As part of the Pageland Watermelon Festival, Lynches River Electric Cooperative (LREC) will sponsor a visit from cast members of the HGTV hit series “Home Town” and the Touchstone Energy® hot air balloon.
Jim & Mallorie Rasberry and Josh Nowell, seen on HGTV’s “Home Town” will visit Pageland July 16-17, participating in festival activities Friday and Saturday. Their visit is the culmination of Pageland’s selection as one of three national winners of the Co-op Community Contest, sponsored by Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives.
LREC nominated Pageland for the contest, and the result has been an 18-month journey with the Pageland Chamber of Commerce, the HGTV “Hometown” team and Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives. As part of this contest, muralist Will Sellers came to Pageland in May where he painted the “Greetings from Pageland, South Carolina” mural by artist Eli Morgan. Sellers is responsible for a number of the murals seen on the Laurel, MS based television series. In addition to the “Hometown” team, Sellers and Morgan will be involved in festival activities.
On Friday at 6:00 pm, the public is invited to the dedication of the new “Greetings” mural on McGregor Street. A meet & greet with the “Home Town” team is scheduled immediately after the dedication from 6:30-8:00 pm. This will be the perfect opportunity to have your photo made with the “Home Town” team, and the Pageland Chamber of Commerce will have mural t-shirts and post cards available for autographs. The “Home Town” team will also serve as the grand marshals of Saturday’s festival parade.
On Friday and Saturday between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., The Touchstone Energy® hot air balloon will be located at the corner of S. Pearl and Pigg streets. Weather permitting, tethered balloon rides and photo-ops will be available. Balloon pilot Bob Scobee will be on hand to answer questions.
“We are so excited to have this opportunity to welcome the “Home Town” team and the Touchstone balloon to Pageland for the Watermelon Festival,” said Brian Broughton, CEO for LREC. The festival is a wonderful event to showcase this community, and we are thankful the co-op can provide this entertainment to the weekend’s activities.”