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When Our Community Celebrates Royalty By Samantha Brown The room goes quiet as the music begins. One by one, each guest steps forward to receive a crown.Volunteers and family members rise to their feet, clapping, cheering, some wiping away tears. Forthree unforgettable hours on a Friday evening in February, there is no question about anyone’s worth. Everyone here is royalty. What began as a simple idea to celebrate the Tim Tebow Foundation’s fifth anniversary in 2014 has grown into a global movement. Tebow and his team wanted to “radically celebrate overlooked people,” and Night to Shine was born. Today, more…
By Robert Ivey III Two juniors met at a high school dance on a warm evening in the spring of 1968. Minutes before, she had complained to her cousin that there were no “good boys” in attendance. He wasn’t looking to meet anyone special that night. Their single dance together was tender, although brief, and the night might have been forgotten if not for another chance meeting. A month later, she drove her younger sister to summer school in the family car for the first time, and for no foreseeable reason under the sun, he was there, ready and eager…
Creating a House You’ll Want to Come Home To By Julia Bell The New Year is the perfect time to take a fresh look around your home. Some say that a house looks sad or empty when holiday decorations come down, but this is the perfect time to look around your kitchen, family room, garage, or attic with a new set of eyes. Decluttering and organizing your living space will help you create a house you’ll want to come home to. Adopting an organizational mindset is the first step in creating a living place that brings peace, order, and efficiency.…
By Samantha Brown Every January, when our community honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it can seem like he belongsonly to the past, as if his work ended long ago. But his dream is still alive in the United States, showingup in our daily choices and the connections we create. King’s message was beautifully simple: recognize the inherent dignity in every person and see the shared humanity that connects us all. That vision resonates in our community today, from the diverse congregations at local churches to thepartnerships between businesses and nonprofits serving all our neighbors. Think about the selfless volunteers…
Dr. Jennifer Hartel, M.D. By Mary Ann Hutchenson Service with a Smile Never underestimate the power of “Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day,” which is typically observed on the fourth Thursday of April each year. The celebratory theme day was initially created in 1993 to build self-esteem in girls by giving them an opportunity to explore and witness a wide variety of employment positions and role models, especially in fields where females were often underrepresented. Dr. Jennifer Hartel was inspired to become an ophthalmologist by observing the work of her father, Dr. Walter Hartel, up close and personal…
By Scott Vaughan By Scott Vaughan There was a girl in my fourth grade class who I thought was beautiful. In fact, as Valentine’s Day approached that year, I planned to purchase a small, red, heart-shaped box of candy from the Rexall Drug Store and give it to her. Romance has always been my love language, though my Vicki now saysmy love language can often be torment for her. I worked Saturdays on my grandfather’s farm and had saved a few dollars for the boxof candy. I had every intention of taking my money to school one day, catching the…
Saucy and Satisfying Our Town Magazine wanted to provide you with some recipes to turn up the heat, add a sprinkleof spice, and impress your loved ones. These flavorful and cozy dishes are just the right touch for aromantic evening, dinner with the family, or savoring your alone time over a splendid meal. We hopeyour heart is full, taste buds are delighted, and your appetite is satiated with the savory dishes from ourfavorite Jersey-Italian designer, Kristina Parella. Pesto PastaBright, fresh, and ready in minutes. Serves 4-8INGREDIENTS:1 lb. pasta of choice2 c. olive oil2–3 garlic cloves1 c. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano2…
By Guy Smith I was recently looking for something in the boxes on the top shelf of our bedroom closet. As usual, I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I did find some old sports photos. One of them was from Saturday morning basketball, 1992. Eleven boys in yellow t-shirts smiling for the camera along with a much younger me. I was coaching, our twin sons were playing, and the league was at the old Northside gym in West Columbia. Boy, it brought back memories. I could almost feel the pebbly grip of the ball, smell the gym…
By Guy Smith New Year’s Day means collards, black eyed peas, and pork. Over the years, I have managed to come up with a pretty good collard recipe (though my wife requests that I cook them outside), and I can stir up some passable black-eyed peas. The cut of pork is negotiable. For years, the thing that I missed the most on New Year’s Day was my mama’s cornbread. As you know, cornbread, like barbeque, coleslaw, turkey dressing, and bread pudding, has many iterations. Sometimes these are regional or ethnic, often they are experiential, and some might even say genetic.…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! There’s just something aboutJanuary and February that feels like a reset button.The holidays settle down, clean calendars and plannerscome out to notate upcoming meetings and events, andsuddenly we’re all focusing on goals for the new year. Ilove that energy—it’s that spark that keeps all of us atOur Town excited about what is to come.As 2026 gets underway, I’m reminded again how special our community andthe people in it truly are. Every month, I get the privilege of sitting down with localbusinesses, snapping photos around town, and hearing stories from those who live andwork here about why they…