Editor’s note: With another memorable year ended, the Bulletin chose to reflect on stories that kept the community talking in 2010. We present highlights of those stories from July through September here; for other months, see the Dec. 31, Jan. 3 and Jan. 5 issues.
July
• The community banded together to repair a Landrum grandmother’s condemned home. Ida Mae Wright has lived in her N. Trade Avenue home since 1970 and in July was faced with either fixing the aged home or losing it. Volunteers made repairs using donations and funds raised through benefits. Work was completed later in 2010.
• The Fabulous Fourth Celebration was held in downtown Columbus. This year’s event included a 5K run. Just before the event, the town passed a budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year that included no funding for the Fabulous Fourth Celebration in 2011.
• The 27th Fabulous 4th Bike Tour took place Sunday, July 4. This event is the primary fundraiser for the Thermal Belt Rotary Club of Tryon.
• Tryon resident and retired U.S. Navy Commander Ty Martin’s website about the U.S.S. Constitution, called “The Captain’s Clerk,” was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress’s relatively new “web archive” database.
• After four years of cutting through red tape, Spencer Bumgardner succeeded in getting the name of his stepfather and World War II POW, T.J. Willard, on a monument recognizing area POWs at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Asheville.
• “Aida,” the first of the summer’s youth productions, opened Wednesday, July 7 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center.
• After nearly 30 years of service as chief, Tennant announced his retirement as Columbus fire department chief, effective at the end of 2010. Bobby Arledge was selected to be the new chief.
• New owners Clark Thompson and Judy Ward reopened Ward’s Grill in Saluda. The business auctioned off a hamburger for $500 to benefit Saluda School.
• The 2010 Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival drew an estimated crowd of 14,569 over two days, June 11 and 12, and turned a profit of $30,000, according to unaudited financial statements compiled by music chairman Peter Eisenbrown and festival administrator Tabitha Cantrell. Eisenbrown asked the chamber board to continue operating the 17-year-old festival. The chamber later decided to continue the festival.
• After giving the development another month to pay in June, Polk County filed suit against White Oak Development Partners, LLC to collect more than $135,000 owed for a county water line.
• Coon Dog Day drew thousands to Saluda.
• The Tryon and Columbus police departments arrested two suspects in a local counterfeiting ring: Bryan Kerrol-Roy Nelson, 24, of Tryon and Tyler Hamilton, 18, of Forest City.
• The Columbus Police Department arrested Taylor Judson Hutcherson, 22, of Columbus on kidnapping, rape and other charges.
• Costs for the new Polk County DSS building started off high, with the low bid for grading coming in higher than expected.
• Asheville’s Katie Gibson won the women’s overall victory in the Coon Dog 5k in Saluda. Gibson took home the Coon Dog 5k trophy a week after winning the inaugural Firecracker 5k in Columbus.
• Polk County announced that it could close on the purchase of Alexander’s Ford thanks to grants. The county plans a nature preserve and historical park at the historic property on the eastern edge of the county.
• Transition Polk County, part of a worldwide group dedicated to moving away from oil dependency and supporting sustainable communities, held its first meeting in July.
• Columbus approved an ordinance amendment that restricted gaming operations to the town’s I-26 corridor.
• The First Citizens Bank and Trust in Landrum was robbed. The Landrum Police Department arrested George Glover George III, 32, of Inman and Patrick Lewis Thompson, 22, of Inman, and charged them with bank robbery.
• Mill Spring’s George Bowland dethroned five-time defending champion Darryl Danko at the Giants Despair Hillclimb in Laurel Run, Pa.
• The second “Art Trek Tryon: foothills open studios” self-guided art studio tour was held in Tryon, Saluda, Columbus, Landrum, Mill Spring and Green Creek.
• Polk County Schools was among a handful of North Carolina school systems to have met all its target criteria, according to the federally mandated Adequate Yearly Progress Report (AYP).
• A two-percent raise St. Luke’s Hospital gave its employees became a political issue for Polk commissioner candidates, some of whom objected to the raise because the county board not long before gave the hospital $285,000 after hearing reports that without assistance the hospital could be in trouble. St. Luke’s officials respond that the county funds were for growth projects, not payroll.
• Steven David Taylor, who walked out of the Polk County Courthouse while awaiting sentencing for another crime in March 2009, pled guilty to charges of escaping the local jail. Taylor received two consecutive sentences of 90 to 117 months each for escape local jail and habitual felon convictions.
• More than 50 people came to the Polk County courthouse to protest the possibility of a plea bargain by Ida Hays Clark in the case of Jay Clark V, who was murdered in 2006. Protesters said plea bargains in the case deny justice to Clark V. Ida Hays Clark was sentenced to 48 months of probation. Court officials later implied the Jay Clark V murder case was compromised to the point that the case couldn’t be tried.
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office hired Calvin Atkins as chief deputy after going without a chief deputy for the past couple of years.
• The second youth theater production of the summer, “Charlotte’s Web,” opened at the Tryon Fine Arts Center.
August
• County commissioners honored Howard Greene’s 91-year record of service to his country and his community by naming the new DSS building, still under construction, after him.
• The historic Landrum Cemetery got a facelift through a beautification project of the Landrum Community Development Committee.
• The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) named longtime TROT volunteer Carol Ten Broek of Tryon as the 2010 Volunteer of the Year for Region 3, which encompasses North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
• Beauford Arledge, 84, remembers the Green River Cove in the early 1900s. He published a book of his memories called “The Stories of Green River  Cove.”
• Tom Mosca, long-time chairman of the Block House Steeplechase, died Wednesday, July 28.
• Crime in Polk County was down overall from 2008 to 2009, following a statewide trend, although burglaries increased.
• Ann Yates and her daughter, Mattie, of Columbus swam in Lake Michigan as part of the Chicago Swim Across America, an event that raises money for cancer research.
• Elected officials and managers from Polk County, Tryon, Columbus and Saluda gathered for a joint meeting to hear a presentation from Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority (TWSA) officials about how they merged three water and sewer systems in Jackson County. The meeting was another step forward in the discussions of forming a Polk County water authority.
• The Polk County Board of Education decided to offer a ‘core diploma’ option that would allow some students with extenuating circumstances to graduate under the state’s graduation requirements even if the students have not fulfilled Polk County Schools’ more stringent requirements. The decision was made despite a discussion that it could put the school system at risk of litigation.
• The Border Showcase Football Classic VI was held in Shelby, N.C., and the Iron City Jamboree was held in Blacksburg, S.C. Polk lost to Byrnes in the Border Showcase, and Landrum won over Southside Christian in the Iron City Jamboree.
• Polk County 4-H took a field trip to a goat farm and then to Allen and Jeanette Rickman’s water buffalo farm. There they learned about the history of the water buffalo and their uses.
• Polk County Schools administrators trimmed around $300,000 from the school system’s payrolls through attrition, and also made a few cuts in the face of potential funding losses at the state level.
• Landrum students started back to school on Aug. 16.
• The Polk County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Advisory Committee held its first meeting. The purpose of the committee is to assist the county-hired planner Dale Holland of Holland Consulting Planners in developing a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a user-friendly document that consolidates all the various regulations that govern development into one unified ordinance.
• The Town of Tryon agreed to apply for a federal grant to improve U.S. 176 from the stateline to Harmon Field Road. If awarded, the federal funding could mean sidewalks and bike lanes, along with new paving, curb and guttering and landscaping along the approximate 2.6 mile stretch.
• Part-time Tryon resident Bob Lane began restoring the former Sunnydale Restaurant building on S. Hwy. 176 in Tryon.
• Fang Lei, a teacher from China, recently arrived in Polk County. She will teach Mandarin Chinese and cultural classes at Polk Middle School this year.
• An agreement for sale of the Tryon Daily Bulletin was announced by Tryon Daily Bulletin, Inc. and its owners, Jeffrey A. and Helen S. Byrd. The buyer is a new N.C. entity, Tryon Newsmedia, LLC. Owners of the new publishing company are Boone Newspapers, Inc. of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and its key personnel.
• Polk County commissioners agreed to place a display in the Womack Building across from the historic county courthouse in Columbus to provide information about Bryant H. Womack, for whom the building is named.
• Columbus council member Ernie Kan and other volunteers completed repairs of the courthouse sidewalk. Kan did the project using no town funding.
• The Town of Columbus received $48,000 from the H.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to help the town purchase a lot of approximately one acre adjacent to Veteran’s Park, which is located off Gibson Street just behind downtown.
• Polk County students went back to school on Aug. 25.
• The new Dollar General in Tryon opened amid controversy. The Dollar General was constructed in the parking lot of the former Plenty of Fish Restaurant (also known as the old Sunnydale Restaurant) on South Trade Street. Many residents objected to the location and design of the building, leading to the town’s consideration of new ordinances for commercial properties.
• Elizabeth and Dr.Todd Walter of Landrum competed in the National U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wisc., which are for those who have received life saving organs or tissue transplants. Elizabeth had a liver transplant in November, 2000. The donor was Dr. Walter, her father. Elizabeth competed in the 5k road race  and the 1500 meter and 800 meter track events. In all three events, she not only won her age group of women ages 14 to 17, she won the overall competition, bringing home three gold medals.
September
• A gospel song written by Saluda songwriter James Metcalf reached the nation’s top 40 Southern Gospel charts. The song, “The Great Physician’s Hand,” was recorded by nationally known southern gospel artist Mike Upright.
• Tryon received a $15,000 N.C. Rural Economic Development Center grant to study the reuse of its former depot building. The town applied for the grant this summer on behalf of Main Street Financial’s Andy Millard, who is currently renovating the building.
• Columbus and Tryon decided to save money and not fill the planner position they shared last year. The position was formerly held by Melanie Sands.
• Tryon, which was chartered in 1885, celebrated its 125th birthday Labor Day weekend. The town’s celebration was sponsored by the Town of Tryon, Tryon Downtown Development Association and The Tryon Tourism Office.
• The Toy Makers’ House Museum held its grand opening as part of Tryon’s 125th birthday celebration. The museum focuses on the art and history that was created there by The Tryon Toy-Makers and Wood-Carvers.
• Tryon’s 125th birthday celebration also marked the rebirth of the historic Melrose Inn. Marilyn Doheny, the inn’s new owner, held the grand reopening of the 112-year-old Melrose Inn during the town’s birthday party this weekend.
• Harmon Field reached its goal of raising enough money to construct new tennis courts thanks to an anonymous donation. Harmon Field Parks and Recreation Supervisor George Alley said the $44,000 in combination with other grants will allow for new flex courts as well as painting the exterior of the gym.
• Polk County became one of only seven communities in 23 Western North Carolina counties to receive the designation of a Certified Entrepreneurial Community (CEC). The CEC program, developed by AdvantageWest, was the first in the country to certify communities as “entrepreneur-ready.”
• William B. Saxbe, a former United States senator and Tryon resident in the 1990s, died at his home in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. He was 94. Saxbe was appointed as President Richard M. Nixon’s fourth attorney general after the infamous “Saturday Night Massacre.”
• Following a public outcry from residents, the City of Saluda formed a historic committee to lead preservation efforts beginning with the restoration of city hall.
• North Carolina’s poet laureate, Cathy Smith Bowers of Tryon, joined North Carolina public libraries to promote Library Card Sign-up Month in North Carolina.
• Landrum City Administrator Steven Wolochowicz proposed the city’s first millage rate hike in 23 years. The 1 mil increase would mean slightly higher property taxes for city residents.
• Landrum head coach Russell Mahaffey saw similarities between his Cardinals and unbeaten Polk County as the two teams prepared for their annual border showdown. The two teams are both driven by dynamic quarterbacks – Landrum’s Brandon Cannon and Polk’s Andre Overholt – on offense and both have hard-nosed defensive philosophies.
• The Foothills Leadership Initiative (FLI) had a successful first class complete the nine-month long program.
• The 2nd Annual September Spectacular horse show was held Sept. 11 at Harmon Field in Tryon. The final event of the day, the Pacolet Area Conservancy Hunter Derby, was a tribute to the old-fashioned hunter style of jumping over a challenging course of obstacles. It offered an unprecedented $2,500 in prize money.
• Former Polk County High school star quarterback turned Presbyterian receiver Derrick Overholt became a star with one trick play. A video of Blue Hose skullduggery made ESPN’s top play of the day and went viral on the Internet. Overholt took a bounce pass on a lateral from quarterback Brandon Miley, faked a charging defender into believing it was an incomplete forward pass and then completed a 68-yard touchdown pass over a frozen secondary to Michael Ruff.
• Bids for the construction of Polk County’s new department of social services (DSS) building came in very close. The two lowest bidders were within $12,000 of each other.
• Saluda agreed to organize a 5K run as a fundraiser for restoring city hall.
• Polk County Schools enrollment numbers were down 2 percent from last year. According to the figures, 2,526 students were  enrolled at Polk County’s seven schools, including 722 at Polk County High School.
• Polk County students who took the SAT college entrance exam scored better than the national average and well above the state average, according to statistics released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Students from Polk County scored an average of 1,034, compared to the national average of 1,017. Statewide, the average score was 1,008.
• The Western Highlands Conference announced that John Spencer Wolfe, a 2010 Polk County High school graduate, received the prestigious Male Athlete of the Year award.
• Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson said initial figures show the county ended fiscal year 2009- 2010 with revenues exceeding expenditures by $700,000.
• After 16 years of serving Polk County as library director, Mark Pumphrey resigned to take a position as deputy director at the El Paso, Texas Library.
• Millicent Hunnicutt , daughter of Peggy and Charlie Hunnicutt, directed “Welcome to Mitford,” Tryon Little Theater’s season-opener. Hunnicutt, who originated the role of housekeeper “Puny” Bradshaw in the premiere production of “Welcome to Mitford” at the Blowing Rock Stage Company in Sept. 2007, is well known from Tryon Little Theater and other area productions.
• St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation introduced its new executive director, Meshelle Z. Colvin.
• The Saluda Community Land Trust purchased a one-acre lot for public use after receiving a grant from the Polk County Community Foundation. The land abuts U.S. 176 and is adjacent to the Saluda School, behind an area in which students have birdhouses.
• Polk County commissioners reportedly considered a 0.9-acre tract owned by Thermal Belt Outreach in Columbus as a home for a county mental health facility. The Town of Columbus approved rezoning the property to highway commercial in September.
• The City of Saluda declared a state of emergency when a Feb. 5, 2010 ice storm “caused widespread and severe damage, including but not limited to downed trees, power lines, causing road blockages and property damage,” according to the resolution the city issued. The city made a claim for $72,000 of employee, equipment costs and other costs associated with the clean-up from the ice storm.
• 4-Hers attending the state 4-H congress in Raleigh committed to an ambitious goal of collecting one million pounds of food for North Carolina’s food banks as part of a campaign called Hungry to Help.
• In January of 1939, in a basketball game in which Green Creek High School played Sunny View, Aileen Cudd Henderson scored 99 points, the most ever scored in a single game in a sanctioned high school basketball tournament. Congressman Heath Shuler visited White Oak Manor in Tryon Saturday to give Henderson a plaque recognizing her accomplishment. The plaque shows a page from the “Congressional Record” that honors “Aileen Cudd Henderson for setting a high school basketball all time record.”
• The first draft of a development agreement between Foster Creek Preserve and Columbus included a schedule showing lot sales set to start in 2013, with a build-out of 15 to 20 years.
• The Green Creek Heritage Festival was held.
• Tryon firefighter Scottie Gosnell was given lifetime firefighter status by the Town of Tryon and its fire department. Gosnell was a volunteer fireman with the Tryon Fire Department for almost 26 years.
• Family and friends from Polk County to Spartanburg, S.C., mourned the death of 22-year-old Alexandra Dorothy “Lexi” Le Vine in September. Le Vine, a 2006 Polk County High School graduate who was a senior at the University of South Carolina Upstate, was killed in a one-vehicle crash.
• Landrum High School announced a record enrollment for the 2010- 2011 school year, with 556 students attending classes on the new Campobello campus.
• Tryon appointed fire chief Joey Davis as the town’s building inspector, health officer, zoning administrator and code enforcement officer.
• The community got its first opportunity to experience the new Green Creek Equestrian Park in September, when the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club (TR&HC) held its first event there, called “A Day in the Country.”
• Christine Martin, CPA, MBA, joined St. Luke’s Hospital as chief financial officer after months of a nationwide search to fill the position.