If there’s a more enticing festival name than “Taste of Newberry,” which will be held Friday, I’m not sure what it is. With our well known and wide variety of restaurants in the county, a Taste of Newberry sounds delicious, palate satisfying and fun. Add in local jazz musicians from Newberry College and it promises to be an exciting Friday night. Taste of Newberry will be from 5 p.m. to 9 pm.
As an added bonus Friday, WIS plans live remotes from Newberry from the early morning through the evening. Newberry will be the first featured city as WIS begins a new “Ten in Your Town” segment with various stories and multiple anchors originating from Newberry all day.
On the economic front, you’ve heard the bad news about Caterpillar closing in 2017. We’ve been proud to be the home of Caterpillar, and I get a tinge of pride every time I see a Caterpillar generator around South Carolina. The Caterpillar staff makes quality products, and those employees will make good staff for other companies when they seek employment in the future.
Other recent economic news is much more positive. Tokyo Grill opened in Newberry in April to big crowds. BJ Graphix moved to a new location on Jessamine Drive and has an impressive showroom. 4 Friends Auto Sales moved down Wilson Road to a bigger location in Bear Village.
Grouchos Deli, a favorite in Columbia since the 1940’s, announced Monday they’ll open in the Wal-Mart shopping center. Chick-Fil-A Express will open at Newberry College in the fall beside the college cafeteria, and the public will be welcome.
Downtown continues to look good, including the recent restoration of the historic Coca Cola mural. We thank Sinclair Talbot for leading this effort and artist David Phillips for his excellent and dedicated work.
Thank you for supporting our retail businesses downtown and in the Wilson Road area. Nationally, I read more people are buying off the internet, which is hurting small businesses and chains, all of which support the local communities and local jobs. Buying locally not only helps our local businesses, neighbors and tax base but also helps recruit possible new businesses as retailers talk and share data, according to our retail recruiter, Retail Strategies.
The city is continuing work on a number of utility projects, including the water plant on the Saluda River and water lines in Forest Ridge and West End. Works continues at the College Street bridge replacement project, where the water and sewer line contractor has had to remove a great deal of rock.
Starting in early June, work will begin on water and sewer lines replacement under Evans Street from Mower to Luther. At city parks, renovations at Gallman Park are nearly complete, and the city added playground equipment off O’Neal Street at the Meadow at Greenway Trail.
Finally, back to food. When I welcome groups to Newberry, I tell them Newberry County excels at making good things to eat. From the many farms, to food companies like Kraft-Heinz, ISE and Pioneer Foods, to the many outstanding restaurants, I tell visitors there’s a good chance they’ve eaten something very tasty from Newberry County.
And then there’s this from a recent issue of Garden and Gun magazine. In listing five places to visit in South Carolina to “Eat Like A Local,” Asheville chef Elliott Moss recommends the Bi-Lo in Newberry. He says: “I make sure to stop here every time I’m in the area. It’s in a part of the the state where people still make things … like onion sausage. I always get hash. Dowd’s. It’s made in Newberry and it’s popular. Every time I go in there, it seems like there’s somebody else in front of me is grabbing a jar.”
What better way to celebrate the great food in Newberry than the Taste of Newberry on Friday night.