On May 8, 2018, the Mauldin Rotary Club and friends gathered to dedicate a new picnic and park area behind the Mauldin Cultural Center building.
The park dedication began inside the Mauldin Cultural Center. In opening remarks, Janice Holcombe, President-Elect of the organization, described where the idea for the project originated. As she interacted with her grandchild, Hudson, she realized a need for more family-friendly facilities in this area. She presented the idea to Norman Bunn, the Rotary Club President at that time. In his dedication remarks, Mr. Bunn, now Past President, said that he had no idea of cost or commitment but began exploring the possibility with Rotary Club members. He described how they used matching grants, fund-raisers, and donations to accrue $10,000 for the project, requiring four years to complete.
When the dedication moved outside, the four-year-old classes of Mauldin Christian Academy enthusiastically sang a short piece, followed by the unveiling of a monument plaque and a park bench by current President Jim Mitchell. Jeff Tewell, President of Tewell Industries, Inc. which specializes in high end and residential custom cabinetry and wood products, donated his time and talents to construct this bench. He built it from red grandis, a high quality, reddish-colored wood, excellent for outdoor projects due to its durability. The bench possesses four sides, allowing the future planting of a tree in its center. Adding to the bench’s uniqueness, Mr. Tewell engraved each side with one of the key tenets of the Rotary Club—”Of the things we think, say, or do: is it the truth, is it fair to all concerned, will it build good will and better friendships, and will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
After the plaque and bench unveiling, the group paraded along a path to the new picnic center which includes two large picnic tables and a backdrop of trees. There, participants unveiled a sign designating the site as “The George Bomar Family Picnic Shelter” and shared celebratory cake. Mr. George Bomar’s family joined in the dedication. United States Navy veteran, 1996 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, Sunday School teacher at Mauldin First Baptist, and retired insurance businessman, Mr. Bomar is well-known in this area for his passion concerning community projects and higher education and has served in key positions at Greenville Technical College as well as North Greenville University.
In her concluding remarks, Mrs. Holcombe suggested that a future project for Mauldin Rotary Club could involve the addition of children’s swings to augment the new park area.
