Fire claims life of Bamberg woman

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

A tragedy took place in Bamberg County early Thursday morning when a woman lost her life in a fire that totally destroyed the wood-frame house she was living in. Bamberg County Coroner Billy Duncan identified the victim of the fire at 4021 Charleston-Augusta Road as being 62-year old Margie Diane Nelms. Nelms' body was found inside the residence after firefighters had extinguished the blaze. Duncan said that the body was sent to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for an autopsy.

City of Bamberg fire personnel responded to the scene of the fire Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. to find the wooden structure “fully involved.” It was noted that a cause of the blaze could not be determined at this time. It was also noted that there was no electricity in the residence at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time and is still being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Units responding to the scene were: The Bamberg Fire Department, Denmark Fire Department, Clear Pond Fire Department, Hunter’s Chapel Fire Department, the Bamberg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bamberg County Coroner’s Office.

A delight...Motown & More

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

Denmark Technical College Choir’s Motown & More was much more. Much much more.

To raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, DTC’s Motown & More enthralled the audience Saturday with a mix of soul, pop, country, and just about everything in between.

Because of a fifteen minute delay while the stage was set, Dr. Yvette McDaniel, Director of Denmark Tech’s Choir, gave the audience a running monologue of the Choir’s history and achievements and DTC’s Relay for Life, then led the audience with It’s Alright, belting out the lyrics while the audience, on cue, repeated “It’s alright.”

“They say it's alright,” she sang, “Say it's alright. It's alright, have a good time. Cause it's alright, whoa, it's alright,” to the delight of the near-full Dane Theater audience.

Dr. McDaniel has served Denmark Technical College for 12 years. Under her tutelage, the program has garnered respect from a variety of audiences. As a classical vocalist, she has continued to perform and exposed students to professionals in all aspects of musical arts and industries.

The Denmark Technical College Center for Musical Arts now serves the Choir, the DTC Drum line and the DTC Diamond Dancers. All ensembles are open to all students, regardless of major. Dreams of expansion include classes In Music industry and Entrepreneurship to include studio recording.

The Choir is both a performance organization as well as a vehicle for service. Under the direction of Dr. McDaniel, the choir annually performs to local, state and national acclaim. During the past 12 years the choir has toured the Southeast, Washington , D.C. and Jamaica.

Dignitaries such as Congressman James Clyburn, Susan Taylor (Essence Magazine), Tim (Sister, Sister) and Daphne Coleman Reid (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Jesse Jackson, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid and Governor Nikki Haley.

Starting the event, the choir sang a beautiful rendition of America the Beautiful. For two hours the performing artists Jasmine Barnes, Myron Brooker, Charles Carter, Travis Glover, Ashley-Marie Jordan , Sara Largen, Markus McCutcheon, Dean Avis Howell-Gathers, Maeline Phillips, Shayla Walker, and Dr. Yvette McDaniel all brought standing ovations as they sang and choreographed dozens of songs. “We’re giving you,” Dr. McDaniel said, “829,000 notes tonight.” And each note was a delight in itself.

Motown, a mix of “motor” and “town,” has been a symbol of Detroit autos and a special music genre of the Detroit era. Motown music played an important role in the racial integration of popular music by achieving a crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its soul-based subsidiaries were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as The Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence.

Denmark Lions Club

Joyce M. Searson, Publisher

The Denmark Lions Club held a 'Tree Dedication Ceremony' at the Highway 321 South Denmark Roadside Park on Sunday, April 15th. The trees were dedicated in memory of Earle Rizer, Dr. Joseph Thomas and Anne Williamson.

Lions Club member Gene Ransdale opened the ceremony saying, "Today in loving memory we dedicate these trees to three Denmark Lions that have passed away in the last year. We lost three dedicated and devoted members of the Denmark Community."

Together they served the Lions Club for almost 75 years - Dr. Joe Thomas for over 52 years, Earle Rizer for 11 years and Anne Williamson for 9 years.

They gave of themselves selflessly in serving others said Lion Ted Robertson.

In serving as Lions, they participated in collecting used eyeglasses for reconditioning, to help get eye examinations for those who could not afford to pay and to help bring a mobile unit to Denmark for eye screenings. They helped to send donations to South Carolina Lions Charitable Services.

Red Raider baseball team has strong showing in Mingo Bay Classic

Jerry E. Halmon, Sports Editor

The Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raider baseball team (14-1) on the season recently had a strong showing in the annual Mingo Bay Classic in Myrtle Beach. The 2012 Red Raider baseball that lost six starters from last year and features a roster of 11 players this year went 3-1 in the classic that features some of the best baseball teams in the state of South Carolina and nation.

The Red Raiders defeated University, WV 7-2 and Southwestern, NY 5-0 before falling to Williamsport, PA 2-0. The B-E team would come back to record a 13-1 win over George Washington.

The Red Raiders, returned to David Horton Field on Thursday night and jumped out to an 11-0 first quarter lead to take a region win over Allendale-Fairfax Friday.

At this point in the season pitchers: Chris Sweatman, Sumner Cooler, Joe Crosby, Anthony Chandler and Kodi Jamison have handled the bulk of the work on the mound.

At the plate, freshman right fielder Garrett Ziegler, leads the team with a .724 average. Senior center fielder Will Medlin boasts a .571 average, Chris Sweatman is batting .472, Sumner Cooler is batting .455 and Kodi Jamison is hitting .400.

“I expect some good things out of these fellas,” Coach Horton said. “I’m not going to say how far we might go. We just have to see how we handle better competition, but as long as we play together we have a chance.”

Town of Olar Election Results

The results of the April 10, 2012 Town of Olar Election shows that each of the incumbents was returned to office. Mayor Walter O’Rear was certified as mayor. Steve Brabham received 42 votes, Dickie Dickert received 44 votes, Lewis Orr received 48 votes and Wade Hough was reelected with 43 votes as a write-in candidate.

Halmon gets first offer

Jerry E. Halmon, Sports Editor

Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School defensive back Nicholas Halmon (6-0, 180- 4.56) received a verbal offer from Youngstown State University last week. It was the first official offer for Halmon, a rising senior, who recorded 112 tackles and an interception last season. Halmon was an Elite 11 and All-Area first-team selection last season as well. The Youngstown State roster currently features area products Kintrell Disher (Orangeburg-Wilkinson), Andrew Williams (Bethune- Bowman) and Brandon Thomas (Calhoun County).