By Natalie M. ZeiglerCity Manager
Renofest will roll into Hartsville for the 16th year this weekend, bringing together bluegrass performers and music lovers from around the nation with locals and regional visitors. For years, Renofest has provided an excellent example of the ways in which Hartsville has been unusually blessed with cultural and entertainment opportunities.
As always, the City of Hartsville has also been working to contribute to our community’s full calendar of events. A week from today, March 29 at 6 p.m., we will be hosting our own Easter egg hunt, free of charge, and sponsored by The Living Church. We’re inviting children and families to search for eggs hidden around Burry Park. At dusk, we will be showing a free movie on our large outdoor screen at Burry Park. When I tell people about this event, they are always able to guess what movie we will be showing: “Hop,” the 2011 children’s movie about the Easter Bunny’s teenage son.
Soon after, on April 11, we will bring back Thursdays on College, the street concert series taking place on East College Avenue. We began this effort last fall and had a great time with the crowds who came downtown for some music, food and drink after work.
We will have two spring concerts this year, with the April 11 date belonging to country/folk rock performer and songwriter Patrick Davis. I’m particularly excited about Davis, since he is a Nashville-based songwriter who has written for such acts as Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Jewel and Jason Michael Carroll, and has performed as a supporting act for many big names as well. He originally comes from just down the road in Camden, so he is returning home for a performance tour in South Carolina, including the Hartsville concert. We’ve also brought on more South Carolinians for the May 9 concert, since Josh Roberts and The Hinges are a Columbia-based group. A rock group which tours in South Carolina and beyond, they have recently released their latest album, “Mighty Old Distance and Murky Old Time.” The City’s concert series has already done very well, and with these acts we’re really looking to make it better than ever in 2013. Concert times will also move back to 6:30 p.m., giving people more time to make it downtown after work.
Later in the summer, the City will be offering even more things to do. In May, the Piratesville Splash Pad will open at Byerly Park, giving children a chance to use the largest water play area of its kind in the region. Screen on the Green, the free outdoor movie series in Burry Park, will also begin in May. This year, we’re showing “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Earth, by Disney Nature,” “Brave,” and “The Princess Bride.” A full schedule can be found on our website.
