Features

Forty-three years ago, the sparse landscaping of Frank and Ann Ferguson’s yard at 962 Anderson Road consisted of a few small trees and rocks.

Most weekends, the Fergusons could be found picking up rocks until they could plant grass.

All that work has finally paid off. Now, six large oak trees form a canopy covering the entire front and back lawns. 

The Fergusons gradually added shade-loving plants to transform their yard into a neighborhood showplace. 

The significance of the fire that damaged the Lancaster County Courthouse fire on Aug. 4, 2008, wasn’t lost on Walter Lee Tillman.

But Tillman’s feelings for the 181-year-old structure that Robert Mills designed go well beyond its role as a house of justice.

For Tillman and the 160-plus members of St. Paul AME Church, the courthouse is the house of worship they trace their religious roots to.

While St. Paul AME will celebrate its 114th anniversary on Aug. 29-30 at its Pleasant Hill Street home, its tie to the historic courthouse remains binding.

When it comes to inspiration and sound biblical teaching, women often turn to the ministry of Beth Moore.

Now women across the nation will get a chance to hear the best-selling author firsthand without having to leave town during a simulcast that will be broadcast live via satellite Aug. 28-29.  

Lancaster’s Second Baptist Church, 1426 Great Falls Highway, has been selected as one of 650 churches in the United States to host the women’s event, said Kathy Stepp, leader of the Women’s Ministry Team there.

The Spinners’ roots can be found in Michigan’s Royal Oak Township when childhood friends there started singing together for fun in 1954.

Their five-part harmony became legendary solid gold Philadelphia soul that has sold millions of records and chart-topping songs and led to a spot in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

With hits like “Rubberband Man” and “Then Came You,” the Spinners will kick off the 2009-10 University of South Carolina at Lancaster Performing Arts Series at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

Nothing hurts quite like losing a good dog. I experienced that just before Christmas, with the passing of Speckles.

Almost 15 years old, Speckles wasn’t your typical dalmatian. She was a member of our family.

Because of that, I debated long and hard about getting another dog and didn’t do so until the time was right.

However, the one decision I did make was to adopt a dog from Lancaster County Animal Shelter.

It’s kinda like the starfish-on-the-beach story.

The chances of a high school teacher and four of his students climbing to the top of gospel music charts are pretty unlikely.

The odds of them remaining there for almost half of a century are even higher, but that’s just what the Inspirations have done.

Known as one of the most consistent, solid and successful Southern gospel groups, the Inspirations will be in concert at 7 p.m. Friday at Second Baptist Church.

That just goes to show the Inspirations’ sound is timeless, said Dennis Nichols of GlennMark Promotions.

Summer squash is a great pretender.

It’s true that a 1-cup (boiled, drained and lightly salted) is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol. It’s a good source of vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and cooper.

But it doesn’t end there.

When you include dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamins, B1, B2, B6, folate, potassium and manganese, along with omega-3 fatty acids, squash is a little yellow nutritional powerhouse.

But at the same time, it’s the biggest liar in the garden patch.

This year, families are looking for ways to save money and cut household expenses at the same time. One way to reduce rising food costs is vegetable gardening. Growing your own food and preserving just seems to make sense for many folks trying to spend less while eating healthy. That's the way Larry Ellis sees it. 

Newcomers to gardening can learn all those tried and true secrets from local growers like Ellis.

On Aug. 3, White Springs Baptist Church will be 75 years old.

Since that time at least 40 ministers have gone out from the Erwin Farm-based congregation. And White Springs has been the spiritual home to some of the finest athletes ever to play at Lancaster High School.

Sometimes these two attributes meshed, as in the case of the Rev. Buford Hayes, a 1954 LHS graduate.

Hayes, a receiver, is acknowledged by those who can remember as one of the finest football players ever to don the Blue Hurricane uniform, as the team was known at the time.