Boiled P-Nuts at Lake Murray's Dreher Shoals Dam

Buy Some P-Nuts Today over at Lake Murray's Dam
Want some excellent BOILED PEANUTS in the Greater Columbia area?

BOILED PEANUTS ARE THE OFFICIAL SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SNACK FOOD

Want to get some of the best boiled peanuts in all of South Carolina? Stop in to see the P-Nut Man at Lake Murray's Dreher Shoals Dam. Wade Baughman has been selling boiled peanuts around the Dreher Shoals Dam at Lake Murray for over 20 years.

The Dam P-Nut Man is typcially at the Irmo side of Lake Murray's dam on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays.
P-Nut Man Boiled Peanuts Location:
Kwik Way Store (Exxon Mobil Gas Station)
6230 Bush River Road
Columbia, SC 29212

CLICK HERE: Dam P-Nut Man Website

Be sure to tell Wade that you saw his Boiled Peanut Stand on the World Wide Web!

Lake Murray - A BEST PLACE TO LIVE!

Lake Murray - Recognized as a BEST LAKE Again.
I know it and many other people know it... Lake Murray is a great place to live.  Now, BOATING Magazine has placed Lake Murray in their recent list of 10 Best Places To Live and Boat.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ARTICLE
Barbara and I have lived on Lake Murray for 8 years and we love Lake Murray living.

BOATING Magazine considered livability, public access, convenience and also relaxing getaways that should please anyone looking for a primary or secondary boating home.  


Lake Murray - A Best Place to Live!



Lake Murray Quick Facts: over 640 miles of shoreline; approximately 48,000 acres; 41 miles long; 14 miles wide at widest point; developed for hyrdro-electric power (now used only for peaking purposes); primarily a recreation/fishing lake; reasonable cost of living; shoreline is approximately 70% developed.
Average single family home price (closed 2010): $487,764  -  2997 s.f. avg. (min: 100 ft. waterfront; 1000 s.f; single family)
Average waterfront lot price (closed 2010): $218,973  -  .73 acre avg. (min: 100 ft. waterfront; max 2 acres)


Click for Lake Murray website  |   Lake Murray Blog
Mel Coker's Lake Murray Music Video
Mel Coker's Lake Murray YouTube Video

Ready to live on Lake Murray, near Lake Murray, or in a community with Lake Murray access?
Call Mel Coker, Lake Murray Resident & Realtor.
(803) 223-6214
Columbia area Real Estate
RE/MAX Metro Associates

Lake Murray Living

National Safe Boating Week

Boating Season has started on Lake Murray!
National Safe Boating Week is May 21 - May 27, 2011

Warm weather brings an increased level of boating traffic on Lake Murray.  Is your boat equipped for safety? Do you know boating basics and laws for operating a boat safely?

Last year (May 2010), in TWO separate accidents on Lake Murray, FOUR boaters were killed.  These two accidents happened happened within 30 minutes and one mile of each other. Both accidents involved alcohol consumption.

Nationally, 72% of all fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those who drowned, 90% of the victims were not wearing a life jacket. Over 80% of the boaters who drowned were using boats less than 26 feet in length. Consistent with previous years, 75% of reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.

In 2009, South Carolina has one of the highest boater registration rates in the USA.  In fact, South Carolina is #3 in the South (behind only Florida and Texas).   In 2009, South Carolina had 3.4% of all boat registrations in the United States.  South Carolina also had 1.5% of boating accident deaths.   Nationally, the #1 contributing factor to boating accident deaths is excessive alcohol consumption.

Links for more South Carolina Boating information:

The Handbook of South Carolina Boating Laws and Responsibilities

South Carolina Online Boating Safety Course and Exam

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Boating in South Carolina

Check a Watercraft/Motor Status

Check the weather:

Lake Murray Weather Station

Mel Coker's Columbia Weather Page

Boating Safety:

Lake Murray Power Squadron Boat Smart Course

National Safe Boating Council

Safe Boating Campaign

Boating Safety - U.S. Coast Guard

FloatPlan Central

Nationally in 2009, almost three-fourths of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, eighty-four (84) percent were not reported as wearing a life jacket. 

Always wear your life jacket!

A safe boating reminder from Mel Coker
Lake Murray Realtor
RE/MAX Metro Associates  (803) 223-6214

Popular Mechanics May 1931 Article on Lake Murray

In the May 1931 edition of Popular Mechanics, the new Lake Murray dam (officially, Dreher Shoals Dam) was featured as a "mile long earth dam impervious to water."  

The lake was named after William S. Murray, a New York engineer involved in the design and creation of the dam.  The lake and dam were under construction from 1927 through 1930.  The project was completed December 1, 1930, when the first electric power was delivered and Lake Murray was celebrated as the world’s largest power reservoir.

The original Dreher Shoals Dam is 1 ½ miles long, 375 feet thick, 208 feet high and covers 99 acres.   When completed, it was the largest earthen dam in the world.

May 1931 Article from Popular Mechanics Magazine

Ready to buy a home or property on Lake Murray?   Call Mel Coker, a Lake Murray Realtor and Resident at (803) 223-6214.

Mel Coker

RE/MAX Metro Associates

Lake Murray & Columbia, SC Real Estate

Mel Coker's Lake Murray Website

South Carolina State Farmers Market

We made our first visit to the NEW South Carolina State Farmers Market this past weekend.  Our report... it's very nice and you need to stop by very soon to check it out.

Barbara ready to buy fresh vegetables

The new market is located on Highway 321 (Charleston Highway) within 1.5 miles of both I-26 and I-77,  making it more convenient both to local residents and to tourists heading to or from the coast or passing through South Carolina. 

The new South Carolina State Farmers Market is a state-of-the-art facility that provides the agricultural community of South Carolina with a one-of-a-kind venue in which to showcase South Carolina products. The new market design is based upon a clearly defined plan that provides separate and distinct areas for the major wholesale vendors, the retail sale of South Carolina agricultural products (with a section specifically designed for this purpose) and also a farmers' shed section, which is owned and operated by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and provides an environment for South Carolina farmers to rent space on a daily or seasonal basis in order to offer their products.

Also included at the new S.C. State Farmers Market:  150-seat exhibition kitchen where chefs and health experts will demonstrate healthy recipes and cooking styles;  400-seat outdoor amphitheater for demonstrations, education and entertainment (coming soon); RV park (coming soon); full-service bakery; an on-site inspector for quality assurance; and, opening today (May 11th) is "Judys at the Market", a full-service restaurant serving food made from local produce.

Location:
3483 Charleston Highway
West Columbia, SC 29172

Hours:
6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Monday through Saturday
12:00- 6:00 p.m. Sunday

CLICK: South Carolina State Farmers Market Website (directions, events and much more)
CLICK: Download FREE Seasonal Recipe Calendar

Mel Coker
Columbia, SC Realtor
RE/MAX Metro Associates  (803) 223-6214
CLICK to Visit Mel's Columbia "A to Z" website

Thermacell Contest In May

Enter the ThermaCELL Daily in May For A Chance to Win:
Mosquito Repelling Outdoor Lantern
(One Mosquito Repellent Lantern given away daily and Grand Prize is worth over $400 in ThermaCELL products).


CLICK HERE TO ENTER CONTEST
(Remember to enter daily in May - a new winner is chosen daily)
Be sure to enter this referral code on your contest registration page: 

HGt9F

I've done the research on this product and bought one myself on Amazon.  It gets great reviews on Amazon. com and it works!
I've bought one for our patio at our Lake Murray home and one for our patio area at a beach home.   Enter the contest today and each day through the end of May 2011.

If you don't win, or if you can't waitto see if you win, BUY Your ThermaCELL today at Amazon for best pricing!



When ordering, be sure to order the value priced refill package.

Mel Coker
Featured on Mel's Lake Murray Amazon Store

Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Murray

Coming to Lake Murray: May 12-15, 2011 - Bassmaster Elite Series
The Evan Williams Bourbon Carolina Clash will be held at Lake Murray from May 12th thru the 15th.   Bassmaster Elite Series pros will be able to practice May 9-11.  The winner's prize is $100,000.

The tournament will be held at Dreher Island State Park:
3677 State Park Road; Prosperity, SC 29127
Launch: 6:45 a.m.    Weigh-in: 3:15 p.m.
FREE!  Launches, weigh-ins and fan festival are free

Fan festival: Evan Williams Bourbon Sampling and Prize Giveaway, Toyota Kids Casting Contest and Toyota angler silkscreen T-shirt giveaway, Mercury Power of Champions Tour, Yamaha S.H.O. Demo Tour, demonstrations of the latest baits and techniques on the Berkley Demo Tank, and Bass Pro Shops Kevin VanDam Prize Package Sweepstakes.
Click Here for More information

Ready to live at Lake Murray and fish anytime?  Contact Mel Coker - Lake Murray resident and Realtor
Mel Coker
RE/MAX Metro Associates
Lake Murray & Columbia, SC Real Estate Website
(803) 388-8011





Photo used with permission: TakeMeFishing.com

 

Thank you Navy SEALS

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed thousands of innocent men, women, and children was killed this past weekend by an elite force of American military personnel - the U.S. Navy Seals.  

A big thank you to all members of the United States military that serve throughout the world!

News about the killing of Osama bin Laden

U.S. Navy SEALs

CLICK to watch my Navy SEALs video

Beautiful Weekend at Lake Murray

This past weekend was beautiful at Lake Murray!    Mostly sunny skies and temps in the low 80s made for beautiful weather on the lake.  We were out on our pontoon boat on Sunday afternoon.

The lake level is now at 358.29 feet above sea level.    Water temperature is about 73 degrees now (summer maximum is about 84 degrees).

Here are a couple of pictures taken at our home on the lake this past weekend.

May 1, 2011 at Lake Murray

May 1, 2011 at Lake Murray

Mel Coker

RE/MAX Metro

Lake Murray Real Estate

(803) 388-8011