Features

Back in the woods off John Everall Road, nestled beneath a stand of hardwood trees beside a meadow of fresh cut hay is a very special place.

You can’t see it from the road. For that matter, you can’t even see it from Nancy Westmoreland’s back yard.

But if you follow the pasture pathway that her dad, Bill Westmoreland, keeps mowed to get there, you’ll find it once you know where to look.

The seven rings of patterned, jagged quartz rock in the edge of the woods didn’t appear like a magical crop circle. This is no publicity stunt.

When Evelyn Springs announced in August that the Autism Speaks fundraiser, Lancaster Cooks 2010 – Look Who’s Cooking, had been postponed, she vowed not to sit on her laurels.

The feisty, take-no-for-an-answer-grandmother is proving to be good to her word.

Springs – who continues to fight autism – the disease that is effects the daily life of her 8-year-old grandson, Mailk, is now casting her bread upon the waters with a fishing net.

Three authors who share a common thread that weaves through Lancaster County have recently published books.

The Rev. Jesse Adams became an author quite unexpectedly.

Harriett Hodges Diller became an accomplished author years ago and continues to write.

Malcolm Jones has made a very successful living reviewing books and is now writing his own.

Here are their stories.

Adams a reluctant writer

The Rev. Jessie Adams never imagined he would one day be an author. 

“I don’t even like to write,” he said.

Ninety-year-old Sarah Crockett hasn’t lost her zeal for life.

The great-great-grandmother hasn’t lost her zeal for the camp meeting at Mount Carmel AME Zion Church, either.

The wagons and buggies Crockett recalls seeing when she came to camp meeting for the first time in 1932, as a 12 year old, are gone. They’ve been replaced by motor homes.

“Back then, very few people had cars,” she said.

September and October are the best months to plant cool-season grasses.

“Labor Day is the time to really start thinking about getting that fall seed out there,” said Brian Beer, Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service agent for Lancaster County.

But before you get out the seed broadcaster and unroll the garden hose, there’s a little homework to do.

And this assignment goes a long way in stretching your dollar as well as protecting both time and money.

KERSHAW – " Thirteen-year-old Amber Vinson likes math and is pretty good at it.

The Andrew Jackson Middle School student’s report card is always full of A’s and B’s in every course.

But math isn’t the only course this eighth grader is getting good at.

And just like her report card is proof positive of her work in the classroom, those pink and black Ferrini Stingray Tiger Western boots she wears to school each day show that Amber is getting pretty good at ripping through the barrels, too.

American food has always been a melting pot. While that’s true in every region of the country, it’s especially true in Hawaii.

Its cuisine is a kaleidescope of tastes that came about from ethnic groups that immigrated there.

A fusion of cultures – American, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Polynesian and Portuguese – come together on the island state.

Many of those immigrants imported plant and food sources with them when they relocated to the volcanic island.

The Band of Oz will kick up plenty of shaggin’ sand at 7:30 p.m. Saturday as the opening act for the 2010-11 See Lancaster SC Performing Arts Series.

One of the biggest acts in beach music history, the Band of Oz was formed in1967 by friends who played together in the Rose High School Stage Band (Greenville, N.C.).

At the time, their only goal was to make a little money as a part-time band playing frat parties and high school proms.

However, their non-stop, fan-friendly stage shows and tight, horn section sound soon drew the attention of record labels.

Diana Knight doesn’t take America’s favorite pastime for granted.

Running the bases matters, but then again, so do jump balls, 4-6-7-10 splits, and cheering for those who do.

The problem is not everyone is on equal footing when it comes to game-winning hits, bowling strikes, free throws and pom-poms.

But thanks to the Dream Team, the odds of disabled young people in Lancaster from ages 6 to 21 being enjoying those simple things on equal footing have greatly improved.