Personal Injury Attorneyin Florence, SC.

FLORENCE – Jody and Bryan Ransom have a vision: hundreds of people gathered around a Thanksgiving table in the middle of Florence — friends, families, neighbors and even strangers enjoying a meal together, striking up conversations and building community.

The Ransoms are the driving force behind a Thanksgiving community meal dubbed One Table Florence. The idea, taken from a similar event in Aiken, is to bring together people from across the city for a day of gratitude.

Jody Ransom described the goal of the event as “bringing the community together to strengthen our bonds, and restoring a sense of gratitude to Thanksgiving.”

The event is set to be held this Thanksgiving Day in Timrod Park. It will be free to all, and all are encouraged to attend, the Ransoms said.

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The Ransoms, who recently moved to Florence, attended One Table Aiken when they lived in the city. When they knew they were leaving, Jody Ransom shadowed the organizers in hopes of bringing the concept to their new home.

In August, the couple decided now was the time. They’ve been meeting with community organizations, local churches and elected officials to get the ball rolling.

Without donations, the event would cost an estimated $30,000, Bryan Ransom said. He expects to need about 200 volunteers. However, various organizations have already committed volunteers, funding, tableware and help cooking, he said.

The introduction of the event to Florence comes as One Table Aiken shuts down, at least temporarily.

The event’s organizers told the Aiken Standard that inadequate facilities forced the meal to be canceled and said future iterations, if they occur, may have to be restructured.

In past years, Aiken’s events have hosted more than a thousand people, and the Ransoms are shooting for a lofty goal in the first iteration in Florence: 2,500 attendees.

Those attendees will meet at Timrod Park, where they’ll jump in line with other Florence residents from different backgrounds. As they move through, selecting from sides made by local community organizations and the obligatory turkey, the attendees will strike up conversations with someone they may not have met otherwise. Maybe they'll continue their conversation at the table, or maybe they’ll find someone else to sit with, creating yet another connection.

That’s the idea, at least.

Pee Dee

The Ransoms hope to reach people in Florence who don’t have Thanksgiving plans, such as young adults who live away from family or older adults who live alone. However, they encourage everyone to come.

The Ransoms also emphasized the meal shouldn’t be thought of as a charity event. Instead, they want it to be thought of as a community event in the same way that Florence After 5 or the South Carolina Pecan Festival is.

“You want Thanksgiving to have this joy to it, and that's what we're trying to infuse in this,” he said. “... We don't want people feeling like they're coming out of need. They're coming out of literally thanks and gratitude.”

In Aiken, the Ransoms said, they saw people working together and helping each other on the street during the event. Different communities that wouldn’t normally have interacted shared a meal and got to know each other better. They build connections they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Even people who you know – coworkers or fellow church goers – can take on a different light when you share a meal with them, the Ransoms said.

“We were overwhelmed by the atmosphere of community, the love and acceptance that was brought through the community gathering together, seeing how people from different walks of life, different backgrounds were all networking and intermingling,” Jody said.

More volunteers and donations are needed ahead of the Nov. 23 meal. More information is available at onetableflorence.com.

This story has been updated to correct Jody Ransom's name.

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Some heavyweights of the national culinary industry will make appearances at an inaugural food and wine event in Charleston.

Food & Wine, Southern Living, and Travel + Leisure have announced that tickets are on sale for the inaugural Food & Wine Classic in Charleston. Presented by Explore Charleston, the event will take place from Sept. 27-29, according to a news release.

The weekend will feature more than 40 celebrity chef cooking demonstrations and wine and cocktail seminars with world-class talent including Tyler Florence, Maneet Chauhan, CJ McCollum, Wanda Mann, Amanda McCrossin and Andrew Zimmern as well as local favorites Mike Lata, Miles White, Femi Oyediran, Vivian Howard, and more to be announced, the release stated.

The main events will take place at the Charleston Visitors Center, with additional programming taking place throughout the city of Charleston.

Click here for more information.

“Charleston’s unparalleled combination of culinary traditions, foodways, hospitality, architectural beauty, and culture makes it the ideal setting to build on our storied FOOD & WINE Classic event franchise,” said Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis. “Together with my friends at Southern Living and Travel + Leisure, we are excited to showcase the best of the Holy City and create a dynamic experience that tells meaningful stories about the area’s delicious food scene and brings together wine and food lovers from all over for a weekend of celebration, enrichment, and fun.”

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The Food & Wine Classic in Charleston is an extension of the iconic Food & Wine Classic in the Aspen franchise, bringing more than 40 years of expertise to spotlight this city’s culinary and cultural offerings, the release stated. The event will feature its signature mix of cooking demonstrations from world-class chefs and local talent, extensive wine and food tastings and spirits seminars.

The Grand Tasting Pavilion will be a cornerstone of the weekend, bringing together hundreds of winemakers, distillers, and culinary experts from around the globe, the release stated. Additional programming throughout the weekend will include local tours and experiences showcasing Charleston’s local gems and curated by Jacqui Gifford, Editor in Chief of Travel + Leisure.

“Year after year, Charleston has been voted the World’s Best City in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure readers, and it’s easy to see why,” Gifford said in the release. “From the cultural attractions and boutique shopping to the ever-evolving restaurant scene and unrivaled Southern hospitality, Charleston is truly one of a kind, and we are thrilled that we can bring this dynamism to life over a magical long weekend of events.”

Set against the backdrop of the Kiawah River, Southern Living will host the Southern Living Lowcountry Tailgate where attendees can experience the cherished Southern tradition featuring an oyster roast hosted by Matt and Ted Lee, BBQ by Erica Blaire and live music.

“We’re excited to celebrate the rich culture of Charleston and to highlight the people who bring it to life,” said Sid Evans, editor in chief of Southern Living. “We’re also thrilled to welcome attendees to our newest Idea House in Kiawah River, which opens in August 2024, as a venue for celebrating the food, traditions, and hospitality of the Lowcountry.”

These Covid tracking pages are no longer being updated. Get the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control, or find archived data from The Times’s three year reporting effort here.

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 7% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Florence County

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Florence County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Florence County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - The Creekside restaurant in Florence exclusively shared security video with WMBF News that shows what led up to a drive-by shooting at the establishment over the weekend.

The footage shows the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Dwayne Cooley, as his body language got more aggressive during an argument with security while he was being asked to leave.

“There was a cover charge that night, and he didn’t want to pay the cover charge,” said Lori Creel, a co-owner of the restaurant.

After Cooley left, arrest warrants state he fired shots at the building as he drove away. He then allegedly came back and opened fire again - this time shattering a window at the restaurant and grazing a customer with a bullet.

“I don’t see anything else I could have done to prevent this,” said Creel. “I have put every measure in place. I’m doing what I can do to provide a safe place. I hope it doesn’t deter anyone from coming out or continuing to prove this place for the community.”

Creekside said they take their customer’s safety seriously. Creel said everyone gets a pat down from her SLED-certified officers and their IDs scanned before getting in.

They also have several cameras monitoring the building, which caught the whole incident on video. These are all protocols and tech which Creel said helped investigators find and arrest Cooley after the shooting, at a nearby nightclub.

“We have done everything we know to do to keep this environment safe. In fact, after the incident happened, we pulled our cameras, pulled our ID scanner to find the individual that had done this, and helped give all of that over to the authorities so that he could be caught and he was that evening,” she said.

Creekside regulars who spoke to WMBF News also said they’ve never felt threatened inside and will continue to come back even after the scare. They also praised the tech that helped authorities track down Cooley.

“I definitely feel safe in this place, but it makes me fearful for the public,” said Clifton Craig.

“I was kind of amazed that something like that could even happen here, you know with the measures they take... They normally keep it pretty tight around here,” said Evan Defe.

The owners, on the other hand, said they’re just thankful everyone will be okay.

“We had higher forces looking over us that night. Because it could have been way, way worse than what it was,” said Creel.

The victim sustained minor injuries and is okay.

Records show Cooley posted a $15,500 bond Monday and was charged with shooting into a dwelling as well as driving under suspension.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

Copyright 2024 WMBF. All rights reserved.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - Buying beer and wine 7 days a week in the city of Florence has been a boom for businesses since Florence residents voted for the Sunday alcohol law changes a year ago.

Both businesses and residents across the city weighed in on the fairly new law. Some businesses said it’s a work in progress while the Florence community said they’ve seen a difference.

“It’s been a great convenience, and I think it’s benefited the retailers a lot more than they initially thought that it may,” said President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, Mike Miller.

A year ago, 71% of Florence voters said “yes” to beer and wine sales on Sundays.

It’s something Miller said previously sent residents to surrounding cities, hurting the bottom line for some businesses.

“It wasn’t just the beer and wine sales, the city was losing,” he said. “It was additional merchandise and that’s benefited the local retailers.”

Sunday alcohol sales are now pushing businesses to consider opening on Sundays.

Micky Finn’s Wine and Spirits One Stop Party Shop Owner, Rick Havekost said he waited about six months to open seven days a week, and it’s now a work in progress for sales one more day than before.

“It’s been adventurous, but it’s doing pretty well,” said Havekost. “We look forward to the Sunday sales going into the county where our new Buc-ee’s store will be. That’s when I’ll see the big impact of people coming off the interstate.”

Customers like Aubrey Foe said he’s already seen the benefits of the fairly new law.

“I love that they passed the law that you’re able to do that on Sunday,” he said. “For Florence county, for the people that visit and travel that come from all over the world, and they know that they’re able to shop no matter what day it is of the week.”

Now that Havekost is open every day of the week, he said he’s ready for more changes in the future.

“Right now no liquor stores can be open on Sunday, but I see that changing over the next 5 to 10 years,” he said. “So, we might as well start with the beer and wine side and if the state legislator ever decides to change the liquor laws, then we’ll have the staff in place and will be ready to be open on Sundays for everything.”

Havekost told WMBF News he plans to open his new location next to Buc-ees on January 15.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.