City of Camden to light tree Thursday

The City of Camden Christmas Tree Lighting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Camden City Hall. Join the city of Camden, the Camden Community Concert Band and the Chamber Choir of Kershaw County at city hall to kick off the holiday season. The Downtown Camden Guild will be serving hot chocolate during the event.

Cain and Gingrich

Voters in this country are notoriously fickle -- even more so than football fans, and evidence of that can be found in the up-and-down nature of regular polls conducted to see which Republican presidential candidate is doing best. Each week it seems another contender has either caught the fancy of voters and surged to the top of polls or committed some blunder and plummeted like a rock falling off a cliff.

Focused on foreign policy

When the presidential debates between George W. Bush and Al Gore were held in October 2000, the 9/11 attacks were less than a year away. Guess how many times "al Qaeda" or "Osama bin Laden" came up in those debates? Not once.

Patrick Edward Montgomery

Funeral service with military honors for SSG Patrick Edward Montgomery, U.S. Army (Ret'd), 63, of Lugoff, will be held Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at Powers Funeral Home with burial to follow in Fort Jackson National Cemetery. The Rev. Dr. Mark Bredholt will officiate. The family will receive friends Wednesday 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Tri-County or any local veteran's organization.

James Collins

A funeral service for James Alson Collins, 56 of Kershaw will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 30, 2011 in the chapel of Baker Funeral Home. Mr. Collins will be cremated following the service. Rev. Jamie Rogers will officiate.

Career advice for would-be presidents

WASHINGTON -- Another debate, another episode of "The Dating Game." Will the winner be contestant Number One, Two ... Eight?

Donald Buhrmaster Sr.

Graveside service to celebrate the life of Donald Henry Buhrmaster, Sr., 89, of Camden will be held at 2:00 PM Thursday, December 1, 2011 in Quaker Cemetery. Rev. Michael Bullock will officiate. The family will receive friends from 6:00 - 8:00 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at the home and again following the service on Thursday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mr. Buhrmaster's memory to The Camden Tree Foundation, P. O. Box 473, Camden, SC 29020 or to A. Sam Karesh Wing, 1315 Roberts Street, Camden, SC 29020.

Black Jack Blues jumps his way to Lonesome Glory Champions Award

Irvin S. Naylor's Black Jack Blues, a recent Irish-bred import which sailed to two impressive victories in his only U.S. starts, including the $250,000 Grand National, was named the National Steeplechase Association's Lonesome Glory Champions Award winner, bestowed on the horse with the highest earnings in the current racing season.

Time to serve

At the Community Medical Clinic of Kershaw County health issues are addressed with a vision toward creating stronger families and communities. Patients are empowered to improve their own health and well-being.

Sidewalk Survey -- Nov. 30, 2011

Margaret Watts Justice

A memorial service for Margaret Watts Justice, 67, of Cassatt, will be held Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Powers Funeral Home. The Rev. Gill Belec will officiate. The family will receive friends Thursday 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home.

Kathryn Leadingham

Funeral services to celebrate the life of Kathryn "Kathy" Jenkins Leadingham of Camden will be held Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 3:00 PM at Emmanuel Baptist Church with burial to follow in the church cemetery. Rev. Jimmy Atkerson will officiate. The family will receive friends Wednesday, November 30, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel. Memorials may be made in Mrs. Leadingham's memory to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 3608 Landmark Drive, Suite C, Columbia, SC 29204.

Jeanette M. Robinson

Jeanette Robinson, 53, of Saddle Club Road, Ridgeway, died Monday, Nov. 28, 2011.

Essie L. Williams

Funeral services for Essie L. Williams, 82, of Connecticut, formerly of Camden and Columbia, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5, 2011, at Rehoboth Baptist Church, 4642 Hardscrabble Road, Columbia, with burial in the church cemetery.

4-H Challenge winners

Two local 4-H teams won awards at the State 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Challenge Event held at the S.C. State Fair. The 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Challenge is modeled after such competitions as the Food Network's "Iron Chef," where they must create a healthy dish. Team members had to prepare a dish, make an oral presentation, interpret a food label, plan a menu utilizing the dish and prepare a fitness plan. The challenge also allowed the 4-H'ers to demonstrate their culinary and food safety skills to the judges. The contest was sponsored by S.C. 4-H, Zest Quest and ...

Royals AAU teams list tryout dates

The Royals AAU youth basketball teams will host tryouts in both Camden and Bishopville for its boys and girls' teams.

Carolina Cup tickets now on sale

Invitations for the Carolina Cup steeplechase races were sent out to those on the organization's mailing list last Friday. And tickets and parking spaces for the event are now on sale.