Spartanburg Team To Attend The 2009 AAU Junior Olympic games

City of Spartanburg Sponsored Track Club to attend 2009 AAU Junior Olympic games


SPARTANBURG (July 29, 2009) Spartanburg based Express Lane Track Club will be attending the 2009 AAU Junior Olympic Games at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa Saturday, August 1st – August 8th. We have 11 qualifying athletes that range from ages 7-14. In addition to the 11 qualifying athletes, there are four athletes entering competition in the top 10 with others just inches/seconds away.

In looking to expand the City’s athletic efforts and diversify programming, while predominantly serving youth who live in the City, Express Lane fit what the City wanted. Express Lane is sponsored by the City of Spartanburg who will eventually develop an established program with the City name.

For additional information, contact James Rice, Athletic Coordinator, 864-596-4387 or jrice@cityofspartanburg.org

Faces in the Crowd of Life

Photography by Carroll Foster Opening Reception

Join us at The Showroom (149 S. Daniel Morgan Ave) on Wednesday, July 29th from 7-9pm for the opening reception of this exhibit featuring photographs by Carroll Foster.

Faces in the Crowd of Life features large-scale portraits of people in and around Spartanburg with a wide-range of subjects, from local ministers to fashion models.. With this exhibit, Carroll invites you to " trace the lines on our faces that lead back to the places we come from."Carroll Foster was raised in Spartanburg and is a graduate of Spartanburg High School. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Savannah College of the Arts and is currently a full-time photographer and owner of Hot Eye Photography in downtown Spartanburg. Admission if free and beverages & hors d'oeuvres will be available.

Playful City USA

City of Spartanburg Selected As A Playful City For The Third Consecutive Year.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (July 21, 2009) –The City of Spartanburg in partnership with Southside Unity in the Community was selected as a “Playful City” for the third year in a row by KaBOOM! a national non-profit that promotes providing areas for children to play.
Of the 93 communities chosen, Spartanburg was among the 22 cities named for the third consecutive year including Honolulu, Indianapolis and San Antonio due to the City’s commitment to usable, open parks in the City of Spartanburg.
Southside Unity in the Community, a local nonprofit focused on improving the lives of the community's youth, started the application process in aspiration of receiving grant money to improve and maintain city parks. As a result of the 2007 Mary Black Foundation Community Champion award, Southside Unity in the Community used the $25,000 award money to train community volunteers and beautify Priscilla Rumley Park, a 14-acre neighborhood park located at the intersection of Seay St. and Gary St.

For more details, contact Parks and Recreation Superintendent Brian Wofford at 596-3105 or bwofford@cityofspartanburg.org

City Hires New Economic Development Director

City of Spartanburg Hires New Economic Development Director


SPARTANBURG, SC (July 21, 2009) Patty Bock will be joining the City of Spartanburg as the Economic Development Director effective July 27. She will be for responsible for a variety of programs designed to encourage private investment and development in the City.

Ms. Bock graduated from The Ohio State University. She has over 20 years experience in leasing, management. She has been active in Leadership Spartanburg and many other civic organizations.

States Bock, “It is a pleasure to join a great team at the City and build on the City’s objectives (success) in making Spartanburg a better place to live, work and play. I am eager to work with current and future businesses, developers and property owners in the City, as well as implementing plans and programs that will bring private investment and jobs within the City limits. “

Reporting directly to the City Manager, Ed Memmott states, “The City is very excited that Patty has accepted the position of Economic Development Director. Patty was selected from over 140 applicants for the position. I look forward to working with Patty. She is a great addition to our team.”

For additional information please contact Ed Memmott, City Manager, 864-596-2394, ememmott@cityofspartanburg.org.

Open House for Ballet Spartanburg's Dance Center

Ballet Spartanburg’s Dance Center will host an open house and registration for 2009-10 dance classes Thursday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., at Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg.

This year, there will be classes for 3-year-old children through adults in ballet, tap and jazz, Irish step, hip hop, modern, salsa, ballroom, boys’ program, adult beginning tap, and musical theater. Guests will be able to meet dance instructors and tour the state-of-the-art dance studios.

For more information, please visit online http://www.balletspartanburg.net/ or call 583-0339.

United Way's Week of Caring

United Way's 6th Annual Week of Caring Announced

United Way of the Piedmont is excited to announce the 6th Annual Week of Caring, which will take place in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union Counties the week of August 31st - September 4th. During that time, over 600 volunteers will team up to provide assistance to multiple non-profit agencies in each county. We encourage individuals, groups of friends and co-workers to adopt a volunteer project. With multiple projects to choose from, we are sure there is an opportunity perfect for you. Join United Way of the Piedmont and make your mark by participating in Week of Caring.

To view a menu of projects please follow this link http://www.uwpiedmont.org/2009-week-of-caring.php
Please contact Mary Catherine Mitchell at 582-7556 or mmitchell@uwpiedmont.org for more information.

2nd Annual Spartanburg Creative Tastes

CITY OF SPARTANBURG ANNOUNCES 2ND ANNUAL SPARTANBURG CREATIVE TASTES

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (July 1, 2009) The public is invited to celebrate Spartanburg’s creative restaurants and food vendors at the 2nd Annual Spartanburg Creative Tastes in downtown Spartanburg.

Planned for Saturday, September 5th, from 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., there will be a Restaurant Row featuring local restaurants and chefs; a “Made in Spartanburg” area highlighting local foods of the Spartanburg area, artwork featured by HUB-BUB and area artists, the “Lemonade Stand” featuring kid’s activities and local cookbooks will be for sale. Local entertainment will also be provided during the event.

Planned for the west-side of Downtown, applications are available online at the Spartanburg Creative Energy website, http://www.spartanburgcreativeenergy.com/. Participants may sign-up until August 7, 2009. Admission is free with food and beverages available for purchase.

For additional information contact Sonya Culbreth (sculbreth@cityofspartanburg.org) or Amanda Mathis (amathis@cityofspartanburg.org).