John R.'s Blog

Fountain Inn, SC- Spirit of Christmas Past

The Hastings Company, LLC — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:33:01 -0600

The Spirit of Christmas Past is a seasonal festival that Fountain Inn, SC has been celebrating for probably over 15 years (any correction on this time frame is welcomed). The Chamber of Commerce along with the City of Ft. Inn and the Ft. Inn Civic Center, bring about six to eight of the Charleston, SC carriages and LARGE horses up for the Christmas carriage rides.

There are two separate routes that you can go on:

1) The Inn Circle route is where you will see beautiful Christmas lights and decorations brightly lit and proudly shown by the home owners of Inn Circle. These homes are more modern (10 to 40 years of age). The streets are lined with beautiful glowing luminaries that help guide the carriage driver and horse along the celebrated route. Ride will take about 20 minutes.

2) The Main Street route last approximately the same time frame (about 20 minutes). On Main Street there are more older home styles from the past. Just the beauty and grandness of these homes is enough to make one want to see them. Adding the beautiful Christmas decorations and luminary lights helps to enhance the beauty not only of the homes but also of the charm that Fountain Inn, SC has to offer.

Tickets for these carriage rides will cost $6 for adults and $4 for children 3 and older.

Did I mention ice skating? We also have an outdoor ice skating rink for kids of all ages to enjoy. Actually, the "ice" is a product that was invented right here in Greenville County. Although I have never tried to skate on it, everyone that does says it is Unbelievable...just like real ice!! As a matter of fact, you use REAL ICE SKATES on it. For $7, a child or adult can enjoy skating for 40 minutes....Now that's real entertainment at a fantastic price.

If you are longing for a time to enjoy and celebrate the Christmas season with your family, at a slower pace as it once was years ago, then come to Fountain Inn's celebration of the Spirit of Christmas Past.

Dates remaining are:

Friday - Sunday December 12, 13, 14 at 6PM

Thursday - Saturday December 18-20 at 6PM

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.

John

Fountain Inn's Farmer's Market

The Hastings Company, LLC — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:13:08 -0500

July 5, 2008 was the very first Saturday that Fountain Inn began it's Farmer's Market. Its held every Saturday from 8 A.M. til Noon. Well, my wife and I got there on July 5th around 9 A.M. Hey, I thought that was a decent time to go shopping for vegetables. Well, there was absolutely NO CORN left. Everyone had already bought it all.

On the next Saturday, according to City Administrator Eddie Case, there were approximately 500 people that turned out to buy produce. I missed that day but I did make it back on July 19. There were more participants and produce available.

My wife and I bought cantelope (VERY good) and some fresh green beans. She cooked them all day Saturday and they were delicious.

This Farmers Market will be expanding over the next few months. If you have the chance, come see for yourself.

Til next time...Bye

John

BLAKE HEIGHTS...New Homes from the Upper $130,000's

The Hastings Company, LLC — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:45:04 -0500

BLAKE HEIGHTS -- This new community is conveniently located two miles from Interestate I-385, exit 16 in Laurens County.

Compare our pricing / values to other communities:

Large Acre+ lot sizes

Side-entry 2 car garages

Garage Opener included

Jetted tub—Master Bath

Separate shower—Master Bath

Double Vanity in Master Bath (as per plan)

Microwave, disposal, Dishwasher, Self clean electric stove

Stone accent (as per plan)

50 gal. Water heater

Concrete driveways

Rural Housing 100% Financing Available

DIRECTIONS: From Laurens: E. Main to Hwy 14 towards Gray Court. (Approximately 7 miles). Turn right on Bull Hill Road. Blake Heights is 0.3 miles on the right. Right on Laura Jane Lane.

DIRECTIONS: From Greenville: Take I-385 South to exit 16 (Hwy 101) in Laurens County. Take Hwy 101 to Gray Court (approximately 1.5 miles). Turn left onto Hwy 14. Go approximately 2.1 miles. Turn left on Bull Hill Road. Blake Heights is 0.3 miles on the right. Right on Laura Jane Lane.

Fountain Inn, South Carolina--The Inn Place to Be

The Hastings Company, LLC — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:22:24 -0500

Fountain Inn, South Carolina--The Inn Place to Be

Do you realize what is already starting to happen in our beautiful Fountain Inn town? It's called P R O G R E S S. That's right, progress. How do I know? Take a look around town and surrounding areas. Two new subdivisions are getting underway: Tucker Branch located just south of town on Hwy 14, and Ridge Water located on Fairview Road, just three (3) miles after crossing over Hwy 418. At some point in time, the future homeowners will need grocery stores, drug stores, etc. to support the influx of new homeowners. It will happen. Also coming is a new mixed development for business and residential homes to be located in front of Quail Run on North Main Street.

The downtown area of Fountain Inn is progressing also. As of today, July 16, 2008, we have several new restaurants within walking distance from Main Street: The Weston Grill, Jones Cafe, Sub-Way, Tony's Pizza, Bucky's Bar-B-Q as well as some other great eateries like BJ's Creations and Catering, and of course The Clock Drive-in.

Have you noticed the new flower baskets attached to the power poles in downtown? The plants and flowers are growing strong. This certainly adds to the charm and beauty of our town. You will also now see attractive banners on the same poles promoting our town. These banners are sponsored by local businesses Anyone who wants to sponsor a banner can do so. Check with Economic Development Director Van Broad 864-409-1050).

Do you like festivals? Who doesn't...they're lots of fun. The new Patriotic Festival was a huge success. Visitors enjoyed good foods such as Bar-B-Q and other vendors (I personally love the Kettle Korn. The festival had some great beach music, and then The Blue Dogs performed. It was a fantastic show that was followed up by a great fireworks display.

Then once again, on the first Saturday in October (that'll be October 4th), Aunt Het Festival takes place. There'll be lots of fun, music, food and crafts for ALL. Mark your calendar again for this one.

Fountain Inn's Civic Center for the Performing Arts. Have you seen this place recently? You MUST go by there and see what is transforming. This is the former Fountain Inn High School, located on N. Main St. next door to the Public library. If you missed seeing Edwin McCain perform recently then you missed seeing some fantastic talent. Back in the fall of 2007, I got to see Livingston Taylor perform. Did you know that he is the brother of James Taylor? Livingston is also a very talented performer. I'm looking to see some great acts and performers come entertain us at The Civic Center. Already scheduled for later this year are several plays such as Godspell August 15-17, Zombie Prom, A musical comedy October 31 - November 2. Then in December, to get us in the Christmas Spirit, come enjoy your favorite Christmas songs and melodies December 4 - 8, 11 - 14 & 18 - 20. The new year for 2009 starts with GREASE February 13 - 15, 2009, Funny Girl March 27 - 29, and Songs for a New World May 15 - 17.

YES YES YES, once again The Spirit of Christmas Past will bring us the wonderful carriage rides along with ICE SKATING. Can you believe it, Ice Skating in Fountain Inn. And it went over with tremendous success in 2007.

As you can see, there's a TREMENDOUS amount of things going on in our town. It takes a huge amount of work to make all of the above happen. My wife and I were volunteers during the 2007 The Spirit of Christmas Past. We had a ball. It really is lots of fun. Would you like to volunteer to help out at some or all of the above events? Contact Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce, 864-862-2586 or by e-mail: cknight@fountaininnchamber.org

Support Fountain Inn's The Civic Center for the Performing Arts by becoming a sponsor. There are several levels by which you can give your support:

SUSTAINOR: $2000+
SPONSOR:    $1000 - $1999
PATRON:       $500 - $999
FRIEND:       $250 - $499
MEMBER:   $50 - $249

OK, well, that's about all I'm going to say at this time. There's a whole lot more to talk about but that's for another time. Feel free to call me at 864-505-0489 or e-mail me: jhastings@thehastingsco.com should you have any questions about anything above. And of course, if you have any real estate needs that I can assist you with, give us a call at The Hastings Company - 864-862-1114, 117 S. Main St. Fountain Inn.

See ya Later.

John