Today South Carolina celebrates one of our greatest heroes, “The Swamp Fox,” General Francis Marion.

The American Revolution Brigadier General is hailed as one of the fathers of modern guerilla warfare. He was also an influence for the Mel Gibson film The Patriot. The British still feel a little resentment today about some of Marion’s tactics. In the Evening Standard,  British author Neil Norman called Francis Marion “a thoroughly unpleasant dude who was, basically, a terrorist“.

A Georgetown native, Marion was responsible for eluding British forces. He used groups of irregular troops, who served without pay, supplied their own horses, arms, and usually their own food. Most of the supplies they gained were ones captured from British or Loyalist forces.

The celebration includes a living history lantern walk on Friday evening. The rest of the weekend will feature historical demonstrations such as basket weaving, cartridge making, soap making, and the firing of cannons and muskets.

The event will be held at Camp Bob Cooper, 8001 MW Rickenbaker Rd, Summerton, SC.
Parking and admission will be free. For any questions, call 803-478-2645 or email gcsummers@ftc-i.net.

Learn more about today and this weekend’s Francis Marion events.

Learn more about General Francis Marion.

View a portrait of General Francis Marion in battle.

During any sort of economic downturn, one thing everyone everyone can count on for more success is new skills. Opening your eyes to new areas of expertise, building on your current skills, or simply refreshing your old ones, is a great use of your time.

The US Labor Department reported 667,000 new unemployment claims last week and currently the US claims are at their highest ever, topping 5 million. This is adding more and more job candidates to the job pool. Many politicians and continuing education facilities are acting on this trend.

College work-study programs were recently boosted by $200 million nationally. It’s uncertain at this point how much of that will go towards South Carolina, but it is definitely a good start. Also, the economic stimulus package should help technical schools add to their classroom lab equipment.

Greenvilleonline.com reports that schools like Greenville Tech are looking forward to the stimulus. They already have a very positive placement rate:

90% of Greenville Tech’s dental hygiene graduates found jobs in their fields or continued their education. 70% of their welding grads did the same. 100% of their machine technology graduates also found jobs in their field or continued their education. The medical lab students placement was at 94%, pharmacy tech was 92%, and Greenville Tech’s air conditioning and refrigeration had a 90% success rate.

If you’d like to learn more about specialized continuing education.

If you’d like to learn more about two-year colleges.

If you’d like to learn more about four-year colleges.

If you’d like to learn more about financial aid and scholarships.

Even during the economic downturn, revitalization in North Charleston is on the rise. Once marred by urban blight and heavy industry, areas like East Montague Avenue, Park Circle, and the old Navy Base along the Cooper River are undergoing a significant renaissance. Residential and business districts are embracing green activity, environmentally-friendly thinking, rising property values, and artistic innovation — bringing welcome change to the face of North Charleston.

Read more at From Ships to Sustainability: North Charleston’s Changing Nature

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