SCIway News No. 62 - January 2009

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SCIway News No. 62 – January 2009

Previous Issues of SCIway News

In This Issue

South Carolina's Heroes of the Alamo
January's Top Ten – Notable SC Websites
SC Picture of the Month
All Aboard to Kingstree
Upcoming SC Festivals & Events
Kingstree: Where They Treat You Like Royalty

1. South Carolina's Heroes of the Alamo

At one time a popular bumper sticker in the Saluda area read, "Texas Starts Here." Saluda County was, after all, birthplace and childhood home of two of the Alamo's greatest heroes, William Barret Travis and James Butler Bonham.

Travis was co-commander (along with famed frontiersman James Bowie) of the makeshift fortress when the Mexican army led by General Santa Anna arrived in San Antonio. A lawyer by trade, Travis was a fiery, handsome redhead with a restless spirit. Before coming to Texas in 1831, he had already tried Alabama, where both he and his cousin, James Bonham, practiced law.


	JAMES BONHAM		THE ALAMO		WILLIAM TRAVIS

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2. January's Top Ten – Notable SC Websites

SC Says No to Santee Cooper's Proposed Coal Plant - Coal plants release thousands of tons of pollution each year, including lead and mercury - Demand better energy choices for our state - Sign the petition here

Carolina Clear - More than 1,150 of South Carolina's lakes, rivers, and creeks have been listed as environmentally impaired - Join Clemson University as it seeks to educate the public about stormwater pollution and its effect on our state's water quality

Every11Minutes.org - South Carolina's brand new online organ donor registry - Register here even if you have already registered with DMV in case your license is not with you - Ensures your wishes will be honored

Family Health Centers - Federally-funded medical, dental, and mental health care for residents and migrant workers in Bamberg, Calhoun, northern Dorchester, and Orangeburg counties - Services are not free but are billed on a sliding scale

International Center of York County - Provides outreach and education for immigrants, focusing on advocacy as well as legal, language, medical, and job assistance

Our Daily Rest - Helps homeless people in Oconee County via the Path of Hope Campaign, which seeks to build the county's first homeless shelter, to be located in downtown Seneca

Preservation Trust of Spartanburg - Promotes restoration of homes in the Hampton Heights National Historic District - Offers properties for sale - Operates an architectural salvage store to divert reusable materials from landfills

SC Nursing Home Comparisons - Database of 175 Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in South Carolina - Uses a five-star system to rate homes on health inspections, staff, and quality - Sort by city, county, state, or ZIP code

South Carolina Digital Library - An amazing new resource! - Features online collections of historic photos, letters, maps, and more from a coalition of SC schools, libraries, archives, and museums

Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database - Documents 300 years of slave trade from Africa - Users can search nearly 35,000 voyages and over 70,000 names

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3. SC Picture of the Month

Sun-kissed spartina grass and a serene sky add warmth to a brisk January day on the Whale Branch River.

— WHALE BRANCH | MORE INFO —

This scene was captured by Lamar Nix of Seabrook in January 2009. Whale Branch winds northeasterly from the Broad River to the Coosaw River, crossing under US 21 at Seabrook, which is near Beaufort.

Lamar is a professional photographer and good friend of the South Carolina Picture Project. Click to learn more about Whale Branch, then visit Lamar's website to see all of his Lowcountry photos.

If you would like to have your photo featured, please submit it to the SC Picture Project. We select photos for the newsletter from the ones we receive, and it is a great way to bring publicity to you or your organization.

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4. All Aboard to Kingstree

For the majority of us, "traveling by train" elicits images of a bygone era. Trains belong in museums, and riding one has become a "once-in-a-lifetime experience." In South Carolina, this seems like a normal reaction to a mode of transportation that's all but gone from our daily lives. Tales of dirty stations, long delays, and antiquated equipment keep many away from the joys of train travel. Yet, it need not be that way. When we planned our trip to Kingstree, we jumped at the opportunity to climb aboard and see for ourselves. What we saw made us realize the untapped potential that passenger railroads hold for our state.


	BOARDING THE TRAIN		INSIDE THE TRAIN		KINGSTREE STATION

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5. Upcoming SC Festivals & Events

For a complete calendar of South Carolina festivals and events, visit http://www.sciway.net/calendar.html. Here are just a few of our mid-January through mid-February highlights:

Key Ingredients: America By Food - Johnston - Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition - Now through March 1

Learn more about Key Ingredients in South Carolina here.

Museum Road Show - Columbia - Have your antiques appraised at the SC State Museum - January 17

South Carolina Square & Round Dance Convention - Myrtle Beach - "Dancing is Fine in 2009" - January 23-24

Run Downtown - Greenville - 5K race and walk promotes fitness for the whole community - January 24

World Beer Festival - Columbia - Beer is good - Need we say more? - January 24

Lowcountry Oyster Festival - Mount Pleasant - Meander Boone Hall and munch the mighty mollusk - January 25

Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration - Art show, film fest, "Taste of Gullah" celebration, authors & books, plus much more - February 1-28

Southern Comfort Lowcountry Blues Bash - Charleston - 44 acts, 11 days, 19 venues - February 6-16

Myrtle Beach Marathon - Hey, who doesn't wanna run 26 miles? - Also features a half-marathon, 5K race, children's fun run, and bicycle ride - February 12-15

Southeastern Wildlife Exposition - Charleston - Largest wildlife art & nature event in the nation - February 13-15

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6. Kingstree: Where They Treat You Like Royalty

SCIway explores a different South Carolina town each month, and in our travels we meet plenty of wonderful people. Many places stand out to us for the kindness we've encountered there, but perhaps none so much as Kingstree.

Our first endeavor upon arriving at the historic train depot was to stop by the Williamsburg HomeTown Chamber – located in the same building as the station, it was literally just "a hop, skip, and a jump away." There we met director Leslee Spivey, whom we had spoken with during the planning of our trip. Leslee gave us a quick lay of the land and armed us with all the advice we'd need for a successful adventure. Her stack of maps and pamphlets didn't hurt either, and before we knew it, we were on our way.