Bernadette Swayngim Bernadette Swayngim, a Gaffney native, will perform at the Michael Gaffney Day Celebration in Historic Downtown Gaffney on Saturday, September 27.

A singer/songwriter, Swayngim has been seriously building her musical career for the past five years, although she actually began singing in front of audiences when she was only eight years old. She began singing in church, where her father was a minister, and later she sang with several country bands. Swayngim became interested in writing music when her friend, Tom Wheeler, another Cherokee County native, introduced his songs to her years ago.

She has since developed her own unique style as a writer and a musician. Over the last several years, she has been playing in the local area with her music partner, Jeff Gates. She now writes several of the songs she performs and is currently forming a band in addition to continuing to perform solo. Bernadette Swayngim is sponsored by the City of Gaffney, and her appearance was arranged by Jim Cudd.

Bernadette will perform from noon - 1 p.m.

Duke Energy, which is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Gaston Shoals (Dravo) Hydro Plant, is sponsoring another great bluegrass group, 16 South, that will perform from 10 a.m. - 12 noon.

The members of this band are Duke Energy employees, and will perform for the first time here in Historic Downtown Gaffney.

Joe and Shirley Randolph are decorating the Michael Gaffney Log Home for this special celebration and have added several new, but authentic features to both the interior and exterior of the cabin.

Shirley and Joe will be on hand to give tours of the cabin and to talk about the furnishings and new gardens.

Other activities that will take place on Saturday, September 27 in recognition of Michael Gaffney, the founder of the City of Gaffney, and the 100th Anniversary of the Duke Energy Gaston Shoals Hydro Plant, include arts and crafts demonstrations and sales by CAVA artists, old-fashioned games for children and adults, apple peeling, and the opportunity for children to make old-fashioned "Church" dolls.

Dori Bunce, a member of the Cherokee County Alliance of Visual Artists, will be selling her homemade Sourdough Bread and Pear Butter. Dori's bread recipe has been handed down for the past thirty years, coming originally from Greenville, South Carolina in 1986.

The process of making this particular bread takes over thirty-six hours of love and patience to produce. The Pear Butter recipe is an original recipe developed by Dori.

Beginning at 11:30 a.m., hamburgers and hot dogs will be available for purchase, prepared by members of the Gaffney Little Theatre as a fundraiser, and Duke Energy will have tent featuring a display of historic written documents and artifacts, and will provide directions to the Gaston Shoals Plant where tours of the facility will be given throughout the morning.

Beginning at 2 p.m., activities will move from the Michael Gaffney Log Home to the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum where there will be a new exhibit featuring artifacts from the Duke Energy Gaston Shoals Hydro Plant and an expanded exhibit on the history of Michael Gaffney and his family.

At 2:30 p.m., the museum will host the Kudzu Kollege. Kudzu Kollege will tell you everything you need to know about the "plant that ate the South."

Participation in Kudzu Kollege is free with regular admission to the museum.