West Pelzer Boasts Full Calendar of Fall Events

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

For West Pelzer Mayor James Riddle, autumn means more than football and cooler weather. It marks the busiest season of the year, with a lineup of festivals, community gatherings and small-town politics that reflect both the traditions and growing pains for his town.

“Fall is the season for most municipalities, and it definitely is for West Pelzer,” said Riddle in an interview with the Anderson Observer, rattling off a calendar of events that begins with a weekly senior gathering and stretches to Christmas lights and parades.

At the heart of that schedule are new and revived community traditions. The town’s newly minted farmers’ market — founded by local business owner Tracy Stewart of Birdie’s on Main — has been drawing steady interest each Saturday morning.

“Everybody’s got a farmers’ market,” said Riddle. “Well, West Pelzer has one now.”

The season’s centerpiece, Farm Fest, returns on Sept. 27 with Future Farmers of America students leading the way. Expect tractors, livestock and music, he said, along with local farmers and a celebration of the area’s farming traditions.

“Where would we be without our farmers?” said Riddle.

Other events follow in close succession:

         •       The town’s “mile-long yard sale” on Oct. 4.

         •       Westie’s Market on Oct. 18, a vendor fair that has become one of the town’s largest draws.

         •       “Boo With the Blue” later in October, a Halloween event once known as PumpkinPalooza, now designed to highlight the role of the town’s police while still giving children a safe place for costumes and candy.

By November, attention will turn to the Nov. 4 municipal election, when two longtime incumbents — Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Lee and Councilman Johnny Rogers — face challengers Jeff Turner and Rick Sanders.

“Local politics really boils down to you, the citizens, choosing your leaders,” Riddle said.

West Pelzer, with fewer than 1,000 residents, faces pressures common in fast-developing small towns. A new subdivision is underway with more than 50 homes expected, a challenge for local infrastructure. The mayor said the growth would necessitate more attention to roadways, policing and maintenance.

“We are going to try to add another officer,” Riddle said, noting that a part-time position is already being added in the maintenance department.

Financially, the town’s leaders remain optimistic. With a health general fund balance of and nearly $90,000 in hospitality tax revenue, Riddle said the town is on solid footing.

“We’re in great shape financially,” he said, crediting a unanimous budget approval earlier this year.

Even as the town braces for holiday parades and a return to the “true meaning of Christmas,” as Riddle put it, road conditions loom as a broader issue. On the Nov. 4 ballot, voters across Anderson County will decide on a referendum on state road improvements, including the heavily traveled main street that cuts through downtown West Pelzer.

“If the roads are to be attended to, it’s going to take some money,” he said.