RIDGE SPRING – Friends of Ridge Spring (FORS) met at the library this past Thursday, March 18. 

On the agenda were several items concerning the Ridge.  Peach Tree 23 is coming along superbly well.  There have been 11 slots given out, and there has been interest in it from as far away as Florida.  Because of the cool wet weather, the Farmers’ Market may open officially the next Saturday, but any farmer that has produce, please come on.  We are working on getting the vouchers again.  The National Heritage Corridor has published a brochure listing the Farmers’ Markets in their area.  Saluda County is on the map and has their own section with the Ridge Spring Farmers’ Market with dates and times. 

From the Mayor's Desk: There will be an informational meeting on Monday, March 29 at 6:00 at the Civic Center concerning the reinstatement on the police department. The date was changed because AARS was sponsoring the student art show in the Civic Center on Sunday, March 28. Don't forget to return the Census 2010 froms that you received last week. If you did not receive a form, you may pick one up from the Census representative in Town Hall

The Ridge Spring Firemen’s Benefit in honor of Mike Adamick will be held May 1.  The Firemen are offering two raffles this year.  One will be for a Deer Hunt and the other will be for a Turkey Hunt.  Every Firefighter has tickets and they are $5.00 each.  The benefit will include Bar-B-Que meal, auction and live music before and after the auction.  It will be held again at Southwood Manor.
Our 4TH Silent/Live Auction held at JUNIPER in Ridge Spring on March 12th was a huge success!!!  

We raised over $8,000.00 that evening!!!   Without our merchants and individuals who donated cash or items, this event would not have been possible.  Many of our donors supported the event with their attendance, purchasing items, as well as their donations.  Thank you to Monnie Romines, Chairperson, Jerrold Watson, Phillips Boatwright, and Danny Tidwell for planning this year’s auction. Thanks to our Auctioneer, Jerry Pou and our Emcee, Bruce Horne and a very special thank you to Brandon Velie, Chef of JUNIPER.

Juniper will be hosting it's second Five Course Wine dinner on Thursday, March 25th at 6pm featuring Grassroots Wines; $50.00 per person with the option to buy some of the wines at a discounted price. Space will be limited so call today for reservations. 803.685.7547.
Pack 300 and troop 300 would like to thank everyone in the Ridge Spring area for helping them with their community project “Scouting for Food.” They collected over 200 items. They were carried to the First Baptist Church in Johnston to be used in their Food Bank. If you need food you may call the church.

Don’t forget the Batesburg Business Association will be having their annual Flower and Garden Show on April 3.  It is a great chance for Harriet’s Garden and Flower Shop to break out for spring.  Hope to see you there or at the shop shortly afterwards.

Juniper’s chef Brandon Velie will have his next cooking class March 27th.  The theme will be desserts, which will include Banana Foster.

We now have a FACEBOOK page for Peach Tree 23 Yard Sale.

Mae-Ann Webb of Ridge Spring was crowned Miss Teen South Carolina United States on March 6. 

She is the daughter of Eddie and Mildred Webb and a senior at Wyman King Academy. She will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada in July to vie for the title of Miss Teen United States.  She is very dedicated to community service and has started an organization called "Mae I help you" to encourage teens to get involved in volunteer work.  Mae Ann is available for appearances and community service.  If you have an event and would like for her to make an appearance or a volunteer opportunity for her please call 803-685-5845 for more information.  Also if you are interested in becoming a sponsor for Mae-Ann please contact her at 803-685-5845. All sponsors will be listed on her appearance cards and brochures and in the National Pageant Program.

The Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors of Girl Scout Troop 2822 in Ridge Spring celebrated Girl Scout Week with a community clean-up and birthday party.  Friday, Mar. 12, was the 98th anniversary of Girl Scouts of America.  On this day in 1912, Juliette Lowe registered the first 18 Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia.  To celebrate this anniversary, Troop 2822 grabbed some gloves and trash bags and hit the streets of Ridge Spring picking up trash along the way.  Then they headed back to Ridge Spring Baptist Church where they played party games and enjoyed pizza from Top of the Ridge along with other snacks and goodies, even cake and ice cream.  Many of the Scouts also made presentations at their home churches on Girl Scout Sunday. 

The congregations heard all about the Girl Scout Promise, Law, and commitment to empowering young girls as well as dedication to community service. Many thanks to the leaders, parents, and the Scouts themselves for making this special occasion very memorable and special!

I apologize.  I forgot to change the initials to the name of the school.  Here it is again.  RS-M High School’s baseball team won 17-2 and 10-2 over HUNTER-KINARD-TYLER in season opener at home. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School’s  mascot is also the Trojans, too. The next Monday with Mason will be April 12 at RS-M High School at 6:00.

The Ridge Spring-Monetta community is in the process of developing a mentoring program for the schools.  For more information, please contact Tiffany Middlebrooks at 803-685-6027.
Spann United Methodist Church will host its annual Community Good Friday Worship Service on April 2nd at 6:30 P.M.  Everyone is welcome.  Easter Morning Worship Service at Ridge Spring United Methodist Church will be at 8:30 A.M. following the community breakfast at Ridge Spring Baptist Church.  There will NOT be an 11:00 o'clock service at Ridge Spring UMC on Easter Morning.
Ridge Spring and Spann churches combined special offerings for the Souper Bowl of Caring and raised $3265 for the school lunch program in Haiti.

Mt. Calvary is having Lenten Vesper Services each Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm during the season of Lent.  Soup and sandwiches will be served at 6:30 pm, prior to the worship service.  Everyone is invited to attend. 

The Census 2010 forms will soon be in the mail.

It is important that everyone respond to the form. If you do not return the form, a census worker will come to your home to fill out the form in person. If you have a problem with the form, there will be a census representative in Town Hall on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from now until April 19 to answer any questions you may have.
March 27-28 Student Art show