On June 2 from 1-3pm, take a guided tour of Fort Mill’s namesake, the Garrison-Webb Grist Mill. Meet at the gravel parking area off of Steele St (near the intersection of Steele St and Springfield Parkway) at 1pm. From there take a guided hike down to the Mill where tours will be done of the mill, headrance, mill pond area, and crib dam. The mill is well secluded within the woods of the Greenway and features a working water wheel.

Both events are free to Greenway members. Greenway admission applies for nonmembers. More info.

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The park also has the largest collection of Spider Lilies in the world, which are really a sight to see when they are in bloom in the middle of the river. They remain in bloom for only 1 month, from mid-May to mid-June. Unfortunately due to the high water levels in the Catawba this spring, the spider lilies have been under water. Water levels are just recently back in a normal range and the Spider Lilies will not reach peak bloom until around June 1.

But there will still be lots of fun to be had at Lilyfest with music and activities. Even without the spider lilies in bloom, Landsford Canal STate Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the area. Drinks and snacks will be provided at the festival. Bring a lawn chair or blanket so you can relax and enjoy the music. The Spider Lily viewing area is a 3/4 of a mile walk down the Landsford Canal Trail from the main park area.

There is a $5 fee per adult for Lilyfest, $3.25 for SC seniors, and $3 for children.

On May 25, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is offering a morning and afternoon Spider Lily Eco-Tour Kayak Trip in which participants will get to see the Spider Lilies up close. This event is free for all Catawba Riverkeeper Members (bring your own kayak) and $25 for nonmembers.

No Kayak? Rent one from Catawba River Expeditions ($30/trip). Call to reserve your kayak at 803-327-9335.

Directions to Landsford Canal St Park: From southbound I-77, take Exit 77. Turn left (south) and drive 16 miles. Turn left by the Landsford Canal State Park Sign.

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Runde Park is located next to the Tega Cay Fire Department. Park at Turner Field and take a shuttle to Runde Park. Additional parking at the Tega Cay lower tennis courts, just a short walk from Runde Park. No BYOB, No dogs, No grills.

Admission is free, but for $100 you can reserve luxury lawn seating for the whole season. Luxury lawn seating is in the left center field and includes 4 lawn chairs set up in a 10 by 10-foot area, plus beverage service by Casual Water. Contact Joey Blethen for more info at 803-548-3787.

Other Concerts this Season:

• June 15- Too Far Gone
• August 17- Vintage Soul Band
• September 14- Bad Romeo

More info can be found at the City of Tega Cay website.

The Italian Festival at St Philip Neri has a new event this year- The Cannoli Fun Run. The race is a 4k, making it a great choice for new runners. Race takes place at 8:30am on Saturday May 18th. Late Registration at 7:30am. Half of proceeds benefit Fort Mill Care Center. Stay and enjoy the festivities of Italian Festival afterwards and treat yourself to a cannoli. Location: 292 Munn Rd East in Fort Mill

If you’re more of a night-time runner you don’t want to miss the Tread the Trail Twilight 5K and 1 mile Fun Run, also on May 18th. This race begins at 6pm at the Rush Pavillion at Anne Springs Close Greenway (Nature Center Entrance) and supports the Carolina Thread Trail. There will be free beer for all runners provided by Four Friends Brewing out of Charlotte. They will be serving their Race Day Pale and Queen City Blonde Ale. There will be a free dinner plate for all 5K participants provided by The Tin Kitchen, an awesome Charlotte Food Truck that serves up delicious and creative tacos. Live music until sunset by Caleb Davis. Race Day Registration is $35.  More Info.

Back for a fourth year is the Luke Hoover Memorial Run at Anne Springs Close Greenway on May 25 at 10am. Luke Hoover was a 17-year-old Nation Ford student and cross-country runner who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2009. Proceeds benefit the Luke Hoover Scholarship Fund. The main race is a 5k and there will also be a 1 mile walk around Lake Haigler. Participants are encouraged to come decked out in tie-dye apparel and crazy socks to honor the memory of Luke. Visit www.sportoften.com to register.

The Tega Cay Memorial Day 5k and 1 mile Family Walk will begin at 7:30am on May 27 at the Tega Cay Golf Club (15087 Molokai Dr, Tega Cay). Race benefits the Wounded Warrior and TCVA. More info.

With Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux, making soup, sauce, or gravy becomes a snap. You’ll never have to worry about lumps again and having a premade roux can greatly reduce cooking time and clean up.

The uses for Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux are virtually endless and Pappa Renny himself is a wonderful source of ideas. He normally provides a recipe each week and the week I went it was- you guessed it! Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Having the already formed roux blocks to just drop in the soup made cooking the soup so much easier. Plus it really did it’s job and the soup had a nice thick texture, but no flour taste.

Currently Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux can only be purchased in the Charlotte Metro area. But who knows. Someday you may see it nationwide. Pappa Renny is at Atherton Market on Saturdays from 9am-2pm and the Thickening Roux can also be purchased at Reid’s Fine Foods on Selwyn Ave or Organic Marketplace in Gastonia, NC.

I altered the recipe just slightly, reducing the called for 1 tablespoon of dried thyme to 1 teaspoon. One tablespoon of thyme is a whole lot of thyme and I was worried that may have been a typo. I also reduced the red pepper flakes from 1 teaspoon to ½ teaspoon and it still had plenty of kick to it.

If you’d like to make this soup without thickening roux, I suggest adding 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the Dutch oven after adding the garlic. Once it is melted, add 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually add in the chicken broth, whisking very well to avoid lumps and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Those of you who live outside the Charlotte area, have you ever seen a product similar to Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux?

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

• 6 cubes Pappa Renny Thickening Roux
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup onion, cut in a small dice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• ¼ cup light cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add chicken broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Add thickening roux and whisk until dissolved.
4. Adjust heat to keep a strong simmer and cook uncovered 25-30 minutes.
5. Using either an immersion blender or regular blender, blend soup until smooth.
6. Add cream and 1 cup of cheese and simmer an additional 5 minutes, stirring often
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve with remaining 1/2 cup flour sprinkled on top.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• Carowinds Military Days will take place May 26 and May 27. Free admission to any active, inactive, retired US Service men and women with a valid military ID. There will also be a military picnic both days (Adults $15.99  Jr/Sr $11.99) featuring all-you-can-eat BBQ Pork, Southern Fried Chicken, Hot Dogs, side salads, cookies, and Coca Cola Beverages.  Also special for Military Days, an Interactive Military Artillery Vehicle Display, Flag Ceremony, and Celebrate America Fireworks Spectacular (only Sunday). Buy tickets.
• Start your day by lacing up your running shoes. The Tega Cay Memorial Day 5k and 1 mile Family Walk starts at 7:30am at The Pavilion at Tega Cay Golf Course (15097 Molokai Dr). More info.
• The Tega Cay Veteran’s Memorial Day Celebration will begin at 11:55 on May 27 in the Living Memorial Garden to honor and remember those who sacrificed their lives to defend our country.
• Looking for some water action? Join the Memorial Day Celebration at the US National Whitewater Center. The day starts with a 5-mile and 8-mile trail race in the morning. Live music by Marc Broussard, Bonerama, and Jesse Dee in the afternoon and evening. Fireworks display over the world’s largest man-made whitewater river. Event is free. Charge for whitewater activities and $5 for parking. More info.
• Everyone knows Charlotte is NASCAR country and Memorial Day weekend thousands of the country’s biggest NASCAR fans will gather for the Speed St 600 Festival and the Cocoa Cola 600. The Speed St Festival is a multi-day music and entertainment festival in Uptown Charlotte. Appearances by some of NASCAR’s best drivers and pit crews. More info.
• The Patriot Festival will take place at Symphony Park at Southpark on Monday May 27 and will begin with a 5k at 7:30am. At 8:30, you have the opportunity to “Go the Extra Mile” and honor military heros. Festival lasts from 9am -11am and includes a parachute jump and JROTC performances as well as fun activities for kids.

This past Thursday, a large crowd turned out for the Opening Celebration of Old Town Market in Rock Hill. The new venue for Old Town Market on Caldwell St, next to Millstone Pizza and Taphouse, is fabulous.  There’s an indoor area at the front of the building where at least a dozen arts and craft vendors were set up. Outside there were a mixture of produce, baked goods, pastured meat, and arts and crafts vendors. We were happy to see Puckerbutt Pepper Company there. Love their hot sauces and salsas!

Live entertainment by Reckless

Indoor Vendors

I would have liked to have seen some more produce for sale. The market was a little heavy on arts and crafts vendors which included jewelry, woodturned bowls, pottery, and handsewn items.

I did purchase this lovely piece of pottery from Christine White which has become my dog’s food bowl. Yes, she’s spoiled as every rescue dog should be.

One of the best things about Old Town Market is the activities for kids they offer. At this particular market, kids had the opportunity to decorate beeswax candles, plant flowers, and play with sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, and cornhole. The children all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

After purchasing a few things, we decided to have pizza and a few beers at Millstone Pizza and Taphouse. They had the garage doors open and we snagged a table with a great view of the market.

Millstone has 40 beers on tap and they have a custom wood-fired oven that produces delicious pizzas with a crispy crust.

 Parking for Old Town Market is off of E White St. The Market is open Thursdays from 5 to 8pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. This coming Thursday, May 16, there will be live music performed by Amanda DeCarlo and the 4-H Petting Zoo will keep the kids entertained.

Old Town Market

115 Caldwell St

Rock Hill, SC

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Peak bloom season is from late March to mid-April and is the most popular time to visit the garden. This is when Glencairn’s prized and numerous azaleas are in their glory. The Come See Me Festival is always scheduled in early April to coincide with Glencairn Garden’s azaleas being in full bloom.

By now, the azaleas have bloomed and faded, but there is still plenty to see at Glencairn Gardens.

The older part of the Garden is towards Charlotte Ave. This part was designed by Robert Marvin in 1958 and includes a shade and water garden, Japanese Bridge, and a Cascade Fountain and Pond. These areas are nicely shaded by mature trees.

The Bigger House, at the corner of Crest St and Charlotte Ave was the home of Glencairn Garden’s former owners and now serves as an information center for the Garden. Originally Glencairn Garden was the 6 acre back yard of the Bigger’s family.

It was turned into a public space in the late 1950s and became the inspiration for the Come See Me Festival, Rock Hill’s annual celebration of Spring. Many inprovements have been made to the Garden in the last 10 years, including an expansion.

 Newer parts of Glencairn Gardens include another Cascade Fountain, a Veteran’s Garden, Overlook Plaza, an Outdoor Classroom, and Children’s Garden.

This Saturday, May 18th, the 3rd Annual Bloomfest will take place in Glencairn Gardens from 9am-3pm. There will be music, garden tours, garden-themed vendors, and arts and crafts for kids.

Fridays from 10am-1pm, gardeners from York County Master Gardeners Association are available to answer questions in person at Bigger House or by phone.

Free Classes are taught the first Friday of each month from 11am-noon at the Glencairn Garden Learning Center at 825 Edgemont Ave.

Upcoming classes include:

• June 7 – Vegetable Pests
• July 5- Know your Beneficial Insects
• August 2- Gardening Myths

Stop by Glencairn Garden for a visit soon and see why it is such a popular place for prom and wedding pictures. You might want to take your camera and shoot a few pictures yourself.

Glencairn Garden

www.rockhillrocks.com

725 Crest St

Rock Hill, SC 29730

803-329-5620

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Most people outside of Louisiana think the thought of eating something referred to as a mudbug is a little strange if not repulsive. But to Louisianans and those who have lived in Louisiana (that’s me!), crawfish are not only a food to be savored and devoured, they are a way of life. Many a relationship has been formed and strengthened around a good crawfish boil. Many would argue that a crawfish boil is a social gathering foremost and an act of food consumption secondarily.

A recent Tulane Alumni Boil in Charlotte, NC

For some reason, a shrimp boil just doesn’t have the same effect. Partly because crawfish are so much more difficult to peel than shrimp. A good crawfish boil goes on for hours and hours, includes multiple pots, and the consumption of large amounts of beer.

This recipe is meant to use leftovers from a boil, but you could replicate it by using frozen crawfish tail meat, cooked potatoes and corn, plus andouille sausage (or another smoked sausage) sautéed in a pan. You’ll want to add a good amount of cajun seasoning to these ingredients since the products of a boil are spicy.

If you’ve never had a crawfish boil before and you’d like to, you don’t have to live in Louisiana to have one. You can order them from the Louisiana Crawfish Company and they’ll ship them live to your house. It’s a little pricey, but you can feed the whole neighborhood (or your block anyways) with them and create memories everyone will be talking about for years to come.

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Crawfish and Cauliflower Soup

Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls

Advance tickets are $15. Tickets purchased at the door will be $25. Ticket price includes 1 12-ounce pour and 6 3-ounce samples. Additional beer tickets are available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks will provide food (not included in ticket price).

Live music will be provided by Pocket Full of Strange at 1:30pm and at 5pm Josh Daniel and Friends and Ancient Cities of The New Familiars.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is located at 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte NC 28217. Tickets can be purchased here.

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