Kingstree welcomed three visitors from Main Street, South Carolina, last week. Beppie LeGrand, manager of the Main Street, South Carolina, program; Randy Wilson, architect and owner of Community Design Solutions; and Jeff Shacker, a Field Services Manager in the Upstate and Midlands for the Municipal Association of South Carolina, spent last Wednesday and Thursday meeting with a large number of residents and office holders, as well as conducting two public sessions, visiting businesses, and taking both riding and walking tours of Kingstree as part of their baseline assessment of the town to kick-off its participation in the Main Street program.
Architect Randy Wilson presides over one of the public sessions.
Jeff Shacker and Beppie LeGrand are in the background.
Photo by Linda Brown
The program uses an holistic approach to transform and revitalize communities into the best towns they can be. "You can only authentically be Kingstree," Randy said at the public sessions, "but we want you to be the best Kingstree possible." Both Beppie and Randy compared the approach used to a four-legged stool. They emphasized that if any one leg of the stool is removed, the whole structure becomes unstable.
The 8 a.m. session drew a small, but very engaged group.
T.Y. Williams, far left, filmed the proceedings.
Photo by Linda Brown
The four legs of the Main Street program include organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality.
According to the Main Street, America, website, organization creates a strong foundation for sustainable revitalization by cultivating partnerships, community involvement, and resources. This will encourage all organizations in town to work toward common goals established for Main Street, Kingstree.
Promotion will use festivals and events to draw not only tourists but also residents downtown to re-establish it as the heart of the community. A goal of promotion is to create a positive image that will showcase Kingstree's unique characteristics.
Design will support preservation of historic buildings downtown, while enhancing the layout of sidewalks and streetscapes. Randy noted that while he can find franchise businesses in any community he visits, "I can't find a depot like the one here or the building that used to house the historic Nettles Hotel (on Main Street) anywhere else."
He said that a town lives or dies by the health of its sidewalks, that unless people find what they see on the sidewalks fabulous, engaging, or entertaining, it doesn't much matter what the buildings look like. "You won't often hear an architect say this," he said, "but experience trumps architecture every single time."
The economic vitality leg will seek to assist new and existing businesses by creating a supportive environment through economic and financial tools. The team stressed that this effort will not compete against other businesses and industry in the area but will seek instead to create complementary businesses that overall will provide a robust business climate.
William Freeman, Director of Main Street, Kingstree, encourages
those attending the public sessions to get involved in the program
by offering ideas or volunteering their time and talents.
Photo by Linda Brown
William received a compliment from one gentleman at the morning public session. This man is in the process of locating a business on Main Street. He said the deciding factor for his coming to Kingstree was William's attitude. "William told me," he said, "'We want you in Kingstree, and we will do whatever we can to help you succeed.' That's what convinced me to come here."
Both Beppie and Randy emphasized that Main Street is focused on building up a solid core of support for transforming the commercial district. Randy, who is also a part-time minister, quoted Proverbs 29:19, which says in a modern translation, "Without vision, the people are unrestrained." He said the word translated as "unrestrained," gives the impression of going in too many directions. The idea behind Main Street is to create a big vision which allows people to lay down their individual concerns for the good of the whole.
Beppie LeGrand shares a light-hearted moment with the audience.
Photo by Linda Brown
Beppie also noted that at first there will not be much physical evidence of change taking place. "Don't expect to see results in a month," she warned. "There will be a lot of work going on behind the scenes, building slowly, making things make sense."
The team will take the information they gleaned from their two-day survey and incorporate it into recommendations which they believe will best serve the town in moving forward with the revitalization effort.
A much larger crowd attended the evening public session.
They, too, offered many good ideas and observations.
Photo by Linda Brown
Those who participated in the public sessions ranged in age from retirees to elementary school students. All were encouraged to offer their opinions, and all did so, abiding by Randy's rule to offer your opinion without debating anyone else's.
The final question asked of both groups was, "Are Kingstree's best days behind it, or do they lie ahead?" Both morning and evening participants strongly agreed that the best days lie ahead, to which Randy, the minister, added at the evening session, "And the people of God all said...." and the "congregation" responded with a fervent and heartfelt, "Amen!"
A gorgeous sunset greeted those leaving the evening meeting,
perhaps signaling better days ahead.
Photo by Linda Brown
Update: The completed "Love Where You Live" message discussed in last week's post and complemented by pictures from school children and library patrons can be seen on Main Street in the display windows of the old Marcus Department store.
Photo by Linda Brown
Further Speculation on the King's Tree: Edwin C. Epps (1873-1945) compiled his reminiscences of Kingstree as a memoir. On the final page, he notes, "It has been said that every boy reared in Kingstree is a good swimmer, which I think is practically true until this day. In my early boyhood almost any part of Black River was used as a swimming pool, and one of the safest places was near the old wooden bridge at the foot of Main St. At low water near the base of this old bridge could be seen the roots and decayed portions of what once must have been a huge tree of some kind, and rumor was often repeatedly claimed that this was the stump of the King's Tree. However, this rumor was just as often disputed. I remember particularly that Capt. (George Purvis) Nelson claimed the authority for disputing such a claim. His contention was that the King's Tree stood some distance east of the old stump, and was near the side of Main St., then only a road leading down the hill to the river's bank." [For those of you who remember Mary Catherine Kinder, Edwin Epps was her father.]
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