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Moonlight Movies returns to Greer

Moonlight Movies is making its way back to Greer. The summer series offers free family friendly films in the City Park amphitheater every Thursday evening from June 4 through July 30. All movies begin at dusk, but free, pre-movie fun such as inflatables, games and dancing begins at 6:30 p.m. Moonlight Movies opens with Monsters University, followed by Planes: Fire and Rescue, Muppets Most Wanted and The Lego Movie.

For more information, call Greer City Hall at 848-2150.

Coming to liFe: Bob Jones hosts living gallery B6

wednesdAy, April 1, 2015 greer, soutH CArolinA Vol. 102 no. 13 75 Cents

egg-cellent easterby billy cannadaEditor

More than 1,300 local residents flocked to Century Park on Saturday to take part in the City of Greers annual Easter egg hunt.

Parks and Recreation Su-pervisor Justin Miller called the Eggtastic Easter Event a huge success despite cooler weather.

It was great, Miller said. It was close to 30 degrees, but folks still came out. There were kids galore. We thought it was very successful.

Along with the egg hunt, the event featured crafts, inflatables, a magic show, games and other entertainment.

This is an established event and we think its a great opportunity to get the community to Century Park, he said. Its always a great time.

The mad dash for prizes took place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Its pretty laid back, especially with the format we do now, Miller said. We used to do one big Easter egg hunt with a ready, set, go format, but now we do an egg hunt all day that features age appropriate locations for the egg hunt. Its a lot safer for the kids and a great way to spend some time together.

by amanda irwinStaff WritEr

The City of Greer allocat-ed $40,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to local or-ganizations last week, making a few changes be-fore the final reading.

Although the largest portion of funds was allo-cated to Greer Community Ministries (GCM), council voted to redirect a portion of the money elsewhere.

When recommendations were presented a typo on behalf of CDBG staff which assess the applica-tions and provides recom-mendations to council on where funds to distribute indicated that the Need-more Summer Camp would serve 15, rather than 47 as indicated on the applica-tion. Council unanimously voted to redirected $1,000 from Greer Relief and $1,000 from GCM to the Greer Parks and Recre-ation Needmore Summer Camp program.

Realizing that that summer program is of real benefit and value to the Needmore community, and after some discus-

sion, I think it would be appropriate for use to pro-ceed with a motion on the floor, said Mayor Rick Danner.

Of the $22,137.77 re-quested by the Need-more Summer Camp for part-time counselors and program supplies and ac-tivities, CDBG staff recom-mended allocating $5,000 toward the program. Coun-cil redirected an additional $2,000 of grant funds for the program, awarding the program a total of $7,000, fulfilling about 31 percent of the requested amount.

GCM applied for $30,000 of CDBG Grant funds to purchase food for the

SEEcouncil |a5

Miracle landing on Highway 29by billy cannadaEditor

A lot could have gone wrong when a single-en-gine plane lost power last Thursday night in Well-ford.

Instead, pilots Hollis Collins and Paul Peckham completed a success-ful emergency landing on Highway 29 near Wild Oaks Drive just before 9 p.m., allowing five people to walk away uninjured.

Were not actually sure what happened, Collins said. We planned it pretty well, but for some reason, the engine stopped work-ing.

Peckham said the gauges were reading incorrectly, causing the plane to burn

through fuel faster than expected. The plane was heading to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport to refuel when the worst happened.

We were trying to aim for some soccer fields off to the right, Collins said. Unfortunately, we didnt get to land into the wind. We noticed that we were not going to make the soc-cer field. The other pilot (Peckham) was flying, but I took over control at that

SEElandinG |a5

by billy cannadaEditor

A local restaurant is do-ing its part to recognize the service of military vet-erans in Greer.

Ryans, located at 1501 W. Poinsett St. near down-town, now showcases a Room of Honor, de-signed to tell stories of sacrifice.

Its really nice to be able to do something like this, Ryans Manager Dave Tay-lor said. Its humbling to see that these guys are still appreciated and rec-ognized even to this day20, 30 or 40 years after their service.

The room is decorated with photos, newspaper articles, apparel and other artifacts representing each branch in the service.

Preston Johnson, who serves as commander of

Disabled American Veter-ans Chapter 39, said the room dedication is spe-

cial and believes it gives veterans a place to call their own.

You can go up to Ryans and hear guys come in and say, lets go back there

and see my room, John-son said. That tells me that they know its there and they appreciate the fact that somebody is fi-nally recognizing them.

Taylor, a Marine Corps veteran, said the Room of Honor is a corporate-wide initiative that includes 350 stores.

Its amazing. You sit there and you feel so hum-

bled around these guys, he said. To see these vet-erans come in here and hear their stories, its re-ally amazing what they went through, and a lot of people really arent aware of it.

Johnson, who served in Vietnam, said the new es-tablishment has already served its purpose.

SEEroom |a5

Council allocates CDBG funds

Local restaurant recognizes veterans service

PrESton Burch | thE GrEEr citizEn

A single-engine plane had to make an emergency landing on Highway 29 in Wellford last Thursday night. Pilot Hollis Collins called the landing a miracle.

grounded

Photo | SuBmittEd

Ryans restaurant recently cut the ribbon on its new Room of Honor, which seeks to honor military veterans by telling their stories.

mandy fErGuSon | thE GrEEr citizEn

Wesley Hodgson makes the most of the Greers community Eggtastic Easter Event Saturday at Century Park.

morephotos

| a2

CDbGalloCatIoNS |Brushy Creek First Assembly of

Gods Helping Hands Ministry $2,000

Creative Advancement Centers $8,000

Greer Community Ministries $14,000

Greer parks and Rec Senior Center Program $3,000

Greer Relief $6,000Needmore Summer Camp

$7,000

its really nice to be able to do something like this. Its humbling to see that these

guys are still appreciated and recognized

even to this day 20, 30 or 40 years after

their service.

dave taylorManager,ryans

By AmAndA IrwInStaff Writer

Without asking for help or being recognized, Lou-ise Smith advocates for animals in her own simple way.

For more than 20 years, she has devoted her time and resources toward car-ing for stray and feral cats. Four nights each week, Smith pulls into the park-ing lot in her aged, rick-ety vehicle, opens her car door, sets up her walker, puts food out and waits for the homeless cats to emerge from hiding.

I dont know, its just in me, she said. Some-times I feel like thats what the Lord wants me to do because somebody has to take care of them. I couldnt do this if it wasnt for him, I know the Lord helps me.

As a mother of two daughters, throughout her life, Smith worked in various positions, rang-ing from waiting tables to working retail to working at the airport. But for her, taking care of stray and fe-ral animals is listed among her most notable jobs.

I dont care who says what, Im going to feed them as long as the Lord lets me live Its just like a job to me. Its not a job, but its something I know Im going to do, she said.

Smith began feeding homeless cats in 1993 while employed at Walmart and has continued to do so ever since.

Despite knee problems and requiring assistance from a walker, Smith treks to her car and drives her-self from Holly Springs to Greer each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday to feed her ba-bies, as she calls them.

I go four days a week, and sometimes more (to feed the cats), Smith said. I just do it because I love them and I enjoy it. I enjoy that more than anything. I go down there and sit with them for about an hour.

Smiths love of animals is rooted in her childhood growing up in Startex, and has been passed down to her two adult daughters.

(Growing up) we had a cat at home, his name was Ervin. Ervin was a girl and she had babies and wed keep them. But my daddy, he was that way, she said. Momma wasnt as bad.

Shed say We aint keep-ing them cats, we aint keeping them! But my dad he was just like us, and we always had cats.

Although she doesnt ask for help, over the years several people who have seen Smith at work feeding her babies, have stopped to give her several bags of cat food or money to buy cat food.

You wouldnt believe the people that are really concerned about them, she said. It costs me to feed them regular cat food and dry food... Sometimes I find it hard (buying cat food) but I always make it. I dont care if I dont get nothing, as long as I can take care of them, Im happy.

They know me and Im about all theyve got, Smith said. They see these other people, but theyre scared of them. Im the only thing in the world that theyve got and it breaks my heart when I cant get down there. Thats why I put my knee surgery off. I dont want to go and leave them, I dread it so bad.

Because Smith already has seven cats at home, shes unable to take in any more strays, but she said she hopes when people find cats they bring them home or to a shelter if they are able, rather than leaving them to fend for

themselves. Although Smith usually

embarks on her efforts alone, she remains one among many stray and fe-ral cat advocates.

Like Smith, Paula McAli-ster has taken care of animals all her life. But McAlisters animal ad-vocacy approach is a bit different in that she coor-dinates with other agen-cies to get animals spayed or neutered and placed and transported to new homes, in addition to fos-tering animals and provid-ing cat food to individuals like Smith.

Animals are sentient beings. A lot of people see them as not having feel-ings like we do, but I dont believe that. They have the capability of feeling pain and love just like humans. There are perhaps not enough of us who care be-cause the general popula-tion in South Carolina has the mentality that ani-mals are beasts of burden. They have the mentality that theyre not here to be companions, she said, adding that the states laws do not do enough to protect animals.

Presently, McAlister is working toward pitching a shelter idea to Greer of-ficials to establish small shelters in Greer she would voluntarily main-tain for homeless cats to seek refuge.

Its in the thought pro-cesses right now. I havent contacted anyone about it, she said. I would like to make it something that is aesthetically pleas-ing, something that would be accepted by the Greer citizens, something that would be easy to maintain and that would benefit the feral cats around the com-munity. And thats where I came up with building it like train having the differ-ent cars like the engine and the caboose not some-thing extremely huge, but something that would be functional enough for the feral cats to get out of the weather.

McAlister advises any-one who finds a feral or stray animal to never try and chase it. To catch a cat, she suggests trying to coax it out. If it doesnt respond or approach, its likely a feral cat. Feral cats that have a clipped ear tip have been spayed ore neu-tered and re-released.

Anyone who captures a stray should take it to a vet to be scanned for a chip. If an owner is unable to be located, McAlister suggests posting informa-tion about the animal in the newspaper, online and at vets offices. When con-tacted about a stray pet, have the owner describe

the pet to you with identi-fying details to determine if the person is actually the owner. Individuals who have lost a pet should first contact Greenville County Animal Care, even if the animal may have been lost in Spartanburg County. In addition to posting a yard sign with information about the lost pet, visit Greenville County Animal Care in-person to do a

walk through search for the pet.

Most of the people that have a love for animals, we want to save them all, McAlister said. We kind of do it anonymously. We dont brag. We put a lot of information out there and we just kind do it.

[email protected] | 877-2076

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Unsung animal advocates feed stray and feral cats

Mandy ferguSon | the greer Citizen

Louise Smith makes a trip to Greer four nights a week to feed stray and feral cats in the Greer Community.

SceneS from eggtAStic eASter event


Jennifer Meeks helps her daughter Natalie Winburn sort through eggs after a hunt.


Carson Schleif picks up eggs during a round of egg hunts for the 3 and under age group.


Julian Crace watches the wind blow bubbles from his wand during Saturdays Eggtastic event.

DOCUMENTARY TO FIGHT HUNGER TO SHOW APRIL 10

The Brashier Middle Col-lege Charter High School created a documentary about food insecurity in upstate South Carolina.

A showing of the film, which focuses on several local organizations that fight hunger, is Friday, April 10 6:308 p.m. at the TRC Auditorium at Green-ville Technical College.

The film will provide in-sight to how people can get involved in the fight and admission is free, though donations are accepted.

PROM PROJECT 2015IS TAKING DRESS NOW

District Five Family Min-istries at the Middle Tyger Community Center and Wellspring Treasures in Spartanburg are currently taking prom dress dona-tions for students unable to afford a prom dress otherwise.

Students in need of a dress can purchase one at the Community Chest Thrift Store, in downtown Lyman on Groce Road, and Wellspring Treasures, at the intersection of John. B. White Sr. Blvd. and Black-stock Road in Spartanburg, for $5 between February and April.

THRIFT STORE SALEBENEFITS MTCC

The Community Chest Thrift Store, located at 52 Groce Road, Lyman, is open Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.6 p.m., and Satur-day 10 a.m.2 p.m., hours may extend if volunteers are available and a need arises.

The store has an on-going sale on coats and jackets for $5 and sweat-ers 50 percent off. All of the proceeds benefit the programs and services of-fered by District Five Fam-ily Ministries.

Donations of gently used ladies clothing, ac-cessories, home dcor items, and mens clothing, shoes and accessories are being accepted and can be dropped off at the MTCC, located at 84 Groce Road, Lyman, Monday through Friday 8 a.m.5 p.m.

To setup larger dona-

tions or to volunteer con-tact Lyn Turner at 439-7760.

SENIOR DINING REQUESTSSUBSTITUTE DRIVERS

The Senior Dinging pro-gram needs substitute drives to pick up partici-pants MondayFriday from 9:30 a.m.noon. Contact 877-1937.

GCM NEEDS CANNEDFRUIT, PEANUT BUTTER

Greer Community Min-istries needs canned fruit, and one pound bags of dried beans.

Donations may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday at 738 S. Line St. Ext., Greer. Visit gcminc.org for more information.

SHARONS CLOSET NEEDS SPRING/SUMMER CLOTHES

Greer Community Min-istries Sharons Closet needs spring and summer clothing in all sizes from infant to adult.

Donations may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday at 738 S. Line St. Ext., Greer. Visit gcminc.org for more information.

THE HAVEN SHELTERNEEDS FIRST AID SUPPLIES

The Haven Shelter in Spartanburg, which pro-vides shelter and sup-portive services to home-less families to facilitate a transition to a stable living environment, needs sever-al items.

Items needed include: antibiotic and Benadryl cream, band aids, antisep-tic cleaner, Clorox prod-ucts, wood floor cleaner, healthy snack items for children, floor mops, brooms and dustpans, sponges, bedroom dress-ers, window mini-blinds, insulated curtains for large windows, toolbox set, five bathroom towel racks, Kleenex, liquid laundry de-tergent and dish soap.

If youre able to donate any of the above items or have questions, please contact call 582-6737 or email Robin at [email protected].

ROLLING ON THE RIVERMAY 2 AT 7 P.M.

The sixth annual Rolling on the River, a fundraiser benefiting the Middle Tyger Community center, is May 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the BMW Zentrum. The event

features a live auction and silent auction, several casino games, heavy hors doeuvre, beer and wine and live musical entertain-ment.

The MTCC is a nonprofit that offers several pro-grams and services for low-income individuals, families and adolescent parents.

To purchase tickets, sponsor the event or for more information, visit middletyger.org or contact Lisa Hall at 439-7760.

PURSES WITH PURPOSEIS MAY 13-16

Middle Tyger Commu-nity Centers 8th annual Purses with Purpose sale is May 13-16 from 10 a.m.6 p.m. at the Commu-nity Chest Thrift Store, 52 Groce Road, Lyman. The center is currently taking donations of purses.

All proceeds benefit Dis-trict Five Family Ministries. For each purse donated at Community Chest, donors receive $1 their purchse.

JAILBREAK 5K RUN ANDWALK IS MAY 23

The Lexington County Sheriffs Foundation is holding its ninth annual Jailbreak 5K Run & Walk on Saturday, May 23, at the Lexington County Sheriffs Department, 521 Gibson Road, Lexington.

Packet pickup and late registration begins at 6:15 a.m. and the event begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $25 prior to race day and $30 at the event.

Anyone interested in participating can register online at stricklyrunning.com.

GODS PANTRY NEEDSPASTA, CANNED MEATS

Gods Pantry needs spa-ghetti, pasta, oatmeal, grits, beans, rice, maca-roni and cheese, crackers,

Ramen noodles, canned meats, canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned to-mato products, peanut butter, dessert mixes, con-diments, snack foods, cof-fee and drink mixes.

Gods Pantry is a non-profit that provides free food assistance at 12 dis-tributing pantry sites in the Upstate.

For questions or to vol-

unteer contact Wendy Robert at 963-4441 or visit godspantrysc.org. Dona-tions can be dropped off at Sharon United Method-ist Church, 1421 Reidville Sharon Road, Greer, Enor-ee Fork Baptist Church, 100 Enoree Road, Greer, or Rebirth Missionary Bap-tist Church, 2375 Racing Road, Greer.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 NEWS THE GREER CITIZEN A3

Helping you every step of the way!Find out how we can provide more help than you thought youd need. Just give us a call.

Ask for us by name!

864.457.9122 www.hocf.org

Notice of Annual Meeting of MembersThe annual meeting of members of Citizens Building and Loan SSB, Greer, South Carolina will be held on April 16, 2015 at 9:00 am at the main of ce of the Bank at 229 Trade Street, Greer, South Carolina. The business to be conducted at the annual meeting is the annual election of directors and a report of its nancial condition. Members of the Bank as of January 30, 2015 are eligible to vote at the annual meeting.

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TODAY, APRIL 1THE AWANAS CLUB at El

Bethel Baptist Church, 313 Jones Ave., Greer, from 6:30 - 8:15 p.m. Kids ages 3-12 are invited. Call 877-4021.

THE VIETNAM VETERANS of America Chapter 523 will meet at Greenville Shrine Club, 119 Veverly Road. Greenville Chow time is 6-7 p.m. for $5, with meet-ing following. Call Chapter President Patrick Ramsey at 232-4110 or V.P. Jerry Brock at 918-4451 for more infor-mation. Signi cant others invited to join.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2THE GREER CHURCH of God

fellowship building host-ing a Gospel and Blue Grass Jam from 6:30-9 p.m. Call 877-3668.

THE TAYLORS LIONS Club at 6 p.m. at the Clubhouse, 500 East Main St., Taylors. Call Allen Culver at 350-6939.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4COMMUNITY FOOD BANK

10 -11:30 a.m. at Calvary Christian Fellowship, 2455 Locust Hill Road, Taylors. Limited supplies available on a rst come, rst serve basis.

MONDAY, APRIL 6GRACE PLACE in Greer will

have its mini-mall open from 10 a.m. - noon. Grace Place is located at 407 Ridgewood Drive. I.D. required.

THE NEVER ALONE GROUP OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS at 7 p.m. at the Greer Recre-ational Center.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7GRACE PLACE in Greer will

have its clothing closet open from 6-8 p.m. Grace Place is located at 407 Ridgewood Drive. I.D. required.

THE ROTARY CLUB of Greater Greer at 7:15 a.m. at Krumms on a Plate, 3318 Brushy Creek Road. Guests welcome. Call 630-3988.

THE NEVER ALONE GROUP OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS at 7 p.m. at the Greer Recre-ational Center.

THE LIONS CLUB at Lake View Steak House, Higway 14 at 5:30 p.m.

BARBERSHOP HARMONY CHAPTER at 7 p.m. at Memo-rial United Methodist Church, 201 N. Main St., Greer. Call 877-1352.

UPSTATE LEWY BODY and Related Dementia Support Group from 5-6 p.m. at The Haven in the Village at Chan-ticleer. Contact Gail Stokes at 350-7160 or [email protected].

GAP CREEK SINGERS will rehearse from 7:30-9 p.m. at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 200 Jason St., Greer. For further informa-tion or to schedule a perfor-mance contact Wesley Welsh, President, at 877-5955.

FIRST TUESDAY ON Trade at 5 p.m. on Trade Street. Visit tuesdaysontrade.com for more information.

Calendar deadline is noon on Tuesdays. All list-ings are subject to editing and/or omission. Submit events to Amanda Irwin at 877-2076, [email protected] or The Greer Citizen, P.O. Box 70 Greer, SC 29652.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8GRACE PLACE in Greer will

have its clothing closet open from 6-8 p.m. Grace Place is located at 407 Ridgewood Drive. I.D. required.

THE AWANAS CLUB at El Bethel Baptist Church, 313 Jones Ave., Greer, from 6:30 - 8:15 p.m. Kids ages 3-12 are invited. Call 877-4021.

MTCC TOUR MEETS at the MTCC, at 84 Groce Road in Lyman at 10 a.m. Potential volunteers and interested parties can tour the facility and learn about programs o ered.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN Voters of Greenville County meet at 1 p.m. at University Center, McAlister Square, 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Green-ville. Ages 18 and older, men and women, are invited to join. Visit the information monitor at University Center for the room number.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9KIWANIS CLUB AT 6:30 p.m.

at Laurendas Family Restau-rant. Call Charmaine Helfrich at 349-1707.

COMMUNITYCALENDAR

COMMUNITYNEWS

BY AMANDA IRWINSTAFF WRITER

Next week, residents will have the opportunity to savor a new tasting experi-ence when Carolina Vine & Branch opens its doors at 300 Randall St.

Business owners Tom and Kim Berry, longtime owners of Kwik Kerb land-scaping, have embarked on a new specialty busi-ness venture where they will offer about 35 dif-ferent flavors of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to give new life to old recipes and new recipes a dash of something unexpected.

We are an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting store. Eventually we will offer pastas and other

items, Kim said. Were on Randall Street in the old Greer Depot, and it just has the greatest feel-ing of the history...

The store offers an wide array of flavors, ranging from the more commonly known to the unpredict-able, such as chipotle, cinnamon pear and black-berry ginger dark balsamic vinegar.

We were really, really busy when we first got our shipment, Kim said. Wed taken out hamburger, and Id made some homemade mac and cheese and green beans. Wed put garlic par-mesan oil to the mac and cheese, and then we put balsamic over the ham-burger and it made it taste like steak. It was so good

so we turned this really blah meal into something that really was not blah anymore.

Kim said shes working

on different recipes in hopes of having a menu of suggestions for customers who stop in.

Everybody thinks vin-

egar and oil is just vinai-grette, and it doesnt have to be, she said, adding that she suggests putting blackberry ginger dark balsamic vinegar, one of the more popular fla-vors, on ice cream or over strawberries and angel food cake.

You just have to kind of turn into a foodie, Kim said. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a much better quality than you can buy in a grocery store. And, of course, you cant get the flavors in the grocery store in my store.

The store will be open 10 a.m. 6 p.m. on Mon-day Saturday and 1 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Shop offers a taste of something new

MANDY FERGUSON | THE GREER CITIZEN

Carolina Vine & Branch, located at 300 Randall St., opens Monday.

Last Sunday I threw myself an enor-mous pity party: table for one, face down on the bed, enough Radio-head filtering through the speakers to convince anyone to taste steel, shoved coldly against their back molars.

It wasnt because Id been motivated to visit the loo twelve times during the night by Mr Norovirus, or realizing that in my gratitude to Paul for doing barn duty, I knew I was going to have to drag myself out there to see if he had cleaned the water buckets properly, but know-ing I was missing an event I had looked forward to for weeks...

The Punchline Comedy Club in Sandy Springs, Georgia, was closing its legend-ary doors after 33 years in business, to re-open in a new location and a private bash was being held for all former staff (of which I was one) and comics (of which I was one) in order to pay homage to this building which had been de-scribed by one comic as sacred ground and another as Hotel California.In his documentary on the club, If These Walls Could Talk, filmmaker Steve Mitchell interviewed those of us who

were regulars including British comic and television host, John Oliver, who referred to the dingy, plywood paneled, graffiti- laced landmark as, My Narnia.And I will heartily agree with comic Jimmy Shubert who remarked, If these walls could talk? Theyd better not talk.

Because a lot of us, frankly, would still be trying to post bail.Along with the rest of the wait and bar staff, I was in my early 20s when I began my 4 hour-a-shift night in those early days, winding through a packed house, delivering drinks and nachos (or what-ever was flung out of the sweat box also known as the kitchen) by Alan.

And it wasnt worth putting your life on the line by popping your head around the corner to inquire when the philly steak sandwich you ordered 20 minutes

ago might be ready as the customers are getting impatient?Get the hell out of here! was the gen-eral reply.

Everyone fed and watered, I could lean against the bar and take in a few min-utes of the best comics working in Amer-ica: Seinfeld, Leno, Paul Reiser, Elayne Boosler...the list went on and on as The Punchline had the reputation for hiring only household names and was a very tough nut to crack for comedians that had not yet landed The Tonight Show or a sit-com.

I distinctly remember driving back to the comedy condo, a very dejected, up and coming Dennis Miller, who won-dered aloud why on earth he had to remain the middle act, instead of being the headliner, when he headlined every other club in the country.

You will one day, I said, like a pa-tronizing mother.

Robin Williams dropped by when he was in town. So did Pryor.

And Eddie Murphy. The photos docu-menting those memories still hang in the office.

When the show was over, the audience sent home and the house lights turned up, then it was our turn to sit at the bar (I have no recollection in all my years of both working and performing there hav-ing ever paid for a single drink) safe and comfortable from the amateur partiers that roamed the Buckhead area in those days, and not uncommonly, blinking at the rising sun as we finally opened the back door to depart, realizing that once again, wed stayed up all night. So many friendships made, such fun to watch a young comic grow and develop then make his or her Tonight Show debut from the nicotine stained green room. The good news is that some of those folks live close enough by for a visit and a chinwag.But the bad news is that the doors of that scruffy old building within that scruffy old strip mall, poised for redevel-opment, are closed.

Gone.And with it, a lot of magic, memories

and probably, my pancreas.

EDITORIAL |

OPINIONA4 THE GREER CITIZEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

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IM JUSTSAYING

PAM STONE

THE UPPER ROOM |

From deathto life

Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-45

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 (NRSV)

Recently, I bought seeds from a seed store and planted them in pots in my house. As I was sowing the seeds in pots, this verse from John 12 came to my mind. I pondered how plant-ing seeds is similar to what Jesus said that the seed must die, meaning the seed must be

buried before it can bear fruit. These words were fulfilled in Jesus life. He died on the cross and was buried for three days. Through his death, the Word of God was sown in everyone who believed in him, and those people proclaimed it to other people. The death of Jesus producedand continues to producemuch fruit.

Currently, the number of Christians is over two billion, or nearly one-third of the worlds population. All this is the result of Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Whenever I celebrate Communion, I want to reflect on how Jesus willingly sacri-ficed, and like a little grain of wheat, was buried so that the fruit of faith, love and hope could be produced in countless lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying and rising from the dead so that we can live forever with you. Amen.

Thought for the day: Christ died so that we can live.

CURIOUSLY AMANDA

AMANDA IRWINSta reporter

Smarterthan dogs

Like Pavlovs dog, as chil-dren, we are taught how to behave through reinforce-ment of good behavior. Do something good; get a cookie or gold star. Earn high marks in school; receive an award. Score the most points in a game; named MVP. Perhaps, this is why it is all the more impres-sive and unexpected when individuals do good without recognition or expectation. But, thats exactly what Louise Smith has done for 22 years.

From outside appearances, Smith lives simply without expecting much from any-one. What she has, she gladly contributes toward her efforts to feed stray and feral cats she finds striving to survive without shelter through out the Greer community. From a dis-tance, Smiths efforts may seem pointless, daunting or mis-understood; Whats the point when no matter what amount of effort you put forth, stray and feral cats will, unfortunate-ly, continue to be an unsolved, persistent problem??

As a cat lover, I understand why Smith dedicates herself toward aiding a seemingly unsolvable problem. She cant fix it, but she can offer what she has to animals that are left at the mercy of Mother Nature facing survival of the fittest. I think many of us could afford to take a page from Smiths book and learn a bit of self-lessness not only in our willingness to give back, but also regarding our expectation to receive credit, gain notoriety or acquire awards. This idea thats been portrayed that only the greatest, the acclaimed, the untouchable are the ones that matter, have the biggest impact or are the ones to measure up to is simply untrue.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. didnt march by himself and Elizabeth Cady Staton didnt earn women the right to vote standing all alone with her single picket sign both served as cogs in a larger machine that extended beyond them. But between us peons, our actions arent likely to gain us notoriety and are efforts are apt to be forgotten when ashes are all that remain of us, but that doesnt render our time or actions insignificant. Dont fret over leaving your mark, just do what you can with what you have, and depart with the peace that you did what you could.

Ever wonder why some legislative measures get the go-ahead even though they dont broad-ly benefit the residents and taxpayers of this state? Former attorney general Travis Medlock does, and he says an ethics law requiring law-makers to reveal more about their income could provide South Carolinians with answers.

Thats why Mr. Medlock is sounding the alarm about ethics reform legislation that is in danger of falling by the wayside yet again this session. He has been joined in that effort by Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, who says the lack of a strong ethics law will impede South Carolinas ongoing economic renewal.

Mr. McMaster and Mr. Medlock were co-chair-men on the governors commission on eth-ics reform, which provided a solid framework for greater accountability. That is particularly true for legislative review of ethics complaints, which continue to be considered by colleagues on the House and Senate Ethics Committees. Meanwhile, all other elected officials face re-view by the State Ethics Commission.

So far this session, the House has approved an ethics bill, but the Senates effort fell short, as a reform proposal by Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, was sidetracked by senators who dont support the independent investigation of ethics charges against legislators.

There is yet a chance that ethics reform can still advance, if there is the legislative will.

There is no question that South Carolina de-serves a stronger ethics law, and lawmakers have seen enough bad examples among former colleagues to recognize that as fact.

Mr. Medlock questioned why any lawmakers would be willing to see rivers in South Caroli-na depleted for the benefit of irrigating mega-farms, or allow out-of-state garbage to pile in local landfills, or permit the disposal of stron-ger radioactive waste.

An ethics law that requires lawmakers to dis-

close the nature and source of private income could provide some answers, he said. Disclo-sure also would discourage improper activity by legislators on behalf of special interests.

Lt. Gov. McMaster describes the ethics bill as a jobs bill that will encourage greater success in economic development. South Carolina is rated high for its commitment to economic develop-ment, but the states rating on ethics rules is an F. It needs to match up, Mr. McMaster says. A strong ethics bill would reassure prospects that they can expect good clean government in South Carolina.

So far, none of the ethics reform bills consid-ered by the House or Senate is as strong as the proposal that came from the governors com-mission more than two years ago. That propos-al, for example, would have required legislators facing ethics charges to be judged as well as in-vestigated by an independent panel.

But both Mr. Medlock and Mr. McMaster agree that the measures now under consideration would significantly improve ethics oversight and accountability.

The more the Legislature delays approving a meaningful ethics law, the more the public will question why.

Mr. McMaster says the issue can be resolved this year with a stroke of a pen. Its time for the Legislature to act.

This guest editorial was published in the Charleston Post and Courier on March 31.

Magic and memories gone

Finish South Carolina ethics reform this year

South Carolina is rated high for its commitment to economic

development, but the states rating

on ethics rules is an F.

The death of Jesus producedand continues

to producemuch fruit.

FROM PAGE ONE

You get a lot of guys that go back there and just sit and look at the pictures, he said. They can walk up and relate to these people.

These are pictures of local guys, Taylor said. Thats what makes this so special.

Johnson said he was proud to serve his country and believes other veter-ans feel the same.

I loved it, he said. I did things that, had I not been in the military and stayed

around Greer, I would have never even thought about doing. I flew on dif-ferent types of airplanes and tested different types of weapons systems. The people that I worked with flying were some of the best people Ive ever met in the world.

Taylor said he consid-ers it an honor to say he

served his country.Im very proud of what

Ive done, he said. I have people to this day come up and say, thank you for your service. I always say it was my pleasure to do it.


FROM PAGE ONE

point because I had seen a better landing area. We very luckily missed a set of power lines. We came dead to a stop in the mid-dle of the road.

The plane was not dam-aged and was towed into the median in the hours that followed. Collins said he could not help but think the worst when the plane was going down.

All you can think about is your friends, he said. Everybody on this team is extremely close, so all I wanted to do was put my friends down safe so they could get home to see their kids and family.

Collins, a pilot with faith-based skydiving company, Fastrax, was with his crew during the emergency.

With team Fastrax, we are required to do what we call power off landings or practice landings, he said. Paul and I practice landings about a week ago. Flying a under no power is really hard. Without that training, you might not have been talking to me at all.

Collins called the land-ing a miracle.

We pray before every flight, he said. Me and one of the other guys went back and walked the area where we landed and its absolutely divine inter-vention that we didnt hit something. A plane doing 90 miles per hour going down the road is a recipe for disaster, so the fact that we had no damage to the airplane and absolute-ly nothing is a miracle.

The plane departed from Middletown, Ohio with a destination of Charleston.

Instead, Collins and his crew ended up in Wellford, nearly drawing a speeding ticket from a local patrol-man.

Funnily enough, as I was coming into land, a cop clocked me doing 90 miles per hour and actually turned his lights on think-ing we were a car, he said. So as soon as I got out of the airplane, the cop was standing there. I didnt re-ally have a chance to think about everything.

It was a close call, Col-lins said.

Collins said on Friday

that he would get back on the horse and fly again, and thats exactly what he did.

The plane left Wellford the same way it got thereon Highway 29. It took off Friday afternoon, using a stretch of closed off road as a makeshift runway to complete its journey.


OBITUARIESThe Greer Citizen

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 THE GREER CITIZEN A5

ONLINE |View Obituaries

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FROM PAGE ONE

Meals on Wheels program, Senior Dining and the GCM Food Pantry. GCM was awarded $14,000, fulfill-ing nearly 47 percent of the requested amount and equals 35 percent of the grant total.

Greer Relief applied for $22,000 of CDBG Grant funds to provide client fi-nancial assistance toward mortgage and rent pay-ments and client utilities. Of the $7,000 recommend-ed by CDBG staff, $6,000 was awarded by council.

The Parks and Recre-ations Cannon Senior Center Program requested $5,360.04 in CDBG grant funds to provide computer services and programs for seniors. The program was awarded $3,000.

Creative Advancement Centers requested $10,000

and was awarded $8,000.Brushy Creek First As-

sembly of Gods Helping Hands Ministry was award-ed $2,000.

GFD ANNUAL REPORTCouncil heard Greer

Fire Departments annual report during last weeks meeting. Fire Chief Chris Harvey reported that, in 2014, the department re-ceived a total of 2,457 alarms with the largest portion being rescue and emergency medical servic-es, 1,635 or 66.5 percent, followed by service calls, 229 or 9.3 percent. Of the medical calls the depart-ment responds to, 1,139 or 70 percent are in Green-ville County and 480 or 30 percent are in Spartanburg County. The least handled incident type by the de-partment is severe weath-er and natural disaster

and special incident types, both of which equaled less than one percent of inci-dents handled.

During his annual re-port, Harvey highlighted a service call problem the department has faced. Harvey said that of the 229 service calls handled, 105 were to one address. Har-vey said the department is looking for ways to man-age the problem, but men-tioned its becoming tax-ing on the services of the department and its ability to respond to higher prior-ity calls, as service calls tie up two or more personnel.

Harvey also reported that all except one of the departments employees were EMS certified and he was awarded the Duke En-ergy Citizen of the Year.

The next regularly scheduled council meeting is 6:30 p.m. on April 14.

Wyona Elizabeth BrooksMrs. Wyona Elizabeth

Brooks, 76, a resident of Auburndale, passed away Monday, March 23, 2015, at her home with her fam-ily.

Mrs. Brooks was born Oct. 4, 1938, in Greer to John Paul and Edith Hortense (Henderson) Gen-try. She was an Auburn-dale resident since 1967 coming from South Caro-lina. She graduated from Greer High School class of 1957, a retired Para Pro-fessional for Polk County Schools and a member of Lena Vista Baptist Church in Auburndale.

Elizabeth enjoyed draw-ing, painting, spending time with her family and being called Bidgie by her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Barbara Ann Nunn.

Elizabeth is survived by her loving family: Harold Brooks of Auburndale, husband of 55 years; her two daughters, Renee (Ber-nie) Kelly and Lori (Lin-nis) Feagle of Auburndale; her brother, Paul Robert (Becky) Gentry of Duncan; and four grandchildren, Ashton Elizabeth Thomas, Austin Lee Thomas, Lind-sey Renee Feagle and Lew-is Sky Feagle.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mrs. Brooks name to: Good Shepherd Hospice, 105 Arneson Ave., Au-burndale, Florida 33823.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Friday,

March 27, at the Kersey Funeral Home. Interment followed at Auburndale Memorial Park.

Visitation was held be-fore services from 10-11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Albert Montemayor, Jr. Veteran

Albert Montemayor, Jr., 48, of 303 Belton Ave., died March 30, 2015.

A native of Chicago, Illi-nois, he was a

son of the late Albert and Alma Santana Maldonado Montemayor, was self em-ployed and a U.S. Navy Veteran.

Surviving are his wife, Marion Stephens Mon-temayor of the home; two daughters, Madison and Melanie Montemayor; two sons, Austin and Avery Montemayor all of Greer; four sisters, Romano Ver-tiz and Sandy Montemayor both of San Antonio, Texas, and Dahlia Hernandez and Toni Montemayor both of Greer; and one grandchild, Giuliana Montemayor.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, April 3, at the Wood Mor-tuary, conducted by Rev. Michael Joe Harvell.

The family is at the home.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, Upstate SC Regional Office, Attn. Me-morial Donations, 3535 Pelham Road, Suite 101, Greenville, S.C. 29615 or Juvenile Diabetes Foun-dation, 3608 Landmark Drive, Suite C, Columbia, S.C. 29204.

Online condolences may be made at thewoodmor-tuary.com.

Robert W. RowlandVeteran

Robert Wesley Row-land, 73, died peacefully on March 30, 2015 at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

A native of Pensacola, Flor-ida, son of the

late Lawrence Wesley and Doris Bartley Rowland, he was a retired employee of the U.S. Postal Service, Greenville, a U.S. Army Veteran and of the Baptist faith.

Surviving are his wife, Teresa Cashin Rowland of the home; one son, Scott Rowland (Tracey) of Greer; two daughters, Su-san Rowland of Pensacola, Florida and Kellyn Row-land of Greer; one brother, David Rowland (Ginny) of Provo, UT; one sister, Pa-tricia Chavis (Richard) of Pensacola; three grand-children, Lindsay Ruiz, (Ruben) of Landrum, Kyle Rowland and Kevin Row-land both of Greer and three great-grandchildren, Alex Ruiz, Owen Ruiz and Sara Ruiz.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 3, at Wood Mortuary conducted by Rev. Timo-thy Gouge.Visitation will be held at 1-1:45 p.m. Fri-day at Wood Mortuary.

The family is at the home.

In lieu of flowers, memo-rials may be made to Faith Baptist Church, 265 High-way 9 North, Mill Spring, S.C. 28756.

Online condolences may be made at thewoodmor-tuary.com.

LANDING: Left passengers uninjured

COUNCIL: Greer Fire gives annual report

ROOM: O ers escape for local veterans


The Room of Honor at Ryans features military artifacts from various local servicemen.

These are pictures of local guys. Thats

what makes this so

special.

Dave TaylorManager, Ryans

Cloudy, but dryClouds and mostly dry conditions arrive for our weekend forecast with the exception of Saturday when a few showers will pass through. Look for a cold front to move through the upstate with cooler than average high temperatures in the 60s. Easter Sunday will be sunny and milder than Saturday with upper 60s for highs. Have a great weekend!

Easter DayWhere: Across the UpstateDate: Sunday, April 5Temps: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

6944

1.879.19

-2.847:18 AM7:49 PM

April 11 April 18 April 25 April 4

63/51 RN 63/40 SUN59/49 RN 64/39 SUN71/62 RN 64/51 SUN71/62 RN 66/53 SUN69/60 RN 66/46 SUN70/60 PS 66/45 SUN

60/48 RN 65/40 SUN

63/51 Showers63/40 Sunny

68/56 Partly sunny65/44 Sunny

70/59 Partly sunny66/44 Partly sunny

73/60 Partly sunny70/45 Partly sunny

7350

7160

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75

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

Weekend Outlook

To meet in old Family Dollar siteBY KATIE CRUICE SMITHFOR THE GREER CITIZEN

Easter Sunday will be bittersweet for the mem-bers of Potential Church, as they say their goodbyes to their current church home at Pacific Place at the Lyman Event Center on Groce Road, where they have been gathering since the church began in June, 2012.

On Sunday, April 12, the young church of 125-130 members will meet at its new location at 311 Green-ville Highway, Wellford, where Family Dollar was located. The 5500-square-foot building will give the church the space it needs to hold its community events.

Its really a blessing, said Pastor Lance Martin, who founded the church. We never could have per-manent signage, and we will come out better in the long run because we have hopes for expansion.

The church first started meeting in the old armory in Lyman in conjunction with the town, and the church took care of reno-vating the old building, which had stood aban-doned for quite some time. But as the town developed and changed its govern-ment, the facility became an event venue during the week.

We had to jump quick because we had become 100 percent mobile, said Martin. We had to take everything out during the week. It cost $10,000 to go mobile, and it was a big expense for us over the last two months.

Although the congre-

gation felt an emotional connection to the place that they had renovated to start their church, they knew that they needed to get a new building, where they could focus on big community events, such as drive-in movie nights in their church parking lot.

It all works out for the good, said Martin. Were so much better where we are.

Because of the increased use of Pacific Place, the church was finding it more difficult to set up their equipment for Sun-day worship services. Martin started arriving at 5:30 a.m. just to set up the church for his congrega-tion. The church knew that

it was time to move on to a more permanent location. But moving on such short notice also meant that the church was not necessar-ily prepared financially to renovate another building.

God provided the mon-ey, said Martin. People stepped up. We have been able to do enough to make it nice and get moved in. We also had donations from companies and other churches, like Four Points Church. The church planter community is very tight.

An average service at Po-tential Church hosts about 100 people. But construc-tion at the facility last summer hurt attendance as many people thought the church had closed its doors. Now the church is slowly beginning to see its numbers climb again.

We are trying to pres-ent Jesus in a modern culture, said Martin. Its our time to grow and bloom. There have been a lot of life changes, mar-riages healed, and people realizing the potential God has for their life.

Although the church of-ficially opens its new doors on April 12, they are plan-ning to host five weeks of a grand opening in the fall after renovations have been completed.

For more information about Potential Church, visit them online at poten-tialsc.com.

PUBLIC INVITED TO EASTER AT GREER STATION CHURCH

The Church at Greer Sta-tion is inviting the commu-nity to join as the Easter story is told this Sunday, April 5, at Grace Hall, 108 Trade Street, at 10 a.m.

For more information, please visit tcgreerstation.com.

RIVERSIDE COLLECTING CEREAL FOR GCM

Riverside Baptist Church, located at 1249 South Su-ber Road in Greer, will be collecting 20 boxes of ce-real per month for Greer Community Ministries.

Those interested in do-nating can place items in collection baskets throughout the church. There are 228 boxes left to collect.

APALACHE BAPTISTGOLDEN HEARTS EVENTS

A covered dish supper is on the calendar for the Golden Hearts on April 14 at the church Christian Life Center (CLC) at 6 p.m. The guest entertainment for this night will be Ash-lan Village choir.

The senior adults have scheduled a day trip April 20 to Charleston. The se-niors plan to go sightsee-ing around Charleston, some will walk the bridge from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, and the group will eat a meal in Mt. Pleas-ant.

On April 30 the senior adults will go out to eat

for the evening meal at Silver Bay Seafood Restau-rant on White Horse Road in Greenville.

VICTORIAN HILLS HOSTS EASTER EVENTS

Victorian Hills Commu-nity Church, located at 209 Victor Avenue Ext., will be having an Easter egg hunt and hamburger and hot-dog cookout on Saturday, April 4, at 1 p.m.

The church will also be having a Sonrise service at 6:45 a.m. Sunday, April 5, and worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Everyone is invited. For more information, call 877-3981

SACRED HEART SEEKS YARD SALE PARTICIPANTS

The annual indoor/out-door Yard Sale at Sacred Heart Church, located at 1009 Benson St. (across from Quality Foods), will be held on Saturday, April 18. The church is seek-ing anyone who would be interested in reserving a table to sell their things at $20 per 8ft table. Call Kris Ann Alexander at 770-715-0332 for reservations.

RELIGIONThe Greer Citizen

A6 THE GREER CITIZEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

?\`ji`j\eJoin Us In Celebration

Easter SundayAPRIL 5TH

PRAISE CATHEDRAL3390 Brushy Creek Rd. Greer

For more information, call 879-4878praisecathedral.org

9:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.With the Choir, Orchestra, and a

Special Message from Pastor Jerry Madden

APRIL 3RD

Good FridayCOMMUNION SERVICE

Noon In e Sanctuary

309 Northview Drive Greer 848-1935

BY KATIE CRUICE SMITHFOR THE GREER CITIZEN

While many churches were busy hosting Easter egg hunts this past week-end, Abner Creek Baptist Church decided to create a more interactive experi-ence.

In the spirit of the jour-neys through Bethlehem that many churches pres-ent at Christmastime, Walk with Jesus: An Eas-ter Experience for Fami-lies, helps children to vi-sualize the Easter story as it unfolds in the Bible.

We do an Easter egg hunt every year, said Emily Dean, who is the childrens director at the church. But this year, we wanted to do an Easter event for people to experi-ence the Gospel in a new way.

The church was divided into five stations repre-senting Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, Good Friday and the Resurrection of Christ. Volunteers were dressed in biblical cos-tumes to tell the story of their day to the children, and each station also pro-vided an opportunity for the children to be involved in the story.

Children colored palm leaves on Palm Sunday, washed each others feet at the Last Supper, hid behind trees as soldiers came for Jesus in the Gar-

den, tasted sour lemons (sin) that were made sweet with sugar tablets on Good Friday, and watched their sins being washed away in the water of Christs death on the cross.

We did a Walk Through Bethlehem at Christmas, and the same company does this event as well, said Dean. We asked for volunteers, and then each person was responsible to

learn their own part.After the Easter experi-

ence, the children were in-vited outdoors for an Eas-ter egg hunt and balloons. In order to make the event a success, 50 volunteers helped in various roles.

Abner Creek Baptist Church is located at 2461 Abner Creek Road. For more information on up-coming events, visit abner-creekbaptist.com.


Hanna Sweatt, who portrays Mary Magdalen in the fth station, teaches participants about the meaning of the resurrection as children dissolve sins in water.

Abner Creek provides full Easter experience


Tom Rodriguez helps his son, Rocket Rodriguez, wash his feet during the Last Supper station.

CHURCHNEWS

Potential Church makes big move to Wellford

God provided the money. People

stepped up. We

have been able

to do enough to

make it nice and

get moved in... The

church planter

community is very

tight.

Lance MartinPastor, Potential Church

The original gift from the Allen Bennett family was conceived from the idea of wellness for the Greer Community and to honor their son a World War II veteran.

After surveying numer-ous individuals from our community, I would like to propose these ideas as an alternative option to the demolition of the facility; Envision this, the Allen Bennett Activity and Wellness Complex of Greer.

One of three compo-nents of the complex would be an activity and wellness center. This por-tion would help satisfy the numerous needs of our growing population of seniors, young adults, teens and children. Increasingly, we are all more interested in exer-cise, nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. This area could include exercise equipment, an auditorium for wellness seminars, meeting rooms for clubs and civic organizations, computer rooms, after school programs and a kitchen for catering and nutrition classes.

The second component is an aquatic center. This portion of the complex could contain one 50-meter pool available for local, state and regional swim meets and another pool with zero entrance depth for children and seniors. An outdoor water park for fun during sum-mer will attract all ages. Family memberships, swim team rentals from local high schools and communities and con-cessions can all bring in considerable dollars for upkeep.

The third portion would

house the Greer Heritage and Art Museum. This would give much needed additional exhibit space for a large, important collection of historical memorabilia document-ing Greers history. This portion could also contain exhibit space for a new permanent collection of Greers renowned artist Suzanne Lanford Greene. This unbelievable collec-tion of amazing watercol-ors will astound visitors, a must see for tourists and art-lovers. Another much needed exhibit hall will allow local artists to showcase their works on a quarterly basis. This will constantly given renewed interest and enthusiasm for our community and visitors alike.

Without question, tour-ism can have an undeni-ably positive impact on Greers economic future. With the coming of Bass

Pro Shop to our area, we have the unique oppor-tunity to capitalize on and entice thousands of tourists to Greer. I would like to emphasize to the mayor, city officials and citizens that this oppor-tunity will pass our way only once.

Let us all be reminded of the tremendous voids created in our community architecturally, estheti-cally and psychologically by the demolition at tax payer expense of Tryon Street School, Duke Street School, Woodland School and Victor Mill. These properties remain vacant until this day. Yes, this property is very valu-able to the city of Greer, therefore an investment in a multi-use facility would prove to be a much superior alternative.

Thomas S EbetinoGreer

BUSINESSThe Greer Citizen

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The City of Greer Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing at 6:30 p.m. on April 20, 2015 at Greer City Hall located at 301 E. Poinsett Street on the following: DOCKET NUMBER: AN 2015-08OWNER: Paul E. ChickyADDRESS: 600 S Buncombe RoadPARCEL ID NUMBER: G0060003001405EXISTING ZONING: S-1, Service DistrictREQUEST: C-2, Commercial DistrictDocuments related to the requests are available for public inspection in the Planning and Zoning Office located at 301 E. Poinsett Street.

Just a theory

Q: Lets say you have $1 million in the bank. Why would you take out $300,000 to buy a house, instead of just making a 20 percent down pay-ment and keeping the rest of the money in mu-tual funds to make more money?

DR: Interesting ques-tion. Okay, Im game.

The spread that youd make between even a high-interest rate mort-gage lets say six percent and mutual funds at 11 percent or so, is about five percent. And thats assuming nothing goes wrong, and you can get your mutual fund out if needed.

What youre talking about is theory, and what Im talking about is actual life. In your theory youve left out two major is-sues: paying taxes on the mutual fund, which would make your yield less, and risk. Youve compared a zero-risk investment with a risk investment, and you shouldnt do that. You must factor in risk so you can accurately compare one investment to another.

Every time you pay off a mortgage, the bank no longer charges you interest. Thats zero risk compared to a mutual fund, which does have risk. If your house was paid for you wouldnt bor-row $300,000 against it to invest in mutual funds.

DAVESAYS

DAVERAMSEY

Allen Bennett demolition alternative

WILLIAM BUCHHEIT | THE GREER CITIZEN

Security talkLast week, Greer State Bank hosted its quarterly breakfast at Thornblade. The chosen speaker for Thursdays event was Dennis Dowdy (pictured), who addressed the increasingly problematic topic of cyber security. Software security has not kept pace with emerging threats, he said to those in attendance. Security breaches are inevitable and youre a target.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR |

301 McCall St. Greer848-5500

Highway 14 Greer, SC879-7311

Management & Employees

ASHMOREBROTHERS

Commercial ResidentialAsphalt Paving Site Preparation SINCE 1930

BENSONCollision Repair Center

Offi ce Hours:7:30-6:00 Mon.-Fri.

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And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. - Isaiah 6:3

BAPTISTAbner Creek Baptist Church2461 Abner Creek Rd., Greer 877-6604Airport Baptist Church776 S. Batesville Rd., Greer 848-7850Apalache Baptist1915 Gap Creek Rd., Greer 877-6012Bible Baptist Church6645 Mountain View Rd., Taylors 895-7003Blue Ridge Baptist Church3950 Pennington Rd., Greer 895-5787BridgePointe600 Bridge Rd., Taylors 244-2774Burnsview Baptist Church9690 Reidville Rd., Greer 879-4006Calvary Baptist101 Calvary St., Greer 877-9759Calvary Baptist108 Forest St., Greer 968-0092Calvary Hill Baptist100 Edward Rd., LymanCalvary Road Baptist Church108 Bright Rd., Greer 593-2643Camp Creek Baptist Church1100 Camp Creek Rd., TaylorsCedar Grove Baptist Church109 Elmer St., Greer 877-6216Community Baptist Church642 S. Suber Rd., Greer 848-3500Double Springs Baptist Church3800 Locust Hill Rd., Taylors 895-1314Ebenezer-Welcome Baptist Church4005 Highway 414, Landrum 895-1461El Bethel Baptist Church313 Jones Ave., Greer 877-4021Emmanuel Baptist Church423 S. Buncombe Rd., Greer 877-2121Enoree Fork Baptist Church100 Enoree Dr., Greer 268-4385Fairview Baptist Church1300 Locust Hill Rd., Greer 877-1881First Baptist Church202 W. Poinsett St., Greer 877-4253Freedom Fellowship Greer High 877-3604Friendship Baptist Church1600 Holly Springs Rd., Lyman 877-4746Good News Baptist Church1592 S. Highway 14, Greer 879-2289Grace Baptist Church760 W. Gap Creek Rd., Greer 879-3519Grace Place407 Ridgewood Dr., GreerGreer Freewill Baptist Church110 Pine Ridge Dr., Greer 968-0310Heritage Chapel Baptist Church218 Alexander Rd., Greer 989-0170Highland Baptist Church3270 Hwy. 414, Taylors 895-5270Hillcrest Baptist Church111 Biblebrook Dr., Greer 877-4206Hispanic Baptist Iglesia Bautista Hispana199 Hubert St., Greer 877-3899Holly Springs Baptist Church250 Hannon Rd., Inman 877-6765Locust Hill Baptist Church5534 Locust Hill Rd., Travelers Rest 895-1771Maple Creek Baptist Church609 S. Main St., Greer 877-1791Milford Baptist Church1282 Milford Church Rd., Greer 895-5533Mount Lebanon Baptist Church572 Mt. Lebanon Church Rd., Greer 895-2334New Hope Baptist Church561 Gilliam Rd., Greer 879-7080New Jerusalem Baptist Church413 E. Poinsett St., Greer 968-9203New Life Baptist Church90 Becco Rd., Greer 895-3224Northwood Baptist Church888 Ansel School Rd., Greer 877-5417ONeal Baptist Church3420 N. Highway 101, Greer 895-0930Pelham First Baptist Church2720 S. Old Highway 14, Greer 879-4032Peoples Baptist Church310 Victor Avenue Ext., Greer 848-0449Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church201 Jordan Rd., Lyman 879-2646Pleasant Grove Baptist Church1002 S. Buncombe Rd., Greer 877-6436

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church4899 Jordan Rd., Greer 895-3546Providence Baptist Church2020 Gibbs Shoals Rd., Greer 877-3483Rebirth Missionary Baptist Church2375 Racing Road, Greer 877-0449Riverside Baptist Church1249 S. Suber Rd., Greer 879-4400Second Baptist Church570 Memorial Drive Ext., Greer 877-7061Southside Baptist Church410 S. Main St., Greer 877-2672St. Johns Baptist Church2 Groveland Rd., Taylors 879-2904Suber Road Baptist Church445 S. Suber Rd., Greer 801-0181Taylors First Baptist Church200 W. Main St., Taylors 244-3535United Family Ministries13465 E. Wade Hampton Blvd., Greer 877-3235Victor Baptist121 New Woodruff Rd., Greer 877-9686Washington Baptist Church3500 N. Highway 14, Greer 895-1510Welcome Home Baptist Church1779 Pleasant Hill Rd., Greer 901-7674

CATHOLICBlessed Trinity Catholic Church901 River Rd., Greer 879-4225

CHURCH OF CHRISTRiverside Church of Christ2103 Old Spartanburg Rd., Greer 322-6847

CHURCH OF GODChurch of God - Greer500 Trade St., Greer 877-0374Church of God of Prophecy2416 N. Highway 14, Greer 877-8329Eastside Worship Center601 Taylors Rd., Taylors 268-0523ONeal Church of God3794 Berry Mill Rd., Greer 895-4273Pelham Church of God of Prophecy139 Abner Creek Rd., Greer 801-0528Praise Cathedral Church of God3390 Brushy Creek Rd., Greer 879-4878

EPISCOPALGood Shepherd Episcopal200 Cannon St., Greer 877-2330

LUTHERANAbiding Peace Ev. Lutheran Church401 Batesville Rd., Simpsonville 288-4867Apostolic Lutheran Church453 N. Rutherford Rd., Greer 848-4568Immanuel Lutheran Church & School LCMS2820 Woodruff Rd., Simpsonville 297-5815Redeemer Lutheran Church, ELCA300 Oneal Rd., Greer 877-5876

METHODISTBethel United Methodist Church105 E. Arlington Ave., Greer 879-2066Covenant United Methodist Church1310 Old Spartanburg Rd., Greer 244-3162Ebenezer United Methodist Church174 Ebenezer Road, Greer 987-9644Faith United Methodist Church1301 S. Main St. (S. Hwy. 14), Greer 877-0308Fews Chapel United Methodist Church4000 N. Highway 101, Greer 895-2522Grace United Methodist Church627 Taylor Rd., Greer 877-7015Lee Road United Methodist Church1377 East Lee Rd., Taylors 244-6427Liberty Hill United Methodist Church301 Liberty Hill Rd., Greer 968-8150Liberty United Methodist Church4276 Highway 414, Landrum 292-0142Memorial United Methodist Church201 N. Main St., Greer 877-0956Mountain View UMC6525 Mountain View Rd., Taylors 895-8532Sharon United Methodist Church1421 Reidville Sharon Rd., Greer 879-7926St. Mark United Methodist Church911 St. Mark Rd., Taylors 848-7141

St. Paul United Methodist Church3856 N. Highway 101, Greer 895-5570Victor United Methodist Church1 Wilson Ave., Greer 877-5520Woods Chapel United Methodist Church2388 Brown Wood Rd., Greer 879-4475Zoar United Methodist Church1005 Highway 357, Greer 877-0758

PRESBYTERIANBlue Ridge Presbyterian Church2094 Highway 101 North, Greer 483-2140Devenger Road Presbyterian Church1200 Devenger Rd., Greer 268-7652Fellowship Presbyterian Church1105 Old Spartanburg Rd., Greer 877-3267First Presbyterian Church100 School St., Greer 877-3612Fulton Presbyterian Church821 Abner Creek Rd., Greer 879-3190

OTHER DENOMINATIONSAgape House900 Gap Creek Rd., Greer 329-7491Anglican Church of St. George the Martyr427 Batesville Rd., Simpsonville 281-0015Bartons Memorial Pentacostal HolinessHighway 101 North, GreerBethesda Temple125 Broadus St., Greer 877-8523Beulah Christian Fellowship Church1017 Mauldin Rd., Greenville 283-0639Calvary Bible FellowshipHoliday Inn, Duncan 266-4269Calvary Chapel of Greer104 New Woodruff Rd. Greer 877-8090Christ Fellowship343 Hampton Rd., Greer 879-8446Christian Heritage Church900 N. Main St., Greer 877-2288Christian Life Center 2 Country Plaza 322-1325Christian Outreach 106 West Rd. 848-0308El-Bethel Holiness 103 E. Church St. 968-9474Faith Family Church3339 Wade Hampton Blvd., Taylors 244-0207Faith Temple5080 Sandy Flat Rd., Taylors 895-2524Glad Tidings Assembly of GodHighway 290, Greer 879-3291Greer Mill Church 52 Bobo St., Greer 877-2442Harmony Fellowship Church468 S. Suber Rd., Greer 877-8287Harvest Christian Church2150 Highway 417, Woodruff 486-8877International Cathedral of Prayer100 Davis Avenue Greer 655-0009Lifesong Church12481 Greenville Highway, Lyman 439-2602Living Way Community Church3239 N. Highway 101, Greer 895-0544Mountain Bridge Community Church1400B Wade Hampton Blvd., Greer 350-1051New Beginnings Outreach104 New Woodruff Rd., Greer 968-2424New Covenant Fellowship2425 Racing Rd., Greer 848-4521New Hope Freedom109 W. Wade Hampton Blvd. Greer 205-8816New Life in Christ 210 Arlington Rd. 346-9053Point of Life ChurchWade Hampton Blvd. Duncan 426-4933Springwell Church4369 Wade Hampton Blvd., Taylors 268-2299Trinity Fellowship Church3610 Brushy Creek Rd., Greer 877-04191700 N. Pleasantburg Dr, Greenville 244-6011United Anglican Fellowship1001 W. Poinsett St., Greer 629-3350United Christian Church105 Daniel Ave., Greer 895-3966United House of Prayer213 Oak St., Greer 848-0727Upstate Friends Meeting (Quaker)P.O. Box 83, Lyman 439-8788Upstate Tree of Life203 East Bearden St., Greer 848-1295Victorian Hills Community Church209 Victor Ave. Ext., Greer 877-3981Vine Worship Center4373 Wade Hampton Blvd., Taylors 244-8175

A8 THE GREER CITIZEN PAGE LABEL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

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wednesday, april 1, 2015 page label the greer citizen a9

BY FOX CAROLINANEWS PARTNER

The Greenville County coroner said a 76-year-old Greer woman died two days after she was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Coroner Jeff Fowler said the victim, Frankie Haney, was found at her home by Greer police on Saturday.

Fowler said Frankie was transported to the Green-ville Memorial Trauma Center, and she died on Monday.

Greer police said the womans husband, 84-year-old Clifford Haney, is charged in her death.

According to the incident report, Clifford had been living at a rehab facility for three months and family had brought him back to his home on Pennypacker Court to help prepare for him to move back in. The report said the plan was for him to move back in and be placed on hospice.

While at the home on Saturday, family reported hearing two loud noises and seeing Clifford hold-ing a gun while firing it at the victim.

After an autopsy on Tuesday, Fowler said the cause of death was multi-ple gunshot wounds to the abdomen.

Fowler said the case is under investigation by the Greer Police Department and the Greenville County Coroners Office.

(Note: All information contained in the following was taken directly from the official incident reports filed by the Greer Police Department, The Spar-tanburg County Sheriffs Office or The Greenville County Sheriffs Office All suspects are to be consid-ered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.)

CDVJonathan Shawn John-

son, of 2470 Racing Road, Greer, was charged with criminal domestic vio-lence.

According to an incident report provided by the Spartanburg County Sher-iffs Office, officers arrived at the above address to find the complainant say-ing Johnson had bitten her on the arm during an argu-ment. She said she then hit him in order to get away.

The responding officer noted a bite mark on her arm, and the subject ad-mitted hed bitten her. The officer determined the complainant had hit the subject in an act of self-defense and therefore arrested Johnson for CDV.

He was transported to the Spartanburg Detention Center.

UNLAWFUL ALCOHOLEmily Alexandria Lewis,

21, of 203 Hopesewee Drive, Piedmont, was charged with driving with unlawful alcohol content.

According to an inci-dent report filed by Greer Police, an officer was dis-patched to a single-car collision around J. Verne Smith Parkway and East Wade Hampton Boulevard. When the officer asked Lewis where she was com-ing from and where she was headed, she respond-ed that she didnt know.

The officer soon realized that Lewis wasnt even aware that shed been in-volved in an accident. She failed a field sobriety test and was placed under ar-rest. She blew a .08 on the breathalyzer and admitted to taking a Xanax earlier in the day. She was turned over to the jail for pro-cessing.

WANTEDMichael Wesley Bockstie-

gel, 34, of 309 Werrington Court, Greer, is being sought in a case of shop-lifting.

According to a Greer Po-lice incident report, police responded to a call about a shoplifting that had oc-curred at the Spinx on West Wade Hampton Boulevard. The clerk reported that shed seen a tall man take three cases of beer from the cooler without paying. The clerk was able to note

the license plate number, which police tracked to Bockstiegel.

A warrant is being sought for his arrest, and police say Bockstiegel has an extensive criminal his-tory of shoplifting.

SHOPLIFTINGAnna Michelle Wyatt,

30, of 414 Fairview Road, Taylors, was charged with shoplifting.

According to the inci-dent report furnished by Greer Police, a Walmart loss prevention officer was holding Wyatt in his office at the store on East Wade Hampton Boulevardd. He explained that the sub-ject had concealed several items in a purse and tried to exit the store.

When the loss preven-tion officer confronted her about the crime, Wy-att handed over the mer-chandise, which totaled $62.87.

She was arrested and transported to Greer City Jail, where she was issued a citation for shoplifting.

CDV Megan Leanne Siler, 31,

of 220 Biblebrook Drive, Greer, was charged with criminal domestic vio-lence.

According to the Greer Police incident report, an officer met the complain-ant near the incident loca-tion and found him with a bleeding lip and torn shirt.

The officer also noted scratches to his back and neck. When Siler arrived back at her residence, she admitted to striking the complainant during an ar-gument.

She was arrested and transported to the Greer City Jail for processing.

CDVDavid Dwain Skinner,

46, of 338 North Glassy Mountain Road, Landrum, was charged with crimi-nal domestic violence of a high and aggravated na-

ture, assault and battery and reckless driving.

According to an incident report filed by Greer Po-lice, a woman claimed that Skinner deliberately hit her with his car in the parking lot during a Greer Middle School soccer game.

The complainant said she and Skinner were ar-guing and that he got in his car to leave the scene. When she went to his win-dow to tell him to be care-ful, he threatened to hit her and then jumped a curb and hit her in the left

knee with the car, a Jeep Wrangler.

After that, witnesses claim Skinner jumped a curb and tore off through the lawn where children were playing. A short time later, Skinner arrived at the Police Department to explain his side of the story.

He was taken into cus-tody and issued citations on the aforementioned charges.

POLICE AND FIREThe Greer Citizen

A10 THE GREER CITIZEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

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Wade Hampton wreckGreenville County EMS workers help a mother retrieve her infant from a wrecked car following an accident on Wade Hampton Boulevard last Friday morning.

Greer man faces murder charges

A Spartanburg man re-ceived a 12-year prison sentence Tuesday after he admitted to selling cocaine and crack cocaine.

Bennie Griffin Jr., 28, pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of crack cocaine and one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Griffin sold quantities of crack cocaine to law enforcement infor-mants on multiple occa-

sions between May 8, 2013 and April 18, 2014.

On April 30, 2014, Griffin was arrested at an apart-ment complex on the east side of the City of Spartan-burg. When confronted by police, Griffin had nearly 6.8 grams of crack cocaine in his pants. He also tried to discard 9.4 grams of co-caine when he briefly tried to run from officers dur-ing his arrest.

Griffin, whose prior

criminal record included convictions for drug and traffic offenses, will serve about a decade of Circuit Judge Derham Coles pris-on sentence before he is eligible for release.

Assistant Solicitor Matt Kendall prosecuted Grif-fin. Charges were filed by the Sheriffs Office and the Spartanburg Police De-partment.

CRIMEREPORT

Cli ord I. Haney

PRESTON BURCH | THE GREER CITIZEN

Reid School and Wade HamptonThree cars were involved in a collision at Reid School Road and Wade Hampton Boulevard Sunday night. One person was transported to the hospital for injuries.

Man sentenced for cocaine

Healing Heroes Pets in the Park, an event put on by the Greater Greer Cham-ber of Commerces Leadership Greer Class XXXV, featured a pet walk and dog demonstrations, but more importantly, shined the spotlight on veterans.

It appeals to a lot of different people for different reasons, class president David Eill said. A lot of people can get behind supporting veterans for what theyve sacrificed for us. I think every-body that was there received the message and I think it raised a little bit of aware-ness, which is what we wanted it to do.The event also featured service dogs that would be working with veterans impact-ed by PTSD.

It was neat being able to award two service dog vests to a couple of the dogs that have graduated the program, Eill

said. That was pretty cool. It was also neat to see the veterans come out and connect. Overall, we felt like everybody had a really good time.

The Leadership Greer class has been working with Bill Brightman, the Dog Trainers Workshop and the Service Dog Institute on the project, and has nearly reached its goal of raising $15,000 to pro-vide local veterans with animals.

Pets in the Park was about raising awareness in the Greer community, Eill said.

It was a bigger success than we thought itd be, he said. We had a lot of traffic that came through and a lot of in-volvement from vendors. Everything just seemed to be a win and everyone had a good time with it. The community was re-ally engaged with it.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 NEWS THE GREER CITIZEN A11

VETERANS BEST FRIEND

Pets take over Greer City Park

Pumpkin, a 10-year-old Boston terrier, jumps through a hoop at the obstacle course Saturday.

Photos by William Buchheit | Article by Billy Cannada

Furry, four-legged pets of all shapes, sizes and breeds

took to Greer City Park on Saturday

to help raise awareness for military veterans

suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Bagpiper Art Davis leads the dog walk around Greer City Park Saturday morning.

Leia, a 1-year-old pit bull, is available for adoption. If interested, email [email protected].

Samson, from Carolina Poodle Rescue, sits regally in front of his master, Kimberly Haynie.

An energetic volunteer tries, unsuccessfully, to pull Charlie, a 4-year-old yellow lab service dog, during part of Saturdays exhibition.

Marine veteran Ernest McDuell of Gray Court congratulates his Shizu, Ella, after she received a service vest Saturday.

Ursa, an 8-year-old German Shepherd service dog, takes a moment to visualize before her performance at Saturdays demonstration.

Nikita, a husky belonging to military veteran Eric Gross, was awarded a service vest Saturday.

A12 THE GREER CITIZEN PAGE LABEL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

SPORTSThe Greer Citizen

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

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Next year

As college basketball comes to a close, I thought Id offer a few parting shots and some closure on the sea-son that was.

For those of you who were hoping for the best Final Four possible, youve got it. With the excep-tion of Michigan State - Kentucky, Wisconsin and Duke are elite programs with very, VERY good teams.

The Wildcats proved they were human last week, nearly getting knocked off in the Elite Eight by Notre Dame. Duke has made its easy road to Indianapolis look even easier, plow-ing through four mid-major schools (yes, Utah and Gonzaga are STILL mid-majors, no matter what you say). Wisconsin has battled back from deficits and its best big man, Frank Kaminsky, has proven his worth in key moments.

All signs point to a Kentucky/Duke final, which is the best possible matchup. But if youre like the rest of America, this game will be like watching villain vs. villain. Nobody but Ashley Judd and a bunch of other spoiled Kentucky fans want to see the Wildcats go unde-feated and even less people want to see Duke win a title.

These programs are hated for one reason theyre consistently good. Although I dislike both very much, Id be lying if I said I didnt want to see the two match up. Hopefully, this Final Four will send the 2015 season out on a high note.

As for my Tar Heels, seeing the season end ear-ly isnt such a bad thing. Ive been a fan during some hard seasons. In the early 2000s, Carolina won only eight games before Roy Williams returned to Chapel Hill to turn things around. In 2010, a year after winning a national championship, UNC laid an egg, resulting in a NIT berth.

This season, however, was a special kind of dif-ficult.

The team was good. The potential was there, but so many games that could have been wins turned into losses.

Off the court, things were far worse than theyve ever been. The school itself is dealing with an academic scandal that could end up be-ing one of the worst in NCAA history. Although sanctions are likely to be delayed for as long as possible, theyre coming, and that dark cloud hang-ing over Chapel Hill has only gotten darker as time has passed. Losing Tar Heel greats such as Stuart Scott and legendary coach Dean Smith hasnt helped either.

In sports, theres al-ways

4.1.15

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