she is expect-
The Greer Citizen

Established 1918
Steve Blackwell | Publisher

Billy Cannada | Editor
Preston Burch
Mandy Ferguson
Kaelyn Pfenning
Shaun Moss
Photographer
Photographer
Staff Reporter
Advertising
Suzanne Traenkle
Julie Holcombe
Stephanie Reider
Advertising
Graphic Artist
Office Manager
The fact that no one caught that

error presumably that no one
actually read the bill that changed
the constitution is alarming
enough. But the consequences go
much further. By a plain reading
of the constitution, the whole
amendment should be invalidated.
ed to do, who would become lieutenant governor when Henry McMaster steps into the governors seat? Does the legislature follow what the
people voted on, or does it follow the current
reading of the constitution? Its not within the
purview of the General Assembly to adjudicate
or fix constitutional questions. Only the courts
can perform that role.
Still, the legislature may try. Media reports
indicate that senators may simply follow the
original language of the amendment, in spite of
the fact that the constitution, as it reads now,
demands something completely different. And
lawmakers fixing the constitution on their own
authority would set a dangerous precedent.
Lawmakers either made this change inadvertently, in which case they passed a constitutional amendment without bothering to read it, or
someone altered a constitutional amendment
after the people approved it. South Carolinians
ought to be outraged by either scenario. And
whatever happened, the state supreme court
should rule on how to proceed the court must
decide either to make all the amended sections
effective 2018 or invalidate the amendment and
tell the legislature to start over.
t the end of the year, I often

contemplate what has gone
before and what is to come.
This past year has been filled
with changesexpected and
unexpectedas my former
roommate got married this past
summer, I moved back home
with my parents, I started at the
Greer Citizen and I got engaged
to Brad.
Each change brought bittersweet memories and necessary
adjustments.
Looking to 2017, I am excited
to marry my best friend and
dearest love and to enter into a
new chapter of life with unique
joys and trials.
In life, there is only one who
never changes.
Hebrews 13:8 says, Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and
today and forever.
When the world is filled with
uncertainty, it is a simple pleasure to be able to rest secure
in the arms of my Everlasting
Father.
Psalm 18, a favorite of mine,
begins, I love you, O Lord, my
strength. The Lord is my rock
and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom
I take refuge, my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold.
My Lord and my God is the
source of peace, and I trust Him.
Whether the year ahead brings
happy times or hard times or
some combination, the Wonderful Counselor is ready to listen.
Hebrews 4:15-16 says, For we
do not have a high priest who
is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but one who in
every respect has been tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let
us then with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that
we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.
With our eyes on the Maker,
everything else fades into appropriate perspective.
Matthew 10:28-31 says, And
do not fear those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather fear him who can destroy
both soul and body in hell. Are
not two sparrows sold for a
penny? And not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from
your Father. But even the hairs
of your head are all numbered.
Fear not, therefore; you are of
more value than many sparrows.
kaelyn@greercitizen.com | 877-2076
This guest editorial was submitted by Hannah Hill, policy analyst at the South
Carolina Policy Council.
The Greer Citizen

is published every Wednesday by
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Telephone 877-2076
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BUSINESS
The Greer Citizen
THE GREER CITIZEN A5
BUSINESS YEAR IN REVIEW
reer businesses witnessed another year of change

in 2016. There were ribbon cuttings, expansions
and some closures. New stores opened while others celebrated noteworthy accomplishments.
from this past year.
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
GREERMADE
The
Greater
Greer
Chamber of Commerce
introduced
GreerMade,
an initiative that seeks to
promote companies and
engage students at a local
level, in February. GreerMade allows certified companies access to future
employees through workshops, trainings and inschool visits. Companies
applying to have a product certified as GreerMade
must construct at least 60
percent of their product
in Greer. Businesses will
then be given a trademark,
showing that the product comes from Greer.
Companies interested in
becoming certified can
visit greermade.com to
complete the online application.
MARCH
CLOSURES
After more than 70

years of doing business in
the Upstate, Mutual Home
Stores closed its final three
locations in Greenville,
Fountain Inn and Greer.
The stores were owned
and operated by Hayne
and Gary Griffin, whose
father, Preston began the
company 72 years ago.
Hayne said saying goodbye
is difficult because of the
relationships he and his
brother have established
in the community. Mutual
Home Stores had six locations at one point, but the
business closed stores in
Liberty, Easley and Mauldin in recent years.
Ryans restaurants in
Greer and Spartanburg
also closed operations.
The companys owner,
Buffet, LLC, which is
comprised of Ryans, Fire
Mountain, Country Buffet, Old Country Bugget,
Tahoe Joes Famous Steakhouse and Hometown Buffet, has filed Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
SMITH & JAMES REMODEL
Smith & James prepared

to celebrate its centennial
milestone in 2016, renovating its downtown space
in the process. The retail
space received freshly
painted walls and hardwood floors, in addition to
brighter, more energy-ef-
Still Water Grill
ficient lighting. The cash

register and point of sale
was relocated near the
middle of the store.
APRIL
REWA WELCOMES BRETT
Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) welcomed

Tim Brett, a former state
legislator and political affairs expert, to its current
Board of Commissioners
in January. Brett was appointed by Nikki Haley,
Governor of South Carolina, in October 2015 and
served until December
2016.
OPENINGS
NEW INLAND PORT
Citing the success of

Greers Inland Port, the
South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) announced
plans for a second site in
April, to be located in Dillon. Port officials said demand is growing and an
additional Inland Port is
needed to service the Port
of Charleston. The Dillon
site could offer access to
an existing CSX mainline,
which would open a different intermodal marketplace from Inland Port
Greer and provide access
to Southeastern markets
as well as the Midwest.
MAY
MILESTONES
Greer Made
At least 1,200 people

visited the new Taylors
Farmers Market at the
old Taylors Mill during its
opening in the spring. The
Farmers Market ran a successful first season, concluding its run in the fall.
GIBBS BREAKS GROUND
Gibbs Cancer Center &

Research Institute broke
ground on a new, $65
million facility at Pelham
Medical Center in Greer in
May. The project is slated
for completion in 2018.
The 198,000-square-foot
facility is seeking to provide local residents with
the best cancer care in the
state. Gibbs Cancer Center, named for Jimmy and
Marsha Gibbs, opened its
doors in Spartanburg in
1999. This projects economic development brings
an estimated $100 million
to Greer.
JUNE
TOYOTA RENOVATION
Toyota of Greer unveiled

the results of a $1.25 million renovation in June, including: an expanded service area, a new customer
lounge, a larger lot area
and a new VIP entrance.
The revamping of the dealership on Wade Hampton
Boulevard signifies the
companys commitment
to Greer as well as the rest
of the Upstate, said Bob
Hogan, one of the owners
of Toyota of Greer. This is
the first major renovation
to the dealership, which
opened in October 2003.
BLUE RIDGE BREWING
Blue
Ridge
Brewing
Company brought its signature taste to downtown
Greer with the opening of
its restaurant on Trade
Street in June. The restaurant had been in the works
for more than a year, and
owner Bob Hiller said he is
excited to begin serving local customers.
CBL PRESIDENT TO RETIRE
CLOSINGS
Mutual Home Stores
JULY
TAYLORS FARMERS MARKET
mond James & Associates,

Inc. is serving as financial
advisor and Wyche, P.A. is
serving as legal counsel to
Greer Bancshares. Carolina Financial has agreed
to seek a hearing with
respect to the fairness of
the terms and conditions
of the proposed transaction before the Securities
Division of the Office of
the South Carolina Attorney General under Section
35-1-202(9) of the South
Carolina Uniform Securities Act of 2005. Upon
successful completion of
this process, the Carolina
Financial common stock
issued to the shareholders
of Greer Bancshares in the
transaction will be exempt
from registration under
the federal securities laws
pursuant to the exemption provided in Section
3(a)(10) of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended,
and therefore freely tradeable.
COTTAGES SOLD
The Cottages at Brushy

Creek was sold in July, according to the Greenville
Health System (GHS). The
144-bed facility, built in
2007, was sold for $10.1
million to Orianna Health
Systems. Orianna operates
48 nursing facilities in 11
states. Of those, 17 are in
South Carolina and 13 of
those are in the Upstate.
Greenville Health Systems
had been planning to restructure from a public
nonprofit to a private nonprofit.
AUGUST
OPENINGS
Leslie Naschi and her

husband brought their
signature Mediterranean
taste to downtown Greer
in August. The Olive Grill
has opened at the former
Mimis Steak House of Japan property at 107 S. Main
St. The Naschis moved to
the Upstate from Columbia, where they owned a
downtown restaurant with
only lunch for two years.
Still Water Grill also
opened downtown on
Trade Street, and owners
Connie and Susie Bakeman said they are bringing
something new to downtown Greer. The business
is hoping to be a lunch
and dinner destination,
but the Bakemans also
want folks to stick around
and dance. Still Waters
menu includes soups, salads, gourmet sandwiches,
quesadillas and more.
SEPTEMBER
BI-LO NEW CONCEPT
A grocery chain reintroducd itself to the community with a new concept in

September. A Grand Opening Ceremony and Ribbon
Cutting was held for BI-LO
at the 2460 Hudson Road
location in Greer. Store

Manager Robert Stephens
and his local team have
continued to serve customers through the remodeling process. Changes include a butchery, seafood,
freshly prepared pizza, sushi, a new kitchen concept
and a smokehouse on site,
said Ian McLeod, President
and CEO of Southeastern
Grocers.
GROUNDBREAKING
Concrete
Connection
broke ground on a new
facility in September. The
company will construct a
10,000-square-foot building at 177 Brookshire
Road. The Brookshire Road
site is just off of Highway
101 less than two miles
from Interstate 85 and in
close proximity to BMW of
North America, the Inland
Port, and Greenville- Spartanburg International Airport.
OCTOBER
MILESTONE
Rosie Anderson celebrated 24 years of serving

up hot dogs at the corner
of Pennsylvania Avenue
and South Main Street
in October. Rosies Hot
Dogs has been a staple for
downtown Greer over the
last two decades, evolving
from a service station to a
restaurant.
TUTTLE STEPS DOWN
Greer Commission of
Public Works (CPW) General Manager Jeff Tuttle
stepped down from his
position after more than
two years of service at the
utility company. Tuttle has
accepted a job at Heath
Consulting Incorporated,
filling the role of CEO for
the company. Perry Williams, chairman of Greer
CPWs board of commissioners, said a national
search will be conducted
to find Tuttles replacement.
NOVEMBER
GREER STATE BANK MERGE
Officials announced in
November that Carolina
Financial Corporation will
be merging with Greer
Bancshares Incorporated,
parent company of Greer
State Bank. Carolina Financial has signed a definitive
merger agreement on the
matter, bringing Greer
State Bank into Carolina Financials bank subsidiary,
CresCom Bank. Greer State
Bank currently operates
four locations. The merger agreement has been
unanimously approved by
the boards of directors of
each company. The transaction is expected to close
in the first quarter of 2017
and is subject to customary conditions, including
both regulatory approvals and approval by Greer
Bancshares
shareholders. Subject to the terms
of the merger agreement,
the shareholders of Greer
Bancshares will have the
right to receive $18 per
share of common stock,
payable, at their election
and subject to certain
limitations, in cash or in
shares of Carolina Financial Corporation common
stock based upon a fixed
exchange ratio of 0.782.
Per the agreement, 10 percent of the consideration
will be paid in cash and
90 percent will be in newly
issued shares of Carolina
Financial common stock.
This equates to an aggregate deal value of $45.1
million based on the per
share price of $18. Keefe,
Bruyette & Woods, Inc. is
serving as financial advisor and Nelson Mullins
Riley & Scarborough LLP
is serving as legal counsel
to Carolina Financial. Ray-
Citizens Building and

Loan (CBL) President and
CEO J. Thomas Johnson
will retire at the end of
2016, the bank announced
in November. According
to CBL Board Chairman
Ralph Johnson, Johnson
will be replaced by current
Executive Vice President
Jennifer Jones. Johnson
will continue to work with
CBL as a consultant to its
officers, employees and
board of directors. Since
assuming the role in 2009,
Johnson has also served
on the board of directors of the Federal Home
Loan Bank Atlanta as well
as Lexington-based First
Community Corporation.
Johnson has served on a
host of national, regional
and community boards
and currently chairs the
board of the Palmetto
State Growth Fund. He is
a 2007 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto.
DECEMBER
SIMPLER LEAVING
Greer Community Ministries (GCM) Executive

Director Cindy Simpler
will step down at the beginning of 2017. Simpler,
who has been with the
nonprofit for three and a
half years, said she is retiring to spend more time
with her family. The GCM
leader has a background
in management, but had
not previously worked at
a nonprofit prior to her
stint in Greer. Greer Community Ministries currently runs four programs,
which include: Senior Dining, Meals on Wheels, Sharons Closet and the Food
Pantry. Along with daily
and weekly services, GCM
conducts several fundraising events throughout
the year targeting local
residents. Those events
include Big Thursday, Bensons OctoberFAST and an
annual golf tournament.
December CD Special
Celebrate
Our 109th
Year In
Business!
18-MONTH CD
1.09
APY*
Minimum deposit of $1,000
Dave Ramseys Recommended Investing

Professionals since 2001.
Dave Ramsey & the Dave Ramsey SVP program is not affiliated or sponsored by LPL Financial
304 N. Main St. Greer SC 29650

864-879-0337 SimsAndKarr.com
*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) quoted on

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC
this page as of the date listed and eective
through terms of the agreement and subject
to change. Interest is compounded quarterly
and credited in accordance with the terms
of the account. Penalties could be imposed
for early withdrawal. Fees could reduce the
earnings on the account. Rates eective as SKFS-1002-Green Citizen Ad-3.2x4_11.1.indd 1
of 12/1/2016 and good through 12/30/2016.
229 Trade Street | Greer, SC | 877-2054 | CBLGreer.com
Member
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12/5/1
OBITUARIES
The Greer Citizen
Rudolph Maxie Hawkins

Veteran
Rudolph Maxie Hawkins,

87, formerly of Taylors,
widower of Marlene Faye
Holdsworth
Hawkins,
passed away December
20, 2016 at his home.
A
native
of
Greenville
County, son of
the late Maxie Palmer and
Lucy Viola Owens Hawkins,
he was a U.S. Army Veteran
and a retired employee of
Dow (Texize) Chemical. He
was a charter member of
Covenant United Methodist Church and a lifetime
member of Stephenson
Memorial United Methodist Church. Mr. Hawkins
was an Eagle Scout and
Troop Leader of Boy Scout
Troop #107 of Taylors.
Surviving are a son,
Steven Hawkins (Cheryl)
of Landrum; one daughter, Sherri Rock (Paul) of
Greer; a son-in-law, James
Byrd; seven grandchildren,
James Christopher Byrd
(Tasi) of Moncks Corner,
Jason Maxie Byrd (Melanie) of Pauline, Megan Michelle Friedfeld (Ben) of
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Rebecca Anna Rock
of Greensboro, North
Carolina, Paul James Rock
of Greer, Harrison Taylor Hawkins of Landrum,
and Spencer Haywood
Hawkins of Landrum; and
two great-grandchildren,
Christopher Blake Byrd of
Moncks Corner and Johnathan Elias Byrd of Moncks
Corner.
Mr. Hawkins was predeceased by one daughter,
Janice Byrd, a brother,
Palmer James Hawkins,
and a sister, Patrica Lee
Hawkins.
Funeral services will be
held 10 a.m. Friday, December 30, 2016 at Covenant United Methodist
Church, conducted by Rev.
Linda Guthrie and Pastor
Johnathan Stanley. Burial
will follow in Woodlawn
Memorial Park.
Visitation will be held 68 p.m. Thursday, Decem-
ber 29, 2016 at The Wood

Mortuary.
The family is at the
home of his son, Steven
Hawkins.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Covenant United Methodist
Church, 1310 Old Spartanburg Road, Greer, South
Carolina 29650 or Hospice
Care of South Carolina, 1
Caledon Court, Suite 1A,
Greenville, South Carolina
29615.
Online condolences may
be made at www.thewoodmortuary.com.
Sallie Howell
Sallie Ree Turner Howell,
96, formerly of Taylors,
widow of Melvin D. Howell, passed away December 25, 2016 at National
Health Care.
A native of Spartanburg
County, daughter of the
late Walter and Gertrude
Byars Turner, she was a
retired employee of Lyman Printing and Finishing, a former member of
Southern Bleachery Baptist Church and a member
of Taylors First Baptist
Church.
Surviving are three sons,
Kenneth Howell (Rachel)
of Greer, Raymond Howell
(Gail) of Taylors and Fred
Howell of Belmont, North
Carolina; eight grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and four greatgreat-grandchildren.
Mrs. Howell was predeceased by two brothers
and five sisters.
Funeral services will
be held 2 p.m. Thursday,
December 29, 2016 at
The Wood Mortuary, conducted by Rev. Al Sherbert
and Chaplain Ken Bogan.
Burial will follow in Wood
Memorial Park.
Visitation will be held 11:45 p.m. Thursday at The
Wood Mortuary.
The family is at the home
of her son, Raymond Howell.
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Weekend Outlook
New Years Weekend Weather
Mary Baker Ryman

Mary Christina Baker Ryman, 82, passed away December 23, 2016 at Greer
Memorial Hospital.
A native of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, she
was the daughter of the
late Ralph W. and Garnette
Frye Baker. Mrs. Ryman
received her Bachelors degree from Edinboro State
and her Masters degree
from Penn State. She was
a retired art teacher from
Conewago Valley School
District at New Oxford
High School. Mary was a
very loving wife, mother,
grandmother, sister and
aunt. Her favorite days
were the ones spent on the
beach and vacation with
her family. Mary loved being active in the church all
of her life. Marys artwork
was truly special and enjoyed by all.
Surviving are her husband, Franklin Randolph
Ryman of the home; a
son and daughter-in-law,
John and Amanda McKinney Ryman of Greer; a
brother and sister-in-law,
Ralph and Ruth Baker of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania;
and four grandchildren,
Austin Hill, Drew Hill, Seth
Ryman and Zach Clausen.
A memorial service will
be held 11 a.m. Saturday,
December 31, 2016 at Redeemer Lutheran Church,
conducted by Pastor Scottie J. Burkhalter.
Visitation will be held
9:30-10:45 a.m. Saturday
at the church.
The family is at the home
of her son, John Ryman,
391 Barnett Road, Greer,
SC 29651.
Memorials may be made
to Redeemer Lutheran
Church, 300 Oneal Road,
Greer, SC 29651.
Notable passings in 2016

NATHAN MOORE
Nathan Tyler Moore, a

member of the varsity basketball team at Greer High
School, passed away suddenly in January. Teammates, family and friends
continued to remember
the senior throughout the
year, ultimately establishing a scholarship in his
honor.
The tragedy is real and
it still hurts, said Greer
High basketball coach
Greg Miller. I dont know
if Ill ever fully get over
it. Basketball players are
your family. You spend
so many hours with them.
Its something youll carry
with you 20, 30, 40 years
from now.
ALLEN JACOBS
A Greenville police officer was killed in the line of

duty in March after Deontea Mackey opened fire on
him during a foot chase.
Thousands of police
officers and community
members paid their final
respects to the fallen officer and The Greer Police
Department had around
60 representatives at the
funeral. Several members
of the Greenville Police
Department who knew Jacobs spoke at the service
held in Timmons Arena. A
burial service followed at
Coleman Memorial Cemetery, and the road leading
to the site was lined with
supportive
community
members.
MARKELL NESBITT
A Byrnes High football

player passed away just
days before the beginning
of the season at Lake Lyman. Rising junior Markell
Nesbitt, 16, was swimming
with friends near Carshal-
ton Drive when he went

under the water and did
not resurface. His coach,
Brian Lane, described
him as a good kid with
a great smile. Nesbitts
teammates and coaches gathered at the field
house behind Nixon Field
to grieve. Counselors were
on hand to assist students
in need. Nesbitt recently
saw some success on the
field, winning several 7on-7 games with his team
at a tournament over the
weekend.
ADAM WORLEY
The body of Adam Worley was discovered in a

pond near Fisher Road earlier this year, after he had
gone missing in February.
Authorities and the family
of Worley conducted multiple searches before he
was found. Police estimate
he died on Feb. 9 between
1-7 p.m.
DAVID ELVIS DEANE
David Alan Elvis Deane,

65, died July 7, 2016.
A native
of Hialeah,
Florida, son
of the late
Raymond
E. and Emily
Wenk
Deane.
Surviving
are
three
brothers, Bill Deane, Don
Deane and Robert Deane.
GAIL W. CAMPBELL
Virginia Gail Woodbury

Campbell, 76, wife of Dr.
Victor Clyde
Campbell,
passed away
September
15, 2016 at
her home.
Among her
many facet-
ed achievements over the

course of her life not only
did she maintain an extensive working farm tending
to myriads of Gods creatures, but she did so in a
fashion preserving the old
ways of traditional country living.
Her life was an unwavering example of the way she
believed would be pleasing
to her Lord Jesus Christ.
SKYLA MARIE FORCIER
Skyla Marie Forcier, 8

years old, passed away on
October 25, 2016.
A native
of
Greenville County,
daughter of
Brian Paul
Forcier and
Shannon Marie Coponen
Forcier of the home, she
was a 3rd grade student at
Mountain View Elementary
School and attended Eastside Apostolic Lutheran
Church.
WILLIAM SONNY
BOROUGHS
William G. (Sonny) Boroughs, 80, passed away on

November 13, 2016 after a
long battle with cancer.
Mr.
Boroughs was
born in Barhamsville,
Virginia
to the late
David and
Margaret Zawodny Boroughs. He was
married to Delores H. Boroughs, he served in the U.S.
Air Force and retired from
Winn Dixie. Sonny was a
faithful member of Fairview Baptist Church and
was known for the Sonnys
B.B.Q. at Big Thursday and
the vegetables he shared.
We are expecting partly to mostly

cloudy skies this weekend with cooler
temperatures. Showers are expected
to return on New Years Day. A cold
front late Thursday will bring cooler
temperatures and a chance for showers
Thursday and chilly temperatures Friday
and Saturday with highs near 50.
51/26 Cloudy
50/39 Iso. showers
53/28 Cloudy
52/42 Iso. showers
NYE Parties
52/30 Partly sunny

52/42 Iso. showers
Where: Local venues

Date: Saturday,
Dec. 31
Temps: Partly cloudy and
chilly. 38 to 46.
51/26 MC
49/39 MC
57/46 PS
57/46 PC
51/44 MC
52/41 PC
55/45 MC
48/41 RN
Wednesday
Saturday
52
30
54/32 Partly sunny

54/44 Iso. showers
50/39 ISO
50/46 RN
63/55 PS
66/56 RN
59/53 RN
54/49 RN
61/54 RN
51/45 RN
63
46
Sunday
Jan. 19
Thursday
52
41
COMMUNITY
NEWS
ESL CLASS
TO BEGIN JAN. 4
Alfred Garcia, teacher, is

starting an ESL class from
6-7 p.m. beginning Jan. 4
at Claras Alterations and
Shoe Repair on Poinsett St.
The class is free. There are
10 sessions.
For more information,
call Garcia at 561-7248.
63
50
Monday
Friday
58
49
Jan. 27
GERMAN-AMERICAN
CLUB TO MEET JAN. 13
Jan. 12
52
32
50
33
Tuesday
Jan. 5
63
49
German-American Club
Stammtisch will start at
6 p.m. on Jan. 13 at Bangkok 2 Restaurant, located
at 1398 Boiling Springs
Road, Spartanburg SC
29303. For more information, call 590-9230 or
email
marlies.welsch@
gmail.com.
1.53
33.27
-13.32
7:36 AM
5:26 PM
MLK DAY LUNCHEON

AT GREER CITY HALL
Celebrate the words and

message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the annual
MLK Day Luncheon held
on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017,
in the Events Center at
Greer City Hall. The event
begins at 11 a.m. and is
scheduled to run until 2
p.m. Call 848-2192.
CHAMBER HOSTS PUBLIC

POLICY BREAKFAST
The
Greater
Greer
Chamber of Commerce
is hosting a Public Policy
Breakfast January 6 from
7:30-9 a.m. This is your
opportunity to connect
with your elected officials,
and discuss important issues facing the General
Assembly in 2017. The
event will be held at the
Davenport located at 230
Trade St., Greer. Tickets
are $25 for members, $35
for non-members.
email Nikki Crabtree at
Nikki@greerchamber.com
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A6 THE GREERDecember,
CITIZEN 28, 2016
wednesday,
WEDNESDAY,
6, 2016
the greerAPRIL
citizen
A7
New Trinity Baptist Church

2OG6SDUWDQEXUJ+LJKZD\:HOOIRUG
879-2913
3315 Brushy Creek Rd., Greer 877-8090
879-2913
For information
about advertising
on this page,
call 864-877-2076.
POLICE AND FIRE

The Greer Citizen
CRIME
REPORT
(Note: All information
contained in the following
was taken directly from
the official incident reports
filed by the Greer Police
Department. All suspects
are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in
the court of law.)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Angela
Strittmatter
Littlejohn, 35, of Pennypacker Court., Greer, was
arrested and charged with
third degree domestic
violence. According to a
Greer Police incident report, an officer responded
to Pennypacker Court in
reference to a domestic
disturbance. Upon arrival,
the officer spoke with the
victim, who stated he had
been arguing with his girlfriend when she struck
him with a closed fist in
the face. The officer made
contact with Littlejohn,
who was sitting in a bedroom. Littlejohn stated
she and the victim did
get into an argument and
she pushed him several
times to get him out of the
bedroom. She proceeded
to throw the victims belongings into the hallway.
Littlejohn denied hitting
the victim. Littlejohn was
transported to Greer City
Jail.
OPEN CONTAINER
Kenneth James Brooks,

51, of 210 Collinsworth
Ct, Woodruff, was arrested
and charged with public
drunkenness and having
an open container. According to a Greer Police incident report, an officer was
dispatched to the Wendys
in Greer in reference to an
intoxicated subject in the
drive through. The officer
made contact with Brooks,
noticing that the vehicle
smelled like alcohol and
Brooks had slurred speech.
Brooks stated he had been
drinking earlier. He was
asked to perform a series

of field sobriety tests,
which he failed. Brooks
was also found to have
an open alcohol container
in the front cup holder.
Brooks was transported to
Greer City Jail.
MULTIPLE CHARGES
David Lane Watson, 51,

of 20 10th St., Greer, was
arrested and charged with
driving under suspension
(habitual offender) and
having an open container.
According to a Greer Police incident report, an officer was on patrol when
he observed a car displaying an altered tag. The officer observed the subjected, which was known to
have a suspended drivers
license. Watson was pulled
over and arrested. After
making the arrest, the officer noticed the odor of an
alcoholic beverage coming
from Watsons breath. The
car was searched, where
officers found an open can
of Busch Light in the floorboard. Watson was transported to Greer City Jail.
HIT AND RUN
Ida V. Jackson, 51, of

2215 E. Lee Rd., Taylors,
was arrested and charged
with hit and run, driving
under the influence and
driving under suspension.
According to a Greer Police incident report, an officer responded to a call of
a hit and run. Upon arrival,
the victim stated they had
been traveling northbound
on Highway 29. The subject, Jackson, turned left
from Morrow onto Highway 29, failing to yield.
This caused the victims
car to be struck by Jacksons. Jackson did not stop
and kept driving onto 400
Memorial Drive Ext., where
she stopped. After observing the damage to her vehicle, Jackson got back in
the vehicle and left the
scene once again. An officer arrived on scene and
brought Jackson to a stop.
Upon making contact with
Jackson, alcohol could
be smelled coming from
Jacksons person. A series
of filed sobriety tests were
NATION: Remembers
triumphs and trials of 2016
FROM PAGE ONE
BOY DIES AFTER

TOWNVILLE ELEMENTARY
SHOOTING, 2 OTHERS
RECOVERING
Fox Carolina, Sept. 28

Superhero fever spread
throughout Greer, the
United State and the world
following the untimely
death of 6-year-old Jacob Hall, who was shot
at Townville Elementary
School in Anderson. Hall
was placed in critical condition after the shooting,
ultimately succumbing to
his injuries.
Hall suffered a major
brain injury due after a
significant loss of blood.
According to family sources, Hall was placed on
life support and never regained conciousness.
In his honor, many people in South Carolina and
nationwide wore superhero shirts on the day of his
funeral.
HURRICANE MATTHEW
LASHES CHARLESTON AS
WEAKENED CAT 1 STORM
USA Today, October 8

Hurricane Matthew left
a path of devastation
throughout the southeast,
which drew resources and
support from other parts
of the impacted states to
aid in the recovery efforts.
The storm weakened to
a Category 1 before making landfall in Charleston,
but still managed to take
down trees and bring severe flooding downtown.
The hurricane then moved
on to parts of North Carolina.
The storm was much
stronger when it hit Haiti
several days earlier, killing
hundreds.
Hurricane Matthew did
not bring any deaths in
South Carolina, however,
but more than 800,000
businesses and resideneces were left without power
as a result.
In the months since,
Charleston
and
other
parts of the United States
have received relief.
DONALD TRUMP IS
ELECTED PRESIDENT IN
STUNNING REPUDIATION
OF THE ESTABLISHMENT
New York Times, November 9

Donald J. Trump was
elected the 45th president
of the United States in November, pulling off what
was seen as a stunning upset over Democrat Hillary
Clinton.
Trump won in Greenville
County, where he garnered
127,832 votes to Hillary
Clintons 74,483. Gary
Johnson secured the most
third-party
presidential
votes in the county with
6,511.
Donald Trump had been
trailing in many polls leading up to the race.
Also on the ballot in November was South Carolina congressman Tim Scott,
who received 67 percent of
the vote to retain his seat
in the United States Senate.
Rep. Trey Gowdy will also
be staying in Washington,
winning with 66 percent
of the vote.
DYLANN ROOF FOUND

GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
IN CHARLESTON CHURCH
MASSACRE TRIAL
The Washington Post

Dylann Roof, who shot
and killed nine church goers at Mother Emmanuel
Church in 2015, was found
guilty of his crimes in December. Roof was charged
with 33 counts and the
jury found him guilty on
all.
Although Roofs guilt
wasnt much in question,
his sentancing is. It is
still yet to be determined
whether or not he will face
the death penalty for his
crimes.
PRESTON BURCH | THE GREER CITIZEN
Close call
No injuries were reported in a two-vehicle accident that
occurred at the intersection of Wade Hampton Blvd. and
Middleton Way that left a Toyota hung on the guy wires of
a utility pole Friday morning.
performed, which Jackson
failed. It was also learned
that Jacksons license had
been suspended. She was
transported to Greer City
Jail.
ARMED ROBBERY
On the evening of Friday, Dec. 23, at approximately 9 p.m., Deputies responded to the Lil Cricket
convenience store located
at 1980 Chesnee Hwy in
Spartanburg County in
reference to an Armed
Robbery.
The clerk stated that a
black male armed with
a rifle wearing all black
and a ski mask entered
the store and demanded
money.
The subject then left
the store. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call
Crime Stoppers at 1-888CRIME-SC.
MULTIPLE CHARGES
On Dec. 21, a Spartanburg County deputy was

dispatched to 302 Judd St.
in reference to a larceny
in progress. Dispatch advised that there were several suspects at 302 Judd
St. stealing wiring and copper from a home, which is
abandoned.
Upon arrival, the officer
noticed a white male suspect, later identified as
Eddie Williams (suspect),
who stated they were just
getting some items from

the home. While the officer was with Williams, a
white female, later identified as Charlotte Mayfield
(suspect), crawled out of
the side window to the
home. Mayfield stated
her grandmother used
to rent the home a while
back and had passed away
and her son wanted her to
get some items from the
home. The officer looked
in the back of the truck
that was sitting out front,
which Williams stated was
his, and all that was in the
back was the motor from
the a/c unit to the house,
some copper wiring and a
metal fireplace grate. The
officer asked if they were
just there to get sentimental items as Mayfield said,
why were they taking only
copper items. Williams
stated they were just trying to clean up the yard
and take some items for
gas money. Mayfield stated
while Williams was taking
the copper items she had
been in the house bagging
up items upstairs to take.
Upstairs there was an old
plastic trashcan that had
been filled with various
household items.
The officer spoke with a
witness who lives directly
behind the location, who
stated he saw Williams
messing with the a/c unit
to the house and advised
him that the house had
been sold and that he had

been the new owner for
a couple of months now.
The homeowner arrived
on scene and stated he
had purchased the house
about two months ago
and he had not rented the
house since he purchased
it and no one has his permission to come onto the
property and take any
items. Williams and Mayfield were placed under arrest. Williams was charged
with Petit Larceny and
Injury to Real Property to
Obtain Nonferrous Metals.
Mayfield was charged with
Petit Larceny.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT
On Dec. 21, a Spartanburg County deputy responded to 907 Vanessa

Dr in reference to a disturbance possibly related to a
hit and run.
Deputies arrived on
scene and the complainant stated the suspect car
pulled onto 910 Vanessa
Dr, dropped someone off
and then left.
The officers went to the
scene, where they knocked
on the doors and windows
of the residence repeatedly but could not get
anyone to come to the
door. The officer saw several small children inside
through the front window,
but could not get them
to come to the door. The
next-door neighbor stated
the woman at the residence, Charlotte Ridings,
was highly intoxicated and
was babysitting the three
children.
Ridings
eventually
came to the door and
became
confrontational
and seemed agitated. The
officer asked Ridings if
he could speak with the
children and she told the
officer he could not. She
called the children to the
door to show that they
were alright, but refused to
let them out of the house.
Todd Burns then came to
the door and the trooper
asked him to step out of
the house and speak to
him about the hit and run.
Ridings placed her arm in
front of Burns and refused
to let him out of the house.

Ridings was informed that
she could be arrested for
kidnapping if she did not
let Burns out. Ridings let
him out. Burns was able to
get Ridings back into the
residence and stated he
put her in the bed. The officers tried to get contact
information for the mother of the children from
Burns but he stated he did
not know it. While police
were attempting to get
the contact information,
Ridings came back outside into the driveway and
became extremely loud
and boisterous. Ridings
was unsteady on her feet,
smelled heavily of alcohol
and used profanities. Ridings was warned multiple
times about her behavior
and she refused to calm
down or to go back inside.
I informed Ms. Ridings she
was under arrest for public disorderly conduct and
she tried to run back into
the house.
The officer grabbed Ridings right arm and she attempted to pull away. The
officer placed a handcuff
on her right wrist and told
her multiple times she
was under arrest and to
put her hands behind her
back. She continued to pull
away and then refused to
stand. Once she was handcuffed, Ridings slid under
a boat that was sitting in
the carport and wrapped
her arms around the axle
of the boat trailer. Ridings
became even louder and
more boisterous.
Once other deputies arrived on scene an officer
crawled under the boat to
pull Ridings out, who was
still refusing to let go of
the boat trailer. The officer grabbed Ridings left
ankle and handed it to
another officer. Then, the
officer grabbed Ridings
right ankle and the officers
pulled her out from under
the boat. They then transported Ridings to Spartanburg Medical Center where
she was seen and released
before transporting her to
the Spartanburg County
Detention Center.
CPW has strong financial growth

Standard & Poors Global
Ratings (S&P) affirmed the
Greer Commission of Public Works (CPW) A+ rating
last week.
The underlying rating is
based on $49.3 million of
outstanding bonds issued
since 2002. CPWs bonds
are secured by the net
revenues of the combined
utility consisting of gas,
electric, water and wastewater utilities.
Our staff and Board
of Commissioners continue to make strategic
decisions that impact our
ratings in a positive manner, said Chuck Reynolds,
CPWs Manager of Finance
and Administration. Managing the pendulum of
issuing debt and pay-as-
you-go funding for capital

projects helps to keep the
right balance for our customers, while lowering the
impact of issuing debt. We
remain committed to our
fiduciary responsibilities
for Greer CPW.
S&P takes into consideration several key factors
to determine the strong
financial rating. The combined revenues from the
four utilities of CPW create
a diverse revenue stream,
which mitigates the risk of
one sector underperforming.
The ability for CPW to
return payment on its outstanding debt, also known
as Debt service coverage, continues to remain
strong. CPW is a member
of the joint action agency,

Piedmont Municipal Power
Agency (PMPA), for which
CPW primarily purchases
its power. In consideration
with CPWs debt, this joint
membership carries a contractual commitment related to the debt of PMPA
that is not required to be
shown on the financials of
CPW.
The S&P rating is a
strong indicator of our financial ability to fulfill our
obligations, said Perry J.
Williams, Chairman, Greer
Commission of Public
Works. Having our rating
reaffirmed gives our customers confidence in our
commitment to maintaining stability and creating
long-term value for them.
CPW conducts presentations to the rating agencies

each year to update them
on the financial and operational successes from
the most recent fiscal
year, while also discussing upcoming financial
projections and strategies.
A strong financial rating
means costs savings when
CPW elects to issue debt to
fund capital projects.
Greer Commission of
Public Works has provided
award winning electric,
natural gas, water, and
wastewater treatment services to the City of Greer
and the surrounding area
for over 100 years. Currently we have over 70,000
customer connections.
SPORTS
The Greer Citizen
THE 2016 HIGHLIGHT REEL

BY BILLY CANNADA
SPORTS EDITOR
ts been a year of championships, milestones

and heartbreak in the
world of sports. In 2016,
we saw coaching changes,
impressive individual efforts and plenty of fun
games, making the year
one to remember.
from the year that was.
BILLY
CANNADA
FEBRUARY
Eastside Wrestling
JANUARY
APRIL
CUMMINGS NAMED
COACH OF THE YEAR
In January, Riversides
Eric Cummings was named
Coach of the Year by the
United States Track &
Field-Cross Country Association for his run of success at the school. Cummings has led the Lady
Warrior Cross Country
team to four consecutive
state championships, and
has also brought home
some hardware for the
guys.
It really has to do with
the kids and what theyre
actually doing, Cummings
said. Its because of all of
their hard work. The kids
and parents have bought
into the system we have
here. Weve been through
a lot and its paying off.
FEBRUARY
EASTSIDE WRESTLING WINS
11TH CHAMPIONSHIP
Fourteen Eastside wrestlers etched their names

into the history books in
February as the team captured its 11th state championship. Head coach Jack
Kosmicki was impressed
with what his team accomplished because of how far
they had come.
This team doesnt have
any state qualifiers, he
said at the time. We really
wore that as a badge this
year. Nobody knows who
they are and they really
didnt even get a lot of attention. But, together, this
is the most solid lineup
Ive ever had.
Earning wins in the
championship
match
against Hilton Head were
DeShawn Sullivan, Eduardo Esparza, Pangmazan
Rumthao, Jordan White,
Zane Mitchell, Cruise Baker and Chance Pride.
Each of these wrestlers
qualified for the individual state meet, as well
as Caleb Carrilo and Jack
Beehler.
MARCH
BYRNES TAKES STATE TITLE
The Byrnes boys basketball team capped a spectacular run through the
Class AAAA playoffs with
a 57-50 win over Irmo in
the title game.
Its a big win, head
coach Layne Fowler said. I
know its the state championship, but just to know
that we can knock off a
team thats always in the
mix, its great. They are
the Yankees of high school
basketball. We just have a
lot of people that believed
and bought in.
Hayden Brown, who was
a junior at the time, stole
the spotlight in the championship, recording 25
points and 10 rebounds.
He is the teams only returning starter.
APRIL
PRIDE BREAKS RECORDS
Troy Pride Jr. broke several records at the Greenville County track and
field meet in the spring.
Pride, The Greer Citizens Player of the Year in
football, broke the county
record in the 100-meter
dash, finishing with a time
of 10.72 seconds. Pride
also set records in the 200
(21.90) and 400 (48.96)meter events.
Pride went on to claim
four Class AAA state titles.
The Notre Dame football player took home top
finishes in the 100-meter,
200-meter and 400-meter
dashes, also helping his
team finish first in the
BLAME
CANNADA
Troy Pride Jr.
MAY
Greer Softball
MARCH
Byrnes Boys Basketball
400-meter relay.
Greer took second place
at state, finishing behind
Hilton Head Island.
MAY
SPRING TEAMS HAVE
PLAYOFF HOPES DASHED
Although several area

spring teams had impressive seasons that led to
playoff berths, their runs
were ultimately cut short.
The Greer softball team
was knocked out of playoff contention, falling to
Seneca 3-1 in the District
semifinals.
The
Lady
Jackets,
wrapped up the regular
season with an upset win
over rival Blue Ridge. They
had previously beaten AC
Flora 10-0 before falling
to Union County 10-0 in
game two of the postseason tournament.
The Blue Ridge baseball team was also ousted
in the District semifinal,
falling to Wren 7-3. Blue
Ridge opened district play
with a dominating 21-3
win over Dreher, but a 7-4
loss against Lancaster sent
the Tigers to the losers
bracket, where they could
not recover.
The Eastside baseball
team was unable to dig itself out of a hole against
AC Flora, as the Eagles
fell 11-10 in the District
semifinals. Eastside had
previously defeated Flora
before falling to Clinton in
game two.
The Byrnes boys tennis
team opened the playoffs
with a 5-1 upset win over
top seed Dutch Fork. After
defeating Greenwood 6-1
in round two, the Rebels
ultimately fell to Spartanburg 6-0 in the Upper
State semifinals. Byrnes
came into the postseason
as a four-seed, having just
qualified for the playoffs
during the last week of the
regular season.
The Eastside boys soccer team also came up
just shy of a berth in the
Upper State final, falling
to Chapin 3-2. The Eagles
had knocked off Walhalla
and Richland Northeast in
the first two rounds.
BYRNES FALLS IN STATE

CHAMPIONSHIP
After reaching the state

championship for the
second-straight
season,
the Byrnes softball team
dropped
back-to-back
games, falling to Stratford
in the Class AAAA title series.
Stratford was only the
second team Byrnes had
lost to this season, as the
Rebels closed the year
with a record of 30-4.
For some reason, it
just wasnt meant to go
our way this time, head
coach Brandi Aiken said.
Im proud of the kids. To
go 30-4 on the season is
a huge accomplishment. I
thought we were the better team, but Stratford
showed up two out of
three times and deserved
to win.
Our future is bright,
she said. I expect well
be in the mix for several
years to come if our kids
continue to work and improve the way they have.
Were blessed with a good
group of kids that work
hard and believe in what
were doing.
NATE MOORE SCHOLARSHIP

ESTABLISHED
A scholarship honoring the memory of former Greer High basketball

player Nathan Tyler Moore
will aid future student athletes seeking success at
the next level.
Moore, who passed away
during the middle of the
Yellow Jackets season in
January, was the teams
starting point guard.
The tragedy is real and
it still hurts, said Greer
High basketball coach
Greg Miller. I dont know
if Ill ever fully get over
it. Basketball players are
your family. You spend
so many hours with them.
Its something youll carry
with you 20, 30, 40 years
from now.
The 18-year-old Greer
High senior passed away
suddenly at his home.
Basketball was his life,
Moores uncle, Jason Mangum said. He was such a
great kid, and he loved his
family. He was the kind of
guy that would take his
shirt off to help somebody
without one.
To honor his memory,
a scholarship benefiting
Greer High boys and girls
basketball players was set
up in his name. In May,
more than 40 teams participated in a golf tournament at Greer Country
Club to raise funds for
that scholarship.
It was an easy decision
to create this scholarship,
Mangum said. Thats who
Nathan was. He was a
smart, funny, loving and
caring person that could
always make you smile
and would do anything to
help his friends.
COUNTY WORKS TO
ELIMINATE CONCUSSIONS
Greenville County football coaches worked with

USA Football during the
off-season to work on
techniques to curb concussions at the high school
level.
Out of 1,818 football
players in Greenville County in 2015, there were 75recorded
concussions.
That number equates to
about 4.1 concussions per
100 players, according to
county Athletic Director
Daryl Nance.
About half of those
were in games and half
in practice, he said. We
think the half in practice
can definitely go down, especially with the new rules
this season. While concussions are not as prevalent
now, 75 is still more than
we need to have.
Thats why coaches in
the district began par-
and whoever wins, wins.

Coastal defeated Saint
Marys and N.C. State in
the NCAA Regional and
knocked off LSU in the
Super Regional. While in
Omaha, Coastal earned
wins over Florida, TCU,
Texas Tech and Arizona.
JULY
JULY
Richie Stevens
ticipating in the Heads
Up football program. The
program, funded by the
National Football League,
requires coaches to receive safety training and
perform blocking and
tackling drills that take the
emphasis off the head.
DIXIE TEAMS WIN DISTRICT
The GBC National 12U

team went 6-0 at the Dixie Youth District Ozone
Tournament at Country
Club Park in May, advancing to the state tournament in Sumter.
Greer opened the tournament with a 15-2 win
over Mauldin. The 12U
all-stars shut out Liberty,
17-0, in game two, and
defeated Walhalla 13-3 in
game three.
The GBC Nationals 8U
Dixie Youth baseball team
also won its district, defeating Mauldin, Walhalla
and Seneca to advance to
the state tournament.
The team, coached by
Thomas Green, Roosevelt
Morris, John Kay and Chad
Kelly had to fight its way
back into contention after
an early loss to Seneca.
The 8U all-stars managed
to pull it out, however,
knocking off Seneca twice
to finish the tournament
at 5-1.
JUNE
COASTAL WINS COLLEGE
WORLD SERIES
With former Byrnes

pitcher Alex Cunningham
throwing the last couple
of strikes, the Coastal Carolina baseball team won
its first NCAA national
championship in Omaha
in June.
The
former
Byrnes
pitcher knows what its
like to have the ball during crunch time. His team
went to the state championship game and lost during his sophomore, junior
and senior seasons in high
school.
With two outs, two runners on and a one-run lead
to nurse, Cunningham
threw the strike that won
the game for his team.
I was hanging on every pitch, Michael Maus,
Cunninghams high school
coach, said. You knew a
fastball was coming there
at that last pitch, and
he threw it right by him.
Thats his mentality, especially at the end of games.
Hes just going to put his
best up against their best
STEVENS HIRED
AT BLUE RIDGE
Richie Stevens, who

played basketball under
Ray Riley at Blue Ridge
High, officially became the
teams new coach in the
summer.
Although the Tigers
only won a few games last
season, Stevens said he
believes there is plenty
of potential on the roster,
and Blue Ridge has already
worked its way to three
wins.
I went and watched
them play Southside last
year, who was ranked as
one of the top teams in
the state, Stevens said.
You always hear that Blue
Ridge doesnt have the athletes or the talent. Thats
the same stuff they said
when I was in high school.
But when I watched them
play, I was impressed. I
thought these guys could
compete with anybody.
AUGUST
NGU COACHING CHANGES
Mark Smith took over as

head coach of the mens
and womens tennis teams
at North Greenville University in August.
Smith had been the director of tennis at Pebble
Creek Country Club in
Taylors for the past eight
years. During that time, he
has served as the Chair of
the Player Development
committees for both USTA
Southern and USTA South
Carolina.
The womens basketball team also saw some
change, as North Greenvilles
Jayne
Arledge
brought Willis Holliday on
staff to fulfill the role of
associate coach.
Holliday comes to North
Greenville from St. Marys
Catholic School, where he
coached both the boys
and girls basketball and
taught physical education.
Holliday found success on
the court as head coach of
the Ducks, racking up five
state championships on
the girls team with eight
conference
championships. Holliday also put
together an impressive resume at Siloam Christian
School, racking up a 68-7
record in five seasons.
GREER FALLS TO BYRNES
The Byrnes football team

unloaded on Greer in a renewed rivalry, crushing
the Yellow Jackets, 45-7,
in Duncan.
If we dont have four
turnovers, a blocked punt
and a bad snap for a big
SEE HIGHLIGHTS | B2
Do-over
lright, Clemson fans.

Second chances
come so rarely in this
life, but youre about to
get yours.
Although this seems
like a different (and worse
if were being honest)
football team than last
year, the Tigers are still
one of the four teams
with a shot to win it
all. Clemson has fought
through and concurred
MOST of its adversity this
season. Except for that
little slip up against Pitt
and that should-havebeen-a-loss game against
NC State, youve done OK
for yourself, Tiger fans.
Hey, your team has
even won a couple of
decent basketball games,
but who is stepping foot
inside that beautiful new
Littlejohn Coliseum right
now, AM I RIGHT?
If the Tigers are to bring
some dignity back to
South Carolina and finally
capture a national title,
though, theyre going to
need to do a few things.
First, you gotta run
the ball. And by run the
ball, I dont just mean
Deshaun Watson quarterback keepers from the
shotgun. Give the ball to
Wayne Gallman! Hes a
great back, and needs to
be shouldering a decent
load. Clemson has had a
couple of games this season where theyve passed
the ball upwards of 70
times. This is why Watson
has been known to make
a mistake or two in 2016.
Get the ball on the ground
and make Ohio State get
the stops. Youre quarterback is very good in
clutch situations, so dont
be afraid to spend some
time establishing the run.
Another key to success
will be Dabo limiting his
risky play calls.
For all the good hes
done for this program,
Dabo LOVES to live on the
edge.
Hes a wonderful coach,
but when hes going for
it on fourth down on his
own side of the field with
just a couple of minutes
left in the game and a tiny
lead, any fan should be
screaming at the television.
This is coming from a
North Carolina fan, who
realizes Roy Williams
inability to call timeouts
has cost us our fair share
of big games.
Play sensible, Dabo! No
fake punt! No run packages on fourth down
with extra linemen in the
game!
Just play sensible.
Risks are only acceptable when the situation
absolutely calls for itnot
when you feel like your
guys are good enough to
get those extra couple of
yards to extend a drive.
The last key is going to
be Watsons supporting
cast. We all know how
good the Clemson QB
is, but if the Tigers get
strong outings from guys
like Jordan Leggett, Mike
Williams and the previously mentioned Gallman, this offense has the
ability to keep the team in
any game.
Im not telling you
Clemson fans anything
you dont already know,
but heres a last piece of
advice: try to be likeable.
All of us football fans in
South Carolina who dont
really have allegiances to
either USC or Clemson
want to pull for you.
Its just so hard because
your fan base can be
insufferable at times.
Stop acting so entitled.
Stop complaining about
awards you didnt receive
or ESPN coverage you
didnt get. Just be humble
and win.
All of us want to see
Alabama lose.
Dont put people in a
position where they want
to see Clemson lose even
more.
SPORTS
B2 THE GREER CITIZEN
HIGHLIGHTS: Coaching changes, playoff battles and memorable moments

FROM B1
loss that ended a drive,

then I think it would have
been a competitive game,
head coach Will Young
said after the game. But
you have to give Byrnes
credit because they have a
very good football team.
Greer won the battle
of statistics, but was undone by four turnovers
and a blocked punt. Those
miscues helped the Rebels score in nearly every
way imaginable, including
twice against Greers offense that gave up a 95yard pass interception and
a fumble return for touchdowns. Byrnes also scored
on a 59-yard run from
scrimmage, a 22-yard pass
and a 41-yard field goal.
EASTSIDE TOPS RIVERSIDE
Eastside
standout
Chance Pride led his team
to a second-straight win
over its rival in August, as
the Eagles topped Riverside 34-13.
Pride had three touchdowns in the second half
to help his team pull away
from the Warriors, which
suffered their first loss of
the season.
Its a rivalry game that
means a lot to our kids,
Wilson said. Fortunately,
we were able to come out
on top. Its a great win for
us and were excited to
get that win two years in
a row.
SEPTEMBER
GHS SELECTS
HALL OF FAMERS
Greer High School inducted six new members

into its athletic Hall of
Fame this year.
Those earning the honor include: Dyshia Parks
(class of 2011), Jordan
Mathis (2011), Chris Dean
(2010),
Joseph
Neely
(2011), Derek DeYoung
(2002) and Gary Vaughn
(honorary member).
NOVEMBER
NGU Crusaders
OCTOBER
NCAA TOURNAMENT
COMING TO GREENVILLE
The NCAA Division I

Mens Basketball Tournament will return to Greenville in March of 2017, it
was announced in October.
Furman University and
the Southern Conference
will serve as co-hosts of
NCAA Tournament First/
Second Round games,
scheduled for March 17
and 19, at the 14,000-seat
Bon Secours Wellness Arena downtown.
We are thrilled the
NCAA has entrusted us
to host one of its most
celebrated championships
and look forward to welcoming the student-athletes, coaches, and fans of
competing schools to our
home next March, said
Furman Director of Athletics Mike Buddie.
Its great to be back in
the business of hosting
NCAA Championships in
our community and state,
and we are dedicated along
with our Main Street Area,
Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and VisitGreenvilleSC
partners to provide an unparalleled, first-rate championship experience.
The NCAA opened the
bid process for the championships following an August decision by its Board
of Governors to relocate
events originally awarded
to cities in North Carolina.
The board made the decision because of the cu-
NOVEMBER
Brian Lane
mulative actions taken by

the state concerning civil
rights protections.
NOVEMBER
BYRNES MISSES PLAYOFFS,
DEFEATS DORMAN
The Byrnes football team

did not qualify for the
playoffs for the first time
in more than a decade, but
the Rebels did manage to
knock off rival Dorman in
the teams final game of
the season.
In that game, Rahjai Harris rushed for more than
200 yards and two touchdowns to give his team a
29-24 win.
LANE LEAVES REBELS
Brian Lane decided to

step down as Byrnes head
coach following the teams
3-7 finish in 2016.
This was entirely coach
Lanes decision, as I expressed the Districts desire for him to remain as
head coach of our pro-
NGU setter makes

preseason watch list
Alex Schinzing, a North
Greenville setter and junior on the mens volleyball team has been named
to the Lloy Ball Ward watch
list for the 2017 season.
The Lloy Ball award is a
national ward presented
to the best setter in NCAA
Division I-II mens volleyball during the regular
season. The watch list includes 20-players from
university throughout the
United States including
players from Ohio State,
UCLA, and Mount Olive.
The award was started
in 2014 and is one of five
position awards in collegiate mens volleyball. It
is named after former Fort
Wayne All-American setter
Lloy Ball who was also an
Olympic gold medalist for
the United States.
Schinzing was among
the Conference Carolinas
leaders with a 9.39 assists per game average
last season. He also had
a team-high 31 aces as he
helped the second-year
program North Green-
PHOTO | SUBMITTED
Alex Schinzing is looking for a stanout year in 2017.

ville reach the Conference
Carolinas Tournament for
the second straight year.
In 180-sets as a Crusader,
Alexander Schinzing has
accumulated 1,558-assists
and 47-aces.
Schinzing and the Crusaders will open up the

2017 season on Jan. 6
when they host Lincoln
Memorial at 7pm in Tigerville.
AUGUST
Eagles top Warriors
gram, District Five Superintendent Scott Tuner
said in November. Brian
and I, along with Principal Todd Hardy, have had
many conversations in recent weeks regarding the
overall state of the Byrnes
football program, and our
vision for future improvements. In the end, coach
Lane decided it was best
for him, and his family,
to step down and pursue
other opportunities. We
respect his decision. District Five is grateful for
coach Lanes contributions
to Byrnes High School,
and more importantly, his
leadership of our student
athletes over the last three
seasons.
A new coach has not
been hired for the program.
TEAMS FALL IN PLAYOFFS
After a delayed start to

the Class AAAA playoffs,
Blue Ridge, Greer and
Eastside suffered losses in
round one.
The Tigers fell to top-
seeded South Aiken, while

the Yellow Jackets and
Eagles dropped games to
North Augusta and Airport respectively.
The three region rivals
were joined in the playoffs
by Union County, which
fell in the second round to
Ridge View.
NGU WINS TWO

PLAYOFF GAMES
A 28-point first quarter

propelled North Greenville to a 45-26 win over
Tuskegee University in the
second round of the NCAA
Division II playoffs in November.
The Crusaders squeaked
into the playoffs where
they then went on a tear,
knocking off Florida Tech
and Tuskegee.
The Crusaders ultimately fell to North Alabama
in the third round. It was
North Greenvilles second
trip to the to the NCAA
Division II playoffs and
its second trip to the third
round.
DECEMBER
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED
During a high school

football season of highs
and lows, several local
players had the opportunity to prove themselves
against some of the best
competition in the state.
The Greer Citizen and
Owens Insurance honored
more than 30 athletes as
Player of the Week in 2016,
but five players stood out
among the crowd.
Those in the running for
The Greer Citizen/Owens
Insurance Player of the
Year award are: linebacker Khalid Jones (Byrnes),
wide receiver Jason Sammons (Blue Ridge), offensive lineman Noah Hannon (Greer), wide receiver
Chance Pride (Eastside)
and wide receiver Robert
Morrow (Riverside).
A winner will be announced in January.
Rest in peace, Craig

BY MARK VASTO
uch smarter men

and women than
me have addressed
the subject, but it never
makes sense that so often
those among us who seem
to have the most life are
taken away from us too
soon.
Craig Sager will no
doubt be remembered for
his striking attire, but it
would be such a shame
if all we remember about
this great sportscaster
was his taste in ties. He
now joins the ranks of the
immortals, another victim
to cancer, another life
that seemed to end too
suddenly, and the void
left is far too noticeable
for his family, his friends,
and in this case, the fans.
In the end, Sager gave
his own eulogy, and it
is something that bears
repeating. Rest in peace,
Craig.
When you are diagnosed with a terminal disease like cancer, leukemia,
your perception of time
changes. When doctors
tell you have three weeks
to live, do you try to live
In the end, Sager gave his own eulogy, and

it is something that bears repeating.
a lifetime of moments in
three weeks? Or do you
say, To hell with three
weeks? When doctors
tell you your only hope
of survival is 14 straight
days of intense chemotherapy, 24 hours a day,
do you sit there and count
down the 336 hours?
Or do you see each day
as a blessing? Time is
something that cannot
be bought. It cannot be
wagered with God. And it
is not an endless supply.
Time is simply how you
live your life.
Im not an expert on
time, or on cancer, or on
life itself. Im a kid from
the small Illinois town of
Batavia, who grew up on
the Chicago Cubs, and
made sports his lifes
work, although theres
never been a day where
it actually seemed like
work. I have run with the
bulls in Pamplona. I have
raced with Mario Andretti
in Indianapolis. I have
climbed the Great Wall of

China. I have jumped out
of airplanes over Kansas.
I have wrestled gators in
Florida. I have sailed the
ocean with Ted Turner. I
have swam the oceans in
the Caribbean. And I have
interviewed Gregg Popovich. Mid-game. Spurs
down seven.
If Ive learned anything
through all of this, its
that each and every day
is a canvas, waiting to be
painted -- an opportunity
for love, for fun, for living, for learning. To those
of you out there who are
suffering from cancer,
facing adversity, I want
you to know that your will
to live and to fight cancer
can make all the difference in the world. The
way you think influences
the way you feel, and the
way you feel determines
how you act.
Limestone announces baseball schedule

Head Coach Chris Wiley
and the Limestone College baseball team have
announced a heavy home
schedule for the 2017 season that will feature 31 of
50 regular season games
to be played at the friendly
confines of Founders FCU
Stadium.
The 2017 schedule is
front loaded with home
contests in February as 17
of the first 19 games of the
year will be played in Gaffney, including a stretch of
10 straight at home. The
longest road trip of the
season for the Saints will
be a five-game tilt late in
the year.
The Blue and Gold gets
the year started with a
short road trip to take on

Mars Hill University on
Wednesday, February 1 at
2 p.m. before the Saints
open the home schedule
with a three-game series
against Saint Anslem College that weekend. Limestone took two-of-three
from the Hawks last year.
Following a nonconference game against CarsonNewman University on
February 8, the Saints will
welcome Davis & Elkins
College to Founders FCU
Stadium for a three-game
set on Saturday and Sunday. It will mark the first
meeting between Limestone and the Senators on
the diamond.
The Saints then travel
to take on Lenoir-Rhyne
University before opening
up a 10-game homestand
with the Limestone Classic
on Saturday, February 18
and Sunday, February 19.
The classic will feature a
total of six games as three
teams Limestone, LIU
Post and Gannon University fight it out over two
days.
Lander University will
visit on Wednesday, February 22 before the Blue
and Gold opens the Conference Carolinas schedule with a three-game series against Barton College
that weekend. Limestone
will then close the homestand with nonconference
games against Anderson
(Feb. 28) and Lenoir-Rhyne

(Mar. 1).
Limestone then travels
to take on Pfeiffer University for the final time
in the regular season as
the Falcons will transition
to NCAA Division III next
season. The two programs
have played each other a
total of 64 times in a rivalry that dates back to the
1991 campaign.
Conference Carolinas
foes Erskine College and
North Greenville University will visit for three-game
series on consecutive
weekends with a road trip
to take on Carson-Newman squeezed in between.
The Saints then host Francis Marion University on
March 22 before traveling

to face Southern Wesleyan
University in conference
action on March 24 and
March 25.
Limestone will stay on
the road for a nonconference matchup at Lander
on March 29 before returning home to close
out March and open April
with a three-game series
against Emmanuel College. Wingate University
then visits on April 5 to
bring the brief homestand
to an end.
The Saints then play
nine of the final 12 regular
season games on the road,
starting with a three-game
road series at rival Belmont Abbey College. The
Blue and Gold will then

travel to face Francis Marion on April 11 and Wingate on April 12 before returning home to host King
University on April 14 and
April 15.
Four straight road
games will bring the regular season to a close as
the Saints visit Anderson
on April 19 before making the trip to face the
University of Mount Olive in a three-game set. If
Limestone should qualify,
the 2017 Conference Carolinas Tournament will be
played April 26-30 in Burlington, N.C.
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NOTICE All real estate

advertised in this newspaper is Subject to the
Federal Fair Housing Act
of 1968 which makes it
illegal to advertise any
preference,
limitation
or discrimination based
on race, color, religion,
sex, handicap, familial
status, national origin
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such preference, limitation or discrimination.
This newspaper will not
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hereby informed that
all dwelling advertised
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available on an equal
opportunity basis.
TO WHOM IT MAY
CONCERN: JLP Automotive 13050 E Wade
Hampton Blvd, Greer,
SC 29651 will sell the
following vehicles at
Public Judicial Auction
unless the owner shows
and pays bills for storage and towing.
1996 Volvo, VIN#
YV1LS5541GT2330653
1971 VW,
VIN#1113056480
JLP Automotive
(864) 968-1933
Notice is hereby given

that A&M OF GREER,
d.b.a. ANDINO intends
to apply to the South
Carolina
Department
of Revenue for a license/permit that will
allow the sale and ON
premises consumption
of beer and wine at 101
BROOKWOOD DRIVE,
GREER, SC 29651. To
object to the issuance
of this permit/license,
written protest must be
postmarked no later
than January 6, 2017.
For a protest to be valid,
it must be in writing, and
should include the following information:
(1) the name, address
and telephone number
of the person ling the
protest;
(2) the specic reasons
why the application
should be denied;
(3) that the person protesting is willing to attend a hearing (if one
is requested by the applicant);
(4)
that the person
protesting resides in the
same county where the
proposed place of business is located or within
ve miles of the business; and,
(5) the name of the applicant and the address
of the premises to be
licensed.
Protests must be mailed
to: S. C. Department of
Revenue, ATTN: ABL,
P.O. Box 125, Columbia, SC 29214-0907;
or faxed to: (803) 8960110.
12-21,28,1-4
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5th Grade Students at Berry Shoals Intermediate School

welcomed in the new year with Letters to 2017
Dear 2017,
Dear 2017,
I cant believe it is time to

talk to you already. I am doing
my wish list really different this
year, instead of being selfsh
and thinking about myself, I
am thinking about others. Our
world is suffering and me and
the other kids in the country
have teamed up to make our
world a better place.
My first wish is peace. Peaceful enough that their would be
NO wars and we would all get
along , peaceful enough that
people would not judge each
other on their race,and peaceful enough where everyone
would come together as one
country.
Second I want an anti-bullying world. Think about it...No
one would bully each other,
there would be no bystanders
and everyone would would
stand up, and no one would
ever have the HATE in their
hearts to even think about
bullying.
Next I would like to cure
homeless. It would be awesome .Homeless people would
get a home or a shelter and
they would get a family. Also I
wish that no one would separate homeless from others as
different.. I would
Finally, something for myself. I would love for you to
bring me a trip to the bahamas.I want safe travel, nice
breeze and a sun tan. Oh and
maybe some cool water too
but Im not asking for too
much. I know that my list is a
little extreme but our country
needs help. I might sound
crazy but it is important to me
that not only I have an awesome year but our country
does too. Thanks for being
their for me. I look forward to
seeing what 2017 brings mel
I wonder what you have for

me. I cant wait to see what
you bring me.
One thing I need is a snow
week. I would love to have it
the first week of January. I
dont want It to cause accidents though.
Another thing i would like is
a vacation to Florida. I would
like no storms and I want to
see the clear water. I would
also like to see the sand
through the water.
In addition, I would like a
new shoe brand to come out
with different texture because
they are all made by the same
people
2017 there are
many things I would
like. Hurry up and
get here. I cant
wait to see what
you have for me.
Slncerely, Alonna Mckaba

Dear 2017,
2016 was a good year, but I
want you to be stupendous! In
2016, I went on lots of vacations, but not Im wishing for. I
went roller skating for my
birthday, but I did not have a
party {I only meet up with Evelyn}.
My first wish is to go to Idaho, I want to go there because
I used to live there and I miss
all my friends. I love the hot
springs too, oh and there is a
lot of snow.
Second of all I want to go to
Hawaii, I love snorkeling and
its always hot there. I also love
shopping there. I have gone to
Hawaii but not in two years.
Thirdly, I wish for a tremendous birthday party. I want
lots of friends to be at my
birthday and I want it to be
decorated. I love playing
games so we will have to think
of some to play.
Finally, I want lots of snow
because its fun to play in.
There wont be any school and
no homework. Also you could
slide on the sled or build a
snowman and make bunch of
snow angels.
I know this a lot to ask 2017,
but I believe this can happen. I
wish this not only for me, but
my friends and family to have
some fun too. I will be jovial if
my wishes come true.
Alina Ryabchuk
Dear,2017
Its Christmas time! Here are
my wishes for 2017,but first let
me talk about the year im in
now 2016.It was a good year i
went to Disney World and
went to fith grade.I wonder
what 2017 will bring me?
First wish is enough food for
the whole world.some reasons
why i want this,No one would
die of starvation,no one would
beg for food, and everyone
can eat.
My second wish is a trip to
Japan some reasons why, I will
be able to see a different place
in the world.Also I will see a
different culture,Then i will get
to see cities of Japan like Tyko!
Now my last wish is for Everyone to have money.Now
the reasons why.No one will
be broke and that means no
beging for money.The most
inportant one,people can give
their money to their awesome
children! So thats only some
of the things i want for 2017.I
hope that the things on this
list happen. If they do then i
will be happy!Well Ill see you
next year!
By, Anna watson :D
Sincerely,
Damion
Dear 2017
jobs. If they are homeless, then

they should live in a homeless
shelter.
Lastly, what I hope to come
for 2017 is that my grandma
feels better. I hope she can be
able to move around a lot. I
hope shes constantly not going to the hospital. She can be
a strong person
I hope you can give one
thing I look forward to in 2017.
I hope that wasnt a lot to ask
for. You better be a good year
to me and everyone else in the
world. Bye 2016, 2017 is coming.
Dear 2017
I think you will bring a lot of
fun things this year. I can hear
you telling me all about the
fun things we will do this year.
First of all I want to get a
new dirt bike that is orange
and the brand has to be KTM.I
also want orange wheel hubs.
Secondly I would like to go
to Loretta Lynns and finish in
the top 30.I also want to have
and spend time with my
friends and family.
Third if all I want to go to the
top kids showcase and win in
first place. I also want to have
fun with my family and see
some of my old friends. Hey
2017 I can not wait for you to
come this year. I hope you
come soon this year.
Stockton
One more thing no extreme

weather please. Dont let it get
over 100%F or 0%F weather.
No severe storms 2016
brought enough of those.
In conclusion hopefully
these excellent ideas will make
you a whole lot better. See you
next year!
Sincerely, Caleb
Dear 2017.
I had a fun time in 2016, but
I think that 2017 will hold lots
of wonders and new opportunities. Here are some things I
want to do to make 2017 even
better than I know its going to
be!
First, i want to take a look at
gymnastics. I really want to improve on every event and get
nines on everything at competition, especially state meet.
I also want to learn
a few more upper
level skills to get
ready for the next
level Im going into.
(level 5) For example, I want to learn a
back tuck, fly away,
and so much more!
Next, I want some
vacations and family
time. I feel really happy when our whole
family is together, especially when were
on a fun vacation.
We are very busy,
especially during
the school year. So
Im hoping that well
have time in the
summer to go on fun
vacations and have
fun!
And last, but not least,
I want to have another nice,
warm, cozy, and especially fun Christmas! I want to
open and
give presents
to everybody.
Maybe it will
even snow! We
could have our
friends and
family come
over for dinner
and then they
can open presents!
I believe that I
can make all of
these things
happen and I
hope they will. I
had a great
2016, but I cant
wait for the new
2017. Im off to
a great start
with another
year full of wonders and more
new opportunities!
DEAR
Your friend,
Carla De La Ossa
2016 was a
good year. Now I
am ready for
2017. I wonder
what 2017 will
be like. This is
how I would like
2017 to be. First I would like it
to bring a lot rain. We have not
had a lot of rain in about 5
months. Also we need
rain so farmers can
grow crops and
people can eat.
Next I would like
to have a good
vacation, and I
hope I have
fun. I really
want to go
somewhere I
have not
gone. I will like
it to be sunny
but not blistering. Also want it
to be a little
cloudy. Lastly I
want to revisit
2016. It was dry
because we have not
got a lot of rain. 2016 was
a good year. I met a lot of
new people and I went to
another school. I really
would like for 2017 to
be like what I have
written God. I
would apparate it
a lot. Thank you
for listening to
me.
Sincerely,
Connor Price
Dear 2017,
2016 was a good year,

but this year is going to be
way better year. In 2016 I
moved to a new school called
Berry Shoals. I have a new
teacher named Ms.Williams
and a lot of new friends. This
year is going to be a better
year and I know it. These are
some things I want.
My first thing I want for this
new year is that I want to go to
California to see my family and
go to the beach like I use to.
Also I want to hang around my
family to know them more.
The second thing I want for
this new year is that I want is
that I want to get better
grades so I can go to Beta club
and so my mom will be so
happy. Also I can get a good
hall.
Finally the last thing I want
for this new year is that I want
is for my family to be safe. Nobody will harm them and that
they will be safe when they
travel. They will stay together
and that no one will get hurt.
I cant believe that youre
coming 2017. 2016 went by so
fast. I know in 2016 I had hard
times but its time to move on.
I hope I have a great new year.
Carson Brooks
Dear 2017,
I cant believe its time to say
bye to 2016, and say hello to
20l7.This year I wish for many
things but Im only going to
tell you a few. This is going to
be an amazing year together.
My first wish is to visit Miami
and Colombia. I really want to
see my family and friends. I
want to go to Colombia because Ive never been there.
The beaches in Miami are so
fun to visit.
My second wish for 2017 is
for no more poverty. I hope
people can earn enough money to support their families.
They can hopefully get good
Dear 2017,
Dear 2017.
Hi 2017,hope you are doing

well! I am writing this letter so
you will know what I am expecting next year when you
come. Oh, I almost forgot!
How are you going to feel
when 2018 shows up?
Next year will you be nice
enough to arrange some days
into fun trips? Im looking for
some amazing days at the
beach on my birthday, like I always have. But, please make it
even more fun this time! I
dont want to be stung by a
jellyfish again! Im also looking
forward to a trip to the beach
with my moms friends, their
children my brother, and my
best friend Toni too. I know Im
asking a whole awful lot of
you, but I also want all of my
family to have a trip somewhere for about a week.
Second, please next year in
sixth grade I am asking for
nice, good friends and teachers. I dont want any mean kids
the ones that push people
around and bully or strict
teachers that give lots of
homework. The thing I mostly
need is, no mean people that
get mad at every little mistake
you make.
Last but not least, Im hoping for a hard snow. Not the
snow or blizzards that people
get hurt and wreck in, just
enough for no week of school.
Maybe you could even arrange that week off of school
to be before Christmas break!
Another thing I want is the
snow to be extra thick and
slippery enough to sled in.
Hope you dont lose this letter, Im counting on you. But,
dont come too fast because I
want Christmas to last a long
time!
Happy New Year! I hope you

are ready for some fun because I am.
As soon as you can, I want
world peace. I want to stop
wars. And I want all the soldiers to come home. I want everyone to have a good Christmas.
Next I would like to meet
the Denver Broncos. I would
lick an autographed football. I
really want to meet Peyton
Manning. I want Broncos
game tickets.
Finally I would like to meet
my favorite Youtubers. I would
really like to meet Even Fong
or (VanossGaming). I would
like to meet I am Wildcat. I
would like to meet Markiplier. I
would like to meet jacksepticeye.
Thank you for the fun I will
have. I hope 2018 will be as
fun.
Sincerely, Brelyn
From, Emma Warner
Sincerely, Michael
Dear 2017,
I have an important message. 2016 is so tiring. Dont
worry Im just writing this letter to make you better (no offense- you may need this).
Ten,nine, eight, seven, six,
FIVE. FOUR, THREE. TWO. ONE.
Happy new year! my family
yells.
You can start off by making
it snow for once in awhile. That
means SNOW DAYS good for
students and teachers but bad
for any other job. One bad
thing about snow days is we
have to make up school. A
good thing about snow days is
snowball fights and sledding.
When we get into summer
everybody wants warm
weather. I do so I can play
baseball. Also I want good
weather to lay in a hammock.
Well this was

a good year,
But I think we
can do better
in 2017.
Hayden
Dear 2017,
2016. Rough ride. I made it!
Finally time for a new year.
First things first. Snow! Not
too too much, just enough to
make it white outside. A day
off! I mean, awww.... I dont
want to miss school... (I kind of
do)
Next, Myrtle Beach! Have
not been there in a long time,
seeing the palm trees, enjoying the beach, or getting a
souvenir!
Then, living until 2018! Well,
with a few more things than
just living. I mean having fun,
my Birthday, and being safe.
You might be scratching
your head thinking, I dont
know, seems like a lot to do.
But just one thing will work,
but try as hard as you can.
Your Friend, Jayden Anders
Dear 2017,
Well this was a good year,
But I think we can do better in
2017 like... I would like new
technology and new friends.
Plus I think I can help the environment by picking up trash.
My first wish is that mostly

everybody has a home. Like
nobody in the streets and
some donations to them that
will keep them warm and not
hungry I want everybody to
have a good life.
My second wish is that everybody has a good 2017 I
want everybody to have a
healthy body , No one to have
cancer and no one worries
about illnesses.
My final wish is that my sister is safe during her national
cheer competition. Were going to disney world for it .I
hope we have time to ride the
rides . I hope everybody has a
good 2017. Happy New Year
everybody
Sincerely, Heyden .
Dear 2017,
Hello, how are you doing? I

want this year to be better
than last year.
I want snow to be more
clean. And I dont want ice, because we cant go to many
places and we might get a car
crash. I dont want snow to be
hard. I want nice, soft snow
that you can play for 1 hour. By
the way, I really want to know:
how can snow be soft and
hard at the same time?
Now, weather. I dont want
very hot weather or cold
weather. I want like ok weather. But how can I know when
weather is cold or so hot or
okay weather? And some people might have the same question. And keep the weather
warm or cold, because I dont
want to get sick.
And can day be longer because kids want to have more
fun outside longer? But in the
winter, can I have shorter days,
because it gets too cold? We
might freeze to death.
Sorry, I need to go. I have so
many question and some people will as well. Good bye!
Have a great time.
From, Getsemany
Dear 2017,
2016 was or is great but I believe with a bit of work into it,
we can make our way into
2017 with a stronger mind. We
can be kind,smart selfless.2017
here i come. First,I want more
nature to be saved. I just hate
seeing all the trees to be cut
down for all the houses that
no one needs. Also we need
people to take up less water so
we have or can keep the wild
life. Not only I think people
need to recycle especially with
the wild fires.
Second, I believe or want a
bit more peace in the world.
There is so much fighting and
it causes stress. I believe it
would be a big improvement
if we can accomplish my wish.
Last snow on Christmas. Its
my dream to play in the snow
on Christmas. Also it feels
more like Christmas and it just
brings us closer.
I believe 2017 will be amazing with all the new things. I
believe I could make a change
too! Have fun in 2017!
Sincerely, Gabrielle Fulks

Dear 2017,
2016 has been a good year.
Its had its ups and downs, but
its almost over. But Ive got a
couple things to ask you before its your turn.
In the beginning of next
year, if its not too much to ask,
I would like some nice weather. I dont like it super hot or
super cold, I like it just right.
Some snow in the first few
months would be fine, but
other than that try to lay back
on the cold weather. Then
theres the Summer, I would
like some warm, not hot,
warm weather during the
summer.
The weather alone would be
good, but in the summer I
would like to get something
installed, that something is a
hot tub. I want to be able to relax in the winter, plus sometimes the pool is too cold to
swim.
Though it would be nice to
get a hot tub, what I really
want, toward the later months,
is nice teachers. I really like
teachers that understand. This
year my teachers have been
great, theyll be hard to beat.
If you would be able to pull
all of this off, it would be great.
I know its a lot to ask, so even
if you cant do any of it, Ill remember the year 2017.
Matthew Mullins
LIVING HERE
LET TERS
Dear 2017,
Next year I want things to
be different. I want people to
walk down the streets with a
smile not a frown. Next year I
want people to have a good
day. Next year I want people to
help out. Next year I want to
see the most beautiful thing
Ive seen in my life.
The first thing I want is scientists to finally complete the
hoverboard the lightsaber and
the shoes that tie themselves. I
want them to make the flying
car and medical machines to
help cure people. Finally I
want them to make mudroom
that detects when youre dirty
and cleans you.
The next thing I want is to
see the most beautiful beach
Ive seen in my life. First I want
the waters to look like blue diamonds. Next I want the sunset to look like the supermoon.
Last I want the trees to look
like the drawing of the best
artist in the world drew it.
The last thing I want is poor
people not to feel scared and
alone. I want people to raise
money to give to the poor.
Next I want to give food and
clothing to the poor. Last I
want is that the poor would
have the proper education
and more cheap and hard
schools that they could have.
Ill miss you 2016 so very
much. Hello 2017 Im ready for
you I know my wishes might
be long. But whatever happens good or bad LETS GO!!!
Love: Fletcher Martin
Dear 2017,
2017 was a great year! I
hope you can top it. A way to
beat last year is by making
these things happen.
In the beginning of the year
can you make it snow? Last
year we barely got anything.
Next year I want to have a lot
so we can get a day off school.
I dont want so much that it
causes damage, just enough
for a few days off school, a
snowman, and a snowball
fight with my family.
In the middle of the year I
want my dad to come from
deployment safe and happy.
My dads in the military and
had to get deployed for a year.
I cant wait till he comes back
so we can go traveling and exploring as a complete family.
A month after that I would
love to go to disney world
again! We have been once this
year and it was great except
for the part where we got
rained out. If I get to go I
would like to ride all of the
rides and that we dont get
rained out.
I cant wait for next year! I
hope you can make everything happen. See you soon in
2017!
Your friend, Erika Sinkler
Dear 2017,
Oh, man was 2016 a good
year, but I know that you will
be even better!! know this because all the years before this
were great, so this year must
be even better. So please try to
make these 3 wishes come
true...!
First I hope there will be no
more poor people because,
We all need to be warm. We all
need to have food/water. Last
of all we all ne a house.so if
you could make this first wish
happen that would be awesome.
The second wish I hope happens is that i will get a trip to
Germany because, it is were
my last name was originated
from. There will be castles so
that might mean mazes and
dungeons.
There will also be tennis lots
of tennis,too much tennis.
Last of all I hope the world
will be at peace because then
there will be no thugs so no
more robberies and stealing. I
also hope there will be no
more war because then there
will no death of soldiers and
innocent people. Last of there
will be no more poor people
because like i said before we
all need a house and all that
stuff.
Like I said before you are going to be the best year so far,
well I hope so. So please still
consider these three wishes
come true. remember you
have to be a great year.
Michael Whetzel
Dear 2017,
2016 was not the best year.
Moving far away,new school.
2017 be ready Im on the
prowl for a better year.
First off, I want to spend
quality time with family because they are 11h and 30m
by car away. Also, because
they are lonely without me
and my brother. Plus I miss
them.
THE GREER CITIZEN B5
family pay bills so they want

have so much on there mines
all the time.Im trying to make
them feel relieved.This year all
my wishes came true.It made
me a better student and a better person.
TeQuarius Jeter
In the middle of the year I want my dad to come

from deployment safe and happy. - Erika
Dear 2017,
Then 2017 I wish you could help me in February,Win

the Super Bowl if we get there. I want to beat the Patriots
insanely bad. - Kaden
I would like to have no bullies, or make me a better gymnast,
and have peace and love in the world. - Leilani
Next, I want to go to Philadelphia because I want to see
the Philadelphia Eagles. I also
want to see the second bank
ever built. Plus I want to climb
the Rocky Stairs.
Finally, I would like a trip to
Seattle because I want to see
the seahawks play. I also want
to see downtown Seattle. Lastly, I would like to swim in the
Pacific Ocean.
So 2017, give me that good
year so that I am satisfied and
so is my family
By: Matthew Stolzenfeld
Dear 2017,
Do you want to go down in
history as the best year of my
life? I have three wishes that
can make this possible. In
2017 I would like another trip
to Disney World, a new dog,
and my dad to be my teacher
next year.
One of my favorite times in
my life was when I went to Disney World. I loved going on all
those rollercoasters there. I
think i deserve to go again. I
think that because I am getting all As and Bs in school so
far, I do all my chores every
day, I also have good behavior
reports this school year. So I
think I should deserve to go to
Disney World.
Do you know the times
when your dog gets old and
can not play anymore? Well if
you do you will know how I
feel about having a old dog.
So if my family gets another
dog it will help me and my
dog. It will help my dog by
making him not be lonely anymore. It will help me by making me more responsible.
Those are my reasons why I
should get a dog.
Did you know my dad is a
sixth grade teacher at my
school? I am in fifth grade so
he could be my teacher next
year. I think he should be my
teacher next year because he
is a good teacher, he would
push me harder in school, also
if I needed help with homework my teacher would be at
home.
In conclusion 2017 could be
the best year of my life! If I
could go to Disney World, get
a new dog, and have my dad
as my teacher. If all that happens 2017 could be awesome.
Please consider my reasons
and make your year go down
in history.
Sincerely, Mason
Dear 2017,
I have a few things i would
like you to do. I would like to
have no bullies, or make me a
better gymnast,and have
peace and love in the world.
First, 2017 I want there to be
no more bullying,so your job is
to make sure no one gets hurt.
If 2016 can do it than you can.
Also make sure everyone is
happy and no one is being
bullied Make sure that no one
feels left out and everyone has
a smile on their face
Next, 2017 i want you to
make me a better gymnast. l
want you to start off on the
bars,bars are the hardest thing
in gymnastics for me right
now .Then i want you to make
me better on the beam. On
the beam you have to have a
lot of balance and be sure you
dont fall off. Now i need floor.
Floor is the easiest to me. I can
do anything on the floor but i
need help with pointing my
toes and keep my legs together while i and doing flips
Finally, I want peace and
love in our world, so that
means it should be quit! think
everyone wants a quiet world,
2017. make the world peaceful
so some people can get rest at
night. next Iet everyone be
loved and cared for.
I know that i am asking a lot
of things for you to do if 2016
can do it you can. If you finish
all of the things i give to you
more things to do.
Leilani Cox
Dear 2017,
I cant believe its already
2017.1 cant wait for what this
year has to bring.This is all I
want this year.
This year I wish I could see
my cousins more often, because they both live over one
hour away. The only time is see
my cousins is sometimes in
the summer and on special
holidays like Christmas and
birthdays. During Christmas
break I would like to my cousins on my moms side in that is
Aidan and Presley.Also I would
like to see my other cousins
Lyla,Ann Mckenzie, Walker,
Alyss, and Cole up in Asheville.
Then 2017 I wish you could
help me in February,Win the
Super Bowl if we get there. I
want to beat the Patriots insanely bad. So I can get Revenge on Tom Brady and his
big Tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Also could you help clemson
in the playoffs.l wish we could
go to the College football
Championship.
Last but not least a safe year
at the beach we stay there at
the beach the whole entire
summer. So could you keep
everyone safe when were
down at the beach. I wish my
cousins could come down to
the beach this year it would be
nice.
I know its not a lot but I
hope you can do it. Wait
I know you can do it 2017.
P.S I hope you can do it.
Your friend, Kaden
Dear 2017,
2016 was a great year.I had
the best teacher ever.2017
hear I coined think year will be
even better.
My first wish is to have a
nice hall next year.I would like
a hall with nice teachers and
students.
My second wish is to go to
Las vegas.Now who doesnt
want to go there? would party
all day. I would like to dance. I
love to dance.
My final wish is for lots of
friends.I have two friends right
now, but next year I would like
more.I want friends who are
nice.Friends who are friendly,
but most importantly funny.
I know this is a lot to ask for
but if you cant give me all
then Just give me one. Ill be
good.
Joi Foster
Dear 2017,
I cant believe that its so
close to New Years already . I
really hope that this will be a
great year , with a lot in store .
The school year means a lot to
me , so my list is mostly about
school.
First, I want 2017 to be a
great year , I want it to be a
cheerful year . I hope that 2017
,I will have a great 11th birthday. I also hope that 2017 will
bring a great Christmas .
Secondly , I hope 2017 will
bring an amazing school year ,
I hope we will do fun things . I
would like to become smarter
as well I would also like to be
more successful in math and
ELA .
Lastly , I hope for all of my
friends to be on the same hall
as me . This is one of my wishes , because I am really shy . I
also want to be able to talk to
someone that I know .
I really hope that 2017 is a
great year . I hope that it will
bring fun times at home and
at school. I am looking to you
2017 .
Sincerely, Savannah
Dear 2017,
I cant believe that is already
2017! Wow, l hope 2017 is a
great as 2016. Im going to
make it my best year possible.
First, I want everyone to
help others by giving their
best and giving anything you
dont need to other people.
Then, I want people to be kind
and not brag if they got better
things. I hope that people in-
clude others when they ( anyone ) cant find anybody to

play with.
Next, I hope 2017 is better
than 2016. I want to have a
higher chance of rain because
we ( South Carolina ) havnt
had a good rain in 5 months. I
would like to have warmer
weather so other wont get
sick. l would also like a good
chance of snow because...
Who doesnt like Snow.
Last I would like better football games. I would want the
NFL to put the same amount
of football stars on each team.
Then have the best vs best in
the first game. Lastly I would
like longer quarters for every
game.
I truly hope this is all that
happens in 2017. lf not, lll still
be happy. l only want 2017 to
be an awesome year!
Quinton Williams
Dear 2017
I know you can step up our
lives and bring us joy and fun
here are some things I would
expect/like.
The number one thing I
want is a new house that we
own,the 3 reasons why Are: 1
It wastes money because
were paying 1,500 dollars a
month,2 I I want a real fireplace, because its pretty and
smells good, 3 a bigger room
for more decorations like marines and other details.
The second thing I want is
the 2016 godzilla (Nissan gtr
1200 horsepower). The Number one reason is that it would
be fun for my dad, the number
2 reason is that it would be fun
for me, and my third reason is
that it would clock out at
about 360 miles per hour.
Finally the final thing is a
teacup yorkshire terrier that
the adult weight is 2.5 pounds
! One reason why I want this is
because we need more entertainment.The number 2 reason is that me and my sister
want this very bad. Finally the
third reason is it would be cool
to show off for my sister.
These are the things I want
from you 2017 ,CAN YOU
HEAR THAT?
Sincerely, Tristan Braghirol
Dear 2017,
I hope this year will be better. So I can look back and say
that was the best school year
ever. To make me feel good of
all the hard work I did that
year to make a and honor roll
student.My first wish is a good
hall to help me understand
better so I can get my work
done because I already know
about the work I had to do
next to help me learn more
about my unit or subject to
show me whats its about last
is to explore new things about
what im going to learn about
through out the year. Second
is some nice teachers to get
through the year and knowing
the choices that I made was fit
just right for me to make me
better in school this next sentence is about so this year can
be better than my other years
in school the things that im
doing to make it better is
studying harder, reading questions carefully and keeping up
up with my homework in order to make this new year
coming up better the third
sentence is about to get
smarter about what I do because I want to have a good
living in my life. Finally is to get
good grades the three sentences are first is so I can have
a good college pay for me so I
wont have to and dont want
to have to drop out of college
and get a job and work for
years to get enough money to
go back to college and start
college all over again number
two sentence is so I can have a
good job whatever job that I
can pick if its interesting and
really good then I can tell how
hard I worked and I said it really came true.Then that means I
did what I had to do to get
what I might have got in the
third sentence. I will help my
2017 just get here already. I

cant stand this year. I have
been in a sling this summer.
Now instead of 13 being the
unlucky number 2016 is.
At the start of the year I
would like rain. My first reason
is to stop the forest fires. My
next reason is to stop the
drought because we have not
had much rain the past few
months. My last reason is if
people have gardens the
plants wont go outside or the
owner will have to go outside
and pour water over it and
also if you own a flower shop
then they wont have flowers.
In the middle of the year I
would like sun to come. My
first reason is so my family can
go swimming and for it to feel
good outside. My next reason
is so I can get outside and play.
My last reason is for Eli to have
Baseball games. Its his favorite
sport and he gets to have fun
with his friends and I get to to
because my friends brothers
are on the team so my friends
come to play with me and also
have fun.
At the end of the year I
would like snow. My first reason is so my mom, dad, my
brother, and me get to play in
the snow because the last few
years we have got barely any
snow or it was 75 degrees on
Christmas. My next reason is
to give joy to the soldiers who
dont get to come home for
Christmas. My last reason is it
feels more like Christmas without snow outside. I just want
the forest fires to stop and soldiers to come home and also
to bring joy to the world so it
feels like Christmas when you
open the curtains and see
snow. I want to say one thing
... 2016 just end already.
Taylor
The first
thing I want is
scientis to
finally
complete the
hoverboard the
lightsaber...
Fletcher
Dear 2017,
I know you are coming
soon. Please snow a little bit so
we can have no school, give
me a guide to find more Pokemon, and make the NFL more
challenging.
First, 2017, I gotta catch
more Pokemon! I always love
adventure! And I need to learn
more about the Pokemon in
the Pokedex.
Next, please snow a little so I
can have no school! When it
snows, its Snowball Fight! And
NO* NO* Power outages because I love Wi-FI.
Last, I really want the NFL to
be more challenging, like the
Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Chicago Bears. But my team, the
Cincinnati Bengals are not doing good this year. The Bengals need to win! Please, 2017,
make the Bengals undefeated.
If you could bring me one of
these, what will it be?
Yours truly, Tanner
Dear 2017,
2016 wasnt as good as I
thought it would be. I want
2017 to be better. I hope these
requests will be answered.
First, I would like a better
school year. Id like better
grades to get into a good college. I need help on good behavior too.
Next, I want a selfless family.
We are always arguing and
selfish. I want us to be loving
toward another.
Last, I want a good president. We need to have a good
future. Hopefully America will
be great.
I hope this is not to much to
ask for. I hope you can answer
all of these. Thats all I need.
Thanks!
Sincerely, Artem Theng
Dear 2017,
Wow! 2016 was a really
tough year. Especially in January. So 2017, make it a better
year please. I have a wishlist
for you, 2017.
The first thing on my list for

you is that everyone will be
kind to each other. That will
make me really happy. I would
like nobody to be mean to
each other, nobody bullying
each other, and nobody hurting each other. The second
thing on my list is to go on a
trip somewhere with my Mom,
Dad, my friends, and their parents. I would like to go to Disney World, Great Wolf Lodge,
or go on a Norwegian Cruise
Line. Either one of them is fine.
The last thing on my list is a
safe trip to California. Please
keep me safe on the plane that
I go on with my aunt, please
keep me safe from anything
bad going on near near me.
Alright 2017. You know
what my wishlist is for. You.
Please let everything on that
list come true. You are the fairy
godmother of next year.
Addy Reams
Dear 2017,
Happy New Year! This writing is about what I want for
2017. Many people may not
know that our world is falling
apart. All over the world people must take a stand and recreate our universe.
First, we will talk about
peace on earth. Peace on
earth is not just about being
satisfied its about, its about
taking a stand and lending a
hand.
Next we will talk about, no
more wars. Many people think
they are going to win but they
dont so then theyre upset.
Without wars people all
around the world will be glad.
All wars are destroying our
country.
Last but not least, is happiness in families. Some families
have lost many family members. A lot of people feel like
they do not belong in their
family.
After, you have heard me
talk about what I want you
may want this too. The year
2016 brought many harsh
things inside our world, but I
want 2017, to bring many
pleasant things.
Sincerely, Angela Jenkins

Dear 2017,
2017, 16 and 15 have been
horrible! What have I done to
deserve this. I ask for 3 things.
Just 3.
At the beginning of the year,
Id like a dog. My old d- My old
friend died and I cried a lot. I
loved him. His name was Bizkit. He lived to be 14 [Thats 98
in dog years] and he died on
the 2nd Tuesday of Oct. 2015. I
will never forget that day.
In the middle of the year Id
love my parents getting back
together. Seeing Mom and
Dad every day would be awesome. When parents get divorced, most times the kid(s)
goes from house to house.
How we do it, I go to my
moms every other weekend
and in the week she come over
to my dads every other day.
Towards the end of the year
to top it all off, more family
time please. I see my dad,
mom, sister, and grandfather
the most. I used to see my
cousin Cat a lot but she plays
volleyball now so I dont see
her much anymore. My cousin
Tyler started a family so I dont
see him much and Matty is in
college.
All I want are these things.
Its just 3 things. If you could
do that, that would be awesome.
Your Friend, Ryan Blodgett

Dear 2017,
2016 was a good year with

Will turning a year old and going to a new school, but these
are some things I hope you
will bring.
First, I want Clemson to have
another amazing football season. I am a really big Clemson
fan and they were really good
in 2015/16. It may be tough
because we will lose star players like Deshawn Watson, Mike
Williams, and Ben Boulware.
Also, I cant wait for Will starting to talk and know what
words mean. If you dont know,
Will is my 1 year old brother
and will turn 2 in October if he
can talk than we can know
what he wants easier.
And finally, I cant wait to
play the trumpet in 6th grade
band concerts. 6th graders get
to play in school assemblies. In
6th grade music is quicker and
more complicated than in 5th
grade. You use a binder and
notebook paper and that
sounds pretty fun.
I hope all these things go
well, 2016 was an amazing
year and I hope you can match
it! All this and more would be
great, and please dont put
much bad in. Good luck!
Your Friend, Grayson
ENTERTAINMENT
The Greer Citizen
Hollywild park gets $20,000 boost

LIONSGATE
Mark
Wahlberg
'Deepwater Horizon'
in
COUCH THEATER
BY SAM STRUCKHOFF
NEW RELEASES
FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 9
PICKS OF THE WEEK
The Accountant (R)

-- Of all the plot-twisty,
globetrotting spy thrillers
out there these days, this
one has Ben Affleck playing an underworld accountant/part-time
assassin
on the autism spectrum.
Christian Wolff (Affleck)
has the Hollywood strain
of autism -- which is the
kind that gives characters
mathematical superpowers in exchange for poor
social skills and occasional fits of overstimulation.
While working for a notso-criminal robotics company, he meets up with
Dana (Anna Kendrick), and
they are swept up in more
trouble with a stony killer
who is (really) called Brax
(Joe Bernthal).
While Affleck is an unconventional hero, the
movie is still bogged down
by genre tropes. In trying to make an original
protagonist, the film falls
prey to Hollywood interpretations of disorders,
and tackily implies that
autism makes Wolff a
more effective murderer -something that rings false
to anyone whos spent significant time with people
on the spectrum.
Deepwater Horizon
(PG-13) -- The catastrophic
failure of the British Petroleum oil rig Deepwater Horizon is dramatized in this
heroic thriller directed by
Peter Berg (The Lone Survivor). Against the advice
of veteran oil-rig honcho
Mr. Jimmy (Kurt Russell), higher-ups from the
oil company (personified
by John Malkovich) cut
corners -- while on the
floor of the Gulf of Mexico,
leaky pipes take on muck
and leak volatile methane.
When the big blast happens, rig-worker Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) is
the ordinary man rising to
extraordinary heights to
save as many lives as possible.
While
the
audience
knows disaster is on the
horizon, Berg is still effective at ramping up
tension and establishing
characters we can care
about once things go up
in flames. There also is
enough well-handled exposition so we non-drillers can understand the
preceding events without
having to read a manual.
The Birth of a Nation
(R) -- Newcomer Nate Parker directs and stars in this
retelling of the bloodiest
slave revolt in American
history. Nat Turner was
a slave and a preacher,
whose songs and sermons
were intended by white
masters to pacify and
civilize unruly slaves. As
Turner witnesses more
cruelty while ministering
at different plantations,
his tone changes and the
scriptures take on a new
meaning,
culminating
in armed insurrection.
While the subject matter
has been too-hot-for-Hollywood and loaded with
social emotional weight,
there is a surprising touch
of cinema entertainment,
with an unassailably courageous hero and action
that at times looks like a
changed-up adaptation of
Braveheart.
From
Balmer
Foundation
Hollywild Animal Park
received a $20,000 gift
from the Balmer Foundation, a supporting organization of The Spartanburg
County Foundation.
This is the second largest
single gift in the organizations first major fundraising campaign since it became a nonprofit in 1999.
Spartanburg manufacturing company Contec led
the campaign with a gift of
$150,000 spread over five
years. To date, the Park
has raised $150,000 of
the goal of $250,000 set
by Hollywilds fundraising
committee.
In March of this year, the
community learned of the
Parks challenged finances
and need for community
support.
We cant do this without significant community
support, explained Hollywilds executive director,
Kim Atchley, at a community forum held in March
at the Spartanburg County
Chamber of Commerce.
As the year progressed,
a fundraising team formed
and began reaching out to
the community.
The team set the minimum target for their goal
THINGS
TO DO
NEW LISTINGS
AREA VENUES PLAN NEW

YEARS EVE PARTIES
Several area venues will

host New Years Eve parties Saturday.
Wild Ace Pizza and Pub
will hold a party beginning
at 8 p.m. Saturday and
continuing until 1 a.m.
Sunday. The event will
feature a red carpet arrival, live DJ, party favors,
champagne toast and an
hors doeuvres buffet. For
tickets or more information, visit the Wild Ace
facebook page.
The Spinning Jenny will
host a New Years Eve Party
with Pony Express on Saturday at 7 p.m. Line dance
lessons begin at 7:30 p.m.
with the band taking the
stage with country music
at 8:30 p.m. Visitors can
bring in the New Year with
a complimentary champagne toast and bring
finger foods to share. For
more information or to
reserve a table for parties
of eight or more, call 4696416.
HOLLYWILD LIGHTS SAFARI

BENEFIT CONTINUES
The Hollywild Animal

Park Holiday Lights Safari
Benefit continues nightly
through Monday, Jan. 2.
Admission gates are
open from 6-9 p.m.
The event offers drive
through lights and walk
through Santas Village
with paid admission. An
optional drive through the
Deer Forest feeding area is
available for an additional
charge.
visit hollywild.org.
SLT SHOWING
RING OF FIRE
The Spartanburg Little

Theatre will show Ring of
FILE PHOTO | THE GREER CITIZEN
The Hollywild Animal Park Light Safari benefit is a major fundraiser for the business.
at $250,000 for 2016.
To date, the park has
raised just over $150,000,
about half of the targeted
amount.
We know that many
people give closer to the
end of the year. I know we
can do this. Just in October
we had 1,200 more visitors
than in October 2015. We
have had many first-timers. Ive talked with many
of them personally. They
have been impressed with
their experiences with us
and in our community.
Its energizing to us all to
see the new enthusiasm.
Its also so encouraging
to have previous guests
come back and take notice

of the changes weve been
able to make with our limited resources, Atchley
added.
Among the accomplishments made this year is
the renovation of an old,
unused building on property into an Education
center, staff joining the
Zoological Association of
America as part of working
toward that organizations
accreditation, and upgrading many internal processes including implementing
a new data management
system that will streamline animal care records
and assist with oversight.
Fire: The Music of Johnny

Cash Jan. 13-22, 2017.
From the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash
comes this musical about
love and faith, struggle
and success, rowdiness
and redemption, and home
and family. More than two
dozen classic hitsincluding I Walk the Line, A
Boy Named Sue, Folsom
Prison Blues, and the title
tunepaint a musical portrait of The Man in Black.
Show times are Jan. 1314, 20-21 at 8 p.m., and
Jan. 15,21,22 at 3 p.m.
visit spartanburglittletheatre.com.
able pig and everyones

favorite spider will come
alive. Hailed as the best
American childrens book
of the past 200 years by
the Childrens Literature
Association, this story
teaches life lessons on
unselfishness and loyalty
and is sure to touch the
hearts of all.
visit scchildrenstheatre.
org or call 467-3000.
GLTS STUDIO 444

TO SHOW TRUE WEST
Greenville Little Theatres alternative studio

series, Studio 444, will
present True West by
Sam Shepard Jan. 26-29.
This serio-comedy examines the relationship
between Austin, a screenwriter, and his older
brother Lee. The screenplay that Austin is writing gets taken over by the
pushy, con-man tactics of
Lee, and the brothers find
themselves forced to cooperate in the creation of
a story that will make or
break both their lives.
The production features
Allen, Suzanne, and Sam
McCalla with guest artist
Justin Tyler Lewis. Guest
directed by Carrie Smith
Lewis. The play is recommended for ages 16 and
older due to strong language.
Show times are Jan. 2628 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 29 at
3 p.m.
visit
greenvillelittletheatre.org or call 233-6238.
SCCT TO STAGE
CHARLOTTES WEB
The South Carolina Childrens Theatre will stage

Charlottes Web Jan. 27Feb. 5, 2017, at the Peace
Centers Gunter Theatre.
The
heart-warming
classic about an unlikely
friendship between a lov-
$25 Gift Certificate

Sign up as a preferred customer
& receive a $25 gift certificate
towards your current order.
Christina BuChheit
864-706-1070
Product Website: cbuchheit.myrandf.com
ARTISTS CAN REGISTER

FOR TRYON SHOW
Tryon Arts and Crafts

School is seeking artists
for its seventh major crafts
festival on Saturday, April
22, and Sunday, April 23,
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each
day.
The Spring Arts and
Flowers Festival will feature fine art and crafts
items
from
artisans
throughout the Southeast,
plus a selection of spring
plants, food and music at
Harmon Field in Tryon.
Artists are invited to apply to the juried exhibit in
the months preceding the
event. For more information, visit tryonartsandcrafts.org.
EVENT REMINDERS
Paris Plunge
Jan. 1, 1:17 p.m.
Paris Mountain State Park
SouthCarolinaParks.com
Winter World Hike
Jan. 1, 2 and 4 p.m.
Paris Mountain State Park
SouthCarolinaParks.com
New Year Gospel Sing
Jan. 7, 6 p.m.
Spartanburg Memorial
Auditorium
crowdpleaser.com
Jukebox Heroes
Jan. 19-Feb. 11
Centre Stage
233-6733
www.centrestage.org
Memories of the Game
Jan. 24,25,31 and Feb. 1,7,8
233-6733
www.centrestage.org
Three
consecutive
clean USDA inspections
have been a realized goal
for the parks new curator,
S. Nigel Platt, tasked with
the oversight of the animal department.
Community Promotions
adopted the Park after
the spring forum, overhauled the nonprofits
website, boosted its marketing and set up online
ticket sales.
The value of what Community Promotions has
done for us is difficult to
quantify because the impact has been much more
than their investment, but
we estimate the value at a
minimum of $20,000.
We are making significant strides toward our
goals. From the lead gift in
our Roaring for Hollywild
Campaign that came from
the Spartanburg Manufacturing company Contec,
to this, our second largest single gift in the campaign, were seeing our
community stepping up to
make this happen with the
Parks hard working staff
and Board of Directors.
The majority of the funds
that have come in this year
are from first-time donors.
Thats very exciting. Atchley said.
The final two months of
Hollywilds Park Season
saw an increase of 1,573
over the previous year.
And now, nearing the
end of the Parks Holiday
Lights Safari Season, visitor traffic has been on the
rise from previous years
as well.
We are honored that
the Balmer Foundation
has recognized what we
are working so hard to do
for the animals who live
here and the community
we serve, Atchley said.
In addition to the Contec
and Balmer Foundation
gifts, individual gifts ranging from $50 to $10,000
have come in to support
the effort to meet this
years goal of $250,000.
Rev. Johnson
to speak at Greer
MLK Celebration
Tickets are now on sale
for the City of Greers 15th
annual Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day of Celebration
Luncheon to be held Jan.
16 at the Events Center at
Greer City Hall.
The event, scheduled for
11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., will
include a buffet lunch provided by the South House
and R&B Catering, live music, multimedia presentations, and awards to those
who give back to the Greer
community in the spirit
of Dr. King. The keynote
speaker will be Rev. Curtis
L. Johnson, senior pastor
of Valley Brook Outreach
Baptist Church in Pelzer in
1993.
A native of Greenville,
Rev. Johnson served in the
United States Air Force for
four years and later earned
his Master of Divinity Degree from Gardner-Webb
University. He founded
MLK Dream Weekend, a
community-wide celebration for the King Holiday
that has, over the past
decade, drawn more than
17,000 participants and
raised more than $500,000
Rev. Curtis L. Johnson
in scholarship funds.
He also is the organizer of the Upstate Live in
Peace Movement, which
grew from the Greenville
Alliance for Change initiative and WJMZ-FM (107.3
JAMZ). Rev. Johnson is the
gospel director for 107.3
JAMZ in Greenville.
Tickets to the Celebration Luncheon are $5 each
and are available weekdays
from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
at the City of Greer Operations Center located at
446 Pennsylvania Ave. For
more information contact
Justin Miller at 848-2192
or jmiller@cityofgreer.org.
FUN AND GAMES
THE GREER CITIZEN
B7
Irritable Bowel Disease,

Syndrome very different
DEAR DR. ROACH:
Could you please explain
the difference between irritable bowel syndrome and
irritable bowel disease?
What is the treatment for
each? I saw in a health
magazine that there is a
blood test to determine
which one someone may
have.
ANSWER: Although the
two names are very similar, the conditions are very
different. Irritable bowel
syndrome is a common
condition, more frequent
in women than in men, of
abdominal discomfort and
bowel changes, such as
diarrhea and/or constipation. It is managed by diet
(such as the low-FODMAP
diet I have recommended several times), stress
management and sometimes medications. It can
cause significant changes
in ones social life, in addition to pain and discomfort. IBS is a clinical
diagnosis, and there is no
blood test to confirm it.
Primary-care doctors manage IBS, and severe cases
may benefit from the care
of a gastroenterologist.
Irritable bowel disease
-- of which there are two
types: ulcerative colitis
and Crohns disease -- is a
potentially life-threatening
condition of the GI tract.
In ulcerative colitis, there
is inflammation thats limited to the colon, whereas
in Crohns disease, the inflammation can be in any
part of the GI tract, from
the lip to the anus, though
TO YOUR
GOOD HEALTH
KEITH
ROACH, M.D.
it is most frequent in the
far end of the small bowel
and the colon.
IBD should be managed
by a gastroenterologist,
preferably one with special
expertise in these diseases.
IBD usually is diagnosed
by colonoscopy or other
endoscopy with biopsy.
Many blood tests can be
abnormal in IBD, but only
the pathologists report
is definitive. Most people
with IBD will need medication treatment, although
symptoms and therefore
treatment may change
dramatically across time.
***
DEAR DR. ROACH: I
am 83 and recently began
having sciatica pain down
my right thigh. My doctor
recommended using a hotwater bottle. Are there any
painkillers I can use? Are
there any other products I
can use?
ANSWER: The sciatic
nerve is a very large nerve
that runs down the back
of the leg. When the nerve
is pressed on in the back
-- from a herniated disk
in the back or from spinal
stenosis -- there can be intense pain that feels like it
is coming from the back,
or anywhere from the top
of the thigh to the foot.
Since other nerves besides

the sciatic can be affected,
the condition is called
lumbar radiculopathy.
A herniated disk is when
the shock-absorbing material in between the vertebrae comes out into the
space where the nerve
root is, on its way out of
the spinal column toward
the leg. Spinal stenosis is
a narrowing of the bony
canal through which the
nerve travels.
In most cases, people
get better within four to
six weeks. Standard pain
medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or
ibuprofen, can be helpful. If pain is severe and
not responsive, there are
other treatments, including a short course of steroids and narcotics, which
should be given only during that initial period of
pain.
Pain that persists for a
longer period of time, or
pain with weakness, especially with progressive
symptoms, needs expert
evaluation.
***
Dr. Roach regrets that
he is unable to answer individual letters, but will
incorporate them in the
column whenever possible. Readers may email
questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.
To view and order health
pamphlets, visit www.rbmamall.com, or write to
Good Health, 628 Virginia
Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
(c) 2016 North America Synd., Inc.
All Rights Reserved
SOAP UPDATES
BY DANA BLOCK
THE BOLD AND

THE BEAUTIFUL
As Bill professed his

undying love for Brooke,
he was given a glimmer
of hope that they would
someday reunite. Pam
showed Steffy and Liam
the latest video that Wyatt
posted. Katie chose her
words carefully when she
voiced her concern about
Eric and Quinns marriage.
Someone eavesdropped on
Ridge and Liams unflattering conversation about
Quinn. Wyatt and Nicole
talked about their mutual
heartbreaks while working on an upcoming social-media campaign. Bill
surprised Brooke at home
on New Years Eve. Ivy was
suspicious when she witnessed a steamy moment
between Quinn and Ridge.
Wait to See: Steffy contemplates moving back in to
the Forrester Mansion.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Deimos and Brady conspired on how to prove

that Chloes baby was really Nicoles. Kate accused
Andre of stealing from
the company. Hope made
plans to recruit an army
of inmates to combat her
enemies. Brady and Deimos suspected that Nancy
knew the truth. Steve and
Kayla took a trip down
memory lane. Joey and
Jade were starting to look
forward to being parents.
Jennifer was thrilled that
ABC| TODD WARY
Ryan Paevey plays Nathan

on General Hospital
Chad knew the truth about
Abigail and begged him to
be understanding. Kate
and Eduardo made some
romantic New Years Eve
plans together. Justin and
Lucas both showed up at
the hospital to be there for
Adrienne. Gabi helped Abigail with a panic attack.
Wait to See: Joey receives
devastating news.
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Jason searched for clues

at the pawn shop about
the murder case, while
Sam learned some important information about
the Chinese restaurant.
Alexis was growing tired
of Julians meddling. Anna
turned to hypnotherapy.
Laura promised to support Lulu in her custody
battle. Later, Nina and Lulu
clashed over what was
best for Charlotte. Nathan
received some devastating
news. Sonny asked Carly

to spend New Years Eve
with him. Haydens recovery came at a price. Kiki
couldnt fight her fate.
Nathans past came back
to haunt him. Carly wondered if Sonny could ever
truly change his ways. Valentin made a vow to Nina.
Bobbie put Nelle on the
spot. Jordan offered Curtis an opportunity with the
PCPD. Wait to See: Sonny
and Carly reunite.
THE YOUNG AND

THE RESTLESS
Nikki told Victor that

she wanted to spend
Christmas with both Nick
and Dylan. Later, Paul visited Dylan after he refused
to spend Christmas Eve at
the Newman house. Victor wished that Adam was
alive, but was thrilled to
have his family celebrating the holiday together.
Devon confronted Hilary
over lying about the other
TV hosting offers she had
received. Hilary tried to
make her case with Devon
and accused him of trying
to control her. Paul delivered the bad news to Nikki. Jill told Billy to show
Victoria that he could be
the man she once loved.
Mariah was pleased with
the positive feedback that
she was receiving as the
new host of GC Buzz.
Wait to See: Gloria uses a
secret to her advantage.
THE SPATS by Jeff Pickering
RFD by Mike Marland
AMBER WAVES by Dave T. Phipps
OUT ON A LIMB by Gary Kopervas
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
OUR SCHOOLS
The Greer Citizen
SCHOOL
NEWS
GSSM TO HOST OPEN
HOUSE FOR STUDENTS
PHOTO | SUBMITTED
Natalia Zambano (left) from Madrid welcomes a fellow exchange student, Alexandra
Bartkovsha (right), from Slovakia. Zambano arrived in Greer a week before Bartvoksha.
Zambano attends school

as an exchange student
Plays
Riverside
basketball
BY KAELYN PFENNING
STAFF WRITER
Greer council member
Judy Albert and her husband, Herb, are continuing to make a difference
in the lives of exchange
students.
Theyre generally selfstarters, said Judy Albert,
who has hosted around 11
students over the past six
or seven years from China,
Korea, Spain, Thailand and
more places.
Natalia Zambano from
Madrid, Spain, who has
played basketball since
she was seven or eight,
discovered how important
basketball is in her life after she joined the team at
Riverside High School.
I didnt know it meant
so much to me until I did
it again, Zambano said.
When Zambano first arrived in South Carolina,
she started out in cross
country since basketball
was not in season.
When I started doing
cross country, I was like,
well, maybe I didnt like
basketball that much, so
when I go back to Spain,
I can run instead of doing
basketball, Zambano said,
and then when I did basketball again, I was like,
no, its this.
I was missing the
sport, Zambano continued. I love that sport. It
means a lot to me.
Basketball is generally
played through the school
system from November to
February here in the United States while basketball
is generally played as part
of a club outside of school
all year round in Spain,
Zambano said.
The first days, I was really nervous, and I thought
I was not going to fit and
they were not going to like
me, Zambano said. Days
pass, I feel good over there.
I get nervous, but they are
good nerves. It has meant
a lot to me.
I really think basketball makes people closer,
Zambano continued. In
my Spanish team, most
of the girls I play with, I
could say they are like sisters to me.
After practice on Monday,
Riverside
Girls
Basketball Coach Jenny
Taylor said, Shes just
coming in while some
of these kids have been
around for a while. I know
that was probably a lot for
her to learn at one time,
but shes doing very well.
Were just real happy to
have her. She seems to be
a great kid. I think its really neat that she came all
the way over here to Riverside from Spain. Were just
glad to have her on our
team. Shes getting along
just fine.
Zambano told her mom,
if she had to choose the
best month here, it would
be November because of
basketball.
My dad always says,
things are not going to
be given to you, Zambano said. Youve got to
work for things to happen.
The South Carolina Governors School for Science

& Mathematics (GSSM) is
hosting its final Preview
Day for prospective students and their families
on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017
from 1-4 p.m. on the GSSM
campus at 401 Railroad
Avenue, Hartsville, SC
29550.
This open house event
will provide intending students and parents with a
chance to meet faculty,
staff and current students,
as well as take part in a
series of informational
panels and participate in
student guided campus
tours.
One of only 12 of its
kind in the nation, GSSM is
a two-year, public, residential high school for juniors
and seniors, specializing
in the advanced study of
science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship
and math.
To attend a Preview Day,
students should register online. Due to limited
space, students must meet
all GSSM admissions requirements.
GSSM applicants should
be South Carolina residents and have at least
10.5 high school credits
prior to the end of the
2017-2018 school year, including Geometry, Algebra
I and II, English I and II, a
social studies course and a
lab science course.
VIRTUAL ENGINEERING
TAKING APPLICATIONS
PHOTO | SUBMITTED
Zambano (middle) visited Gatlinburg with Bartkovsha and

Greer council member Judy Albert before the fires.
Nothing is going to be given to you. You need effort.
You need work to get that.
No one is going to give it
to you.
Zambano has one brother, who is five years older
than her, and one sister,
who is two years older
than her, and both of them
spent a year as exchange
students.
The southern
hospitality, thats
something that
really impressed
me. That has
changed me. Now, I
do that too.
Natalia Zambano
Exchange student
My brother turned out

to be in Georgia, Atlanta,
and my sister turned out
to be in Wisconsin, Zambano said. At first, I was
scared of doing this, but
then I thought I would regret all my life not doing
this, so I think this is a really nice experience.
To join the program,
Zambano wrote a letter
introducing herself, her
family, her friends and her
home. Different coordinators received the letters,
and host families chose
their students.
Its a nice process,
Zambano said. You dont
know where youre going
to be.
Zambano left Spain on
July 26, met other students for two days in New
York and arrived in South
Carolina on July 28.

First, it was super hot,
Zambano said. When I
packed my luggage, I was
like, mom, I dont need
winter clothes; its going
to be hot all year.
And then the southern
hospitality, thats something that really impressed
me, including greeting
strangers, Zambano continued. That has changed
me. Now, I do that too.
Zambano noted trips to
Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg as some of her favorite memories with her host
family.
I have really funny
stories, Zambano said.
Because its not my language, I will turn out saying things that are not,
and then everyone would
laugh. But I think its not
just one memory, the
whole thing together, all
those trips, we really have
good times there.
The Gatlinburg trip was
way before the fire, Zambano said. Right when we
came here, three days after,
they told us about the fire,
and I was so shocked.
That street, we were
walking there, and now
its gone, Zambano continued. Its sad. It was really pretty.
In Madrid, Zambano
could move around herself
more easily by walking or
taking the bus, she said.
Its really different
here, Zambano said. Its
nice though.
Track is the next seasonal sport, but I dont know
if Im going to do track,
Zambano said. I want to
rest too.
Zambano is scheduled
to return to Spain in June.
The schedule here is
challenging,
Zambano
said. Here, life ends really
quick. At six, people are
having dinner. In Spain, we
have lunch at two or three.
Then, we have dinner at 10
or 10:30 p.m.
Zambano hopes to return for her classs graduation the following year.
I hope I can come back
to see all of them, Zambano said. I think Im going to miss everything, the
people in general. Im going to miss walking around
the school and saying hi
to people. I love the skies
here. Im going to miss a
lot of things.
kaelyn@greercitizen.com | 877-2076
The South Carolina Governors School for Science

& Mathematics (GSSM) is
accepting applications for
Accelerate, its virtual engineering program, through

Jan. 18, 2017, for the
Class of 2020. Online applications are available at
http://www.scgssm.org/
admissions/virtual-admissions.
GSSM is partnering with
a select group of school
districts across the state
to deliver Accelerate, an
innovative virtual engineering program for 10th,
11th and 12th graders that
provides intense academic
rigor and a fast-paced
learning
environment
which, upon successful
completion, will allow students to earn up to 41 college credits.
Accelerate classes are
live and presented virtually through computer and
audio/visual equipment
which allows students to
remain in their home high
schools and still have access to the high quality
education for which GSSM
is known.
During the three-year
program, students will
participate in annual summer camps, Saturday lab
experiences and industry
internships.
Accelerate
applicants
should be South Carolina
residents, enrolled in 9th
grade and attend high
school in one of GSSMs
participating partner districts. In addition, applicants should anticipate
successful completion of
Algebra 2 Honors by the
end of 9th grade.
For more information
about Accelerate, visit
www.scgssm.org or contact Lisa Bateman at bateman@gssm.k12.sc.us or
843-383-3901 ext. 3982.
GREENVILLE COUNTY
GMC HOLDING ARTS
INTERSESSION 2017
Greer Middle College

Charter High will host Arts
Intersession on Jan. 5-6.

Students will be offered mini-courses in art,
music, dance, sports and
technology taught by local
businesses,
community
volunteers, teachers and
parents.
For more information
about becoming an instructor, visit greermiddlecollege.org.
BLUE RIDGE HIGH PLANS

MISS EL DORADO PAGEANT
The El Dorado staff will

host the Miss El Dorado
Pageant at Blue Ridge High
on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017
at 6 p.m.
DISTRICT FIVE
BERRY SHOALS STUDENTS

PLAN TOY DRIVE
Two Berry Shoals Intermediate fifth grade, Aubree Mayse and Rachel
Helmly, organized a toy
drive for children who will
be spending the holidays
in the hospital.
The girls took the lead
by gaining permission for
the drive, then organized
the event for the school.
ABNER CREEK STUDENTS

SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER
Student council members at Abner Creek Academy got an early start to

their holiday, by spreading a little cheer to local
heroes.
The students participated in the American
Red Cross Holidays for
Heroes, by writing uplifting messages and drawing
pictures in holiday cards.
The cards were turned in
to the Upstate SC Chapter
of the American Red Cross
and will be delivered locally and around the world
to local military facilities,
veterans hospitals and
military family support
groups. In all, the Student
Council members turned
in 150 cards.

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The Greer Citizen

SOUTH CAROLINAS PREMIER WEEKLY

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016

GREER, SOUTH CAROLINA VOL. 103 NO. 52 75 CENTS

A FINAL LOOK AT 2016

he holidays are nearly over and

Here are some of 2016s biggest

In January, after more than 40

Greer OKs Tube Dudes

In March, North Greenville University purchased property

The sights, smells and sounds of

CONSTRUCTION TAKES PLACE

In May, crews made significant

A Blue Ridge high assistant principal was charged with assault

NATIONAL HEADLINES IN 2016

people in what was called

BREXIT: DAVID CAMERON

Rudolph Maxie Hawkins, 87

voted to leave the European Union in June.

DALLAS SNIPER ATTACK:

mately cornering a suspect. After failing to reach

PHOTO | COLIN DEMAREST

that three suspects had

A2 THE GREER CITIZEN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016

summer after an incident with a teacher at the

GILLESPIE WINS LYMAN

Tony Gillespie, a former

A project that had been

Voters decided races

maries, and a number of

Mourning the loss of

Taylors Fire and Sewer

The Middle Tyger Community Center (MTCC) is

August, aiming to serve 25

CAREER CENTER HIRES

LOCAL MAN WINS

Patrick Wesley went

If you visit Greer State Banks branch on

Scotchman on Line St. on

The City of Greer continued to set Gross Retail

Greer Relief celebrated

city officials celebrated a

Tube Dudes are coming to downtown Greer,

After a year off, Oktoberfest returned with a

Greer Police Chief Dan

GREER TABLES ALLEN

Greer Middle College

Greer City Council voted

Thank you Christen for all you do at Greer State Bank!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016

RELIGION: LOOKING BACK AT 2016

ocal churches did a

Since Freedom Fellowship was founded in March

HOPE CHAPEL MOVES TO

THE GREER CITIZEN A3

There are very few people who appreciate the

Christmas for children of

MIZE TAKES ON NEW ROLE

On April 17, Greer First

Greer First Baptist

A Beautiful Opportunity for Savings

SHOWROOM NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Fine Retirement, Respites