Juniper
- Details
- Category: Archives
- Published on Wednesday, 05 July 2017 13:59
- Written by Ralph Shealy
- Hits: 9404
Ridge Spring’s Juniper Chef in New York City
Jeanne & Brandon Velie, pictured second and third from the right, of Juniper Restaraunt in Ridge Spring recently visited the James Beard House in New York City, where Chef Brandon prepared the meal, which featured locally produced products, including those by Rawl Farm, Watsonia, The Nuthouse, Yon Farms, Titan Farms, and Adluh. The five course meal featured shrimp, striped bass, beef, rice, vegetables, pecans, peaches, etc. Saturday “Today” host Craig Melvin, a Columbia native, pictured right, posted these pictures. Also attending, were former S.C. Governor now U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and her husband.
Local Teen Headed to
National Competition
Saluda County resident Laney Edwards was crowned National American Miss South Carolina on June 25.
State queens in the Miss division are chosen by a national selection committee who scores each applicant’s application and résumé, essay, photo, and interview. As a state NAM queen, Laney will travel with her five SC sister queens to California this November to represent our state at the week-long National American Miss Pageant to be held in Anaheim, just steps away from Disneyland.
At the national pageant, delegates in each age division will compete in Onstage Personal Introduction, Interview, and Formal Wear, and their community service work and résumés will factor into their overall score as well. The winner in each age division will receive a $5000 cash scholarship, and one lucky young lady out of the hundreds of contestants will win the ultimate door prize— a brand new Ford Mustang. NAM is dedicated to developing the success of young women across the nation with a program that is designed to be age-appropriate and family-oriented. National American Miss is for “Today’s Girl and Tomorrow’s Leaders”. Emphasis is placed on the importance of gaining self-confidence, learning new skills and good attitudes about competition, and setting and achieving personal goals.
Laney is the 19-year-old daughter of Thomas and Aly Edwards of Batesburg and a 2016 Top 10 graduate of Saluda High School. She is a sophomore at Clemson University, where she is studying Recreational Therapy and is a member of Central Spirit and Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority. She is looking forward to representing Saluda County and the great state of South Carolina on the national stage.
Laney is actively seeking sponsors to help offset her substantial competition and travel costs. If you would like to support Laney’s journey to NAM Nationals with a sponsorship, please send an E-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can keep up with Laney’s journey to Nationals by liking her Facebook page (2017 National American Miss South Carolina) and by following her on Instagram (@namisssc).
For more information about the National American Miss program, go to www.namiss.com.