Clemson football, South Carolina basketball on the line at March of Dimes event Saturday, Sep. 30

Laurens, S.C. – A Laurens County March of Dimes Walk for Babies will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, in Laurens, and the public is invited to the free event, where a couple of lucky bidders can go home with a signed football or basketball from Clemson or the University of South Carolina.
The event is planned for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this weekend at Milliken’s Gilliland Plant at 1108 Church Street in Laurens.
Refreshments and game booths for children will all be free of charge, said event organizer Alfreda Philson.
The Laurens County Fire Service will have a fire truck for children to see, and booths will include nail art, face painting and many different games for children.
A walking track will be located in the field to the right of the Gilliland Plant, which is hosting the annual March of Dimes for the first time, and the manager might just make an appearance in the dunking booth, Philson said.
Prior to the pandemic, the March of Dimes Walks for Babies had been alternating between Laurens and Clinton each year. Following the pandemic, a multi-county event was held in Greenwood last year.
“This year I decided we needed to host our own and we have many volunteers from the Milliken plant who will be assisting,” Philson said. “The March of Dimes representatives will be here with the balloon arch and we will have a walking route where people can walk as many times as they like.”
There will be music, free pizza and cookies and drinks, she said. Then a fundraising silent auction will pit fans against each other, as ownership is on the line for an autographed Clemson football and an autographed Gamecock basketball.

This story ran Page 3 in the Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023, issue of The Laure s County Advertiser.