Town News
Good Citizen of the Year Awards
There are many reasons to nominate an individual to receive a Good Citizen award, including achievement in education, sports, environmental care, community engagement, business, welfare, arts and culture, leadership, civic responsibility, volunteering, offering acts of kindness, or a noteworthy contribution to the Six Mile Community.
To be eligible and individual must have resided or worked in Six Mile in the past twelve (12) months at the time of their nomination. The individual must not be a sitting politician or have left office within the past twelve (12) months. This individual must be of good moral character.
Entry Details
Submissions should:
Address the assessment criteria by outlining the nominee's background, achievements, and reasons for nomination.
Include supporting documents such as character reference and/or photographs.
Selection Process:
Selection is to be based on the information that is provided in the nomination form and supporting documents by the specified time allocated. It is the responsibility of the Nominator to supply all nomination information for assessment.
Council will vote on nominations submitted. There is no obligation for Council to allocate an award each year if it is the opinion of Council that there is no nomination satisfactory to meet the criteria. Council decision is final.
The following conditions of entry apply to all individual nominations:
-
Nominations must be made on the official nomination form and submitted with any supporting documents by one of the 2 following methods:
-
You may complete the form below and email any supporting documents to rita_martin@sixmilesc.org.
-
-
Nominations must be received by Council by November 25, 2025. Late applications and material will not be accepted.
-
Nominators can make submissions for more than one individual, but a seperate form must be used for each nomination.
-
Individuals cannot self-nominate.
-
No weight is given to the number of times a person is nominated.
-
All nomination information and materials submitted remain the property of Council.
Submissions should:
-
Address the assessment criteria by outlining the nominee's background, achievements, and reasons for nomination.
-
Include supporting documents such as character reference(s) and photograph(s) as applicable.
'State of Six Mile' highlights growth, community projects
-
Published by The Pickens County Courier on August 27, 2025
SIX MILE — The annual “State of Six Mile” address drew a strong crowd to the Six Mile Community Building last Thursday evening, bringing residents together for barbecue and updates on the town’s future.
Sponsored by the town of Six Mile and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce, the event gave the close-knit community a chance to hear about upcoming projects and the town’s historical roots. Mayor James Atkinson and town council outlined their vision for preserving the charm of Six Mile while planning for smart growth.
One of the biggest announcements of the evening was the planned construction of a new downtown park just off Main Street. The Downtown Community Park, home of the Six Mile Farmers Depot, will be located behind the Stoddard Pavilion, next to The Scoop downtown. The park will include an amphitheater, basketball courts, a picnic shelter, a walking track, a playground and pickleball courts. Additional parking will be added to accommodate visitors.
Plans were also unveiled for a second space — the Community Park Annex — at the former Baptist Academy site behind Town Hall. That park will offer a covered picnic area and grills. Atkinson said the projects were shaped with input from community members.
“It’s a great honor to be mayor of Six Mile,” Atkinson said. “You have so many people doing so much. Our goal is to control the destiny of Six Mile and keep Six Mile Six Mile. We want to control change and plan ahead, not fail to plan and let change overtake us.”
The evening began with a welcome from Clemson chamber president Bryan Lee, followed by keynote speaker Allie Sloan of the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson. Sloan spoke about the progress of the town’s Bryson Children’s Nature Walk project.
“Six Mile is a town that has always been defined not just by geography, but by the spirit of its people,” Sloan said. “One of my favorite parts of my job is being a bridge between community dreams and the resources that make them possible.”
She praised the Bryson Children’s Nature Walk as a symbol of vision and collaboration.
“The project shows the best of Six Mile — vision, collaboration and a deep love for the next generation,” Sloan said. “The Bryson Children’s Nature Walk will stand as a living reminder that when a community comes together, the results are lasting.”
Atkinson also announced this year’s town awards. The Stillwater Group LLC was named Emerging Business of the Year, and Pickens County Meals on Wheels was recognized as Nonprofit of the Year.
The second keynote speaker, local historian Dennis Chastain, gave a presentation on the Cherokee Trail, which once ran along Six Mile’s Main Street and extended all the way to Charleston. Chastain highlighted the trail’s use by the Cherokee and Revolutionary War troops and showed slides of the original ford crossings at Six Mile Creek and the Twelve Mile River.
In closing, Atkinson thanked everyone for attending and reaffirmed his commitment to community values.
“Our small town should be a place where we support each other, treat each other with respect, exemplify civility and unity, raise our children with strong values, maintain fiscal responsibility and preserve our unique town character, green spaces and history,” he said.
Six Mile Unveils Park Plan at Annual Banquet
-
Photography by Sean Smith
-
Published by The Journal on August 23, 2025
SIX MILE — For the second year in a row, Six Mile used its annual banquet to announce an exciting revelation.
The town, in conjunction with the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce, hosted its second annual “State of Six Mile” event earlier this week.
During festivities, Mayor James Atkinson unveiled plans for the town’s new downtown community park and community park annex.
The plans for the park, which is set to be built behind Stoddard Pavillion on Main Street, will include more parking, an amphitheater, pickleball courts, basketball courts and an update to the existing walking trail. It will also include picnic and lawn game areas.
The community park annex is slated to be built behind Town Hall and will include signage from the Six Mile Academy, which previously stood on the property, as well as additional picnic and grilling areas.
“We had an extensive effort to actually get input from people in terms of what they wanted there,” Atkinson said. “We tried to deliver what they wanted.”
Atkinson also delivered his “State of Six Mile” address Thursday.
“It’s great to be mayor here,” he said. “You have so many people doing so much and helping you so much. Our goal is to control the destiny of Six Mile and keep Six Mile — Six Mile. We want to control change and plan ahead, not fail to plan and let change overtake us…Our small town should be a community where we support each other, treat each other with respect, exemplify civility, courtesy and unity, mold our children to grow in good systems, maintain fiscal responsibility and retain our unique town character, green space and history.”
He also recognized two winners during the event.
The town chose The Stillwater Group LLC as its “emerging business of the year” and Pickens County Meals on Wheels as the town’s “nonprofit of the year.”
Both received certificates for their achievements and Meals on Wheels received an undisclosed amount of money.
‘Spirit of the people here’
The event featured two keynote speakers, the first being Allie Sloan, executive director of the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson.
She used her time to focus on the importance of the town’s Bryson Children’s Nature Walk.
“Six Mile is a town that has always been defined, not just by the geography here, but by the spirit of the people here,” Sloan said. “I’m here today representing the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson, and one of my favorite things about my job is getting to be a bridge between community dreams and resources that help make them possible.”
Sloan used her background to explain what this project means to her.
“I grew up in a very small town that mimics Six Mile in a lot of ways,” she said. “Some memories just can’t be made indoors — some of them have to be made outside in nature.”
Sloan also said that CFGC is the financial sponsor of the Bryson project.
“Through our fiscal sponsorship, the project operates under the community foundation’s charitable umbrella,” she said. “That means donations can be made to the project as if it were a 501c, giving donors their full charitable deduction. The funds are managed by the foundation ensuring transparency, proper accounting and stewardship. One of my favorite parts of it, the project leaders can focus on building and bringing this to life while we handle the administrative and compliance work behind the scenes.”
The project is currently underway with signage recently being installed and more trees to be planted in November.
‘Maybe because we didn’t know’
The second keynote speaker was Dennis Chastain, a local historian who educated attendees on the history of the town prior to its settlement.
Famously, the Cherokee Path, a major roadway used by Native Americans and Colonists alike, ran right through what is now the town.
Chastain told a story during his presentation about informing the now-Mayor of this fact.
“I said, ‘James, it really surprises me that you all don’t make a big deal about the fact that Main Street in Six Mile is the old Cherokee path’ and he said, ‘Maybe it’s because we didn’t know.’”
Chastain went on to say he was later invited to speak to Town Council and the same night of his presentation to it, council approved signage recognizing this historical fact.
“(The Cherokee Path) is a part of the legacy and the history of Six Mile,” Chastain said.
He also spoke about its importance.
“It’s an ancient Indian path, centuries old, and ran all the way from Fort Loudon in Tennessee to King Street in Charleston,” Chastain said. “Thousands of British troops were marching up and down this thing over the centuries and for about 150 years, anything to happen in the interior of colonial South Carolina, happened along the Cherokee Path. It was a big deal.”
He also touched on the challenges the town will face in the future.
“The next chapter in Six Mile history is going to be dominated by one issue, balancing inevitable growth while maintaining the area’s rural character,” Chastain said.
He said despite the rural description of Pickens County, 92 percent of all parcels in the county are 10 acres or less.
“That makes preserving open space of paramount importance,” Chastain said. “That’s the only way to have growth and to accommodate growth that maintains the rural character.”
Bryson Children's Nature Walk
CLICK HERE to watch the Your Carolina 7News WSPA news report about the current progress on the Bryson Children's Nature Walk, which aired on July 15, 2025.