South Carolina's fireworks are drawing huge crowds of out-of-staters into Fort Mill this week.

I went to a few fireworks stores off Carowinds Boulevard yesterday for a story in today's paper, and it was next to impossible to find a local shopper. Everyone was from North Carolina.

One lady drove from Virginia just to buy fireworks. She said Carowinds Boulevard was the closest place. Another man took a trek from High Point, N.C., to load up.

New South Interiors, the upscale furniture store in the Cotton Factory downtown, is hosting a grand opening drop-in tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

The store has been open for a few weeks in the renovated cotton mill, but is just now publicizing its opening. Tonight's event will serve food and wine, plus give guests a chance to tour the 23,000-square-foot shop.

Just got back from the Rock Hill Economic Development Corp., meeting. Mostly predictable discussions this month, but a few interesting things that might turn into bigger stories down the road. Here's a snapshot:

- City officials have selected a consultant to look at the feasibility of a trolley that would run from downtown, through the textile corridor, and connect with Winthrop University. It's a long way before anything is in concrete, but if it happens, the trolley might eventually connect to Piedmont Medical Center. It's mainly just talk at this point, but getting closer to reality.

York County will get to taste its signature crop this summer.

The folks at Arthur Black's peach orchard in York picked their first basket of peaches this morning. They'll be picking every morning now as new varieties ripen into the summer. Down the road, Ben Smith started picking a few days ago. Others will begin picking soon if they haven't already.

The early appraisal is that its shaping up to be a nice crop. (The farmers will slap me now for jinxing their crops. But, hey, you'd be superstitious too if your livelihood was based on something hanging on a tree limb.)

Economic development collided with Earth Day ideals this week outside a kindergarten classroom in York. And it wasn't pretty.

My wife, Ashley, teaches kindergarten in York. On Tuesday morning, her class of 20 5- and 6-year-olds celebrated Earth Day. She taught them about recycling, saving water and how trees and plant life help produce oxygen so humans have clean air to breathe.

She stressed the importance of recycling garbage, not littering and preserving trees.

Rick Norwood, marketing manager for the Rock Hill Economic Development Corp., reported at Tuesday's board meeting that software juggernaut and gazillionaire Bill Gates' company Microsoft will be moving its headquarters to Rock Hill.

April Fools!

Norwood's statement was an April Fools Day tease directed at the media and me specifically as The Herald's business reporter.

"I was going to announce that Microsoft was relocating its headquarters to Rock Hill," Norwood quipped to begin his report at the April 1 meeting. "But I was afraid it might go beyond this meeting."

Most of the time, an overnight freeze this time of year really puts a scare into local fruit growers. Too much cold, as we saw last spring, can wipe out an entire season's worth of produce.

But when Tuesday morning temperatures dipped into the 20s, Mother Nature actually did farmers a favor. It thinned out some of the weaker fruit, allowing the remainder to mature.

Chick-Fil-A's newest restaurant will open Thursday on S.C. 160 near Baxter Village in Fort Mill.

That means the line of soon-to-be customers is already wrapping around the building.

When a Chick-Fil-A opens its doors for the first time, the company gives away free chicken sandwich combos for a year to the first 100 customers. The Fort Mill location is no exception.

I tried to eat lunch at my favorite sandwich shop today, the Jersey Mike's at Winthrop Commons next to the old Harris Teeter.

But to my dismay, and the relief of turkey and provolone everywhere, the popular little lunch spot was closed.

Turns out, it's moving to an outparcel building in the same plaza. The Jersey Mike's will be moving into the former bank building in front of the U.S. Post Office, near Cherry Road.

The store manager told me it should reopen in its new digs by the end of the week.

Oldies music has returned to the Charlotte market.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting WNMX (106.1 FM) today changed its format from adult standards to the hits of the 60s and 70s. It's the first time a Charlotte station has played oldies music since 96.1 changed to pop in 2004.

I'm excited about this. I grew up riding around town with my dad with the windows down, COOL 105.9FM out of Orlando, Fla., blaring and a cold Coke in my hand.