Upstate Update Podcast

This morning, we are talking about Citizens and Southern Bank in downtown Spartanburg. It first open in the 1800s, but now it is re-opening as a beautiful event space right in downtown Spartanburg. We talk to Amieecheek and Amy Zimmer two fabulous ladies that are going to make this a place and events you will never forget.

Today we are talking to Dr. Marcus Blackstone, chief clinical officer with the Bon Secours Health System about what to do to stay safe if you are gathering with loved ones over the holidays. As you can imagine, the answer is clear and familiar, don’t gather with loved ones, but if you do, socially distance and wear a mask.

The Dominion Boys Home, where each day they improve the lives of young men who were taken from awful situations at their home and now grow under the care of amazing men and women from Dominion. We were able to talk to Brittany Barbrey, who told us how important Dominion is, and some of the great success stories they’ve had along the way.You can support this home with a great outdoor festival at the Fr8yard in Spartanburg this Sunday.

Have you had hot chicken before?It’s super crispy fried chicken covered in an incredibly delicious hot sauce, that started at Prince’s Hot Chicken more than 100 years ago in Nashville Tennessee. But now there are a few places in the upstate that sell a version of this hot chicken.However, Prince’s hot Chicken has landed in the Upstate.As you are hearing this podcast, you don’t have to take a trip to Nashville to have this legendary fried bird, you just need to head to Yee Haw Brewing Company in Greenville. Which is now serving the OG, Prince’s Hot Chicken. So today we talked with Semone Jeffries whose mother Andre Prince Jeffries took over the restaurant 40 years ago. And we talked with Joe Baker, owner of Yee Haw, about how excited he is that his Greenville location is first and only place to get Prince’s outside of Nashville for the first time in one hundred years.

Good morning and welcome back to the upstate update podcast..I’m your host joe Gagnon and I hope you are having a great start to your day today which is Veterans Day.Today and this week, Upstate Warrior Solutions is helping to put in and host more than thirty events to honor our soldiers.This Saturday, they and United States Jeep Association our teaming up to honor our troops and to help the family of late Greenville county deputy sergeant Conley jumper who was killed just weeks ago in the line of duty so we talked to the USJA treasurer Steve Mathison about the big day at trailblazer park in TR .

Welcome back to the Upstate Update, I’m your host Joe Gagnon.And happy birthday to the men and women of the United State Marine Corp.This very day 245 years ago, right at start of our nation, was the first day of this incredible branch of our military. featuring an incredible marine who served in our military and in active duty for eight years in combat. Tomorrow is Veterans Day and he and his team with Upstate Warrior Solutions are doing dozens of events to honor all of our military. His name is Nate Moore he is the director of Community Engagement with the Warriors.

Today we are actually talking about an event your family can check out. I feel like I haven’t said those words in years. Anyway, the Greenville Classical Academy is welcoming one and all to their campus for its eleventh annual fall festival. We talked with Del Dee Hindman and Jessica MacQuarrie who has been working day and night to pull off this event as safely as possible.

Good morning, and welcome back to the Upstate Update PodcastI am your host Joe Gagnon and today we are talking to the biggest news team in the upstate about how they prepare to report and cover a huge election like the one happening right now.Executive Editor of the Greenville News, the Anderson Independent and the Spartanburg Herald Journal Steve Bruss. We spoke with him Tuesday before polls closed about how his team gets ready for such a massive day of going to different precincts, victory parties and concessions speeches all over the state. This is important to me because I hope you the listener and those you love can trust local news. I’ve worked in many newsrooms over the last fifteen years, I’ve worked for NBC, ABC and most recently Fox. Never, and not one time has a boss or supervisor told me on any story I’ve ever covered, hey Joe you are covering this story or interviewing this person, make sure you have this slant before it airs. Not one time!Cable news or editorial pages is something completely different, those are opinions and their job is to get you mad so you come back to read or listen or watch the next day.So put your trust in your local news outlet because they are giving you the straight news as best as they can, and as you may know, after what happen to me with me tv news career, I have every reason not to say this things.

Good morning, Happy Election Day and welcome back to the Upstate Update Podcast.Today’s story has nothing to do with America’s politics but it has to do with America’s pastime... baseball.It’s about one of the best players of all time who got his start right here in the Upstate, perhaps the best player in baseball and now a two time World Series champion of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mookie Betts. Not very long ago, Betts was crushing the ball right here for the Greenville Drive, and today, we are talking to the man who had even better than a front row seat to the start of what I think is Mookie’s Hall of Fame career, and all of the amazing things he did off the field as well. The General Manager of the Drive, and such a great person to talk with, Eric Jarinko.

Good morning Upstate and happy Monday, I hope you had a nice weekend and great Halloween.Today, We are talking to Chef Trudy who is about to open her very own eatery here in the Upstate, but in the meantime, she has a catering business that is doing very well and is also hosting two cooking classes this week.Her student, however, are kids. She says you are almost never too young to learn your way around the kitchen.So if you want your son or daughter to get some cunning culinary skills, take a few minutes to hear from Chef Trudy..

Happy Friday and welcome back to the Upstate Update Podcast. Tomorrow, of course, is Halloween so today we are going to find out from a great health expert if you and your kids should trick or treat or not.For this episode, I’m talking to Brandi Giles who is a nurse practitioner with the Bon Secours Saint Francis health system here in the Upstate.She has some great tips for parents like me who are taking our kids out to get in costume and load up on candy for Halloween.

The Clothes Mentor, a place to make money and save money. It was started by Sadie and Bill Cherney who started their first store along Haywood Road in Greenville, and now have locations in Spartanburg and Columbia.We talked about when they decided to open their very first store, how it felt to bring more than 30 furloughed employees back to work, and a lot more.Send any story ideas you may have to my email at upstateupdatepodcast@gmail.com

Good morning and welcome back to the Upstate Update Podcast.Today, we are talking to the founders of what is quickly becoming a legendary BBQ restaurant right here in the Upstate, Bobby’s BBQ.On this day two years ago, the owners and founders Tay and Sarah Nelson opened the doors to Bobby’s for the very first time. Since then, they have become a destination for people all over the region to chow down. They’ve been featured on National News, including on CBS, and was featured by YouTube as well because of all of the attention this eatery is getting. So we sat down yesterday with Tay and Sarah and we talked about... everything basically, because it’s not only about the food.. it’s about the warm experience they give to every single customer. \

Happy Monday to you all! It is Monday October 26th. Today, we are talking about a huge night of music to put an end what is clearly one of the worst crimes imaginable, domestic violence.Tonight is going to be a night of love, music, and an end to a ranking all citizens of South Carolina are ashamed of.We are ranked seventh out of all fifty US states for the highest amount of domestic violence.I had a talk with Kimberly Ward who is the executive director, and Brandon Huell who is the vice chair of compass’ board of directors of Compass of Carolina. Visit their website with more on how you can help at compassofcarolina.org

On today’s Upstate Update, we start with a SLED report regarding the tragic and horrible alleged murder of a Greenville County Deputy just days ago and a look at the weather on this Friday, October 23rd.The episode features Project Hope, an organization started by two incredible women, Lisa Lane and Susan Sachs. 24 years ago, they learned their boys, now men, had autism.At that time, they had to pay fortunes to get the care their sons needed from experts thousands of miles away.So, they came together to create one of the most incredible organizations right here in the Upstate to serve kids and young adults on the autism spectrum and their families.Their biggest fundraiser of the year is called the Evening of Hope Gala, and, as you probably expect it had to be cancelled.So Project Hope, hopes, you can help.

Today, we are talking about a local hero who was shot and killed in the line of duty five years ago yesterday. His name was Hyco, and he was killed while chasing down alleged suspects of a carjacking alongside his handler, Deputy Brandon Surratt, who says he would be dead today if it wasn’t for Hyco.Today you can learn about a virtual fundraiser you can do from wherever you are to support the Hyco K9 Fund. Check out hycok9fund.org . If you have any story ideas, please send them to our email address upstateupdatepodcast@gmail.com

The Logos Theatre is amazing, when I was working in local TV there were few places I loved to go each year more than here, right next to the Taylors Mill in Taylors. The super talented team has put on some of the most incredible shows you can see in this world, many of the productions are completely original including originals scripts, songs, choreography and more.This weekend you can actually take a behind the scenes look because they are hosting a festival this Saturday which my man Zac Johnson is about to tell you all about.

Today we talk to the biggest fan of the city of Greer, SC Jonathan Lovegrove about his work finding out the history of Greer, and the upcoming ghost tours he is hosting with his father David. They need your help! If you have any old papers from the Greer Citizen the team at Greer Tidbits and the Greer Heritage Museum would love to see your old editions of the paper they can’t find. Head to this site to see how you can help: www.greerheritage.com

Today we talk to the Executive Director of Senior Action Andrea Smith. According to senioraction.org - “In 1967, a group of concerned and passionate members of the Greenville community recognized a need for programs and services for seniors. With the help and support of the five downtown churches at the time (Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, Christ Church Episcopal, First Baptist Church Greenville, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church), the dream of Senior Action was born. This group sought and received the support from the City of Greenville and Greenville county who donated the land for the first home of the organization which was located on McBee Avenue in downtown Greenville.”In 2020 this group has served and delivered thousands of meals and offered countless virtual programs for their members to educate and enlighten them while also keeping this population safe.