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It was a weekend of firsts at the 45th annual Southern Cross at Palmetto Golf Club.

For Christ School's Cameron Akers, it was a first major individual championship fueled by his first hole-in-one and his first albatross.

The ace came in Friday's first round on the par-3 ninth hole, helping him to the solo lead after a 4-under 67.

The albatross, golf's biggest bird, came in the final round on the par-5 14th and was the biggest shot in his four-stroke victory. Standing 205 yards from the pin, and with playing partner Drayton Stewart chasing him closely, Akers thought about hitting a 4-iron before ultimately grabbing a 5-iron thinking the ball would land short and run a little bit onto the green.

It did – and then it disappeared.

"It ended up doing exactly what I wanted to," he said. "Hit it really good, landed 5 feet in front of the green, rolled up and then didn't see the ball as it got to the pin. I can't make stuff up like that. I really can't put that into words."

Akers, a junior, said his shot on 14 had the exact same ball flight as his ace on 9 – pulled a little to the left before fading back to the right. At its apex, he thought it might go in.

Minutes later, everyone had to go in – lightning in the area caused two delays in the final round, the first as Akers' group stood on the 15th tee and the second coming later when there were just two groups left on the course.

The first stoppage didn't bother Akers much. He was able to chat with his parents and keep things calm, then returned to make a nice par on 15 before chipping in for birdie on 16. The nerves started to creep in as he played the last two holes, each of which he bogeyed to post 5-under 137.

That was four clear of Stewart, but one mystery remained – Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate's Gene Zeigler, who opened with a 68 in his Palmetto debut and was in the final group of the day.

By the time he reached the 15th hole, though, the tournament was already well out of reach. Zeigler's scorecard didn't yet have a par on it at that point, just a mix of low numbers and high ones that had him at 5 over for the day.

Palmetto's loop alone was an example of how Zeigler's day went. He drove it left into the hazard on 15 but got up and down for that first par, then chipped in after going long off the tee on 16. Yet he still couldn't make up any ground, and he finished in a tie for fifth at 2-over 144.

After all of the delays and waiting and wondering, it was finally official that Akers was the champion.

"It's huge. I came to this tournament three years ago for the first time, little freshman just trying to play with the big boys," he said. "It's been a heck of a ride here. I came here not really thinking much about scores, but really just coming down here to enjoy it. I love Palmetto. I love this tournament. Coming down here every year is just huge for me."

Fox Creek's Colin Trahan was the low local, finishing in a tie for third at 143 with Rock Hill's Nick Mayfield. Trahan's week at Palmetto, punctuated by a nice birdie on 18, earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

The rounds of the day belonged to South Aiken's Drew Greene and Hilton Head Christian's Daniel Azallion, each of whom shot a final-round 68. Greene, who shot 77 Friday, made a big charge on the back nine Saturday. He eagled 10 from 4 feet, birdied 11 from 6 inches, then birdied 14 and 15 before a little bit of tree trouble forced a closing bogey. Greene led the T-Breds with a 145 total.

"We hit the back side and just decided it was time to get something going," he said. "All the sweat and tears up to this point, my fifth and final Southern Cross, it was like, let's finish this fittingly. Tough bogey there on 18. It was a heck of a day."

For Rock Hill, it was a first Southern Cross title and a first big win for a golf program without a lot of marquee wins. Coach Matt Bell gave his team, making its second Southern Cross appearance, a goal – everybody break 80.

They went above and beyond that.

Rock Hill posted a final-round 219, led by Mayfield's 69, to finish five shots ahead of Hilton Head Christian for the team title.

"This is huge. Our school has never won anything this prestigious," said Bell. "So we're very, very proud. Now we're gonna move on to Upper State Monday and hopefully bring home a state title this year."

The Bearcats weren't slowed down much by either weather delay. Bell said they had major momentum before the first horn, but they were able to maintain it. After the second, they came out attacking the flag on 18 to seal the championship.

South Aiken was the low area team at 474. Aiken finished at 489, followed by Fox Creek (498) and North Augusta (517).

The Tryon Toy House is up for sale once again.

Roberta Heinrich, with Walker, Wallace & Emerson Realty, the house is for sale for $249,000. While the house is currently being marketed as a residence, with Heinrich suggesting that it would be a fantastic Airbnb opportunity, the house’s location in Tryon’s central business district and proximity to Trade Street would allow for business use.

“The cottage is darling,” said current owner Katie Hicks.

According to Hicks — the professor emerita of art and art history at USC Upstate, for whom the university’s visual art center is named — the home still features great amentities, many of its original Arts and Crafts architectural elements and its Mother Goose tiles. Hicks and Heinrich both expressed their hope that the home will remain largely unchanged by its next owner.

Hicks said she hopes that someone will be able to turn the Toy House into something that will benefit the town, perhaps an arts-related use, as she had planned when purchasing the property nine years ago. She also said the Toy House could make a great single residence with an art studio or workroom.

It's that time again!!

The popular decorated acrylic bears make their return from hibernation onto Main Street in Hendersonville this Friday, and organizers are especially excited about this year’s unique batch of designs. They are truly beautiful.

The annual Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk reveal takes place Friday starting at 6 p.m. at the First Citizens Bank Plaza on Main Street. The event kicks off the season when 20 colorful bears will line Main Street to be later auctioned off for charity.

During the reveal, the bears will be unveiled one by one before the crowd. Each bear was purchased by an organization to benefit a charity or nonprofit of their choice. The bears are then painted by local artists.

After reveal, the bears will remain together on the plaza for the weekend before they are dispersed along Main Street. The bears will be displayed on Main Street until they are auctioned off in October.

Last year’s auction raised $47,200 for area charities and nonprofits as well as for the Downtown Hendersonville association.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has received national honors for its innovative use of drones during the state’s coordinated response to Hurricane Florence.

NCDOT was awarded the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's XCELLENCE Award in the humanitarian category at the AUVSI’s annual XPONENTIAL conference this week. The award comes with a $5,000 prize, which the Division of Aviation has elected to present to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.

The entry from the Division of Aviation’s drone program was selected out of more than 140 other entries worldwide. The division was honored for its groundbreaking use of emerging drone technology to keep people safe from a tragic storm in a way that had never been done on this scale.

“Utilizing drones and other technological advances helped NCDOT keep people safe during Hurricane Florence and aided all our recovery efforts,” said N.C. Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon. “Being recognized for this exemplifies exceptional teamwork coming together to use technology in ways we couldn’t even imagine just a few years ago and is an example of ingenuity at its best.”

More than a dozen NCDOT drone teams flew more than 200 missions and captured 8,000 pictures and videos of the damage and flooding left behind by Hurricane Florence in September. This helped state and federal agencies make real-time decisions around aiding emergency response, planning detour routes, assessing future repair needs, expanding disaster declarations and warning the public of the dangers faced on North Carolina's roadways.

"The Humanitarian Awards demonstrate the profound ability of the recipients to positively impact lives through unmanned systems technology,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. "We proudly recognize the five winners and hope their accomplishments will serve as an inspiration to utilize unmanned aircraft systems to accomplish remarkable achievements for our society.”

This was the first year that AUVSI has presented an XCELLENCE Award in the humanitarian category. Zipline, a partner with NCDOT on the Drone Integration Pilot Program, was also among the winners selected.

More growth and progression for the Mills River area of Henderson County.

The area’s newest brewery is getting closer to opening its doors, hoping to bring some warmth to local drinkers’ cheeks as early as this summer.

Burning Blush Brewery, under construction on Boylston Highway in Mills River, hopes to open in late July, but it could be as late as this fall, according to owner and brewer Whit Lanning.

Lanning, 32, has been living in South Carolina, but is coming back closer to home here in WNC to open the brewery in Mills River with his family. His mother, Melody Lanning, will be in charge of brewery operations and his sister, Ryan Lanning, is set to head up the website, social media and IT.

Whit Lanning graduated from N.C. State with a degree in chemistry and moved on to brewing school at Brew Lab in Sunderland, England. He then worked in South Carolina for about 10 years, including at Thomas Creek Brewery and Birds Fly South Ale Project in Greenville and Carolina Bauernhaus Brewery and Winery in Anderson.

Next, he’ll lead the brewing at Burning Blush, where he hopes to create a wide gamut of crafted beer styles.

From work he’s done in the past, Lanning is very familiar with barrel aging, sour cultures and mixed cultures, but is hoping to also focus on IPAs as well as English-style beers, German-style lagers and more.

The building, which can be seen alongside the highway between the intersection with Highway 191 and Presbyterian Church Road, sits on about 2 acres and will be around 8,700 square feet, with 2,600 of that dedicated to the taproom. The rest will be used for production on a 15-barrel system that should be arriving soon, he said.

Starting out, they’ll have six 15-barrel fermenters and two bright tanks, as well as 10 serving tanks so beer can be served to customers straight from the tank, which Lanning says he feels provides a better taste than when a whole batch has been kegged.

At first, the brewery should be producing between 500 and 1,000 barrels per year, he said, distributing some of the kegs to restaurants with a canning line coming at some point. Early on, however, the focus will be front and center on the taproom.

“The biggest thing we’re excited about is just having a place for the community to come in, bring your families, bring your dogs,” Lanning said, adding that the brewery hopes to get involved with community outreach as well. “Just get people together. I think that’s the most important thing.”

He said they’re going for a good family environment, and one goal for him and others leading the brewery is to be front and center for customers, as he feels the owner-to-customer experience is lacking in a lot of places.

The taproom will also feature a covered outdoor area of about 700 square feet, lawn space and 50 parking spots alongside overflow grass parking.

The name Burning Blush is a reference to an Edgar Allen Poe poem. Lanning explained that Poe was writing letters to a love interest that were being intercepted by her father, but then Poe was invited to her wedding. When she saw him for the first time, she got a “burning blush,” in her cheek, something Poe later wrote about in a poem.

Burning Blush is shooting for a Victorian-Romantic-Gothic vibe, Lanning said, with chandeliers planned for the taproom as well as large castle-style doors and stonework in front.

The bar that will be used in the taproom is waiting at Needful Things in Hendersonville, a 1930s-era bar from Chicago the brewery purchased and is waiting to install.

Burning Blush is one of two breweries under construction in the area, with Mills River Brewery constructing its new home close by on Banner Farm Road. With Bold Rock Hard Cider also just a stone’s throw away, there’s the start of a corridor of taprooms for Mills River.

This release from the office of Peter Knight, Superior Court Judge:

J. Tyler Ray has been appointed as the Clerk of Superior Court for Henderson County following the vacancy created by former Clerk Kimberly Justice’s move to District Court. Mr. Ray, an attorney, has practiced law in Henderson County since his graduation from Campbell University School of Law in 2006.

He is a native of Henderson County and has been active in the community, including service on the Board of Directors for Valley Hill Fire and Rescue, Inc., and as a deacon at the French Broad Baptist Church. Mr. Ray’s work as an attorney is comprised of several years of the general practice of law with The Stepp Law Firm; in addition, from 2008 to 2013 Mr. Ray was an assistant Public Defender in the judicial district which includes Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties.

As provided by law, the appointment to fill the vacancy was made by Resident Superior Court Judge Peter Knight. Judge Knight released the following statement: “I enlisted the assistance of a committee comprised of practicing attorneys and others, to review the many fine candidates for the position. I gave the committee the difficult task of recommending just a few names for consideration; following interview, I selected Mr. Ray for appointment. As a judge, I have had the chance to observe Mr. Ray both in and out of the courtroom for many years, and I recognize that his professionalism, work ethic, and experience will serve him well in his responsibilities as Clerk of Superior Court.” Mr. Ray will assume the duties of Clerk beginning this Monday, May 6. Assistant Clerk of Superior Court Christina Goodson has served as the interim Clerk during the last month, pending appointment to fill the vacancy.

Any Mario Kart fans out there?

Then be sure to come out to Hendersonville Middle on Tuesday, May 7, for a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) middle school robotics competition based on the classic video game! Using VEX Robotics materials, students will build a remote-controlled car with 2 balloons attached to the bumper. The cars will have motorized attack arms that students will control to pop other cars' balloons within a controlled area. Points will be given for each balloon popped and for remaining balloons; the team with the most points after 3 rounds will be declared the winner.

PLTW is a program in our middle and high schools that offers pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, teaching students technical skills, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.

The melee will begin between 3:45 and 4 p.m. at Hendersonville Middle.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has scheduled another opportunity for people to get their N.C. REAL IDs this Saturday.

The final REAL ID Express Day will be from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Hendersonville driver license office, 125 Baystone Drive. The NCDMV has hosted REAL ID Express Days in several North Carolina communities to help more than 2,900 people get their identification quicker.

Starting October 2020, people will be required to have a REAL ID, a valid U.S. passport or another federally approved identification to board commercial flights, enter federal facilities and visit military installations. Some military bases already require REAL ID.

People who visit the Hendersonville office on Saturday will be able to convert their current driver license or ID cards to REAL IDs. Anyone with an expiration date before Nov. 4 is eligible to renew their license or ID card now. Duplicates and first-time ID cards will also be available.

Knowledge tests, driving skills tests and legal presence or lawful status transactions will not be provided during REAL ID Day at the Hendersonville office. Instead, people who wish to take a test or conduct a lawful status transaction can go to the Asheville office from 8 a.m.-noon each Saturday.

To obtain a REAL ID, residents will need to bring the following documents (no photocopies) to the driver license office:

One (1) proof of identity/date of birth: certified birth certificate or unexpired U.S. passportOne (1) proof of full Social Security Number: Social Security card, W-2 or 1099 tax formTwo (2) proofs of current physical address: driver license, vehicle registration card, voter registration card, utility bill, cable bill or bank statementProof of name change (if applicable): certified marriage license, divorce decree and/or court document indicating the name change (number of documents depend on number of name changes)

Additional documents that can be used to obtain a REAL ID are available at NCREALID.gov.

NCDMV officials encourage residents to double-check their documents before arriving at the driver license office. Photocopies of certified birth certificates, Social Security cards and marriage licenses or divorce decrees will not be accepted. NCDMV only accepts certified birth certificates and marriage licenses issued by a county register of deeds or state vital records office.

More than 1 million North Carolinians have obtained a REAL ID since its debut in May 2017.

Residents whose driver licenses or permits are suspended or revoked will now receive a state-issued identification card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles began the process this week of issuing state identification cards to residents with revoked, suspended, cancelled or disqualified driver licenses. The N.C. General Assembly passed the law during the 2018 session and it took effect this week.

People who have driver licenses revoked, suspended, disqualified or cancelled will be issued an identification card upon surrender of their most recent driver’s license. The state-issued identification card will not entitle people to drive but can be used as a form of photo identification for other purposes.

Under the new law, DMV will mail the identification card to an individual after the DMV receives the seized or surrendered license. The ID card is free of charge and people do not need to apply to receive it. DMV will mail the ID card to the person’s address on file.

The ID card is valid until the suspended or revoked driver license is reinstated or reissued by the NCDMV. The ID card issuance is not retroactive and applies to driver licenses that were surrendered starting May 1.

Meanwhile, DMV offers driver license and REAL ID renewals, as well as many other services online. Customers are encouraged to check the official DMV website at MyNCDMV.gov to see if their driver license needs can be met online.