Miche Handbag ladies Faye Darby and Carol Smith
So far it has been a fun summer for the Lake Wateree Helping Hands Club. The ladies do not hold meetings throughout the summer months but continue to meet for social outings and lunches one day a month. During the rest of the year, the members took a collection each month for the Harvest Food Bank, helped with the auction to raise funds for the Fairfield County Disabilities and Special Needs Board, filled Easter bags for the residents of the Fairfield Healthcare Center of Laurel Baye in Ridgeway, donated money to St. Jude’s and also to Juvenile Diabetes in memory of Helen Thomas, long-time resident and ex-Mayor of Ridgeway. All 18 club members signed a petition in favor of the new ‘welcome to Winnsboro’ sign to show support for that town and its improvements. They are now planning to help a ministry in Camden and Children’s Garden in northeast Columbia.
Being well into summer, the club members have been enjoying other events. After their outing to the S.C. Museum for the Body World’s Vital exhibit, they have enjoyed a Valentine luncheon at the lake home of Martha Blackmon and a Mexican themed luncheon at the lake home of Sue Bowers. Lunches out have been at Huller’s Black Forest German restaurant in the Columbiana area, Ridgeway’s Yesteryear restaurant and Red Robin in the Sandhill shopping area. The members choose different places for their lunches each month.
Other outings have taken place at Blue Ginger Asian in Columbia and Maggie’s Market and San Jose in Blythewood. In April the ladies spent a day at the Farmer’s Market in Columbia with lunch at Judy’s Market, a quaint little restaurant on the premises. Many purchases of fresh fruit and vegetables took place. If you have not been to the new Farmer’s Market yet, it is well worth the trip.
One of the club’s latest get-togethers was a Miche (pronounced “mi-shee”) Handbag show given by Faye Darby and Carol Smith of Myrtle Beach and held at the Lake Wateree home of Brenda McFarland. Before the demonstration, the hostess served many different wines and a lunch consisting of a hot dip with crackers, three kinds of finger sandwiches, cucumber, pimento and chicken salad, brie cheese, chips and fresh fruit with cream puffs and cheesecake squares for dessert.
If you are not familiar with this particular product or have not seen it demonstrated, it is very interesting. The Miche company is now in 40 countries. You purchase one chic handbag from a large selection and using the same bag you can change the exterior without having to move all your personal items to another bag.
Each new outer shell that snaps over the purse gives it a different fashionable look. You can also purchase and change the straps from a selection of interchangeable handles. Several of their handbags are called ‘Hope Bag’ and are decorated with the signs of hope and pink ribbons and all proceeds from this bag go to cancer research. This stylish, convenient handbag demonstration was a big hit with the Helping Hands ladies.
In July the ladies traveled to McCloud’s Roadside Market in McBee to purchase fresh fruits, (mostly peaches) vegetables, meat and enjoy lunch at Big’s Restaurant, topping off the day with a special treat of peach ice cream.
At the last business meeting the new board was voted into office. They are: President, Jan Smith; Vice President and Devotionals, Marie “Mo” Branham; Secretary and Historian, Grace Tarrant; Treasurer, Carol Hefner and Sunshine Gals in charge of sending plants and cards to those who are ill or hospitalized, Pam Roy, Marge Whitney, Grace Black and Ginger Anderson. The members also signed up for the year of being hostesses for the meetings through April of 2013.
As they did last year, many of the club members will spend a few days at the Edisto Beach home of member Patti Register in mid-September. A fun time will be enjoyed with golfing, days on the beach and games of bridge. In early October the club will once again start their business meetings and make plans for the coming year.
