Jim Fair
The Greer High Oldies will be at the Stomping Grounds Saturday from 7-10 p.m. to tell stories of yesteryear.
Jim Fair
Comfortable seating is available in the area where entertainers perform.
Jim Fair
A variety of paintings, produced by local artists, covers one wall in the rear of the coffee shop and wine bar.
Greer High School oldies will be spinning yarns, rekindling memories and telling entertaining anecdotes of yesteryear from 7-10 p.m. at the popular coffee house and wine bar at 208 Trade Street.
Greer High oldies Gundy Stewart, Lisa Lynn and Stomping Grounds owner Lisa Suber have organized the event.
“I stole the idea from my baker, Sheila Springfield,” Suber said. “Sheila told me of a café in Travelers Rest that had storytellers and it did well. With the Greer High Oldies, I thought it would be a way for a lot of them to get together. Everyone knows a story they can tell.”
Stewart said the lineup will include some accomplished storytellers who have documented their Greer memories in print. Buddy Bowman, who wrote a series of features, “Living on the Mill Hill” is coming from Gainesville, Ga. Bowman was a regular contributor for the Greer weekly when Leland Burch and his family previously owned the business. Bowman's stories are no longer published in that paper.
Eddie Harvey, who has also produced stories on Greer, will be at the storytelling. He wrote the book “Open Windows: Hum of the Mill, An Occasional Train”, about his memories of Greer and other thoughts.
“Don Brown will entertain us with comedy and jokes,” Stewart said. An open mic is scheduled for others to tell their stories.
Stewart said he is on guard should a tale take a wrong turn. “If somebody is not quite telling the truth we will have a rebuttal,” he said with a laugh.
“But there won’t be any ground rules. We all know something about each other and we can tell on each other,” said Stewart.
The Greer High Oldies have been “adopted” by Greer Station Association merchants. Their annual “Greer Oldies Reunion” last May packed in hundreds of former classmates to restaurants downtown and then made its way to City Park for an evening of entertainment.
The 2013 Reunion will be held May 19, the week after Mother’s Day, at the Cannon Centre.
Call the Stomping Grounds 801-1555 for more information or email Gundy Stewart at [email protected].