Hidden AcresCabins willpresent theMarion County5-Alarm OutdoorBeach MusicFestival on June30. The festival isa fundraiser forall county firedepartments. Gates open at5 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased from any MarionCounty Fire Department and are $15 pre-saleand $20 at the gate. Visit Hiddenacrescabin.comfor information. Find the 5-Alarm Beach MusicFestival on Facebook to see who is attending! Performing will be Jim Quick and CoastlineBand and the Tim Clark Band.

City of Marion officials andlocal high school footballcoaches have announced plansfor the David Bennett FootballCamp sponsored by AndersonBrothers Bank.

The free camp, for players8-14 years old, will run Tues-

day, Wednesday and Thursday,from 8:30-noon, June 26-28, atthe Green Street RecreationPark. Marion County prep foot-ball coaches, along with thepossibility of appearances fromformer Coastal Carolina footballplayers and current NFL play-ers, will help with the camp.

Bennett, the 2010 Big SouthCoach of the Year, most recentlyspent 10 seasons building theCoastal Carolina UniversityChanticleer football program.His teams have earned threeconsecutive Big South Confer-ence championships, 2004,2005 and 2006. Fiveformer players are in the NFL.

Bennett said the camp is toinspire kids to become “betterkids, better citizens, betterfriends, better students and allof that comes before being anathlete. Then one day that willtranspire to being a good profes-sional, good husband and goodfather. I think that’s why we’reall here.”

Berry said he knew high

school football coaching staffsin the county would help be-cause of their commitment tothe youth and their develop-ment in the sport. Pee DeeAcademy Golden Eagles headcoach Splinter Spivey said“Bringing the kids of the com-

munity together, I think, isgoing to be a neat thing to do.”Mullins High School Auction-eers defensive coordinatorJimmy Vereen said the idea of afootball camp is a great summeractivity, giving young playerssomething to do.

Marion High School SwampFoxes head coach Don Cribbwas happy to have the campnear the team’s practice field.“It’s just a great opportunity toshow the community that weare about our young people,”Cribb said. Creek Bridge HighSchool athletic director LeonSturkey said there is value ingetting kids involved in some-thing early and that teachingthe fundamentals of football isgoing to help future county foot-ball programs.

Anderson Brothers Bank isunderwriting the football campand the Fellowship of ChristianAthletes will be providing volun-teer coaches as well. Registra-tion ends June 19. Forinformation call (843) 423-5410.

The City of Marion, South Carolina

Swamp F o Scene

x

A FREE monthly news magazine for the ciizensand visitors of the Swamp Fox City

Volume 3, Issue 1 June 2012

ABB sponsors 2012 youth football campDavid Bennett to head 3-day program

Area prep coaches, city officials and Coach David Bennet meet to dis-cuss the June 26-28 football camp in Marion. For details and to register,call 843-423-5410. Deadline to register is June 19.

Story & Photo by Naeem McFadden, Star & Enterprise

‘5-Alarm’ fundraiser set to help firefighters

Individuals,Individuals,businessesbusinessessupport support downtowndowntownbeautificationbeautificationeffortsefforts

Seventeen planters, such as the ones shown above,have been purchased by individuals and placed alongMain Street by Olde Towne Marion and the MarionGarden Club Council.

Marion MusicClub awardsScholarship

Many in Marion maynot be aware that there isa Music Club. Additionally,that club awards a musicscholarship.

Congratulations toMary Klauber, recipient ofthe Marion Music ClubScholarship for 2012.

Mary, shown below, isthe daughter of Dr.Thomasand BethKlauber.She has asister,Caroline.

Mary isa leader ofthe juniorclass atPee Dee Academy andholds the office ofSecretary-Treasurer of herclass. She participates inthe School Chorus and is aCheerleader. Membershipin The Anchor Club allowsher to serve the school andthe community.

As an active member ofFirst United MethodistChurch, Mary is involvedin the Youth Program andhas attended Salkehatchieeach of the past two sum-mers. She enjoys dancing,running and swimming.

Her scholarship wasbased on her performanceas she auditioned indance, specifically“pointe.” Mary has stud-ied dance under EmmalynDavis for the past 10years.

The Marion Music Clubawards a scholarship eachyear to a deserving studentwho chooses to further hisor her musicality throughcontinued study of music.Mary will also continue herlessons in dance.

For more informationabout the Marion MusicClub, call Mrs. WalterDavis at 843-423-5858.

The City of Marion selectedFirefighter John Richardsonas its April 2012 Employee ofthe Month.

John has served the citi-zens of Marion County as avolunteer firefighter for thepast 11 years and was hiredby the Fire Department as afull time engineer in October2011.

Also a member of theMarion Rescue Squad, he isactive in the Fire Department’spublic education and fire pre-vention programs, going intoschools and working with chil-dren. The Mayor and Councilrecognized John for his contri-butions to the City of Marionduring the May 8 CouncilMeeting. John is shown at left.

Page 2 Visit the City of Marion online at www.marionsc.gov June 2012

THECITY’SNEWS .............................City selects firefighter asApril’s Employee of the Month

Patrolman Andy Ellis

Departmentannouncesnew hire

The Marion Police De-partment gained a new of-ficer in May, PatrolmanAndy Ellis. Andy was hiredby the department in Jan-uary 2012 and then at-tended the South CarolinaCriminal Justice Academy.He graduated on May 11.

The Fair Bluff native,his wife Heather and theirtwo children, have beenresidents of Marion for thepast five years.

Police Chief Jim Graysaid he is looking forwardto working with officerEllis.

“His employment helpsto bring us to full capacityso we can better serve ourcitizens,” he added.

Intern helping out at City HallThis summer, the Marion

area is welcoming eight internsfrom Duke University throughits Benjamin N. DukeScholarship.

The interns are living inMarion County at DW Outdoorsfor 10 weeks. This is the fourthyear the program has placedstudents in the county. They areworking with various groups,such as Hope Health Clinic andPee Dee Coalition in Florenceand the Mullins-based WildlifeAction.

The City of Marion is pleasedto introduce Priyang Shah, an intern working in the Grants-Publicist’s office with Dianne Owens on grant-writing andpublicity for the City. Priyang, shown above at right, is alsoworking with Gene Tucker at the Marion County HealthcareFoundation and with Rodney Berry at the County’s Eco-nomic Development office.

In his first days on the job with the City Priyang hasmade updates to the City’s website and Facebook pages.

Employees complete training, participate in runIn November 2010, as part of the City’s employee wellness plan, employees

were encouraged to paricipate in the Couch-to-5K fitness training programdesigned to get people prepared to walk or run in a 5K (3.1 miles). Severalemployees paricipated in that program andcompeted in the first Historic Marion RunFest inFebruary 2011. The program was coninued andin November 2011 a Couch-to-10K (6.2 miles)component was added. Several employeesagain paricipated in the second Historic Mar-ion RunFest. Following that event, city employ-ees Dianne Owens and Elizabeth Ficik (shown atright) completed Half-Marathon (13.1 miles)training and recently paricipated in a run in North Myrtle Beach. Elizabeth fin-ished the race in under two hours and Dianne finished in under three. Anyoneinterested in learning more about the fitness training programs should seeElizabeth, the City’s personnel director and wellness program coordinator.

THECOMMUNITY’S

NEWS ......................

The Swamp Fox Scene is the City of Marion’s freemonthly news magazine forcitizens and visitors of the Swamp Fox City, Marion, South Carolina. Printed by HeraldMulti-forms in Dillon, city employees produce and distribute the newspaper. TheMarion Chamber and HMRA help pay printing costs. Call Mayor Rodney Berry or CityAdministrator Alan Ammons at 843-423-5961 for more information.

Questionsabout your water or sewer bill?Call Grand Strand Waterand Sewer Authority at (843) 765-4539

or visit them in City Hall on Main Street.

Visit Olde Towne Marion

online @ www.theswampfox.com

Discover

the Marion Chamber’s

Facebook page ...Also on Facebook are

The City of Marion and

the Farmers Market

& Market Place!

NEED HELP WITH CITY SERVICES?Call City Hall, 843-423-5961, unless otherwise noted, and one of the following

will be able to point you in the right direction ... Mayor Rodney Berry, 843-423-8235City Administrator, Building Official Alan Ammons, Ext. 19City Clerk Pam Jones, Ext. 10City Treasurer Patricia Brown, Ext. 18Municipal Court Clerk Heather Evans, 843-423-8616Personnel, Purchasing Director Elizabeth Ficik, 843-423-8614 Planning & Zoning Admin Assistant Vickie Nichols, Ext. 11Recreation Admin Assistant Cheryl Askins, 423-5410

Page 3 Visit the City of Marion online at www.marionsc.gov June 2012

June 2ndSaturday, 10 a.m., Marion County Tech-nical Education Center, U.S. Highway76: Marion County’s Health Carnival &Job Fair ... FREE! Everyone is welcome.June 5thTuesday, 6 p.m., Book Club, Meetingin “Lunch” on Dozier Street. FirstTuesday of each month. Call Carolat 423-7000 for details.

June 12thTuesday, 6:30p.m., City Coun-

cil (Second Tues-day of the Month),

Council Chambers,City Hall, 107 S. Main

Street.June 22nd

Friday, 7 p.m., Mullins Downtown Livepresents a Local Talent Show in a freeconcert at the Historic Train Depot onMain Street. Call 464-6651 for details.

June 30thSaturday, 7 p.m. 5-Alarm Beach

Music Festival at Hidden Acres; Advancetickets $15; At the gate, $20; Call Donnyat 430-0332 for more information.FOODs & FILMs ... Contact Brian Nolan at 250-4322 aboutMarion’s Foodie group or Film Club,sponsored by the Arts Council of MarionCounty and follow the groups on Face-book ... >>>> Meetings for the Citizens AdvisoryCommittee have been suspended for thesummer. Next meeting is September 10.

JUNE30Keep up with what’s going on around Marion!

........................................................................COMINGUP!

Gov. Nikki Haley and her OriginalSix Foundation are showcasing Marionon June 2 at the Marion County Techni-cal Education Center on U.S. Highway76 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The special day, focusing on healthissues and jobs, is open to all. The Foun-dation hopes to help match families and

organizations that have resources toshare with families and organizationswith needs, crossing traditional bound-aries in the state. The group is as astatewide initiative to help provide thetools and resources needed for dis-tressed communities to grow economi-cally. To learn more about the

Governor’s Foundation, visit www.TheO-riginalSixFoundation.org.

There will be exercise demonstra-tions, free food, health screenings,games, prizes and fun for the whole fam-ily, organizers say. Also, on-site resumepreparation and numerous potential em-ployers will be on hand.

MARION COUNTY DAY TO FEATURE HEALTH CARNIVAL AND JOB FAIR, JUNE 2

Section 1 of the Business and Profes-sional License Ordinance for the City ofMarion requires that every person en-gaged in any calling, business, occupa-tion or profession within the limits of theCity of Marion to renew the annual Busi-ness License fee and obtain a license.

The City of Marion Business LicenseRenewal Applications were mailed on

May 30 and the current business li-censes expire on June 30.

To get a 2012-13 Business License, acompleted renewal application andremittance must be received in the Cityof Marion Business License Departmentby July 31 to avoid a penalty.

Penalties for late payment will beassessed on Aug. 1and will increase

each month thereafter. Failure to receive a renewal notice

does not relieve the responsibility of thelicensee from obtaining a Business Li-cense.

If you have any questions please con-tact Pam Jones, City Clerk, in the Busi-ness License Department at843-423-5961.

Get to know your City Council

RODNEYBERRYMayor

Mayor RodneyBerry was electedto his first four-year term in April2009. His termends in April2013.

He can bereached at843-423-8235.

RONALDATKINSON

Mayor Pro TemDistrict 2Council mem-

ber Ronald Atkin-son was reelectedin April 2011.His term ends inApril 2015. Hecan be reachedby telephone at843-230-0072.

RALPHATKINSON

District 1Council

member RalphAtkinson wasreelected in April2011. His termends in April2015. He can bereached at843-250-0446.

BETSYATKINSON

District 3Council mem-

ber Betsy Atkin-son was electedin April 2009.Her term expiresin April 2013.She can bereached at843-430-1137.

BOBBYDAVIS

District 4Council mem-

ber Bobby Daviswas reelected inApril 2011. Histerm ends inApril 2015. Hecan be reachedby telephone at843-423-4655.

ODESSAGREGGDistrict 5Council

member OdessaGregg was electedin April 2011 tofill an open seat.Her term ends in2013. She can bereached at843-423-4847.

MICHAELBAKERDistrict 6Council mem-

ber MichaelBaker was re-elected in April2009. His termends in 2013. Hecan be reachedby telephone at843-597-3617.

City reminds business owners: License renewals are due

Plan now and have your summer party in a Recreation Department facility

Are you looking for a good place to have a birthday party,anniversary dinner or a cook out? We might have the rightplace for you. For an indoor venue, we have Watsonia andGrice’s Recreation Centers. For something outdoors, withplenty of running room for children, we have Pop DorseyPark. Anyone interested in these locations can call 843-423-5410 to check availability of each one.

Watsonia Recreation Center has senior aerobics and more

Senior Aerobics is offered at the Watsonia RecreationCenter on Recreation Avenue each Monday and Thursdayfrom 9:30-10:30am. The class is FREE of charge, but dona-tions are appreciated. There is plenty of room for newcom-ers, so come on out and join in! If you’re interested in thisclass, just come to a workout session and talk to AnnaBoatwright. Call Cheryl at 843-423-5410 for more details.

Family Day20122012Marion Recreaion had its firstFamily Day at the Green StreetSports Complex on May 11. At let,Freddie McEachern and city employ-ees Billy Thompson and Winky Fore,from let to right, chit chat while

cooking food for thefamilies and friendsgathered. Four gameswere played during theevening for the crowdto enjoy, along withplenty of food. At let, a catcher readies totoss the ball back to thepitcher. Below, childrenand adults enjoyed thecommunity ouing thatlasted from about 5:30unil 8:30 p.m.

Chamber recognizesYard of the Month

Page 4 Visit the City of Marion online at www.marionsc.gov June 2012

SPORTS & RECREATION .............................................

Get ready forGet ready forcool Pool Time!cool Pool Time!School is out and that

means it’s time for thepool to open at Grice’sRecreation Center!

Keep a look out formore information aboutthe openings and hours ofoperation for the city’spool. Rec Department em-ployees are putting the fin-ishing touches on the poolso it can be opened inearly June, pending DHECapproval.

Remember to leave ALLpersonal items (radios,ipods, cell phones, gameboys, etc.) at home. TheCity is not responsible foritems that get stolen orbroken during your visit tothe pool.

For more information,call the Pool House at 843-423-9391.

Mrs. Edna Murray and Mr. Walter Davis, 320 E. Dunlop Street, havebeen awarded the Marion Chamber of Commerce Yard of the Monthfor May 2012. The Chamber is proud to recognize those in our com-munity that work so diligently, and add so much to our community’sunique character. Mrs. Murray and Mr. Davis will be receiving a gitcerificate from Tru Green Nursery in recogniion of this honor.

Recreation plansSenior Bingotwice each month

Watsonia holds SeniorBingo the first and thirdThursday of each monthfrom 8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

We offer refreshmentsfor you to enjoy while play-ing bingo and there areprizes awarded with eachwinning bingo. We haveplenty of spots availablefor newcomers so pleasedon’t think it’s too late tojoin in on the fun!

Senior bingo is FREE toCity of Marion residents.

2012 FoxTrot brought thousands to city

Photo by Andrew Golden, Star & EnterpriseThe City of Marion comes alive in May each year when the FoxTrot Commitee plansand executes a two-day fesival. Several thousands visit, enjoying the food, rides,parade, peing zoo, exhibits and anique car show. For informaion about the Fesi-val, call Chuck at 843-423-9918.