Good to have you all in Sumter, South Carolina

By GRAHAM OSTEEN
Editor-At-Large
graham@theitem.com

Welcome to Sumter, South Carolina. All of you here from far and wide for the softball tournament are – we trust – having a good time, and there's a reason why: Sumter is the center of the universe.

The new Patriot Park facility you're playing in is the result of the vision, hard work and commitment of many people, and all of us, including you, are paying for it through the most equitable tax method ever devised by normal men who are not politicians. A penny at a time.

The citizens of Sumter passed a local option penny sales tax in November in order to raise $75 million for 16 projects, and the $6 million park is part of that effort. It was completed just in time for your arrival, so thanks for christening it in style.

There's much more to our town than great sports facilities, beautiful women, handsome men, a locally owned and independent newspaper and the world famous Swan Lake-Iris Gardens, so here's just a bit of the local folklore, some of which might even be true.

Sumter baseball legend Bobby Richardson has such great hands that he once caught a quail in mid-air on an open field hunt. There were a number of witnesses, including Sumter native Coach Art Baker, brother of the famous "Uncle Bobby" Baker, a longtime firefighter, coach and champion Senior Olympics basketball player known nationally for a physical style of defense that involves punishing his opponents the "old-school" way. No blood, no foul. You may see him at the park this week because he's a huge sports fan.

Most of the natives around here refer to Bobby Richardson as "Robert," so if you see him ask him about catching the quail. He gets tired of talking about playing with Mickey Mantle, winning five straight Gold Gloves and being one of the greatest World Series players in history, but he loves to talk about that quail.

Speaking of birds, Sumter's Palmetto Pigeon Plant is one of those unique operations you'd never expect to find in a small southern town.

It was founded in 1923 by Wendell Levi and Harold Moise, and they built it into the largest squab farm in the world. If you've never eaten squab – yes, it's a baby pigeon – then you need to get in the kitchen and rattle some pots and pans.

Birds from Sumter have graced the tables and satisfied the palates of potentates, queens, presidents and regular folks like us who know how to appreciate a savory supper and lively conversation.

Legend has it that President Harry Truman feasted on squab the night he made the decision to drop the bomb, and gangster John Dillinger always enjoyed the local delicacy on his visits here to visit his Sumter girlfriend, Eudora McCoy, a beautiful Ziegfeld Follies dancer.

When actor Johnny Depp was doing research for his recent film on Dillinger, he enjoyed squab at the Hamptons restaurant in downtown Sumter, calling it one of the finest meals he's ever had.

Continuing the bird theme, Sumter is home to beautiful Swan Lake-Iris Gardens, considered to be among the best botanical gardens in the country. One of the founders, Mr. A.T. Heath, owned the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and was one of the chosen few who knew the original Coca-Cola formula. He had a son named "Big Fred" Heath who was one of my grandfather's best friends. Big Fred's daughter, Sister Wimberly, would be happy to give you the inside story on Swan Lake, so give her a holler. She's in the phone book.

Let us turn from birds now and move on to cannons and the War of Northern Aggression.

If you'd like to see a cannon fired, the man to call is Heyward "Bruz" Crowson. He's in the phone book. Bruz is an expert on the Civil War and is credited with the phrase, "Sumter is the center of the universe. Everybody knows that." He loves to hear from visitors and would be happy to shoot his cannon for interested softball teams.

For those of you who like learning about inventions and engineering, one of Sumter's most famous historical figures is a man named Charles T. Mason Jr., the "Edison of the South." You can read all about him in our "Reflections" section on The Item's web site.

You've heard of the famous telephone conversation between Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson when old Bell says, "Watson come here, I want to see you."

Mason had a similar experience as head of the Sumter Telephone Co. One of the first local phone calls involved Mason calling my great-grandfather, Hubert Graham Osteen, at this newspaper, which he founded in 1894.

"Hubert," Mason said through the crackling handset, "my paper's in the bushes. Who's my paperboy?"

We hope you enjoy your time here and we do appreciate your patronage of our city. Please feel free to come by the newspaper for a visit. If you can get by Jo or Betty at the front desk, you'll be doing better than most people.

Graham Osteen is co-president of Osteen Publishing Co. and Editor-At-Large of The Item. Contact him at The Item, 20 North Magnolia St., Sumter, S.C., 29150; graham@theitem.com, or call (803) 774-1352.