The Piedmont Regional Association of Realtors will host an Appreciation Reception honoring local servicemen and women from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Palmetto Room at Historic Old Town in downtown Rock Hill.

The event will be the kickoff to the PRAR's 2008 community service project. The PRAR will be adopting a unit leaving for the Middle East in late May. Many members of that unit, which is based in Columbia, are from the Piedmont.

The PRAR will be collecting items for care packages as well as donations to purchase items for the care packages they will be sending to the soldiers throughout the year. There will be a donation area during the reception for items. The program during the reception will include a former soldier who served in World War II.

Admission is free; however, a donation is welcome. The Palmetto Room at Historic Old Town is at 135 E. Main St. in the Realtors building. For more information, please contact Adrienne Guyett, (803) 322-7929.

AAA: Fewer plan to travel for Memorial Day

COLUMBIA -- Fewer people are expected to hit the road on Memorial Day weekend because of the skyrocketing cost of gas, which has topped $4 a gallon in some markets nationwide, according to AAA.

The AAA said Thursday its survey shows the number of Americans traveling more than 50 miles from home over the long holiday weekend will fall nearly 1 percent from last year. The group said the number of people planning to travel via car will drop by 1 percent, while the number of air travelers will fall by about a half a percent.

Gas is still a bargain in South Carolina, compared with the rest of the country. With an average of $3.626 a gallon, the state falls behind only Arizona and Wyoming for cheapest gas prices.

Still, the average cost of a gallon of gas in this state is up 78 cents from last year and 41 cents from a month ago.

"It looks like there's going to be a cutback this year for the first time in a long time," said Tom Crosby, spokesman for AAA Carolinas, which will release its projections for Memorial Day travel next week. "We're going to see reduced travel."

If you're still planning a trip to the beach despite gas prices, you might want to gas up before you go.

In Myrtle Beach, a popular Memorial Day destination, gas is about 4 cents higher than the state average.

-- The (Columbia) State

Company to bring 40 jobs to Marion County

MYRTLE BEACH -- A company that makes a special masonry building material used in businesses and homes says it is opening a new plant in Marion County, creating 40 jobs.

Carolina AAC is based in Europe. Its new plant in Marion will serve customers in the Southeast.

The company makes Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. The material can be used to make walls and roofs and is sometimes used for soundproofing.

-- The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News