Imagine That - Tomorrow Night

Join Imagine That tomorrow at the Chapman Cultural Center. Tickets are $7 in advance and the show begins at 7 p.m. Performances recommended for children 13 years or older.

CITY OF SPARTANBURG PARTNERS WITH BMW

CITY OF SPARTANBURG PARTNERS WITH BMW

Together with BMW Manufacturing Co., the City of Spartanburg announces a new revitalization project being developed adjacent to the new CC Woodson Community Center.

The project, primarily a green space revitalization project, will include stream restoration in order to construct a new walking trail, an outdoor classroom and native plantings. The goal of the project is to create a connection with the community center and the Collins Park development to include an area where young people can gather and learn about the importance of protecting our environment.

A voluntary work day is being planned for late January 2010. This will allow the community to lend a hand in cleaning up the area and reinforce their commitment to volunteerism.

The project will be completed by early 2010 around the same time that the new CC Woodson Community Center opens its doors to the community. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled at that time.

City of Spartanburg’s Mayor William Barnet, III states "We salute, and deeply appreciate, the interest of BMW in our community and all the communities across the face of the upstate. This visionary partnership encourages all of us to better focus on our neighborhoods and deliver the quality of life our citizens seek."

“BMW hopes this new area engages young citizens to invest in the community, stated Max Metcalf, Manager, Community Relations for BMW. As we have done with other programs, we want our young people to learn the importance of environmental responsibility and building sustainable communities for generations to come.”

For additional information regarding the City’s partnership with BMW, please contact Mitch Kennedy, City of Spartanburg’s Community Services Director at 864-596-2052.

SPARTANBURG INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

SPARTANBURG INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL WHERE THE WORLD COMES TOGETHER

The annual Spartanburg International Festival celebrates Spartanburg’s diverse multicultural community. And multicultural it is, as people from more than 60 countries actually call Spartanburg home. The event not only brings the cultural spirit of Spartanburg to light, but it also provides an opportunity to share and be a part of such a vast cultural exchange.

The daylong fall festival at Barnet Park is set for Saturday, October 3, from 11 am to 6 pm. It is free and open to the public. Organizers promise a world of fun and cultures from around the globe, including entertainment, food, music, exhibits, dance, and activities for the entire family.

“We have a record number 54 countries represented in this year’s International Festival,” said Festival Coordinator Jane Warner. “These countries are represented through food, educational displays, art, entertainment, sports, games, and activities in the kids’ area.

Festival goers will have an opportunity to learn more about Africa at this year’s festival as it was selected to be the 2009 Honored Continent. Exhibits and activities will fill the entire fountain area at the entrance to the park. There will be information from nine African Countries – including: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Please visit the festival website at www.SpartanburgInternationalFestival.com for all of the festival details.

Partners for Active Living

On-line ArtCycle Auction

Spartanburg Creative Energy Announces the 2009 On-line ArtCycle Auction

The City of Spartanburg invites the public to pariticpate in the first online auction for the 2009 ArtCycles starting Monday, September 21, 2009 at 8 a.m. at www.artcycle.cmarket.com. Sales from the auction will help fund the ArtCycle program for 2010.

As part of the Spartanburg Creative Energy campaign, ArtCycle is an initiative to promote regional artists, each of whom has been commissioned to build an outdoor sculpture from recycled bicycle parts. The sculptures need not be made only of bicycle parts, nor need they be made of a specific percentage of bicycle parts. However, the sculptures must be made of enough bicycle parts that the viewer readily sees that a significant portion of each sculpture contain parts that were formerly from of a bicycle.

The sculptures were on display in Spartanburg’s downtown area from May until the end of September. The project is the result of a collaboration between Spartanburg Creative Energy , HUB-BUB, Spartanburg Art Museum and Partners for Active Living. ArtCycle celebrates the City's national designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community, which made it the first in South Carolina to receive that honor in 2007.

2009 ArtCycle Artists
Jason S. Galloway – Roebuck, SC
Sean Pace - Asheville, NC
Miles Paquin – Spartanburg, SC
Ralph Paquin - Spartanburg, SC
Sarah Perry, R. D. Anderson Applied Technology Center Student – Spartanburg, SC
Lauren Ponder -Spartanburg, SC
Cody Roberts – Spartanburg, SC
Daniel Tripp- Campobello, SC
Brandon Waddell, R. D. Anderson Applied Technology Center Student – Spartanburg, SC
Blake West, R. D. Anderson Applied Technology Center - Student – Spartanburg, SC

For additional information please contact Amanda Mathis, City of Spartanburg, Communications and Marketing Specialist, 864-596-3068, amathis@cityofspartanburg.org.

Penny-Farthing Proposition

Penny-Farthing Proposition Art Project Announced

The City of Spartanburg announces seven new art pieces installed in the downtown area as part of the Penny-Farthing Proposition.

The Penny-Farthing Proposition is a new public art initiative creative by local Spartanburg artist, Cody Robert, “Hoondirt”, to promote active living and Spartanburg’s Bicycle Friendly Community Award through art. The gold bike sculptures are located along Main Street, Daniel Morgan Square, Church Street and the Hub City Art Park.

A penny-farthing is a term used to describe a bicycle with a large font wheel and a smaller rear wheels. They where the first contraption to be labeled with the term bicycle and considered as a symbol of the late Victorian era.

For more information, please contact Amanda Mathis, Communications and Marketing Specialist at 864-596-3068 or amathis@cityofspartanburg.org.
Photo Credit

Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Website Request

The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is working to overhaul its Website (www.VisitSpartanburg.com). One of the features on the new site will be a listing of local restaurants, shops and attractions complete with a description, photo, and contact information for each business.

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which people make their travel plans. With nearly eighty percent of consumers searching the Web to make their travel decisions, it is crucial for VisitSpartanburg.com to be as informative as possible.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau is requesting that you email your business’ information to Amy Phillips, aphillips@visitspartanburg..com by Friday, September 25th. Please include a photograph of your restaurant, boutique, or attraction along with the address, phone number, website, hours of operation and a brief description.

The mission of the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is to promote and develop Spartanburg as a destination for all visitors.

Call for Volunteers!

The Spartanburg International Festival is coming up on Saturday, October 3 at Barnet Park from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm.
The festival is held each year to celebrate Spartanburg’s diverse community through food, hands-on activities, folk art, music and dance.

The City of Spartanburg is currently seeking volunteers for the 2009 event. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals or groups to volunteer at an event that showcases the cultures of the many unique populations that make up our community. Volunteers are needed for general set up of all festival areas, decorating, assistance with kids activities, working in Coke booths, etc. Volunteers can stay all day or work a single four-hour shift.


To volunteer for the festival, contact Volunteer Coordinator Darryl Goodwin at dgoodwin@cityofspartanburg.org or 864-596-3110.


For additional information regarding the International Festival, contact Mandy Merck, Special Events Manager at mmerck@cityofspartanburg.org or 864-562-4195.

College Fest Tonight

Fall 2009 College Fest
To Welcome Students Back

The eighth annual College Fest event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Denny’s Plaza in downtown Spartanburg, featuring nationally known singer/songwriter Matt Wertz, local recording artists After August, and Atlanta-based hip-hop artist B.o.B.

The Fall 2009 College Fest is a yearly event targeted to college-age students and presented and hosted by College Town of Spartanburg, a consortium of the six colleges in Spartanburg (Converse College, Sherman College, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg Community College, University of South Carolina Upstate and Wofford College) and in partnership with the City of Spartanburg. College Town was initiated by Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet in 2003 with the goal of collaborative social and academic programs to showcase the institutions of higher education in the community.


Previous College Fest events have been held annually in the spring, however the event has been moved to the fall to coincide with the beginning of the school year and welcome the local college students to the Spartanburg community.Several local food vendors will be on hand at the event providing free food to students with valid tickets, including Papa John’s, Jason’s Deli, Smokin’ Pig BBQ and several others. Student tickets are available at each of the respective Spartanburg County colleges. This year’s musical guests bring a diverse array of music that will appeal to all of Spartanburg’s college students.



Headlining the fall 2009 College Fest is singer/songwriter Matt Wertz, who is currently promoting his fourth full-length album Under Summer Sun and an EP entitled Where We Started, both 2008 releases on the Universal Republic label. He initially grew his fan base by performing at Young Life camps following the release of his first album, Somedays, in 2001. He has toured with several acts including Gavin Degraw, Jason Mraz, Jars of Clay, and others. Some of Wertz’s songs have been featured on both the small and large screen, in movies like Employee of the Month and My Super Ex-Girlfriend, along with TV shows like Wildfire and Brothers and Sisters. Over his seven-year career, he has sold more than 75,000 albums. He divides his time between the stage and his home in Nashville.



Spartanburg recording artists After August have been building a fan base throughout the country since they formed in 2004. They have a polished rock sound and an energetic live show. They have shared the stage and played alongside bands such as Bon Jovi, Little Big Town, Cowboy Mouth, Twista, The Last Goodnight, & Matt Costa. They entered Rock 101.1’s Battle of the Bands in January 2006 and won it, while beating out over 100 bands. Their reward – opening up for Bon Jovi at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, SC on February 8, 2006 for a sold out crowd of 12,000 people. The next day, they had so many hits and downloads on their website, that it crashed. It was a very good crash. Since then the band has released albums, is constantly touring, and has played with many national acts. With tunes ranging from pop-rock love ballads to lead-filled southern-rock songs, After August already has racked up over 200,000 myspace visits. They released their self-titled full-length debut in 2006 and have two EPs to their credit, including 2008’s “AA EP.”



B.o.B., also known as Bobby Ray, is an Atlanta hip-hop artist with Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records, who began selling beats to other artists at the age of 15. Now at 20 years old, he has released four mix tapes and most recently his 2009 debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray on the Grand Hustle label. B.o.B has a unique talent in that he produces, writes, raps, arranges, and mixes his own music. He is a one stop music creation shop from top to bottom. Hit beat maker Jim Jonsin, who has already made his mark by producing fire such as “Give It To Me” by Sean Paul and Danity Kane’s “Showstopper” in addition to smashes by Trick Daddy, Trina, Pretty Ricky and others, has signed B.o.B to his Rebel Rock imprint as the flagship artist. Plus, the industry tastemaker, TJ Chapman the CEO of TJ’s DJ’s is serving as B.o.B’s co-manager after helping launch the careers of T-Pain, David Banner, Yung Joc, and Rick Ross to name a few.

My Fair Lady - This Weekend

My Fair Lady debuts this weekend

at the Chapman Cultural Center.

Click here to purchase tickets

or call (864) 542-2787.

Creative Tastes Video

CREATIVE TASTES IN DOWNTOWN SPARTANBURG from william gary henderson on Vimeo.

Spartanburg CVB to Feature Local Musicians Past and Present

Spartanburg CVB to Feature Local Musicians Past and Present

The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is working to overhaul its website. One of the features on the new site will be a “Spartanburg Jukebox”, which will pay tribute to local musicians past and present. The CVB is asking for mp3 files of local musicians’ work to feature on the site.

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which people make their travel plans. Research shows that eighty percent of consumers use the internet when making travel decisions, making it crucial that you have a site that is not only informative and easy to use, but also appealing to the visitor.

“Spartanburg has such a rich music heritage from Singin’ Billy Walker to Pink Anderson and Ira Tucker to The Marshall Tucker Band”, says Amy Phillips with the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “By featuring local artists on our website, visitors are not only able to learn about that part of our culture, but also able to enjoy some remarkable music”, she says.

If you know of a local musician, past or present, that you think should be featured on the “Spartanburg Jukebox”, please send the mp3 file, title and artist of each song to Amy Phillips, aphillips@visitspartanburg.com or mail to 298 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, 29306. For any questions, please call 864-594-5050. All files will be needed by Friday, September 25th.

The mission of the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is to promote and develop Spartanburg as a destination for all visitors.

Spartanburg Creative Tastes - 2 days away!

Join us this Saturday in downtown Spartanburg for the 2nd Annual Spartanburg Creative Tastes. Details in today's Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

Fall Season of Jazz on the Square Begins September 4

Fall Season of Jazz on the Square Begins

September 4

The fall series of Jazz on the Square is returning to Morgan Square in Downtown Spartanburg for its fourth season and will be held every Friday in September and October. JOTS gets underway this coming Friday - September 4. It will be held by the fountain on Morgan Square from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Lunch time Jazz will be offered during the final Friday of the fall season – on October 30. Jazz lovers can bring their lunch (or get take out from one of the downtown restaurants) and enjoy music on the Square from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm.


Jazz on the Square, presented by QS/1, is a free event. Wine, beer, and soft drinks are available for purchase from Carriage House Wines.


Jazz on the Square is produced and coordinated by the City of Spartanburg’s Special Events Office. Event goers can check the Special Events Hotline number at 864-596-3613 for updated information and any cancellations because of inclement weather.
The City is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Alcoholic beverages will not be served to minors or intoxicated persons. Anyone wishing to consume an alcoholic beverage must show a valid ID and wear a wristband. All guests of Jazz on the Square are asked to leave pets and coolers at home.