BAMBERG - With a new scholarship winner and a fun-filled week of new activities, the 2007 Old Friends Invitational Golf Classic is shaping up to be a highly anticipated community event.

The 25th annual Old Friends Invitational Golf Classic will kick off today and run through Saturday, July 21 at Bamberg's Paw Paw Country Club. The club will play host to a variety of events that will raise the thousands of dollars needed to provide scholarships for four college students. Each recipient receives $1,500 to $2,000 each year for four years.

Damian "C.J." Lamar Jones has been chosen as the 2007 recipient of the Old Friends Invitational Golf Classic Scholarship. A graduate of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, Jones will be attending the University of South Carolina in Columbia this fall to study international business.

Co-chairs Beth and Greg Clark said that this is the first year that they will be able to provide $2,000 per year to the scholarship winner.

"This was our goal in chairing the event, and we have reached it," Mrs. Clark said. "The cost of sending a kid to college has really gone up, so we felt like we needed to provide more."

The Clarks are in their third year of chairing the event, which depends on the hard work and dedication of approximately 40 volunteers. Even more helpers chipped in this year to coordinate the successful 5K Walk/Run that was held last month. Two sizes of flags are also being sold this year to help raise additional money.

The annual golf classic brings together people from across the country, many of them "old friends" who grew up in the area.

Participants help keep the scholarship going while having fun taking part in the different events.

Mrs. Clark said the goal is to maintain the scholarships, pay for expenses and maintain a nest egg for the following year.

More than 40 teams, or about 160 golfers, are expected for the tournaments and contests. Putting contests and a nine-hole shootout draw will be part of the classic.

A wide variety of events will offer activities for all age groups. A motorcycle poker run, teen scavenger hunt, junior golf tournament, family bingo night, women's bridge tournament and children's sports-a-rama will take place during the first days of the event. The culminating event, a dance and awards ceremony, will be held Saturday, July 21.

As the cost of attending college continues to rise, high school graduates and their parents are finding it more and more important to secure scholarship dollars. Jones earned the Old Friends Scholarship by achieving academic excellence in school, participating in extracurricular activities and demonstrating the importance of volunteering in his community.

"I want to say thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Clark and especially to Mrs. Norma Palmer for recommending me," Jones said.

In addition to the Old Friends Scholarship, Jones will also receive Junior Service League, State Fair and Life scholarships. He is the son of Wanda Rena Jones.

For further information on signing up for events or to purchase a "Welcome" flag, call Beth and Greg Clark at 803-245-1605.

T&D Correspondent Minnie Miller can be reached by writing to her at 138 Nature's Trail, Bamberg, SC 29003. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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