"Stranger"

It was a hot sunny day when a middle-aged man flung open the car door and jumped into a car stopped at a light on Constitution Ave., in Rock Hill, S.C.
The girl driving the car turned to her passenger side seat with a shocked expression at the unknown man.
That girl with her mouth hanging open was me and this happened my second year of college on the way to work.
“Can you give me a ride,” said the man.
My heart was racing and I was frozen in my seat. I knew I should get out of the car, but I could not move. I told the man I couldn’t, because I was on my way to work and I was already going to be late.
“I need a ride and it won’t take long,” said the man.
My face dropped and my heart pounded as the light turned green and cars were honking their horns
“What to do?’ ‘What to do?” the question kept flying through my head.
Finally, I pressed the gas pedal and started driving with him in my car. The man looked like he just climbed out of a garbage can. He smelled of rotten eggs. I prayed to God to let everything be okay.
He sat silent and quiet in the seat next to me. I wondered if he could hear my heart pounding. So, I just started talking about myself. I told him how I really needed to get to work. I told him how I was struggling keeping my head above water with school and work.
Finally, after what felt like the longest five minutes of my life he said to turn. My hands started to sweat as I gripped the steering wheel.
“Stop here,” said the man. My heart pounded as he got out of the car and left without even a thank-you. I sped off towards work my whole body shaking.
I told my mother a year later what happened.
“That’s why you lock your doors,” said my mom. “You should have got out of the car!’ ‘What were you thinking?”
To this day I still don’t know why I didn’t get out of the car. Fear can overtake the body sometimes and make the mind do irrational things.
Though, I now know why it is important to lock the car doors while driving.

A Day of Play

Screams of laughing kids running, jumping, bouncing and playing throughout Cherry Park could be heard from a far Saturday.
Rock Hill was named Playful City USA by the national non-profit organization, KaBOOM, which wants every child to have a place to play near their homes. The only other city in S.C., to be named was Spartanburg.
Rock Hill held the first festival of play on Saturday to celebrate the award.
Marissa Leppamaki, 33, said that she got a phone call from her son’s school telling her about the festival. She brought her two young sons out to Cherry Park for the celebration. She said that her son’s favorite activity since arriving was the trash pick-up.
There were many activities set-up throughout the park for kids to be able to do. Kids were able to bounce in an inflatable bounce-house and jump from a small trampoline to flip and roll onto a mat.
The Fire Department was out with the fire truck and a fire house that was filled with smoke, so kids could crawl through to find their way out. The bookmobile truck was out for kids to be able to go in and check-out books.
One side of the park was set-up with games for kids to do like frisbee throwing, big ball volleyball, hula-hoops, badminton and more.
Jennifer Wood, 30, said that her kids were having fun as long as the mascot stayed away from them. Wood said that the festival would be a good way to wear her son out.
Older kids got to sing Karaoke in one booth that was set-up.
Another side of Cherry Park was set-up with many different booths that was sponsored by different organizations in Rock Hill. Some booths gave out cups, pencils, tattoos and much more. Many booths had games for the kids to play such as bean bag toss, banana toss, corn-hole, and recycle trash pick-up.
Karolyn Mobley, 36, who arrived later during the festival said that the favorite thing her kids will probably enjoy doing would be the bounce-house that was set-up. Mobley said that she had nine kids all together and they liked to go to the park to play and to the YMCA.
There was a musical play called Seussical put on by the Rock Hill Community Theatre. Employees from scarowinds were even out dressed in costume to give a little fright to the kids.
All activities were free for the kids to be able to do.




Different Organizations that joined the city in celebration
Back The Pack
Lead Awareness Program
Piedmont Medical Center
YMCA
Olive Garden
Rock Hill Recycling
McCelvey Center
Founders
All on Board Coalition
Piedmont PRIDE DARE to SHARE
The Hands of Mercy Inc.
Rock Hill Community Theatre
NutriLite
Museum of York County
Mary Kay
Rock Hill Fire Department
York County Library

The lake

The waves lap on the wood dock.
The soft breeze blows the leaves by.
A girl and a boy lay out on the grass with books.
The sweet air is full of blooms that tickle the nose.
The sound of cars and wheels of bikes can be heard.
The quick whiz of a disc goes by in the air.
A child laughs as she throws bread to the geese.
Long seats of white wood can be found near the banks.
The peace of the land fills the mind.

Parking at Winthrop Univeristy

Students are preparing for another year of classes at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

Students need to have a parking pass at Winthrop University in order to park on campus to walk to their classes. The parking pass cost returning students 75 dollars to obtain.

Even with a parking pass it is still a long walk for students loaded down with books to get to class.

“Commuter parking is awful,” said Ramie Pratt, 25, a biology senior.

Commuter parking places are mostly located across the street away from the main buildings where the students attend classes. Though, resident parking is located right on campus.

“Why do the residents get to park at the front, and commuters have to walk so far,” said Pratt. “A lot of other universities have commuter parking close to the school and resident parking away from campus.”

Though, other students find no problem with the parking on campus.

“Never bothers me, I see people really irate by it, but I always find a parking space right next to Withers,” said Rachel Copeland, 23, an early childhood education major.

Parking in a wrong spot on campus can even put a hole in a student’s pocket.

Pratt said on the first day of her spring classes in 2007 she parked in a faculty parking space by mistake and got a ticket for a fine of 40 dollars.

“Tickets and police will rape you,” Pratt said.

Students can get parking passes at Winthrop University by filling a registration card at Winthrop University Campus Police located at 526 Mrytle Drive, Rock Hill, S.C.