Wedding & Event Venue Near Laurens, SC.

Laurens, South Carolina – With the planned opening this winter of a Big Air USA Trampoline Park venue, Laurens County will have new options for family fun without having to leave the county. Jake Cooper, owner of Riverside

Garages on West Main and North Harper streets in Laurens, has just signed off on a Big Air USA franchise and rental agreement and soon hopes to begin preparing the former BI-LO store into a combo trampoline park, bowling alley and indoor walking trail. “I’m expecting to see the plans this week and at that point I will get them to the City of Laurens and hopefully start pulling permits to begin demo and renovations,” Cooper said, adding he’d like to be open before Christmas. The businessman began looking into family entertainment options a couple of years ago, several years after he and his family moved to Laurens from Simpsonville. He wanted something which would enrich the city and county he now calls “home.” Just like other families who live along Highway 76 west of Laurens, Cooper had hoped to see a grocery store move back into the former BI-LO. When that didn’t happen after almost three years, Cooper asked the agents handling the store lease to reach out to Piggly Wiggly and all of the other grocery stores which had made inquiries. He didn’t want to prevent a store from coming there, and if the vacant building was considered too large, Cooper suggested sharing the space. None planned a move, however, so after gathering more information, Cooper sought out the franchise and he’s rented the building for Big Air USA Trampoline Park.

The space is almost 40,000 square feet, so in addition to Big Air Trampoline, Cooper is planning to install a small bowling alley, a walking track inside the perimeter and a small restaurant.

“I’ve talked to church youth pastors who said they’re always taking their youth groups out of town, so they were excited to have an option here,” Cooper said. Cooper began seeking a family-friendly entertainment business which could enhance Laurens County without competing with opportunities already here. Big Air USA is based in California, but already has four locations in South Carolina.

“It’s a unique franchise,” Cooper said. “What drew me to them is because Big Air is family owned and it has some unique attractions. There are specifics to the park for each age group, so children six and under play in a dedicated space for the smaller kids so it’s safer.” “We got very involved in Laurens as soon as we moved here,” Cooper said. “I live and work and worship in Laurens and this city has taken care of our family. I feel the need to give back. We looked around for a location and I liked the idea of it being close to where I work and live.” Cooper expects the Big Air designers to have plans to him this week. He’ll be passing them on to City of Laurens Community Development Coordinator Madison Workman and City Administrator Eric Delgado. “He’s already talked to us and the property is already zoned for general commercial so he wouldn’t have to go before the planning commission,” Workman said. “As long as everything’s done correctly, he can begin pulling permits and getting to work.”

Upstate families in need of diapers and and baby wipes can get help thanks to a community project in Laurens County

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LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. —

Upstate families in need of diapers and baby wipes can get help thanks to a community project in Laurens County.

A diaper drive-thru will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at Wattsville Drug at 24 Sirrine St. in Laurens.

You can drive through from 4-6 p.m.

Organizers ask that you bring an ID for yourself and an appropriate ID for the child, as well.

Drive-thru distribution will be limited to one pack of diapers and wipes per child, with a maximum of two children per household.

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Clinton started the initiative about a year ago.

Since then, the diaper drive-thru has served more than 130 families.

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"We know there is a greater need even than that," Chad Reynolds, Senior Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church, said. "So, it’s really just about us getting the word out that 'hey, we're here, we’re giving these away. We’d love to help you if you have that need.'”

Reynolds says he hopes to expand the initiative even more, especially as more and more families feel the pinch of rising prices.

"It seems like, from what I've been told at least anecdotally, that those prices have gone up in recent months and years, and that’s obviously going to strain any and all families," Reynolds said. "But I imagine especially those at certain margins within our communities, and whatnot, that are trying to stretch their dollars already. And when you see inflation in these key areas, that’s going to hurt all the more.”

A diaper drive-thru is held each month, alteration between locations in Clinton and Laurens.

This month, Carolina Pregnancy Center will also be onsite to offer services like free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds.

If you’d like to donate wipes or diapers, you can drop them off at Sadler Hughes Apothecary at 102 Jacobs Highway in Clinton, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner Realtors at 202 W. Main St. Suite B in Clinton, and Courthouse Coffee at 124 E Public Square in Laurens.

LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A 47-year-old man is missing out of Laurens County. His family said they haven’t seen him since early February.

The family of Charles, or Charlie, Griffin is going to great lengths to try and find him. They have posted flyer after flyer, hoping anyone has information.

“I just want to know that he’s okay,” said Griffin’s daughter, Brittney Nabors.

Griffin’s family said he was last seen on February 3. The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office said he went missing from Clinton city. His family said he was last seen outside of the El Cheapo gas station.

“My brother is very loved, and he is missed. For him to be missing this long without any kind of contact, is not like him,” said Wendy Gaskins.

His sister, Wendy Gaskins, said her brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, 20 years ago.

“We, as a family, feel the facilities have failed him, as well as us, by not providing Charlie with the proper tools he needs to deal with his disease,” said Gaskins.

The family said they have filed multiple reports with law enforcement.

They called in the Broken Link Foundation, a non-profit that helps with missing persons, to help search.

They covered a lot of ground, Griffin’s last known location, and the route he would walk every day.

“People do not vanish into thin air.” said his sister.

“But for somebody who has been by his side, I love my daddy, no matter what,” said Nabors.

Gaskins said there hasn’t been any activity in her older brother’s bank account since early February. Also, she said he has been without his medications the entire time.

“To his family, this is a huge red flag, alarming and concerning because he has not accessed his money on March 3 to pick up his prescriptions,” said Gaskins.

His daughter, Brittney Nabors, said her father has multiple tattoos.

“The main thing you will see is his hand tattoo and the cross on his finger,” said Nabors.

Some other tattoos the family says are identifiable are:

Nabors said her father also has a scar on his right hand. They said Griffin was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, a brown jacket, and mustard yellow toboggan. He had a black backpack with him and a blue and white cooler with him.

The entire family said they were worried and will stop at nothing to find him,

“We just need to know that he is alive and safe,” said Gaskins.

Griffin’s family said they will not stop searching for him until they find him. They ask, if you see him or know where he might be, you contact the Broken Link Foundation or the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office.

The Broken Link Foundation: (843) 998-5113

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office: (864) 984-2523

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 7% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Laurens County

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Laurens County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Laurens County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

Data on this page is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Population and demographic data is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hospitalization data is reported by individual hospitals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and it includes confirmed and suspected adult and pediatric patients. The C.D.C. does not provide complete vaccinations data for some counties and caps its vaccination rate figures at 95 percent.

The C.D.C. may make historical updates as more data is reported.

The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on Covid cases in May 2023.

Members of four churches are picking up the pieces after they say their churches were broken into over the weekend

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LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. —

Members of four churches in Laurens County, South Carolina are picking up the pieces after they say their churches were broken into over the weekend.

Two people are now facing charges.

Sierra Lynn Smith and Jesse James Hawkins appeared in court Monday. There they faced a room filled with members of three of the four churches they are charged with burglarizing. Those churches are Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, New Prospect Baptist Church, Reedy Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Ceder Grove Baptist Church.

"This act of evil has been devastating to our church, our families, and our community," Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Program Director, Melissa Crenshaw said.

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Members at these four churches said windows were smashed, items were stolen, and one church found a lit candle in a trash can.

"We are praying for them because their judgment here is nothing compared to what their judgment will be before God," Crenshaw said.

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However, one thing really upset leaders at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

"They left an upside-down cross in the office for us to find," Crenshaw said.

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Smith and Hawkins were also charged with malicious injury to a place of worship, petit larceny, and arson with attempt to burn. They were given a $77,125 bond.

The two expressed remorse for their actions.

"I wish I could go back and repair everything that they've done," Hawkins said.

"If I could take it back, I would. I wasn't in the right mindset. I barely even remember half of the things that happened that night," Smith said.

However, for some, it wasn't good enough.

"You've hit four churches. If you hit just one church and you're showing remorse, you can see remorse in that. They hit four churches and possibly more, so no. They're not sorry for what they did. They're sorry they're sitting behind bars," Crenshaw said.

"Somewhere along the line, this tragedy will turn into a blessing. If nothing else, it helps bring us closer together as fellow churches," Trustee of Reedy Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, Hoyt Dorn said.