Community News from York, Chester, Lancaster counties – Aug. 20, 2015

The fourth annual Butts & Bluegrass BBQ Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 12 at Clover Community Park.

Sample from a large variety of barbecue, then vote for your favorite. Judging will be the S.C. Barbeque Association. Proceeds will benefit the Full Choice Food Pantry at the Clover Area Assistance Center.

The festival also will feature live bluegrass music, a kids play zone and health screenings.

Applications for vendors are being accepted for this year’s festival. For information, call Lisa Thornburg at 704-214-2892 or email buttsandbluegrassbbqfestival@yahoo.com.

Special events

▪ The Nation Ford High School FFA Chapter will host “Farm to Fork,” a monthly series of presentations by local farmers and other food purveyors, August-April. Those attending will sample products as well as learn about nutrition and how various products are raised and marketed. Representatives of Springs Farm and the Peach Stand will present the first program Tuesday. Subsequent programs will be held Sept. 22, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 22 and April 26. All programs start at 7 p.m. in the Nation Ford High School Agriculture classroom, 1400 A.O. Jones Blvd., Fort Mill. Free and open to the public. The series concludes with the annual Farm to Fork Dinner May 10. Advance tickets available. For information, contact Lee Petitgout, agriculture instructor and FFA advisor, at Petitgoutl@fortmillschools.org or 803-374-6177.

▪ The second annual Tawba Fest will be 2-10 p.m. Sept. 12 at Riverwalk. The event brings together party and play in an active, outdoor celebration along the banks of the Catawba River. The event includes free fitness classes and a market with local artists and vendors, food trucks and regionally brewed craft beer. For information, go to tawbafest.com.

▪ Humorist Jeanne Robertson will headline Hospice & Community Care’s 3rd Annual LOL event Sept. 3 at Baxter Hood Center on Anderson Road in Rock Hill. Proceeds will go to under-insured hospice patients in the community.

The evening will feature an opening reception and lots of laughs. Robertson is an expert in humor – whether regaling audiences with her experiences as a 6-foot-2-inch Miss Congeniality winner in the Miss America Pageant, or outlining the steps to developing a sense of humor.

The author of three books on humor, Robertson has produced six DVD/CD humor programs in the past 11 years and can be heard daily on Sirius XM radio’s Laugh USA family comedy channel.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $25 and available at HospiceCommunityCare.org. For more information call 803-329-1500.

▪ Ebenezer Baptist Church of Rock Hill is planning a 2016 trip to Sight & Sound theatres in Harrisburg, Pa. to see “Samson” and visit Hershey Park June 21-23. Cost includes lodging, meals, park entry, and a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. A $100 deposit is due Sept. 26. For information contact Denise at 803-524-6739 or email deniseatebc@gmail.com

Fundraisers

▪ The Men of Covenant Presbyterian Church will have a barbecue sale, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the church at the corner of Mount Gallant and Celanese roads. Hickory-smoked pork barbecue is $10 a pound; $8, plates with beans, slaw and bread; and $4.50, sandwiches.

▪ Rock Hill Elks Lodge No. 1318 membership committee is holding a smoked Boston butt sale, 8 a.m.-noon Sept. 5 at the Elks Lodge, 344 E. Main St. Cost is $25. Proceeds will go to the Elks Lodge charities and membership drive. Tickets are available in advance or purchase the day of the sale. For tickets call 803-417-8797 or 803-328-2458.

Clubs

▪ The Vintage Club of Tega Cay monthly dinner will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Phil Glennon Community Center. Cocktails served at 6. Entertainment by Leslie and Friends. The club is open to all Tega Cay residents age 50 and older. For information, contact Judie Fiegel at 803-207-0793 or jfiegel@comporium.net.

▪ Lake Wylie Shag Golden Oldies reunion/sock hop will be 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Mill Moose Lodge, 1676 Harris Road. Admission is $3 for members and $5 for guests. DJ Phil Long will entertain. The club will provide hot dogs and fixings. Members can bring a side dish or dessert.

Meetings

▪ The York County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs will meet 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at the administration building, 7900 Park Place Road in the East York Industrial Park, off S.C. 5 in York. Open to the public.

▪ The Western York County branch of the NAACP will meet 9 a.m. Aug. 29 at The Greater York Chamber of Commerce, 23 E. Liberty St. For information, call Wanda Simril at 803-684-6200.

▪ The Rock Hill branch of the NAACP will meet 9 a.m. Saturday at Bannon Hall across from St. Mary Catholic Church, 902 Crawford Road, Rock Hill. For information, contact Sandra Oborokumo at 803-325-2855.

Classes

▪ St. John’s United Methodist Church will offer dance classes on Mondays this fall at the church, 321 S. Oakland Ave., Rock Hill. Line Dancing will be 7-8 p.m. on Sept 14, 21 and 28 with Julia Robbins. Cost is $15 a person for the three classes. Country/Texas Two-Step taught by Bill and April Bragg will be 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Cost is $20 a person for four sessions. Beginner Waltz will be 7:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, 9 and 16. Cost is $15 per person for all three sessions. Open to the public. Proceeds go to the church youth. Park in White Street parking lot to enter the St. John’s Center. No partners necessary. Registration is not required. For information, contact Pat at 803-372-1315 or pathollisgrant@cs.com.

Auditions

▪ The Fort Mill Community Playhouse will hold auditions for its Dinner Theater, “Interruptions,” at 4 p.m. Aug. 30 and 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at Fort Mill Community Playhouse, 615 Banks St. “Interruptions” runs Nov. 5-7 and 13-15. Bring a list of all conflicts during Sept. 14-Nov. 15. Headshot and resume is appreciated but not required. Auditions will consist of cold readings. Roles are available for three male, five female and two flexible roles. Rehearsals begin Sept. 14. For information, go to fortmillplayhouse.org or call 803-548-8102.

▪ York County Choral Society auditions will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 27 and 6-7 p.m. Sept. 3 at Westminster Presbyterian Church choir room, 1320 India Hook Road, Rock Hill. YCCS is a community concert choir with approximately 60 singers who perform large choral works. In its 35th year, the choir is directed by Katherine Kinsey, director of choral activities at Winthrop University. For information, contact Kinsey at kinseyk@winthrop.edu or 803-323-2250.

Recreation

▪ Area Eleven Special Olympics will host a Fall Sports Spectacular 9-10:30 a.m. Aug. 29 at Boyd Hill Recreation Center, Constitution Boulevard, Rock Hill. The event is for Special Olympics athletes and their families to try bocce, disc golf, soccer and golf. Athletes may learn some new things and improve their skills. Scott Rohrer, Special Olympics world champion golfer, will participate. For information, call 803-326-2429 or email area11sosc@hotmail.com.

▪ The Rock Hill BMX Track is offering a free BMX race to participants in the Friday Night Race Friday, in recognition of the facility’s first anniversary. Registration and practice will run from 6-7:30 p.m. Racing starts at 8 p.m. Riders will receive normal single points for the race. Spectators are welcome. For information, go to novanthealthbmx.com or call 803-326-2441.

▪ The Rock Hill Area Senior Sports Classic offers a variety of sports activities for seniors ages 50 and older. This year’s event will be Sept. 14-23 at Boyd Hill Recreation Center and other nearby facilities. The event is coordinated by the Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.

The sports classic includes golf, pickleball, swimming, basketball free throw, table tennis, shuffleboard, horseshoes and bowling. All skill levels are welcome.

A free Health Fair will be 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 17 at Boyd Hill. Vendors will provide information on health and wellness. Registration is not required.

Registration for the classic is $15, due by Sept. 4. The fee includes a T-shirt and two lunches. All sports activities are included in the fee except for bowling and golf, which have additional fees to be paid at the time of competition.

For information and registration, call 803-329-5620 or go to cityofrockhill.com/prt.

4-H

▪ The Clemson Extension Service in York County in partnership with the City of Rock Hill will host the 4-H Come Grow With Me in the Garden series for ages 6-14, September-December at the Glencairn Garden Learning Center, 825 Edgemont Ave. Classes will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. the second Friday of each month. Cost is $65. Students will learn natural environment, horticulture, vegetable gardening and leadership through creative activities and a service project. Registration and fee deadline Sept. 8 and includes a 2015-16 yearly membership. For information, contact Faith Isreal at 803-684-9919 ext. 113 or fisreal@clemson.edu.

York County Library

All York County libraries will be closed Friday for staff training. Normal hours will resume Saturday. For information about library programs and services, go to yclibrary.org.

Other library events include:

Local poets Julie Ann Cook, Kim Blum-Hyclak, and Doris Thomas Browder will read a selection of their poetry, discuss their work, and answer questions, 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday at the York County Library, East Black Street. Copies of their works will also be available to purchase. Call 803-981-5845 or go to yclibrary.org to register.

American Red Cross Blood Drive, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at the York County Library, East Black Street. To schedule an appointment, call 803-981-5847 or go to redcross.org/blood.

Volunteers

▪ Life Builders English as a Second Language Ministry will have ESL Volunteer Basic Training, Aug. 28-29 in Rock Hill. It is a certificate course taught by certified trainers. For information, contact Life Builders at lifebuildersesl@gmail.com or 803-579-1511 by Saturday.

▪ The nonprofit Friends of the York County Animal Shelter needs volunteers to help bathe, groom, exercise, socialize, train and provide adoption information for the animals, as well as assist in follow-ups, publicity, marketing and fulfilling other jobs at the shelter. Time and mileage may be tax-deductible. Volunteers must be 18 or older; orientation and training are required. For information, call 803-818-6485 or go to the shelter at 713 Justice Boulevard, York.

Reunions

▪ Residents of the Aragon Mill Village in the 1940s-60s will have a reunion 1-4 p.m. Sept. 12 in the fellowship hall at Northside Baptist Church, 1140 Curtis St., Rock Hill. Bring a covered dish, finger food or drinks to share and old photographs. Special music by Rhonda Ramsey Costner. For information or to add a name to the memorial list, contact Lucille Montgomery Boad at 803-327-6792 or 803-417-6163 or lucyandbobby@aol.com.

▪ The Chester High School class of 1975 40th class reunion will be Sept. 11-13 in North Charleston. A dinner cruise will be Sept. 12. Cost is $65 per person. Roundtrip bus fair to North Charleston is $30 per person. Space is still available. RSVP to Bertha Rhinehart Sims at 803-209-2523 or Diane Hooper Wilmore at 803-385-6985 or Theodore Wilder at 803-374-1310 or email tedwilder@truvista.net for hotel information and an itinerary. On Facebook, the contact is Patricia Wilmore Hampton.

Support groups

▪ A Brain Injury support group for survivors and caregivers will begin 6 p.m. Nov. 5 in room 200 at HealthSouth in Rock Hill, 1795 Frank Gaston Blvd. For information, contact the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina at 803-731-9823.

▪ Alateen meets 8-9 p.m. Thursdays at Zoar Road Club, 14701 Thomas Road, Charlotte. Meetings are for two age groups: 6-12 and 13 and older. For information, call 803-547-2124 or 704-904-7834.

▪ Al-Anon meets at 8 p.m. Mondays at Serenity Club, 209 Grayson Road, Rock Hill; at noon Tuesdays upstairs at Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church, 421 Oakland Ave., Rock Hill; at 8 p.m. Mondays at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2955 S.C. 160, Fort Mill; and at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in the house beside First Baptist Church, 121 Monroe White St., Fort Mill.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Community News from York, Chester, Lancaster counties – Aug. 20, 2015."