Wedding & Event Venue Near Pickens, SC.

PICKENS CO., S.C. (WSPA) — Pickens County officials are working to make one of the busiest highways in the county safer.

“In the past four years, 350 people have had accidents, 150 people have been injured and 5 people have lost their lives,” said Roy Costner, vice chairman of Pickens County Council.

In October, the county received a $44.7 million grant to fill the gap of the funding needed to improve SC HWY 183. Last week, the South Carolina Department of Transportation approved the application to move the process forward.

The plan is to widen the 7.5 mile stretch of the highway to ease congestion and provide turning lanes where they are needed.

“I believe they will start at the Greenville County line first because there’s a bridge there. There’s a portion of Greenville County that’s got to continue to wide out as you go across that bridge and then it will begin to build out from there,” said Costner.

According to Costner, planning for this project has been years in the making.

“It’s taken us seven and a half years to get to this point and I’m super excited to see what’s gonna happen next,” said Costner.

The next step is a joint bond review.

“We had to come up with the 20 something million dollar local match, 28 million dollars from Greenville County and then the state infrastructure bank so the bond review is going to review those bonds to make sure that we have the ability to pay it. Our portion of it is very easy because we’ve already just based on the growth of the population without raising taxes were able to do that,” said Costner.

After the joint bond review, the county says they want to hear from the public.

“Whenever we’re having those meetings, show up and let us know what you think! Hopefully there will be lots of maps and lots of conversations about what makes the most sense and how we’re gonna be able to use this money to best service the people who live here,” said Costner.

The county has not released when a public meeting will be, but they encourage residents to follow the county website and social media platforms.

PICKENS — The Pickens Azalea Festival, one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the Southeast, returns to downtown Pickens, SC, to commemorate 40 years of tradition. After a record-breaking attendance of over 55,000 in 2023, this year’s festival promises an exhilarating

weekend filled with family fun.

Sponsored by Quality Granite, Cabinets, and Flooring, the festivities will take place on April 26-27. The event will feature an annual cruise-in and street festival boasting over 350 artisan vendors, food trucks, live music, rides, and games. Saturday’s schedule is brimming with live entertainment, including a pie contest, pet pageant, and husband-calling contest.

The festival, organized by the Pickens Azalea Festival 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a testament to community spirit and support for local non-profits. This year’s celebration aims to showcase the vibrant culture and warm hospitality of Pickens County.

Friday’s Annual Cruise In will feature a record-breaking array of hot rods, muscle cars, jeeps, and classic vehicles from all eras. Festivities kick off with live music from Jack Roper and The Weatherman Band at 5:30 along with rides, games, and food trucks for the whole family to enjoy. The evening culminates with a sunset performance by Randomonium.

Saturday’s street festival will be a bustling hub of activity, with over 300 artisan vendors lining the streets, offering one-of-a-kind crafts and creations. Live entertainment throughout the day will include performances by local talents such as Chris Vita, Trey Duncan, Leah Seawright Band with Mark Herndon from Alabama, Benton Blount, and Ryan Perry.

In addition to the vibrant atmosphere and unique offerings, the festival will host engaging contests for attendees to participate in. The Pet Pageant invites all pet owners to showcase their furry or exotic companions, while the Pie Baking Competition will determine Carolina’s premier pie for home and professional bakers. Not to be missed is the Husband Calling Contest, where contestants will vie for attention in the most dramatic fashion.

The Pickens Azalea Festival is not only a celebration of Spring tradition in Pickens, but also a platform for over 50 local non-profits to connect with the community. Proceeds from the festival support these initiatives, ensuring the continued enrichment of Pickens County.

As the festival continues to thrive, volunteers are essential for its success. Motivated individuals passionate about their community are encouraged to join the committee and contribute to the ongoing legacy of the Pickens Azalea Festival.

For more information and to get involved, see the festival schedule, or contest registration, visit www.pickensazaleafestival.com or on any social media platform @pickensazaleafestival

Update on Upcountry Fiber

To the Editor,

Most of you the Pickens Courier story entitled, “Upcountry Fiber receives federal grant”. Blue Ridge Electric/ UpCountry Fiber received a $12 million federal grant to push-out its internet service in Pickens County. In total, Blue Ridge will invest $40 to $50 million in Pickens County

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building out its high speed internet service and lay over 2,000 miles of fiber in our county.

First, I want to thank the Blue Ridge Co-op’s board, its managers and all its employees for all the work they’ve done in the Pickens area. A very large majority of the area now has this lightening fast internet service. Pickens was the most under-served area of the county and turned out to be one of the first on the list. Thank you.

Reading the article, most of the focus with this next phase will be in Six Mile in 2024, then Liberty in 2025 and the rest of Dacusville.

Representing the Pickens area, the questions I get pertain to the un-served areas that remain in my district. One area is Walhalla Highway, both above and below the highway. As I wrote before the substations in the Pickens area are at AR Lewis and Holly Springs schools, Tally Bridge Rd and Highway 11, Griffin Church on Highway 8 and at the School District Administration building.

Blue Ridge will focus on getting the substation at Ponderosa Park in Six Mile up and running and then build another at Gap Hill Road (just west of SC 133). Those substations and their fiber lines are scheduled to be installed by the end of 2024. This will primarily light up Six Mile, greater Six Mile, and the Mountain View area with high speed internet. However, these stations will also reach the western part of my district along Walhalla Highway – areas like Mile Creek Rd, Brandy Lane, Stephens Road and others.

On the other side of my district, out Glassy Mountain way, soon they will start work to light up Chinquapin Road. Other spots in that area will depend on the demand and whether or not Blue Ridge Electric serves that area. (Don’t shoot the messenger on this, as I am just relaying what I’m learning.)

Also keep in mind, if your area is not served by Blue Ridge Electric and it doesn’t have Blue Ridge infra-structure in place, it is unlikely the service will make it out your way in this phase of the project. If you want the service and are on the Blue Ridge grid, go to UpCountryFiber.com and put in your address to let them know you want the service. Demand also plays a role as well.

Alex Saitta

Pickens, SC

EASLEY, S.C. —

A man has been charged with arson after a brush fire forced evacuations in Pickens County, South Carolina.

Easley Fire Chief Brad Owen confirmed the Monday blaze burned around eight acres of land along Dunklin Street and forced around 20 homes to be evacuated.

The latest video on fire is in the box above.

Owen said the fire was first reported at around 11:30 a.m.

"We kept looking out my window, and we saw two fire trucks passing us, and I was like, 'That's strange. There was no sirens, and I was like, 'All right,'" resident Nicole Benson said.

Video of the 4 p.m. update on the fire is below.

Around 2 p.m., homes in the area were evacuated due to the fire.

"I started hearing popping, came outside, and there was smoke everywhere," resident Andrew Gravley said.

Owen said around 30 firefighters responded to the call but so did neighbors like Benson, who helped people and their pets evacuate despite having asthma.

"Some people on this mill hill are old, and they can't move around as fast," she said. "Some are in wheelchairs and stuff, so they can't really do much with their dogs."

The Pickens County Sheriff's Office said Seth Brian Bolding, 23, is charged with third-degree arson in the case.

"What he's told investigators is that he lit the brush on fire to celebrate his birthday and that he was having a small little bonfire that got away," Chief Deputy Chuck James said. "At this point, we're investigating that."

Kayla Powell sent WYFF News 4 the pictures below of the fire burning.

Owen said no one was hurt, and no houses were damaged as a result of the fire.

He added that it took at least six-and-a-half hours to put out the fire.

"This is a rough terrain, so it made it very hard to work in those areas in the conditions that we had, the topography," he said.

People and their pets were eventually allowed back in their homes, but they have smoky reminders of what's left of the woods.

"I'm just glad that everybody is OK," Benson said. "I'm really glad the houses weren't really touched."

Owen said smoke from the fire will likely hang around for the next few days.

Deputies said Bolding is scheduled for a bond hearing Tuesday afternoon.

South Carolina Highway 183 in Pickens and Greenville County is considered one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the state.

It is busy, crowded and caters to a growing population. Local and state authorities say new funding will make the road safer.

Earlier this week, the South Carolina State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) granted $44.7 million to improve S.C. Highway 183.

The funding will aid two projects aimed at extending and widening two separate sections of the highway. Local authorities in Pickens County will shepherd a project that will widen S.C. 183 into four lanes in Pickens County. Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study will oversee another project that will fund the construction costs of improving the S.C. 153 extension to S.C. 183. The projects are expected to have a 10-year timeline.

Five-year crash data, per the S.C. Dept. of Transportation, showed the six-mile stretch of S.C. 183 in Pickens County was a site for 288 crashes, 84 injuries and seven fatalities. A traffic study also showed the highway was expected to see a 113% increase in traffic from 2010 to 2035. Meanwhile, the S.C. 153 extension saw 62 crashes and 18 injuries in the last five years.

Easley lawmaker Neal Collins said the $44.7 million funding was crucial to improve the highway as the total project is slated to cost $104.7 million, as per the SIB application.

SC politics:Here's how the state budget could boost Greenville, Spartanburg downtowns.

Local authorities and state lawmakers had been eyeing SIB funding since 2016. A previous funding application in 2018 was denied as the bank required an adequate funding match from local authorities.

"They basically told us we needed to have a better package," Collins said. "The more money the local authorities could match, the better."

To fix that issue, the Pickens County Council issued a $12.7 million bond to fund the costs of expansion in addition to a $10 million allocation in the state budget this year. Meanwhile, the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study, which covers portions of Greenville, Pickens as well as Anderson, Laurens, and Spartanburg counties, is on track to provide $28 million.

Put together a combination of state and local government effort will bring in about $95 million to improve the highway.

"The collective effort on this was amazing," Collins continued.

Devyani Chhetri reports on SC politics for the Greenville News. Reach her via email at dchhetri@gannett.com.