One of my goals for 2010 is to fix up my front and back yards. When we moved into our house the lawn and garden areas were lovely – the former owners being complete at ease working in the soil and making things grow. Sadly, I don’t have that skill – but it doesn’t keep me from trying from time to time.

At the end of the summer I let my children pick out various flower seeds they wanted to attempted to grow in our garden, and seeing as we’re deep into winter this week, this seems like the perfect time to think about getting things ready.

Fortunately, this spring a new garden center is opening in Fort Mill. Sugar Creek Garden Center will be located along Rte 160 heading towards the North Carolina border. This will be a locally owned business, it’s owners being Tega Cay residents. I can’t wait for them to open – I love looking at fresh flowers and dreaming that I can turn my thumb into a green one.

It is with a sad heart that we announce that Wags of Baxter is closing it’s doors. They are planning a clearance all non-consignment items beginning tomorrow, December 1. This was a great specialty store in Baxter that catered to wholesome nutritional treats for the four-legged friends in your family. Apparently the bad economy has once again taken it’s toll on a locally-owned business.

Go support the owner and stock up on some stocking stuffers for your animal family, and be sure to let them know they will be missed!

The Carolina Stingers, a summer collegiate baseball team that plays in the Southern Collegiate Baseball league, will be holding an informational meeting for people interested in being part of the Stingers family. “There are opportunities to join our ownership group, become a host family for our players, volunteer to help at the gate and much more”, said Eric Fransen, the team’s General Manager. “We want to be able to share the fun and excitement with the community of Fort Mill and Tega Cay,” said Fransen.

The Carolina Stingers, based in Fort Mill, are one of the leagues original franchises. With the gaining popularity of Summer Collegiate Baseball the Southern Collegiate League is poised to take the next step as it continues to improve in stature and draws more talented players to the SCBL each year. On Wednesday, November 4th the Stingers will hold an informational meeting regarding ownership opportunities of the Stingers at the Towne Tavern in Fort Mill. Attending the meeting will be Fort Mill and Tega Cay officials, ex-Major League and ex-Carolina Stinger baseball players sharing the importance of Summer Collegiate Baseball Leagues to its players and communities. As a bonus, for taking the time to attend the meeting all attendees will receive season tickets for the 2010 season.

If you are interested in ownership shares, information about helping the league, or season tickets, be sure to head to Towne Tavern on Hwy 160 for the 8 p.m. meeting on Wednesday, November 4! For more information visit CarolinaStingersBaseball.com or call (803) 389-3255.

No doubt you’ve already heard that the Charlotte Knights and York County have finally reach a deal that will keep the team at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill for the next four years. I’m very happy about it – my kids love going to those games, and having the stadium in Charlotte insures cheap entertainment for me during the spring and summer months.

One of the major terms that York County asked for in signing the new deal was that funds be set aside for improvements to the surrounding property. The new lease requires the Knights commit up to $150,000 annually from parking revenues for improvements in and around the Stadium. The county will also be contributing a share of the parking revenues for those improvements.

The Knights have a loyal following in Fort Mill – for five straight years they have had increasing attendance (allowing beer sales on Sundays this past season definitely helped). It’s a long way off, but the first home game of the 2010 season will be April 15, and I have a feeling that it’s going to have a good crowd there to cheer on the Knights, which are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

An internet-marketing company, Red Ventures, recently announced that it will be moving to northern Lancaster County and is bringing 1,000 with it during the next 5-7 years. Formerly based in Ballantyne, the company is moving to a building just south of the NC state line. Red Ventures has blossomed during the tough economic times, continuing to add staff, with continued plans to expand. In a bit of good financial news, Red Ventures expects to invest more than $20 million in its new facility, with a goal of building a true “corporate campus.”

Red Ventures seems to be a stable company in unstable times, and ranked 17th on last year’s Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies. The company is holding a job fair today to fill 100 sales positions through the end of the year. The job fair will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the current Red Ventures headquarters (15009 Lancaster Highway, Charlotte). For more information or to register, visit RedVentures.com.

So you no doubt heard about the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) golfing event coming to Tega Cay, right? Well, if you have interest in learning more about it, head over to the Glennon Conference Center in Tega Cay today (Saturday, September 12) at 2 p.m. for a meeting to see a presentation given by SEU Promotions.

No official event has been scheduled as of yet, but city planners are predicting we’ll be on the Fall 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 lists for an event hosting in our fair town. Besides being able to see some great women’s golf, these tournaments will be in tremendous revenue to our local area.

All are welcome to attend the meeting and hear what all the talk is about.

So apparently a vendor was booted from the Trader Marc flea market in Fort Mill this past weekend for attempting to sell caskets. Merritt Eggleston, who builds the wooden caskets at a fraction of the cost of the ones you find in funeral homes, was given a 200% refund on his booth fees and asked to leave after some flea market customers complained about his product.

Eggleston told WCNC that he had a few interested parties come into his booth before he was asked to leave. I think it’s a shame that a few complainers ruined it for anyone else who might not otherwise know about Eggleston’s more cost-effective alternatives.

It boggles the mind that he was asked to leave. This means ANYone could be asked to leave for any reason. Don’t like cheap, plastic jewelry that breaks 15 minutes after you pull out of the parking lot? Maybe if you complain you can get the seller booted from the flea market too. Where does it stop? Allergic to peanuts? Complain about the guy selling organic peanut brittle even if it’s packed up in a box and covered in cellophane. Scared of squash? Turn in that veggie vendor!

Seriously though, I think Eggleston should be allowed back in. In this economy, we’re all trying to make our way and support our families and keep our roofs over our head. He has a legitimate business and a few folks who don’t like thinking about the fact that they are mortal should not hinder his ability to earn a living.

Would you be offended or shocked if you came upon a casket vendor at a flea market? Do you think Trader Marc’s should let Eggleston back in to the market? Sound off in the comments!

photo credit: chris.corwin