What’s happening in Newberry?

“We have seen more COVID patients at NCMH, and we are seeing younger people,” said Brenda Williams of Newberry County Memorial Hospital. Nationally, 80-90% of hospitalized COVID patients are unvaccinated. Vaccines are available daily in Newberry, including at CVS, Doctors Care, Lorex, Lovelace, Walgreens, Walmart and the Health Department on Wilson Road.

“This is great we’re having so many ribbon-cuttings. Business seems to be doing well,” said Liz MacDonald of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce at the ribbon-cutting of Newberry Consignments and Antiques, a neat, new store at 1100 Caldwell Street beside The Gallery and owned by Linda Rollins.

Munson Music and Books is now open at 1209 Main Street with owners Munson and Kira Summer offering music lessons in-person and on Skype and selling books from local authors. Munson can teach lessons for any instrument—wow—and they’ve built an impressive stage in their store.

Quilt Werks will open soon and sell quilting supplies at 1505 Main Street, next to the Ritz Theater. Kristina Long will open Berry Patch Boutique in the Carpenter Building at 1220 Main on Oct. 1, offering womens’ boutique clothing brands and accessories. Kristina has built a successful online business since 2017 at www.shoptheberrypatchboutique.com.

On Wilson Road, Popeyes recently began construction on a new restaurant, which means the popular Popeyes chicken sandwich is coming to Newberry. And after stopping construction at the start of the pandemic, Huddle House says they have a new general contractor who should re-start construction on the Huddle House on Wilson Road fairly soon.

“The winner of the Municipal Association of South Carolina Joseph P. Riley Award for Economic Development is the City of Newberry for its broadband fiber project,” said MASC president Cornelius Huff. We were proud to accept the statewide award for the city’s highly successful fiber to the home project, which was completed with our partner WC Fiber.

Other successful city government efforts this summer included the Gully Washer Splash Park, which hosted approximately 10,000 patrons this summer. And the city utility department held a ribbon-cutting for its new three-million-gallon water tank on Airport Road, increasing the water storage supply for Newberry residents and businesses.

SCDOT announced they will close the Boundary Street bridge on Sept. 13, and a new bridge will be built over the next two years. DOT originally said in 2013 they would close that bridge permanently and not replace it. But, a large crowd of citizens and local government officials gathered at a DOT hearing at the county library in March 2013 to express their disagreement. DOT changed their mind, re-grouped and will now build a new bridge, thankfully.

There’s good news for the future when trying to turn left at the I-26 ramp when returning from Columbia. Based on a new traffic study, DOT says they will add signal lights at both I-26 ramps at 219, exiting from Columbia and Spartanburg. That project will start in the next 4-6 months, said Nick Rebovich of DOT, and we are grateful.

“We feel the support of the community for the National Guard in Newberry,” said the full-time guardsman at an event at the Newberry Armory this summer. “For example, by rule we can’t accept anyone’s offer to pay for our meals if we’re at restaurants. But, I’ve had more people in Newberry anonymously pay for our meals than anywhere I’ve ever been, and I’ve been assigned to armories all over the state.”

A spirit of remembrance and community continues strong in Newberry this fall. On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., the Newberry Museum will hold a tribute on Sept. 11 to First Responders with many displays and will continue the special exhibit through Oct. 9. Thursday, Jimmie Coggins of WKDK will interview Newberry citizens Christie Whitaker and Joe Palmer, both of whom were in New York shortly after 9/11, for their reflections.

The popular Newberry Ag Expo and Rodeo is this weekend, and the local committee is working hard in preparation. The Newberry Opera House has a new, exciting schedule, and the Newberry Art Center has numerous fun classes. The Wolves football home opener is Saturday as Newberry College takes on North Greenville.

Finally, with many people cooking-out, I heard the following cooking advice at a large barbecue fundraiser this summer. An older man approached one of the large cooking grills and asked the head cook, his son-in-law, to raise the grill so he could see the spread. “No, sir,” the head cook said. “‘Cause if you looking, it isn’t cooking.”

Thank you for all you are doing.