LEXINGTON HAPPENINGS: ‘90s music showcase, Oktoberfest on tap this weekend

The rains came, but at the wrong time — football Saturday! Nearby storms and lightning caused game delays and interruptions.

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks ended the evening with a winning score of 45-9 over the Towson Tigers. Clemson beat Georgia Southern 22-7. Congratulations to both teams!

Our Lexington Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Business Over Breakfast on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the Radius Church complex. Chamber board Chair Austin McVay gave a warm welcome. Chris Rice, secretary of the Lexington School District One board, delivered an invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Meeting sponsor was Jeff Howle of Health Markets. The catered breakfast was provided by John Aun of Eggs Up Grill.

Angelle LaBorde, chamber president and CEO, officiated and announced elected officials and special guests.

From the General Assembly: State Rep. Paula Rawl Calhoon

From the town of Lexington: Councilman Ron Williams and Councilwoman Jeannie Michaels

Former Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre

From Lexington School District One: Chris Rice

Attending on behalf of Rep. Joe Wilson’s office is Byron Thomas, also a Cayce city councilman

Also from Angelle: “Now we would like to take a moment to acknowledge a major milestone for one of our shareholders, Heritage Landcare. They have prepared a special video to commemorate 40 years of business. Enjoy!”

Accepting the award was Robert McCleod, Ashley McCleod and Kleck Harman from Heritage Landcare.

Angelle continued:

“It is now my pleasure to introduce our breakfast sponsor for today’s meeting, HealthMarkets Insurance Agency. Owners Jeff Howle and his wife, Tamara, bring a combined 30 years of experience to the insurance industry. Their office is located just up the street in the Flight Deck Shopping Center.”

Introducing the guest speaker, Angelle said:

“At this time, I’d like to introduce our guest speaker, Stephanie DeFreese. Stephanie DeFreese is vice president of sales and marketing for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, where she leads statewide sales and marketing for the group and individual division, including individual, Medicare supplement and small group products. She oversees multiple sales channels and directs marketing, communications, training and sales operations.”

She shared some of the trends in healthcare today.

“The chamber has hired Jasmine Hoveyda as our director of programs and events,” Angelle announced. “Jasmine brings a wealth of experience, including organizing professional development events for a healthcare association and managing membership recruitment and retention for another statewide organization.”

“Fall golf is right around the corner on Monday, Oct. 19 at Golden Hills,” the chamber president continued. “A limited number of foursomes are still available.

“We had a great lunch two weeks ago on Aug. 26 at the DoubleTree Hotel. Keller Kissam, CEO of Dominion Energy, was our featured speaker, and we recognized some outstanding businesses and individuals.

“Ambassador of the month for August is Steve Rebl from Edmondson Restoration.”

“Near the end of September, join us for Morning Mix at Radius Church on Friday, Sept. 25. Our meeting will be hosted by The Guttermen.

“Our next meeting will feature presenting sponsor Wonderly Lights. We look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the day after Columbus Day.

“Keith Price, our superintendent of Lexington County School District One, will provide us with a presentation on the state of the district. You don’t want to miss this meeting.”

When this edition of the Chronicle hits the streets on Thursday, there will be four more days for Lexington’s Week of Restaurants, which started Thursday, Sept. 10 and continues through Sunday, Sept. 20. It is the perfect opportunity to support local restaurants and discover something delicious along the way!

Some restaurants have special menus for this culinary experience. Go check them out!

Oktoberfest at Hazelwood Brewing Co. will be Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20. The event features music, German food and plenty of beer!

Report from Crystal and J.P. Manzi:

“We decided to take a last-minute trip down to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We were fortunate to do this because Andrew attends Northside Christian Academy and the school start date this year was the day after Labor Day. We left on a Tuesday and headed for Orlando.

“On Wednesday, we went to Epcot. Not only were prices cheaper at this time, but the park itself seemed less crowded. There were several rides that said there was a 30-minute wait, but we basically walked right onto the ride. The best ride at Epcot is Guardians of the Galaxy. We were lucky enough to ride this ride twice! Andrew would have ridden it a third time, but it started to rain. The rain came about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, but we had done everything we wanted to do. Other great rides are Soarin’ Across America and Test Track. Of course, walking around to different countries and eating is also a fan favorite in my house.

“On Thursday, we went to Hollywood Studios. Again, the park seemed less crowded. We rode Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (twice) and the new Muppet roller coaster (twice). This trip was amazing. The only downfall was the Slinky Dog Dash was down for repairs, so that was a bummer. We rode everything else in the park that was on our list, and wait times were very low.

“Disney is just a magical place. We just love it.

“On Friday, we hung out by the hotel pool and then headed home on Saturday. I was so glad to give Andrew this experience right before he needs to hunker down and concentrate on school for the year. It was the perfect end to the summer. We will definitely make this trip again next year and see if we get just as good of luck!”

Linda Griffith reports:

“American Legion Post 7, along with the Legion Auxiliary, helped host the latest Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 12 with 33 veterans and 33 guardians. Among them were 31 Vietnam and two Korean vets. Veterans and guardians began arriving at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 4:30 a.m. this past Saturday and returned home to a hero’s welcome around 9 p.m. to a crowd of family, friends and dignitaries.

“They visited the national monuments for World War II, as well as the Vietnam and Korean War memorials. The welcome home was very memorable with several speakers involved. U.S. Sen. Darline Graham was there to welcome them home, too! Quilts of Valor were presented to veterans, along with various gifts and lots of hugs and kisses!

“Kudos to CAE staff who helped direct traffic and oversee last-minute setup, Post 7’s Ted Podewil for his organization along with Honor Flight Program members. Auxiliary Department representatives attending were Tamela Jett (90) and Nancy Jordan (115). Members from Post 7 assisting with the departure were Commander Mike Kinzie, Vice Commander John Testruth, Auxiliary President Delila Hall, Linda Griffith, June Kinzie, Brenda Podewil, Jerry Jenson and Arianna Kenzie.”

Paula Kauffman reports that the Lexington County Democratic Party will hold a meeting from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20. The party’s website is www.lexcodems.org.

The Icehouse Amphitheater will have a ‘90s Fallapalooza at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18.