The Wagener Medical Center opened again on Wednesday, February 1, 2012.  The Barnwell County Hospital closed the Wagener Medical Center near the end of last year due to financial reasons.  Mayor Mike Miller and several local town citizens worked diligently to get the Medical Center re-opened, not only working with the proper authorities, but also working on building renovations. 

The South Carolina Office of Rural Health, along with Dr. Vasant Garde, a long-time friend of Wagener, worked together to help get the Medical Center open to the public again.   Dr. Garde told the Aiken Standard

"I have always been interested in Wagener. I like their approach. It's the same as my approach to provide health care," said Garde. "It hurts you to see someone make that much effort to get to one place (their doctor's office). If people were willing to drive to see me (in Lexington), I asked, 'Why can't I drive myself to see them?' We just want to make sure people get the care they need."

Joining Dr. Garde at the Wagener clinic will be Dr. William Clark.

Mayor Mike Miller and Wagener's town council have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and will re-open Wagener's medical center.  The medical center is scheduled to open on February 1, 2012, if plans go according to schedule.  The medical center will be open Monday through Friday.

In November, the Barnwell County Hospital consolidated their medical centers to one location in Denmark.  Closing the Wagener branch created a lot of hardship for many citizens of Wagener.

"There are people that have to drive thirty miles to get a refill on a prescription, and they just can't do that," Miller said.  "I think everyone agreed without hesitation we needed to do something quickly, and we did."

Councilman George Smith told WRDW "To a lot of folks, they were doomed, because they didn't have [any] other avenue to seek medical attention."  Smith thought the task of re-opening to be almost impossible, but they worked hard and got it done.  "Other towns can probably learn from Wagener's resilience."

Read WRDW's full article and view the video here.

If you missed the Mud Bog this past weekend at the Wagener Salley Mud Bog Complex on Highway 39, here's a little video to show you what was going on out there.  Admit it..... it does look kind of fun!  

(courtesy of Wagener Monthly)

As yearly tradition would have it, thousands of people flocked to Salley this weekend to enjoy live music, carnival rides and fried and boiled chitterlings at the 46th annual Chitlin' Strut.

Mayor Bob Salley said he was happy with this year's turnout and was pleased to witness something that he hasn't seen in a very long time.

"It looks like we're going to sell out of chitlins for the first time in several years; that's fantastic," the mayor said. "I can't remember the last time we sold out of chitlins."

It's not only the pig intestines that draw thousands each year, though; there is a sense of community that's felt as one walks along the streets surrounding the Chitlin' Strut festival area. Most houses are open with music flowing through and groups of friends and families socializing on porches and in front yards; families walk up and down the street pushing strollers, carrying small children on shoulders and guiding dogs on leashes. 

Several carnival rides and toy vendors are spread throughout the site where children can be entertained as adults catch up and enjoy classic carnival foods like corn dogs, turkey legs, funnel cakes and fresh lemonade. And while some lines for gyros and hot dogs got pretty lengthy at certain times, it was no match for the line of anxious patrons waiting to get their fix of chitterlings. The patrons' love of chitlins proved to be worth more than just the $8 they paid for a plate; the line for a plate was often stretched out past its congregation area and filled into the flow of the entertainment stage traffic.