December 2024 

Dedicated to Artist-Long-in-Pendleton-Residence, John Acorn

From the Editor: In the early 1990s, when I moved to Pendleton from London, to care for my dying mother and, later, to teach Journalism at Clemson University, Anderson University, and The University of Georgia, I created the original, analog version of a little newspaper I called The Pendletonian as a means of knitting together our then (and, still) divided along color, class, town/gown, Old-South/newcomers, and geographical lines town . . . as well as to give my students a place to test their skills. My Journalism students at Clemson served as The Pendletonian’s able intern-reporters and many, many town residents wrote columns, contributed News Briefs, and generously supported the endeavor with time, attention, and advertising. (The Pendletonian almost immediately turned a profit, something I had never expected, as I and my family had agreed to foot all bills for design and printing.) The newspaper was  always free, distributed by town businesses, and we had a quarterly print run of 5,000 issues, which disappeared, overnight, into readers’ hands. After my mother’s death, however, I left South Carolina for New York, not imagining I would return. But Pendleton works its magic on us, and I was drawn back, in 2018, to build a home here, from the red clay up, and, once again, to feel the need to create a newspaper, where we all might “meet up,” as on the village green, to share the (very local) news of the day. So, I am again asking for town support in this venture. The columns in this issue represent the work of the first of you to make space in your busy lives to write. But I know there are others who will be willing to add their talents to this effort, and so please, please email me at Editor[email protected] and let me know how The Pendletonian can best serve you, and you, it. Quite literally, Pendletonians, I cannot do this without you.

Many thanks, Elizabeth Boleman-Herring

PS I dedicate this first issue of our relaunched town newspaper to John Acorn, our renowned artist-in-Pendleton-residence, in gratitude for his decades of support of Pendleton and his unceasing dedication to the arts, near and far.

 

 

Mayor of Pendleton

“Mayor’s Winter Message,” By Mayor Frank Crenshaw

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—Greetings to all our wonderful residents, new and returning visitors, and those who are considering making Pendleton their home. I am pleased to welcome you to the relaunch of The Pendletonian newspaper, a cherished resource in our town that will continue to connect our community and share the stories that make Pendleton such a special place. Our town’s slogan—History, Hospitality, Happenings . . . HOME—truly captures the essence of what Pendleton is all about. Pendleton is not just a town but a vibrant, welcoming community with a rich history and bright future. As mayor, I am proud of our progress and the thriving town we continue to build together. Pendleton’s downtown is the heart of our community, where history meets modern-day charm. With its Village Green, preserved historic architecture, and welcoming atmosphere, our downtown is a destination for residents and visitors alike. (Read more . . .)

Hometown Historian

“Pendleton: In the Beginning,” By Jackie Reynolds

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—If you are at all familiar with the history of Pendleton or have stopped to examine the historical marker on Pendleton’s central village green, you know that the town of Pendleton was founded in 1790, making it one of the oldest towns in the South Carolina Upcountry. It was established to serve as the Courthouse town for Pendleton County and then for the Pendleton judicial District, which comprised what are today Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. But did you know that the village of Pendleton was not incorporated by South Carolina’s General Assembly until 1832? You may wonder at this delay: you would not be the first. Pendleton’s founding fathers (and all were men) petitioned the General Assembly on numerous occasions between the town’s founding and 1832, requesting incorporation so that they could set up their own village administration and elect their own independent mayor and wardens (councilmen). (Read more . . .)

Attending Physician

“A New Practice,” By Michael Weingarten, D.O.

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—Let me start by saying how excited my family and I are to be welcomed to the Pendleton area. The area is beautiful, and the people have been beyond amazing. We have been involved in the schools, the local recreation department, and are now even more excited to be part of the healthcare in the area. I have always preached that getting healthy and staying healthy should be two of the easiest things in our lives, but with the way our lives and society are now structured, this couldn’t be further from the truth, and getting healthy is challenging. It seems there’s always a diet, exercise, or lifestyle fix being promoted by someone who doesn’t know you personally, your environmental constraints, or your personal preferences. They offer a one-size-fits-all approach, but that’s not how we are designed. As individuals. As a community. (Read more . . .)

Arboreal Pendleton

“Detrimental Tree Pruning Practices,” By Karl Pokorny

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—Pendleton’s abundant and beautiful tree cover is one of the best features of our town. For many of us who have moved to Pendleton from elsewhere, the tree-lined streets and arboreal landscapes were the most compelling reasons to choose this Upcountry South Carolina town as our new home. In addition to their aesthetic value, trees also increase property values, attract shoppers to commercial areas, lower home heating and cooling costs, filter pollutants from the air, and reduce storm water runoff. With all these benefits from our trees, we all have a vested interest in protecting and caring for them. For the past one hundred years, the science of tree care has been evolving and many practices that were once widely accepted as sound tree care have been proven harmful. One such practice is commonly referred to as tree topping. (Read more . . .)

Mr. Farmer’s Garden

“Why in the World is the Palmetto Our State Tree?” By Jenks Farmer

COLUMBIA South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—“Aren’t you the fellow I saw on TV talking about flowers?” she asked, adding, “That must be such a relaxing career.” A sweet Southern lady with a silver perm and flat pearl earrings struck up a conversation with me while standing in line at Aldi’s. (I shifted a frozen pizza in my cart so she couldn’t see my three bottles of wine and box of beard dye—the first, a gardener’s elixir and the second, well, if I’m going to be on TV, there are some vanity issues to address.) I put my swollen left hand behind my back. Earlier in the day, pruning a palm, I’d run into a wasps’ nest. A few “relaxing moments” flashed before my eyes–that time I watched a work truck sink ever so slowly into what turned out to be a Confederate-era septic pit; the quiet, pre-dawn drive with a rattlesnake nestled under my pickup’s front seat, both of us too scared to disturb the peace; and the time someone handed me a Tupperware full of ashes and asked me to scatter their Pop in some “pretty garden.” (Read more . . .)

Upcountry Critters

“Indigenous Ancestors & The Insect World,” By Dr. Tim Drake, Jr.

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—The early indigenous inhabitants of North America, most recently known as Native Americans, had daily interactions with a variety of insects. Depending upon the climatic and geographic regions in which they lived, diversity and numbers of insects that affected their daily lives varied significantly. The closer to the equator humans lived, the more insects they encountered on their bodies, in their food, in their dwellings, and destroying their crops. Nuisance pests were dealt with in a different manner than today because pesticides were unknown to these early cultures. Dried food and seeds were sealed in pottery vessels to keep out insects that might destroy them. Acorns and maize were parched and ground to protect them short-term from destruction by insect larvae. In areas where mosquitoes were a nuisance, fire and smoke were used to exclude them from dwellings. (Read more . . .)

Art on The Square

“The Art of Steve Garner,” By Brenda McLean

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—The Art Gallery on Pendleton Square sits in the middle of the business strip facing the village green, welcoming patrons into a virtual jewel box of art. The gallery’s director is Steve Garner, and the composition of art pieces displayed throughout the space is arrayed according to Garner’s design. He calls on his lifetime of experience to arrange paintings, photography, glass art, clay sculpture, textiles, and jewelry into an art space that is a prized Pendleton asset. Garner began his love story with art in the second grade in North Dakota when his teacher recognized his aptitude and encouraged his drawing. He says he can still smell that tempera paint all these years later. Garner encourages every artist to allot time to try new things. In his own artistic journey, fueled all the way by experimentation, he concentrated on painting and printmaking while in graduate school at Hughes Center of Fine Arts at University of North Dakota. (Read more . . .)

Pendleton Bookshop

“Holiday Reading,” By Amy Albright

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—It’s nice to have a book “to come back to” during the holiday season, whether you’re returning home mid-afternoon from a shopping trip to Greenville, at midnight from a cross-country flight, or toddling down your hallway after making cookies. Keep reading for a stack of books that you can keep by your chair throughout the holidays. In his memoir, All Creatures Great and Small, James Alfred Wight (pen name James Herriot), a veterinarian, recounts treating a variety of animals (tiny dog to cow); navigating quirky co-workers and neighbors; and falling in love in mid-20th century, rural England. A nightly read-aloud with your family or friends would have the feel of an English radio serial. Someone in a new job or a new place would find good company in Herriot. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser, has resourceful children who don’t need money to have fun, big love in a big family, and a beautiful overcoming at the end. While the intended audience is middle-grade (8-12 years), I love to recommend this book to adults. (Read more . . .)

Close to Home

“Our New Old Home Place,” By Elizabeth Boleman-Herring

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—Prepare yourselves: if ever there is a lede in one of my essays, it shall be buried. It seems I prefer to meander towards meaning; always approaching; rarely arriving. Either that or, by writing, and at length, I sometimes happen upon small-t truth. By writing, in writing, I figure out what it is I’m trying to say; what it is I know. In writing, I draw the thing itself by means of blowing smoke rings: I look up (and perhaps you do, too, for a moment), and see something almost corporeal . . . before it vanishes into thin air. All this past year—no, I lie—for the past three years of Our Floridian Banishment, I have dreamed elaborate architectural dreams. In my sleep, I have wandered through cities only just somehow created in my sleeping mind’s eye. With intimate, lost others, who no longer walk the planet with us, I have packed and unpacked virtual suitcases in virtual rooms; mounted ethereal stairs; conducted ghostly business; gardened in midnight gardens. (Read more . . .)