The Darlingtonian is looking for upcoming events to feature for September. If you or your organization have something planned, please either link it to our Facbook or email us at thedarlingtoniannews@gmail.com. Good morning and I hope you are having a great day so far.
Thanks!
The DCN
Every Labor Day weekend up until 2005 welcomed fans from all over to call Darlington home for a couple of days out of the year. The tradition started in 1949 and even though the Labor Day races are no longer a part of Darlington each year, we still hold those great memories in our lives and hearts. It is hard to believe that the track is 60 years old! Look at all the changes that have taken place: lights, new pavement, more grandstands, new start/finish line. All in all,even though the Lady in Black has aged, the face lifts keep her looking beautiful and elegant. I look forward to what the next 60 years will hold for the Track Too Tough to Tame!
From Facebook:
Calling all girls from 5k-4th grade….if you want to be a part of a great organization come and try Girl Scouts…we teach girls to have confidence…character…who make the world a better place. We don’t just sell cookies…we camp…learn…grow..provide service to our Town and have lots of FUN.. If you think this might be something your daughter would like to try come to Central Baptist(back of church) on Tuesday September 6th. We will be having our first meeting from 5-6:30pm. There will be someone that can answer any questions you may have. Hope to see you there!! gsmom1027@aol.com
From Facebook:
Cooks for Christ need your help! Drake Bryant is five years old and suffers from a rare epilepsy disorder known at Atonic “Head Drop” Seizures. This has caused him to develop slower than kids his own age. He has endured several operations and recently underwent Corpus Callosum surgery in Charleston, a procedure in which the surgeon severed fibers that connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain in an attempt to get his seizures under control. Drake will undergo extensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy for an undetermined amount of time.
There is currently no cure for this rare seizure disorder. Cooks for Christ is raising money to help defray the cost of medical treatment, travel, medications, and other expenses.
The chicken bog will be held on Thursday September 1, 2011 at West Florence Fire Station. Lunch is from 11:00am to 2:00pm, and dinner from 4:00pm – 7:00pm. We will have a bake sale all day. Plates are $6.00 each and lunch and dinner plates can be delivers for orders of 7 plates or more.
Make Checks avaliable to Drake’s Hope. Menu consists of Chicken Bog, Green Beans, Slaw, and Bread (Delicious!!) For additional information, please contact Bobby Bryant @ (843) 393-7636, Curtis Bryant @ (843) 731-5788, or Beverly McKee @ (843) 229-0348. Or contact us via Facebook (Mechanicsville Baptist Church) with a fax number, and the information can be faxed to you. Delivery orders must be faxed in by August 30, 2011!
Imagine yourself as a five year old girl. Now imagine the most amazing day of your life. For me it was the first time I went to a Sock Hop at Joe’s Grill. As we pulled in to Joe’s, girls and women were dressed in poodle skirts and we were surrounded in old cars. The music blared around us as people stood around talking and have a great time all while enjoying great food.
Joe’s Grill has been an icon in Darlington for many, many years. One of the best things about Joe’s isn’t just the food, but the feeling of home you get the minute you walk through the door. As you sit in a booth or join others at the large table, you can’t help but notice Joey Saleeby standing behind the counter talking to the customers or making sure you’ve got everything you need to make your meal enjoyable.
To this day I still have great memories of lunches there with friends, co-workers, family members and even when I moved away for some time, I came straight back home to enjoy one of Joe’s great Sunday lunches.
Just ask anyone in Darlington and I will guarantee that Joe’s Grill comes up as one of the top three places to eat in Darlington.
Joe’s offers Sunday lunch twice a month and if you ever need to find out the menu, he has taken to Facebook to let everyone know exactly what the menu will be for that day. I’m really glad that places like Joe’s still exist amongst the chain restaurants because those chain restaurants can’t even come close to the feeling of home you get with every bite of Joe’s food.
If you don’t believe me, just try his macaroni and cheese. That will give you all the proof you will ever need.
Thanks Joey for not only creating great meals, but great memories for Darlingtonians of all ages.
contributed by: Hunter Thomas
Dillon, SC, August 29TH, 2011: On Monday, September 5, Dillon Motor Speedway and John Newsome GM Parts of Hartsville will host Fan Appreciation Night.
Every fan who walks through the gates of Dillon Motor Speedway on Labor Day Monday can view the race from the grandstands for free. There will be absolutely no charge, and fans will be treated to a free dinner as well. The new promotion is just another new idea of many that Dillon Motor Speedway has in mind for future events.
The speedway will also be debuting the Dillon Motor Speedway Pre-Race Show at 11:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Fans will be able to log onto www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com and click on the USTREAM link to watch the live show which will consist of a discussion about the events that afternoon as well as an in-depth interview with Charger Division drivers, Cody McKenzie and Mike Watts.
Eagle 92.9, a Qantum of Florence, LLC radio station will be airing live from the 4/10th mile asphalt oval at 7:00 p.m. On-air personnel, Dan E. Lockemy will be heading the radio program.
On top of all the freebies, Florence Motor Speedway owner, Charlie Powell has been testing for the Late Model race on Labor Day. He will be competing for the $2,000 Late Model purse. Other divisions that will be racing consist of a 50 lap Super Truck feature ($1,200 to win), Four Cylinders ($500 to win), Chargers ($400 to win), Street Stocks ($300 to win), Mini Cup Stocks ($100 to win), and the UCARs ($200 to win). Every driver that enters the gate with a full body race car will be entered into a drawing for a brand new 602 crate engine thanks to John Newsome GM Parts of Hartsville.
There will be an open test from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 4.
On Monday, September 5, the pit gates open at 10:00 a.m., and the pre-race show is live on www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com at 11:00 a.m. Practice begins at 12:00 p.m., and qualifying starts at 3:00 p.m. The green flag will fly at 5:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.DillonMotorSpeedway.com or the Facebook and Twitter page. You may also call the race hotline at 843.774.1888.
Great short track racers make such an impact on the sport. It takes great dedication to go out to the tracks on Saturday night and race, not always for money, but for pride and love of the sport.
The world lost one of those great short track racers. Julius David Johnson, Jr. ran short track from here to NC and Georgia for over 30 years. He was a self-employed auto mechanic that not only showed great community support, but also love for his family. He encouraged his son “Slick” Johnson to get into the sport and watched as he made it to the Winston Cup series now known as the Sprint cup.
Darlingtonians will surely miss this great person and I hope his family finds comfort in knowing that Jr. made a great impact on those who loved the sport of racing.
There is a Facebook page dedicated to Jr. Johnson. If you have memories of this beloved man, please share and show support to his surviving family.
Thanks Jr. for the great memories.
The DCN
Obituary for Jr. Johnson
Funeral services are being held today at 11am in the chapel of Layton-Anderson Funeral Home in Timmonsville, SC.
Mr. Johnson was born in Horry County, the son of the late Julius Sr. and Goldie Loretta Huggins Johnson. Jr. was a graduate of Elim High School.
He was a self-employed auto mechanic. Jr. competed in short track races in the Carolinas and Georgia from 1959 to the late 1980s. Jr. won numerous track championships over the years. He also fielded a Winston Cup (Sprint) car for his son “Slick” until the late 1980s. Jr. lived in the Ebenezer community for most of his life until he moved to the Cartersville community in Darlington County in 1997. After retiring from race cars, he enjoyed building go-karts for his grandsons.
He was married to the late Virginia Burris.
He is survived by two daughters, Judy (John) Hare of Lynchburg, Joyce (Richard) Hill; two brothers, Cecil Johnson, Timmonsville, Leo Johnson, Florence; grandchildren, Ginger (George) Tolson, Terri (Brian) Reigner, Chuck (Amanda) McKenzie, Dawn (Darrell) Brown, David (Erin) Johnson, Benjie (Jan) Johnson, Patrice (Ken) Hodge; forteen great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife and his son, Julius D “Slick” Johnson, III, brother Carl David Johnson and sister Marjorie Jewel Johnson.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 181 E. Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501.
Layton-Anderson Funeral Home, 4210 W. Palmetto Street, Florence, SC is assisting the family with arrangements.
Each week, the Darlingtonian will do daily posts dedicated to the Darlington area.
On Mondays we will present “Memories Monday” where we’ll post either an old picture of Darlington or something related to the memories of growing up in this great town. Tuesdays will be called “Tasty Tuesdays” where we will showcase a restaurant in the Darlington County area. “Wordless Wednesdays” will give Darlingtonians a chance to caption local pictures. “Opinionated Thursdays” will be dedicated to an opinion column about issues in Darlington. Fridays will be “Finally Friday” where we showcase weekend events and anything coming up the next week.
Of course throughout the week we’ll still keep up to date on community events.
Thank you for friending us on Facebook and we look forward to showing more of what Darlington has to offer!
The DCN
On Thursday, August 25, The Byrnes Schools’ Trojans beat the Florence Christian School Eagles 25 to 20.
The game was held on Thursday night due to the threat of hurricane Irene impacting the Pee Dee area. Heading into Florence Christian, the Trojans were 0-1, but the cross town rivalry is always a fantastic game.
The Trojans came onto the field ready to play as their first drive consisted of 13 run plays and a touchdown. Running back, Dyeshawn Jones fought hard and powered his way into the end zone for six points, the only points for either team in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Trojans visited the end zone on two separate occasions. The first touchdown came with 7:09 minutes left on the clock. Quarterback, Shaq Bacote threw a Hail Mary to receive, Kalin Brown-Mcfadden. The play resulted in a 59 yard catch and run touchdown. The second touchdown came with only 4:54 minutes left until the fourth quarter. Shaq Bacote threw the ball to senior, Justin Robinson who was able to jump above all of the defenders to earn the Trojans six more points.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans visited the end zone once as Kalin Brown-Mcfadden pushed forward for a four yard rushing touchdown. The Brynes Trojans won because of Jared Amell’s tenacity of going for first downs on fourth down and because the players came onto the field ready to play. In the end, The Byrnes Schools had 202 rushing yards, 136 receiving yards and 48 defensive tackles in route to a final score of 25 to 20.
“It was good to get a win,” Coach Jared Amell said. “It’s always good to get a win against a cross town rival, and it certainly had its up’s and down’s. All-in-all, we beat a pretty good team. The game plan now is to prepare for our first conference game against Carolina.”
The Byrnes Schools’ will play their first conference game at home against Carolina Academy on Friday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Offense:
No. 15 Justin Robinson had 30 yards receiving and one touchdown.
No. 20 Chantwan Damon had 112 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving.
No 23 Kalin Brown-Mcfadden had 11 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving.
No. 3 Shaq Bacote had 38 yards rushing.
No. 4 Dyeshawn Jones had 41 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards.
Defense:
No 20. Chantwan Damon sacked the quarterback 2.5 times
No. 50 Ashton Sutton sacked the quarterback once.
No. 52 James Hunt was able to get to the quarterback 0.5 times.
No. 77 Ke’von Ketter sacked the quarterback once.
(Submitted by Hunter Thomas)
