Not to steal the thunder from one of my favorite writers, Chris Haulsee (I'm a fan of both "The Warren Report" and his "A View From The Cheap Seats" columns), but I have some good news to report from Lake Warren State Park.
While everything has to start small, Saturday's Day By The Lake was a big success in many ways.
First of all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning, getting out by the lake and enjoying beautiful Hampton County weather.
Secondly, folks of all ages came out to the lake and got a little closer to nature. We had over a dozen people enjoy the Nature Walk, catching glimpses of seldom seen birds and learning just a little more about the plants and wildlife around them. But the kids loved the two snakes we came across the best (don't worry, the reptiles weren't moving around too much).
The Bike Rodeo was cool, and it made this big kid want to dust off the old mountain bike and take it for a spin.
And we did some other good things for the park. Thanks to you, Hampton County, A Day By The Lake raised enough money to make a nice donation to the local state park. The event also highlighted the work of several of our local artists, who found time to come out and enjoy the morning with us.
By the way, the winners of our raffle were Eloise Stanley, John Rhoden, William Thomas, and Marjorie Bennett. In case you're not by the phone, come on down and collect your prizes, folks.
We also gave a boost to the Lake Warren Junior Ranger program, signing up four new Junior Rangers: Cassie Brown, Bryson Latham, Claire Henderson, and Alex Jarrell.
The Day By The Lake photo contest also drew several aspiring photographers to the shores of Lake Warren prior to the event, and the winners of our photo contest were:
First Place Youth Photo - Cassie Brown
1st Place Adult Photo: Amanda DeLoach
2nd Place Adult Photo: Gina Graham
3rd Place Adult Photo: Lori Stanley
Local painter Joanne Phillips, who won first place in the adult art contest with her painting of the Lake Warren Community Building, was generous enough to frame her entry and donate it to the state park.
And thanks to the generosity of several local businesses and agencies, almost everyone who attended walked away with a door prize. Which reminds me, there are a few folks who helped make the day possible that we need to thank:
Lake Warren State Park staff Robert Dinkins and David Baker, Carroll Richards, Jerry Hatcher, Kate Freeman and Freeman's Awards, Murphy Winn, Joanne Phillips, Jen DeLoach of Southern Girl Studio, Marlena Montaney, Hampton County Recreation Department, Hampton County Soil and Water Conservation District, Hampton County 4-H, Hampton County Recycling, the S.C. Forestry Commission, State Farm Insurance, Palmetto Electric Coop, Rebecca Crane and the Wade Hampton Ecology and Garden clubs, Mouzon Fabrics, and the Hampton County Rotary Club.
I also want to thank everyone who took the time to visit their local state park Saturday.
Lake Warren is the perfect place to commune with nature, whether it be to fish or hike or bird watch or canoe or just ride a bike or fly a kite. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. And take a friend or family member.
See you at the lake!