Wooditch named Miss Schuetzenfest

Pansy Clayton, Ehrhardt Correspondent

The winner of the 2012 Miss Schuetzenfest was Catherine Wooditch of Ehrhardt. She was a 2012 graduate of Andrew Jackson Academy and 2012 Miss Andrew Jackson Academy. She plans to attend Georgia Southern in the fall to earn a degree in Business Administration. She is the daughter of Mike and Lynn Wooditch.

The Miss Schuetzenfest Pageant was held Saturday evening at the Ehrhardt Auditorium. The pageant was presented by all the hard workers of the Schuetzenfest Committee in a special way to deliver a big splashy event for the town. Mayor William Stanley welcomed and thanked the Schuetzenfest committee for all their hard work in organizing the event, which enhances the Schuetzenfest Festival and the Town of Ehrhardt. Stanley announced the schedule of events for the upcoming Festival beginning on Sunday night, August 19th with Singspiration; Monday night, Bingo; Tuesday night, Taste of Ehrhardt; Thursday night the Live Auction; Friday night music and concessions and rides. Then on August 25th, Saturday morning at 10:30, there will be the Schuetzenfest Parade with dancing in the streets on Saturday night with concessions and rides.

Emcee Carl Gooding, WDOG radio announcer in Allendale, commented several times on the beauty of the girls and the excellent management of the entire event. He stated that he had attended the Miss South Carolina Pageant and many others and this was the best local pageant he has attended.

2011 Miss Schuetzenfest, Lauren Brooke Perry introduced the Judges.

Beauty Pageant Chairman, Eunice Ann Sease and Chairman, Donna Moore, along with Co- Chairs, Kim Trantham and Julie Sease and helper Melissa Carter spent many long hours decorating the stage.

A huge crowd gathered in the Auditorium for the event and the spectators cheered for their favorites. All the girls were gorgeous and the dresses they wore were beautiful. It was glitz and glamour at it’s very best. Every girl was a true winner this year.

Emcee Gooding commented he would not like being a judge of these girls from the beautiful babies to the older ones. Each was poised and beautiful and they did a wonderful job.

Entertainment was provided by Laura Brickle with her dad, Dwayne Brickle providing the acoustics for the event.

Bamberg man drowns

According to Bamberg County Coroner Billy Duncan, a 51-year-old Bamberg man drowned last Tuesday afternoon, July 24, at Bobcat Landing off Highway 301 near the Bamberg/Orangeburg County line. Joseph Bessinger was swimming in the South Fork Edisto River when he started going under. The Bamberg Rescue Squad transported Bessinger to the landing pad located at the site of the closed Bamberg County Hospital, where he was flown by a medical helicopter to another hospital. He was declared dead at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg.

Legality of Council meeting

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

At a special call meeting July 26, Bamberg County Council reconsidered three items of business for the county. Because of question of the legality of a previous Council meeting, Chairman Chris Wilson explained, the special call meeting was held to assure that decisions were made appropriate to SC criteria. The previous meeting was called into question when it was learned that a 24-hour notice had not been timely made prior to the meeting on July 17th.

Council discussed proposed health benefits coverage for Bamberg County employees with a minimum of thirty years employment. The proposed benefits coverage was referred to the finance committee.

Council discussed a proposed ordinance for approval of a list of capital projects for Bamberg County and the proposed referendum question to be placed on the November 2012 ballot. Council approved the ordinance. Council approved that the list will be placed in the Nov. 2012 ballot.

Council discussed a proposed ordinance to amend the existing road maintenance ordinance for possible inclusion of future road consideration. The amendment was approved by council.

District 1 to hold Open House & Dedication Ceremony August 19

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

Bamberg School District One officials have set Sunday, August 19, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm for a walk through of the district’s renovation and construction projects and with a dedication of the new $15 million, 120,000 square foot Richard Carroll Elementary School to be held in the commons area of the new school at 4:00p.m.

“We are pleased to report that the State Department of Education’s Office of School Facilities has granted Full Occupancy Approval for the new Richard Carroll Elementary School,” Dale Collier of Brownstone Construction Group, told District One Trustees at their July meeting, adding, “we’re very excited, we’re in the moving in process, it’s a good looking building.”

“We’re going to have some very nice facilities that will be around for a longtime,” Superintendent Phyllis Schwarting said in thanking, Clifford Murph, Devon Furr, Ricky Albertson, Curtis Williams, Cynthia Tucker and other employees of the district for making the move from the other three school a “very smooth” transition. “People have went overboard just as the Board and community expects it to be,” Schwarting said.

Also during the meeting:

Board members approved a request from Janice Steedly and Ann Thompson of MAMAS for a donation of one of the now vacant 45-year old trailers’ behind the old Richard Carroll Primary School for the cost of moving the trailer, which was estimated to cost close to $2,000. Superintendent Schwarting noted that the district had checked the state’s procurement code and the trailers were “off the books” because of their age. It was noted that the district was open to other non-profit organizations who might request a trailer for the cost of moving it.

In a discussion of changing to a Bi-monthly pay system for district employees, Board Chairperson, Rita Sease said that She was “still asking that employees be paid twice per month.” District Finance Director Devon Furr said that she had spoken with Orangeburg District Five officials, who informed her that it would take a year to implement a change to a bi-monthly pay system. And it would be “difficult” to start a new system now because of the pay cycle. Furr noted the change could not be done by December and July 13, of next year would be the earliest a change could be made.

Superintendent Schwarting, commented that the district would be “playing with fire” in changing the present pay system because of the way things are in Columbia. Board member Dr. R. Dale Padgett called the move to a bi-monthly pay system “a colossal task to change.”