Hampton Heights Christmas Tour of Homes

The 2008 Historic Hampton Heights Spirit of Christmas Past Tour of Homes will be held Dec. 6, 5 – 9 p.m., and Dec. 7, 1 – 5 p.m. This year’s tour features a range of historically significant homes decked out for the holiday season, providing an opportunity for visitors to step back in time and enjoy the unique homes of the Hampton Heights Historic District, Spartanburg’s oldest intact residential community, and the hospitality of a bygone era.

The home tour will feature a horse-drawn carriage, luminary-lined streets, musicians filling the neighborhood with the sounds of Christmas and homes decked out in Christmas finery. Featured homes are 229 W. Hampton Ave., Kimberlie and Luke Hammond; 203 West Hampton Ave., Tammy and David Stokes; 252 West Hampton Ave., Barry Whitfield and Kenny Covington; 194 West Hampton Ave., Abby Pace and Maia Thrailkill; and Allan and Nadine Odom, 346 South Spring St.; and Montessori Academy, 384 and 352 South Spring Street.

Tickets are being sold at a variety of outlets throughout Spartanburg prior to the tour. On the days of the tour, tickets will be sold at Montessori Academy, which has been located in the Hampton Heights Historic District since 1985 and which recently expanded by restoring one of the historic homes on South Spring St. to accommodate middle school students.

Alan and Nadine Odom are relative newcomers to the historic district, moving into their restored home on Spring St. 18 months ago. They moved to Spartanburg from Elizabeth City, NC, where they had renovated another older house.

“We moved here because of work, and we chose Hampton Heights because of the opportunity to restore ‘The Poster Child,’ which had most of the features we wanted in a home,” Nadine Odom says, referring to her home by the name neighborhood residents have given to the beautifully restored home.

Tickets for the event are available at Preservation Trust, 226 South Spring St.; Hip Hip Hooray, 2660 Reidville Road # 5; Theodore Morris, 571 E. Main St.; and Upstate Forever, 100 E. Main St., Ste. R-4. Admission is $15 for advance tickets, $20 on the weekend of the tour. Children under 12 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. A group rate ticket of $10 is available for groups of 15 or more. For information, contact Tammy Stokes, 864-237-2900 or president@hamptonheights.org .

Dickens of a Christmas - Dec. 2, 2008

Planned for December 2, 2008 in downtown Spartanburg, The 15th annual Dickens of a Christmas is a holiday event that brings the

Victorian Spirit of Charles Dickens's time to the community.




Dramatic performers, musicians, working artists and community organizations immerse festival-goers in a swirling array of sights, sounds and activities typical of the Victorian era. These include living window displays depicting scenes of the holiday season and from Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," street entertainers, strolling carolers, hand bell choirs, marching suffragettes, chestnut roasters and other Victorian inspired activities.

"Dickens" begins at 6 pm with a Dickens Parade; featuring Victorian costumed characters, singers, musicians and anyone who wants to join in. Denny’s annual tree lighting ceremony takes place at 7:30 pm in Denny’s Plaza. This event is free and family friendly. For more information contact 864.582.2776 or visit The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg.

This Saturday - BYOA Downtown

Four years ago, before there was a Showroom Gallery and Performance Hall, Hub-Bub hosted the very first BYOA (Bring Your Own Art) Show at a vacant downtown building. The event was such a success that it became an annual tradition. For the past two years the event has been held at The Showroom and has attracted over 40 artists from around the area and attracted crowds of hundreds of people each time.

In 2007 the event maxed out the space prompting Hub-Bub to search for a larger location. On Saturday November 22nd Hub-Bub will host the fourth annual BYOA show at 125 W. Main St., in the old Kimbrell’s Furniture space on Morgan Square.BYOA is a spontaneous art exhibit and sale with no selection process or submission required by the artists.

It’s a great opportunity for artists to have their work shown and the perfect place to for patrons to find a unique gift for the holiday season.This is always a fun event and the use of the vacant space will only add to the excitement as the building is filled with art on easels, propped and leaned. The event will take place from 7 til 10pm and in addition to the varied selection of art, crafts and jewelry those attending can enjoy food, drink and music by local DJ Tony P. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

BYOA is open to all artists to participate and those interested in becoming involved should visit the opportunities page for more details. Spaces will be given on a first come, first served basis.Call Stephen at 864-582-0056 or email stephen@hub-bub.com with questions.This event is sponsored in part by The Spartanburg Downtown Association and Buck Brandt, Attorney.