When disaster strikes in Marion County, this community doesn’t ask questions. It simply rallies together and gets the job done.
Many companies and people came forward and helped get the cover back on the ice skating rink after severe storms damaged it last week, but probably the most important people involved were Brenda Johnson and Yvon Mingo of ASR-Pioneer.
Johnson and Mingo spent more than 17 grueling hours sewing the new cover for the rink, and Experience Columbia couldn’t be more grateful.
"These two ladies went above and beyond," Jacob Harrison of Experience Columbia said. "They are the true story here. They are the key to our progress."
After the destruction, the tarp panels were brought to ASR-Pioneer by a forklift. The process was orchestrated by Brina and Mike Marcus of ASR-Pioneer. The pieces were spread out in an aisle, and the seams were clamped where they were ripped. The tarp had to be folded to be accessible, which wasn't an easy feat.
There were leftover pieces of material that came with the tarp, and Johnson and Mingo used that material to cut out patches and repair the ripped parts of the tarp. They also had to replace the grommets, or durable eyelets, to keep the tarp from ripping after it is rehung.
"The wind just about destroyed it completely," Mingo said. "One rip was 130 feet long, and two rips were 60 feet long. Brenda's experience is what took the cake."
Johnson, who is a heavy duty machine operator, worked on the bumper car tarp last year after it was discovered it didn't fit correctly. That gave her the experience and know how to tackle the much larger project this year when her manager asked her if she would do it.
"I told her I would, and I'd do it again as many times as they need me to. I look every time I go by there to see if it's up because I'm afraid I didn't do a good enough job," Johnson said.
The tarp pieces had to be double stitched with 3-cord thread for reinforcement, so Johnson put it together, and Mingo used a second machine to create the second stitch right behind Johnson. The duo began the job on Dec. 1 and completed it on Dec. 2, their day off since ASR-Pioneer is closed every Friday.
Andrew Gipson and Scott Ward of Experience Columbia work on finishing the tarp.
Mingo is a production supervisor who has worked at ASR-Pioneer for 32 years. She learned to sew at age 12 and has been sewing for at least 50 years. She learned from her grandma who sewed slips and panties.
"I didn't know what I was doing, but I did it," she said.
She is a widow, mother of three (one in heaven), grandmother of six and great-grandmother of two. She is originally from Cheraw but now lives in Silver Creek. She loves riding motorcycles and owns a Can-Am Spyder. Her other hobbies are doing weddings and sewing prom dresses.
"Pioneer is my family," she said. "These are my brothers and sisters. It's a family oriented place."
Johnson has been at ASR-Pioneer for 27 years and said she couldn't sew when she started there. Her mom was a seamstress and tried to get her to sew, but she didn't want to despite the fact that it became her career. She would cut out patterns but wouldn't sew.
"I lied and said I could sew," she said. "My mom always told me I could do anything I put my mind to, and I did."
Johnson is a wife, mother of five, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of one. She has lived in Foxworth all of her life. She loves her family, her job and crafting, especially making wreaths. She made a huge wreath that's more than four feet wide for ASR-Pioneer and a smaller one for a raffle the staff did to fund Christmas celebrations.
"I'm a leader of everything at Pioneer," she said laughing. 
While the Experience Columbia crew praised the two ladies for their work, Mingo and Johnson said they couldn't have done the sewing without the guys that held the tarp pieces taut while they sewed. They said it was truly a group effort as they praised the crew of Harrison, Mickey Webb, Dean Powell and Brentina Varnado, Johnson's daughter.
