My youngest child is a freshman at the University of Florida and plays for their Club Soccer team. This weekend they were in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for Regional Finals. My husband and I decided to take a short break and travel to see her play. It took about 8 1/2 hours from our home in Florida.
I told my husband it was JUST the break I had been needing! We arrived just in time for the changing of the leaves, some cold weather, and some unplanned surprises! Today we went for lunch in Old Town - downtown, and decided to eat at a small restaurant "bistro". Much to our amazement, we discovered we were eating in the old McCrory's that became famous in 1961 when nine African Americans/protesters went in and sat down at the lunch counter which was for whites only. They were arrested, there was a trial, and rather than pay bail which they felt subsidized segregation in their town, the nine chose to go "Jail, not Bail".
The original counter is still there, as are the stools. The stools now have engraved plaques with the Friendship Nine's names. One of the ladies in the restaurant took the time to tell us the history and said that some of those original nine still come in to the "bistro" for lunch!
What's amazing to me is that this year is the 50th anniversary of that protest. That's hard to believe! That wasn't that long ago! (I will post photos when I get home. I can't figure out how to do it from my iPhone.)
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