The Saluda County Council voted unanimously to ban the use of all tobacco products in parks and recreation facilities that are owned or leased by the county.

Ordinance 01-14 prohibits “the smoking of cigarettes, cigars and pipes and the use of all other smokeless tobacco products” at the facilities, which include three ballparks and a county recreation center as the main areas affected, according to Index-Journal. The ordinance came at the suggestion of the county recreation director, who sought to unify tobacco policies at all county facilities.

Saluda County is one of the smallest of the state’s 46 counties, ranking 39th in population with just under 20,000 residents. It is located in the western part of the state, about 50 miles west of Columbia.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.