Polk Lore

It’s only just the beginning of spring, but if you consider yourself an engaged member of the Saluda community, it’s never too early to start thinking about Coon Dog Day, which is held each year on the first Saturday after July 4. There was a time when Coon Dog Day was kind of like the third rail of politics in Saluda. No one was going to touch it — let alone challenge its very existence. Over the...

One of the best parts of producing a podcast is learning that someone is actually listening. And more importantly listening closely enough that they have a good grasp of what you’re actually trying to accomplish. This episode is the product of some feedback from one listener who really does get it. I was asked: Why don’t I do something about foster kids in Polk County? Apparently, there’s a new pr...

When my wife I and were thinking about moving to Saluda, about 19 years ago, my  first thought was: Sound great. But does it have high-speed internet? Fortunately, a few seconds on my current internet connection was all it took to find out that yes, Saluda did have high-speed service. Not everyone in Polk County is so lucky. My Facebook feed includes almost daily complaints from someone somew...

Elections are funny things. They can suck up all the oxygen for weeks at a time, only to evaporate the moment the votes are counted. If you’re a political junky, you can probably find a few podcasts and cable news programs that will agonize over the outcomes of all the big races for a few days, but most of us waste no time getting back to worrying about the price of eggs or whatever it is the Depa...

Facebook.  Can’t live with it. Can’t live without it. Rarely does a day go by that it’s not tempting to conclude the world would be better off without the soul-sucking, time-wasting, black hole that is social media. From a recent edition of Wired magazine: "Social media has brought a level of exposure never seen before in human history—and it turns out being observed by so many people appears...

Near as I can figure, there are two ways to make it big in the music business. You can either drop everything else in your life — family, financial security, stability, you name it — and hit the road with whatever instrument you think you’re good at as soon as you’re old enough to leave home, playing tiny venues and begging for opportunities to open for established names until, if you’re very luck...

The NDOT has already spent millions of dollars surveying and studying the highway. They have concluded that it’s not safe in its current form,  and the project is now so far along, that it may not be easy to put the brakes on it. In face of growing pressure from the community, the Commissioners held a special meeting on October 10 to approve a letter making a “NO BUILD request to the Foothill...

Three seats on the Polk County Board of Commissioners expire this year. All three are currently held by Republicans, and all three of them are running for re-election. Only two Democrats are in the race, so, there’s no chance that Democrats will achieve take control of the Board. It wasn’t so long ago that they did have control, however, so it’s entirely conceivable that the next Board could be a...

All politics is local. How many times have you heard that old saw? It's probably time we retired it, as even a cursory review of recent history clearly shows that, at best, politics is now a battle between those who would like to keep their campaigns local, and those who defer to the national stage. In some parts of America, local issues are entirely irrelevant. In a desperate attempt to swim agai...

Almost since the day the last coal train rolled down the Saluda Grade 21 years ago, the idea of converting the rail bed to a bicycle and hiking trail has captured the imagination of Polk County’s leading citizens. At first, the scheme wasn’t much more than a fantasy. The railroad, Norfolk Southern, repeatedly insisted that it had no intention of abandoning its right of way, and there were others w...

This is the sixth, and probably the last, in a series of interviews with candidates for the Polk Schools Board of Education. If you haven’t already listened to the first interview, with Mike Ashworth, please find the time for at least the first few minutes, as I supply an overview of the elections, which seats are up for grabs, and an explanation of why I’m interviewing some candidates and not oth...

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with candidates for the Polk Schools Board of Education. If you haven’t already listened to the first interview, with Mike Ashworth, I’d recommend you run through at least the first few minutes, as I supply an overview of the elections, which seats are up for grabs, and an explanation of why I am interviewing some candidates and not others. Of course, I...

This is the fourth in a series of interviews with candidates for the Polk Schools Board of Education. If you haven’t already listened to the first interview, with Mike Ashworth, I’d recommend you run through at least the first few minutes, as I supply an overview of the elections, which seats are up for grabs, and an explanation of why I am interviewing some candidates and not others. In this epis...

This is the third in a series of interviews with candidates for the Polk Schools Board of Education. If you haven’t already listened to the first interview, with Mike Ashworth, I’d recommend you run through at least the first few minutes, as I supply an overview of the elections, which seats are up for grabs, and and explanation of why I am interviewing some candidates and not others. Of course, I...

This is the second in a series of interviews with candidates for the Polk Schools Board of Education. If you haven’t already listened to the first interview, with Mike Ashworth, I’d recommend you run through at least the first few minutes, as I supply an overview of the elections, which seats are up for grabs, and why I chose to interview who I did. Of course, I hope you listen to the entire inter...

This is the first a series of interviews with candidates who want to serve  — or continue to serve — the county as members of the Polk Schools Board of Education. It’s been a long time since so many people have been willing to do what is essentially a thankless job. In the past, acclamation has been the rule, or, if a seat opens does open up, the departing member finds a replacement, who is e...

One of the other hats I wear is that of chair of the Saluda Planning Board. It’s just an appointed position that pays nothing and requires you to stay awake and engaged for hours at a time discussing municipal zoning, housing density, sign ordinances, and a whole bunch of other topics that most people wouldn’t touch with a proverbial 10-foot pole. Betsy Burdette is not one of those people. As the...

The Green River Tavern. Green River Frame Shop and Gallery .Green River Cove Tubing. The Green River Brew Depot. Green River Barbeque. Green River Adventures. Green River Well and Pump. Everyone one of those businesses is trading on the good name of the Green River. Some literally depend on its waters to pay their bills. Take the river out of the county, and there’d be a big hole to fill, not just...

If you haven’t had COVID by now, you almost certainly know at least a couple of people who have suffered through it. You may even have a lost a close family member or a friend, although that seems to be relatively rare – for the moment. Aside from the threat that this new coronavirus poses to our health, it’s also taken a big toll on the economy. It’s upended careers, shortening some and derailed...

Last month, a few hours after the Supreme Court of the United States reversed its  1973 ruling that had granted American women the right to terminate a pregnancy, about 70 Polk County residents gathered on the lawn of the county courthouse. Which is a pretty impressive turnout for 4 p.m. on a workday with no advertising or advance notice. They were there to object to the decision and to share...

So far in this series on education in Polk County, we’ve heard from a teacher and student. But right from the start it was clear that this series wasn’t going to be complete without a talk with Aaron Greene, the superintendent of Polk Schools. Before taking over the top job six years ago, he was assistant superintendent, and before that principal at Polk High. It’s probably safe to say if anyone h...

For the second part of our series on education, let’s turn to the student’s point of view. I’ve known Myles Freeman for about a decade, since he was a student at Saluda Elementary, and one of my son’s friends. I’d like to able to claim that I long ago recognized he would rise above the pack. You know — the way some teachers say they can identify right from kindergarten who will succeed and who wil...

Polk County is a diverse community. Not nearly as ethnically diverse as a major metropolitan center like New York or Chicago, but when it comes to opinions, it’s not hard to find representative samples from across the political spectrum. Nowhere is this more in evidence than at a Polk County school board meeting. So it seemed like a good idea to kick off this podcast by exploring the state of our...