Archive for November 2019

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (November 26, 2019) – On Monday, December 2nd, Anderson County will begin to gradually lower the water level at Broadway Lake.  The lake level is expected to be 5½ feet below full pool by Friday, December 8th for enhancements. The public will have access to facilities during this period.

The water level being lowered will allow for the replacement of the deteriorated sea wall at Haynie Park, as well as improvements to the courtesy dock at McFalls Landing.

Belk Construction of Anderson will build the sea wall project at Haynie Park project.  Belk Construction has completed several water-based recreation projects for the County.

Additionally, during this time the County will tear down three county-owned structures at Broadway Lake.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Glenn Brill, PRT Director

                                    864.760.5928

NEWS RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

JOSEPH OPAGER

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

o: 612.337.1989 c: 218.434.0748

e: joseph.opager@flwfishing.com

twitter: @joeopager

www.flwfishing.com

 FLW ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE, RULES AND ENTRY DATE FOR 2020 FLW COLLEGE FISHING PRESENTED BY YETI

Winning Team at FLW College Fishing National Championship Advances to the FLW Series Championship to Compete as Pros, Second, Third and Fourth-place Teams Advance to the BFL All-American to Compete as Boaters

BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2019) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced Thursday the schedule, rules and entry dates for the 2020 FLW College Fishing presented by YETI season, highlighted by the FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida, and advancement opportunities for anglers to compete in the Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American and the FLW Series Championship. All teams also now have the freedom to add as many nonconference tournaments to their schedule as they like.

Both members of the winning team at the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship will advance to the 2020 FLW Series Championship where they will compete for a top prize of $200,000. Both members of the second, third and fourth-place teams will advance to the 2020 BFL All-American to compete as boaters where they are guaranteed $1,500 plus a shot at winning the top prize of $100,000. Both members of the fifth and sixth-place teams advance to the 2020 All-American to compete as co-anglers where they are guaranteed $750 plus a shot at winning $50,000. Additionally, each angler finishing in the top 10 at the 2020 National Championship receives priority entry into the 2021 FLW Series.

Each regular-season tournament, the FLW College Fishing Open and the FLW College Fishing National Championship will feature FLW Live weigh-in coverage. The National Championship will also receive national television coverage.

FLW will continue to recognize top performing schools with FLW College Fishing School of the Year titles, awarded to the top overall school of the season as well as the top school from each of five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament. The school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season win. School of the Year points are only awarded for in-conference tournaments.

“Opening up conferences for participation by nonconference teams was a request several schools had this season, so we are glad to extend this opportunity to all teams in 2020,” said Kevin Hunt, FLW Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “This change will allow teams the opportunity to travel and fish incredible lakes and rivers that are not in their conference. It also gives teams more chances to qualify for the National Championship while maintaining the prestige of our conference and overall School of the Year titles.”

Registration for teams wanting to compete in the 2020 FLW College Fishing tournaments is now open. Teams can register atFLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000. The entry fee is unchanged for 2020 at $75 per team for teams entering prior to onsite check-in. The onsite entry fee is $100 per team.

FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open. The 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship is on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida, Feb. 26-28, and is hosted by Lake County, Florida.

FLW College Fishing tournaments in the Central, Northern, Southern and Southeastern conferences will continue to be held on Fridays to allow colleges to network with prospective students participating in FLW’s increasingly popular Bass Pro Shops High School Fishing Opens held Saturday in conjunction with each tournament. Western conference tournaments will take place on Saturdays with High School Fishing tournaments following on Sundays. 

2020 FLW College Fishing presented by YETI Schedule:

FLW College Fishing Open

• March 17-18                       Kentucky Lake                  Gilbertsville, Ky.

Central Conference

• March 6                              Table Rock Lake                Branson, Mo.
• May 29                               Mississippi River                La Crosse, Wis.
• Sept. 11                              Ohio River                         Paducah, Ky.

Northern Conference

• April 17                               Smith Mountain Lake         Huddleston, Va.
• July 31                                Lake Erie                            Sandusky, Ohio
• Sept. 25                              Chesapeake Bay                Edgewood, Md.

Southeastern Conference

• Feb. 7                                 Lake Seminole                   Bainbridge, Ga.
• April 24                               Lake Guntersville               Guntersville, Ala.
• Oct. 16                                Lake Hartwell                     Anderson, S.C.

Southern Conference

• March 27                            Fort Gibson Lake                Wagoner, Okla.
• Oct. 2                                  Ouachita River                   Monroe, La.
• Nov. 13                               Sam Rayburn Reservoir     Brookeland, Texas

Western Conference

• March 14                            Lake Havasu                      Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
• May 2                                 California Delta                   Bethel Island, Calif.
• Sept. 26                              Clear Lake                          Lakeport, Calif.

FLW College Fishing National Championship

• Feb. 26-28                          Harris Chain of Lakes         Leesburg, Fla.

2020 FLW College Fishing presented by YETI Payouts:

FLW College Fishing Open

(Open to teams from all conferences)

Place                                 Club                            

1                             $30,000 premium 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard

Top 20 teams advance to the 2021 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 200 competing.

 Qualifiers

(Open to teams from all conferences. Nonconference teams do not earn School of the Year points.)

Place                                 Club                            

1                                    $2,000

2                                      1,000

3                                         500

4                                         500

5                                         500                                                                

Top 10 teams advance to the 2021 National Championship. One additional team advances for every 10 teams over 100 competing.

2020 National Championship – No Entry Fee                                

Place                                 Club + Anglers

1         $30,000 premium 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard + 2020 FLW Series Championship entries 

2                                       5,000 + 2020 BFL All-American as boaters

3                                       4,000 + 2020 BFL All-American as boaters

4                                       3,000 + 2020 BFL All-American as boaters

5                                       2,000 + 2020 BFL All-American as co-anglers

6                                        2020 BFL All-American as co-anglers

Complete rules for the 2020 FLW College Fishing presented by YETI program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.

FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW programming expands in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

# # #

Joseph Opager | Director of Communications | FLW | joseph.opager@flwfishing.com
office 612.337.1989 | cell 218.434.0748 | 12460 160th St., Milaca MN 56353
Follow us: facebook | twitter | youtube | instagram | flwfishing.com

Kevin Hunt | Senior Director of Tournament Operations, CF/HS | FLW | Kevin.Hunt@flwfishing.com
office 270.252.1593 | cell 270.205.5155 | 30 Gamble Lane, Benton KY 42025
Follow us: facebook | twitter | youtube | instagram | flwfishing.com

The 2019/20 Palmetto Boat Center High School Tournament Trail will visit Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC on Saturday, November 23, 2019.  Blast off will be approximately 6:45 am.  Weigh in for middle school teams will begin at 1:30 pm.  High School teams will start at 3:00 pm.  The event will be held at the Green Pond Landing & Event Center, which is located at 470 Old Green Pond Road, Anderson, SC 29625.  The event is free to the public.

This event was originally scheduled for October 19, 2019, but was rescheduled due to weather. 

“We are expecting 175 boats for this weekend’s tournament, which equates to 350 students and 175 volunteer adult captains” said Marty Walker, Tournament Director and owner of Palmetto Boat Center.  High School fishing in the Upstate has grown to the point we had to create two divisions.  Last season we had 375 unique teams that fished the trail.  We are easily the largest tournament trail in the state of South Carolina, and one of the largest student trails in the country.” 

The student anglers will be competing for the heaviest five bass limit, and for an array of prizes, including a $2,000 scholarship to the winning team.  This scholarship is sponsored by the Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center located at 5503 SC-24, Anderson, SC 2962.  Joey Bagwell, owner of Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center, said “It is great to see these kids out on the lake fishing, and spending time outdoors.”

The event is sponsored by Palmetto Boat Center, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Shimano Fishing, Nitro Performance Bass Boats, Phoenix Bass Boats, Tracker Off Road, Mercury Marine, Visit Anderson, Anderson County Parks & Recreation Department, and the Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center. 

Hosting this weekend’s event are the fishing clubs of Dorman High School and Pickens High School.  Coach Ryan Switzer from Dorman said “We (Dorman) are super excited to be coming back down to beautiful Lake Hartwell and utilizing the top-notch facilities at the Green Pond Landing and Event Center.   Hopefully the weather will cooperative and teams will have an outstanding and productive day on the water.  Rain or shine, it’s going to be fun watching a lot of these teams dragging heavy bags to the scales!  Looking forward to a great day at Lake Hartwell!”  Additionally, Coach Kevin McCurry from Pickens High School said “Competitive Bass Fishing is one of the fastest growing sports in high school right now. This sport provides so many great opportunities for these young anglers and also allows us a chance to be positive influences in their lives. The Palmetto Boat Center High School Tournament Trail has grown exponentially in the last few years, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. I look forward to seeing what these young men and women bring to the scales this weekend on Hartwell.”

“These student anglers are the future of our sport,” said Walker.  “It’s amazing how this trail continues to grow.  We see new students participating each year.  We have teams from all over the upstate.”  Participants from the trail have advanced to college competition with schools such as Lander, Clemson, USC, and Emmanuel just to name a few.

The Palmetto Boat Center High School Tournament Trail was established in the fall of 2015 to create a large scale competitive environment for the high school fishing teams and clubs in South Carolina.  The trail filled the need for central coordination and operation of high school tournaments.  Too many times, teams were scheduling tournaments at the same time as another school, which reduced participation.  In our first full season we held seven tournaments, averaging 125 boats from over 25 high schools in South Carolina. 

Now in our fifth full season, the trail consists of eight regular season tournaments, four each in two divisions.  A middle school division exists to encourage participation from younger competitors.  The teams compete for points in each tournament to determine the Anglers of the Year and the School of the Year.  The top teams from each division also have the opportunity to qualify for the end of season three day “Classic” tournament which is an invitational event. 

Our regular season events are all sanctioned tournaments by South Carolina BASS Nation, as qualifying points event towards the BASS Nation High School National Championship.  In the summer of 2019, the trail sent seven teams to participate in the National Championship.

Media Contact(s):  

Neil Paul, Executive Director

Visit Anderson

O. (864)716-3660 M. (864)353-9819

neil@visitanderson.com

Marty Walker, Palmetto Boat Center

864-283-0198 direct

www.palmettoboatcenter.com

Belton-At the Fifth Annual BAMA Turkey Shoot, you can enjoy great food, tests of skill, good old-fashioned competition and possibly take home your Thanksgiving dinner!

On Nov. 23, come visit Toney Creek Plantation for target shooting at its best.  The plantation is located out Hwy. 247, and sits on acreage owned by the same family for 200 years!

Registration begins at 8:30 AM at the scenic upland hunting preserve.  The last shoot will be around 1 pm.   Hosted by the Belton Area Museum Association, the event is free to attend, thanks to the presenting sponsor Sportsman’s Warehouse.

 “Young and old are invited to participate in this old-fashioned event,” said Abigail Burden, BAMA Executive Director.

Participants can purchase turkey targets for $5 to $10 and engage in over 10 contests to win great prizes. Entrants will use shotguns to see who can hit a pellet closest to the center of the target.  Ammo and guns will be provided or you may bring your own gun.

There is no limit to the number of targets participants can purchase.

Several great prizes are being offered per round, and winners will take home meat prizes such as turkeys, sausage, and hams and other hunting related prizes like CWP class passes, decoys and calls, shooting range items, Yeti buckets, a sportsman’s grill, a name-brand cooler, promotional items, and gift certificates. 

In the children’s division, those from 8 – 12 years of age can purchase a turkey target too.  The targets will be set up at a shorter distance. 

“Even if you don’t want to participate in the turkey shoot, there are still lots of fun things to do at the event, including games and crafts for kids and food, of course,” stated Burden. 

The event will start off with a farmhouse breakfast.  A full course meal consisting of biscuits,  sausage, eggs, grits, and coffee/juice is available for purchase of $8.  Toney Creek Plantation will begin serving at 8:30 AM.

Mid-day the Mercantile of Belton will be serving up its famous hotdog plates.  Beginning at 11:30 am, plates will be sold for $8.00 per person, consisting of two hot dogs, slaw, chips, southern pecan pie, bottled water, soft drink or tea.  

Other sponsors of the event include Vulcan Materials Company, McCall’s Produce, Ingles, Bi-Lo, Dr. Jarod Haggard, Anderson County,  AgPro, the National Wild Turkey Federation, ACE Hardware of Belton and Williamston,  and B and B Gun and Pawn.

All proceeds benefit the Belton Area Museum Association in support of their operational expenses and educational programming.

“Like” the Belton Area Museum Association on Facebook and check out the newest events and information.  You can also find us at www.beltonmuseum.com.   

Toney Creek Plantation is located at 155 Toney Creek Road, Belton, SC. 

Please call Abigail Burden, BAMA Executive Director, at 338-7400 for more information.

See you at the Turkey Shoot!

    The 26th Annual Anderson Christmas Lights in Anderson SC, operated by the Anderson Lights of Hope, will open Thanksgiving Night at 5:30pm. We are excited to announce more traditional light displays, and a better interactive Village.  Crafts, food, Santa, Mrs. Claus, live entertainment, carriage rides and more await

visitors to this family tradition in the Upstate.  The amazing part of this event is it is run by all volunteers, nobody gets a paycheck. The funds collected at the front gate go back to the partnering charities that help us with the project. 

 

What does Anderson Lights of Hope do the rest of the year?

 

The Upstate Regional Drill Championships – March 7, 2020 will be the 7th year of JROTC excellence.  Drill teams from three states come to T. L. Hanna in Anderson SC to compete for scholarships and trophies.

 

Summer Tool School – June 1 – Aug 15.  Teaches Jr & Senior high schools the skills to build things, learn how to operate tools, learn the fundamentals of electricity, plumbing and other important life skills. Most when they come have never picked up a tool or had to read a tape measure, but you will be surprised at their skills when they are done.

 

Our Giving Back to Veteran’s program – We take the students from the Summer Tool School and go to veteran’s homes to do basic repair.  Last year we replaced windows, built ramps, put in new lights and smoke detectors. All at no charge to the veteran.

 

Students from Anderson University, Clemson University are running our marketing programs, volunteer programs, and business office. These are seniors on their final project for their degrees. 

 

Anderson Lights of Hope is truly not just Christmas Lights.  But it is our biggest fundraiser and attraction in the Upstate. People come from all over to this event. Below is the information about this years event.

 

Website:  Home Page | Anderson Christmas Lights | Anderson University Marketing

 

Facebook:  Anderson Christmas Lights

 

 

Open everyday Thanksgiving – Christmas

Gates open at 5:30 pm and Close at 10 pm.

Admission is $10 per car, $20 for 15 passenger vans, $50 for bus.

The Village is open Nov 29 – Dec 23

Located across the street from the Anderson Civic Center.

 

Google: Anderson Christmas Lights for directions

ATAX provided by City of Anderson

 

 

Ben Phillips

Anderson Lights of Hope 

Director

(864)933-2547

ANDERSON, S.C. — Lake Hartwell will host its fourth B.A.S.S. championship event in the last four years with the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Nov. 6-8.

The 56,000-acre lake situated along the South Carolina/Georgia border was the site of the 2015 and 2018 Bassmaster Classics and the 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

“It is a great fishery and it should be good that time of the year,” B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart said. “The biggest thing, though, is it has great facilities and a community that is a big B.A.S.S. supporter and wants us to be there.”

The championship field includes the top boater and nonboater from each state — determined by three regional championships — along with qualifiers from 11 foreign countries affiliated with the B.A.S.S. Nation.

The full field will fish the first two days, and a nonboater champion will be crowned after the second-day weigh-in. Fishing on the final day will be the Top 10 boaters and the nonboater champion, along with the Top 2 boaters from each region who failed to make the Top 10 and any nonboater who had enough weight to have finished in the Top 10 on the boater’s side.

The Top 3 finishers from the Nation Championship earn berths in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk to be held March 6-8, 2020, weigh-ins in Birmingham and fishing at Lake Guntersville. The overall winner of the Nation Championship will also receive an invitation to fish the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series.

Nation Championship contenders can expect to catch Hartwell bass a variety of ways, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Cobb.

“Early November is kind of a strange time at Hartwell,” Cobb said. “Bass should be biting decent, but it is kind of the time of the year anything you want to do can work. It is just a matter of getting the right bites.”

Warmer-than-usual fall weather has kept Hartwell bass from following their typical fall routines.

“Normally, we are looking at a lot of fish getting bait-oriented, moving off the bank and following the bait around. But it has been so hot this year everything is a little hung up,” Cobb said.

The South Carolina pro predicts lots of bass will still be shallow in the creeks, so power lures such as spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits will be productive.

“I think there will be a lot of guys junk fishing, just covering water down the bank catching largemouth,” Cobb said.

Nation contenders can also try a deep pattern, especially if cold weather arrives before the Championship.

Cobb suggests they can catch a mixed bag of spotted and largemouth bass in clear water drop shotting finesse worms.

“I actually look for spots to play more if it gets colder,” he said. “The biggest spotted bass will be in depths of 20 to 30 feet.”

The best spotted bass fishing will be from the mid-section of the lake to the dam area, while largemouth bass can be caught anywhere at Hartwell. “One good thing about Hartwell that I truly believe is if somebody can put a pattern together, they could win on any part of the lake,” Cobb said.

The lake level has been dropping the last couple months, which Cobb considers good news for the Nation contenders. Cobb notices bass are easier to target when Hartwell is low, so he expects better weights for the championship.

“Hartwell has a lot of 3- to 3 1/2-pound fish but it is not a true giant fish lake,” said Cobb, who estimates the winning weight will be around 45 to 47 pounds.

Visit Anderson will be the host for this year’s Nation Championship.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with our friends at B.A.S.S. and host the Nation Championship again in our community, which will generate a significant economic impact for Anderson County, Green Pond Landing and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, Visit Anderson executive director. “When you consider that this grass-roots event will feature anglers from 47 states and 11 foreign nations, the Nation Championship provides the ultimate platform for anglers to pursue the biggest bass on the biggest stage and to realize the biggest dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic.”

https://www.bassmaster.com/news/bass-nation-championship-returning-lake-hartwell

###

Media Contact:    Neil Paul, Executive Director

Visit Anderson

1. (864)716-3660 M. (864)353-9819

neil@visitanderson.com

Civil War Reenactments Saturday (11/2) and Sunday (11/3) at 3pm

Anderson, SC (October 31, 2019) – Denver Downs Farm, located in Anderson, SC, will host their annual Military Weekend on Nov. 1- 3, 2019, which features exciting re-enactments of several wars, including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Vietnam, and both World Wars. A real-life encampment is also on-site, which will include ladies dressed up from the 1800s. War reenactments consist of men dressed in period clothing for the Civil War, horses carrying soldiers, and men manning battlelines, shooting rifles, and firing cannons. Photos of previous reenactments here.

The Military Timeline Weekend combines both the farm’s heritage and U.S. military heritage. WD Garrison, a Civil War veteran, is the great-grandfather of Catherine Garrison Davis, a co-owner of Denver Downs. He bought the farm in 1869. His grandson, T. Ed Garrison, Jr., was part of the “War Class” from 1942 class of Clemson College and was a Bomber Pilot in the South Pacific during World War II.   

“Of all the themed weekends we host ever season, this is not only one of my favorites, but a favorite weekend for all our guests,” said Catherine Garrison Davis, co-owner of Denver Downs. “Our guests can see history in action and experience something totally unique and memorable.”

For school groups, as well as families and homeschoolers, an Education Day will take place on Friday, November 1st from 10 am – 3 pm, with timeline displays, talks with reenactors and of course, all the barnyard activities and corn maze at the farm. Reservations not required to attend.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Fall Festival/ Military Timeline Weekend will continue and Civil War reenactments will take place at 3pm each day. The encampment areas and displays for each of the war eras will be open Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 1pm-6pm. Farm activities open until 10pm.

Denver Downs, a family-owned and operated farm since 1869, was named the fourth best corn maze in the nation by USA Today for 2019. Their pumpkin patch has ranked the best one in South Carolina by Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping and Southern Living Magazine.

In addition to 10-acre corn maze, there are pumpkins, hayrides, there are 35 fun barnyard activities (zipline, jumping pillow, haybarn play, new ropes course, farm animals, pig races), live music, and bonfires.  This year’s maze theme is “Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Moon Walk.”

.

Denver Downs Fall Festival is open this season -every day now until Sunday, November 17, 2019.

For more information go to www.denverdownsfarm.com. For interviews or photos please contact Catherine at 843-297-0140 or Catherine@denverdownsfarm.com.