Election Results
SALUDA COUNTY CONTESTED
RACES RESULTS
(61.77 voter turnout)
SALUDA MAYOR: Amelia Herlong - 391; Michelle R. Curry - 350
SALUDA COUNTY SCHOOLS SCHOOL BOARD :Seat 2: Katherine Coleman - 287; Crystal Gibson - 167. Seat 4: Sunday Jacobs Minick - 203; James Moore - 290
LEXINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT THREE: William Berry - 207; Frances Bouknight - 418; Cheryl Burgess - 263; William Cogdill - 188; Gariane Gunter - 293
SALUDA COUNTY ONE CENT SALES TAX: Yes - 3546; No - 3134
LEXINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENDUM: Yes - 196; No - 491
Kevin Yon, second from right, became the first Clemson alumnus to be named the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year at the 2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Georgia, on Oct. 16. Also pictured is his wife, Lydia, center, and sons Corbin, right, and Drake, second from left.
Ridge Spring’s Kevin Yon
Named Southeast’s Top Farmer
Steven Bradley,
Media Relations ,
Clemson University
RIDGE SPRING — Kevin Yon has built his life around family and farming, and on Oct. 16, he celebrated landmark moments on both fronts.
On the same day Yon’s first grandchild came home from the hospital to the family farm in Ridge Spring, he was named the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2018.
“It was very special,” said Yon, a first-generation angus breeder. “And I got to be there for the birth prior to going to the banquet, so that was good, too.”
But Yon’s accolade wasn’t just a milestone for his family, it was also one for Clemson University. He is the first Clemson alumnus to garner the event’s top prize and only the third South Carolinian to win the award in its 29-year history.
And the Clemson connection isn’t just a footnote, the Yons are — quite literally — a Clemson family. All told, the family includes six graduates of Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.
Kevin and wife Lydia met while undergraduates at the Clemson University Block and Bridle Club, and Kevin eventually proposed at the Clemson bull-test station, at what later became the T. Ed Garrison Arena. All three of their children, Sally (’13), Drake (’14) and Corbin (’16), are also Clemson alumni, as is Drake’s wife, Nicole (’14).
After being named the South Carolina winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award this summer, Kevin was named as the overall winner at the Willie B. Withers Luncheon held on the opening day of the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Georgia. He was chosen as Farmer of the Year over nine other state winners who were finalists.
But while his name is on the award, Yon said his family and employees deserve much of the credit. And Yon Family Farms, as its name indicates, is nothing if not a family business.
All three Yon children grew up on the farm, and all three have returned to work on the farm as adults, along with two of their spouses, Nicole, and Sally’s husband, Reid Harrison.
“They call it the Farmer of the Year, but for us it is the entire family and the entire farm and also extended family members who are longtime employees as well,” Kevin said. “It was nothing to do with Kevin Yon; it was about the whole Yon Family Farms team. Everybody has special talents and contributes in their own ways — just like a team.
“So it was very gratifying for the team to be recognized, or the entire farm. And it’s humbling because getting to meet those other nine state winners, they were so passionate about what they do. Each one of them, to me, could’ve been a winner.”
The Yons’ operation has grown into one that is listed among the country’s 25 largest purebred operations by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, but it started from scratch. Yon was 12 when his parents loaned him the money to buy his first steer and heifer. By high school, he’d purchased a small crossbred herd he kept in a leased pasture in Anderson County, close enough to care for when he left for Clemson to pursue a degree in animal science.
These days, the Yons sell about 450 bulls and 200 females each year in two on-farm sales. They also sell cattle in private treaty sales, and their herd includes about 1,200 registered breeding-age females, 590 commercial breeding-age females and 90 steers and heifers that are fed out. The Yons retain ownership on calves not sold for breeding and feed most of them in a Kansas feedlot. They also feed out calves on their farm that are marketed through an Augusta, Georgia, processing facility.
But it is also an operation that has grown well beyond just cattle. Forages are among the most extensive plantings on Yon’s farm, which has successfully grown alfalfa and corn and has become a new grower of soybeans, pecans and grain sorghum. The Yons also own a retail store in Ridge Spring where they sell pecans and beef from their farm, along with other South Carolina-grown products.
The Southeastern Farmer of the Year award recognizes excellence in agricultural production and farm management, along with leadership in farm and community organizations. The award also honors family contributions in producing safe and abundant supplies of food, fiber and shelter products.
“Something else that was really special about it is our Clemson University Extension agent, Travis Mitchell, was the nominator,” Kevin said, “and we credit his help and his predecessor Phil Perry’s Extension help for the success of our farm. We’ve worked hand in hand with those guys since the very beginning, and they’ve been so good to us and helped us in so many ways.
“So credit for the award also goes to all of Clemson Extension, but especially our county agents, Phil Perry — who is retired — and Travis Mitchell, who was right there with us every step of the way preceding the award and even during the award.”
John Miller, president and chief executive officer of Swisher International Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, praised Yon for his farming accomplishments.
“Kevin is an outstanding farmer who has become a role model for others who want to farm,” Miller said. “It is an honor for our company and our Swisher Sweets cigar brand to recognize Kevin for his farming accomplishments.”
Ron Carroll, marketing vice president with Swisher, represented the company in presenting the cash award to Yon. Carroll visited Yon and his farm along with the farms of the other nine state winners during the judging tour.
“Kevin is an inspiration,” Carroll said. “It is a great tribute to his success as a farmer and as a parent that each of his adult children have returned to work on the farm and have become major contributors to the farm’s success.”
The new Farmer of the Year was selected for the honor by three judges who visited his farm and the farm of the other state winners during early August of this year.
The judges this year included Charles Snipes, a retired Extension weed scientist from Greenville, Mississippi; beef cattle rancher Cary Lightsey of Lake Wales, Florida, who was the overall winner of the award in 2009; and John McKissick, longtime University of Georgia agricultural economist from Athens, Georgia.
Snipes, who served as senior judge, called Yon “a remarkable agricultural professional with a family that is fully engaged in the operation.”
“He and his family are a credit to agriculture,” said Snipes. “They are the epitome of what the Southeastern Farmer of the Year program represents.”
“Kevin Yon has become an incredible example of success after years of hard work … His integrity and obligation to the profession of farming and ranching was most recognizable,” Snipes added. “It is evident that he contributes a great deal to his profession beyond his local operation.”
As the Southeastern Farmer of the Year, Yon will receive a $15,000 cash award plus $2,500 as a state winner from Swisher International. He will also receive the use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year from Massey Ferguson North America, a $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative, a Columbia jacket from Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply, a smoker-grill from Hays LTI, and a Henry Golden Boy “American Farmer” Tribute Edition rifle from Reinke Irrigation.
Massey Ferguson North America and its parent firm AGCO have been longtime sponsors of the award.
“It is an honor for AGCO to sponsor the Farmer of the Year award,” said Ash Alt, field marketing manager with AGCO. “This award recognizes outstanding farmers. Their dedication to their farms, their families and their communities illustrates the importance of the American farmer. We are pleased to provide one year’s use of a Massey Ferguson tractor to Kevin Yon, and we look forward to working with Kevin and his family in selecting a model that fits their farming needs.”
The other state winners this year include John DeLoach of Vincent, Alabama, Luke Alston of Mena, Arkansas, Lynetta Usher Griner of Chiefland, Florida, James Vaughn of Forsyth, Georgia, Darren Luttrell of Beaver Dam, Kentucky, Lonnie Fortner of Port Gibson, Mississippi, Howard Brown of Andrews, North Carolina, John Verell of Jackson, Tennessee, and Paul Rogers Jr., of Wakefield, Virginia.
General Election 2018
General Election November 6
Voters go to the polls Tues., Nov. 6, for the 2018 General Election.
All voters will be casting ballots for statewide offices, a statewide constitutional question, and the local penny sales tax referendum.
There will be some contested races in Saluda County, but none of them are countywide.
In the Town of Saluda, Mayor Amelia Herlong is being challenged by Michelle R. Curry.
The Saluda County Schools School Board race with have two contested elections, incumbent Katherine Coleman is facing Crystal Gibson for Seat 4, and Sunday Jacobs Minick is opposing incumbent James Moore for Seat 4.
Lexington School District Three has five candidates, William Berry, Frances Bouknight, Cheryl Burgess, William Cogdill and Gariane Gunter, running for three seats.
The ballot will contain the following referendum and question:
Saluda County Referendum: Shall a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in Saluda County for not more than eight (8) years, beginning on the May 1, 2019, to raise the revenues which will be applied to pay directly the cost of or to pay debt service on bonds issued to defray the cost of certain capital improvements set forth below for the County and shall the County be empowered to issue, either at one time as a single issue or from time to time as several separate issues, general obligation bonds of the County in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $9,400,000, to be repayable solely from the sales tax or other available sources, the proceeds of which shall be used to defray the costs of the capital improvement needs of the County, including specifically the following purposes, listed in order of priority with estimated cost: Projects:
1. Saluda County Library (Saluda County) $125,000
2. Saluda County Animal Shelter (Saluda County) $125,000
3. Ridge Spring Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development $175,000 (Town of Ridge Spring)
4. Reconstruction of Bathrooms at Brooks Royston Park (Saluda Recreation District) $50,000
5. Saluda County Detention Center (Saluda County) $8,434,304
Statewide Constitutional Amendment: Must Section 7, Article VI of the Constitution of this State, relating to state constitutional officers, be amended so as to provide that beginning in January 2023, or upon a vacancy in the office of Superintendent of Education after the date of the ratification of the provisions of this paragraph, whichever occurs first, the Superintendent of Education must be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate; to provide that the appointed Superintendent of Education shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor; and to require the General Assembly to provide by law for the duties, compensation, and qualifications for the office?
These two require a “Yes” or “No” vote.
Elections for offices are as follows:
Governor: James Smith - Mandy Powers Norrell, Democrat; Henry McMaster - Pamela Evette, Republican
Secretary of State: Melvin T. Whittenburg, Democrat; Mark Hammond, Republican. State Treasurer: Rosalyn L Glenn, Democrat; Rosalyn Glenn, Working Families; Curtis Lotis, Republican; Sarah Wok, American.
Attorney General: Constance Anastopoulo, Democratic; Constance Anastopoulo, Working Families; Alan Wilson, Republican
Comptroller General: Richard Eckstrom, Republican
State Superintendent of Education: Molly Mitchell Spearman, Republican
Commissioner of Agriculture: Chris Nelums, United Citizens; David Edmond, Green; Hugh Weathers, Republican
U.S, House of Representatives: Mary Geren, Democratic; Jeff Duncan, Republican; Dave Moore, American
State House of Representatives: District 39 Cal Forrest
State House of Representatives: District 82 William Clyburn
*Auditor: Memmus H Forrest, Republican ‘
* Treasurer Tiffany R Shaw, Republican
*County Council: Chair Derrick W Jones, Republican
County Council: James Daniels District 1, Democratic
County Council: Justin Anderson, District 3, Republican
Soil and Water District Commission: (Vote for 2) Carey Frick, James R Nichols (Non-partisan)
School Board Saluda: Seat 2 - Katherine Coleman, Crystal Gibson (Non-partisan)
School Board Saluda: Seat 4 - Sundy Jacobs Minick, James Moore (Non-partisan) :
School Board Saluda: Seat 6 Christy Nichols (Non-partisan)
School Trustee District Lexington Vote for 3: William Berry, Frances Bouknight, Cheryl Burgess, William Cogdill, Gariane Gunter (Non-partisan)
**Mayor of Saluda: Michelle R Curry, Amelia Herlong (Non-partisan)
**Public Works Commissioner Write-ln
**Saluda City Council: District 1 William Yonce (Non-partisan)
**Saluda City Council: District 3 Miliken Matthews (Non-partisan)
*Countywide
**Town of Saluda only
Richland Creek Antique Fall
Festival November 2, 3, 4
The 23rd Annual Fall Festival/Tractor/Engine show and pull will be held at Richland Creek Farms, 542 Richland Creek Road, Ward, Nov. 3-5
The festival site is located between Batesburg-Leesville, Ridge Spring and Saluda. From Batesburg-Leesville take Hwy. 178 north toward Saluda or from Ridge Spring take Hwy. 39 north toward Saluda from Saluda take Hwy. 39 south toward Ridge Spring follow the signs and exit onto Duncan Road which leads to Richland Creek Road. The gates open at 9 a/m. each day.
This family event has activities planned for everyone with demonstrations of old farm machinery, steam engine, saw mill, hit miss engines, syrup cooking, shingle making, thrashing of grain, blacksmith shop, a barnyard exhibit, pedal tractor race/pull and a antique tractor pull for tractors through 1960. There will be vendors and exhibitors for men, women and children, and a variety of great food, soft drinks and homemade ice cream.
On Friday at 7 p.m. there is be a dun demonstration antique the tractor pull, and on Saturday competition antique tractor pull will begin at 1:00 p.m..
The highlight for the weekend is a visit to Richland Springs Baptist Church for Old Fashion Day on Sunday beginning at 10:00 A. M. The church is located at 1895 Duncan Road.
Admission is $5.00 a day for Friday and Sunday and $10.00 a day on Saturday for adults; children under 12 years old are admitted free. RV hookups are available by reservations at $45.00 for the weekend for water/electric only. This is an educational/family event and NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR OTHER CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES WILL BE PERMITTED!!!
For additional information call 864 445 2781/e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2018 Hall of Fame
NEW HALL OF FAME CLASS - Inducted into the Saluda County School District Hall of Fame Friday were, L to R, Phyllis Deloach, Deborah Minick, Corey Daniel, and accepting for their late brother Ronald Coleman, Ben and Buddy Coleman.
District Inducts New
Hall of Fame Class
The Saluda County School District inducted its 2018 Hall of Fame class at the halftime of Friday’s Saluda-Abbeville game.
Inductees and their resumes are as follows:
The late Ronald Coleman - 1967 Graduate , 1966 Most Valuable in Football , 1966-67 Basketball Most Valuable Player on the Region 5-A Conference Championship Team, Averaged 20 points per game in his senior season, 1967 North South All Star Game.
Corey Daniel - Football 92-93, Track All Region, All State,; Region Champion in 100 Meters, 200 Meters, Long Jump, Triple Jump; State Champion 100 Meters, Long Jump; Basketball All Region , All State, Region Player of the year, North South All Star Game; Attended Erskine College on a Basketball Scholarship.
Phyllis Deloach - Lettered in Volleyball, basketball and Softball; 4 years all Conference in Basketball; 1985 High School All American; Attended Anderson College.
Deborah Minick Teacher at Saluda High School 1986-2018; Taught Teacher Cadets 1997-2016; CERRA Board of Directors Executive Committee; PACE Teacher 2004-2018; SHS Teacher of the Year 2002 and 2007.
Richland Creek Antique Fall
Festival November 2, 3, 4
The 23rd Annual Fall Festival/Tractor/Engine show and pull will be held at Richland Creek Farms, 542 Richland Creek Road, Ward, Nov. 3-5
The festival site is located between Batesburg-Leesville, Ridge Spring and Saluda. From Batesburg-Leesville take Hwy. 178 north toward Saluda or from Ridge Spring take Hwy. 39 north toward Saluda from Saluda take Hwy. 39 south toward Ridge Spring follow the signs and exit onto Duncan Road which leads to Richland Creek Road. The gates open at 9 a/m. each day.
This family event has activities planned for everyone with demonstrations of old farm machinery, steam engine, saw mill, hit miss engines, syrup cooking, shingle making, thrashing of grain, blacksmith shop, a barnyard exhibit, pedal tractor race/pull and a antique tractor pull for tractors through 1960. There will be vendors and exhibitors for men, women and children, and a variety of great food, soft drinks and homemade ice cream.
On Friday at 7 p.m. there is be a dun demonstration antique the tractor pull, and on Saturday competition antique tractor pull will begin at 1:00 p.m..
The highlight for the weekend is a visit to Richland Springs Baptist Church for Old Fashion Day on Sunday beginning at 10:00 A. M. The church is located at 1895 Duncan Road.
Admission is $5.00 a day for Friday and Sunday and $10.00 a day on Saturday for adults; children under 12 years old are admitted free. RV hookups are available by reservations at $45.00 for the weekend for water/electric only. This is an educational/family event and NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR OTHER CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES WILL BE PERMITTED!!!
For additional information call 864 445 2781/e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Sheriff’s Office Trunk or Treat
Saluda County Sheriff’s Office invites you to join us for Our Annual Trunk or Treat Wednesday October 31, 2018 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm at the Saluda County Recreation Complex located on the baseball field below the Sheriff’s Office.
The night will consist of a costume contest, judging the decorated trunks, games, hayride, food and at 6:30 we will line the children up and begin our Trunk or Treat walk. At that point the children will receive their candy. We would like to allow the children of Saluda County to be able to have a fun and safe time celebrating Halloween. Admission is free; however we will be collecting can goods to help stock up our local food bank.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our invitation out to churches. We have been able to reach some churches; however some we have not. We would like to invite you to come and share this fun filled night with us.
If you would like to bring a decorated car and/or a table to set up outreach information please make contact with Melinda H. Reeves at (864) 554-1364 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We would like to have the walking track full of vehicles.
(See the print edition for more Halloween activities)
Sales Tax Referendum
Capital Projects Sales Tax Referendum
When voters go to the polls on November 6, the following County Sales and Use Tax (Capital Projects Sales Tax Act) Referendum will be on the ballot,
If the referendum passes, the items listed on the ballot will benefit from the one cent on the dollar sales tax of projected revenue for the next eight years. This tax is a fair way to create revenue for much-needed county pro-jects, Property owners currently bear the bulk of tax responsibility. Over the eight years, a one-cent tax will generate almost $9 million. Increasingly, counties are using CPST revenue to supplement property taxes and state revenue shortfalls. Over the next few weeks, you will see flyers and signs about the referendum, and a public meeting will be held prior to November 6 for questions and answers. Additionally, the list must be voted in as a whole. If the referendum passes, Saluda County will have the opportunity to make positive changes! Please, support this referendum! Thank you!
Marvin Gootee
Committee member
Local Questions
COUNTY SALES
AND USE TAX
Shall a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in Saluda County for not more than eight (8) years, beginning on the May 1, 2019, to raise the revenues which will be applied to pay directly the cost of or to pay debt service on bonds issued to defray the cost of certain capital improvements set forth below for the County and shall the County be empowered to issue, either at one time as a single issue or from time to time as several separate issues, general obligation bonds of the County in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $9,400,000, to be repayable solely from the sales tax or other available sources, the proceeds of which shall be used to defray the costs of the capital improvement needs of the County, including specifically the following purposes, listed in order of priority with estimated cost: Projects:
1. Saluda County Library (Saluda County) $125,000
2. Saluda County Animal Shelter (Saluda County) $125,000
3. Ridge Spring Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development $175,000 (Town of Ridge Spring)
4. Reconstruction of Bathrooms at Brooks Royston Park (Saluda Recreation District) $50,000
5. Saluda County Detention Center (Saluda County) $8,434,304
CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF THE SALES AND USE TAX REVENUE COLLECTED UNDER THE CAPITAL PROJECTS SALES TAX ACT: The capital projects sales and use tax shall be used and expended for procurement, design, engineering, construction or improvement or similar type uses of the projects listed above. Net proceeds of the sales and use tax must be expended for the purposes stated, with some of the projects listed above expected to be funded simultaneously. The completion of the above projects funded by the sales and use tax is subject to acquisition of property and right-of-way, design and engineering considerations. Funding of projects from other sources, bids in excess of project estimates, qualifications of bidders, cost overruns, financing costs, exhaustion of net sales and use tax revenues prior to the completion of the projects stated above and other unforeseen circumstances and conditions, which, if any of these circumstances are encountered, the County Council reserves the right to make adjustments to the priority of the projects as originally submitted by the Capital Project Sales Tax Commission.
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS. All qualified electors desiring to vote in favor of imposing the tax for the stated purposes shall vote “YES.” All qualified electors opposed to levying the tax shall vote “NO”.
o Yes
o No
The Thrill of the Hunt Saluda’s
2nd Annual Extravaganza Expo
Most, if not everyone, have watched or at least has heard of the television shows Antiques Roadshow and American Pickers. Although collecting has always been a hobby for some, these, as well as other similar shows, have increased the popularity of collecting and picking for individuals across the United States. Everyone either collects something or they know someone who does.
Everyone has their own story behind why they collect what they do. Often collections connect people to a period or time that they feel strongly about. This is why many collect nostalgic items that remind them of and allow them to relive their childhood. For example, at last year’s Extravaganza Expo, there was a man who purchased a farm bell because it reminded him of the special times that he spent at his grandparents when he was growing up. There was also a woman who was at the Expo who was looking for a Tip Cola bottle because she remembered enjoying these drinks back in the 1940s, and this bottle she was searching for had to have “Edgefield, SC” on it because that was her home town. Others collect items that indicate a specific interest. Vintage duck decoys were among some of the favorite Expo purchases last year of a young couple who were decorating their first home with hunting décor.
You name it; someone collects it: old toys, cast iron, antique and vintage furniture, vintage tools, head vases, old bottles, pottery, primitives, vintage bicycles, gas and oil memorabilia, advertising signs, and the list goes on. Often collecting is a quest, a lifelong pursuit of these types of items the collector is passionate about.
Not only do collectors enjoy the hunt for their passion, they also relish good conversation with life-long collectors as well as those just thinking about starting a collection. These conversations include talk about what they collect or want to collect, the best places to go to hunt for additions to their collections, their most prized piece in their collection, and even the one that got away.
It doesn’t matter what you are passionate about, what your collections consist of, or if you just want to find something special for your home or man cave, you are sure to have good conversation with other lookers, shoppers, collectors, and vendors both local and even states away, while experiencing the thrill of the hunt at the 2nd annual Extravaganza Expo at Saluda Pickers. This year’s Expo will take place October 19–20 at 605 Johnston Hwy, Saluda.