Let’s talk history – and – 'Americana,' gang!!
In the last few posts we’ve talked about some of the historical
figures from South Carolina’s colorful past including two (General Thomas Sumter and Dr. Joel Poinsett) whose final resting places can be found just off S. C. Highway 261 in Kershaw County. (Our route home from the beach.)
The city of
Camden, one of the most famous historical locations in our state and one we have mentioned before, is also nearby, in the same county.
Well, near graves of Sumter and Poinsett is the tiny town of Boykin, S. C., population 100 as of the 2010 census.
Think of that!!!
A town that is even smaller than our beautiful Ridgeway – by more than 200!!
Anyway – for the last twenty years, Boykin has celebrated the season with their own Christmas Parade.
Because of the quirky, tongue-in-cheek
 |
| Boykin Spaniel Eyes 'Queen' |
nature of the event it has gained enormous popularity in the midlands area of our state and we knew it was going to be quite an event when we entered the huge parking area close to the parade route. One of the unique
features of the parade is the presence, each year, of the “Fatback Queen”!!!
Although that celebrated beauty appears in female finery complete with ‘haute-redneck-couture’ with make-up and jewelry trimmings, it is played by a “chosen male” (usually a dedicated hunter) who is – to say the least ‘all man’, … uh .. with the exception of his/her appearance on this special day.
Well !!!! Turns out that one of the former “Fatback Queens” was none other than the son of SCTravelerX3 Sherwood!!!
Since this was the twentieth edition of the parade, all of the former beauties
 |
| Sherwood And Beautiful Grandkids |
were invited back to participate in this year’s event.
So – how could we possibly NOT go???
So the SCTravelersX3, along with our great friend Libby, joined Sherwoods extended family to provide support for the 'Fatback Queens'. But it also gives us the opportunity to show you a bit more about places to which we have introduced
you and to share some more of our state’s interesting aspects - including the wonderful, fun-loving residents of rural South Carolina.
Boykin is perfect for this for many reasons –
one of which is the fact that it is the home of the Boykin Spaniel, the “State Dog” of South Carolina; a breed which was developed in this tiny location by Mr. L. Whitaker Boykin.
Several rustic, historic and fascinating businesses and churches, several of which were founded in the late 1700s,
remain in operation in Boykin to this day.
Also of interest was the fact that although General Lee surrendered his Confederate Army at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, General Potter, the leader of Union troops in Kershaw County, did not get the word and he continued efforts to crush local troops.
On April 19
th, during a battle at Boykin Mill, Lt. Stevens of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment was killed - becoming the last known Federal officer to die in the War Between The States.
The site of that battle was near Boykin Mill, which was established in 1792 and which was one of the 
key reasons a community developed in this area. Located in space formerly occupied by the mill, the "Mill Pond Restaurant" offers very 
high-end dining and reservations need to be made well in advance. If one of the tables with a view of the mill pond is requested the wait could be weeks. The grounds around the restaurant and mill are quaint and charming with the old dam site, the unique drive-wheel used for power, 
and the covered bridge over the millrace some of the special features. It is easy to let your mind transport you back over the years to a time when grain milling and lumber sawing along with sales of all kinds of agriculture supplies and products were thriving here. For now, though, let's rush 
forward in time to the Twentieth Boykin Parade. As I said, it has gained a reputation for 'quirky' but - believe me - this is a serious parade too. Of course there are always dignitaries and "VIPs" to be given preferential treatment - including parking for their pickups. This is probably one of the most 'laid-back' 
events you could possibly imagine, folks, but - don't be misled. The number of spectators for the parade in this tiny community of 100 was estimated to be nearly 14,000!!!! Can you imagine that??? It would
 |
| Reviewing Stand and Parade Route |
take forever to properly describe the floats, tractors, animals and folks that make up the parade so I'm going to try to add a number of pictures of the sights we saw.
 |
| S.C. National Guard |
There were numerous men and women 
 |
| Camden's Newest Anglican Priest |
representing every branch of our
military forces - from every era of our history. And - there were folks there to show that it was not only horses and mules that could provide outstanding transportation.
 |
| Llama Power |
I mean - hey! How often do you
 |
| Brahama's Love Christmas Too |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Wateree Ramblers |
get to see a man riding a Brahama Bull when the bull was not trying to completely dismember the rider?
Well - at the Boykin parade you got to see one who not onlly got along quite well with his human partner, he even took a 'bow' in front of the reviewing stand. There were musicians of all kinds - including a really good parody of the guys from the movie "Brother, Oh Brother Where Art Thou" by the "Soggy Bottom Boys" and some really excellent Bluegrass music by the "Wateree Ramblers." There were individual singers, choral groups and gospel groups from civic clubs, schools and churches - including representatives from the Swift Creek Baptist Church (established 1787)
 |
| The King Lives!!! |
who were awesome! But - how can you have music and not expect "The King" to show up. Yep, Elvis '...was in the building ..." His
entourage consisted of a whole contingent of the "Marching Mullets", each one sporting that 'interesting' hair style!! And, of course, there was no shortage of floats with a "hunting" theme - including a fully functional "duck blind" created and added atop a float!! And the hunting dogs were everywhere - only fitting in the home town of the "State Dog." I'm not sure what the exact count was but I heard that there were approximately
100 floats entered in the parade. If so, do you realize that would be one
float for every resident of the town? Is that amazing or what? So much to see and so little space to write about it!!! But we definitely have to make room for what was unquestionably the most popular float in the parade (not counting Santa, of course) - the "Fatback Queens" from the first twenty years of the parade!! I'm here to tell you, folks, it was ... uh .. amazing?, startling?, strange? Yep, all of the above. But, the guys who created the
"lovely" (?) queens were some of the best sports you could hope to have for an occasion like this. Their high-energy performances for the entire length of the parade (nearly two miles!!) delighted and amazed the
throngs lining the route. I can assure you - you are not going to be a "Fatback Queen" with any kind of 'ego deficiency!!' (By the way - the ..ahem.. 'Lady in Red' to the right was 'Our Guy!' Interestingly, as we were working on this post, the evening news broadcast on the state's largest television station had an extensive report about the parade. The
spectators included people from throughout South Carolina - and - from all over the globe. There were people there from a number of other states and several young ladies from Madrid, Spain were effusive in their appreciation of the parade, the
crowds and the genuinely warm atmosphere that permeated the crowds despite the cool temperatures. We'll bring this post to a close with a few additional scenes from inside the "Company Store" and the Boykin Grill. Folks, if you are in the neighborhood of Boykin, S. C. in December of next year you really owe it to yourself to take in this amazing Christmas Parade. It is something you will talk about for a long time to come and something you will be happy you attended. We hope you enjoy these scenes half as much as we did. See ya.
figures from South Carolina’s colorful past including two (General Thomas Sumter and Dr. Joel Poinsett) whose final resting places can be found just off S. C. Highway 261 in Kershaw County. (Our route home from the beach.) The city of 
Camden, one of the most famous historical locations in our state and one we have mentioned before, is also nearby, in the same county. Well, near graves of Sumter and Poinsett is the tiny town of Boykin, S. C., population 100 as of the 2010 census. Think of that!!! A town that is even smaller than our beautiful Ridgeway – by more than 200!! Anyway – for the last twenty years, Boykin has celebrated the season with their own Christmas Parade. Because of the quirky, tongue-in-cheek 
features of the parade is the presence, each year, of the “Fatback Queen”!!! Although that celebrated beauty appears in female finery complete with ‘haute-redneck-couture’ with make-up and jewelry trimmings, it is played by a “chosen male” (usually a dedicated hunter) who is – to say the least ‘all man’, … uh .. with the exception of his/her appearance on this special day. Well !!!! Turns out that one of the former “Fatback Queens” was none other than the son of SCTravelerX3 Sherwood!!! Since this was the twentieth edition of the parade, all of the former beauties 
you and to share some more of our state’s interesting aspects - including the wonderful, fun-loving residents of rural South Carolina. Boykin is perfect for this for many reasons – 
one of which is the fact that it is the home of the Boykin Spaniel, the “State Dog” of South Carolina; a breed which was developed in this tiny location by Mr. L. Whitaker Boykin. Several rustic, historic and fascinating businesses and churches, several of which were founded in the late 1700s, remain in operation in Boykin to this day. Also of interest was the fact that although General Lee surrendered his Confederate Army at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, General Potter, the leader of Union troops in Kershaw County, did not get the word and he continued efforts to crush local troops. On April 19th, during a battle at Boykin Mill, Lt. Stevens of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment was killed - becoming the last known Federal officer to die in the War Between The States. The site of that battle was near Boykin Mill, which was established in 1792 and which was one of the 
key reasons a community developed in this area. Located in space formerly occupied by the mill, the "Mill Pond Restaurant" offers very 
high-end dining and reservations need to be made well in advance. If one of the tables with a view of the mill pond is requested the wait could be weeks. The grounds around the restaurant and mill are quaint and charming with the old dam site, the unique drive-wheel used for power, 
and the covered bridge over the millrace some of the special features. It is easy to let your mind transport you back over the years to a time when grain milling and lumber sawing along with sales of all kinds of agriculture supplies and products were thriving here. For now, though, let's rush 
forward in time to the Twentieth Boykin Parade. As I said, it has gained a reputation for 'quirky' but - believe me - this is a serious parade too. Of course there are always dignitaries and "VIPs" to be given preferential treatment - including parking for their pickups. This is probably one of the most 'laid-back' 
events you could possibly imagine, folks, but - don't be misled. The number of spectators for the parade in this tiny community of 100 was estimated to be nearly 14,000!!!! Can you imagine that??? It would 
Well - at the Boykin parade you got to see one who not onlly got along quite well with his human partner, he even took a 'bow' in front of the reviewing stand. There were musicians of all kinds - including a really good parody of the guys from the movie "Brother, Oh Brother Where Art Thou" by the "Soggy Bottom Boys" and some really excellent Bluegrass music by the "Wateree Ramblers." There were individual singers, choral groups and gospel groups from civic clubs, schools and churches - including representatives from the Swift Creek Baptist Church (established 1787) 
entourage consisted of a whole contingent of the "Marching Mullets", each one sporting that 'interesting' hair style!! And, of course, there was no shortage of floats with a "hunting" theme - including a fully functional "duck blind" created and added atop a float!! And the hunting dogs were everywhere - only fitting in the home town of the "State Dog." I'm not sure what the exact count was but I heard that there were approximately 
100 floats entered in the parade. If so, do you realize that would be one 
float for every resident of the town? Is that amazing or what? So much to see and so little space to write about it!!! But we definitely have to make room for what was unquestionably the most popular float in the parade (not counting Santa, of course) - the "Fatback Queens" from the first twenty years of the parade!! I'm here to tell you, folks, it was ... uh .. amazing?, startling?, strange? Yep, all of the above. But, the guys who created the 
"lovely" (?) queens were some of the best sports you could hope to have for an occasion like this. Their high-energy performances for the entire length of the parade (nearly two miles!!) delighted and amazed the 
throngs lining the route. I can assure you - you are not going to be a "Fatback Queen" with any kind of 'ego deficiency!!' (By the way - the ..ahem.. 'Lady in Red' to the right was 'Our Guy!' Interestingly, as we were working on this post, the evening news broadcast on the state's largest television station had an extensive report about the parade. The 
spectators included people from throughout South Carolina - and - from all over the globe. There were people there from a number of other states and several young ladies from Madrid, Spain were effusive in their appreciation of the parade, the 
crowds and the genuinely warm atmosphere that permeated the crowds despite the cool temperatures. We'll bring this post to a close with a few additional scenes from inside the "Company Store" and the Boykin Grill. Folks, if you are in the neighborhood of Boykin, S. C. in December of next year you really owe it to yourself to take in this amazing Christmas Parade. It is something you will talk about for a long time to come and something you will be happy you attended. We hope you enjoy these scenes half as much as we did. See ya.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would enjoy hearing from you if you would like to send us a note!!