Mortgage Broker in Oak Grove, SC

Blue Marlin owner Ryan Dukes has rolled the idea of opening a “fish camp” around in his mind for a while. He grew up outside of Charlotte, on Lake Wylie, where he said unpretentious seafood joints were common. As an adult, he traveled doing research and development for Columbia’s Blue Marlin, and he came across similar fried fish restaurants in New Orleans.

This week, he opened his own fish camp — Oak Grove Fish House — at the site of the former Vegetable Medley in Lexington. Two days after the opening, customers flowed in steadily throughout lunch hour, sampling oysters and sweet corn hushpuppies so savory you might think they’re donuts.

Sisters Pat English, 78, and Ellen Suber, 79, drove by Oak Grove on their way to get their nails done and decided to stop in for an early birthday supper for English, who turns 79 on March 25. Suber isn’t much of a seafood person, she said, so she ordered chicken and grits and said she was pleasantly surprised because, “Not everybody can cook grits.”

English got a fried seafood platter, which has already become a favorite, servers said. The sisters shared a slice of homemade key lime pie that is more rich than tart thanks to freshly squeezed key lime juice and a generous dose of sweetened condensed milk. On top, fresh whipped cream and a slice of key lime just in case you want more bite.

“I couldn’t stop,” Suber said.

English and Suber finished their meal and ordered three to-go meals of fried flounder with mashed potatoes and green beans, too.

“My carry-out is in my stomach,” said Suber, who went to eat at Blue Marlin once but said she preferred the atmosphere of the fish house.

Dukes said his goal was to emulate the friendly, embedded-in-the-community feel of traditional fish camps — “Something that was comfortable, laidback and had great food” — in the county where he lives.

“I’ve always dreamed of having a store in Lexington County,” he said, noting many Blue Marlin customers are from the area. But he didn’t want to be on a main drag, in the center of it all, he said, so the homey spot tucked into Oak Drive was perfect.

Some of Dukes’ favorite dishes so far are the salt-and-pepper catfish, the salmon Charleston (blackened salmon topped with a shrimp and crab cream sauce), the Calabash shrimp and the chicken liver. He brought over the executive chef from Blue Marlin, as well as some cooks, so the Columbia restaurant’s signature shrimp and grits are on the menu at the fish house.

The vibe at Oak Grove Fish House is notably different from that of the busy Vista restaurant, and that’s part of what Dukes said he loves about it. The restaurant’s interior, which Dukes expanded and totally remodeled, has a nostalgic feel. A soft, pastel blues-and-greens color palette, black-and-white checkered flooring, an old-school wood panel ceiling, industrial lights and comfortable booths are complemented by vintage photos of fishermen and boats, and weathered oars on a back wall. Soon to be added: A large sculpture of a blue marlin Dukes just had delivered.

Dukes said he has spent the past nine months working on Oak Grove Fish House, but he’ll be taking a break on March 26 to take care of something else: His wife, Shannon, is scheduled to give birth to the Dukes’ second child.

Oak Grove Fish House is located at 309 Oak Drive in Lexington. Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

A trio of chains announced moves in Lexington County in the last week:

• Small N.C. chain Clutch Coffee Bar is looking to add a Lexington location at 306 Columbia Ave., The Post and Courier reports.

“The company filed an application with the city of Lexington to remove two trees on the site, which currently has a small insurance office. The tree issue has been resolved with the city, according to Diana Wood, a Realtor involved in the deal,” Mike Fitts writes.

The location looks to be a drive-thru-only coffee stand.

• I Heart Mac & Cheese is set to open its West Columbia location on Sept. 21.

“The West Columbia, SC I Heart Mac and Cheese location will be operated by Robin Patel. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on the grand opening day at 10:30 a.m and will kick off the celebration,” a news release states. “Following the ceremony, the first 10 people in line will receive free mac & cheese creations for a full year. Throughout the day, guests will enjoy giveaways. Raffles will also be occurring during the week where guests can win free I Heart Mac and Cheese.”

As its name implies, the South Florida-based chain specializes in mac and cheese, but also offers sandwiches and “a variety of health-conscious bases including quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, gluten-free pasta, plant-based protein, and dairy-free alternatives,” according to the release.

• Firehouse Subs is set to open a location in Cayce on Sept. 12 “under the ownership of franchisees and uncle-nephew duo, Larry Chandler and Jody Chandler,” according to a company spokesperson.

“Larry joined the Firehouse Subs family in 2004, followed quickly by his nephew, Jody, in 2006. With multiple decades of restaurant experience between them, Larry and Jody’s commitment to their restaurants has become a blueprint for other franchisees across the Firehouse Subs system,” the spokesperson writes in a media advisory.

The location is hiring 20-25 employees for the location.

Lexington Grocery Store to Close

A grocery store along one of Lexington County’s main thoroughfares is set to close.

The KJ’s Market on U.S. Highway 1 in Lexington (not the one further down U.S. 1 in West Columbia) will close Sept. 17, The Post and Courier reports, with a liquidation sale already ongoing.

“The West Columbia store was acquired from Bi-Lo in 2020 as Bi-Lo’s parent company closed all its stores in South Carolina,” Mike Fitts writes. “The third KJ’s Market in the Columbia area is located on St. Andrews Road.”

Parent company “Alex Lee operates 33 KJ’s Market locations in South Carolina and Georgia, according to the company website. The store location previously had been a Piggly Wiggly and then a Bi-Lo, but Bi-Lo closed its store in the shopping center in 2013.”

The West Columbia KJ’s, located 3.5 miles away near a Walmart Supercenter, is set to stay open, but the closure of the Lexington KJ’s Market leaves a supermarket void in the Oak Grove area, with the closest grocery stores being the Food Lion and Walmart Neighborhood Market at the corner of Emanuel Church Road and Old Barnwell Road about three miles away.

[Online copy corrected.]

Lexington County, SC Gas Prices Trending Down

Gas prices are trending down again in Lexington County, which now sits among the lower half of S.C. counties when it comes to the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded.

The county’s average as of Sept. 6 was $3.339 (down from $3.43 a week earlier).

The state average was $3.394 (down from $3.455). The national average was $3.779 (down from $3.844.

Question: Since work began on Interstate 85, the damage to Oak Grove Lake has become serious. In the early stages of development, the feeding stream was covered in a foul-smelling green liquid that fed into the lake. Subsequent to that, the stream has fed clay into the lake. The lake is deep brown. You can no longer see the bottom. The lake no longer supports the former resident geese and ducks. They have fled. We occasionally see dead fish floating in the water.

Who or what is responsible, and will the lake be restored to its previous pristine condition? Will it be restocked?

Answer: The short answer here is the lake, which is maintained by the Greenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism department, is considered healthy, though it looks different than it did a few years ago. The lake's changing condition is not being ignored, but ongoing construction in the area is likely to keep the status quo in play for a couple more years.

This reader and several neighbors I spoke with at Oak Grove Lake are frustrated by what they see as a big change in the health of their neighborhood lake.

The lake sits on Oak Grove Lake Road. It is surrounded on two sides by homes, and a third side features residential construction sites. One end of the lake sits in the shadow of I-85 and the I-85/385 Gateway project.

When I visited the lake, the water was brown. A couple of neighbors, including the reader who initially contacted me, walked with me along the lake shore to share their concerns.

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They pointed out trash gathering in and around trees along the water's edge. A silt barrier near the lake's source stream appeared to be falling down on one end. They were concerned about the waning number of birds they've seen frequenting the lake in the past few years.

Oak Grove Lake is in a Greenville County park. After visiting, I reached out to the parks department to find out what kind of measurements are in place to protect the space.

Ty Houck, director of greenways, natural and historic resources for the county, visited the park the day I contacted him. Houck noticed some of the same issues.

Houck said the discoloration of the water can be attributed to residential development and the I-85/385 Gateway project, though he said the groups responsible for those projects are doing what is required to protect the water.

Both projects have storm water and erosion control requirements like silt fences and silt dams to prevent runoff from the projects.

The residential development falls under Greenville County's jurisdiction, and the Gateway project under South Carolina Department of Transportation. Houck said the county inspects residential projects to make sure those controls are maintained.

Houck said DOT informed him recently that all controls for the Gateway project are being maintained as required.

Despite those controls, Houck said heavy rain still can have an effect, allowing fine clay particles to become suspended in the water.

"Because the particles are so fine, they take a while to settle down and can be stirred up again by the next rain event," Houck explained.

Residents at the lake also complained about growth of brush and trees along the water's edge, saying it used to be a clean edge where fishermen could easily stand and fish.

As it turns out, the growth is by design. Houck said the vegetative buffer of bushes and trees along the water actually stemmed from recommendations made by a pond and fisheries management company, Estate Management Services, when the county consulted the company in 2009 to make recommendations for maintaining the health of the aquatic life at the lake. I spoke with Shawn Woods, regional manager with Estate Management Services, who confirmed his team worked with the county to test and maintain the lake's health.

The Estate Management Services report, according to Houck, recommended adding vegetation to provide shade and cooling for aquatic life and to discourage overpopulation of water fowl.

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In 2014, the lake's spillway gate failed and drained the lake. The county used the incident as an opportunity to make improvements to the lake, again with the help of Estate Management Services. According to Houck, the county restocked the lake with bass, bream and catfish and planted recommended trees, in partnership with TreesGreenville.

The county also worked with Eagle Scouts to install underwater fish habitat structures.

The overall assessment of the lake at that time was that it had good water quality and fish health, according to Houck. He said the county also plans to consult with a pond and fisheries management company again after the construction projects around the lake are complete, in order to preserve the lake's health.

As for the trash building up at the lake, Houck said there are times when floating trash appears on the lake, though that used to be more prominent before upstream movements began. He said crews visit the park weekly to clean it up, but it is more efficient for staff to give the trash a few days to blow to the edge of the lake, typically in the northeast corner, than to get in a boat to fish it out.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send it to elafleur@greenvillenews.com, contact Elizabeth on her Facebook page at facebook.com/ElizabethSLaFleur or send questions via mail to Elizabeth LaFleur, 32 E. Broad St., Greenville, SC 29601. Answers will appear in the Tuesday and Friday print editions of The Greenville News.

A goldfish weighing nine pounds came under the spotlight Monday after being discovered during a fish population survey at a lake in South Carolina, park officials said.

Ty Houck, an official with Greenville County Parks, said the “massive” fish was found swimming on Nov. 16 in a 12-acre body of water in Oak Grove Lake Park in the county of Greenville.

Greenville Rec, which oversees the park where the fish was discovered, posted a photo of the golden spectacle on Facebook on Monday.

“Anyone missing their goldfish? This 9lb goldfish was found in Oak Grove Lake during some recent testing at our lakes,” the organization wrote in a post. “The work included electrofishing, a method of measuring the health of the fish population.”

Wildlife officials were conducting a fish population survey analogous to a “fish sticking its finger, or fin, in a socket,” Houck said. “A weak electrical current is run through the water and stuns them for a few minutes.”

Houck said he believes the giant goldfish is the only one swimming in the lake because park officials did not encounter any others in their survey.

He added that while the goldfish is non-native to South Carolina, it was not considered an invasive species to the lake.

The average lifespan of goldfish is between six to seven years, while those found in the wild can live up to 30 years, according to the United States Geological Survey.

According to the agency, goldfish can grow upwards of six pounds — far below the weight of the nine pound pond fish found in South Carolina.

As for the goldfish's current whereabouts, Houck said he placed the fish back in the water after snapping a photo of the large creature.

“At the advice of professionals we decided to leave the bachelor, or bachelorette, back where we found it,” Houck said. “Obviously, they’re really happy here.”

Wilson Wong

Wilson Wong is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News Digital.

CNN —

Parks and recreation workers in South Carolina made an extraordinary discovery during a routine water quality test at a small lake.

The crew caught a 9-pound goldfish that was about 15 inches long in the murky waters of Oak Grove Lake, said Ty Houck, director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources for the Greenville County Recreation District.

That’s a whopper of a goldfish. National Geographic says the average weight for a pet goldfish is .2 to .6 pounds, though they can top 5 pounds in the wild. The average length is 4.7 to 16.1 inches.

Houck said he has no clue how long the fish, which is not native to South Carolina, has been in the lake in the upper part of the state. He told CNN the team didn’t see anything resembling a goldfish when they last studied the lake a decade ago.

In order to test the health of the ecosystem, officials use a method called electrofishing, which gently shocks the fish (without hurting them) and forces them to float to the surface of the water so surveyors can check for any signs indicating unhealthy water, Houck said.

“All of a sudden this giant fish jumped out and into the net and we quickly snapped a photo while examining it,” Houck said.

Houck said the lake is mainly used for fishing, though fisherman are encouraged to throw the fish back after catching them. That’s what the parks workers did with the big goldfish.

“We think someone must have just dropped their fish in the lake because they didn’t want it anymore, instead of flushing it down the toilet,” Houck said.

The lake is not downstream from any nuclear power plants, so the large size has nothing to do with chemical exposure, Houck said. He speculated omnivorous goldfish has just been eating a lot and had the opportunity to grow when it entered a larger physical environment, like the 12-acre Oak Grove Lake.

The Guinness Book of World Records says the longest known goldfish measures 18.7 inches from nose to fin and belongs to Joris Gijsbers of the Netherlands. The weight, however, was not listed.

“Goldfish grow to the size of their environment,” Houck said. “To have a 9-pound goldfish survive in our lake must mean we are doing something right.”