Galleries
• Miss Greater Greer Photo booth
One of the first persons our staff met at the Greer Family Fest was Mili Seffrin, 8, who was at Creation Station at the woodworking section.
Mili was concentrating on her project and tapped in the final nails into the pieces of wood to finish the job. Mili picks up the story from here . . .
“I built this cross for my dog. He had to be put to sleep so I am going to put this where he is buried,” Mili said proudly.
And that’s why, for 31 years, it has been called the Greer Family Fest.
GREER IDOL PUSHING AUDITIONS: Robin Byouk said auditions are being extended by candidates sending a tape for entry to the callback but first calling 864-848-5383 or email here. About 20 teens and adults auditioned the past two days, three more sent tapes, with only one person failing to get a gold card for a callback. That was easy since the singer didn’t know any lyrics or chorus. Two men were squeezed in for an on-stage audition at the last minute and Isaih Mustafa, from Brooklyn, N.Y., made it into the field by auditioning behind the stage for two judges while a band was setting up for the next act.
FATHER-SON TIME: Hayden Keller, son of Greer Police officer Wes Keller, was concentrating putting his final paint strokes on the graffiti wall at the Depot. While Hayden was eyeing his finishing yellow and blue brush strokes, Wes, dressed in his uniform, was kneeling and proudly enjoying quality time.
PELHAM MEDICAL CENTER MASH UNIT: The presenting sponsor took over most of City Park offering its staff, doctors and nurses to describe its services and provide screenings. While it served its purpose, the most popular gathering place was the MASH unit where staff put gauze, red ink for blood and drew what appeared to be stitches anywhere a child asked.
COLORFUL WELCOME: Patrick Stevenson liked to color in coloring books when he was a young boy. Years removed from that fun, the attorney still gets his kicks coloring. Friday night, Patrick and his mother, Robin, painted “Welcome to Greer Family Fest” at the top of the graffiti wall. That also proved to be a good starting point for a lot of the children who added their artistry to the wall throughout the day.
CPW EMPLOYEE PICNIC AT FESTIVAL: CPW, for the past three years, has rewarded its employees with a picnic, and tickets for free rides and refreshments at the Family Fest. Jeff Tuttle, general manager at the Greer utility, said it’s a way for families to enjoy a day together with plenty of activities in a family atmosphere and enjoy a lunch at City Hall.
REGAL PERFORMANCES: It was a long day for Miss Greater Greer Anna Brown and Miss Greater Greer Teen Emma Kate Rhymer. They hosted the Miss and Mr. pageant Saturday morning and then were offering pictures at a photo booth set up the remainder of the day on Trade Street.
GREEN TEAM: Thank the City of Greer Green Team if there is a sudden growth of sunflowers this summer. Luke Schults was among the children stopping by the station making his own sunflower seedling with the help of Elizabeth Adams. The sunflower seed was pressed into a small cup of dirt and sealed until planted at home.
D&D PRESENCE: Cliff Ratliff and Desmond Layton, salesmen for D&D Motors, were protecting the automobile dealership’s investment at the stage on Depot Street. A Ford 150 aluminum pickup truck was on display next to the stage. “It’s about (700) pounds lighter, has the most room of any truck in the cab and rides like a car,” Ratliff said. A Ford Fusion was on display across from Wild Ace on Depot Street and the dealership had a tent on Poinsett Street at City Park.
FOOD REINFORCEMENTS: Mimi’s appeared to have the longest continuing line for food on Friday and Saturday. Staff had to make several trips when some items ran out. Another vendor said more hotdogs had to be brought in from its restaurant and drinks were being moved around from Pepsi trailers as some products were getting depleted at different festival locations.
MORE POLICE/FIRE RESPONDERS: If it looked like more police and fire personnel were on duty, it’s because they were. A security firm used last year was absent and police filled in some areas normally not needed.
MORE VENDORS: The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce provided each downtown merchant with a tent for the festival. That created a more spread out festival that had vendors along Poinsett Street and Main down to city hall past the park.
WHERE’S THE KEY? The Greer Police department parked two new vehicles at Creation Station for children to climb into the seats and see what the inside looked like. There was some disappointment when a couple of children were looking where to turn on the siren and they needed the keys, which of course were not left in the ignition.
