May 20th, 2008 - Lee's Weekly Update

Link: Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor.

Freedom Weekend Aloft is upon us again for the second annual event at Simpsonville’s Heritage Park.  The popular event has been part of the Upstate for several years and last year switched venues from Anderson to Simpsonville. It kicks off Saturday, May 24 and runs through Memorial Day with hours 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M.  The best time to view a sky full of balloons or purchase a ride is 6-8 P.M. daily when winds are generally calm, however there are early morning flights on Saturday and Monday from 7-9 A.M. that you can see from areas outside the park.  Headliner acts include Montgomery Genty, Huey Lewis and the News, and Natasha Bedingfield, but there will be many other acts on various stages.  Children will be sure to overload on entertainment at the KidZone where jugglers, magicians, comedians will keep it lively.  Disc dog nationals will be at noon on Saturday and Sunday will all disc dogs invited to compete.  On Monday morning, the Palmetto Pelaton Project will offer a 25-mile fun ride with proceeds going to the Greenville Hospital System.  For more see Freedom Weekend Aloft.

The BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament wound up last weekend at Greenville’s Thornblade golf course with pro David Mathis of Raleigh taking the $121,500 purse.  Former hockey great Wayne Gretzky partnered with pro Chris Nallen to win the Pro-Celeb portion of the tournament.   A record 50,000 were in attendance in this year’s event, which moved down from the Cliffs Valley and made the commute a bit shorter. 

Cross Country Home Services is investing $3 million for a call center in Anderson that will add 350 jobs to the community. Cross Country is a home warranty company headquartered in Florida that chose the Anderson area for it’s availability of high-quality labor.  The firm plans to renovate the old Winn- Dixie building on Highway 81 and be in operation by August of 2008.  The majority of employees will answer questions about the warranties offered, while employees with trade skills will discuss technical topics related to plumbing or electrical issues.

Pickens County Airport is seeing an upgrade to its terminal building and parking lot with a $330,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The small airport is subsidized by the county and by improving its facilities, hopes to attract more business and create a more self-sustaining field.  The improvements should be complete by 2009.

A chance of isolated thunderstorms is likely this week as some moist air moves north from the Gulf.  Highs should be around 80 with lows in the upper 60s.