First Bellfest succeeds

An estimated 400 people took part in the first event by Friends of Jocassee. Saturday’s fundraiser raised more than $2 thousand for Devil’s Fork State Park, according to Brooks Wade of Jocassee Lake Tours. Wade says Friends of Jocassee is a group dedicated not only to support the state park, but to protect and preserve the lake and the gorges. Spring does not arrive until Wednesday, but the Oconee Bell was described on Saturday in spectacular form. And, windy as the day was, it was a picturesque day to be on Lake Jocassee. But the day would turn tragic. In a kayak accident unrelated to the Bellfest, a young man lost his life.