Retail and housing spaces are full, the events calendar for the town is booked through Christmas and the state just recognized West Pelzer for their work in creating a community and sustaining development.

New businesses, nearly 1,000 new planned or under construction housing units are part of strategic planning by the city to meet the needs brought on by breakneck growth.

For more than 50 years, athletes in Anderson County have participated in a variety of sports through the work of Special Olympics, their programs and volunteers.

“Serving as the Mayor of West Pelzer is my greatest accomplishment,” said Sanders. “Being able to be at the forefront of a once desolate town to a vibrant rural community takes a lot of energy, commitment, and enthusiasm. A Mayor’s job is to be the chief storyteller and chief urban designer and I know that I have left West Pelzer better than I found it.”

Heading into the new school year, the school has big expansion plans, especially for the Anderson campus. TCTC President Galen DeHay said plans are in the works to move and expand the automotive program to Anderson, adding diesel, heavy diesel, electric vehicle repair. The future also hopes to add a program in partnership with Bosch for working with hydrogen fuel cells.

West Pelzer was recently awarded the Municipal Association of South Carolina Achievement Award for superior and innovative efforts in local government.

Tiffany Estes, who comes to the new post from Anderson School District 1, where she spent the past seven years a director of planning and development and student services, said the mission and continued growth of AIT were part of what attracted her to the challenge of the new position.

Burns talks about new guidelines for RV parks in the county, growth at Green Pond Landing and Events Center, updates on parks, concerts and events at the civic center (including Celebrate Anderson), economic development and more in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

Anderson County School Dist. 2 Superintendent is excited about the growth in his district. Improved test scores, integrated teaching plans and assessments and a culture that fosters community make the district special, Johns said.

Binnicker said the district is working to meet the academic and facilities challenges of a student population that is growing by almost 400 each school year.

With more than 2,000 students and 22 programs of study, ACTC is looking to continue to expand and add facilities for the future. Director Hollie Harrell has led the school for more than two decades. She offers updates on the future, including the upcoming school year, in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

The district has five schools: Flat Rock Elementary, Iva Elementary, Star Elementary, Starr-Iva Middle and Crescent High. The district also joins school districts 4 and 5 as part of the Anderson Institute of Technology. Parental involvement has grown to the level it is creating parking challenges at school events.

Brenda Kelley has also been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, executive director of early childhood and elementary instruction, and Deputy Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services in the district.

The district is now at nearly 3,000 students, and expects another 1,000 over the next decade.

The new materials include World War I-era letters from the Margaret Payne Collection, which was completed as part of a student service learning project at USC-Upstate, as well as collections from other donated materials.

Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns discusses the recently passed $284 million county budget, the growing recreation projects and economic development in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

The community center is a non-profit organization that has served the Pendleton community for more than 50 years, serving as the historical landmark site for the Anderson County Training School as well as The Faith Log Cabin Library. It continues to serve the community as the oldest existing African-American community organization. Monthly meetings are held on the Saturdays before the first Sunday of every month at 4:30 pm. For more information, contact Terence Hassan at 864-221-0361.

Summer Camps are being held June 20 – 23 and June 27 – 29, as part of this exhibit. The first camp, “Cartoons and Propaganda,” is for campers ages 12–15 will focus on historical cartoons that have shaped public opinion.  Campers will use computer technology to create their own animated cartoons with a social call to action.  The second camp, June 27 -29, “Animators Studio, ” is for campers aged 7-12 and will teach historical animation techniques including claymation, picture flip books, and spinner creations as well as techniques for the latest computer generated animations. 

Broadway Lake’s annual boat parade brought folks from around the area to view the event.

Operating out of a building that for years was home to a service station, he has spent more than a decade honing his skills as a guitar maker, finding the perfect match of wood and tone for those who order his guitars.