Wedding & Event Venue near York, SC

Rock Hill, SC – A community-wide memorial event honoring fallen York County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mike Doty is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026, bringing together first responders, veterans, and residents for a day of remembrance and support.

According to the York County Sheriff’s Office, the 8th Annual Mike Doty Memorial Event will take place beginning at 11 a.m. at the South Carolina National Guard Training Center, located at 126 Museum Road in Rock Hill. The event benefits Hungry Heroes, a nonprofit organization that supports first responders, military members, and veterans through meals and outreach programs.

Organizers say the event is designed to be family-friendly and will include BBQ plates, live music, raffles, and Hungry Heroes apparel, with all proceeds going directly to the nonprofit. Free meals will be provided to first responders, military members, and veterans in attendance.

The York County Sheriff’s Office publicly thanked Hungry Heroes for continuing the tradition, noting the organization’s long-standing partnership in honoring Detective Doty’s sacrifice and service. Doty, a York County detective, is remembered as a fallen hero whose legacy continues through the annual fundraiser.

The event is open to the public, and organizers encourage community members across York County, the Rock Hill area, and the greater Charlotte metro region to attend and show support.

Additional details, including raffle information and entertainment schedules, are expected to be released closer to the event date.

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You’ve probably seen signs before, tacked to streetlamps, with photos of lost cats or dogs, or had similar pictures pop up on your social media feeds.

But how about a post for a lost deer?

An October message in the Facebook group Lost & Found Pets In York County did just that.

The photos of a deer — wearing a bright orange collar and tag — generated a lot of attention (and affection) from dozens of residents who have spotted her in their own yards in recent months. At one point, there were more than 450 emoji reactions to the main post, 152 comments and 73 shares.

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name

It turns out the little deer has many fans.

“She has come to visit us twice so far,” read one post. “My youngest daughter has named her Cupcake. She is super sweet & seems to just roam. I always pray she stays safe and no harm comes to her.”

“Sweet girl! She comes to visit us a few times a week but only in the fall/winter,” said another post. “She’s actually at our house now … I’ve been calling her Patricia the past few years ”

And for Natalee Tiv, who also posted, she and her kids dubbed the little deer “Dawn the Fawn,” after she first visited their home around January 2025.

Tiv, who’s the owner of Natalee’s Custom Woodworking, a business specialized in creating backdrops and props for special events, was in her workshop that day with her daughter and a friend. They were busy painting when the deer poked her head in.

At the time, the fawn wasn’t wearing a collar. But she was noticeably curious and friendly. She followed Tiv’s seven children, aged 4-17, around the property. Tiv said the deer stuck around for about two hours and seemed eager to drink water when it was offered to her.

When the deer came back in early fall to the family’s home, situated on about 7 acres of property, she wore a collar.

“My kids were super excited to see her again and she hung out again for a couple hours just roaming in the yard … She’s so friendly and they love petting her. And then, that’s when I saw the post on Facebook, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she actually belongs to somebody close to us!’”

An origin story

According to the chain of messages on the original Facebook post, the deer’s official name is Camden, and she responds to it when called.

York resident Colby Elks wrote that he started bottle feeding the fawn about one year ago, after seeing her mother “get hit.” She was still unsteady on her legs at the time.

“Just wanted to personally thank everyone for looking out for her and being sweet to her. She’s the best,” Elks wrote. “We bottle fed and raised her to be a free deer.”

Elks, who declined to be interviewed, posted in the Facebook group that he put the orange velcro collar on her and an AirTag to keep track of her.

“To the hunters out here, I’m sure you’ve seen her and I can’t thank you enough for not shooting,” Elks added. “I’ll literally pay you not to. I’ve also got deer meat if you need some …”

Elks also wrote in a follow-up post: “And yes she will come into your house if you let her. My apologies on that one. When she was small, I’d see her out in the rain and it took me a while to keep her there in order to benefit her later on.”

Nearby resident Tammy Smith told CharlotteFive that she would have loved for Camden to come inside when she visited in September.

“I tried to get my husband to let me bring it in the house, but he wouldn’t,” she said.

Camden has been back to visit several more times, said Smith, whose home is in the country. She’s accustomed to having about five to 10 deer in her backyard at any given time, but usually they scatter when she pulls her car up in the driveway. Camden was noticeably different from the other deer she’s observed in her 15 years living in the area.

“It was just so sweet and loving,” Smith said. “It was just amazing that this baby would just walk up to people and (be) so friendly. I mean she would rub her head on my leg … like she didn’t want to leave and I didn’t want her to leave.”

‘It melts your heart’

Smith said with so much hunting in the area, she’s relieved that people have been told to be on the lookout and protect the little deer.

“Everybody knows now not to hurt that baby,” she said. “The outpouring of the love for that little baby. I mean, it’s amazing. It melts your heart.”

For Tiv and her children, the deer has added some extra joy to their lives.

“I think it’s super cool that everybody kind of knows her from the neighborhood,” she said.

After Tiv posted photos of her kids with the deer on her WhatsApp status, friends commented that her eldest daughter looked just like a Disney princess. But some neighbors, who had also spotted the collared deer in their yard, cautioned her to be careful, since sometimes friendly deer can have rabies.

“But like I said, she was different,” Tiv told CharlotteFive. “She wanted water. She just wanted attention and she was … curious.”

Tiv said she and her kids try to respect the deer’s boundaries and let her roam when she no longer wants to be petted. Tiv has tried to teach them that, ordinarily, even when a wild animal is friendly, you can’t just turn it into your pet. But she also recognizes this situation is unique.

“We just hope that she comes back and she’s still safe,” Tiv said. “‘Cause it’s such an excitement when she comes back … (It) makes our day better.”

MCCONNELLS, SC – Officials with the Clemson University Department of Plant Industry (DPI) confirmed a significant spread of the invasive yellow-legged hornet (YLH) this week, announcing the discovery of a nest in McConnells, York County, the first confirmed detection of the species outside of South Carolina’s Lowcountry region.

The discovery, which took place on Monday, December 8, marks a concerning development in the state’s multi-year effort to contain the destructive pest, which poses a substantial threat to honeybee populations and the agricultural industry.

The initial report came from a vigilant local beekeeper who noticed unusually aggressive behavior near their hives, a phenomenon known as “hawking.” This is where the yellow-legged hornets hover outside a beehive, capturing and preying on worker bees.

The beekeeper immediately alerted DPI inspectors, who utilized specialized trapping and tracking methods to successfully locate the hornet nest. The DPI has announced that the nest will be removed later this week by trained personnel to safely eliminate the colony.

For more than two years, the DPI has focused its containment efforts on the Lowcountry, making this confirmed report in York County a major new challenge for the state’s pest management teams.

The yellow-legged hornet, native to Southeast Asia, is a known predator of honeybees and other social wasps. Its potential to inflict damage on managed and wild bee populations is the primary concern for agricultural officials, as beekeeping plays a crucial role in crop pollination.

This northern expansion of the hornet’s confirmed range emphasizes the need for public vigilance across the entire state.

Clemson DPI is calling on residents, particularly those in the Upstate and Midlands, to be aware of the distinctively marked insect and to report any suspected activity.

If you observe a suspected yellow-legged hornet, a nest, or witness “hawking” activity near beehives, you are asked to take the following steps:

The DPI stresses that public reporting remains one of the most effective tools in the early detection and containment of this invasive species.

Officials with the Clemson University Department of Plant Industry (DPI) discovered an invasive yellow-legged hornet nest in York County on December 8 after a local beekeeper reported seeing a hornet preying on honey bees. The nest will be removed later this week.

This is the first detection of a yellow-legged hornet or nest in South Carolina outside the Lowcountry. DPI is asking York County residents to remain alert and report suspected hornets or nests.

The beekeeper noticed unusually aggressive hornet behavior known as “hawking,” in which hornets hover near hives to capture bees. The beekeeper reported the activity to DPI, the state agency responsible for protecting South Carolina’s agricultural industries from invasive species. DPI inspectors then used trapping and tracking methods to locate the nest.

DPI has been working for more than two years to contain yellow-legged hornets in the Lowcountry. While the York County detection is concerning, Brad Cavin, coordinator of Clemson’s yellow-legged hornet response program, said public reporting remains one of the most effective early-warning tools.

“Thanks to this vigilant beekeeper detecting and reporting the hornet, we were able to quickly follow up and use a system of trapping and tracking to locate the nest,” Cavin said.

Cavin encouraged residents to support ongoing response efforts by reporting suspicious hornet activity and allowing inspectors access to their property. Inspectors can be identified by official badges or Clemson DPI-branded shirts and safety vests.

“We expect to be in the York area for at least the next year, trapping and surveying for any hornets we might have missed. If one of our inspectors knocks on your door, or you see them walking your property or neighborhoods, please remember that they are doing their jobs to protect the state from these hornets and the damage they can do to our beekeeping industry. This will be an ongoing effort,” Cavin said.

It is unclear if the hornets in York County originated from the Lowcountry infestations, but DPI Assistant Director Steven Long said the finding underscores how easily invasive species can spread.

“This latest detection in York County is an important reminder that invasive species are great travelers that can move long distances with the unwitting assistance of humans,” Long said. “This is why we are asking the public to help us in this fight by being engaged and reporting suspicious sightings.”

Anyone who finds a suspected nest or observes hornets “hawking” beehives should report it through DPI’s online reporting tool at clemson.edu/public/regulatory/plant-industry/invasive/ylh.html and include photos if possible. Nests should be left undisturbed, so trained inspectors can remove and dispose of them safely.

Regional partners are also increasing surveillance. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is expanding its yellow-legged hornet monitoring through agency-led surveys and a citizen science initiative. North Carolina residents can report suspected sightings at www.ncagr.gov/YLH.

“We are working closely with officials across the Southeast and the USDA to share information and resources in the fight against yellow-legged hornets and other invasive species,” said Stephen Cole, executive director of Clemson Regulatory Services.

The first known detection of a yellow-legged hornet in South Carolina occurred November 9, 2023. The discovery followed a collaborative effort between DPI’s Apiary Inspection Program and the Clemson Cooperative Extension Apiculture and Pollinator Program to establish a proactive trapping protocol designed to detect hornets early. A yellow-legged hornet queen was later trapped March 14, 2024, tested by Clemson’s Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic and confirmed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The yellow-legged hornet — which is not the same as the northern giant hornet — poses no greater risk to humans than other hornets. However, it has been observed nesting on homes and manmade structures.

The most serious concern with the yellow-legged hornet is its potential to damage the already embattled U.S. beekeeping industry.

Yellow-legged hornets are a principal pest of honey bees, having caused increased colony losses in western Europe since their detection in 2004. Their establishment and spread in the U.S. is alarming for beekeepers, who are already reeling from a year in which the nation’s colony loss rate was greater than 60 percent.

“This situation in York County emphasizes why it is critical for beekeepers to be aware of this new pest and how to recognize and report it. It also highlights the role the public plays in helping beekeepers by locating and reporting nests. These hornets do not obey property lines, and a nest that is attacking a beekeeper’s hives may be on a neighbor’s property,” said Benjamin Powell, coordinator of the Clemson Apiculture and Pollinator Program.

Native to Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornet builds egg-shaped paper nests above ground, often high in trees but sometimes on manmade structures. Mature nests can be large, containing thousands of workers. In addition to attacking bee hives, the hornet has been observed foraging on various other insects, animal carcasses, dead fish and shellfish, flower nectar, sugar syrups and ripening fruits.

The hornet may be confused with several native insects, including cicada killer wasps, bald-faced hornets, paper wasps, queen yellowjackets, wood wasps, and robber flies, but is typically larger and marked with distinctive yellow legs. For more information on identification and reporting, visit Clemson University resources at clemson.edu/public/regulatory/plant-industry/invasive/ylh.html.